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I gave a crooked grin, keeping my eyes on the tapestry.
— And you look… — I hesitated, searching for the word. — Too calm.
She tilted her head slightly, as if weighing my words, and raised her brow just a little.
— Prince Taleus, — Elianora began softly, turning her head toward me so that in the torchlight her profile seemed carved from marble. — You are far too…
— In English, — I cut her off sharply, leaning forward, unable to hold back. — Please.
She blinked, her perfectly arched brows twitching ever so slightly, but almost at once a quick, nervous grin flickered across her lips—the very one, too alive to belong to a lady.
— Mike, — she said now in our old tongue, and I felt as if a weight lifted, — you’re too tense, drink some wine. You’re allowed now, you’re an adult, after all, — the corner of her lips twitched, and in that movement I caught a glimpse of the same David I once knew.
I took a goblet, but didn’t rush to drink. The red wine swayed quietly, reflecting the flames of the torches.
— Never thought I’d be sitting in a castle, waiting for Mr. Caldwell and… waiting for others from class. This sounds like the start of some cheap sci-fi novel, — I muttered.
Elianora smirked and was just about to reply when suddenly the door creaked. I flinched, while she, on the contrary, stayed calm, like a statue.
A tall, lean young man walked in, who outwardly looked barely sixteen. The apprentice of the court mage Kaldurin. His hair was dark, slightly wavy, loosely tied back with a ribbon. On his shoulders hung a long dark-blue robe, held by a silver belt embroidered with the symbol of the royal academy.
— Glad you came, — he said quietly but with confidence. — Now is the right time: the ball keeps everyone distracted. No one will disturb us here.
I couldn’t help but mumble:
— Mr. Caldwell… I thought you wouldn’t come, — the words slipped out on their own, even though my mind told me they sounded far too dumb for a meeting in a place like this.
The teacher lifted his chin, and with a faint, barely noticeable smile, looked at me as if peering over the narrow shadow of glasses he obviously didn’t wear—yet for some reason, I saw them, as though I were back in class again, homework undone.
— Michael, — he said calmly, in a voice deep for his current form, though it carried a trace of tension. — I always come. Especially when you need it the most.