The Fox’s Tale

Everyone else in the room froze save for him, Ellery, and myself. I looked down and saw that in addition to holding my hand Ellery had wrapped one leg around mine.

Reilly looked between the two of us before speaking. “So the rumors are true. You have found your Other. May I offer my congratulations, your highness?”

“You may. What else do you need to speak to us about, Lord Reilly?”

“My agents have investigated what happened at Central and there was definitely dark magic at play. Runes had been carved into the underside of the flooring and on the doors of the gym. That neither you, nor any of the people with you, were harmed is a testament to your power.”

Ellery sighed. “I was afraid that's what they'd find. What manner of neutralization is recommended?”

“Fire, your highness.”

“You can’t burn down their gym on top of everything else!” I exclaimed, shocked that she was even considering it.

“Alexander." She was fighting back a smile. "I’m not going to burn down their gym. Pixie fire purifies without consuming the materials beneath.”

"Oh." I felt my cheeks heat. There was so much about the different species that I didn't know, despite what I'd read. Ellery patted my knee in reassurance before she turned back to Reilly. He wore an amused expression on his face that he tried to return to a mask of polite courtesy.

He coughed and then spoke. “My apologies, your highness.”

“None needed, Lord Reilly. You’ll arrange it all and see that the Pixies are adequately compensated?”

He winced. “About the compensation; Jenkins is most insistent that in addition to their usual payment that an invitation to your upcoming nuptials be included for himself and his brother.”

Ellery wrinkled her brow. “They are already on the guest list.”

Reilly cleared his throat and didn't meet her eyes. “For the first ceremony.”

Ellery hissed in a breath and then she snapped, “oh, that little pervert! He’s been trying to find a way to see me topless since I was fourteen.”

“Do I need to rip out his throat?” I was only slightly joking.

“No, he’s one of Elliott’s friends, and actually a great guy, it’s just that Pixies are…..”

“They’re unrelentingly horny, worse than even a Shifter in heat.” Reilly managed to say this with only a slight smirk. I rolled my eyes.

“Tell him that attendance for my Unseelie ceremony is predicated on the wishes of my grandmother, and he is welcome to request that of her. Is there anything else?” Ellery asked before we could start trading insults.

“Yes, because of the attack this Friday, their highnesses, the Crown Prince and the Duke of the Four Winds have insisted on changing your schedules and/or relocating your classrooms to place you in the same parts of the building at all times.”

“Relocating our classes? How?” I demanded.

“We’d use magic to relocate the classrooms. Lord Reilly, would it be possible to leave the entrances to the rooms where they are and just use portals to the interior? That would enable us to be close together with a minimum of upheaval and avoid having to charm the student body.”

“You mean a variation on pocket universes?” She nodded. “That would work quite nicely I believe. However, that won’t be possible for the classes you have in fixed point classrooms.”

“How many of those do we have?”

“Let me see, there’s Lady Beatrice’s classroom because of her powers, the physics classrooms, and the entirety of the foreign language hall, since those teachers travel from their home countries to teach here.”

Ellery tapped her lips in thought. “Hmm. Well, Alexander has trig when I have English with Lady Beatrice so that one isn’t an issue. More problematic is that I have French when Alexander has Physics.”

I perked up. “I hate Physics if that helps.”

“Would switching Alexander into the classroom on the other side of my French class be possible? I believe it hosts elective courses that are only a semester long. He could drop Physics and pick something else up for the spring semester.”

“I will check on it. If not, I see no reason that Mr. Vos couldn’t have an internship with the administration.”

“Thank you, Lord Reilly.” She settled herself into the position she’d been in before they began talking, but Reilly didn’t do the same. “Is there something else?”

“If I may, I am relieved that you were unharmed, as are all of us that are loyal to House Sinclair. I’m afraid, however, that not all who claim fealty to House Thorn are as loyal.”

“Do you have any facts to support your concerns?”

“Not at present.”

Ellery glanced at me. Jones had coached me on how to speak about this issue during our quick chat this morning before we left for school.

“House Sinclair shares your concerns, as do I, and the Incorruptibles. I would like to meet with you to discuss this at another time in our immediate future.”

Lord Reilly smiled. “Would tomorrow be acceptable?”

“Yes, pull me out of class if you have to. She’s more important than anything else.”

“Very well. Now, let us return.”

The room roared back to life and Lord Reilly didn’t miss a beat, answering the question she’d asked before he’d frozen the room.

“I came to offer my support for the team and to assure all of you that nothing like what happened on Friday will happen again. You have my word.” He was speaking to all of us, but looking at Ellery. She inclined her head in assent.

With that we were released to head to the gym. All my teammates kept stealing furtive glances at us as we headed to the locker room, but no one said anything for which I was grateful. If I had to hear crap from them like I’d heard all day I would lose it.