The Unskillful Thaumaturge

LII

Lillian's eyes flickered back and forth across the seemingly endless list of names and pictures, ruling out the students one by one. Lillian had already reached the F's, and Galena the N's, each staring at separate computer screens.

Within the few weeks that Galena had worked at the DIAO, she had made her office into a neat, cozy space. In addition to the ever-present JOLO-brand office chair behind her desk, two comfortable chairs perched along the edge of the room. A large bulletin board was displayed on the wall, harboring numerous photos, printouts, and thumbtacks, as well as thin strands of string. Beneath Lillian's feet, a patterned rug seemed to bring the room together.

Galena had pulled one of the more comfortable chairs over and was leaning back in it with her legs crossed, letting Lillian borrow the taller office chair. Galena had the DIAO laptop positioned on her knees, while Lillian was scrolling through the list on the Assistant Director's office desktop.

"Do you think he'll be on this list?" Lillian asked. A smile flitted across her face as she noticed a picture of Angela Fiss- her classmate and friend- displayed on the desktop screen.

Galena let out a long breath. "I honestly don't know, Lillian. I hope so. We need to find him."

"You don't think he's a student?"

"Think about it this way," Galena explained, turning to her and holding her hands out. "Don't you think the professors would notice his efficacy if he was a student? Pretty much everyone has a thaum lab, and we haven't seen him do any thaumaturgy at all besides the cuttlefish illusion."

Lillian pondered this for a moment.

"And why did he instantly head for the thaumaturgy building when you were chasing him?"

Lillian's eyes widened in realization. "You know when he came back and asked for his key the day after Rolf showed up at my door?"

"Yes?" Galena said expectantly.

"I had class, so I left after him, and I saw him going into the thaumaturgy building then, too."

"So you're saying-" Galena broke off.

Lillian noticed the map of Dorena on Galena's bulletin board, with tacks sticking into it seemingly randomly- the specific locations around the city where they had seen Beanie. She yanked a blue thumbtack out of the board and drove it directly into the thaumaturgy building.

"We need to watch that building."

❦

It was the perfect spot.

Dakota could see no better solution to the food problem than Ashley's idea. She had tucked a tiny hand mirror into a crevice on the inside wall of the delivery drop-off for the student union. Enclosed enough that no one would notice, unfrequented enough that he didn't have to worry about being caught, far enough away from the thaumaturgy building that the DIAO wouldn't find him, and close enough to a food source (namely, the student union building) that he would be able to procure food fairly inconspicuously. He walked back to the delivery zone, clutching a bag containing a croissant, pondering how lucky he had been to evade Lillian and Erica.

True, it had been a fairly clever approach. The door to his office block, at the very top of the stairs, was usually propped open, but he had been fortunate enough to come upon it closed. The light switch was near enough to the door that he had been able to reach out and flick it downward. The scream and the thud of the boots had provided a perfect cover for the standard beeping sound and the click of the lock after he pressed his ID to the door, while simultaneously allowing him to simulate having jumped over the railing. Between the scream, the boots, and the inconspicuous-seeming door with the light behind it turned off, Lillian and Erica had taken the bait.

He sauntered carefully up the stairs, making sure not to trip and fall again. When he reached the hall, he continued past the first two doors and to the third, knocking as he read the familiar initials carved into the nameplate.

Ashley yanked the door open and beckoned Dakota inside. "You can sit down," she informed him, snatching the croissant bag from his hands. She held it up to the light, squinting as she read the words. She scoffed. "Leaving all the work to me, aren't you," she muttered, and slouched into the kitchen. She returned a minute later with the croissant on a plate and a glass of juice.

"For you." She indicated the juice. "I took care of it."

Dakota smiled and took a sip.

"So I'm assuming that you wanted to talk to me about your nightmare."

Dakota nodded, swallowing.

"I thought we talked about your nightmares last time you were here."

"It just..." Dakota trailed off, trying to explain. "It always feels so real."

"What was it last night?"

"I was running away, and then I saw my..." Dakota gulped. "My house, and it was just so vivid. I was so scared, I even felt like that cut I had on my thumb in the dream hurt, and-"

"And it was scary, I know," Ashley responded with empathy. "But, you already said, you don't know of anything that could help. Maybe teaching will take your mind off it."

"What do you mean?"

"Aren't you going to tell her?"

"Well, maybe eventually..." Dakota grimaced. "I don't know. It would make her trust me even less than she already does. And, even then, I don't think it would help."