A Change of Heart

Evening of Monday March 8, 1490

Surveying our scorched, exhausted little party, Ynez came to the obvious conclusion that we were not in an optimal mental state for negotiating with Thanos, and decided to visit Tessa again for advice. I, on the other hand, opted to stay home — I was filled by the oddest desire to compose love poetry to Thoren while watching the Aegis collapse. In the end, Tel was the one who accompanied Ynez, ostensibly to help her up the Tower but mostly to seek consolation in Verrus' arms. (Although Verrus was vain and shallow, and I suspected that he wouldn't react well to Tel's new ordinariness. But I didn't say anything.) Thrilled to spend any time alone with her idol, Ynez happily scampered off with Tel, darting furtive, hopeful looks up at his face and struggling to match his long strides. She cared little about his appearance, but he would never consider her anything more than a baby sister.

After the mismatched pair had vanished into the dusk, Ghallim nudged me and said, "I'm going to the Acropolis to look at Thoren's notes. Weren't you interested?"

"Oh, yes! Of course!" If I could no longer speak to Thoren myself, reading his notes would be almost like hearing his voice again. I hoped.

After all the new calamities confronting House Criamon, the familiarity of the Acropolis hugged me like a cozy blanket. The full-scale panic of Saturday afternoon had worn off, and mages and apprentices bustled about with their usual self-importance. Although all but one of the Norwegians were gone, local recruits had outnumbered Thoren's original followers from the earliest days, and the absence of tall, blond northerners was less jarring than I'd expected. From the edge of my mind, I thought I heard a sigh of disappointment.

Even if I no longer had an eidetic memory, I knew very well where Leona's workroom was, and I led Ghallim straight there. Just as Thoren's office had once been the hub of House Bonisagus, so now mages flowed in a steady stream in and out of Leona's quarters. A harried-looking Initiate, who claimed to be her new private secretary, imperiously informed us that we needed an appointment to see the Prima (seriously? An appointment? It was just like Leona to impose unnecessary bureaucracy when Thoren had managed fine without it). But I smiled tentatively and explained, "Ghallim is an expert in Ars Vis, and I know something of it, and the Prima has asked us to look over Thoren's notes. We only need a moment of her time."

Somewhat to her own surprise, the Initiate found herself smiling back at me. "Why, of course, Adepta. I'll show you in at once."

Ghallim stared at me for a moment, then hastily hid a smirk.

Wow, that was incredibly empowering! Was this how Tel felt all the time? He just lifted the corners of his lips ever so slightly — and people tripped over themselves to cater to his whims? I might need to experiment more.

Once inside Leona's workroom, we found the Prima seated behind her desk, surrounded by a tight knot of senior mages (all standing, I noticed) who were speaking in tense, grim tones and gesturing intensely at documents. "Adepta Marina bani Criamon and Ghallim Favager of the priesthood of Athena," announced the Initiate before she left us, her gaze lingering on my face.

Leona looked up, frowning, and taking their cue from her, the other mages turned as one to glower at the interlopers. Three of them I recognized instantly — Leif, who regarded me with haunted eyes; Georgios, who scowled (come on — those monster leeches weren't my fault!); and Nitsa, who sniffed and cast me a contemptuous glance. What would Tel do? Probably act inappropriately cheerful and clueless. But it would work.

So I gave it my best shot. Bestowing a dazzling smile indiscriminately on all the Bonisagi, I greeted them brightly, "Hi! Prima Leona, Adepti, Adeptae." I even waved a little.

Leif's jaw dropped, Georgios surreptitiously straightened his robes, and Nitsa actually smiled at me. "Good evening, Marina," she said. "How are the Ars Conjunctionis wards on the library?"