Chapter 28

The morning after the ball, Alastair awoke to shrieking in the gardens. Bolting from bed, his wand at the ready, he rushed to the window to investigate. Another riot? An attack on the school while everyone was recovering from the party?

When he looked out, though, it was nothing so nefarious. Snow puttered down, and a large gathering of students stood in the courtyard, looking up at the sky gleefully and shouting as the flakes fell.

Oh.

The first snow of the season. And it was as exciting for him as it was for the students. He nearly threw on his fur robes to rush out and join them before he remembered he was the headmaster. He couldn’t go traipsing through the gardens like a doe-eyed school boy. He had to play the role with gravitas.

It was the last day before the students left for break—which meant their dinner party with House Aurum was that evening. All Alastair wanted to do was to curl up in bed with a good book, enjoy the first real day of winter from the warmth of his quarters, but there was too much to do. First on the agenda was to visit the kitchens and ensure Quicksilver’s cooking staff was all set with the night’s menu.

“Sir?”

As if summoned by Alastair’s very thoughts, Quicksilver popped into being before the hearth, looking a little the worse for wear. He must have indulged in some of the teachers’ punch last night.

“Did you enjoy last evening’s festivities?” he asked, wringing his hands anxiously. “Did we do well?”

“It was great,” Alastair said quickly. He didn’t like the sight of his chief of staff in this much distress over a simple holiday party. “Loved the dancing trees.”

“They were too fast, weren’t they?”

He thought about lying, but Quicksilver was too insightful for that. “They might have been a wee bit fast.” Alastair raised his hands, pressing them to the empty air. “Not too bad, though. Completely workable and very impressive!”

“Thank you, sir. And the culinary choices? Did they meet your standards? What of the drink? Ms. Snapdragon provided us a new recipe. It was a little unusual—”

“Quicksilver, the whole thing was great,” Alastair said, trying his best to infuse his voice with assurance. “Everyone had a wonderful time. You did a good job. So did Ms. Snapdragon—send her my thanks, please.”

The elemental looked gratified. “Thank you, sir.”

“How does tonight’s meal with Aurum look?”

Quicksilver gave a sharp nod. “My staff is already preparing. Things should progress nicely, and I believe you will be highly satisfied with their efforts.”

“Good. Then take the day off.”

There was a long silence.

“What?”

“It’s the first snow of the year,” Alastair said. “Winter break begins tomorrow. Like you said, they have it under control. I’ll see to any last-minute needs. Take off and enjoy the day.”

“But, sir, I need to clean up the hall. It is positively a mess from last night’s festivities.”

He had a point. Alastair had left the hall late in the evening and the floor had been covered with empty plates and glasses. Icicle shards from Quicksilver’s dancing trees had left a soggy muck as well, and the decorative spells had already been losing power and slowly drifting downward.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“It can wait,” he decided.

“Sir, I simply cannot—”

“Fine,” Alastair interrupted, knowing he wouldn’t win this one. “Clean up the hall. And then take the rest of the day off.”

The elemental hesitated, then bowed low. “Alright, sir. Thank you, sir.”

Alastair wasn’t sure if Quicksilver was thanking him for the day off, or that he had allowed him to continue working.

“Good.”

They parted ways, and Alastair got dressed in layers of warm velvet. He topped things off with a long cape so he could wrap himself if the weather became too bone-chilling to bear. When he clocked himself in the mirror, he smiled. He looked very headmaster-ly.

Tempted as he was by the first snow, he had work to do. So, he kept his word and headed down to the kitchens to meet with Quicksilver’s staff about catering the Aurum-Primordium joint dinner. The castle was quiet after the previous night, and everyone awake was outside enjoying the winter weather. He was alone in the halls, for a change.

After the uncertainty of the semester, the peace was refreshing.