I put my hands on my hips and eyed Winter. ‘Well?’ I asked. ‘Are we going? I’ve got things to do, so the faster we get this sorted out the better.’ I neglected to tell him that those things included lying on the sofa, eating a family-size bag of salt-and-vinegar crisps followed by copious amounts of chocolate, and occasionally reaching for the remote control.
He raised an eyebrow. ‘Is that what you’re wearing?’
I gave him a twirl. ‘Why yes, it is.’ Just because he was wearing an immaculate suit that was probably tailored to fit him and him alone, didn’t mean the rest of us had to dress like we were meeting the Queen.
He sighed heavily. ‘Fine. Let’s get a move on.’
I led the way, taking him down the corridor to the lift. I pressed the button to call it and he stared at me in astonishment. ‘The stairs will be faster.’
‘I’ve hurt my ankle. I need to avoid strenuous exercise.’
‘You’re fine.’
‘You don’t know that.’
Exasperation filled his eyes. ‘I’m an Adeptus Exemptus. You’re in perfect physical condition.’
I brightened. ‘Do you think so?’
Winter’s mouth tightened fractionally. ‘What I mean is that you are not in pain and you are suffering from no health defects beyond an incredible lack of fitness. You could also lose some weight.’
Oh, tell me that he did not just go there. ‘Lose weight?’
Winter belatedly realised the danger he was in. ‘If you wish to achieve the sort of peak physical condition required of a Second Level witch, it might be prudent. Our work can involve a lot of running and considerable effort.’
Screw that. ‘And what work is that exactly?’ I enquired, my tone dripping with ice.
‘Arcane Branch, of course.’
I rolled my eyes. Of course. ‘Well, it’s lucky that I’m neither Second Level nor working with you on anything other than extricating myself from this ridiculous situation,’ I said. Then I crossed my arms and made it clear I had nothing more to say to him.
***
The Order headquarters are nestled between Christchurch Cathedral and Merton College. They like to point out on a regular basis that they’ve been there far longer than the university and that their members possess skills which the typical Oxford student could only dream of. The truth is that the Order simply likes to keep an eye on their academic counterparts and ensure they don’t get too uppity. The Order enjoys a venerable status but in this day and age they know it could be whipped away in favour of the latest breakthrough in bioscience or chemical engineering or whatever.
To be honest, I wasn’t sure why they worried about it. Que sera sera, and all that. With footholds in every major city in the country, not to mention representatives in the House of Lords, I suspect that Order will be standing long after the university has crumbled into decay.
I avoid this part of town as much as I can. Other taxi drivers can reap the benefits of students separating coins from pocket fluff to pay their fares. I’m not going to let the Order keep me out of my town but neither am I going to wave my existence in their faces.
Winter and I strolled down the pavement towards the main doors. Well, I say strolled: I strolled and Winter marched. Still, it did afford me a very enjoyable view of his arse, which was a particularly tight and well-rounded specimen. He might have had a rod jammed up it but that didn’t mean I couldn’t appreciate the way it was put together. I was considering whether he maintained a regime that involved several hundred squats a day when he turned round and caught me staring. For the briefest moment, I thought he looked amused.
‘Do you like what you see?’ he growled.
I shrugged. I’d been caught out; there was no point in denying it. ‘Yeah,’ I said. ‘I do.’
‘And how would you feel if I afforded you the same attention?’
‘Hey, I’m all for equality.’ I turned round to give him the same view of me as I’d had of him. All I heard, however, was a loud scoff and him striding away from me. A girl could get a serious complex hanging around him for too long.
I caught up with him, forcing my legs to move faster so I could keep up. The few students milling around were giving way to more and more red-cloaked Order witches. Considering the wide berth they gave us, coupled with the looks cast in his direction, Winter was both admired and respected. I stifled a smile. Wait until they found out who he was supposed to be working with.
No one had recognised me yet because they didn’t expect me to be here. It was some years since I’d trodden these stones but I still remembered what this place was like; word would get around quickly enough. That wasn’t my ego talking; I was being realistic. There’s nothing like several covens of witches for passing around juicy gossip.
‘Adeptus!’ a voice called from behind us. ‘Adeptus Exemptus Winter!’
Winter stopped walking and I smirked. ‘Always got time for an adoring fan, then?’ I murmured under my breath.
He looked irritated but didn’t say anything. ‘Practicus Lindman,’ he said, greeting the First Level young woman. ‘What can I do for you?’
I stilled. Anthea. I’d not seen or spoken to her in over eight years. She appeared considerably more serious than the girl I used to giggle with over fake IDs and attempts to complete complicated runes to encourage acne-free skin and glossy hair. She didn’t even have the pink dye any more; instead her hair was a shiny brown and held up in a sombre bun.
‘I’m sorry to interrupt,’ she said, without glancing at me. ‘But last week you were talking about the runes for seismic displacement and I wanted to ask if you could help me.’ She held up a piece of paper. I could tell straight away that she’d angled the first two strokes incorrectly. Given the rosy flush across her cheeks, I doubted that she really cared about the runes. This was all about getting the chance to talk to Winter.
His face relaxed and he smiled at her kindly. Huh. Maybe he had a nice side after all. I bet he didn’t tell her she needed to lose weight. ‘It’s quite simple really,’ he said. ‘Do you have a pen?’
She nodded eagerly and pulled one out. He took it and re-sketched the first rune then pointed to her version. ‘Do you see the difference?’
She cocked her head. ‘I do! Thank you so much! Would it be too much trouble to ask you…’ She looked at me mid-sentence and her voice faltered. ‘Ivy?’
I gave her a little wave. ‘Hi, Anthea.’
She swallowed and stared. ‘What are you doing here?’ She flicked a glance at Winter and her meaning was clear: what are you doing here with him?
‘Just a little misunderstanding,’ I said airily. ‘How have you been?’
She blinked several times. ‘Good. I’ve been good. I’m Practicus now. It won’t be long until I’m ready to think about moving up to Second Level.’
‘Fantastic.’ It was obvious from my tone of voice that my heart wasn’t in it.
She got the hint. ‘I should go.’
‘Wasn’t there something else?’ Winter asked.
She threw another nervous look towards me. ‘No, it’s alright. I can see you’re busy.’ Before he could respond, she all but sprinted away. I wondered who she’d tell first.
Winter was patently curious. ‘There’s definitely more to you than meets the eye, Ms Wilde.’
‘Call me Ivy, Adeptus Exemptus Winter,’ I said. I didn’t need to stand on ceremony the way he did.
‘Biggins recognised your name too,’ he continued, ignoring my pointed comment. ‘What’s your real story?’
I did my best to look blasé. ‘I was here as a Neophyte,’ I told him. ‘And then I wasn’t.’
‘Why not?’
I met his eyes. He didn’t seem to want to know the salacious details of the story, he was just vaguely curious. I shrugged. He’d find out soon enough without my help. ‘I was expelled from the Order.’ He stared. ‘For cheating.’ I paused. ‘And assault.’
Winter didn’t move a muscle.
‘But,’ I added, ‘I think the official reason was conduct unbecoming to an Order witch.’ I grinned and punched his arm. ‘So you’re really lucky having me as your new partner.’