The Alchemists Academy Book 2: Elemental Explosions (10 page)

A
t breakfast the next morning, Roland wasn’t in the cafeteria, which left Alana free to sit with Wirt and Spencer, though Wirt noted that Alana hardly said anything to his former roommate. Apparently, the wounds caused by their breakup over the summer still hadn’t healed completely.

            Alana also seemed very careful when she talked to Wirt. She hardly mentioned the cave full of baby dragons, and she
certainly
didn’t mention almost kissing Wirt. Wirt couldn’t be sure whether that was just because she didn’t want to hurt Spencer’s feelings or because Wirt had missed his opportunity, though.

            Alana
did
talk about Roland. Apparently, she and the new boy had spent plenty of time talking the previous day, and now Alana couldn’t wait to share everything she had learned. She told them how Roland had been privately tutored before coming to the school, how he’d spent the summer working in his family’s business interests, and how he was this sensitive guy, really whom Spencer and Wirt would really like, if only they gave him a chance.

            “Give him a chance,” Spencer echoed. “After what his father did?”

            “You’ve got to put the past behind you,” Alana said. “After all, it wasn’t Roland who did anything, was it?”

            “If you like Roland so much, maybe you should have had breakfast with him,” Spencer suggested.

            “He was busy, or I would have,” Alana shot back and looked like she might have had more to say, except that Priscilla chose that moment to come in, bubbling with excitement.

            “Oh, Alana, have you heard?”

            “Have I heard what, Priscilla?”

            “Daddy’s here, and he has an announcement to make. He wants to see us down in front of the tree. Well, me and Robert, really, but I’m sure he meant you too.”

            “Robert hasn’t been practicing Fooling again, has he?” Wirt asked. It was apparently a perpetual disappointment to King Wilford that his son seemed to be more interested in jesting than in rulership, while his daughter was… well,
Priscilla
. The princess shook her head though.

            “He doesn’t do that anymore. At least, not where people can see, and apparently, jesting to yourself just isn’t the same. Robert’s even started jousting, just to keep Daddy happy. He isn’t very good at it.”

            Wirt could imagine. Robert was to the traditional noble pursuits of fighting, riding and preparing for war approximately what a lead weight was to flying. Still, if he was making an effort to avoid his father’s notoriously bad temper, that was something.

            “So we need to head downstairs,” Priscilla said to Alana, and twirled about. “Do I look all right?”

            For once, the princess actually did, the sky blue dress she wore suiting her a lot better than most of the things that she generally picked out with the aid of her magic mirror.

            “You look fine, Priscilla,” Alana said. “Now, do I have time to go back to the room and change, or-”

            “Oh no,” Priscilla said. “Daddy’s waiting downstairs now.”

            That earned Priscilla one of those pauses that seemed to crop up so often in conversations with her, as those around her strove to make the necessary mental adjustments to keep from shouting at her.

            “You mean that we’re keeping King Wilford waiting?” Alana asked. “King Wilford, who hates to be kept waiting?”

            “Um… I guess so,” Priscilla said, and Alana hurried off with her. Wirt and Spencer followed in her wake. Not that Wirt wanted to risk attracting any royal anger, but he also wanted to see what was so important that King Wilford would just show up like that over it. Besides, some part of him wanted to make sure that Alana was all right. After all, the king was not someone who tolerated people who didn’t do as they were told immediately.

            So the four of them hurtled through the tree’s transport tubes, finally arriving at the tree’s entrance hall and then heading out into the field beyond it. King Wilford was indeed there, accompanied by a retinue of knights, talking to Ender Paine about something that was probably to do with the running of the school. After all, the academy sat in King Wilford’s kingdom, and he had a permanent position on the management board as a result.

            Robert was there too, dressed like a royal prince for once rather than a Fool, wearing an outfit of crimson velvet along with a sword that seemed out of place as it hung at his waist. From what Wirt knew of him, Robert was hopeless at things like sword fighting. Indeed, it said a lot about the prince that, in almost every respect, Priscilla was a better candidate to take over her father’s kingdom than he was.

            Priscilla moved forward, waving at her father and brother.

            “Hello Daddy, hello Rob.”

            Alana’s greeting was more formal. She swept into a full curtsey, while Spencer bowed beside her.

            “Ah,” King Wilford said. “At last, my daughter deigns to arrive. And with her advisor. Tell me, advisor, why did you not advise my daughter to be on time?”

            Alana looked up. “Forgive me, your majesty.”

            Wirt rankled at that. After all, it wasn’t Alana’s fault. Though he guessed that blaming Priscilla wouldn’t go down well with the king. At least Priscilla had the grace to step in.

            “Sorry, Daddy. I forgot to tell her.”

            “Hmm… I guess that is acceptable then. You, boy, why aren’t you bowing?” Wirt looked around himself, but no, the king was definitely speaking to him.

            “Should I be?” he asked.

            Ender Paine whispered something to King Wilford as the monarch’s expression reddened in anger.

            “
Him
? Even so, Ender…” Another hurried bout of whispering. “Oh, very well. Just remember to bow in future, boy, or I’ll have your knees lopped off.”

            Wirt lowered his head in a perfunctory nod. It didn’t seem like a good idea to try King Wilford’s patience. Finally, it seemed that the king was ready to make his announcement.

            “Robert, Priscilla. I have heard that you both have a wish to learn magic. Is that true?”

            “Oh, yes please Daddy!” Priscilla bubbled. But then, she would. She had already spent time trying to teach herself using books left to her by one of her aunts. Robert was less enthusiastic, but at a pointed look from his sister, he nodded.

            “Yes, Father.”

            “Very well,” King Wilford said. “Since Robert has given up on his Foolishness, and since you seem so keen on it, daughter, I have spoken with Ender Paine. Since it seems that you might have some small talent for magic, we have agreed that you will be permitted to attend
one
class each.”

            Priscilla rushed forward, hugging her father. “Oh, thank you Daddy! And I know
just
the class I want to take!”

            “Well, that’s for you to sort out with the school,” King Wilford said. “Perhaps you should discuss it with your advisor, too.”

            Priscilla was so excited that she just nodded. Wirt wasn’t quite so thrilled about it. Priscilla was enough of a menace when she didn’t have much in the way of magic to back her up. Now, Wirt just hoped that Alana would be able to keep some sort of control of her, or they could very well wake up one morning to a school that was no more than a large crater. With any luck though, Alana would be able to talk Priscilla into doing something relatively harmless-

            “I want to do transmutation,” Priscilla declared.

            “Transmutation?” Ender Paine sounded thoughtful.

            “
Transmutation
?” Alana’s tone was a lot less happy, and Wirt could guess why. Transmutation, the art of turning things into other things, provided plenty of scope for Priscilla to get herself into trouble. It was also easily Alana’s weakest subject, and one that Wirt guessed she would have been hoping to drop at the first opportunity. “Are you sure that’s such a great idea, Priscilla?”

            “Of course it’s a great idea!” Priscilla exclaimed. “Getting to turn things into other things sounds like
fun
.”

            “So you wouldn’t prefer to do glamours?” Alana suggested.

            Priscilla’s brow wrinkled. “I thought there wasn’t a specialist glamour teacher anymore. Besides, you’re already good at glamours, so you can do those for me.”

            “If I get to keep working with you,” Alana pointed out.

            “Of course you will,” Priscilla said. “Besides, I
want
to do transmutation. That way, I can turn people into things if they annoy me.”

            King Wilford looked curiously proud of that sentiment, and moved onto asking Robert what he wanted to do. Robert, it turned out, actually wanted to do some work with glamour, Wirt guessed on the basis that it made it easier to play tricks on people. Of course, there wasn’t a teacher for it, but now that royalty wanted to do the subject, Ender Paine was all too willing to agree to teach Robert the basics. Priscilla raised her hand.

            “Could Alana go in Robert’s lessons? She’s good at glamour, but she doesn’t get to do it this year.”

            “This is meant to be a private tutorial, your highness,” the headmaster said. “It is not a free for all.”

            “But weren’t you saying that people should work on their talents?” Priscilla countered. Wirt had to admit, she was brave, standing up to the headmaster like that. Though it probably helped having her father there.

            “How about it, Ender?” King Wilford said. “I won’t have my daughter’s advisor half trained.”

            To Wirt’s surprise, the headmaster nodded. “Very well. Though I would have thought that your daughter’s peer advisor would have wanted to be in class with her.”

            He said it very smoothly, but Wirt saw the look of pain that flashed over Alana’s face. Technically, the headmaster was right. Alana should probably be in the same class as Priscilla, if only to stop her from turning herself into a frog or something. Saying no would undoubtedly get her into trouble with King Wilford. Yet Ender Paine had to know as well as anyone that transmutation was Alana’s weakest subject. If she took it, she would be as good as condemning herself to falling outside the elite class. It was the kind of impossible situation the headmaster was probably secretly loving.

            “I’ll keep an eye on Priscilla in transmutation,” Spencer said.

            Ender Paine raised an eyebrow. “You will?”

            “You will?” Alana asked, seeming as shocked as anybody.

            Priscilla’s eyes narrowed. “Why does everybody think I need watching? I’m not stupid, you know.”

            Alana put her hand on the other girl’s arm. “No one’s saying you are. It just wouldn’t be right, you being without an advisor around, would it?”

            “Oh, like a protocol thing?”

            Alana sighed. “Exactly, Priscilla.”

            Ender Paine watched the exchange, and Wirt swore he saw the faintest flicker of a smile on the older man’s features. Maybe he just liked how Alana had manipulated the princess. Finally, he nodded.

            “Very well,” he said, looking over at Alana and Robert, “the girl can join Prince Robert in my glamour tutorials. I will expect both of you to have read up on faerie masking spells before our first session.”

            He gave King Wilford a perfunctory bow and vanished, leaving Priscilla to hug Alana, her brother, and anyone else who got in the way.