The Apprenticeship of Julian St. Albans (25 page)

“We’ve
made a very good start,” said Father Stephen. “Go on, I’ll just call
it in now,” he said. He picked up the phone and they all filed out, Jones
with the box of goodies and Brianna with the tea tray.

The
dining hall was empty this time, but there was hot water for the tea and plenty
of places to sit, so it was perfect for their needs. Julian remembered to put
in a call to Saveur, and they promised to make up some boxes of treats for him
and have them waiting for Jones, to be billed to the St. Albans accounts.
Father Stephen joined them in time to pour the tea, and they all settled in for
their snack.

“It
seems rocks and dirt are an easy delivery,” said Father Stephen
cheerfully, “so we should have what we need tomorrow. I’ll arrange for two
more stout lads to help, perhaps?”

“That’s
a lot of people in that little room,” said Julian dubiously.

“Ah,
well, I have meetings I can’t get out of,” said Stephen sheepishly,
“so I thought perhaps I could give their service in my stead.”

“Will
you still eat with us?” asked Alex. He’d already messaged Alys about
Brianna, but they’d need to let her know if there were going to be yet more box
lunches needed.

“I
probably can’t,” said Father Stephen. “Perhaps tea, though, if it
wouldn’t be too much trouble?”

“You
just want to get chocolates,” said Alex, but he was already sending Alys a
message. “I won’t be here for lunch, either, but I’ll try to make it back
in time for tea, too.”

“I’ll
bring the proper clothes for hard labor,” said Jones wryly. “And I’ll
ask Uncle Josh how he did the terraced bits in our garden, he’ll give me all the
advice I could possibly need.”

Julian
laughed. “I’ll read up tonight, and we can always call Mary Margaret if we
get stuck. She’s got to cover my shifts, but a phone consultation won’t be a
bother.”

“So
we have a plan,” said Father Stephen, sounding very satisfied. “I’ll
commandeer a pair of young lads for you, so make sure your Alys gives them
lunch fit for teenagers.”

Alex
chuckled. “I’ll make sure,” he said. “I think she’s enjoying the
excuse to take extra care of us.”

“Or
you’ll find all your shirt cuffs sewn closed again,” said Julian.

“At
least she’s unlikely to turn me blue again,” said Alex. “I always
check the soap now.”

That
required a proper explanation, and by the time they were done telling tales
they’d all finished their treats and tea. An acolyte came in looking for Father
Stephen, so they all took their leave, promising Brianna she’d be able to join
in their picnic tomorrow, and Julian that they’d visit the wish tree then, too.
They went through the dance with the car again, and Jones drove them home and
dropped them off at the apartment with no problems at all.

Nat
appeared downstairs to get them to vet his load of wood, and then he and it
vanished while the humans took a more mundane route up in the elevator, headed
for a quiet afternoon and evening, or so everyone hoped.

“So,
what do you think the wood’s for?” asked Julian curiously.

“You’ll
find out,” said Alex, looking smug.

“Oh,”
said Julian, rolling his eyes. “It’s like that, is it?”

“I
promise, you’ll like the surprise,” said Alex, snuggling him close for a
kiss.

Julian
harrumphed, but there was no feeling in it. “Well, then, I claim first
shower, and then I plan to spend my evening reading in my pyjamas.”

“That
sounds like a good plan,” said Alex. “I’ve got some reading up to do,
too. How about you guys?”

“We
don’t need to check in since we were just there,” said James, “so
reading sounds pretty good, actually.”

“And
pyjamas for everyone,” said Jacques.

“Definitely
pyjamas,” said Julian. They filed out of the elevator the door and wards
were checked for interference while Julian was hurried safely inside.

“Someone
poked around,” said Alex, “I’m not sure if it was our murderer or our
pest, though, Fischer keeps trying to find a way inside. Lapointe tells me the
yelling was very impressive, but it’s only made him more determined that I’ve
got something to hide.”

“That
man,” said Julian, “is a colossal jerkface.”

Alex
smiled and Julian kissed him, then pulled away. “My shower first,” he
said, slipping off into the bedroom. He got out a pair of unseasonably warm
flannel pyjamas and the very silly fuzzy slippers that Cecil had found for him
to help keep his toes warm in the draughty manor house, and then showered away
his tension with all the hot water he could stand. Clean and bundled up
comfortably, he joined the rest of them in the living room to find that the
Guardians had changed in his absence.

They
wore t-shirts and simple dark cotton trousers, and were sharing the couch,
books on the coffee table and cups of cocoa in hand. “Better?” asked
Jacques, smiling at him over the back of the couch.

“Better,”
said Julian. He went over to the little bookcase and found his text on garden
design, adding it to the collection on the table. “Your turn,” he
said, kissing Alex softly. “You smell like you’ve been making magic
items.”

“I
do, do I?” said Alex, amused. “And what exactly does that smell
like?”

“Exotic
burning things, hot metal, and ozone,” said Julian, tugging Alex’s hand
until acquiesced and stood up. “Besides, I want the chair.”

“I
see,” said Alex, as Julian snuggled up in the warm spot where he’d been.
“It was all a plot.”

“Yep,
now go on, you’ll be happier in pyjamas,” said Julian. “And nicer to
cuddle.” They’d worked out a way they could share the chair and still both
read, so long as it was just one book apiece, and Julian was hoping for a lot
of snuggling in with his other evening plans.

Alex
grinned and leaned down for another kiss. “All right, shower and pyjamas
it is.” He wandered off, and Julian got up and went over to his desk where
Alex’s letter had appeared while he was in the shower. He filed it away and
then wrote a quick, sweet note back, giving to Horace for safe-keeping.
“You can give that to him tomorrow when he’s on his way away from
me,” said Julian, “All right?”

Horace
chirped and nibbled his fingers affectionately, proud to be useful again. He’d
enjoyed their day out, too, and Julian resolved to make sure he continued to
get more use than just the occasional letter to Emmy.

“He’s
much smarter now, I think,” said Jacques, watching Julian interact with
the bird. “I wonder if Alex did that, or if it’s from you.”

“It
can’t be from me,” said Julian, coaxing Horace up onto his shoulder.
“I haven’t done anything to him.”

“You
feed him energy,” said James. “Not a lot, but a little all the time,
the same way Alex does. Like with your plants.”

“Oh!”
said Julian, laughing. “I had no idea. Is that why you like me?” he
asked Horace.

Horace
give him a disapproving chirp, which was accompanied by a burst of huffy
offence.

“I
guess not,” said Julian, curling up in the chair. Rather than start to
read, he brought Horace down to his chest to pet him. “Sorry, I know
you’re better than that.”

Horace
chirped, mollified, and cuddled up properly, demanding petting like a spoiled
cat.

“Definitely
more personality,” said Jacques, “but Alex didn’t pet him the same
way, either, so it’s probably natural development.”

“I
don’t really understand about Horace’s spells and construction,” said
Julian, “but I’m glad he gets magic from me now, too.”

“And
cuddling,” said James, amused. “Alex used to pet him a little but not
snuggle up like that.”

“His
loss,” said Julian, and he got another burst of smug affection from
Horace. “Horace is very snuggly.”

“In
a metal sort of way,” said Alex, coming out of the bedroom in his own
pyjamas, black silk with his silly paisley dressing gown. “Have I seen
those slippers before?”

Julian
blushed and stuck out one foot, which had a fuzzy hedgehog covering it.
“Maybe not, I don’t wear them much. They’re getting old.”

“They’re
adorable.” Alex came up and looked it over. “You might ask Alys about
keeping them in good repair, if you want to wear them more.”

“They
could be mended,” said Alys, coming out of the kitchen followed by two
more cups of cocoa and four honeycakes on a tray. “Roast’s almost done,
but this’ll tide you over while it rests.”

“You’re
wonderful, Alys,” said Julian, taking cup and plate.

“Let
me grab a book first,” said Alex, and his portion floated to the coffee
table to wait. He came back with a slender volume with no title, and set it on
top of Julian’s book, then grabbed his treats and settled in to share the chair
with practiced grace. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine,”
said Julian. “All the food is helping, much as I hate to admit it, and it
was good to get in the sunshine and work today.”

“The
garden’s really coming along,” said James. “I was surprised how fast
you got everything planned out and started.”

“You’re
too used to the Temple committees who can’t decide on a drapery colour in less
than three meetings,” said Jacques, licking honey off his fingers.
“Julian’s not like that.”

“It
helps that I don’t have any real stake in it being a certain way, just that it
turns out nice and works for the Temple,” said Julian with a shrug.
“So I don’t feel like I need to argue if someone doesn’t like one of my
ideas.”

“There’s
no irrigation, will it be watered by hand?” asked Alex.

“Yep,
Father Stephen says there’s plenty of acolytes to do it,” said Julian.
“It’ll be good for the plants to get regular attention, anyway.”

Alex
finished off his last bite of honeycake and Julian impishly licked Alex’s
fingers clean, which got them some teasing from the Guardians that Julian
privately thought was worth it for the warm looks he got from Alex. He finished
his own, too, and then they got themselves and their books arranged
comfortably. It felt good to be friends with James and Jacques instead of the
strangers he could imagine they’d been to Alex, comfortable to be able to read
quietly instead of having to talk or entertain them.

Julian
read through the section on indoor versus outdoor gardens again, and was just
getting started on the terracing chapter when Alys came out with trays for them
to eat from.

“No
need to get you invading my kitchen,” she said, “when you’re already
settled quiet as mice.”

“We’re
tired,” said Alex with a fake yawn that swiftly became real. “Mmm,
and hungry, that smells wonderful.” Books were set aside, and the trays
pulled close so they could eat. She’d made a beef roast with potatoes, carrots,
and mushrooms, plus there was broccoli in herbed butter and fresh bread with
more of the same butter.
 

The
meat was falling-apart tender, and Julian sighed happily after a single bite.
“Once again you prove you’re a genius.”

“It’s
good,” agreed Jacques. “I really like this herb blend.”

“Good,”
said Alys, vanishing with a little satisfied smirk. Her voice lingered long
enough to add, “You’ll have roast beef sandwiches again tomorrow.”

James
chuckled. “If they’re this bread and this beef, we’ll not mind a
bit.”

They
ate their fill and cleaned their plates and settled back into reading, drinking
the cups of tea that showed up at intervals and eating any snacks that did
likewise. Julian traded his book for a tablet to look up a few things online,
and Alex moved to the desk after a bit to take some notes, but in the end they
enjoyed the most restful evening in that Julian had had since this all started.

CHAPTER 14

The
next morning Jones came upstairs with a special delivery of chocolates for the
household, including a box for Alys.

“Ellen
says no peeking,” Jones told the curious humans. He handed Alys’ box off
to the brownie, who actually appeared to take it, waving her hand to banish the
rest to the kitchen. “There’s some in the car for our day, too, she made
some little treat-packets.”

“And
the extra gift for Father Stephen?” asked Julian hopefully.

“That,
too,” said Jones. He chuckled when five napkins floated out of the
kitchen, each with a single chocolate-covered pear slice on it. “She sent
a big box of these over.” He bit into his and made a very happy noise
indeed. “Mm, you guys have definitely improved the quality of food in my
life.”

“We
have excellent taste,” said Julian, biting into his own. “Ooh, as does
Ellen, this is perfect.”

They
finished off their pear slices far too quickly, and then they headed out. They
made it to the Temple without a single mishap, and Jones traded Julian and his
Guardians for a pair of the Temple mages, who joined Alex for their trip back
to see the hospitalised apprentice. Horace stayed behind with the car to
deliver Julian’s letter to Alex, but he flew up and landed on Julian’s shoulder
just as they arrived at Father Stephen’s office. Julian was carrying the full
box of lunches and treats with Stephen’s gift balanced on top to leave the
Guardians’ hands free, even though they all agreed the danger here in the
Temple was minimal.

Alex
had proven last year that minimal wasn’t the same as nonexistent.

“Ah,
good, I didn’t miss you after all,” said Stephen, though he was clearly
getting ready to head out to his day of meetings. “Brianna’s already
supervising Raj and Roger.”

“Do
you always pair people up alphabetically?” asked Julian teasingly, stowing
the box of food. “This’ll be fine here?”

“We
don’t, those two bonded their first day here over their names and have been
inseparable since,” said Father Stephen. “I believe they’re hoping to
be Guardians, so we haven’t discouraged the partnership.”

“James
and I didn’t get along at all at first,” said Jacques. “He thought my
name was pretentious.”

“He
thought I was trying too hard to make up for being small,” said James,
smirking. It was clearly an old argument, and one that amused them both.

“Well,
to make up for missing lunch, and just because,” said Julian, “We got
you this.” He offered Father Stephen the box from Saveur, which contained
two each of the current set of six Benedict and St. Albans truffles, plus a
half-dozen pear slices.

“Oh,
now, this will make up for quite a few meetings,” said Father Stephen with
a grin. “I’ll just hide this one away here, shall I? No need to
advertise.” He tucked it away in a desk drawer and came back over to take
both of Julian’s hands. “If you put that thoughtfulness into our garden,
I’ll have no worries about the results.” He kissed Julian on the forehead,
cool and bright magic sweeping through Julian like a breath of fresh air.

“Thank
you, Father Stephen,” said Julian, and then on impulse he kissed him on
the cheek.

Stephen
grinned and patted him. “I’ll come find you boys for tea, just close the
door after yourselves, no need to lock up.” He waved and went off down the
hall, disappearing quickly into the maze of corridors.

“Shall
we?” said Julian, gesturing. He had some sketches he’d made last night,
and otherwise everything they’d need was, hopefully, waiting in the new garden.

“Of
course,” said James, going first. Julian followed and Jacques turned off
the light and closed up the Father’s office before following. It felt almost
familiar now to take the turnings to their garden room, and he smiled to hear
Brianna’s voice coming down the corridor.

“Are
you abusing your seniority already?” teased Julian.

“Mr.
St. Albans!” said Brianna, cheeks pink. “I’m glad you’re here, we
weren’t sure what to do with everything.”

“I’ve
got sketches,” said Julian, patting his pocket. “Why don’t you
introduce us around? And please, call me Julian.”

“Right,”
said Brianna, spine straightening. “Julian, your extra manual labor for
today will be Raj and Roger, I think you can guess which is which.”

Unlike
Brianna, these two boys were both quite tall and ill-suited to the loose robes
they wore, whose hems were already a bit dirty. Raj had dark skin and Roger
pale, but they both had thick, straight black hair and warm brown eyes. Julian
shook each of their hands, then took over and introduced his Guardians.
“This is James, and this is Jacques. I’m afraid they’ve got to keep me
safe, so they won’t be helping much otherwise.”

“But
we can answer a few questions about Guardianship,” said James, seeing the
twin gleams in the boys’ eyes.

“As
long as you pay attention to Julian first,” said Jacques, “and do
what he says.”

“Oh,
and this is Horace,” said Julian, giving Horace a finger to hop onto and
then holding him out. “Alex made him, he’s really smart.”

“Who,
Alex or Horace?” teased Jacques.

“Both,
of course,” said Julian tartly. “Now, let me see how things are
doing, and then we can get started.”

He
took off his shoes and stepped inside, launching Horace upward to let him fly
around in the sunshine again. He reached out with his senses, carefully
husbanding his energy, and found the plants all growing happily, the
shade-lovers already content in their new homes, the clover getting ready to
put out some offshoots, and the seeds preparing to sprout. There were some
piles of earth on the two walls where they were planning terraces, but the boys
had been careful not to cover up anywhere Julian had already planted.

“It
looks good,” said Julian, sending out one last little burst of encouraging
magic before cutting off the flow so he wouldn’t let the trickles bleed him
dry. He got out his sketches and sat down on one of the benches, and the
acolytes all joined him. “I did some reading up about terracing, so this is
what we’re going to do.”

They
talked for a few minutes, and then got to work, with Jones showing up after a
while to lend a hand. Julian, Jones and Brianna mostly talked about gardening,
while Raj and Roger pestered the Guardians with questions, though they never
stopped working to do it. With the five of them working diligently, they got
one terrace done, took a midmorning break for water and rest, and were well on
their way to finishing the other one before lunch.

“Erm,
Julian St. Albans?” said a timid voice from the doorway occupied by
Jacques’ imposing figure.

“He’s
my Charge,” said the Guardian. “Does Father Stephen need him for
something?”

“N-no,
sir,” said the voice, and Julian came over to see a slender young acolyte
of indeterminate gender cowering in front of Jacques. “He’s got a
delivery, sir.”

“Stop
looming,” teased Julian. “He’s hardly going to bite me.”

“Erm,
she, sir. I’m Genevieve,” she said. “The courier said you have to
sign, sir, he wouldn’t leave it with me.”

Julian’s
brows furrowed. “Did he say what it is?” asked Julian.

“Something
about plants?” she squeaked, reacting to Jacques’ much more impressive
scowl.

Julian
chuckled. “Stop that, it’s probably just a misunderstanding,” said
Julian, giving Jacques a poke. “Father Stephen ordered some extra
seedlings based on our plans, I think.” He turned back to the acolyte.
“Where is he?”

“Oh,
erm, at the delivery entrance, sir,” said Genevieve. “That’s where
I’m stationed.”

“Come
on,” said Julian, waving to James, who was covering the other door.
“Brianna, you can keep these guys in line for a few minutes while I get
this, right?”

“Of
course,” said Brianna, though she seemed a little dubious when she glanced
over at Jones.

“I
promise to behave,” said Jones, amused. “I’d worry more about those
two.”

“She’s
used to us,” said Raj with a mischievous grin.

“And
she can’t get you in trouble with the dorm Mother,” said Roger, sounding
put-upon. “Again.”

“You
deserved it,” said Brianna tartly. “I’ve got this, go on. And you
two, too, get back to work.” She demonstrated by bending to her own task,
and her three workers followed suit.

James
came over and they explained, and he, too, looked dubious. “You’ve got
your amulet?” asked James.

“I
do, and here,” said Julian. He whistled, and Horace launched himself off
the bench where he’d been basking and flew over to rest on Julian’s shoulder.
“Now I’ve got extra protection.”

They
followed poor, nervous Genevieve through the Temple to the unassuming delivery
area, where they apparently took in everything from foodstuffs to rare magic
items, if the labels were to be believed. Genevieve gestured toward a delivery
man waiting by the open doorway, his cap pulled low against the bright sun
streaming in.

“That’s
him, make sure I can check in whatever he’s brought if it’s not personal,
please?” she was being called over by an older priest, and she hurried off
without bothering got get an answer, her confidence back now that she was in
her own territory.

“All
right, let’s see what he’s got for us,” said Julian, taking a step
forward.

“Wait,”
said Jacques, stepping in front of him. “I don’t like this.”

“Something’s
off,” agreed James.

Julian
tried not to roll his eyes, because the delivery man looked perfectly ordinary,
tapping his clipboard and standing with a crate of something green and growing
on the ground next to him. Then he looked up, and it was like something in his
eyes reached for Julian, something dark and acquisitive. Julian instinctively
stepped behind Jacques, hiding from that sharp gaze, and he felt that reaching
energy shatter against the Guardians’ barrier.

James
launched himself forward at the man while Jacques took a half-step back, arm
coming around to make sure he knew where Julian was.

“I’ll
stay put,” said Julian, huddling against Jacques’ back and feeling very
small.

“Back
up,” said Jacques. “The wards are thin here.” Julian could feel
him wanting to be at James’ side but also proud and protective that he was the
one trusted with their Charge.

“Will
do,” said Julian. He hooked two fingers in Jacques’ belt loop and gently
led him back through the door they’d come in, then further back when he could
feel the creeping threads of intention falling away one by one. “How’d he
get in here? Who was that? It wasn’t Jack.”

“Anyone
with a delivery can pass into the wards at that entrance,” said Jacques,
eyes intent on the hallway. “I wonder if James caught him.”

“Am
I safe here? Can you go help him?” said Julian, looking around for a
dead-end alcove where he could hide himself.

“I
can’t leave you,” said Jacques. “James can take care of
himself.”

“I
hate not knowing what’s happening,” said Julian quietly, feeling silly for
worrying. James was trained for this sort of thing, but that didn’t mean it
wasn’t still dangerous for him.

“We’ll
find out soon,” said Jacques. “If you can find your way back to the
garden, we’ll send Raj and Roger to check on him.”

Julian
couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m not sure I even know where the delivery
entrance is now, I got a little lost,” he said sheepishly. “Oh! But I
bet Horace knows, don’t you?”

The
little bird chirped, then flew ahead and landed on a wall sconce, twittering
until Julian followed him. He guided them in their odd little train, Julian
tugging his alert Guardian by the belt-loop, until they came to their
half-built garden. Alarm hadn’t been raised, so they were still hard at work,
with the acolytes cheerfully bickering over this or that stone for the edges of
the terrace levels. They stood up and got serious when Julian came in and
Jacques parked himself at the door.

“Raj,
Roger, I need you to very carefully go down to the delivery entrance and find
out what’s going on. James was in pursuit of someone who tried to hurt Julian,
and I have to keep Guarding him,” said Jacques, standing sideways in the
doorway so he could watch both entrances.

“Why
don’t we go to Father Stephen’s office?” suggested Brianna, dusting off
her hands. “Jones can wait here in case James comes looking for us, and
that way there’s only one door for you to watch.”

“Good
idea,” said Jacques, and a little of the worry left his face. “All
right, boys, go on. Watch out for anyone suspicious trying to get into these
back corridors and come find me if you do see anyone.”

Raj
and Roger nodded seriously, then took off down the corridor at a ground-eating
lope, easily avoiding the boxes of seedlings. Jacques led them back to the
priest’s office at a much more cautious pace, with Julian and Brianna keeping
lookout behind them.
 

“It’s
not likely that he got in past the wards,” said Julian, more hopeful than
authoritative. “I haven’t felt his magic since you got me far enough
away.”

“It
didn’t get a proper hold on you this time,” said Jacques, understandably
proud. “You’re too well-protected now, and James and I got another good
look at his magic, so we’ll be able to help Alex add refinements to your amulet
tonight.”

“Or
a second something, maybe?” asked Julian. “I don’t want to rely on
just my amulet, because if it’s gone, then I’m helpless again.”

Horace
chirped and nipped his ear, and Julian chuckled. “Horace will help,
too.” He tickled the bird’s filigreed belly. “But you can’t do much
against bad magic the way you did against that spider.”