It was not a coward’s move. I had been about to do the same, and I thanked her for taking the necessity away from me. I wasn’t quite ready to confront the implications of our meeting here. Apparently, neither was she.
I pushed her from my mind as quickly as I could, just as I had for years. Enchanting. I was planning to get books on enchanting.
I picked up some of the first books I came across, too distracted by my mental athletics to properly focus, and headed for the counter.
The librarian, an older man with long and vast gray sideburns, quirked an eyebrow as I set the books down. “A little ambitious, aren’t we?”
Of the three books I was checking out, two of them were marked “advanced”, intended for graduates. Oops.
I offered him a winning smile. “I’d like to get ahead of the schedule.”
The librarian chuckled. “You’ll change your mind soon enough. Sign here and here.” He pressed a slip across the table, which I signed.
With my mind still spinning in circles, it landed on a particular issue I realized I hadn’t sufficiently examined. “Um, I don’t know if you know this, but I’m supposed to deliver a message to Lyras Orden. Is that Professor Orden?”
“Yep,” he confirmed. “That’s her.”
Good. It would have been embarrassing if I told my whole story to the wrong Orden. Embarrassing and potentially dangerous.
“One of the other teachers put you up to errands already?”
My lips twitched. “No.” Not unless I counted Mysterious Book Entity as a teacher. “This is a personal favor for someone, but I imagine the errands will come soon enough.”
“Take my advice — don’t let them make you a servant. Especially not Orden, she’ll work you to the bone.” He snatched my signed papers from across the table. “Enjoy your books.”
I nodded and swept them under my arm, fleeing the scene. I couldn’t help but glance back toward where I had seen Cecily Lambert, but she was already gone.
***
I made it back to the relative shelter of my room, examining my haul from the library. In my hurry, I hadn’t actually picked up the books I needed for the semester, but I suspected any copies of those would be long gone — many students would have rushed straight there to try to save the coin necessary to purchase them. I’d have to hit the book store later.
The ones I had managed to pick up were interesting, though. Ambient Mana and Its Sources by Rellik was the only entry-level book. Advanced Artifice: Permanent Enchantments was something I was deeply interested in, but Inaccuracies in Modern Teachings of Enchanting History sounded considerably duller.
A quick glance through the Advanced Artifice book told me that the smug librarian had been right — I needed a stronger foundation before I could get much out of such an advanced book. I could guess at what a Personal Mana Conversion Ratio was, but I didn’t know the context behind why it was important or how to figure one out.
I spent much of the rest of the day reading through my rune book, not daring to brave the outside again and the prospect of seeing anyone else I was familiar with. My stomach would eventually drive me to the dining hall, but my paperwork indicated it was open late, and a later visit was more likely to help me dodge the horrors of social interaction.
Social interaction, however, would not be so easily denied. It was a pesky creature, incessant in its hunt. A few knocks on my door, slower and more deliberate than the first set, signaled its next move.
I sighed, dislodging myself from my chair and setting down my book. When I opened the door, I found another unfamiliar student on the opposite side.
He was broad, blonde, and muscular, a light layer of scruff distributed across his chin. He gave me a curt nod and extended an ungloved right hand — a sign that he was either not a noble, or that he already had retainers to protect him. “Curtis Maddock, your dorm chief.”
I accepted his handshake, noting the firmness of his grip and the brightly glowing attunement mark on his wrist. A different symbol graced a second attunement higher up on his arm, near the bicep.
I blinked. “Corin Cadence. How do you already have a second attunement?”
He grinned as he retracted his hand and folded his arms, standing a little straighter. “I’m a second year. Made it up to the fifth floor on last year’s final exam.”
I raised a hand to scratch my chin, intrigued. “They send you back to the tower as an exam?”
“Yup. Right at the end of the year. First year, a teacher goes with you. Second year, you’ll have to go by yourselves. You only need to reach the second floor to pass.” He patted his arm. “But like I said, my group made it to the fifth last year.”
Curtis had immediately made himself much more interesting and worth my time.
Naturally, I barraged him with questions. “How’d you make it so far? Was there any particular strategy you employed? Do you remember the specific rooms you had to deal with?”
He chuckled in response. “Can’t tell you about the rooms I do remember; that’s part of the test. Wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise. We can talk strategy sometime, though, once you’re a little better prepared. Anyway, I’ve got to get to the other rooms. We’re going to have a dorm meeting in an hour, on the grass outside. Just wanted to invite you.”
I nodded in silent thanks.
I didn’t want to be around that many people, but getting to know someone who had blazed through that many floors in his first year was a worthwhile investment. “I’ll be there.”
He waved amiably. “See you soon.”
I closed my door, going back to my studies.
I’m going to need more books on the tower.
I’d already read several, but they were mostly geared toward the Judgment. The other books on other elements of the tower were still intended for people who hadn’t ever been to one; I needed information that was more applicable toward someone who wanted to make it higher in the tower.