If he was a Spider with a Diviner or a Shadow Attunement, though, he’d have a great reason to visit her for training or advice.
Asking people if they were members of House Spider was a great way to imply he was trying to find them, and thus not a member of House Spider himself. But it was such an obvious tactic for a Spider to use that many would suspect him of being one, just for doing it.
Which implied that he was either legitimately trying to gather information or deliberately trying to get people to question if he was a Spider or not.
Goddess, I wished I had thought to do it first. It sounded terribly entertaining.
Maybe I could still get in on the idea later.
He exited the room a few minutes later, nodding to me with a smirk as he passed by. I continued to wait as patiently as I could as other students took their turns, my mind traversing several threads as I waited.
It was at least an hour before I finally made it inside the door.
Professor Orden sat behind a long wooden desk, hands folded neatly in front of her, staring directly at me as I entered. Her crisp black suit and neutral expression were a stark contrast to the piles of everything imaginable that occupied nearly every usable space in the room.
I couldn’t see how she’d made it behind the desk without climbing over it. There were file cabinets blocking the paths on both sides of the desk, and the walls were lined with bookshelves. While there were some books, the shelves primarily seemed to carry miscellaneous trinkets. Bits of metal, tiny crystals, a crystalline feather, and what looked like a blackened human skull were sprawled haphazardly across them. A collection of masks occupied the little empty space on the back wall.
“Close the door behind you.” She gestured with one hand, and I complied. When I looked back, she’d returned to her neutral position, hands folded in front of her. “You’re not in my class. What brings you here, Cadence?”
I frowned. I knew her position connected her to a class of people that gathered information, but I hadn’t expected her to know me.
It took me another moment to realize that she didn’t need to. I was wearing my house’s symbol on my glove, like I always did, and I had an attunement glowing on my forehead that put me in a different class. She was probably just being observant and deliberately trying to disarm me.
I could appreciate that sort of thing, but I wasn’t in the mood for theatrics. I was nervous enough already.
“I have a message for you, but my understanding is that it’s something that shouldn’t be overheard. Is this a good place and time, or...?”
She waved a hand and stood up with deliberate effort. “Just wait for a moment.”
Professor Orden traced a pattern on the wall behind her with a single finger, leaving a gleaming trail where her finger made contact.
She’s drawing runes. I didn’t recognize the specific shapes, but she drew several of them.
She turned around, folding her arms. “This had better be worth my effort.”
“It’s secure now?”
She nodded in confirmation. “I took the basic precautions. Out with it.”
I glanced at the runes, then back to her. “The Voice of the Tower would like to speak to you.”
She let out a string of creative expletives, the kind and variety that you’re definitely not supposed to say in front of children.
“I’m pretty sure that’s anatomically impossible,” I replied.
“Quiet. I need to think.” She shut her eyes, folding her arms again.
Is this really that big of a problem? I haven’t even told her the details yet.
It was several moments before Professor Orden reopened her eyes, taking a deep breath. “I spoke too soon. This office is secure, but not secure enough for this conversation. I will contact you again at a later time. If you have not already been informed, you are most likely in significant danger. Take precautions. Do not speak to anyone else of this.”
I held up my hands in a warding gesture. “Significant danger? Can you, uh, elaborate about that please?”
Orden tightened her lips. “Just the fact that you know about the existence of the Voice means you probably attracted the attention of one or more of the visages. The kind of attention that usually results in people disappearing. So, as I said, take precautions.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Precautions? Against a visage?”
“Goddess above, boy, were you never briefed on this? Never mind. A visage isn’t going to be dropping out of the sky to annihilate you directly. Their agents are the ones you need to worry about. I can’t give you details here. Wherever you’re sleeping, ward it. Be thorough. Set up means for contacting help rapidly. Keep a weapon near you at all times. If you’re attacked directly, retreat to a populated area and make as much noise as possible.”
“By ward it, you mean—”
The professor held up a hand to stop me. “Don’t tell anyone about the details of your precautions, including me.” Her lips pursed, and she turned to the book case on her right, retrieving a key from the clutter. She tapped three times on a drawer in her desk, whispered something, and then turned the key in the lock. Once the drawer was open, she whispered again and reached inside.
There was an intricately carved chest inside the drawer, as well as a small pouch. The box immediately caught my eye. The runes on it resembled the ones on the entrance doors to the Serpent Spire, but I’d never seen similar styles on human-made equipment.
She removed the pouch and closed the drawer. “You’d better have good enough information to make this worth my trouble, Cadence.”
I lifted the bag. It didn’t have much heft to it, but there were at least a few coins inside. “Thank you.”
“You can thank me by leaving quickly, pretending this conversation never happened, and not dying until we have an opportunity to discuss things further.”
Goddess, what did I get myself into? “What if someone asks why I was here?”
“You had a message to deliver from my sister, Caela. It was a physical letter. You didn’t read it. I thanked you, paid you a courier fee, and sent you on your way.”