Connor turned back to his classwork, intently staring at the page, and trying to parse words that danced around in his head and made no sense at all. He finally closed his eyes.
The class passed quickly, and the group headed down to sword practice. That suited Connor better today.
They changed partners daily. As luck would have it, Connor drew Druce who glared before they even started.
When Godewyn gave the signal, Druce leapt straight at Connor. If he hadn't been ready, Connor would have taken an injury and more than a bruise. The cutting edge had been aimed high enough to hit his neck.
Godewyn hadn't seen the interplay. Connor would have to fight his own battle. He was ready for it, in fact. He probably had as much pent-up frustration as his sparring partner. His sword came back in a practiced swing that seemed to surprise and annoy Druce. However, Druce was quicker.
Connor took a cut in the arm after Godewyn called time. Druce never heard the order, his grim look giving way to pleasure as he forced Connor back a step and another.
Godewyn waved magic that sent Druce stumbling back, cursing --
"Druce put down that sword and walk away."
Godewyn's voice sounded cold, precise --and deadly. He held his hand up, magic still playing at his fingers. Druce growled, started to come forward again -- and then finally realized the situation. The others stared at him, some of them shocked and dismayed that he had so lost his honor.
And he had. Druce would have to work hard to recover from this attack. He threw the sword aside and stalked away. Nyla reached out with one ankle and tripped him. He went stumbling into the corridor and cursed all the louder.
Godewyn came to Connor and took his arm in hand, magic slipping up over the wound and burying the pain.
"That was unforgivable," Nyla said with a shake of her head.
"Not so serious as that," Connor replied. With the pain gone, his own thoughts cleared. "His emotions just got the better of him for a moment. This has been building for a long time, and I might be partly to blame. I've made it plain I'm no happier with him than he is with me."
Godewyn frowned but didn't disagree. "You are to rest, today and tomorrow --"
"The cut wasn't that bad!"
"Rest," Godewyn insisted. "Give everyone a chance to calm."
That, at least, made sense. Conor bowed to the others and left the field, his tunic cut and still wet with blood, but the wound itself mostly healed. Connor admitted to himself that he was feeling a little light-headed as well, so he made his way slowly up the stairs to his room.
Liam waited by the door.
"You knew this was going to happen," Connor said as he opened his door and signaled his companion inside.
"Yes," Liam replied, his head hanging, the hair forming a veil again. "I'm sorry."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Things would have changed," he said with a shake of his head. "There was worse that might have happened. Sit down. You're pale."
Connor settled on the chair by his desk. He was, for a brief moment, angry with Liam -- but he pulled that back in line. Liam was only an easy target.
"What would have changed?" he asked. "And sit down. You make me nervous, standing there like you're ready to bolt."
Liam took another chair. He looked up finally, and Connor saw relief and determination in his face. "There were so many factors, Connor --"
"Even for so small an incident as this?" he asked and began to unlace the tunic, anxious to have it off.
"Even for this, but mostly because you are more important here at Northgate than you admit."
"The only importance I have is in making trouble, I fear."
Liam started to say something. He stopped and shook his head. "You mean that."
"Yes, of course. I'm human Liam. I don't have any fae power, and being powerless means that my friends have to protect me while my enemies only have to wait for the right moment."
"Oh yes, as long as none of them care much about their own honor."
"True. So I don't have to worry too much about Druce on that account, even though I am human and he might --"
"This has nothing to do with you being human," he said.
"I'm sure Druce --"
"He's not angry over you being human," Liam said and sounded so assured that it stopped Connor from saying more. "Druce is mad because Nylia smiles at you and not at him."
"Nylia smiles -- oh." Connor shook his head in disbelief. "We're just friends. All of us were friends."
"Druce is interested in more. Nylia said she isn't, and he took that to heart. He left the group in hopes that he'd get over it. He hasn't."
This was not the kind of problem Connor had ever considered facing, and he sat there staring at Liam, half expecting him to say this was only a guess. He didn't. Liam looked certain.
"What would have happened if you told me before now?"
"You might have not gone to practice today, and Druce would have grown more annoyed. He might have met you somewhere in the halls, and the confrontation would have been worse and without witness. Or you might have gone, knowing Druce was going to attack you and annoyed him into thinking you didn't trust him. Remember, he didn't plan to attack you. It came in a moment of frustration and anger. Or you might have grown angry and attacked him to save yourself -- but no one else would have seen it that way. Or --"
"That must drive you crazy," Connor said. "How can you tell which path to take?"
"That's actually the easy part. It's the one where I do nothing at all."
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