Read Study in Slaughter (Schooled in Magic) for Free Online
Authors: Christopher Nuttall
students. Medusas looked humanoid, but they weren’t really intelligent. “Why did you have to repeat the year?”
The Gorgon shrugged. “I failed three of the final exams,” she admitted. “There was no way I could proceed into the next year, so they ordered me to repeat the year.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Emily said, sincerely. She looked towards the other roommate, who was lying on her bed. “And you?”
The girl rolled over and looked up at Emily. She was short and slight, with brown skin, dark eyes and very black hair. “My name is Lin,” she said, softly. Her voice was so quiet that Emily had to strain her ears to listen. “I came from Mountaintop.”
Emily smiled at her. “A transfer student?”
“Happens from time to time,” the Gorgon said. “It’s supposed to promote understanding between the different magical schools and institutes.”
“Oh,” Emily said. “What’s Mountaintop like?”
“I can’t really say,” Lin said, still very quietly. “We don’t talk about the school outside the wards.”
“Bit more particular who it takes in,” the Gorgon supplied. “There are no shortage of rumors about it too.”
Lin didn’t seem disposed to argue. She merely lay back on the bed and closed her eyes again.
“I’ve been hoping to speak with you,” the Gorgon said, turning back to Emily. “Did you really beat a necromancer?”
“Yes, I did,” Emily said, tiredly. It had been a very long day. “But I can’t really talk about it.”
“Of course not,” the Gorgon agreed. She sounded rather rueful. “I would like to discuss it at some point, however. Necromancers are a persistent problem for my tribe.”
Emily frowned. She’d studied orcs and goblins and a handful of other semi-human creatures, all seemingly created by the faerie for reasons beyond human comprehension, but she’d never actually considered Gorgons, beyond the basic fact that they existed. Most humans were scared of them, not without reason. Their unintelligent cousins could cause real trouble if they were allowed to run around without any supervision.
“I know almost nothing about your society,” she admitted. “Why are necromancers a problem?”
The Gorgon smiled, rather inhumanly. Emily could have sworn that she saw sharp teeth in her mouth.
“My tribe lives on the outskirts of the Desert of Death,” the Gorgon explained. “We don’t need as much water as you do, so we built our society there, well away from humans who might want to kill us. On the other side of the desert, the necromancers lurk. Ever so often, they come to try to kidnap a few of our children. You don’t want to know why.”
Emily could guess. The petrification spell the faerie had worked into their bodies would have altered their flesh radically, allowing them to serve as ingredients for potions and other alchemical products. She couldn’t see the necromancers considering the moral shortcomings of harvesting intelligent creatures for their flesh and blood, not when they were already sacrificing vast numbers of humans to keep their magic under control. And children wouldn’t really be able to fight back.
“If you could give us something we could use against them,” the Gorgon added, “we would be very grateful.”
“I wish I had something,” Emily admitted. The trick she’d used on Shadye might not be workable, outside Whitehall. It had drawn on the vast power of the nexus point under the school, something that wasn’t available elsewhere. But there were other tricks. “I’m working on it.”
“Work harder,” the Gorgon advised. “By the way, I think that’s your timetable on the bed.”
Emily turned and saw a parchment envelope lying on the bedding. It was addressed to her, so she broke the seal and opened it up. Inside, there was a large sheet of parchment detailing the various taster classes—and a stern reminder that attendance at one of the taster classes was mandatory before deciding to attend the
The Gorgon shrugged. “I failed three of the final exams,” she admitted. “There was no way I could proceed into the next year, so they ordered me to repeat the year.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Emily said, sincerely. She looked towards the other roommate, who was lying on her bed. “And you?”
The girl rolled over and looked up at Emily. She was short and slight, with brown skin, dark eyes and very black hair. “My name is Lin,” she said, softly. Her voice was so quiet that Emily had to strain her ears to listen. “I came from Mountaintop.”
Emily smiled at her. “A transfer student?”
“Happens from time to time,” the Gorgon said. “It’s supposed to promote understanding between the different magical schools and institutes.”
“Oh,” Emily said. “What’s Mountaintop like?”
“I can’t really say,” Lin said, still very quietly. “We don’t talk about the school outside the wards.”
“Bit more particular who it takes in,” the Gorgon supplied. “There are no shortage of rumors about it too.”
Lin didn’t seem disposed to argue. She merely lay back on the bed and closed her eyes again.
“I’ve been hoping to speak with you,” the Gorgon said, turning back to Emily. “Did you really beat a necromancer?”
“Yes, I did,” Emily said, tiredly. It had been a very long day. “But I can’t really talk about it.”
“Of course not,” the Gorgon agreed. She sounded rather rueful. “I would like to discuss it at some point, however. Necromancers are a persistent problem for my tribe.”
Emily frowned. She’d studied orcs and goblins and a handful of other semi-human creatures, all seemingly created by the faerie for reasons beyond human comprehension, but she’d never actually considered Gorgons, beyond the basic fact that they existed. Most humans were scared of them, not without reason. Their unintelligent cousins could cause real trouble if they were allowed to run around without any supervision.
“I know almost nothing about your society,” she admitted. “Why are necromancers a problem?”
The Gorgon smiled, rather inhumanly. Emily could have sworn that she saw sharp teeth in her mouth.
“My tribe lives on the outskirts of the Desert of Death,” the Gorgon explained. “We don’t need as much water as you do, so we built our society there, well away from humans who might want to kill us. On the other side of the desert, the necromancers lurk. Ever so often, they come to try to kidnap a few of our children. You don’t want to know why.”
Emily could guess. The petrification spell the faerie had worked into their bodies would have altered their flesh radically, allowing them to serve as ingredients for potions and other alchemical products. She couldn’t see the necromancers considering the moral shortcomings of harvesting intelligent creatures for their flesh and blood, not when they were already sacrificing vast numbers of humans to keep their magic under control. And children wouldn’t really be able to fight back.
“If you could give us something we could use against them,” the Gorgon added, “we would be very grateful.”
“I wish I had something,” Emily admitted. The trick she’d used on Shadye might not be workable, outside Whitehall. It had drawn on the vast power of the nexus point under the school, something that wasn’t available elsewhere. But there were other tricks. “I’m working on it.”
“Work harder,” the Gorgon advised. “By the way, I think that’s your timetable on the bed.”
Emily turned and saw a parchment envelope lying on the bedding. It was addressed to her, so she broke the seal and opened it up. Inside, there was a large sheet of parchment detailing the various taster classes—and a stern reminder that attendance at one of the taster classes was mandatory before deciding to attend the