The Apprenticeship of Julian St. Albans (13 page)

“Back so soon?” said Padma, giving Julian
a shameless hug and kissing Alex’s cheek.

“They insisted,” said Alex, sounding
proud. “This is Dr. Tamlinson, Geoff runs the infirmary at the Agency, and
you know Murielle. Agent Thomas MacLean works with her.”

“You’re very welcome here, did you want a
table or one of the rooms tonight?” she said, shaking everyone’s hands.
They agreed on a table, and she led them to a good one. “How are you,
dear?” she asked Julian as they got seated, “Everyone’s being extra
careful, going out back tonight.”

“I’m doing really well, Dr. Geoff looked at me
and Alex has been putting a potion on the bruise,” said Julian. “I’m
glad they’re taking care, that guy didn’t seem to have his act together very
well but he could’ve hurt someone less well-protected.”

“Your Alex takes care of you,” said
Padma, sounding very proud. “He’s a good man.”

Julian kissed her cheek and then patted his own
chest. “He is, he even fixed my amulet so it’ll protect me again.”

“Good,” she said with a nod. “Now,
tea for everyone, and you’ll want lassis with your curry, yes?”

“I’d like rose milk instead, please,”
said Lapointe.

“All right, anyone else? Mango all
right?” asked Padma.

“Plain for me, please,” said Geoff, then,
“Oh, thanks,” to the waiter, who set a cup of chai and a glass of water
in front of each of them.

Padma nodded. “I’ll send out some papadums,
too, I know you like those,” she said, heading back to the kitchen.

“Well, so far I’m impressed, and I haven’t
even had the food,” said Geoff.

“Alex has a way with waitresses,” said
Murielle teasingly.

“Hush, you, Padma is not a waitress,”
retorted Alex. “And she’s both married and perfectly aware of my
preferences, unlike some others.”

“Jenny knows your preferences now,”
Murielle shot right back.

Alex was saved when their waiter came out to ask
about starters, and they had to look at the menus. They talked about food
through the whole meal, not just what they were eating now but current
favourites and childhood memories. Alex waxed eloquent about Julian’s Courtship
banquet, and Julian told them all about their two dinner dates, and how Padma
had been sweet to him even then.

Geoff snuck off and paid the check, refusing to let
anyone repay him on the grounds that his desolate love life left plenty of
money for treating his friends, and besides, everyone else had provided
something already, from the cake to the beer.

There were no leftovers, so they all piled
empty-handed and full-bellied in Thomas’ SUV for the ride back to his place.

“What’ll we watch next?” asked Julian,
cuddling shamelessly with Alex now that night had fallen and it was cooling
off.

That started an intricate discussion that Julian
was mostly left out of, so he let his mind wander, thinking about his studies
and where they were taking him. He liked the idea of doing something to help at
the Agency, and he had already scouted several places in MacLean’s flat where
he’d be able to put plants, should Julian happen to make a gift of some. Julian
kept having this urge to give plants away, to make sure there were green growing
things in the spaces of all the people he cared about, and he saw no reason not
to indulge it.

“We’re here, love,” said Alex, pulling
him out of his reverie.

“Sorry, just thinking,” said Julian.
“Did you come to a consensus?”

“We did,” said Alex, “Well, they
did, I’ve not seen half the things they wanted to show you, since I grew up the
same way you did.”

“It’s a little weird, realising all the stuff
we missed because it was common,” said Julian softly, letting Alex escort
him upstairs. “But I don’t know, I would’ve missed all the books I read,
too.”

“Yeah,” said Alex, kissing his hair.
“And now we have all these things to discover with our friends.”

“Yeah,” agreed Julian with a smile,
“we do.”

CHAPTER 8

Julian
was well-rested enough he didn’t even mind the alarm going off at an ungodly
hour the next morning. He snuggled up closer to Alex and mmed happily.
“Going to fix the nursery today.”

Alex
kissed his hair and snuggled right back. “We’ll make it better than
before, my love.”

Julian
yawned and stretched and demanded a quick kiss, then slipped out of bed to
start his day. They did a sketchy wash, knowing they’d get a full purification
at the Temple, and dressed simply. Alex had bought Julian a silk tunic and
trousers like his own, and both sets went into a silk bag for later. They ate a
good, hearty breakfast from Alys, and passed on the praise for her cake.

“I’ve
made these up for you and your priest,” she said, pulling out three
old-fashioned tin lunch boxes. “You’ll eat them after you’re done, before
you go to that crime scene.”

“Yes,
ma’am,” said Julian. “You take good care of us.”

“You
really do,” said Alex, when a large thermos began to fill itself with tea,
sugar and milk.

“There’ll
be cups at Mary Margaret’s,” she said, “and this is for drinking with
your meals. It’s proper tea with a bit of extra something.”

“So
if it tastes odd, that’s just the extra,” said Julian. “Got it.”

“Now,
go get yourselves gathered, I’ll pack these up for you properly,” said
Alys, shooing them away. Julian got his big herbal and a fresh notebook, along
with his coloured pencils, since he wasn’t likely to have Lapointe’s sparkly
pen collection to raid this time, and packed everything up in his book bag,
then he carefully separated out plants from both of the lucky clover pots from the
window box, which Alys was kind enough to levitate inside for the process. Alex
vanished into his work room and emerged with a bag of his own, and the food and
plants were put in a sturdy box for the trip, along with a separate treat for
Jones.

Jones
came up and carried the box down for them, which meant that they were getting
doors for once, a change of circumstances that amused them all.

“How
have you been, anyway?” asked Alex, as they settled into the car.

“I’m
doing quite good, except for my inability to get Jenny’s number,” said
Jones. “Victor gave me a raise, and a few more responsibilities to go with
it.”

“That’s
wonderful,” said Julian. “You’ve been more than just a driver to him
for a while now, anyway.”

“Thanks
to Alex, mostly,” said Jones. “I’m not sure Victor would’ve ever
noticed me enough to care if I hadn’t ended up driving him around during your
Courtship.”

“Which
really makes it thanks to Julian,” Alex prevaricated.

“Well,
no matter why, I’m glad,” said Julian. “You’re a lot nicer than
Sheffield.”

Jones
chuckled. “No comment,” he said. His attention was mostly on the road
anyway, getting them safely from home to Temple along a route that had grown
familiar to all of them. “Victor said to tell you I’m at your disposal all
day, by the way.”

That
got them talking about their plans for the day and everything that had led up
to it, the tale of which took until they arrived at the main Temple just a few
minutes before the hour.

“Alex,
Julian, good to see you,” said Father Stephen, stepping out of the Temple
doors to meet them. “Will your driver be joining us today?”

Jones
looked sheepish. “No, thank you, Father, perhaps another time.”

“As
you will,” said Father Stephen affably. “Go in peace, and we’ll see
you again in an hour.”

Jones
relaxed. “Yes, Father. Would you like a coffee when I get back?”

“You’re
not going all the way to see Jenny, are you?” asked Julian slyly.

“No,
it’s too far for just an hour,” said Jones with a sigh. “There’s
another cafe nearby that’s good for reading in.”

“Then
I would love one, with milk and a little bit of cinnamon, if they have
it,” said Father Stephen. “Thank you for offering.”

“You
know what we like,” said Alex.

“Yep,
I’ll bring some for everyone. Will Murielle be at the nursery, too?” said
Jones.

“She
will, and I bet she’d love a good coffee, Mary Margaret only ever has
tea,” said Julian, warmed by Jones’ thoughtfulness. “You might as
well get some extra black ones in case there’s other people, I think there’s
spots for eight in the back of the car, right?”

“There
are, yeah, I’ll do that,” said Jones. “Victor said expenses were on
him today, so it’s covered,” he added, mostly for the priest’s benefit,
Julian suspected.

“We’ll
see you in an hour, then,” said Alex.

Jones
got the first of Julian’s pots out of the box in the trunk and they took their
leave, Jones back into the car and the rest of them going into the interior of
the temple. Father Stephen handed the plant off to an acolyte and led them back
to the changing room.

“Should
I go first?” asked Julian, heading straight for his usual locker to
undress. He and Alex would share, with whoever was first taking the key.

“I’ll
go last,” said Father Stephen. “Why don’t we send Alex first, so he’s
not tempted to spend all day listening to the wards?”

“I
like your wards, they give me good ideas,” said Alex, but he nodded.
“Do you want to wait to undress, love?”

“It’s
a bit cold,” said Julian, “but then we couldn’t really share a
locker.”

“True,
true,” said Alex. “Well, you’ll get warm in the middle bits,
anyway.”

Julian
smiled and kissed him, warmed in a different way by his concern. “I’ll be
fine, I’ve done this before, you know.”

They
kissed one more time, then finished undressing. Alex went in first with the
locker key around his wrist. Julian couldn’t help but laugh at the face Alex
made as he sank into the cold mineral bath, covering his mouth to hide it.

“He
always does hate the cold bath,” said Father Stephen, voice full of rich
amusement.

Julian
relaxed. “He does, but he comes anyway because we both feel better,
after,” he said, sitting on the bench by the blue-tiled archway. “I
can’t really blame him, I hate the cold part, too.”

Father
Stephen chuckled. “You do like it here, though, other than the cold
part.”

“I
do, though I’m not ready to give up…” Julian paused, eyes straying to
where Alex was dunking himself back under the water again.

“You’re
not suited to that part of our life here, it’s true,” said Stephen,
unperturbed. “Alex never was, either, though he finds a great deal of
peace when he does visit.”

“I’ll
have to get the story of how you know each other out of you later,” said
Julian. “I have a feeling this conversation’s got a different point.”

Stephen
smiled. “It does, yes. I was wondering if you’d be interested in doing
more work here, in lieu of monetary donations. I’ll ask Alex as well, though
his schedule is more fluid than yours, generally.”

“Is
my talent really that valuable to you?” asked Julian dubiously. “I
mean, I’m barely an apprentice at this point. I’ve still got a lot of learning
to do.”

Father
Stephen patted his knee. “Of course it is, especially the variation you
have which enhances not only the health and beauty of a plant, but its magical
potency.”

“Oh,”
said Julian, ducking his head and smiling. “I’d love to help, you can work
out a schedule with Mary Margaret,” he said, then he chuckled. “I
might be helping with the Agency’s medical greenhouse, too, so I guess that’s
three of you that have to learn to share.”

“I’m
sure we can manage,” said Father Stephen.

A
chime sounded, and Julian stood. “That’s my cue,” he said, shivering
a little in anticipation of the cold bath.

“I’ll
see you on the other side,” said Stephen, his voice as warm as the water
would be chilly.

Julian
smiled, and went into the purification with a light heart and full mind.

CHAPTER 9

Alex
was sitting half-dressed by their locker, cradling Julian’s amulet with his
listening face on, the one that meant his attention was on an entirely different
sphere for the moment. Julian dressed without worrying about interrupting him;
he used to try to tiptoe, until he realised Alex wouldn’t notice if a chorus of
naked dancing boys went by unless they were wearing magical tassels. He was
glad to get proper clothes on again, feeling quite shivery in the airy
atmosphere of the Temple, and he snuggled right up to Alex and tucked his cold
hands up under Alex’s shirt.

That
managed to break his concentration.

Alex
yelped and laughed and put his arms around Julian, kissing him warmly.
“Sorry, I was just making sure yesterday’s fixes were still fixed. It’s as
good as new, though, possibly better.”

“Good,”
said Julian, “though you’re pretty good protection all by yourself.”
He stole a kiss, then guided Alex’s hands to put the amulet back on him,
tucking it away before helping Alex to get buttoned back up himself.

“It’s
good to see you two so happy,” said Stephen, as he emerged from the green
archway. “Alex had a lot of turmoil before he accepted you properly into
his heart, you know.”

Julian
smiled fondly. “I know, he kept trying to pretend he was only in it for
the case.”

“I
was trying to be only in it for the case,” said Alex, getting his shoes
and socks on. “Good thing you didn’t let me succeed.”

Julian
rewarded him with a kiss, and once they got themselves all put together and the
keys back in the locker doors, Julian asked shyly, “So, where’s this plot
in need of some gardening, anyway?”

“Just
this way, we should have time for you to get the plant in the earth before we
have to head over to the nursery,” said Stephen, leading them through yet
another doorway and through a few passages to another dirt-floored space like
the meditation room, but smaller and bare of life, for now. Julian’s plant and
a trowel and watering can were waiting for them, though no sign of the acolyte.

“Oh,
it’s lovely in here. Will you want grass, or a path?” said Julian. He
slipped off his shoes and socks and walked on the soft earth, feeling it ready
and waiting for new life in a way he couldn’t explain.

“I
was thinking a path and a few benches,” said Father Stephen. “More
room for other plants that way.”

Julian
smiled and nodded. “We’ll put the clover here, then,” he said,
stopping just where it felt right.

Stephen
brought him the tools without being asked, and Julian knelt down, using that
strange sense of his to be certain when he’d dug enough, to put the plant in
the earth just so, and pack the earth around it exactly right. He poured on a
nice little shower of water, until the plant told him it was happy and would be
happy here, and then smiled up at Father Stephen. “It likes your
garden.”

“Thank
you, Julian,” said Father Stephen warmly, giving him a hand up. “It’s
a very good start.”

“You
should have fairy flowers in here, too,” said Julian, glancing around.
“I don’t know if they could get in, but it just feels right.”

“I’m
happy to bow to your expertise,” said Father Stephen.

Alex
knelt in front of the bench by the doorway with a bowl of warm water and a
cloth to wash Julian’s feet. “Someone brought them by, but I said I’d take
care of you,” said Alex. His fingers were warm and sure, and he dried
Julian’s feet carefully, then let him put on his own socks and shoes.

“You
always take good care of me,” said Julian, something he felt like he said
a lot but bore repeating. He’d realised today in his meditations that Alex
looking out for him in all the ways he did, large and small, gave Julian the
freedom and courage to explore his life more than he might have otherwise. He could
say yes to all of these opportunities and their risks because Alex made it safe
for him at home, as his family and Cecil had before this.

“You’re
easy to care for,” said Alex, his expression showing that he’d had some
revelations of his own, and they were good ones. They shared a quick kiss, then
they both stood.

“Just
leave those,” said Father Stephen, gesturing to the bowl and dirty towels.
“One of the acolytes will be by for them.”

“Thanks,”
said Julian, filled with a sense of peace and purpose, even more than usual.
“Shall we?”

“Our
chariot awaits,” said Alex, gesturing.

“Actually,”
said Father Stephen, amused, “it’s this way.”

They
were all smiling as they emerged into the sunshine, and Father Stephen traded
the bag he’d collected from another of the ubiquitous acolytes for the first
cup of coffee from Jones. “Mmm, that smells good, anyway,” he said,
taking a sip. “Oh, that’s delicious, you said this place was nearby?”

Jones
grinned. “Yeah, they’re over in that little cul de sac off Breverton,”
he said, putting the bag away and closing the trunk. “Don’t worry, yours
are safe and sound,” he added, when Alex gave him puppy eyes.

“Good,”
said Alex, getting into the car and exploring cups until he found his and
Julian’s both. They all got settled and Jones made sure the coffees were
securely held before he pulled out into traffic.

“I’m
going to let her know we’re on our way,” said Julian, pulling out his
phone. He was relieved when there wasn’t a single message on it; he’d called
Emmy last night before bed, and been forgiven for being too busy to do so
beforehand. Thankfully there were no new murders to distract them.

Alex’s
phone pinged with a couple of messages, but Julian ignored them in favour of
texting Mary Margaret. She replied right away that things were all set up and
requested, and nothing untoward had happened overnight.

“She’s
all set,” reported Julian with a smile.

“Lapointe’s
there waiting, she’s going to escort us to the crime scene afterward,”
said Alex, pocketing his phone, “And Thomas wishes us to know the last of
the cake made an excellent breakfast and we can have our tin back.”

“Bet
he has cold pizza for lunch,” said Julian.

“If
he stops gaming long enough to eat lunch,” said Alex. He turned to Father
Stephen and explained about their afternoon off yesterday, which segued into
the brownie-packed lunches waiting for the three of them for after the blessing
and warding.

“You’re
a good influence,” said Stephen. “I used to have to twist Alex’s arm
to get him to visit me for a cup of tea.”

“I
know,” said Julian smugly. “We’re working on Murielle now, too,
she’ll have a life outside of work one of these days.”

Alex
chuckled. “Especially if Thomas has anything to say about it.”

“Alex
has been a good influence on you, as well, it’s good seeing you work and learn
instead of whiling your time away to no purpose,” said Stephen, but his
tone was gentle enough Julian couldn’t take it amiss.

“He
is,” agreed Julian. “Oh! Father Stephen has asked me to do some of my
apprentice-work here at the Temple, so I might be taking care of three places,
plus home.”

Alex’s
smile cut short all of Julian’s worries about his reaction. “That’s
wonderful! We might actually have to learn to drive and get you a car, though,
if you’re going to do that much commuting.”

“I’d
be happy to teach the two of you,” said Jones, proving he was still paying
attention. “I’ve taught a bunch of the youngsters at the main house.”

“Do
you think I’d be any good?” said Julian dubiously.

“You
do like horseback riding,” said Alex, “though I suppose the horses
look out for themselves, somewhat. I worry a little about attention issues, for
myself, I mean.”

“Oh,
you mean like zoning out listening to magic when you’re meant to be paying
attention to the road?” asked Julian.

“I’ll
show you how to ignore that stuff,” said Jones confidently. “If I can
teach a teenager who’s got her best friend on speakerphone to still pay
attention to the road, I can teach you.”

“I
guess that’s settled, then,” said Alex with a chuckle. “It’ll be a
good skill to have, and then we can get something fun and useful, so you can
move plants and drive in the country both.”

“But
not a huge thing like Thomas’ car,” said Julian. “Something little,
for parking in the city.”

“Yeah,
you don’t want to park a car like this in the city, either,” said Jones
with a chuckle. “You’ve gotta be a pro to park anything big.”

“We’ll
leave that to you,” assured Alex. “You can help us pick a car, too,
right?”

“I
plan to,” said Jones, amused. “I’ve helped buy the last several for
the house.”

“It’s
good to consult experts,” said Stephen. “Cars and coffee are your
areas, obviously.”

“I’m
learning mine,” said Julian proudly, “but Alex is already an
expert.”

“You’re
already good, though,” said Alex. His tone was quiet and honest, rather
than the loving way he often spoke when praising Julian’s other assets.
“Our plants are beautiful, and Mary Margaret’s always telling me how well
the nursery’s doing now.”

Julian
ducked his head and smiled. “Thank you,” he said.

“I’m
looking forward to having your help at the Temple,” said Father Stephen.
“Your talent tested very potent, I think we’ll benefit a great deal from
your assistance.”

“Oh,”
said Julian, blushing. “Well, thank you, I hope I live up to your
expectations.”

“I
meant to tell you,” said Jones, “that potted geranium you gave me for
Ma is doing really well, she said the charm works a treat and it flowers like
the dickens.”

“Well,
Alex made the charm,” said Julian, “but I did ask it to flower really
well for her.”

“Whatever
you did, it’s working, so thank you,” said Jones quite sincerely. He
pulled into the parking lot at the nursery and right up to the front. He got
the door for them, then opened the trunk while everyone piled out.

“We
haven’t enough hands for all this coffee,” said Father Stephen.

“Oh,
I’ll go get a tray, hold on,” said Julian, and he unlocked the door and
vanished into the nursery. “We brought coffee, can I borrow the tea
tray?”

“Of
course, dear,” said Mary Margaret, handing it not to Julian but to one of
her paid assistants, Raul. “You go help.”

“Yes,
ma’am,” said Raul, coming around the counter with the tray. “I’m glad
your guys are available so fast, when my uncle’s business needed its blessings
renewed they had to wait a month for the appointment.”

“We’re
lucky, Alex has been friends with Father Stephen for ages, and having Alex
volunteer to do the magic bits meant we didn’t have to wait for one of the
Temple mages,” Julian explained.
 

They
headed to the car and everyone was loaded up, with Alex taking the box of
lunches and whatnot, Father Stephen his and Alex’s coffees, Raul the tray of
unclaimed cups, and Julian his own coffee and the second pot of clover. Jones
grabbed the bags and locked up the car, following them into the building where Lapointe
was waiting to lock up behind them.

“No
one respects the closed sign,” said Murielle, catching up and stealing a
coffee off Raul’s tray.

“Best
to lock it,” agreed Stephen. “It would be a waste of energy to have
someone interrupt.”

“Have
you gotten the new lock installed on the delivery door?” asked Alex,
sounding a bit concerned.

“Yep,
last week,” Mary Margaret assured him. “Safe as houses now,
especially once you’ve warded things.”

“What
shall we start with?” asked Julian, as the rest of the coffees were
claimed and everyone crowded around the back counter adding milk and sugar.

“Coffee,”
said Father Stephen with a wink. “Then we’ll walk the paths, and see where
everyone needs to stand, and Alex and I will argue about the ceremony.”

“Confer,”
said Alex, disagreeing impishly.

Julian
giggled. “All right, do you want me to show you around?”

“Yes,
let’s walk, did you want to come, Master Stone?” said Father Stephen.

“It’s
Mary Margaret, please, Father. I’ll stay here, you’re in good hands with Julian,
he knows this place inside and out now,” she said. “Three’s enough
for our little paths.”

“Yes,
ma’am,” said Julian. “Here, I’ll take you the way I walk the paths
when I’m doing my morning route.” He made sure he had all his work keys
ready, and they started off.
 

Julian
talked as they walked about what plants went where, but the first leg of their
journey was short. They stopped after the hydrangeas to look at the patch of
desecrated earth. Mary Margaret had tilled it thoroughly with fresh potting
soil and a pair of potions, one from Alex and one from the Temple, so it looked
like any bit of earth waiting for a planting.

“You’re
sure nothing else is growing here?” asked Alex, giving Julian a little
nudge forward. “Here,” he added, handing off his watch fob.

“I
really want one of these,” said Julian teasingly, feeling everything
around him so much more clearly. It was easier to tell what was his own sadness
and what came from the plants around them, and he stepped right up to the edge
of the tilled patch. He knelt down to put his fingers in the earth and sent his
strange sense out, but he got nothing more back than a few opportunistic weeds
and what he thought might be earthworms. He took a deep breath, reaching
downward, feeling an echo of where the seed had been that was already fading,
but no other plant life.
 

“If
there’s anything else here, it’s not a plant,” Julian said, standing up
and handing back Alex’s trinket.

“My
turn, then,” said Alex, echoing Julian’s earlier pose. He hummed softly and
cocked his head, listening to things Julian couldn’t hear. Julian remembered to
breathe and took a sip of his coffee instead, waiting until Alex stood and
dusted off his hands. “There’s that little echo, but I can tell it’s
already fading.”