The Apprenticeship of Julian St. Albans (21 page)

“Your
home is already too full of humans,” groused Nat’s fading voice. “Let
me know when there’s less of you.”

“I
can’t help but agree,” said Alex. “I don’t suppose one of you would
answer that? They can’t come in unless I open the wards.”

“We’ll
do it,” said James, standing and straightening himself, pulling his
Guardian medallion out of his shirt.

Jacques
followed suit, and they went to the door looking unimpressed and implacable as
stone.

Julian
had to stifle a giggle. “I always forget they do that,” he whispered
to Alex.

“They’re
good at turning it off,” Alex agreed.

They
hushed at a glare from Jacques, and then the door was opened a tiny bit.
“May I help you?”

Fischer’s
voice carried easily into the room, and all his annoyance with it. “Is
Benedict hiding in there?”

“Mr.
Benedict is busy. Who are you?” said James, completely unimpressed.

Julian
hid his face in Alex’s chest and tried not to laugh loud enough to be heard.

“I’m
Agent Fischer, and I need to speak with him now,” he said. There was a
little sizzling noise followed by a curse, as apparently Fischer attempted to
shove his way through the door and hit the wards. “Did you just assault an
Agent?”

“No,”
said James, cold and professional. “You attempted to enter a warded
private residence without invitation. What do you want from Mr. Benedict?”

Jacques
moved so he was looming behind James, blocking all view into the living room,
not that there had been much. James was carefully holding the door to show only
an unoccupied sliver of the interior.

“That’s
none of your business,” said Fischer, belligerent now. “He’s not your
Charge.”

“That’s
not for you to decide,” rumbled Jacques, pitching his voice low.

“The
Temple protects whoever it chooses,” said James. “State your business
or leave.”

Julian
wanted to cheer.

“One
of our Agents reported he was doing something suspicious outside the Agency
this afternoon,” said Ms. Eberly, her voice cutting Fischer off. “I
collected evidence that seems to be burned hair from one of the victims.”

“Oh,
for fuck’s sake,” said Geoff, getting up and stomping over, narrowly
avoiding his floating dinner. “That was after the attack, and Alex was
doing a spell I asked him to do, to break the tie between the victim and his
attacker.”

There
was a short silence. “What are you doing here, Dr. Tamlinson?”

“I
am seeing to my patient, Agent Fischer, who doesn’t need any more of your
bellowing when he’s trying to recover. I assure you, Ms. Eberly, that
Benedict’s spell was not only harmless, but Agency-sanctioned and will likely
appear on his next invoice,” said Geoff.

There
was a little bit more bluster, but in the end both agents left unhappy, despite
having the information they purportedly came for. “Well, that was stupid
and annoying,” said Geoff, slipping back into his seat on the couch and
tugging his tray over. “Ooh, you kept it warm, th- uh, that’s great,
Alys,” he said, after a bite of his remaining potatoes.

“All
in a day’s work,” said Alys, sounding amused at his near-slip.

Julian
sat up and applauded, with Alex and Murielle joining in after a moment.
“You guys were all awesome, getting rid of them like that. Thank
you.”

“It
was rather enjoyable,” said James with a wicked smirk.

“I
wonder, though,” said Lapointe, “who it was that ‘saw’ you doing the
spell.”

“It
wasn’t Wu, he wouldn’t do that to us,” said Julian, referring to the Agent
usually stationed at the front door during working hours.

“Plus,
I told him what I was going to do,” added Alex.

Lapointe
sighed, nibbling on a last bit of lamb. “Did anyone go in or out while you
were working?”

“Probably,”
said Alex, “but you know how I am when I’m working. I’d never have
noticed.”

Julian
chuckled. “You really wouldn’t have,” he said, kissing Alex sweetly.
“You’re even worse when you’re doing spells than when you’re just
listening.”

“Wu
might know, though,” said Geoff. “We’ll bring him some coffee
tomorrow and ask.”

“He
likes treacle tart,” said Julian. “I heard him mention it.”

“Good
memory,” said Lapointe, pulling out her phone and making a note. “If
there’s someone else with it in for Alex, we’ll want to know.”

“Might
it have been, what’s his name, Army-something?” said James.

“Armistead?”
said Alex. “I don’t know, he’s very disruptive. I might have actually
noticed him.”

“He
does tend to break your concentration,” said Lapointe, sounding amused and
exasperated. “But I always thought that was the bickering.”

Alex
shrugged. “No, there’s something about him that just sets me on edge, he’s
like a background noise I can’t tune out.” He gave a little shudder, face
scrunched up in displeasure.

“Like
a car alarm,” said Geoff. “You can’t turn it off or tune it out, you
just have to endure until it stops.”

Alex
laughed. “Yes, exactly.”

“Finish
your food, or you won’t get pudding,” said Alys. “I’ll put on a fresh
pot of tea, since you were so kind as to get rid of those extra humans.”

“Horrible
humans,” muttered Julian.

Everyone
made short work of their remaining food, with the promise of one of Alys’
sweets as a reward. One by one their plates vanished, and teacups refilled.
Glasses of cold water appeared on everyone’s trays as well, and then finally
the dessert. Dishes of steaming bread pudding materialised in front of all of
them, with cold ice cream nestled in the bowl and thick caramel sauce drizzled
over both. There were raisins and pear bits studding the treat, and bits of
spice visible in the ice cream, which proved to be cinnamon vanilla to go along
with the gingered caramel sauce and spiced pudding.

“There
are so many reasons I’m glad you live here right now,” said Alex,
“and this is at the very top.”

“As
it should be,” said Alys tartly. “Now eat it all up, and I won’t make
you boys all take a potion.”

“Yes,
Alys,” said all seven of them in singsong tones, and then they fell to and
there was nothing but sounds of sincere appreciation.

Once
that was done and cleared away, Julian took a cushion and sat on the floor by
the coffee table so he could go over Lapointe’s map. Alex produced some
coloured pens from his work room, and after some ribbing about him having one
of everything in the universe hiding among his shelves, Julian got to marking.
He let himself sink into an almost meditative state, calling up the memories of
their tour and the plants, the earth beneath him and the antique stone of the
Temple itself.
 

When
he was done, he found a cup of herbal tea next to him, and Alex and the two
Guardians had repaired to Alex’s work room, though they left the door open.
“I hope they’re working on my amulet and not just checking to see if Alex actually
has one of Merlin’s balls hiding in there,” said Julian wryly.

Lapointe
chuckled. “They are, and thank you, this is really good. Detailed, and
your handwriting’s better than, well, anyone’s.”

Julian
had used the careful copperplate he’d learned for formal correspondence, so the
writing was legible even small. “Thanks. Alex could probably do the same,
it’s one of those things they make the peerage learn as children,” he
said, sipping his tea and trying not to feel self-conscious.

“Ah,
a posh kid thing,” teased Geoff. “I should’ve known. Now, finish your
tea, then I want to try something, if you’re game.”

“Depends
on what it is,” said Julian. “Alex wouldn’t object, would he?”

“Or
demand to watch,” said Jones dryly.

Geoff
laughed. “No, no, I want to feel Julian’s magic while he’s resting, and
then while he checks on his houseplants. I think he’s restored enough to spare
them a little energy.”

“Sure,
as long as my keepers approve,” said Julian. “I don’t want to get
yelled at for putting out energy when I’m supposed to be hoarding it.”

“I’m
glad you put ‘energy’ in that sentence,” said Lapointe with a chuckle.
“And I’m pretty sure your doctor gets to tell you when you’re healthy
enough, regardless.”

Julian
giggled. “Dirty mind, Murielle. Have you been thinking too much about our
lovely Agent MacLean?”

Lapointe
looked surprised at that, and Julian despaired of Thomas and his inability to
just ask the woman out. “I’m a bit old for the lovely Agent MacLean,”
she deflected.

Julian
snickered. “If you say so, but I doubt he’d agree.”

“I
never knew you had a matchmaking streak,” said Geoff. “Maybe I should
get you to introduce me to more of your eligible friends.”

“Any
time you like,” said Julian. “Maybe you can soothe some of my
brokenhearted suitors, though you don’t seem the consort type.”

“I
don’t come with lands and titles and pots of money, either,” said Geoff,
“not that you’re not enough on your own.”

“Nice
save,” said Lapointe, rolling up the map and sealing it away in its
evidence tube. “Finish your tea, I want to get home sometime
tonight.”

“Yes,
Mom,” said Julian, taking another big sip like a good boy.

“I’ll
go let them know what our plan is,” said Geoff, getting up and wandering
into the lab, where he was immediately caught up in their conversation.

Julian
chuckled. “Think they’d notice if you left and I went to bed?” he
asked Murielle.

“Eventually,”
said Jones. “Though it would be nice to get out of here before it’s too
much later. I’ve got things to do at home to make sure I can be at your beck
and call indefinitely.”

Julian
finished off the last of his tea as Geoff emerged with approval for their
little experiment. “Let’s start with the fairy flower,” said Julian.
“That’s how I usually do it, fairy flower, window box, and then Alex’s
lab. I leave the bathroom plants for when I’m in the shower.”

“Lead
on,” said Geoff, gesturing toward the kitchen where they kept the
flowerpot.

Julian
stood up, swaying just a little when he first got vertical, but the vertigo
passed and left him feeling basically normal. “To the plants!” he
said, covering for his lapse with silliness.
 

“Let
me… Hm, would Alex’s ego survive if I put my hand on your waist, under your
shirt? That will get me skin contact without interfering,” said Geoff,
putting on his best clinical face.

“I’m
sure that’s fine,” said Julian, and there was a little fidgeting for Geoff
to find the right spot, his pinkie hooked through one of Julian’s belt-loops to
help anchor his hand along Julian’s hip.

Geoff
took a moment to get a baseline reading, then let Julian lead him in to find
the butterfly fairy resting happily among the little purple flowers. The wells
around the edges of its flowerpot were full of honey, milk, tea and caramel
sauce. “I see Alys is taking good care of you in my absence,” said
Julian with a smile.

It
bobbed up, grinning, and then swooped down for a sip of the gingery sauce.
Julian could understand it better today, feel its pleasure at the sweet sugar
and earthy ginger, and at being included in their feasts still. The plant
itself was doing quite well, though it was feeling a little dry and hoping for
some extra nutrients. Julian made up watering can with some mundane liquid
fertiliser in the water, then gave it a little charge of magic before pouring
it onto the soil under the plant. It drank it in happily, and Julian imagined
it would be wriggling its roots out of pure enjoyment if it could.

He
stopped when the plant knew it was enough, and sent it one last wave of pride
that it was growing so well.

“Hm,
you’re putting out more than I’d expect,” said Geoff, “but no more
than you can replace under normal circumstances, I think.”

“Well,
we’ll check the window box next,” said Julian. He went over to the window
and lifted it, glad that Alex’s wards kept the wind out. “How are you all
doing today? You’ve had some visitors, I think.”

He
got happy feelings from them all that they’d been doing their jobs, that some
butterfly fairies had been by and given their blessing, which the ward-thistles
considered protective, and the lucky clover considered fortunate. The fairy
flowers felt they’d been the most useful, of course, and all of the plants were
feeling strong and satisfied. Julian gave them each a little sprinkle of the
the charged water to help stave off the summer heat and finish off the batch,
then closed up the window and looked over at Geoff. “Well, how’d I
do?”

“It’s
interesting, I think you give them energy when you’re feeling them out, as if I
was doing this instead of just passively listening,” said Geoff. He did
something, and Julian felt a little tingle of warmth at the place his hand
touched, just a tiny tickle of power feeding into him. “I can listen
better when I do, but if I did this all the time I’d be perpetually
drained.”

“Hm,”
said Julian, giving a little shiver as the trickle continued. “Well, the
plants are always happy to see me, so I guess they like it?”

Geoff
chuckled. “I guess they do.” They had an awkward moment getting
turned around without losing contact, and then they trooped into the office
where Alex had his little stash of work-related plants. He used to only keep
live plants in stasis cubes, but Julian’s talent and interest allowed him to
have a few growing things that he wasn’t able to kill off by accident.

“Are
you manhandling my boyfriend?” said Alex with a chuckle.

“No,
but I’m feeding him a little energy,” said Geoff. “Did you know he
actively puts power into plants whenever he’s listening to them?”

“Maybe
that’s why you’re always cold, silly,” said Alex affectionately, coming over
to give him a kiss. “We think we know how to save your keep-safe, by the
way.”