Elaine of Antwerd

An Invitation

Teacher Chloe drew in a deep breath and knocked on the door. No one answered at first, but William soon saw her and called out from the goat pen that he'd be right there. Wrapping up his chore, he jogged up to her with a smile. 

"Hey, William! I was wondering if Sterling was home."

"Oh, he's talking to one of our neighbors. We need a new fence post. Why?"

"I was hoping to talk to him about something."

"Is it about Elaine?" William looked worried.

"No, Elaine's fine. I just had a few questions about his background."

He blinked in surprise. "Oh. Um, okay, you can come in while you wait. I'm afraid we can't offer much in the way of food."

"Oh, that's alright."

The two sat comfortably in the dining room, chatting about Elaine's progress in school. William was quite glad to hear that she was progressing so quickly, and bemoaned with lighthearted annoyance that she hadn't decided to come visit and show them.

Sterling returned before long, and William left to finish taking care of the goats' hooves. Teacher Chloe began with some small talk before she got to the point.

"So, I heard from Elaine that you have feral magic."

Immediately, she got the distinct impression she had done something very wrong. Sterling's guard went up, and he eyed her somewhat warily. "Not really. Why?"

Teacher Chloe blinked. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I heard that you came from feral magic, and I was hoping to ask some questions."

"You didn't offend me." Sterling sat back, one hand tapping idly on his leg. "I haven't had a good history with people asking about that. The truth is, my family has feral magic, but I never learned to use it." He squinted at her. "Is there a particular reason you're asking?"

Teacher Chloe leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees, choosing her words carefully. "Over the past several years of teaching at Antwerd, I've noticed some... problems with how ferals are talked about."

Sterling blinked, almost flinching at the word "ferals", but Teacher Chloe didn't notice.

"Many conventional magic families, especially wealthier ones, have... certain perceptions about ferals, often incorrect ones, and they pass those on to other students. There is little I can do, as a teacher with no feral magic, to counteract these perceptions, and our curriculum doesn't cover feral magic at all. And, as much as I understand why we must screen ferals out during our entrance exams, it does leave our kids without any peers of... that nature." Teacher Chloe fidgeted with her hands. "I spoke to Headmaster Ash, and we were wondering if, well... if we could offer you a sort of honorary post. We were hoping you could come to the school every once in a while to speak to our pupils about ferals and feral magic, and to debunk some misconceptions."

She paused to give Sterling some space to speak, or to react at all. Sterling watched her with no expression, almost studying her. Uncomfortable, she continued.

"It obviously wouldn't be a daily class, but perhaps a visit once every week or two to educate the students. What is covered would be largely up to you, although I do have some specific concerns to address-"

"Did you know," Sterling interrupted, "that there is an anti-feral spell on your school?" His expression didn't change, but he watched her carefully.

Teacher Chloe blinked. "What?"

"There's an anti-feral spell on your school."

Sterling waited for Teacher Chloe to react. Teacher Chloe, for her part, had heard of such spells, but her brain struggled to process that one such spell still existed, and was in her place of work. "But... you've been to the school," she said lamely.