Donner and Thalia: The Day of the Hunt (Episode 6)

Chapter Three

3.

The welcoming dinner for the Wizard's guests was a lavish buffet, regularly restocked by the hands of the cooks and servants in gainful employment of the academy. The most refined foods from all over Kinleath, shrimp and scallops from the seas, pork ribs slow-cooked for hours over coals in preparation for the festive dinner, and potatoes drowning in melted cheese the servants painstakingly squeezed from cloth for days leading up to the banquet. Donner, Thalia, and Paul marveled as they made their way down the smorgasbord, grabbing anything that caught their eye. Donner had stacked his plate the highest, ribs, enough scallops and shrimp to fill any man's belly, and even a few vegetables despite the fact his parents weren't here to force him to take some.

Lenny wore his red and silver fringed robes, Paul in his finest dress cloak, Donner wearing Sir Gearfried's symbol, sword as always hanging on his hip. And Thalia was in that stunning black and gold dress. Donner thought if he should compliment her yet again on just how gorgeous she looked, but resisted the urge.

"Too bad they don't have any wine," Donner said, leaning to Thalia and giving her wink.

"Good, you get too many wild ideas when you have wine," Thalia smiled. Remembering Donner enjoying just over a reasonable amount of wine before he threw himself in front of three of the royal guard to save her when they attended court. Thinking about that night, she never did thank him for that, maybe she should, next time they were alone. She shook the thought from her head, Donner, that reckless hero he was would know of her gratitude. Most men fear danger finding them, but Donner just charges towards it.

Lenny's parents talked with some of his teachers, no doubt hearing more about Lenny's excellence in class and his discipline as a student as they beamed with pride.

"Pork ribs, how long they say they cook these for?" Donner asked as he took his first bite.

"Eight hours, I hear," Lenny said, "Low heat, lots of smoke, hickory wood," Lenny said.

"Mmm," Donner savored the taste, "Worth every moment," Donner said.

The four dug into their meals, the best any of them had had since their last visit to the Dapper Spice for rabbit and beef stew together, and as good as the Dapper Spice's stew is, it was nothing close to this.

"This milk is amazing, I mean, I've had milk before, but this is outstanding," Thalia said.

"The academy has the best botanist in the world, so of course they've applied their talent and knowledge to growing the grass and grain to feed the academy's private farm. Food is much like magic, one of my professors said, it's all about the quality of your ingredients." Lenny said.

"Excuse me, boys, I find I require using the finest restroom I've probably ever seen," Thalia said, excusing herself.

As Thalia was leaving the lavatory, she felt something, something stirring that sixth sense her uncle Emerson told her all great thieves had. He told her she would develop this feeling as she grew her powers in the illusion school. She thought to ignore it and head back to the party with her friends, but curiosity got the better of her, and she rested a hand on the wall. She closed her eyes and felt two faint signals, so close but so light. That wasn't normal. You can't just hide your presence from this spell. There had to be something, Stealth Suits, Thalia thought. She followed the lead up the wall and looked over a corner and saw them, a bald man with a scraggly beard, and another with shaggy hair and scar across his eye, both wearing black stealth suits. The same two thieves Donner and herself had turned the Astrolabe in to. What were thieves doing at the academy? She turned around and rushed back to the great hall, feeling she needed some protection if she was about to interrogate.