Blood Magic

2-2: Schoolhouse Rock

.^^ Lady Madeline DuPont ^^

— James —

After everyone left, we went exploring a bit, starting from the House, which I discovered was actually more of a compound. It stood at the entrance to a sprawling neighborhood, fenced in by Rune-covered bricks to keep out intruders, and which was apparently occupied only by members of my new Clan. Close to thirty houses, all with lofts or second floors, almost all occupied.

The one we'd been directed to was directly across the street from the Family House, and the loft was huge, with an open floor plan.

Mum hummed happily, tracing the frame of the large room. "It'll do... it'll do nicely... rent?" She asked the older woman who had accompanied us, apparently Xeda's older sister.

The woman grumbled, thinking, and typed in a calculator. "Aha! Mm, yes... £200 a month should do." She said casually.

"That's all? I don't want to take advantage..." Mum sighed.

"That is the cost of my water bill. Rent doesn't really exist, here, we own this land. Only utilities. You pay one bill, and honor is appeased." The old woman said firmly, then wandered down into the elevator, which she had ridden up while we took the stairs.

She had apparently had it installed when her hip started to go bad, because she likes to bring food up to the previous resident, another grandson who had gone off to college to become a geologist. We learned a hell of a lot of information about this man, as she kept talking about him, but never his name. I don't think she remembered it.

I grinned. "You won't find anything better." I shrugged.

She nodded. "That's true... and I love the arches and exposed beams!!!" She squealed excitedly, and small flowers started blooming on every raw wooden beam.

"Honeysuckle? First time you do magic in front of me, and you bloom honeysuckle?" I said dryly.

She blushed. "I happen to rather enjoy honeysuckle! Hmph!"

I smiled and grew some Basil and Thyme, for aromatics, and soon the entire loft smelled like heaven.

Satisfied, we met Athenos and Rafaela at the gate, and he grinned. "Hey! Alright, so three things. First, the key to the Cellar, so you can come see me anytime you like." He held out a copy of the silver key.

I grinned and added it to my necklace, next to my grandparents rings. "Sweet."

"And second, a Key to Sanctuary. Give me your left hand?" He wiggles his fingers, showing me the Runes on his knuckles briefly.

I held out my helft hand, and he laid his hand over them. It stung for a moment, like it was a brand, but then faded. "Perfect! And now your right, I'll give you the key to this Gate." He pointed at the main gate.

The process was repeated, and he held out a hand to Mum. "You have a Key to Sanctuary, right?"

"I do." She nodded.

"Good, then the Gate." He nodded, and gripped her hand, branding her second knuckles, then releasing her quickly. "Now we're all set! Let's go see the school! Term starts in a week or so, so we're not too late to enroll, I called the principal, and it's still the same old Ogre, so the magical portion has only gotten bigger! Turns out that the entire population of the school is now magical, though the classes hasn't changed much. You can enter electives, now, instead of extracurriculars-... I'll wait, sorry, I got excited." He grinned, and led us out of the gate, which he allowed me to unlock with my new brand.