Esmeralda; Beginnings

Chapter 9

"Sir- I'm back," Esmeralda called, removing her cloak. It was already twilight by the time she got back to the university.

A small explosion from the experiment room told her where to look. 

Going to the room, she opened the door only to be engulfed in some foul smelling smog. She retched and covered her nose quickly with her sleeve. From somewhere inside the smog, she heard a window being thrown open frantically and the smoke lessened. 

Master Emeric was coughing and frowning at his notes, trying to figure out what went wrong. 

Esmeralda went to him and took a singed quill. She grabbed a few books and started going through them quickly to correct what he had done wrong. It was easy for her to correct what he had done since she had a solid ground to work upon already. 

"Sorry about that," Master Emeric coughed, flapping the foul smoke out the windows. 

She didn't answer, dipping the quill into the ink pot to start writing. 

When she was done, "Maybe you should try this instead," she told him, pointing to an alternative experiment she had written out. He looked at it, "Yes, why didn't I think about it…? Quite simple…" 

He suddenly remembered something as Esmeralda cleared up a little. 

"Essy- go make yourself presentable. Lord Ryuka wishes to see you," he said. 

"Yes, sir-" 

"You don't have to call me sir anymore, you know," Master Emeric pointed out. 

Esmeralda stopped in the act of opening the door again. She looked at him in surprise, "Kenelm still calls you that," she said. Kenelm and his wife had already left when the snow melted. She wished he was still around so she could tell him she had passed though. 

"Yes, well- he isn't a master. You are." 

She thought about it, "I can't. One thing at a time. I'm still trying to stop Jordan, Lucy and Felix from calling me Mistress Esmeralda. It's so odd. Especially when Jordan and Felix are older than me." 

"Kenelm has to call you Mistress Esmeralda now too, you know? Now, go- wash up." 

Esmeralda made a face at the thought of someone so much older than her calling her Mistress. She went to her bedroom that she would soon have to vacate to move to her own quarters and wiped the grime from the streets off her skin and changed into fresh clothes. 

Once she was ready, she went to the main building where Lord Ryuka's quarters were. She was a bit curious why he was summoning her. Was she in trouble again? 

His attendant showed her in. The old man was in his study, signing documents. She marvelled at how he could keep with running the university and his own studies at the same time. 

"Milord?" she said, bowing, "Master Emeric informed me that you wished to see me." 

"Yes, yes… sit down, Esmeralda." 

She sat, reminding herself that it was unfamiliarity that made him use her full name. It didn't necessarily mean she was in trouble. She clenched and unclenched her right hand, nervous. 

"Esmeralda, I won't beat around the bush. The university in the capital has offered you a place. You must understand that there are better prospects for a scholar like you there. The archives in the palace and their libraries will be open to you. Not just that, but you can have as many resources as you need there. Someone like you, even nobility would wish to have you on their side," he said.