Wolf Iron

Chapter 4 / Quinn Evermore

The tears were still damp on Rodney's face as he opened the stall door and heard the voice that would change his life forever.

"Is this your book? Are you Randolph?"

He jerked back to see a girl around his age, wearing a jumper far too large for her short brown hair, staring back at him with fierce brown eyes, holding his book up.

"What? You're not supposed to be here, this is the boys' lavatory!" He made a grab for it. "Gimme that-"

The girl held the book behind and stiff-armed him quite effortlessly. 

"Ah-ah. You really should wash your hands, you know." The girl cocked her head and inspected the bewildered look on Rodney's face. "No, you couldn't possibly be who I'm looking for. You're too-" she paused and gave him another look-over- "scrawny, I would ascertain. I'm wondering, did you just decide to let that brute humiliate you so?"

Rodney's face was quick turning red again and he couldn't believe his rotten luck. Even for him, this had been a disastrously awful day and it was barely halfway over. 

"Is this a joke?" he asked. "You must be friends with that moron Barlow or someone must have put you up to this. Can't I just be left alone?" He ran to the door and brushed by her quickly.

"And I mean honestly, don't you think you could have done a better Posh accent? I thought you theatre people were weird enough, but at least be-" he fumbled for the right word-"be believable!"

She raised an eyebrow.

"So you are Randolph Chang?"

"Stop it with that, will you? No one actually calls me that! It's Rodney!"

He opened the lavatory door and turned back to see her again. "But yes, that is my book"- he grabbed for the book and got it this time, though he felt like like she had given it to him- "I'd thank you to not follow me into the mens' room in the future. Goodbye." 

He tried to slam the door and instead, the slow-close hinge deflated his newfound indignant rage with a slow creeeeeak. 

He stayed for the briefest of moments looking back at the girl who he actually found quite fetching; minus the stench of the lavatory, and her interrogatory attitude of course but nonetheless; she was different from others. 

He turned to walk away and heard from behind him.

 "Wait! If that really is your book, then I must speak with you. It won't take long." 

She rushed to walk alongside him and Rodney noticed that her gait was spring-like and her shoulders were upright like she was a Royal Beefeater of Buckingham Palace. 

"I can't right now, I've Biology to get to and I'm already late. I'm sure you have a Queen to guard or whatever. You can stop doing that accent, you know." 

"What accent? If anything, it's your lot that has it. I haven't understood a single thing since I've come here and-"

"And where exactly"- he said stopping- "have you come from?"

She had a pained look in her eyes, almost as if she had been stabbed.

"Why, from Edgard of course. Does my accent come off as Raelish? I certainly hope not."

"Okay. I will give you your credit, yeah? You've done your research, maybe-maybe you've... you've gone online or something, I dunno. Or maybe you actually read The Kindread Chronicles as well, but I'm not that much of a tosser. I just want to get through this day without anymore mishaps."

"There is danger and you are at the heart of it and I know that it is you because you have the book-." 

Rodney shook his head and shushed her. 

"You see how the corridor is empty, yeah? Everyone has gone to class, and you're being very loud. People will hear you talking all barmy. You should go to class too, before we both get into trouble." 

 "I desire to talk with you on a matter of great importance." She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows again. "And I am not going anywhere until I do." 

The final bell rang from over them and that meant 7th Form Biology was beyond a late pass.

"Okay, okay, look, in one hour after class, I will meet you in the Dining Hall, okay?" Rodney said breathlessly, exasperated at this girl's tenacity. "You strange, strange girl. Is that okay?" Rodney sighed and threw his hands up. "Just who are you?"

"My name is Quinn Evermore of Edgard, first daughter of the King's Guard, and both of our lives are in mortal danger."