It wasn’t long by car to the house; it also wasn’t long if you were wildly running in the hope of desperately avoiding a danger you’d been told about, but ignored.

Elvie slunk low in the seat as she sought to deal with events and bring her breathing back to normal. Was that real? Did she just get chased through the night by rocks? That couldn’t be possible…

But falling into the world of magic had changed her beliefs on the word impossible. It had been humanoid rocks, and for some reason, it had been following her.

And what about the shadow? What was that? Who, or what, followed her, and why had a fight broken out between them.’

When they arrived at the house, Alistar took her straight through to the kitchen to boil water for tea, while Rilla and Elvie sat at the table. Elvie’s body shook, despite her attempts to stop it. Rilla took her hands and held them close.

Goodwin, who must have had a sixth sense about people in his workspace, came in to take over.

Alistar sat beside Elvie, worry on his face. ‘Want to tell me what happened?’ Sincerity rested in his eyes, which she didn’t normally see. Perhaps he did have the potential to be Master of the House after all.

‘I’m sorry… I was stupid.’ She relayed the story about getting Eldridge’s letter and missing the bus. ‘I thought I’d run home, it’s not that far, and I thought I’d be fine, and I was until I heard something following me. Then I really started running.’

Alistar blinked, moved his mouth to say something, then reconsidered. ‘Go on.’

Elvie described the events in detail, except for a tiny thing; she didn’t tell Alistar about the voice screaming ‘beware’. Nobody needed to know she was potentially losing her mind.

‘And they fought?’

She nodded. ‘I think so… there was a crashing sound like a car accident and some thumps, but I was busy running, so I didn’t see much.’ Elvie took deep breaths, her normal control reasserting itself as the fear and adrenaline left her body.

‘A wise choice in all likelihood. I don’t usually put on my Masters’ hat, primarily because I don’t have one. But you two are in my House now and as such, you’re in my care. I’ll admit that I’m a little angry about your disregard for the advice of the Masters, but then I think to myself, I disregard their advice all the time. That said, you’re a student, so I’m going to say this once. The rules in place are there to be followed. Follow them! We are going to talk about this a little more later.’

Goodwin slid hot cocoa across the table, breaking the sternness of his words.

Alistar took the opportunity to depart but paused in the doorway. ‘Oh, the lesson you wanted to have, Elvie, would you like the night off?’

She shook her head – focusing on something else should provide the perfect opportunity to forget all about what just happened. ‘I’ll be there.’

‘I’ll need some time before you do. I must report what has occurred and investigate a little – no doubt there will be swarms of magicians wandering around outside the house soon. But that said, perhaps the safest place for you to spend some time is completing a lesson with me.’ He disappeared through the door without further comment.

‘I was worried for you. I didn’t want you out there alone.’ Rilla broke their silence as Goodwin hummed in the kitchen. ‘So when you weren’t on the bus, we went straight back.’

With a shiver, Elvie replied. ‘Thank you for coming for me. I don’t even want to think about what would have happened otherwise.’

‘Of course,’ Rilla hugged Elvie.

Ms Williams bustled into the room. ‘Elvie, you foolish girl.’ She had a blanket draped across her arms, which she wrapped around Elvie’s shoulder. ‘What on earth were you thinking? Praise the Lord you were kept safe from harm.’ She vigorously rubbed back and forth on Elvie’s arms to create warmth from the friction of her hands.

The new supervisor of Elder House students didn’t agree with Alistar’s policies on student behaviour, who would, instead, she had her own set of ideas on how a House should operate. To date, their meetings were sedate as she focused on ensuring they had everything they needed, but they were increasingly heading towards controlling.

‘Seriously, young lady. Did you consider the dangers at all? Why you could have been… Well! Anything could have happened to you.’ She was normally calm but working herself up with worry.

‘It’s good you’re safe – that’s what we’re thankful for,’ Goodwin diffused the situation with tact.

Ms Williams looked at the one-armed man and blushed. ‘You’re quite right, of course, quite right.’ She rubbed Elvie across the back again, ensuring the blanket was wrapped tight around her before gently turning her body so that Elvie was making direct eye contact. ‘I don’t need my first assignment as a matron of a house to have such frights. I was, am, scared for you when I heard what has happened for Alistar. You must take care, Elvie.’

Elvie thought to speak, paused. ‘You’re right. I just get so frustrated…’ With everything really, she was frustrated with everything. So instead of thinking things through, she jumped straight in.

‘It’s natural for a girl your age to start pushing boundaries. Believe it or not, I was up to a mighty amount of mischief when I was no older than you. My parents struggled to reign it all in. But part of growing up is knowing restraint, as hard as that is sometimes. Think through your choices before you act on them.’

‘I’ll try, Miss.’

‘I think it is about time that the both of you called me Elisabeth. Now, make sure you eat this lovely man’s meal I can smell cooking, and then move to your lesson with Alistar. After that, I want you straight to sleep tonight. No talking! A good night’s rest helps the spirit and body to recover. I’ll be checking, too.’ She exited with a purpose ot her step,

‘Thank you,’ Elvie mouthed to Goodwin.

‘She’s a lovely lady. Passionate. Unless I miss my guess, I think she’s off to have a strongly worded conversation with Alistar. You scared her, is all, and having this chance to run a house means so much to her.’ He winked and set about summoning their dinner.

‘Are you sure you’re okay?’ Rilla asked once everything was quiet again.

‘Let’s not talk about. I need happier thoughts. Why don’t you tell me about your classes instead?’

Rilla brightened – it was a rarity when she wanted to speak about herself. ‘I’m doing well, I guess. Alistar’s odd trick lets me focus without the doubt creeping in. Can you believe it, I actually cast a spell effectively? And not just a summoning spell, but healing spells from Willow House too. I can heal things now!’

They made an odd pair: Rilla with her doubts and Elvie with her reckless conviction. ‘That’s amazing! It seems strange that someone so odd, who refuses to be a teacher, could actually be a good teacher, doesn’t it?’

‘The Masters have all said I’m making real progress – especially Master Mhyrre. My parents would be proud.’

Elvie patted Rilla’s hand with a smile.

What would her own parents think?

She knew one thing for certain; if her Mum and Dad knew she was taking such risks, Elvie would be grounded for life!