Saif couldn’t stop the hint of a smile on his lips as Pashar shut the door behind her. She glared at him for a moment, waiting for him to explain. Of course, he’d hidden from the others what he’d shown to the student. Even now, he doubted anyone realized they were enveloped within his Discipline.

Saif’s taste of a smile widened into a full on mouthful as he raised a single eyebrow. His ex-apprentice huffed her displeasure and strode away. Though she threw her tether-sense after him with all of the force of a Master at the height of her power.

So bold, he thought letting the power slap against him like wet noodles. He let out a little groan, I miss noodles. The vargish really do make the best dishes, he shook his head and followed behind the irate tethered.

He shot a glance behind him before rounding the corner onto the stairs. That student was standing in the doorway looking after him, He’s got balls on him, too, Saif chuckled and followed Pashar down the stairs.

They were halfway to his carriage before she finally broke, “What was that?” she asked in kisi.

“Fun,” he replied, a few students were outside training. They were actually making quite a light show. At least one of them were. Shorter than the other and blond, he was throwing light around like he wanted to blind the world-eater. The other student caught his eye as well, abnormally tall with just a hint of… something familiar.

“What do you mean fun?”

“I had to meet him for myself,” Saif said stopping in front of his carriage. What was so familiar about that student? “The Queen herself suggested I just go. You can’t be mad that I threw out a little test for him.”

Pashar looked perturbed but didn’t say anything. Behind her the students stopped their sparring, both turned to look at Pashar and him, Ah, that’s why… Saif smiled fitting the puzzles together. He rubbed the bridge of his nose before smiling at Pashar. “If you have a problem with it you can take it up with the Que— of wait,” he shut the door before she could reply and the carriage trundled off.

He didn’t hear her angry retort, but by The Sisters, he could imagine it.

Queen Minul grit her teeth, feeling awkward in her fake outrage as she stood up from her seat, Why is this so hard?

“What is it you don’t understand?” She question Saif. “I’ve spoken with her and she’s a very good administrator, but she’s made it quite clear that she’s busy enough as is,” she gestured to the rat of a man opposite the ankirian lazing in his chair, “Even Leif agrees that she’s already filled to the brim with responsibilities.”

The rat actually had the gall to smirk at Saif as he organized the last of his files. “Fine, fine,” Saif lifted his hands, “I won’t push any longer, she’s not joining us.”

Minul grit her teeth and flared her nostrils staring down Saif and hoping her flush came off as anger instead of embarrassment, “Good, Leif you’re dismissed.”

The Master of Education smiled and stood up, he nodded to Saif who returned his gesture with a grunt and a dismissive wave. The moment he closed the door a rush of smoke hit it. The room was big enough that the Queen didn’t immediately detect the change in acoustics, but she knew that no sound would escape that smoke.

“What a miserable cunt,” Saif said getting to his feet.

“Competent, however,” Minul said slumping down in her chair with the reports Leif Serpent-Vein had given her. The Royal School of Elusria was run like she’d never seen it before. The institutions were always a drain on their resources, but Leif had minimized so many small trickles it felt like they finally fit. He’d started a Washer’s Guild that took care of cleaning the uniforms, which made it seem more expensive but made the washers much more effective. Already, it was starting to show in the yearly expenses.

And he’d done a dozen changes like that. And he hadn’t even touched the teaching positions yet. Even if he was a scheming rat, he was determined to be good at his job. Despite the horrendous year the academy’d had, it was still looking to be better than any of the previous five simply due to the management.

Between Pashar finally becoming Head Administrator, Ragnar becoming the Principal, and Leif taking over as the Master of Education, they’d done wonders for the academy. Even now they were ratifying a new curriculum for teaching and advising students. They were developing courses to help students without a basic education catch up.

“About Ranvir,” Saif said. He’d returned to his seat while she was lost in thought. “Pashar’s gotten him a suite of his own in the parents dormitory.”

Minul blinked bringing her mind back on track, The problem student, right, she cleared her throat. “She found a child for him? How did she pull that off?”

Saif chuckled, “I think he made a child, she simply seized the opportunity to get him away from the others,” Minul frowned, usually they didn’t deal with single parents, especially not students.

It didn’t happen often but every few years a child would surface where the mother died, if the student knew of it before hand they would work out a solution where they could visit at the orphanage. If he didn’t then the child would just grow up in an orphanage. She hated the policy, but taking care of a child took so much time that most students would fail to grow into the tethered they needed to be when they got the front lines if they didn’t do as much. She’d rather a child grow up fatherless than that father dying on the battlefield because he hadn’t been able to train enough because of said child.

Her stomach roiled as she remembered the last report of such an incident. It had been four years ago and she’d still been new to her office. Some nights she still had trouble sleeping at the thought. She done much worse things, seen worse things, as the Queen, but for some reason that stuck with her.

“Can he handle it?” She asked keeping her voice carefully neutral.

“I believe so, he’s incredibly protective. From what Pashar’s told me he won’t let her grow up an orphan. Will not.”

Minul breathed out, “That’s comforting to know.”

“I’m sure you will get the report soon, but I’ll just let you know now. Pashar also agreed to have the school subsidize the cost of a part-time wet nurse and the rent of the new suite.”

Minul quirked an eyebrow, “Really? I thought students were paid well enough to afford both.”

“Barely, but this is mostly about gaining favor from him.”

“Favor?” Minul considered the implication that Saif, a Triplet Master, thought it was a good idea to earn favor from a first-year. “How did she tell him about it?”

Saif smiled, “She didn’t, but he has a friend in administration and it’s going to slip out while she’s nearby,” he winked at her, a white smile splitting his dark beard.

“She seems to have this well in hand,” Minul said. She was about to continue when Saif held up a hand, a moment later the smoke disappeared from the door.

“Come in,” Minul said familiar with the signs at this point. A diminutive woman stepped into the room, bowing deeply to the Queen and handed a wood-bound folder to Saif, who’d gone to receive it. She scampered out quickly again. Once the door closed, smoke covered it once more.

“The latest reports on Leif’s actions,” Saif said sifting through them before handing them to Minul. She scanned them quickly, pulling out the key points. She would read it in greater detail later. He’d been meeting with a lot people at both the school and the academy, a bunch of teachers, a bunch of administrators. On it’s own it didn’t look too suspicious. “Another meeting with Master Sigurd,” she noted, “the third one in as many weeks.”

Master Sigurd was one of the few teachers who were a vocal part of Varumgándr. Thankfully, most of the teachers had enough political acumen to keep their opinions quiet. No doubt, because of some subtle hints from the head of administration.

She hadn’t been lying when she’d said that Pashar had been too busy to join their small council, she was already busy working with Saif as an intermediary to Minul. Technically, that made Saif the closest thing Minul had to a Master of Spies.

“He also met with the ankirians,” Saif said taking the reports back once Minul was done looking at them.

“That’s not in and of itself suspicious.”

“Unless you suspect that he’s trying to put a knife in your back to gain favor with the court of Ankiria…”

“Every rule has an exception.”

“Unfortunately, it doesn’t prove anything,” Saif continued.

“That’s literally what I just said…” she shook her head, “The Councils have started making noise,” Minul leaned back in her chair.

“You’ll have to bring them back together soon, then.”

Soon was, of course, relative in political terms. By the end of the year, she would most likely have to reinstate them, unless she had a good reason not to, Unfortunately, ‘I don’t like them’ wasn’t good enough.

She dreaded what she had to ask next. She did it anyway, “Any updates on Saleema?”

Saif sighed and slumped in his chair, for a moment he seemed much older. The image reminded her again of her thoughts on aging. How old was he? She’d inferred he’d known Zubair when he was young, but Zubair looked a decade older than him, at least.

Could the right combination of Discipline of Body and Concept work to stop aging? Minul didn’t want to consider the implications, but it was her job as Queen to work through even the scenarios she didn’t like. On that front, she’d been failing lately.

“Saleema’s…” Saif rubbed his eyes as he spoke, “as obsessive as she’s ever been. Her senses are constantly honed on Ranvir. I’ve rarely seen her so focused.”

“So she’s not usually like this?”

“Usually, she’s obsessive but scatter brained. Something about him’s got her sands muddied.”

Minul didn’t stir, she didn’t change anything. She didn’t let her tether react at all. This was most information than she’d gotten from Saif about Saleema, “How long’s she been like this?”

“Since—“ Saif stirred opening his eyes and glanced at her, “For as long as I’ve known her.”

Time to change the subject, “Any word from Isaam?”

Saif got up from his chair, the smoke vanishing from the door as he shook his head, “The King has, as of yet, failed to respond to any of our messages.”

He was likely biding his time, seeing how Inaaya’s attempt would go before making his judgement. She didn’t envy him his position. If Inaaya failed, he would have to take strict action against his daughter for betraying the United Alliance, but if she succeeded then he would have to deal with Inaaya in a position of power.

The door crashed open, a rattled guard standing in the doorway.