When Dell’ finished speaking there was a long pause. He was staring at her, his chin into his hands, and she tried hard not to fidget. Was that a glint of amusement she saw in his eyes? But suddenly, he stood straighter and frowned. So much for amusement.
He would call her Dellana, miss Dellana, apprentice or girl. Good, those were names she already responded to. But she was surprised he’d name her from “Miss” to “girl”. People usually chose one way to call her and stuck to it.
When he stood up and leaned over her, she never broke eye contact. She found herself staring at his stern face, all the way up there. It was menacing, but she didn’t move or step back. She’d figured out he was impressing her on purpose to get her respect.
Oh, so he was going to teach her how to cook? Good! No one had ever taken the time to do that. In Fënir, the roads were full of merchants who sold hot food all day. That’s where she’d eaten most of the time.
He suddenly stopped frowning, and his face really changed. He went from menacing stern gigantic man to authoritative but pleasant host.
He “showed her around” as in pushed her around the cottage, but she found she didn’t mind being guided like a three-year-old as much as she should have...
She took the house in, staring intently at everything she noticed, like the dust under the closet, the way things were stacked inside the herb cabinet. She stared up at the attic that was to be her room. She hoped she’d be able to install a comfy place for herself up there.
Oh, so he had a cow?! She’d never been in a place where there was an animal. She hoped he wouldn’t make her tend to it. She wouldn’t even be able to milk the poor thing.
He washed in the river? How did he do that in winter? Oh right, magic, duh. She supposed that with a decent fire control it was possible to heat up some water.
He led her to a door painted with chalk symbols of protection and a bunch of runes that meant absolutely nothing to the young apprentice. She wondered what language it was. They’d never seen those symbols in class.
"This is my sanctum" He said.
The room was very dim, and the girl squinted to get her eyes used to it. The floor was painted black. Dellana supposed it was to chalk pentagrams on it. Minor Demons could be summoned indoors, she reminded herself, innerly shivering. There was a table, one chair, perhaps it could be moved to the kitchen and back during meals, and two large bookcases filled to the brim. Dellana stared at them eagerly. Books. She loved books. She was what people called a book rat. She loved reading and learning theory, and often hid from reality and the difficulties of practice behind a wall of knowledge she’d accumulated by spending her time in the school library.
"Most of these books are way beyond your level and you'll be reading only the ones I set out for you." said her Master.
Dell’ let out a sigh of disappointment.
He turned her around by the shoulders and put a finger under her chin, lifting her face towards his. She wasn’t expecting him to handle her like that and blinked a few times, surprised.
"I want you to understand that this room is off limits when I'm not in there with you. I do not tolerate disobedience and if I ever find you've as much as set a foot in here without me knowing …" He let the promise hang in the air and she felt her face redden and her heart quicken dramatically. What on earth would he do to her? She bit her lip. There was a gleam in his eye and she didn’t want to know what horrible retributions he was thinking about. What was so dangerous in this room anyway? Apart from the knowledge inside the books, of course.
He turned and closed the door to the study. She didn’t move, like glued to the ground. He had really startled her, and the apprehension that was building up in her chest wasn’t that disagreeable.
"Ahem, I trust I've made myself clear. You can speak freely if you wish to ask me something. Don't be shy now."
“Errm.” She cleared her throat. Her heart was still beating madly, and her face burned. “Erm, yes Master, I have a few questions. So, first. I have herbs and food in my sack. Can I store them in the herb cabinet? Um, about the river, how do you wash in winter? What language are those runes on your sanctum door? Could we put the sanctum chair in the kitchen during meals and then put it back where it belongs so we can both sit at the same table? Is there something for me to sleep on in the attic? Why don’t you want me to read all the books? My teachers said there’s no harm in reading more than your level, don’t you agree with that? And why is the sanctum off limits? Is it dangerous? Can’t I study when you’re out? I like reading in my free time. If I have free time, that is, Master.”
She looked up at him.
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