Birgit

  “Lady Birgit of Hazzerbog, will you do me the honor of accompanying me to the mid-semester ball?”

  The speaker was Bonzo Sparkthrower, a goblin classmate and friend. His father was only a merchant, but a successful one, and Bonzo was a talented student and an accomplished spellcaster. His magic potential was only lower-mid tier, but that made it greater than Birgit’s, or at least greater than her potential had been, she suspected they were far closer, now that she had been soaking in Niles magic for a few weeks.

  It was only four days until the ball, but Birgit knew there were unwritten rules about when students were expected to make their invitations. The royals always made their invitations first, followed by the high nobles, lesser nobles, and finally commoners like Bonzo. This was probably the earliest he could have made an invitation, so she was likely the first person he had asked. That was flattering, and she liked Bonzo. She had never done much with him socially, but they had been in many classes together and had even been lab patterns a time or two. He was not the handsomest gentleman in her class by any means, and he was actually an inch or two shorter than she was, but he was energetic and had a good sense of humor. His social station was below hers, but given no one else had asked her by now, it was likely no one of a higher station would.

  All these thoughts spun quickly through her head as she wrestled with her decision. She had actually rather hoped no one would ask her. It would have been so much simpler just to go with Niles. He had turned out to be a quite talented dancer, and Birgit had grown to be comfortable with him after weeks of holding his hand. She had even started sleeping close enough to him to touch him when they were out on hunts now. But turning down Bonzo and then showing up with Niles would certainly raise some eyebrows. It was one thing to go to a ball with your familiar if you had no other option. It was quite another to pick your familiar over a fellow student. That would paint them as romantically involved in the minds of many of her classmates, and that could have serious repercussions.

  There was really no choice for Birgit. “I would be honored to accompany you, Bonzo.”

  “Yes!” the goblin exclaimed triumphantly, before calming himself. “Then, I will look forward to the ball with great anticipation. Shall I pick you up at your dorm at the evening bell?”

  “That would be perfect,” Birgit agreed.

  Bonzo bowed politely, “I shall count the hours until then.”

  Birgit curtsied in response, and Bonzo turned on his heels and made a hasty retreat.

  “Oh, congratulations,” Uma said as she rushed in to hug Birgit. “You two will make an excellent couple.”

  “Bonzo is fun. I am sure you two will have a good time,” Hilaria agreed.

  Birgit looked over at Niles, who stood beside her, holding her hand as usual. She could not read his expression at a glance, and he was looking at her, so she did not want to stare. Was he disappointed that he would not get to go to the ball with her, or relieved? She suddenly realized she had never even asked him if he wanted to go with her. She felt rather bad that he had put so much effort into learning to dance, only to be left behind.

  Hilaria sighed dramatically. “I guess I am the only old maid left in our group, then. Would you mind lending me Niles for the night, Birgit? It would be a shame for him to have wasted all that time learning to dance and not get to use it.”

  “If no one invites you, I guess that would be fine,” Birgit agreed. “As long as you do not mind, Niles.”

  Niles let go of her hand and made a dramatic, sweeping bow to Hilaria. “Lady Hilaria of Boneyard, would you do me the honor of accompanying me to the ball, if you have no one else to go with, and I am your very last option?”

  Hilaria giggled and dropped into an equally dramatic curtsy. “Why, Sir Niles, it would be my honor to accompany you. I am sure I will be the envy of the ball with such a strong and handsome escort.”

  Birgit was glad Hilaria would not have to show up at the ball unescorted. And Niles did not seem to mind going with her. He was even smiling as he hammed up his invitation, so maybe he had been looking forward to going. He had certainly put some effort into their dance practices. Uma already had an invitation from a baron’s son, so everything was working out. Why, then, did Birgit feel like something was off? It was probably just nerves. She had never been good at these sorts of social events. She had gone to a couple of balls in her early years here, but had not gone to any last year. It was also going to be different dancing with Bonzo after practicing with Niles, who was so much bigger. That had to be all that it was.

  “Are you sure my hair looks alright?” Birgit asked Susi as they put the finishing touches on her ball ensemble.

  “You look radiant,” Susi assured her.

  “I am sorry you cannot come,” Birgit said, realizing what a fuss she was making for something her sister was excluded from.

  Susi sighed. “You know dancing does not work so well for me. Though I was rather hoping Niles would be left behind as well, so we could have a little alone time. If Hilaria tires of him early, be sure to send him home.”

  Birgit gave her sister a hug. It was just like Susi to make a joke of this. She really would have to find some way to reward her sister for all she had done over the years. It must not be easy to always be in the background while Birgit got to do things like this.

  “Now we had best get you on your way,” Susi said, breaking their embrace. “You do not want to keep Bonzo waiting too long.”

  Stepping out of her bedroom, she found Niles waiting, dressed in the suit he had purchased for the ball. His green and brown coat fit him perfectly, accentuating his broad shoulders. A cream-colored shirt with a ruffled collar, tan breeches, and polished brown boots completed his outfit. Birgit was glad he had agreed to wear the Hazzerbog colors. They looked very good on him. It was too bad they were not going together, as his outfit matched her dress perfectly. She would have to dance with him at least once tonight, Birgit decided. It would be good to show him off and let everyone see what an impressive familiar she had.

  “You look amazing,” Susi said, slithering around Niles to view him from all sides. “I am not sure if you will be safe with Hilaria. She will have a very hard time keeping her hands off you. I know I would not, with you looking like that.”

  “Why, thank you,” Niles said with a smile. “You always look lovely, and you look very nice tonight, too, Birgit. Shall we go pick up our dates?”

  Birgit agreed, and they made the short trip down the hall to Hilaria’s suite. Her maid answered the door and let them in, informing them Hilaria was almost ready. Birgit took a seat on the couch and pulled Niles down to sit next to her. Knowing she would have little opportunity at the ball, she felt a need to pull in as much of his magic as she could now.

  “You do not mind going to the ball with Hilaria, do you?” Birgit asked quietly while they waited.

  Niles shrugged. “No, she’s always fun to hang around with, and I’m genuinely curious to see how this ball plays out, if it’s as big a thing as Uma makes it sound.”

  Birgit heard the evening bell tolling. It was time to meet Bonzo, but Hilaria was yet to appear. Time seemed to stretch out as they waited, and Birgit’s nerves began fraying. Uma had gone on and on about how important this ball was all week. Birgit knew that one day we should most likely marry, but magic had claimed far too much of her time for her to really think about it. Now, though, with only one semester left until graduation, perhaps she should give it more thought. Most of her class would have at least begun making marriage arrangements by graduation, after all. Should she start actively pursuing prospects? What sort of husband did she want? What sort of husband would want her?

  “Do you think Hilaria is pretty?” Birgit asked. The question had just slipped out. It was not very polite, and it might be quite awkward for Niles to answer. Her nerves were getting to her.

  Niles did not seem to mind, though, cocking his head in thought for a moment before answering. “I guess I do. The fur was a bit off-putting at first, but now that I’m used to it, I’m okay with it. And she has pretty eyes and a nice figure.”

  Now Birgit’s curiosity was piqued. “It must be strange for you, having come from a plane with only a single race. What do you think of the women of this plane? Do you find some prettier than others?”

  Niles shrugged. “I suppose I do, in general, anyway. The ones that look closer to human tend to catch my eye more than the others. But on an individual level, though, there are some members of races pretty far from human that have an exotic beauty that really stands out. Of course, beauty’s only skin deep, though. I made the mistake of picking beauty over character once. I won’t do that again.”

  What did he consider closer to hu man? Birgit had to bite her tongue to keep from asking what he thought about kappa, and her in particular. People had told her she was pretty before, but usually they were family, friends, or people trying to butter her up for something. Would Niles give her an honest answer if she asked? For some reason, his opinion of her appearance really mattered to her tonight. It was probably just nerves. She must have let all of Uma’s talk get the better of her. Before she could let her mind wander too much farther down that path, the door to Hilaria’s bedroom opened, and the gnoll stepped out. She wore a beautiful black and gold dress that was quite daring, sweeping up over a single shoulder to leave the other one and its attached arm completely bare save for her bracelets.

  Niles rose quickly, dropping her hand and crossing the room to Hilaria. “Wow, you look amazing. I should have brought my club to fend off all the other men who’ll be swarming around you.”

  “Well, you certainly are the charmer tonight?” Hilaria said. She tried to sound casual, but Birgit could tell Niles’ greeting pleased her, and by the way her eye roved over him, Niles’ appearance pleased her as well.

  “We should get going,” Birgit said, rising from the couch. “I am sure Bonzo is waiting downstairs. The evening bell rang a while ago, and I do not want to make him wait too long.”

  As she expected, Bonzo was standing in the lobby along with several other young men waiting for their dates, all under the watchful eye of the dorm matron. Dressed in a bright purple and green checked coat paired with equally bright yellow and orange striped breeches, he was quite eye-catching.

  Bonzo hurried over to meet her and smiled, but then self-consciously straightened and bowed. “Oh, um, Lady Birgit, you look very lovely.”

  “Thank you,” Birgit replied, curtsying in return. “You look very colorful tonight, and please just call me Birgit.”

  Bonzo’s gaze shifted, and his eyes went wide. “Oh, um, I did not realize your familiar was coming with us.”

  “He is Hilaria’s escort for tonight,” Birgit explained.

  “But I’ll still be watching, so you had best behave, young man,” Niles said, his voice even deeper than normal.

  “Oh, um, yes, sir,” Bonzo stammered.

  “Niles, you will scare him off,” Hilaria chided, with a laugh.

  “Just kidding… kind of,” Niles said, his voice returning to normal. “Have a good time… just not too good.”

  “Well, this is a change,” Birgit heard Hilaria say as they made their way to the Great Hall where the ball was to be held. “I have been waiting for my chance to hold you. You don’t mind if I sample some of your magic, do you?”

  Birgit glanced back and saw Hilaria had linked her arm with Niles, her bare arm. Niles must have agreed, because she shifted to clasp his hand and seemed to concentrate for a moment before almost falling. She probably would have if Niles had not been quick to catch her.

  “Oh, my, that is quite something,” Hilaria said, regaining her balance and fanning herself with her free hand. “No wonder Birgit holds onto you so much. I could grow to like this.”

  The gnoll pulled herself even closer to Niles, and Birgit had to hold back an angry rebuke. Niles was her escort tonight. It was perfectly fine for her to hold him like that, and if he did not mind sharing his magic with Hilaria, it was none of her business. It was not like he was going to run out of magic. So, why did seeing him share his magic with Hilaria bother her so much?

  “So, what do you think?” Birgit suddenly realized Bonzo had been talking to her, and she had completely missed what he had said.

  “I am sorry, could you repeat that?” Birgit asked contritely. “I was distracted for a moment.”

  “I asked if you wanted to mingle for a bit when we arrived, or if you wanted to have some refreshments first,” Bonzo said. “I was not sure if you had eaten recently.”

  “Some refreshments would be nice,” Birgit decided. “I fear I get rather nervous about big social events like this, and I am already having trouble keeping my focus. Some refreshments may help settle my nerves.”

  Despite fearing they would arrive late, Birgit discovered they were actually among the first to arrive. All the tables and dividers were gone from the dining hall, and flower-covered trellises concealed the central kitchen area. Waiters with trays of drinks and light snacks circulated among the slowly growing crowd, and Bonzo secured glasses of punch and small, sausage-stuffed buns for them. The food and drink helped calm her some, and she noted that Hilaria and Niles looked like they were trying to sample the food from the trays of every waiter at the event. It was truly amazing how much Niles could eat, but he was very large and very active as well.

  Uma and her date arrived not long after they did, and Birgit talked with her as the crowd slowly grew. But Birgit knew the actual ball would not begin until the royals arrived. There were three of them in the fifth-year class: two princes and one princess. Birgit knew who they were but had never really talked to them.

  Prince Snazlepop was the first of the royals to arrive. Dressed even more colorfully than Bonzo, he wore so much jewelry that it surprised Birgit that it did not make him stoop. He was escorting a satyr in a scandalously low-cut red dress. Birgit could not recall her name but thought she was the daughter of a count.

  “So, is he on your list?” Bonzo asked, nodding toward the prince.

  The question startled Birgit. “List? What list?”

  “The list of people you want to dance with tonight,” Bonzo explained.

  Birgit’s eyes went wide. “Oh, I do not have a list.”

  “I am sorry. I did not mean to embarrass you or put you on the spot.” Bonzo quickly apologized. “I just thought everyone had a list. After all, tonight is all about catching the eye of potential suitors, is it not? After your impressive victory in our Combat Casting class tournament, I am sure you must have caught the eye of several of our classmates already. Frankly, I was very surprised I was able to snag you as my date tonight. I would be happy to dance with you as much as you want, but I never expected to be your only dance partner. Unless you want me to be. Of course, people would start talking if we only danced together, not that I would mind. You are a lady, after all, a very pretty one, and such a talented mage.”

  Birgit could not help but smile as Bonzo began nervously rambling. “Do you have a list?”

  “What, me? Oh no,” Bonzo denied. “I am just hoping I do not end up alone in a corner all night… Not that you need to dance with me to keep me from that. I did not mean to try to guilt you into dancing with me, or anything. It is only that …”

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” the magically amplified voice of the school’s headmistress called out. “Welcome to your next-to-last end-of-semester ball. Only one semester remains in your studies, and I would like to commend you all on making it this far in your pursuit of magic…”

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  The headmistress continued talking about accomplishments, goals, and responsibilities. Since she was officially starting the ball, the last two royals must have arrived. Looking around, Birgit saw Prince Advick and Princess Vedika, rakshasa twins. The prince stood tall and regal, dressed in an immaculate black and red suit. Besides being handsome, he was the number one ranked student in their class. Birgit had also heard he was a strong contender to be the next king when the current monarch stepped down. She could not tell whom he had escorted to the ball because a dozen lovely young ladies already surrounded him. The princess was almost as tall as her brother and wore a lovely red and gold dress. As with her brother, a dozen young men surrounded her, but none stood too close. Ranked ninth in their class, she had a reputation as a person not to be trifled with.

  After the headmistress finished her speech, the night’s master of dance introduced the first dance. As usual, it was to be a stately promenade. A long chain of couples formed, with Prince Advick and his date, who, it turned out, was a gorgon, leading the procession. Birgit knew that everyone was expected to dance the first two dances with the escort they came with. If this ball went like the others she had attended, the first dance was mainly to let everyone see who everyone was with, and the second would be one that would let them demonstrate how well they danced with their partner.

  Taking her arm, Bonzo led Birgit to the back end of the forming line. Ostensibly, the line was to form by social rank first, and then by class rank. While class rank was fixed, social rank was a bit more debatable, and Birgit saw several discussions going on about which noble house outranked which, with varying degrees of contention .

  “Oh, Birgit, I did not recognize you without that hulking brute attached to your arm,” the snide voice of Crochel came at Birgit from behind. “It is good to see you with someone more your size and station tonight. I believe your place is farther back in the line, quite a bit farther back.”

  Turning, Birgit saw Crochel in a gaudy pink and red dress with far too much lace and frills. Her escort was a tall arachni from one of the higher-ranked classes. Birgit thought his name was Tarant, but he was only a commoner like Crochel, if Birgit remembered correctly.

  “No, I think we are right where we should be,” Bonzo said in a friendly tone. “Birgit is a lady, after all. Her father is the Baron of Hazzerbog.”

  The arachni sneered. “Hazzerbog is barely a barony. I am surprised the swamp has not reclaimed it by now.”

  “And yet it has not, so a title is a title,” Bonzo said with a shrug.

  “Look, you little…” the arachni began, only to be cut off by a new arrival.

  “Birgit, there you are,” Hilaria greeted, cutting right between Bonzo and the arachni. “You should be in front of me.”

  Birgit saw Niles glare at Tarant and Crochel. The kappa’s multi-armed date was just about as tall as Niles, but not nearly as powerfully built. He still looked like he might stand up to the hu, but Crochel pulled him back, looking fearfully at Niles.

  The music picked up a moment later, and the dance began. The long line of couples snaked around the room, doubling back on itself many times so that everyone could see who everyone else was dancing with. Bonzo seemed like a competent dancer, though this dance was only a shade more complicated than walking. Behind her, Birgit could hear Niles and Hilaria whispering and laughing. Apparently, the incident with Crochel had not soured their mood.

  The second dance was a far more challenging one, involving much spinning, some fairly complicated footwork, and even an occasional lift. It was one that Birgit had practiced with Niles, and she was very glad she had. Bonzo did far less well at this one. He had quite a bit of trouble with the footwork, nearly tripping twice, and he did not even attempt the lifts. He smiled throughout, though, and seemed to be enjoying himself. Birgit caught sight of Niles and Hilaria a few times during the dance, and they looked very good together. Hilaria had always been an excellent dancer, and Niles added his own personal flair that set him apart. Birgit really did not see any other gentleman who were doing any better. Niles was particularly impressive during the lifts, where he practically launched Hilaria up into the air, only to catch her and gently return her to the earth.

  “Your familiar is quite a dancer,” Bonzo said, following her gaze. “Does his home plane have similar dances?”

  “What? Oh no,” Bright answered, returning her attention to Bonzo. “He says they dance very differently there, but he has been practicing our dances for a couple of weeks.”

  Bonzo nearly tripped again. “Only a couple of weeks? He is indeed a fast learner, then.”

  For the next dance, the dance master divided the party into ladies and gentlemen, with the men forming a large circle facing outwards and the ladies forming an even larger one around that, facing the men. When the music started, the men began revolving in one direction while the ladies revolved in the other. Less than a minute later, the music changed suddenly, and the ladies moved in to claim a partner from among the men. In theory, each woman was supposed to select the man she was opposite when the music changed. However, some shifted over to a more desirable partner, leading to some confusion and even mild contention. Birgit ended up with a gorgon she recognized from her class. They danced together and made polite conversation until the music changed again, and the circles reformed.

  Birgit knew this cycle would repeat several times. It was an opportunity to meet new people and potentially arrange for partners in dances to come. When the circle stopped a second time, she was right across from the first son of a kappa baron. He would make an excellent match for her, a chance to become a baroness in her own right. She started for him, only to be cut off by a goblin, who practically ran to him. Instead, she ended up partnered with a troll who seemed disappointed to be paired with her. They danced in silence, and Birgit happily parted from him when the music changed again.

  To her relief, when the circles stopped for the third time, Birgit saw Niles almost right across from her. She moved quickly to claim him, only to be cut off again, this time by a satyr. She was a high rank student and the daughter of a count. Why had she hurried to claim Niles? Giving Birgit an apologetic shrug, Niles went off with the satyr. Birgit knew men were not supposed to turn down any lady during this dance, but she was still disappointed. Regaining her senses, she realized she was standing alone among a crowd of dancing couples. She quickly retreated to the edge of the dance floor, unsure if there were more ladies than gentlemen in attendance tonight, or if there was an equally embarrassed single gentleman hiding on the other side of the room.

  She rejoined the dance when the circles reformed and managed to find a partner in each of the next eight changes. She ended up near Niles a few more times, but never quite close enough to claim, as he always ended up scooped up quickly. Three of her partners inquired if she would be interested in dancing again later in the night, and she confirmed she was, but two were commoners and the other was the fifth son of a baron, so none would make particularly good matches for her. She was rather glad when the long dance finally ended, and there was a break. Spotting Bonzo, she went to join him.

  “Ah, Birgit, did you make any interesting connections?” Bonzo asked.

  “I danced with a few pleasant gentlemen,” Birgit answered, looking around to see if she could spot Niles. “How about you?”

  “I danced with several delightful ladies, but none as beautiful as you, of course,” Bonzo said with a smile. “Would you like some more refreshments before the dancing begins again?”

  Not seeing Niles anywhere, Birgit agreed. They had more punch, but failed to secure any solid food. When the next dance began, Bonzo asked her to join him. She agreed and finally spotted Niles during the dance. He was dancing with the satyr again. What was her name? Pamella, that was it. She was the daughter of the Count of Pypes. They were talking and looked like they were enjoying themselves. Unfortunately, they danced off in a different direction, and Birgit lost track of them by the time the song ended.

  One of her partners from the circle dance asked her to be his partner for the next dance, and she agreed. Once again, she spotted Niles. This time, he was dancing with an efreet. She was the familiar of Pamella if Birgit remembered right. She wore a dress of some strange fabric that almost looked like polished brass. It was sleeveless and, to Birgit’s shock, backless almost all the way down to her bottom, likely a garment from her home plane. She was graceful but did not follow the dance at all, instead pressing herself against Niles in a most unseemly fashion. Birgit knew that efreet were a higher form of fire elemental spirit. Could she be trying to feed on Niles’ magic like Ruby did? Three more dances passed, and Niles had a different partner for each one.

  When the next break came, Birgit again tried to find Niles but ran into Uma first. “Have you seen Niles?”

  “Yes, he was on the other side of the kitchen talking with one of the elven exchange students,” Uma answered, stopping a waiter and claiming two glasses of punch.

  “An elf!” Birgit exclaimed. The four elven students in her class had no official social rank but were usually considered equivalent to high nobles, and academically they were all ranked in the class’s top ten. “Why is an elf talking to him?”

  “Do not sound so surprised,” Uma laughed, offering Birgit a glass of punch. “Niles is a novelty, the first hu ever summoned as far as we know, and you are usually quite possessive of him. But tonight, he came to the ball with someone else, so I think that made him fair game in the eyes of our classmates. And it does not hurt that he is an excellent dancer and quite handsome.”

  Birgit took the offered punch. “Do you really think he is that handsome?”

  Uma raised her eyebrow. “Do you not? He is tall and muscular, with pleasant features and a nice smile. If he had one less eye, he would be just about perfect. It is a good thing you have him under contract, or you would have any number of ladies trying to steal him out from under you, and that is not even taking into account his prowess as a fighter and crystal hunter, or his amazing supply of magic.”

  Birgit sipped her punch, too stunned to say anything. She had never really thought of Niles that way. At first, he had just seemed big and terrifying, and then he had become her source of magic and her protector. He was no kappa, but she was not so shallow to think that only kappa were attractive. Tall and broad-shouldered, he had a very well-formed torso, too. She had seen it more than once. And his singing voice… What was she thinking? He was her familiar. Still, she had best go find him and make sure everyone remembered whose familiar he was.

  Hurrying around the kitchen, Birgit spotted Niles, but just then the dance master announced the next dance, and before Birgit could reach him, Ingadrid Iceblade pulled him out onto the dance floor. She was one of the lunar elven students, with pale skin and silver hair. Holding his hand, she walked with a predatory grace that almost matched his own. Half a head shorter than Niles, she still looked much like him. Was this what Niles meant by close to hu man? Did he think she was pretty?

  “Your familiar seems quite popular tonight.”

  Birgit turned to see Bonzo step up to her side. “Yes, I had not expected that.”

  “He is quite tall,” Bonzo said. “I have been told women find that attractive, much to my dismay. Would you care to dance? I can try to steer us over to him.”

  “Yes, please,” Birgit agreed. “I have been trying to reach him all night.”

  “I noticed,” Bonzo said in a voice so quiet Birgit was not sure if he intended her to hear it or not.

  Bonzo did a good job of moving close to Niles. Despite that, before Birgit could reach him, a second elf descended upon him. This one was Sinja Skyfire, a solar elf. Her build and features matched the other elf's, but her skin was a dark bronze, and her hair was like spun gold. Closer now, Birgit saw both women had lean, athletic builds. Their curves were subtle, but their dresses highlighted them and were quite revealing by Decan standards. Having heard that the moral standards of elves were considerably looser than those of Deca, Birgit was not happy to have the two fighting over him. And it almost looked as if that was what they were doing. Lunar and solar elves never got along, and she saw the two exchange words and angry glares before she got close enough to hear what was said. The solar elf gave a triumphant smirk at her counterpart as Niles walked off with her.

  “Shall we try again?” Bonzo asked.

  Birgit agreed, and this time Bonzo practically ran her into Niles as the song ended.

  “Birgit, there you are,” Niles said as he spotted her. “Are you and Bonzo having a good time?”

  “I know I am,” Bonzo said as Birgit struggled to come up with an answer. “I think this has been the most interesting ball I have ever been to.”

  “That’s great,” Niles said. He really did have a nice smile. “Oh, this is Sinja.”

  “You are Birgit, his mage?” Sinja asked with a slight elven accent.

  “I am,” Birgit confirmed.

  “You are a very lucky woman to have such an interesting familiar,” Sinja said, still holding Niles’ hand. “I will be very interested to watch you two in the tournament next week. If you do well, perhaps we will talk again.”

  To Birgit’s shock, the elf went up on her toes and gave Niles a quick peck on the cheek before turning to go. At least, Niles seemed just as surprised as she was.

  Birgit quickly claimed Niles’ hand before anyone else could. “I would like you to dance with me.”

  “It would be my pleasure,” Niles said with a dramatic bow.

  Birgit wanted to ask him if he really meant that, or if he was just playing his part. Was he just agreeing because he was her familiar? Why else would he, when he has elves and high nobles asking him to dance?

  “You are Niles, are you not?” Birgit could not see who asked, as Niles stood between them.

  “That’s me,” Niles confirmed.

  “Would you care to dance?”

  “I’m afraid I’ve already agreed to dance with Birgit,” Niles said, moving aside so Birgit could see and be seen.

  The woman speaking to him was Princess Vedika. “Ah, well, I would not come between a mage and her familiar. Perhaps the next dance.”

  “Well…” Niles drawled, as the music for the dance began.

  “He would love to,” Birgit answered for him.

  “I would be happy to dance this dance with you,” Bonzo volunteered.

  The princess raised an eyebrow, but then smiled. “Very well, and you are…”

  “Bonzo Sparkthrower, of the Sparkthrower Smelting and Shipping family…” The two paired up, and the dance carried them away.

  “Do you know who that was?” Birgit hissed once they were out of earshot.

  Niles shrugged. “Nope.”

  “That is Princess Vedika.”

  “Cool, I’ll get to dance with a princess. I hope she’s not wearing glass slippers.”

  “What? Oh, never mind. Do you have any idea how many high nobles you have danced with tonight?”

  “Nope.”

  “Do you not care?”

  “Why should I? They all just want me for my magic.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The first thing they all ask is if they can taste my magic. Then they spend the whole dance trying to get as much as they can. Especially Farah, boy, was she a hungry one.”

  “Who is Farah?”

  “Oh, she’s an efreet, Pamella’s familiar. She even suggested we ditch the dance and go somewhere private.”

  “What?”

  “Don’t worry, I told her I’m not that kind of familiar. It was tempting, though. She was pretty hot,” Niles made a silly face. It took Birgit a moment to realize he had tried to make a joke, and gave him an eye roll. “I’m pretty sure she just wanted me for my magic, like the rest. Though Sinja did kiss me when we were done. I’m not sure what was up with that. They’re all just lucky I throttled back my magic. They’d have probably passed out if I hadn’t, as hard as they were pulling.”

  Birgit nearly tripped as the enormity of what he was saying hit her. “You’ve been letting everyone drain your magic?”

  Niles shrugged. “Sure, it’s not like I run out. As long as your world has magic everywhere, I should never run out, according to Professor Fenhopper, anyway. You’re not jealous, are you? Do you want all my magic for yourself? Should I tell the princess no if she asks?”

  “What? No, not the princess.”

  “Oh, and a couple of them hinted they might come talk to you about getting to suck my magic more often.”

  “What?” This time, Birgit really did trip. Luckily Niles caught her and almost made it look like part of the dance.

  “I didn’t commit or anything. Frankly, I don’t mind letting them suck up a little of my magic while we’re dancing, but I don’t want to just get passed around. Maybe I should start selling my magic. I bet Farah would pay. She liked my magic as much as Ruby. It was kind of cool to meet another familiar I could actually talk to, though.”

  Birgit’s eyes turned to her life elemental familiar in her usual place around Niles’ neck. There was no doubt she was larger now. Birgit’s head was swimming. She felt outraged that all these other women were tasting Niles’ magic. Or, was she angry at Niles for letting them? Did she have any right to be angry, though? In their contract, he had really only agreed to protect her on weekends. There was no mention of him staying with her all week long and letting her continually feed on his magic. He was perfectly within his rights to share his magic with anyone he wanted, or not share it at all, even with her, for that matter.

  “Oh, and here’s an interesting tidbit.” Nile said, as he spun Birgit around with an effortless grace, apparently oblivious to her inner turmoil. “Sinja said she thought she might have heard of humans before. She even pronounced it human not hu man like everyone else, though that might just be her accent. She says the elves have records of summonings that go back centuries.”

  Birgit’s blood ran cold as a thought struck her. Niles had only agreed to be her familiar for a month and then renegotiate. Tonight marked the end of that month. If she did not get him to agree to an extension, he was free to be anyone’s familiar, and with elves and high nobles interested, how was she going to compete with that?

  “Well, I guess it’s time to switch partners,” Niles said, pulling away from her.

  Birgit almost grabbed him and pulled him back, ready to beg him to continue to be her familiar. But then she realized the music had stopped, and he was just talking about the next dance. Birgit nearly toppled over when he let go of her hand. Her head really was swimming. It must be the punch. How many glasses had she had? How strong was it?

  Someone caught her shoulders and steadied her. “Are you alright?” It was Bonzo.

  “I am fine.” Birgit insisted, but made no move to free herself from Bonzo’s support. “I think I may have had just a bit too much punch.”

  “Here, let me help you find a seat and get you some food,” Bonzo offered.

  Birgit accepted his offer, and they made their way off the dance floor and over to an area where small tables and chairs were set up. He helped her take a seat and then fetched a small plate of bread and cheese.

  “Thank you,” Birgit said as he joined her at the table. “You have been so kind tonight.”

  “It has been my pleasure.” Bonzo replied. “Are you sure you are alright? You seem awfully distracted tonight.”

  Birgit thought about claiming she was fine again, but decided Bonzo had earned at least a little truth tonight. “I guess I have become more dependent on my familiar than I thought. It is strange to not have him at my side.”

  “And probably even stranger to see him at other people’s sides,” Bonzo added, nodding out towards the dance floor where Niles was dancing with the princess.

  Spinning gracefully in each other’s arms, they were both smiling, though the princess’s expression seemed strained. Was she tasting his magic? The dance required them to hold hands, so most likely she was. She was a tall woman, though Niles was still a couple of inches taller. Many people said she was the most beautiful woman in the school. She was also very skilled in magic and, of course, very rich. How could Birgit compete with that?

  Suddenly, an entire tray of full punch glasses fell on their table and splashed punch all over them.

  Bonzo jumped up from the table. “You pushed that waiter’s tray on purpose.”

  Birgit turned to see Bonzo confronting Crochel and her arachni escort.

  “How dare you accuse me of such a thing?” the aranchi asked. “Besides, even if I did, you should thank me for adding some more color to your outfit. It was not nearly bright enough.”

  “Oh, and you are one to talk about fashion,” Bonzo shot back. “Where did you get your suit, a second-hand store for beggars?”

  Birgit had never seen Bonzo so belligerent. Was he trying to impress her, or had he had too much punch, too? The arachni was a full head taller than him and from a higher-ranked class. A crowd began gathering around them. This was a poor time for Bonzo to become bold.