But she did not doubt that Elluvian would.
Elluvian was late.
Elluvian was occupied. The private’s audience with the Emperor had not, by all accounts, been the disaster one might have expected, given his lack of familiarity with Imperial hierarchy.
Helmat, however, was feeling somewhat pessimistic. He approved of the private, but he had approved of Darrell as well, and Darrell was dead. Mellianne, far more truculent, was not—but Darrell’s death shadowed her; she might never be free of the resentment and suspicion left in its wake.
Severn was not Darrell; that much had been obvious almost immediately. It was not, therefore, any similarity between the two young men that transformed cautious optimism into pessimism. They had age in common, and came from similar economic backgrounds, although the particulars were different.
“Enter,” he said when the expected knock on his closed door reached his ears.
Elluvian entered the office. “Well?”
“I see from your cheerful demeanor you’ve spent some time at the High Halls. You do not seem to be worse for wear this time.”
“It is seldom that people attempt to kill me outright.”
“Your version of seldom does not match mine.”
Elluvian shrugged, and Helmat’s gaze narrowed. “Your concerns have nothing to do with the High Halls and its various inhabitants.” He might have used the wordrodentsinstead, given his tone and expression.
Helmat chuckled. “No. The High Halls, except as a sanctuary, is only of concern to me when I lose Wolves to them.”
“Then what? I have had a very trying afternoon, and I am unwilling to play games.”
“You are never, in my experience, unwilling to play games.”
“I am unwilling to play yours.”
“Very well. You are aware that our newest recruit has thrown himself into the classes required of the Wolves.”
Elluvian’s frown made clear to Helmat that he had been aware of no such thing. “That would make him almost singular.”
“In particular, he wishes to be educated in the uses of magic. The illegal uses,” Helmat added. “To that end, the Imperial Mages have been sent to their classroom of one.”
“He can’t be integrated with the Swords and the Hawks?”
“He can take the same classes, yes.”
“Ah. The Imperial Mage came to assess him.”
“Yes.”
Elluvian’s shrug was less graceful. “That cannot be avoided. The assessment is done for every student. I assume that Severn’s results were considered unusual.”
“You assume so without any evident surprise, yes.” Helmat folded his hands on the surface of his desk. “Did you know about this?”
“I had some reason to suspect, yes.”
“And you chose not to share?”
“Helmat, things have been—as you must be aware—complicated of late. What did the mage say?”
“The mage, as you call him, was Johannes.”
Elluvian grimaced. “In general, Johannes feels the aptitude tests are hopelessly optimistic and the results of those tests—when conducted by mages who are not named Johannes—the subject of wishful daydreams. This should be in our favor.”
“It should be, yes.”