Chapter 16

“Geography? Why do you want to study geography?”

A few days later we weren’t quite friends, but maybe we were heading there. I hoped so. She was normally so silent and reserved that I probably looked very social when compared to her. I had already learned that she didn’t mind silence, unlike some other girls who immediately wanted to fill the silence with their own voice. Linnea - yes, she finally told me her name, because she had to while entering one class - wasn’t like that and she was biting her lips when we had been forced to listen to one girl think aloud before one class. However, Linnea almost smiled when I whispered in her ear: ‘Her brains will probably stop working if she stops talking. Damn, it must be really hard to be in her classes.’

I had already learned that when Linnea asked a question she was really serious about her question. Maybe there was a time for joking, but it wasn’t when she asked direct questions. No, she wasn’t the easiest person to try to be friends with. Luckily I had learned a lot about that during my first months with the Elves.

“Trade. I intend to become successful on my own and one possible way of doing that is trade. One way to do successful trade is to understand geography, use the information while planning what to offer and where to get it.”

“You mean smuggling.”

I shrugged. “The hostilities between nearby nations may end someday. Those who already have established connections once it happens would have some serious advantage.”

“So you had a plan.”

I wanted to groan since it was as though she was still suspicious of me for helping her.

“About my future, yes - about my studies, not really. Not that there really seem to be many choices for us first-year students.”

“Still, do you want me to join you there?”

I turned to look at Linnea, just to be sure she was serious with that question. It seemed that she was, as usual.

“Linnea, I won’t order you to do anything. You are your own person and you make your own decisions. That’s the way I was raised to believe. However, I admit that I’d be happy if you decided to come there with me. As a reward, I could offer you the chance to have lunch with my family.”

The look on her face gave nothing away, so I continued.

“Just as a friend. I don’t expect any other reward because of that.”

Finally she shrugged and followed me to the class. I still didn’t know what to think about Linnea but I was ready to admit that I probably needed her much more than she really needed me, even if I might have wanted to deny it. I might be a good hunter and maybe a powerful natural Mage and I had some knowledge of trade from my business with Birgit. But nothing, absolutely nothing, had prepared me for the University and constantly being close to hundreds, or even thousands, of people. Even if I had wanted to claim otherwise, the truth was that, after a few days, I had been totally exhausted by the time I had been able to retreat to the solitude of my room.

It didn’t make me feel better that, so far, most of the classes had felt like a waste of time because of all the books I had already read about several of the university’s courses. Almost all except calculus - or Mathematics as it was called here. With Mathematics, I was almost totally lost. It was painfully clear to me that there were several commonly used methods that I had no idea about. There would be no way that I would be able to close that gap during the classes, which meant that I needed help. Serious help. I felt that I needed to keep an eye on Linnea, but I also needed her help. Badly.

I had one - or maybe two - advantages. First, I had some money. Some money I could use. By following Linnea for a few days, I was quite certain that she didn’t have any extra money to spend, since she always carried some food with her even though you could get your stomach full outside the University entrance for a few coppers. The problem was that I couldn’t be sure how she would react if I’d offer her some money. That brought in the other thing - the house in which I was living. Even if I had tried to make it clear to Mrs. Hansen and Alva that I could quite well study in my room, they had prepared a corner in the library for me. Yes, that house had a library - and there was a desk I could use. A desk big enough for two, maybe even three persons, but certainly for two.

“You live here, in this house?”

Linnea had stopped in front of the building and I had stopped with her. I hadn’t really paid that much attention to it, but now when I looked at it I had to admit that it looked better than the other houses. One more thing that I hadn’t noticed while moving here, in this city. Or maybe I had noticed, but I hadn’t really thought it through. The fact that I had to dampen my sensing should not mean that I stop using my other senses as well. Or brains. I reminded myself that this was not some forest I was familiar with. No, this was probably the most dangerous place I had ever been. Most dangerous for me.

I didn’t have to fake the astonished look on my face.

“I know that Mrs. Hansen owns the house and she rents some of the rooms out. I made a promise to help to maintain the house as a part of my rent.”

Except that she had not accepted any rent from me yet when I tried to offer it.

“Mrs. Hansen? The widow of that Mr. Hansen? Does she have...”

The look on my face confirmed her suspicions and then she shook her head.

“Stian, do you know who she is? Or, how come you know her?”

At least I got a reaction out of Linnea. I guess it was the first real reaction after her initial anger towards me - and that had been lame. Only now the tone of her voice told me, without doubt, that I must be some sort of an idiot for not knowing who Mrs. Hansen was. Without any warning, all the frustration I had been piling inside me came to the surface before I could stop it.

“My dear lady, Linnea, I have been here in Aston one month. Besides you the only people I know here in this town are Mrs. Hansen, the other tenants and a few people in a restaurant on the other side of town.”

Linnea was silent for a moment after my outburst and then she started to apologize: “I’m sorry Stian, I didn’t...”

I stopped her by putting my finger carefully to her mouth and shook my head.

“No Linnea, it’s me who needs to be sorry. All this just sometimes feels almost too much for me. Inside here is still a boy who mostly had the best time of his life in the forest, alone.”

Linnea wasn’t like any other girl or woman I had known. It was like she tried to read my moods or what I said and react accordingly. That, combined with the feeling that she was able to do some magic, worried me a bit. Or, in fact, quite a lot.

“That’s okay, Stian. I didn’t know that ... which restaurant was it?”

“Private Prospects, why?”

Suddenly Linnea’s eyes were like saucers.

“That restaurant ... that’s the place where everybody wants to go. I mean everybody important.”

Now I was able to smile a bit.

“Well, the dishes didn’t look that spectacular, but the storage areas were nice and clean. So, maybe it is something special.”

Linnea looked me with a serious look on her face. Well, even more serious than normally. When I looked at those green eyes there seemed to be something that still seemed to be bothering her.

“You are seriously saying that you just accidentally met these people?”

“Yes, as a start I just got a ride from the boat to the restaurant from the crew.”

“And you had never met those people before?”

“How could I? I came to the town where the boat left from just one day before departure. I just got to know the crew during the boat trip.”

“You really have no idea, do you, Stian?”

“No, I really have no idea what you are talking about.”

I was almost able to feel Linnea’s gaze on me when she looked at me for a moment.

“You are telling the truth here. You have all the time been telling me the truth.”

Something in her reminded me about the Elven women - most likely the ability to say something and leave the most important things unsaid, to be figured out. I seriously reminded myself that I couldn’t trust her. Especially not her. What really worried me was her comment about me telling the truth. For sure she couldn’t be able to tell if I was lying, could she? I reminded myself to be extra careful with her.

The lunch itself went well, since Esra, Mrs. Hansen’s cook, was more than happy to add a place for one more person. Yes, the lunch was fine - forgetting the fact that I felt like an idiot - again.