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He kept his expression blank. It would not do to appear too eager, and he had a few probing questions he had to ask.

He just had to talk. Form words. Not freeze and panic.

He could do this. He had, after all, mentally practiced all of these questions and possible answers and scenarios a thousand times in his head the night before. After all that mental practice, surely he could manage to sound coherent during the real thing. “I have duties in both Tarenhiel and Escarland. Would that be something you would be able to work around?”

“Certainly. Escarlish royalty and even some Mongalian and Afristani royalty have studied at Hanford University in the past. We understand the demands on your schedule, and we are willing to do whatever necessary to accommodate you.” Professor Harrington pulled off his spectacles, folded them, and placed them in an inside pocket of his robes, patting the front of his robe for a moment before he met Farrendel’s gaze. “As I am sure Mr. Marion explained, a magical engineering degree has either an emphasis in engineering or an emphasis in magic, though occasionally some choose to take a dual emphasis as Mr. Marion did. Most students with magic usually focus on the magical side of things.”

Farrendel nodded. As Lance had no magic of his own, it would probably make sense if Farrendel focused on magic, especially since learning to better use his magic was one of his goals for taking classes. “If I take one emphasis, I can always add the other later, correct?”

“Yes, that certainly can be done, if neither money nor time is a concern. Which, I would assume is the case for you.” Professor Harrington was now regarding Farrendel with the same studying look he had been giving the magical power cell.

Lance crossed his arms, huffing a breath. “I, for one, would appreciate if you got your degree before I am too old and gray to actually invent stuff with you.”

“Right.” Farrendel relaxed enough to jab a thumb at Lance. “Apparently that is my only concern time-wise for how long it takes.”

“Then I believe there should be no trouble in taking as many or as few classes as you wish, as your schedule permits.” Professor Harrington turned a severe glare onto Lance before his official tone returned to his voice, his expression smoothing. “As you are not some untrained magician having to spend years learning the spells to craft your magic, most of your magical classes will be self-driven and could be done as correspondence courses. You would only need to visit the university in person a handful of times over the semester for evaluation. You could spend your summers in guided self-study to research elven magic in the great library of Estyra and practice magical exercises to see which prove beneficial to you.”

Farrendel raised his eyebrows, studying this professor. He was being very accommodating and taking a lot of extra work onto himself, even if he pretended it was not that much.

The professor shrugged and something almost like a grin crossed his face. “I will admit my generosity is not only out of the goodness of my heart. I will be reading your findings and will thereby gain firsthand access to knowledge about elven magic and secondhand access to the legendary library of Estyra. Trust me, Escarland’s academia has been lining up to be the first to step foot in that library once King Weylind allows such a thing. Yes, I am hoping to put myself first in line by helping you, but that does not mean that I will not do my best in guiding your classes.”

Farrendel felt the last of his tension draining away, now that he knew what this professor was angling for. “I intend to speak to my brother about promoting more of an exchange of information between Tarenhiel and Escarland. There are those among the learned in my kingdom who are just as eager for the knowledge that can be found at places like Hanford University.”

“Excellent. I look forward to such opportunities to share knowledge in the future.” An actual smile creased Professor Harrington’s face. “As for your particular case, I would advise that you take the basic magical theory and history classes that all the magical engineering students take, though those classes too most likely could be done as correspondence courses. The engineering classes would have to be done in person, so I would suggest scheduling those for a time when you plan to be in Escarland for an extended period.”

It sounded overwhelming. Definitely challenging.

But, it was a chance to learn how to use his magic to create and invent instead of only to kill and destroy. He had already seen the results of the practice in the precision and control he had gotten by working with Lance. What more could he be capable of if he gained yet more confidence in his control over his magic?

“I am still considering my options, and I will have to talk it over with Essie—Princess Elspeth.” Farrendel kept his tone as neutral as possible. It was much easier to talk when he could use the sameI need to talk to Princess Elspethline whenever he needed a noncommittal answer. If he could only memorize the perfect answer for every conceivable question, then he would never have to panic during a conversation ever again.

“Of course. Thank you for your time, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the exhibition.” Professor Harrington nodded, then shuffled off to the next booth where he was soon in discussion with the young woman standing behind it.

“That went well.” Lance’s grin was splitting his face as he shut off the magical sensor and stowed it and the power cell under the table once again. “Before it gets busy, why don’t I show you around and introduce you to a few more people?”

Farrendel shifted, the tension churning his stomach once again. Looking at all the tables and inventions sounded interesting, but meeting more people did not.

Lance strode around his booth and set off down the aisle without waiting for Farrendel’s response. He was two booths away before he glanced over his shoulder. “You coming?”

It seemed he did not have much of a choice. Farrendel hurried to catch up, his guards keeping pace. As he and Lance strolled among the booths, Farrendel tried to ignore the stares that were cast his way. He was not sure if it was his elven ears or clothes or swords that were making people stare. Possibly all three.

Thankfully, Lance did most of the talking as he introduced Farrendel to numerous people and discussed the various inventions, giving Farrendel lots of time to observe and listen. Besides his own interest in magical engineering, Weylind would want to know what inventions Escarland was in the process of developing.

After about an hour when they had worked their way to the back corner, Farrendel heard Essie’s light step behind him, and he managed not to jump when she wrapped her arms around him from behind.

“Guess who.” Essie’s voice was muffled against his cloak as she leaned her forehead against his back.

He patted her hands where they were clasped over his waist. “I heard you coming and recognized your step, you know. That is the only reason I did not draw my swords and face my attacker.”

She laughed against his back and hugged him tighter. “Of course.”

He tugged on her hand, pulling her around to face him. Glancing around, he retreated so that he could place his back to the wall near the corner. Their guards stationed themselves facing outward, and the barrier of bodies formed something almost like privacy.

“You look happy.” Essie kissed his cheek, much as she had before she had left to wander the market. “Did you have a good discussion with the professor?”

“Yes.” It was somewhat shadowed near the wall, and with the guards shielding them from view, Farrendel dared to rest his hands on her waist. “I think...I would like to enroll in Hanford University. I know it will make our lives even more complicated, but if I can learn even one thing about my magic or how to better control it...”

“It would be worth it.” Essie rested her palms on his chest. “Besides, there’s no rush. You can afford to take a class at a time. It doesn’t matter if you take a decade to actually earn the degree. After all, what is a decade to an elf?”