The Azuin university: Professor’s exam

I looked around the greenhouse. It was a small space – well, compared to the industrial greenhouses that grow raw materials for sale. However, it contained everything that was needed for primary research: tabletop and hanging containers, mixers, pumps, conveyors, a complex irrigation system, fans and heaters, a brand new control panel, a bunch of sensors and racks with countless flasks, jars, test tubes, and so on, with which I conjured up new nutritional mixtures. In a separate cool room behind the wall there are several microscopes, a file cabinet, a refrigerator with samples, a computer (though without a holographic monitor, as in my office) and, most valuable, journals with all descriptions of experiments.

The results of the work were pleasing. We have been trying to get agmarates to increase the juiciness of their foliage for a year now. It’s simple: more juice – more essence. More essence means easier and cheaper teleporter operation, i.e. the journey itself. More travel, more connections. Development, the economy, and all that, yes.

In principle, there has been progress: we have raised the thickness of the sap-forming layer by thirty percent on average. However, this is only the first or second generation of plants. For breeding, it’s not much. Stable fixation of the trait is what we wanted. And the new greenhouses that will appear if my plan for the botanical garden works will contribute to this.

From the garden, thoughts strangely switched to Erchin. Ugh!

Should he have pinned me down there under the stairs like that?! At night I dreamed of all sorts of things…

Oh no, my professor, I’m going to put you out of my mind today.

The girls and I decided to go to the Dark World and have fun. There is no shortage of attractive and always ready men at Saul’s bar. Not that I’m planning anything far-reaching, but it doesn’t hurt to snuggle up with some handsome guy in a dark corner, huh?

***

After lunch in the cafeteria – my favorite meatballs, as always – I got back to paperwork. The disadvantage of a managerial position is a bunch of reports that are not directly related to my practical activities. And it all takes so long! However, I was helped a lot by Olischka, my deputy, my right hand and in general an irreplaceable person. The methodologists didn’t mess around either, though all four of them were a long way off her. But for a week now, I have more work to do, because she went to the capital, have been improving her skills, comprehending the science of managing complex social systems (it seems so). And then there’s all these limitations… so bad luck to him, a thief, I mean.

The display on the selector lit up, the red light flashed briefly, and the connection automatically turned on.

«Zulina, come to me, please,» the rector’s voice seemed to me somewhat slow. «In ten or fifteen minutes. I’m waiting.»

The machine shut down before I could answer. Tahoni didn’t wait for an answer, though. Would I object?

With the last changes in the report saved, I got up, took a quick look in the mirror by the door, making sure I didn’t look like a mess, and walked out of the office.

Exactly at the appointed time, I stood in front of a tall, narrow door, old and shabby, but still beautiful because of the carvings that covered it. An extremely delicate work, seemingly very fragile – all these leaves, twigs, feathers – but somehow preserved from the very foundation of the university.

After knocking and hearing a short invitation, I entered.

«Close the door, girl. The conversation is not for prying ears.»

Sir Archibald Tahoni, a sturdy man of about sixty, in his usual gray checkered suit, a crisp white shirt buttoned at the neck, and a brown sweater for a waistcoat, was seated, contrary to his custom, not at a huge oak table, but in an armchair by the fireplace. His hunched back and reddened eyes betrayed fatigue.

With a short gesture he invited me to join him for tea, immediately poured a cup from a clay teapot on the table and pushed it in my direction.

Sitting down in the chair across from him, I took a sip of a fragrant drink that smelled of the woods – Tahoni loved herbs – and leaned back on the high back. It’s both comfortable and impossible to relax at all.

He had been Azuin’s rector for nineteen years, and it was hard to imagine what could be otherwise. And today, for the first time, his sunken face made me think that one day someone would replace him. I even put down my tea, suddenly feeling an unusual uneasiness. Tahoni was always dear to me.

Well, not a relative, in the literal sense, it’s just that he had been friends with my parents for a long time, or rather, first of all, with my paternal aunt. He has been to family gatherings and stuff like that. In general, I have known him since I was a child.

In fact, it was Sir Archibald who first noticed my serious interest in horticulture and recommended my parents to pay attention to it. And then, somehow, everything went well: he monitored my progress, helped me with my teachers, convinced me to enter Azuin, supported me in choosing a direction of research (as it turned out, not in vain: I more than met his expectations by taking up the agmarates), and got me a job. No, not the current one, don’t think about it. A simple assistant in the department. And I was elected to the position of dean much later, like everyone else, by a teacher’s vote (well, I do not rule out that the old man had an influence, but he did not drag me up the ladder, that’s for sure). In short, Tahoni wasn’t just a boss, but rather a beloved uncle, so I was worried.

He looked at me for a long time with his warm brown eyes, twirled an empty cup in his hands, sighed, but still did not start a conversation. I was the first to make up my mind:

«Archibald, are you well? You look haggard and…»

He interrupted me, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

«Me? Come on, girl. I’m as healthy as an ox,» he puffed out his chest and flashed his eye, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly in a smile, «no, don’t worry. A little tired, that’s right. And how not to get tired here… Just… you’re in serious trouble, Zulina.»

My eyes bulged out and I muttered awkwardly, too surprised by this turn.

«Oh, dear, and how did we get into this?»

Shaking my head, I finally froze, recovering from the first shock, and clarified:

«Am I in trouble? Really? But what happened? I swear to you, I don’t…»

«Oh, it’s not about you,» he waved vaguely, rubbed the bridge of his nose, then looked at me more intently. «It’s just that the decisions we made weren’t very successful.»

I didn’t interrupt, letting him finish telling what was going on, even though my fingers tingled and my palms suddenly got wet.

«That’s it, girl… You know about the theft. How not to know, eh? Christophe also talked to you – he’s an old acquaintance of mine, by the way, a very meticulous guy – and to everyone at the university. Inspected everything… In general, there are different versions, so far there are few specifics: this crook did not leave any evidence. Clean work. But here’s the thing,» he hesitated, «you had high hopes for this new professor of yours… Mavinus…»

I flinched, but I could only say nothing, nodding.

«Yes… I see it. He is a star… prospects… Your garden… But he played a dirty trick on us, of course.»

A scene in a dusty closet stood before my eyes. «Help…’, «Do not take it on faith…’. Huh, that’s an asshole.

«What?» I could only exhale, already seething with indignation.

«He was searched. His home. Like many. I’ve got it, you’ve got it.»

«Azuin?»

«No, unfortunately. On the other hand, Wolfrock’s men found a collection of books and manuscripts, reports and studies on dragons in general, on artifacts and the Emerald Azuin in particular.»

«Oh, he’s a bastard!» I couldn’t contain my emotions.

«Of course, he said that it was a coincidence, that he explored various aspects of monsterology in these collections, and not at all our symbol. But damn it, it’s a strange coincidence,» the rector snorted loudly.

«Oh, yes. But I…»

«Yes – yes, you have nothing to do with it… directly. But this will affect the entire university, your faculty, and your plans. Trust and finances are always difficult to deal with, you know.»

«Jinx!» I jumped up and down the room. «He’s going to ruin my project! My project! I shouldn’t have relied so much on his ranks. I’ll fire him today…»

«Don’t do that!»

I stared at Archibald, pausing for a moment.

«But at least to mitigate the consequences…»

«That’s the thing, girl,» he chewed his lip as he chose his words, «that’s why our situation is so difficult. No charges have yet been filed against Dr. Mavinus. All evidence is circumstantial. He had, indeed, the right to study all these treatises. Their mere presence in his home does not prove that he was involved in the theft. Although, as I said, it’s still a coincidence.»

«But how…»

«If he is fired now, he himself can accuse us of the illegality of our actions, of bias, of deprivation of the right to work… And then, there’s a chance that he’s really not involved.»

«Yeah,» I snorted. «Got closer… earned his trust…»

«Don’t jump to conclusions, Zulina. Just be on your guard, here. I just wanted to warn you, to prepare you. Also, I think, after a bit of reflection here, that if he’s involved in any way, it’s not directly. That is, he did not steal the artifact. There has to be someone else, it just has to be, I feel. So be careful for that as well. Who knows what kind of thugs the professor might have messed with?» He shook his head and sighed again. «I’d like to believe he’s out of business…»

«What if he escapes?» My brains started working in a practical direction. «How will this affect the university?»

«Don’t worry about that, by the way,» Tahoni smiled broadly for the first time in the meeting. «Wolfrock had it in mind and took care of it. Mavinus was given a tracking seal.»

I opened my mouth in amazement.

«He was indignant, of course, but he didn’t resist. But he can be not in the mood, don’t be afraid. That’s all right. That’s the way the world wags. I wanted you to know, honey. It’s about your faculty.»

«Thank you, Archibald. I appreciate your concern. Don’t worry, I’m sure everything will clear up and Azuin will be found.»

«If only we could do it before it was opened,» he said, looking up at me, and in them I read the real reason for his worries.

«Yes, if only we could make it in time.»

Chapter 6

The «dragonbone» flared up like a mesh in the texture of the universe, revealing a passageway.

The «bone» is not part of the skeleton of magical reptiles at all, as you might think, it is another plant that I am seriously engaged in cultivating.

Visually, it and agmarat are complete opposites: «bone» is a low tree, thin-skinned and snow-white after drying, agmarat is an herbaceous shrub with dark green fleshy stems and leaves. But, by a strange whim of nature, they are very close in purpose. Both are used for locomotion – agmarat essence to stabilize the body during teleportation, «dragonbone» powder to enter the Dark World.

Well, I also need to explain what the Dark World is.

To put it simply, it is a world parallel to the Core World, that is the world we are accustomed to, where we live our lives. Parallel, not in the sense of a «distorted copy», but existing alongside, behind an invisible veil, touching it, but never merging with it. Oh, well, it’s hard to imagine, really. It’s just that when you grow up with this knowledge, this whole structure is perceived naturally.

And yes, it’s not Hell. Neither it nor Paradise exists. Although, it can be said that the Dark World is their inseparable unity.

The Core World is inhabited by humans and mages… predominantly.

The Dark World is filled with demons and angels, ghouls and witches, fairies and unicorns, dwarves, dracomen, chimeras, water elves, flower elves, and the like.

By the way, in reality it is no darker than ours, you don’t have to imagine eternal twilight and lava rivers or whatever. It’s just that at the dawn of the development of magic by the people of the world behind the veil, they were very afraid of its inhabitants, their powers, they invented different things for themselves. And everything frightening is always painted in gloomy colors, and then it has become customary… All those goat horns, boiling cauldrons, sucking blood, and so on, are just from those times. The eyes of fear see danger everywhere, that can I say.

And so, here we are today.

The runes drawn with «dragonbone» sawdust brought us right to the entrance of «Elysium». A fitting name for a demon’s bar, huh? Saul always had a sense of humor… hmm… peculiar sense of humor.

The sign glowed a dull reddish-pink, not hurting the eyes, but somehow unsettling. Specks danced on the light gray stone walls, drawing strange patterns. I could have sworn they’re alive: one day after a party, I saw tiny dancing creatures with grinning faces among the reflections. Adiree insisted that it was just a hoax.

There were no queues at the entrance: after all, it was a bar, not a club. Although there were dances there.

With a nod to the bull-necked muzzle who stood at the door, keeping a watchful eye on everything around, we didn’t hesitate to go inside.

Immediately there was whistling and hooting.

Three girls from the Core World at a time… Pretties, what to be ashamed of. So, the shouts of the regulars can be understood.

I looked at my friends again.

Sunny, with her blonde curls, delicate shoulders, and pretty face, dressed in pale pink trousers and a white top, looked a complete stranger in this dark, brandy-and-tobacco-scented room.

Adiree, on the other hand, could easily pass for a local: a black jumpsuit with translucent inserts hugged her very remarkable figure, emphasizing her curves, and her scarlet hair in the dim light, it seemed, could burn with fire.

I… What about me? I’ve always been a kind of equilibrium point between them: no one would call me a cutie, but I didn’t look like a devil either. Today, my outfit consisted of a medium-length skirt, emerald like a stolen Azuin, with two high slits in the front, and a matching blouse that fell from one shoulder, revealing a bit on the breast. And shoes. Of course, enchanting shoes. Sunny and I borrowed ours from Adiree’s wardrobe again, fortunately, the size of all of us surprisingly coincided. Maybe we were friends because we could swap shoes. Shoes, you know, drive us girls crazy. Come on, just kidding… Not just because of the stilettos… but they complemented the friendship perfectly.

So… Whistling and all that… a common thing in «Elysium».

The bar, despite the lack of queues, turned out to be crowded. The entire long room, one hundred and twenty feet by thirty, was pierced by a worn stained oak rack that writhed like a snake swimming on water. Closer to the entrance, the space was occupied by open tables with simple benches, designed for large companies, then there were slightly more closed semi-offices for couples, and everything ended with a small rounded dance floor with a tiny stage in the corner. Well, we’ll get there later.

The walls, sheathed with wooden slats, should have looked smoky with eternal smoke, but no, the varnish shimmered in the light of the lamps, the polished wrought-iron decorations gleamed copper-pink.

Something exciting was playing, as always, interrupting the general hubbub and hum of voices.

We sat down on tall stools lined with old velvet. Neve, without waiting for the order, put a lemon shot in front of us.

Neev is one of the three barmaids. We preferred to choose her side of the counter. In fact, she is Neevennen, a relative of Saul’s, and a demon, respectively. I don’t know what she can do, what abilities and level she has, but something unearthly was immediately felt, as soon as you looked at her.

A thin, short-haired brunette with huge black eyes, all as if made up of only angles and broken lines, she nevertheless left a feeling of strength. Well, of course, after dragging all these tubs and beer mugs and eliminating the occasional mess the muscles will get stronger without any training. Not too talkative, she was always ready to listen to any visitor. And we, too, poured out our tearful drunken stories a couple of times. That’s right, a demoness in the role of a shoulder for crying… it’s hard to imagine. But at least she won’t talk in vain later. He won’t pat you on the head either, he’ll rather offer to burn the offender to hell, but sometimes that’s what you need. In short, Neev. In Saul’s absence, she seemed to be in charge.

We chatted and laughed, reinforcing the good mood with another portion of shots. We kicked off a couple of not too persistent gentlemen. We loudly cursed the Azuin thief, calling all the troubles on his head, and Nivennen rolled her eyes, as if amazed at our childish stupidity. Our curses, of course, must have seemed ridiculous to the demon. We drank again, something raspberry, but not sugary, and within an hour we had enough alcohol, so we thought it necessary to have fun.

After sending Neev a couple of air kisses at the end, which caused another snort, we walked to the dance floor. People were already jostling there, and the music had changed to a less jaw-dropping one.

The smells of alcohol and hot bodies… accidental touch… Not an accidental hug… whirling and transitioning… A little flirtation… whispering in an ear… silly giggles and a pleasant fog in a head… At a slow, drawling melody, we left our recent beaus in utter bewilderment, and began to dance the three of us, bending, swaying our hips, running our hands through our hair, hugging each other, and sparkling our eyes. So what?! Don’t girls like it when guys drool and imagine all sorts of frivolities? We’re imagining, too…

My legs were buzzing, but my body felt as light as a feather: the cocktails did not fail here. The scene floated before my eyes, and I decided to go out into the air for a while, to catch my breath.

Sunny chatted with the musicians, Adiree wrapped herself around a dark-haired, handsome man of gigantic stature, apparently expecting a pleasant continuation of the evening.

With a grunt, I walked towards the door with a slightly uneven gait, satisfied with the time spent and almost oblivious to the problem at work. What the hell got me to look at the dating booth closest to the exit?

At a tiny table, lounging and stretching out his legs, sat Professor Mavinus, alone. In front of him was a half-empty bottle of whiskey. A carelessly discarded jacket lay nearby.

Stunned, I stared at his trousers-clad thighs, half-unbuttoned rumpled shirt, disheveled black hair, hard jawline.

His gray eyes finally lifted, and he stared at me.

I don’t know… Anger about the project, alcohol, or something else stirred up fire in me… I just lashed out at Erchin.

«You,» I hissed, flying into the booth, «how dare you? The university trusted you! We all trusted! I was counting on… And you, damn it, took advantage of our trust, your position! At least you know what you’ve done?!» I almost screamed.

He glared at me, gritted his teeth, but didn’t say a word.

«I’ll see to it that you get the punishment you deserve,» I kept getting more and more angry. «When they catch you…» I pointed a finger in his direction and choked on the words as he grabbed my wrist sharply, pulling me towards him. I stumbled and almost fell, tried to wrench my hand away, but he held it in a stranglehold.

«Do you want to talk, dean,» he gritted his jaw again, «we’ll talk, but not here,» he stood up, got up from the table in one motion, and dragged me along. This unceremoniousness shocked me so much that for the first moments I was silent… The moment was missed.

Already at the exit, out of the corner of my eye, I saw blond hair in the crowd, Saul’s snide smile flashed, and Erchin pushed me out. Without stopping, he pulled me somewhere behind the bar, into a gloomy alley lit only by pale stars. Well, it’s good that it’s always warm in the Dark World, otherwise I would have frozen already in the Core.

Turning around, he pushed me against the wall and took his hands off. I immediately tried to escape, but Erchin caught me without giving me a single step, squeezed my wrists with one hand and covered my mouth with his palm.

«Oh no, my dear dean, you will listen to me. And don’t you dare scream: I’ll sew up your lips. Do you get it?

I nodded: he can. The spells of those who hang out with monsters are nasty.

The professor removed his hand from my face, but he didn’t let me go.

«Judging by your ’explosion’ in the bar, you’re already aware of some of my stuff. But you get it wrong. And so do they. They were written me down as criminal. The seal was put up,» and he slammed his foot against the wall so that I could feel it vibrating on my back. «I didn’t steal it, you know, I didn’t steal it!»

I squeaked, not daring to object. Like this, when he loomed over me in the dark, when I saw only a rough silhouette, felt the pressure on my arms, inhaled the pungent smell of whiskey and an angry man, I was really afraid of him.

«You… I thought we… And you immediately drew conclusions and rushed to blame. Did I give a reason?» He breathed noisily and pressed closer. «What have I done to you, dean, to rebel against me so violently? You invite me to come to university for months, and then you pounce… malevolently… peremptorily… What have I done to you, Zulina?» He whispered in my ear.

A shiver ran down my spine, my legs buckled. I couldn’t get a sound out of me.

Erchin nudged his nose strangely, as if sniffing, and buried his face in my neck.

«Hmm… What do you smell like? Something for the shower, huh? Sweetly… It’s always sweet. Like then, the first time…»

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