"I still don't understand why Professor Gammel trusts him so much. I mean, he's a devil, and he has to be a pretty powerful one, too, judging by the things he does in class," Margarita Surprise said.
"If he is, he's using a false name," replied Bartido Ballentyne. Margarita's fellow student at the Silver Star Tower was a handsome, dark-haired young ham. He was a little too sure of himself sometimes, but the easy confidence also made him attractive.
"Oh? How do you know that?"
"I got curious, so I tried looking him up in the library. They've got most of the standard references, magical and religious, on demons and devils. None of them mentions a devil named Advocat."
"He's quite right. I tried the same thing and I was unable to find the name."
The third student's name was Hiram Menthe. Pale-haired and wearing spectacles like Margarita did (though hers were pince-nez), Hiram dressed like a respectable gentleman and was generally the kind of calm, sober person that suited his appearance. He lacked Bartido's arrogance, but also the other boy's humor.
"So he's not really 'Advocat.' Why would he do that?" Margarita asked.
"Knowledge confers power," Hiram pointed out. "If we knew who he was, we'd know the kind of tricks and traps he likes to play and be on our guard."
"I wonder if the other professors know."
"Maybe. Professor Gammel would have to, to have bound him here as a teacher," Bartido said. "You should ask Ms. Opalneria, Hiram. She's always poking around in Dr. Chartreuse's business, so maybe she does the same for Advocat's?" This last was obviously a barb directed at Hiram, and sure enough he rose to the bait.
"Don't talk about Ms. Opalneria that way! Her intentions towards Dr. Chartreuse are sincere. How can you suggest that she would consort with that devil?"
"Whoa!" Bartido said, holding up his hands. "I didn't say anything about her having anything to do with him that way. I was just talking about how she keeps turning up while we're trying to do stuff, not why she's doing it. Advocat...that would just be creepy."
"That's barely an improvement, calling her a busybody," Hiram shot back at him. Margarita burst out giggling. The boys were friends, but due to their virtually opposite personalities were the kind that squabbled a lot, either because Bartido was teasing Hiram, or Bartido got up to some antic that made Hiram have to rein him in before things got too out of hand. The fact that Hiram had a serious crush on the necromancy professor, maybe even more than a crush, that he wouldn't admit to just played into Bartido's hands.
"You two ought to have a floor show," she said, and they both looked a little sheepish at that.
"Nah, there's nobody to perform for since the last batch of practical students graduated three months ago," Bartido said. "If I'm going to perform for an audience, it needs to be big enough to make me a star!"
"Though you don't need any help to make yourself a ham."
"Not bad, Hiram. That was almost funny. Keep working on it and we might get you to crack a smile by Christmas."
"There's a difference between smiling and being a clown, Bartido."
"Enough!" Margarita cried, caught between exasperation and laughter. "Could you ask Ms. Opalneria, Hiram? It could be important, somehow, and...well, I just don't feel safe with that devil around. Every time I have a sorcery lecture, I feel like he's...I don't know, looking into my heart or something like that, like he can see every bad thing I've ever done."
"Hey, that's all right," Bartido said, resting his hand lightly on her shoulder. "Mr. Advocat creeps us out, too, and neither one of us came from a village full of Dissenters claiming that there were devils under every bed and that any kind of magic was a mortal sin." His voice was soft, gentle even.
"I wish I could just quit his lectures."
"Why don't you?" Hiram suggested. "I'm sure that Ms. Opalneria would be glad to have an extra student, and necromancy is the most useful magic to protect you against devils, too."
"I'd like that, but Professor Gammel thinks that I should learn the basics of sorcery, because of my background. He thinks it would be useful in showing me the truth about devils in magic, so I'd know what was real and what wasn't."
The two boys glanced at each other.
"Maybe..." Bartido murmured.
"If Professor Gammel thinks so..." Hiram echoed.
"Still, it's too bad there's not an easier way than learning from Mr. Advocat."
"But remember, if you ever need our help, just ask. Right, Bartido?"
"Of course." He flashed her an insouciant grin. "A man has to step up when a lady in in trouble."