Free Heroes' Reward by Moira J. Moore Page A

being that brave, walking around under the Emperor’s nose and sending
out information he didn’t want relayed to anyone. The tension would be
unbearable.
    That wasn’t why
I had been recalled, thank the gods.
    Still, “I’ve
never taught anyone anything.” Except Aryne, a little, with reading and
manners. I knew any progress on her part was due largely to her own
intelligence rather than any competence with instruction on my part.
    “One should
always embrace the opportunity to experience new things.”
    Was he making
fun of me?
    Teaching was a
skill. I knew this. I’d had professors, after all. Some had been engaging, some
had left me clinging to my desk to restrain myself from running out of the room
screaming with boredom. Some professors had taken inherently interesting
subjects and managed to drain all spark from them by their delivery of the
facts while others …. Professor Burl had made me laugh during a lecture about
properly surveying a waterfront lot. That took talent.
    A talent I was
pretty sure I lacked.
    Saint-Gerard
touched my arm. “Let me introduce you to your students, Dunleavy.”
    Did he have to?
    He led me to the
group of casters. He didn’t announce our presence immediately, and I was given
a few moments to observe my new students. Most of the spells I saw performed,
well, they weren’t as advanced as one might like. Changing the colours of
objects, there really wasn’t any use for that.
    Lifting things,
though, that had been handy in the past.
    The casters
ranged in years from youths to middle-aged. They weren’t all Shields. About a
third of them appeared to be regulars.
    The caster
nearest to me – a few years older than me, about Taro’s height but broad
shouldered, with short dark hair and gorgeous dark brown eyes- was raising
several items at once and moving them in a circle. I’d never seen anyone do
that. It must have taken incredible focus.
    Saint-Gerard
cleared his throat. “Liam, my boy.”
    The caster
lowered the items back to the ground, all with great control. Then he looked at
me. “You’re Shield Dunleavy Mallorough?”
    “Aye.”
    “Dunleavy, this
is Shield Liam Murdoch,” said Saint-Gerard. “He has been instructing the
casters for the past year or so.”
    So I’d been
brought in to replace him? They’d put me in a position of insulting him? “I
can’t do the cast he was just performing,” I told Saint-Gerard.
    “No doubt
because you haven’t encountered it before,” said Murdoch. “You are the best,
aren’t you?”
    “No.” I wasn’t
the best. Why did so many assume I was? “If you want to maintain control of the
lessons, I have no objection.” Really. None at all.
    “The council
would, and ego has no place in such a serious situation.” He held out a hand.
“Shield Liam Murdoch.”
    “My pleasure.” I
shook his hand. “This is my Source, Shintaro Karish.”
    Taro and Murdoch
exchanged brief pleasantries.
    “I’ll leave you
to get acquainted,” said Saint-Gerard. “Liam, can I rely on you to help Dunleavy
get settled with the others?”
    “Of course.”
    “Excellent.
Taro, my boy, it’s time to meet your students.”
    After giving me
a wink, Taro ambled off after Saint-Gerard, towards the Pairs. If he felt any
apprehension, he didn’t show it. He wouldn’t be able to actually do anything,
not without my being there to Shield him, but he could charm them all, and that
would put them at their ease, ready them to accept him as their new instructor.
    “Will you be
working with us, creating events?” I asked Murdoch.
    “I’m not
Bonded.”
    Oh. How
embarrassing. Without intending to, I’d made things awkward. “You’re young,
yet.” I had a suspicion, though, that he was nearing the age where the Triple S
would no longer expect him to attend Matchings, to ever bond at all.
    He shrugged.
“I’m good at this. I can reconcile myself to that.”
    He seemed a calm
sort. I enjoyed that trait. “I have no idea how to teach anyone how