Fall in love in a weekwe get by

– I need a couple of hours to finish one extremely interesting experiment. You can stay here. Since you like to read, you’ll find something less boring for yourself,” he added, grinning: “There are no treatises on alchemy here.” But if I’m late, go down to the first floor and call me. Exciting experiments tend to eat up time unnoticed.

He left and I took care of the bookcases. There were three of them, and it took me about half an hour to be convinced that although there were no treatises on alchemy here, there was not a single art book either. Directories, encyclopedias, monographs on botany, zoology, pharmaceuticals, magic and others. One closet was almost entirely filled with memoirs and biographies. Without leaving this room, one could get a completely fundamental understanding of the world, although somewhat one-sided.

“Still, he looks like Sherlock Holmes,” I muttered. I remember that the brilliant detective of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle also did not recognize fiction.

Well, the local Encyclopedia Britannica isn't so bad.

The first thing I found was an article about Panacea Academy. The institution turned out to have a three-century history, an impressive list of famous graduates, teachers and directors, with a solid baggage of inventions and discoveries. Maskelyne’s ambitions became clearer – compared to her predecessors, she looked… pale, to be more precise. A good, perhaps an excellent administrator, but for such a prestigious post this is not enough. And there is nothing more to boast about. She realized that she would not achieve heights on her own, and decided to remain in history as the director who raised the prestige and importance of the Academy to unprecedented heights. Yes, most likely it is.

Dougal was not included in the list of famous teachers – the encyclopedia was published three years ago. But it was mentioned in articles about magical pharmaceuticals, multi-component elixirs and the International Board of Patent Examination. In the latter – as one of the leading experts in magical chemistry, pharmacology and cosmetology.

I wanted to look for Chester as well, but I came across the article “Magic: General Provisions.” And disappeared.

Although the article was, for my taste, too academic – well, this is an encyclopedia, not “Preschoolers about magic.” And even though all these “magic flow exponents” and “differential-step enchantment” sounded no clearer to me than Russian or Chinese. Let be. But here there was also about ancient magic as such and its incarnations, like kelpies or brownies, and about traditional magic – the Druids, Celts, Romans, Saxons, Picts… About the magic of children, elemental, scientific. About all branches of magical science. I read about alchemy, and about climate charms, and about the portal network, and about visualization – as a special case of the magic of illusions, and about the magic of illusions itself. ? why someone is born a magician and someone is not, and why excessive passion for magic is dangerous.

Yes, I had to read all this on my first day here!

The letters began to blur, I closed my eyes for a minute. I also thought: maybe Mr. Stanley meant something like that? But reading isn’t a burden, is it?!

She sat down sideways, tucked her legs under her, lowered her head onto the soft edge of the back of the chair – and passed out.

I didn’t wake up right away, at first I felt something like a slight tickling, then there was some barely audible melodic chime, and then someone took me by the shoulder and shook me lightly.

– Miss Sullivan. Freya. Wake up, everything will cool down.

– Will it cool down? Dougal? – I yawned and rubbed my eyes. The body ached. Did I manage to fall asleep curled up in a chair? And… – Freya? “I peered into his face, and he looked at me. No, I don't understand. You won’t understand anything from his face until you want to! But… -Did you really call me by name? Didn't I dream? – She lowered her legs from the chair and stretched. – Your mixtures… after them it seems that I slept for a week ahead. It `s Magic?

– No, only the right ingredients in the right proportions. I wouldn't wake you up, but it's already evening. And I suspect that you, like me, haven’t eaten anything since the morning. Not the best way to restore wasted magic. Exhaustion cannot be cured by fasting.

But he’s right, he’s hungry like crazy. I glanced outside the window and was dumbfounded. Evening?! It seems – no, without any “it seems”! – Dougal monstrously understated. It was pitch dark outside the window. How long did I sleep? Damn… our penultimate half day…

Although Dougal was still busy. If he and I are similar in our attitude towards the work we love, and obviously we are, then distracting him is the worst way to create a normal impression of ourselves. Yes, I wouldn’t, although he seemed to ask me to call him. No, I wouldn't.