Infinite Regress Read Free Page A

wrong; hindsight told her that King Randor hadn’t intended to order her to unleash a holocaust on countless rebels and everyone else caught up in the blast radius. But by then it had been far too late. “He thought he could use me to his own ends.”
    “I’m afraid you will find that’s true of almost everyone,” Gordian said. “And you have not—quite—divested yourself of your holdings, have you?”
    Emily frowned. Alassa had patched together a compromise, ensuring that while Emily was persona non grata in Zangaria for the moment, she wasn’t exiled for good. Imaiqah would rule the Barony of Cockatrice in Emily’s absence. In truth, Emily wasn’t sure how she felt about it. She’d never wanted to be a great feudal landholder, she’d certainly never wanted to rule the lives of countless people she would never meet. And yet, throwing the barony back in King Randor’s face almost guaranteed that whoever took her place would try to roll back her reforms. Imaiqah, at the very least, would hold the barony in stasis.
    “They are no longer in my possession.” Emily said, flatly.
    Gordian studied her for a long moment. “You should have been expelled several times over,” he said. “Do you understand that?”
    “Yes, sir,” Emily said. It struck her, suddenly, that she should have been calling him "sir" all along. Calling attention to it might have been a very bad move. But it wasn’t something she’d done with his predecessor. “I understand.”
    “If Grandmaster Hasdrubal saw no reason to expel you, I have no legal right to do so,” Gordian added, slowly. “But I can refuse to allow you to return to Whitehall, if you refuse to attend on my terms.”
    Emily waited, not trusting herself to speak.
    “You will be a probationary student for a set period of time,” Gordian told her. “During that period, you will be under close supervision, from both myself and the other tutors. I will be keeping a very sharp eye on you. Should you do anything that concerns me, you will be formally expelled from the school. Your father will have no legal grounds for protest.”
    She’d known it was coming. Lady Barb had warned her. But it still hurt.
    “I understand, sir,” Emily said, quietly.
    “A probationary student is apprenticed to a tutor, until they are either removed from probation or expelled,” Gordian continued. “That tutor will take responsibility for their conduct, in exchange for which they will work for him in whatever manner the tutor deems suitable. You will be apprenticed to Professor Locke. He has a... research project that could use your input. Your free time will be his as long as he has a use for you.”
    Emily scowled. She would have preferred to be apprenticed to Lady Barb or Sergeant Miles, but Lady Barb was leaving Whitehall and Sergeant Miles had too much else on his plate. She liked the history professor, yet she knew from Aloha that Fifth Year was hard, very hard. If she spent all of her free time, such as there was of it, on his project, how would she manage to keep up with her fellow students? She wasn’t quite sure what she wanted to do with her life after leaving Whitehall, but she did know that higher grades would help open doors in the future.
    And besides , she thought, remembering the ring on her finger, I don’t want to let Void down .
    “I understand, sir,” she said. She’d have to find a book on probationary students and read it quickly, just to discover what else she’d be expected to do. “What is his research project?”
    “I believe he would prefer to tell you himself,” Gordian said. “It is his project, after all.”
    He cleared his throat, then unwrapped the scroll. “Your exam results,” he said. “They would normally be sent out a week from today, but I made the decision to unseal yours early.”
    Emily leaned forward, torn between anticipation and dread. She’d never cared about her exam results on Earth—it wasn’t as if they would have any bearing