Dead Magic by A.J. Maguire Page B

manners. I'm Jakob, the gatekeeper. Let me show you in."
    Smiling her appreciation, Valeda followed him down the cobblestone path. He didn't talk beyond that, just took to humming an unfamiliar tune as he waddled forward. It was slow-going. Jakob had a severe limp on his right, which only enhanced the dramatic waddle.
    In an attempt to appear like she hadn't noticed the awkward gait of the man beside her, Valeda focused on the children again. They were closer now and some of them had stopped to watch her approach. The four smaller ones took a particular interest in her, hurrying up to the path before she could reach the porch. They were all very well-groomed, if a little disheveled by their play, and wore matching uniforms of green and white. Lady Elsie would have been pleased by the neat little button-down shirts and tailored pants.
    "Mr. Jakob, who is this?" asked a dark-haired boy of about six, who kept pace with them. He kept strictly to the grass, as if the cobblestone path were an unbreakable barrier.
    "Well now, Chuckabee, it's not nice to talk about someone when they're right there. Why don't you ask her yourself?"
    "Madam Hilden says we're not supposed to talk to strangers," Chuckabee said, earning a few encouragements from his friends.
    Jakob paused and blinked down at the boy. Then he laughed, which sounded quite a bit like a hoot and was loud enough that Valeda jumped. The children, apparently used to the big man's laughter, joined him in a chorus of giggles.
    "You've got that right, Chuckabee," Jakob said after a moment. "This is Miss Quinlan. She has some business with Master Walter."
    At the mention of Master Walter, the children gave a hushed and reverent coo. Thoroughly amused by the display, Valeda kept quiet as she was led up the stone steps and onto the mansion's porch. Jakob, just as entertained by the children around them, sent her a friendly wink that immediately settled her nerves. Perhaps she didn't know what she was doing here, but the so-called "unfortunates" were charming. There was a warmth here, an open welcome that she hadn't noticed on first approach.
    "Children!" a female voice called from the other side of the yard.
    All four of the boys jerked upright, their eyes going wide with alarm. With barely a goodbye sent her way, they tore off in the direction of the call, their little green and white uniforms disappearing around the corner of the building. Jakob chuckled from beside her, which was loud in its own right, and then gave her another broad smile.
    "Chuckabee was a right hellion when he first got here. Madam Hilden has done quite a job on him. Tucks right down when he's told to now." Jakob turned toward the massive door and gestured her forward. "Afraid I can't leave the gatehouse unattended for long, Miss. The housekeeper can show you the way."
    Thanking him, Valeda stepped through the door and entered the single most contradictory house she had ever seen. The front vestibule was larger than she expected, nearly the size of a full room, with two elegantly padded benches flush against the east and west walls. Underfoot, her flat-soled boots reflected off the highly polished wooden floor and directly in front stood a glass wall that was entirely impractical for a school of children. Etched in golden patterns along the glass were mountain scenes, creating an oddly disorienting symmetry between the picture and the hallway beyond.
    Glass double doors stood open in the center of the strange wall, but the mountain patterns continued throughout, making a giant mural that probably made more sense with the doors closed. Valeda blinked twice and then moved into the hallway, turning so that she could see the other side of the mural. It was possibly the oddest thing she had ever seen in her twenty-six years and she wanted to remember it.
    "Ahem."
    Startled by the voice, Valeda spun around to face a razor-thin man with a head of thinning blond hair. His long face was wrinkled up into a welcoming smile,