Soon Joana showed up next to Van Dijk as she seemed to have something to tell him.
She intercepted him just beyond the training ward's arch, where the corridor opened to a slice of tower view, the far away academy a gray in the darkness of the night. Her cloak smelled of dirt and steel. Van Dijk's hands were already clean; the man shed the traces of work like a snake its skin.
"You got time?" Joana asked as they walked up the Black Tower's spiral staircase.
The stair wound upward with the old rhythm of stone laid by patient hands. Their steps fell into measure, hers a fraction heavier, his a precise economy of motion.
"Just finished training Ludwig so I'm free."
"Oh, how's he doing?" Joana asked.
Her tone was casual on the surface, but curiosity sharpened it. She had watched enough students to feel the shape of promise even at a distance, and Ludwig was far above the average student.
"He's a monster… to say the least…" Van Dijk said.
