Frayer and I hadn't had a single chance to exchange any words from the moment the utility transport vehicle’s tires crossed back over the academy’s heavy iron gate.
Since we spent a few hours on our trip to the Grovel, it took much longer for us to reach the retailers and gather the apparatus and equipment required on campus. In other words, Frayer completed his duties at the exact time he would have, if he had stuck to his plan of training with me during the day, and then running his errands in the afternoon.
We were hopelessly late. The equipment haul had to be officially cataloged, logged, and hand-delivered to the laboratory wing before the evening shifts. The second Frayer ensured I was safely deposited on campus grounds, he grabbed the clipboard and practically stormed off toward
