The Apprentice In The Master’s Shadow

by Ian Gregoire

  “Just as I was leaving to go next door to find a couple of burlap sacks, you collapsed and passed out.” Kayden couldn’t help but be impressed with how convincing she sounded. “You had me worried for a moment,” she continued. “I was just about to run to the infirmary to fetch one of the Sisters.”

  Eyes squinting, Solen’s face was a picture of concentration. Kayden realised he was trying his hardest to recall what happened before he lost consciousness. It was probably a good idea to keep him distracted so he couldn’t put the pieces together. “Can you stand up, Master?” she said, taking hold of Solen’s arm in an effort to encourage him to his feet.

  Solen duly stood up, requiring little help from Kayden. He made a fuss of dusting off his uniform then stared at her. “Well, this is embarrassing,” he said. “I guess I should be worrying a little less about you overdoing things, and start thinking about taking better care of myself. Ever since the attack on campus I’ve been staying up later and waking up earlier. I didn’t realise my extra vigilance was taking a such a toll on me.”

  “To be fair, Master Solen, no one could have noticed. You don’t look the worse for wear,” said Kayden. “But with the autumn holiday upon us you’ll have three weeks to catch up on the rest you’ve been missing.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out the key Solen had given to her, holding it up in front of her. “I’ll quickly go next door to grab those burlap sacks I wanted then bring back your key. Once I’m out of your hair you can close up for the night and get some sleep, before you pass out again.”

  Closing her fingers around the key, Kayden turned on her heels and headed for the door, only stopping when Solen called out to her. “Yes, Master?” she said, peering back over her shoulder.

  “I’d appreciate it if you would keep this incident between us,” said Master Solen. “There’s really no need for anyone else to know.”

  A subtle smile tugged the corners of Kayden’s mouth. By ‘anyone else’, Master Solen obviously meant Fay. If she, as the campus administrator, believed that one of her staff members was jeopardising his well-being, and compromising campus security by not getting enough sleep, she wouldn’t hesitate to intervene.

  “Don’t worry, Master,” said Kayden. “If you want to forget about tonight, I’m more than willing to do so, too.” With that assurance given she promptly departed the armoury.

  Barely two minutes had elapsed when she returned, holding two large burlap sacks from the storage building next door. Handing back Master Solen’s key, she thanked him for his assistance and told him that if she didn’t get a chance to say goodbye before she left Antaris for the holiday, she looked forward to seeing him again at the start of her final term.

  She exited the armoury again and stood outside, looking this way and that, in search of prying eyes. To her right, a group of apprentices were loitering in front of the men’s dormitory. They appeared too engaged in whatever they were discussing to notice her so she shifted her gaze away, catching sight of a mixed group standing outside the library. From their position they wouldn’t be able to observe her once she darted around the corner of the armoury into the narrow walkway separating it from the adjacent storage building, so she could retrieve the weapons hidden on the roof, while remaining unconcerned about their presence. Looking to her left she saw a man and woman patrolling, marching in her direction. Quickly, she decided she would make her move once the pair had bypassed her. She diverted her eyes skyward, on the lookout for the closest of the floating sentries above the campus. She could just about make out three figures, each of whom seemed more intent on observing beyond the perimeter wall of Antaris, rather than keeping an eye on events happening directly below.

  Glancing sideways to check the position of the approaching foot-patrol, Kayden saw the pair were much closer now. It was almost time to make her move. She stepped away from the armoury, seemingly marching towards the oncoming Sanatsai sentries. Half a dozen paces later, with the narrow walkway separating the armoury from the adjacent storage building appearing invitingly on her left-hand side, she halted and kneeled down, relinquishing her hold on the borrowed burlap sacks in order to feign that she was tying the laces of her boots. All the while she waited patiently for the patrolling Sanatsai to walk by.

  Moments later, the patrol was behind her and she peered back over her shoulder to watch them marching away. She allowed herself a sneaky, self-satisfied smirk before returning her focus to the task at hand. Snatching up the two empty sacks, she darted quickly between the armoury and the storage building, moving halfway along the walkway to ensure she was out of sight. As she faced the storage building, with the armoury at her back, Kayden opened up one of the burlap sacks then stared up at the roof, invoking Yuksaydan to reach out for the weapons she had hidden on top of the building. The baldric, sheathed sword, knife harness, and twin daggers descended silently from above, guided into the waiting sack by the ‘unseen hand’. She yanked the cord to seal the items in the sack and was perturbed to find that the two-handed hilt of the sword protruded from the top. No matter, she thought. Nobody would be paying close enough attention to her to notice. But just to be on the safe side, she concealed the hilt by placing the second sack over it before hurriedly departing.

  Kayden set a course for the women’s dormitory on the other side of campus, marching swiftly across the grey flagstones. Much to her relief and satisfaction, she entered the building a short while later with no one the wiser about the contents of the sacks. Pacing through the top floor corridor towards her dorm room, she attracted a couple of cursory glances from the few apprentices present but she tried to act normally; there was nothing suspicious about someone making preparations to leave for the holiday. Outside the door to her room, she was forestalled from entering when she heard Neryssa’s voice within. Her friend was conversing with Danya, and they were discussing Lazar. Annoyingly, Kayden was unable to catch every word being said, which meant the speakers weren’t close enough to the door, preventing her from eavesdropping fully. Nevertheless, she gathered that Danya was trying to ascertain just how serious Neryssa’s relationship with Lazar was, now that they were planning on spending the holiday together.

  To her surprise, Kayden was irked by the notion of her friend and her erstwhile lover in a relationship—serious or otherwise—especially because Neryssa had given no indication that she was being courted by Lazar, never mind spending the upcoming holiday with him. She wanted to know, definitively, what was going on between the level nine classmates, but entering the dorm room would, in all likelihood, bring an abrupt end to the conversation on the other side of the door. Unless…

  Glancing up and down the corridor, Kayden made sure the coast was clear before pulling the hood of her siphon cloak over her head with her free hand. She invoked Raytandushay and Naymutandushay simultaneously, and walked invisibly through the door into the dorm room. Directly ahead, she saw Neryssa perched on the end of her bed facing Danya who sat across the room, perched on the end of the opposite bed. Five other roommates were also present: at the farthest end of the room Mirella and Zara stood at one of the windows, staring at who knew what, while talking about things Kayden couldn’t hear; and gathered on the bed adjacent to Danya’s were Ariana, Linda, and Elena, sitting cross-legged upon the mattress, engaged in muted conversation, though rather blatantly keeping their ears on the discussion between Neryssa and Danya.

  Rooted to the spot, with the door at her back, Kayden ceased her invocation of Naymutandushay while maintaining Raytandushay. She, too, wished to eavesdrop on what was being said while everyone else in the room remained oblivious to her invisible presence.

  “Who are you trying to kid, Neryssa?” said Danya. “I hear things. A Lothario like Lazar doesn’t invite someone to travel home with him for the holiday unless he’s already laying with her.” For some reason, she sounded really pleased with the assertion. “You can admit to being his latest conquest, you know. We’re all adults here.”

  “Don’t you ever get tired of
spreading rumours?” said Neryssa. “I don’t care what you’ve heard, I’m not laying with Lazar. He was just being considerate when he asked if I would like to spend the holiday with his family. I found out earlier today that my home village suffered extensive flooding last week, and my parents advised me not come back for the holiday because the damage will take weeks to repair.”

  How do I not know about this? thought Kayden. And why is Neryssa letting Danya know before telling me? She suddenly recalled that Neryssa had mentioned wanting to talk to her about something that afternoon, but she fobbed her off because she was too busy. In fact, she’d been fobbing her friend off all week, devoting all her free time to working out the details of her mission to Anzarmenia.

  “I turned down his kind offer by the way,” said Neryssa. “I wouldn’t want people like you getting the wrong idea. Lazar and I are just good friends.”

  Kayden grimaced. Since when did Neryssa regard Lazar as a friend? And a ‘good’ friend at that. What’s going on between those two? she wondered. It dawned on her that she hadn’t been paying any attention to the pair since they had attended the Petro Serendini performance in Timaris a week ago. Kayden had taken Neryssa at her word that Lazar had no chance in seducing her, so there was no reason to give that night a second thought. But Danya was right: Lazar wouldn’t waste time inviting Neryssa home to meet his family if nothing had happened between them—or at the very least, she had given him grounds to believe that something would happen, sooner rather than later. Kayden’s toes clenched tightly in her boots.

  “Ahhh, I see,” drawled Danya mischievously. “Good for you, playing hard to get. Given his reputation, it’s clever of you to make that pretty boy work for it. That way you’ll know if he’s serious about wanting to be with you, or just looking to add another notch to his belt. If only more women were like you.” She leaned forward conspiratorially. “Do you remember those adorable-looking twin sisters who used to be your classmates? I heard that Lazar was fucking both of them at the same time—excuse my language—and he told each sister not to tell the other. When the truth came out, they tried to kill each other; that was why Master Fay expelled them.”

  Frowning, Kayden stared incredulously at Danya. Where did that feather-brained big mouth get her ridiculous gossip from? She very much doubted that Lazar had ever laid with the Malorini Twins, and they certainly weren’t expelled for trying to kill each other. Vida failed the level eight tests, and though her sibling passed the tests, Aida didn’t want to continue her apprenticeship without her sister so she abandoned it of her own accord.

  “Has anyone ever told you how much rubbish comes out of your mouth?” said Neryssa. “And I thought you said Kayden would be back shortly; I’ve been waiting here at least quarter of an hour.” The usually mild-mannered apprentice was beginning to sound tetchy. “Where did you say she went?”

  “How should I know where she went?” blurted Danya, seemingly put out by Neryssa’s tone. “That feisty bitch never tells me anything.”

  Kayden ceased her invocation of Raytandushay, becoming visible once more. “Neryssa,” she exclaimed. “What are you doing here?” Every head in the room turned in her direction.

  Startled, Danya said, “Kayden, I didn’t here you come in.”

  “Well, once your mouth gets going you wouldn’t even notice an earth tremor,” she quipped.

  With her presence now duly noted, Kayden advanced into the room, stopping beside her bed. Neryssa rose to her feet to acknowledge and greet her, while the other apprentices, including Danya, instantly lost interest, returning their focus to other matters.

  “What’s with the sacks?” Neryssa inquired.

  Remembering what she was carrying, Kayden squatted down on her haunches to tuck the burlap sacks away beneath the bed. “Master Solen let me borrow a couple of sacks to pack some things for my trip,” she said, rising to stand upright again. “I leave first thing in the morning.”

  “You’re leaving?” said Neryssa, looking and sounding alarmed. “What happened?”

  “Master Fay has insisted that I take a break away from the campus for the duration of the holiday, so I depart tomorrow.”

  The alarmed expression on Neryssa’s face gave way as her shoulders slumped, and an audible sigh escaped her lips. “Well, isn’t that just typical,” she groused. “The first time I plan to stay on campus for a term holiday is the first time you actually leave.”

  “It’s not that big a deal,” retorted Kayden, confused by her friend’s apparent disappointment. “Certainly not worth getting upset about.” She removed her hooded cloak, and tossed the black garment onto her pillow, before perching on the edge of her mattress.

  “I’m not upset, just disappointed.” Neryssa remained standing. She looked a little subdued, and sounded more than a little melancholy. “I thought both of us would be here during the holiday. We’d have plenty of free time to talk, and I could ask your advice about something I’ve been struggling with recently.”

  Kayden’s curiosity was instantly piqued. Neryssa never struck her as the type of person who struggled with personal problems, and the notion that anyone would seek her advice about anything was surreal. But if there was one apprentice on campus she would happily give good counsel to, it was Neryssa. Just as long as she didn’t ask for sex tips to use with Lazar.

  “Is that what you wanted to speak to me about before?” she asked, suddenly feeling bad for fobbing her friend off earlier in the day. “And why you’re here now?”

  Replying in the negative, Neryssa proceeded to explain that her earlier attempt to speak with Kayden was in regard to a letter delivered to Antaris by courier. It was from her parents, detailing the extensive flood damage in her home village that regrettably necessitated staying on campus for the holiday. As for the advice she was seeking, Neryssa said the matter could wait until after the holiday. With nothing left to say, she decided to call it a night and return to her own dorm room.

  After seeing Neryssa out the door, Kayden couldn’t help but feel a little guilty about neglecting her friend during the planning of the pending journey to southern Anzarmenia. Returning to her bed, she resolved to be a better friend once she had completed her mission. Assuming she was successful.

  Kayden woke with the sun the next morning, and wasted no time getting herself out of bed. A quick glance out the window told her the time was approaching half past Fifth Hour, and she resolved to complete the final preparations for her journey within the next half-hour. Skipping her usual early morning exercise routine, she made her way to the women’s privy to answer the call of nature, then went to the bathhouse for her morning ablutions. She returned to her dorm room shortly before Sixth Hour and decided to inspect the two sacks she’d packed the night before. The Jaymidari ward she had surreptitiously set on her bedside wardrobe was still active, so it was unlikely one of her seemingly sleeping roommates had gained access to its contents while she was out. Nevertheless, she promptly broke the ward and opened the doors to examine the two tied-up sacks within. She was satisfied that neither bundle had been interfered with, as it was safe to assume that the discovery of her sword and daggers, tightly wrapped in a large towel inside the first sack, would not go unremarked if one of her fellow apprentices had been snooping.

  Grabbing a clean uniform from the wardrobe, Kayden quickly got dressed. Fully attired, she closed the doors then squatted down to pull open the sliding drawer built into the base of the unit. She took out her money pouch and tucked it beneath her tabard. Irrespective of its light weight, there was no need to check how little money she had at her disposal. Though she hadn’t spent any since the day Fay had cancelled her stipend, Kayden knew she didn’t have the necessary finances to complete her mission, which was why she had taken steps the previous day to secure the money she needed, arranging for Sister Daria to provide her with the funds early the next morning. As uncomfortable as she felt about having resorted to blackmail to get what she wanted, it was preferable to engaging in robbery d
uring her journey. The mission would be difficult enough without potentially being hunted down by the authorities in Anzarmenia. Once the campus clock sounded the arrival of Sixth Hour she would make her way to the infirmary to find out if Daria had come through with the money.

  Just as that thought came to her, the clock began to chime. Kayden swiftly retrieved a sealed envelope from beneath her mattress before leaving the room. Moments later she vacated the dormitory building and hurriedly marched across the campus to the infirmary. Upon arrival, Sister Daria did not look thrilled to see her. Nonetheless, the aggrieved Jaymidari grudgingly led Kayden to her office after instructing a colleague to complete a list of supplies the infirmary was running low on.

  Inside the office, Kayden followed in Daria’s wake until they halted at her desk. The Sister aggressively snatched up a pouch from the table-top then spun around to face her. Kayden’s eyes widened at the sight of the substantial-looking money pouch. When she had demanded that Daria give her ten gold ranids and twenty-five silver mahrids, she hadn’t fully appreciated how much she was asking for. In fact, she had no expectation that Daria would come up with the full amount; she would have happily settled for just half of what she requested. Holding out her hand, expectantly, she was taken by surprise when Daria pulled the pouch away, withholding it from her grasp.

  “I don’t like being blackmailed, Kayden, and this is the last time I let you get away with it,” said Daria in a terse undertone. “But before I give you this money, I want to know what you need it for.”

  “You don’t need to know. Just hand it over.”

  “Kayden! In spite of the issue between us, I can’t in good conscience facilitate getting you into any kind of trouble,” Daria countered. “If you can’t persuade me that you won’t be using the money to get up to no good, not only I will not give it to you, I will take my chances with Administrator Annis and inform her of this—blackmail or no blackmail.”