Scholar of Magic

by Michael G. Manning

  Will threw himself to the side, robbing the kick of some of its sting, but he still fell hard. He caught himself on one hand and pushed himself back toward the man, who was following up the kick with a lunging stomp. His sudden change of direction put him inside the fellow’s attack, and he took advantage by driving his fist into the man’s groin as the stranger stomped at the place where he’d expected Will to be.

  The man let out a brief grunt of pain but didn’t fall, even though Will was sure he’d connected solidly. His opponent took a step back, but Will pressed his attack, creating a point-defense shield to trip his foe.

  Or rather, he tried to do so. A crashing wave of pain overwhelmed him and for a moment he couldn’t see. It was followed by a more familiar sort of pain as his opponent took advantage of the moment and drove an elbow into the side of his head. Will fell sideways and caught a boot to the belly as he tried to cover his head. Then his vision cleared, and he saw a flash as a long-bladed knife appeared in the stranger’s hand.

  The world slowed to a crawl as Will tried to move in time, but his body wouldn’t respond quickly enough. A sharp pain took his breath away, and then his head slammed into the cobblestones. Everything went black.

  Sometime later he became aware of something striking his face at irregular intervals. Raindrops. With a groan he pried his eyes open. His head hurt fiercely, and he appeared to be lying in the gutter. A small river of rainwater flowed around his shoulder and along his back.

  Cautiously, Will sat up, inspecting himself for the stab wounds he expected to find on his torso. He didn’t find any, but his head pounded every time he turned it to look this way or that. “I’m alive,” he muttered. “Why am I alive?”

  “Because you’re damned lucky,” said a male voice. Will recognized it immediately; it was Blake Word. Glancing back, he saw the manservant leaning against the wall behind him. Blake was breathing heavily, as though he’d been running.

  “What happened?”

  “I only saw the last of it. It looked as though you took a hell of a beating and then the fellow finished it off by slamming the pommel of his dagger into the side of your head. I chased him off before he could do anything more.”

  His fingers discovered a growing lump on the side of his head. “I’m surprised he didn’t use the blade.”

  Blake shrugged. “You weren’t the target. Bodies draw attention, unless you get rid of them, and that can be a lot of work.”

  Will wobbled as Blake helped him to his feet. “Do you think Laina made it home? She started running as soon as the fight started.”

  “She had a good head start then. I chased the fellow for a short distance after I got here. He ran in the wrong direction. I doubt he would have been able to catch up to her after that. Besides, he had to have been spooked after not just one, but two people intervened. My guess is he called it a night. If he tries again it won’t be tonight.”

  Blake’s analysis made sense, but Will wanted to be sure. He started to walk in the direction of Mark Nerrow’s city home.

  Blake put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. “That won’t accomplish anything. She’ll be indoors long before you get there so you won’t be able to ask her anything, and somehow I doubt you intend on knocking on Baron Nerrow’s door to inquire after Laina’s health.”

  “Someone else might have jumped her on the way home.”

  “You were out cold for several minutes. If she was attacked again it will be too late. Besides, you’re in no shape for further adventures.”

  Will shrugged off the hand. Ignoring Blake’s advice, he walked the streets until they were in front of Nerrow’s city home. Only then, when he was certain Laina wasn’t wounded in a side alley somewhere, did he relent and allow Blake to lead him home. The rain finally stopped while they were returning and in the quiet that followed, Blake made another observation. “She won’t thank you for your efforts. You know that, don’t you? That girl hates you with a passion.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” he replied. She’s my sister. “I don’t think she saw me clearly, which is preferable. I’d rather not have to answer her questions or give her any more suspicions.”

  Blake gave him a funny look. “Then why bother?”

  “Selene would want me to look after her,” Will answered, giving a misleading truth. Of course, Selene would have wanted him to protect Laina, but that wasn’t his first reason.

  “Good answer, and a true one, but be careful,” cautioned the older man. “Her Highness might not like it if you spend too much attention on another woman, even her best friend.”

  Will began to laugh, which made his head hurt even worse, but he couldn’t help himself. As sharp as Blake was, it was good to know there were at least a few secrets the man hadn’t picked up on yet. “I don’t think that will be a problem.”

  The other man gave him an odd look but said nothing during the rest of their walk home.

  Chapter 4

  Will was slow to rise the next morning thanks in large part to his injuries. It was a testimony to the painfulness of his bruises that they outweighed the pain of allowing Blake to cook breakfast rather than do it himself, as he normally preferred.

  He poked at the rubbery eggs on his plate, dreading the next terrible mouthful, then he leveled an angry glare in Blake’s direction. The older man sat across from him, grinning. “You must be very grateful to finally get the chance to eat properly cooked eggs.”

  “Eggs?” muttered Will sourly. “Is that what this used to be?”

  “Tut tut! We’ll have none of that this morning!” responded Blake. “These eggs have been cooked to perfection, just as Mama Word taught me years ago, may her soul rest in peace. Play your cards right and I might be willing to give you lessons.”

  Will stabbed his spoon in the cheerful manservant’s direction. “Did your mother have something against butter? Or were we out?”

  Blake frowned. “Butter is for toast. Why in the world would you defile your eggs with it?”

  Will tried not to grind his teeth, silently promising himself that he wouldn’t make the same mistake the next morning—not unless he woke up dead. He suppressed a shudder as he swallowed another mouthful while trying to ignore the acrid scorched flavor. It simply wasn’t possible for him to believe the other man actually enjoyed his eggs that way. No human could enjoy this. He filed that thought away in a mental box labeled, ‘Blake Word, Man or Monster?’

  “You saved my life last night, now you’re trying to kill me with crimes against food,” he grumbled. “What were you doing there anyway? I don’t recall bodyguard being one of your duties.”

  Blake smirked, but the expression didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Then you’d be mistaken, which suits my purposes perfectly.”

  That lined up with Will’s previous suspicions about the man. “How long have you served Selene?”

  “Since she was seven.”

  “And before that?”

  “I served in the army.”

  “Under which lord?” asked Will.

  Blake hardly blinked. “It was detached duty, special service for His Majesty.”

  Will was still learning, but he’d gained a lot of experience while in the army, and from what Blake had said the man had been either an assassin or a spymaster, possibly both. “So, you retired from that and were rewarded with the job of royal babysitter.”

  “It has been an honor to serve Her Highness.”

  “Did you train her?”

  The older man shrugged. “I’m not a sorcerer, so I couldn’t help her with magic, but I taught her how to handle a blade.”

  Will had never seen his wife use steel in combat, but he had seen her battling with water blades created by an elemental on several occasions. “Then I may owe you my life yet again. Her skill saved me a time or two.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  “Perhaps you’d consider training with me a little?”

  The other man laughed. “Can you fight without magic?”<
br />
  Fair point. “I used to,” said Will. “These days I’ve been learning to include it as an additional weapon.”

  “You didn’t use it last night,” observed Blake. “You might have won if you had. What happened?”

  Will explained his injury, then added, “When I tried to trip him with a spell, the pain caught me by surprise. Things went downhill after that.”

  “You should have retreated. I fought the fellow briefly before he ran. You couldn’t have matched him without magic.”

  Will grimaced. “You sure?”

  Blake nodded confidently. “I’ve been watching your fights with”—he paused for emphasis—“Selene. While her methods are unorthodox, your fighting style with that magical shield of yours is very nearly unbeatable, but without it you wouldn’t have stood a chance. The man you fought was a highly skilled assassin, likely trained in Faresh.”

  “The desert kingdom? How could you tell that? He was fair-skinned.” Will didn’t know much about the southern kingdoms, but the Farrians were famous for several things: their sugar, their textiles, and their dark skin.

  Blake seemed surprised. “You saw his skin? Your eyes are better than mine.”

  Will nodded.

  “Well, light skin or dark, he was master of the Farrian fighting arts, what they call the Dalmen Kal.”

  “How could you tell?” asked Will.

  “That spinning back kick he used on you was the first indicator. Add that to the fact that he nearly gutted me during the first pass when I came to your aid and I can say I’m fairly confident.”

  “He was better than you then?”

  The older man shrugged. “You don’t survive the type of duties I had in the army by being stupid or overconfident. I’m not as young as I used to be. I had the advantage of size and reach, but the man we fought last night was lightning quick. If he had been out for blood, there’s a good chance both of us would be dead right now.”

  Will choked down the last of the burned eggs, followed them with a piece of overdone toast, then cleared his throat with some tea. “I guess I’ll be skipping classes today, then.”

  Blake frowned. “Why?”

  “I’ll be busy watching Nerrow’s house, in case our assassin returns.”

  “Can you use magic? You said you have to rest your powers, didn’t you?”

  “If someone is trying to kill Laina or hurt any of the Nerrow family I can’t just let it happen,” declared Will. “Selene would be disappointed in me otherwise,” he added a few seconds later as an afterthought.

  “If anything happens to you, Selene will kill me,” countered Blake. “Have you considered that? You’re no match for the man we fought. Besides, after what happened I’m certain that Lord Nerrow will see that his daughter is well protected.”

  Will shook his head. “He doesn’t know about the attack last night.” Blake gave him a quizzical look so Will explained, “She snuck out yesterday and came here alone. Her father wouldn’t have allowed that, so clearly, she wanted to see Selene about a private matter. She seemed desperate, so Laina was probably aware that she was in danger, yet she came alone anyway.”

  The older man rubbed his face. “So, she likely didn’t tell her father then. You’re right. Still, this isn’t your problem. I suggest you send the baron an anonymous warning and let him deal with it.”

  The advice was sound. Will couldn’t argue that, but his gut was telling him something different. If Laina had only felt safe bringing her problem to Selene then she had probably had a good reason, a reason that presumably she thought Selene would agree with. And if I alert our dear father to whatever it is, I could make things even worse for her, he thought.

  His determination firmed up, and Blake saw as much from his expression. Before Will could speak, the older man gave him an intent stare. “If only you knew someone skilled in both combat and stealth who could watch over her…”

  “I appreciate the offer,” said Will, “but I think it best if I—”

  His manservant sighed loudly. “You’re my responsibility. Have you considered discussing this with your wife?”

  Will stared at him blankly. I know he’s figured out that she isn’t really Selene.

  “Maybe she knows someone skilled in the art of disguise,” said Blake, stretching out the words while waving one hand in a circular motion.

  “Oh!” Will exclaimed as he finally understood. He nodded in agreement but didn’t say more. How did my life get so complicated? he wondered. I’m married, but I only spent one day with Selene before she had to leave. My fae aunt is impersonating her, my manservant knows, but I have to pretend he doesn’t, otherwise he’ll be forced to admit the truth to the king. “And to top it all off, I’m trying to help my half-sister who doesn’t know we’re related,” he muttered.

  “What was that?” asked Blake. “I couldn’t hear you.”

  “Nothing,” said Will. “I’m just thinking out loud.” Rising from the breakfast table, he made for the stairs. He stopped briefly before leaving the room. “Don’t ever cook eggs again, not even if I’m on death’s doorstep. In fact, especially not then. They’d probably push me over the edge. Stick to porridge if I’m too sick to cook.”

  Blake had the nerve to look genuinely hurt. “That’s a bit much, even for a joke.”

  Does he really think they were edible? Will couldn’t decide. “I wasn’t joking.”

  A few minutes later he was back in his room, which presumably was where Selene was. Of course, Tailtiu hadn’t returned yet, and normally wouldn’t until late afternoon. Her service pretending to be the missing princess was something that Aislinn had worked out with Tailtiu—it wasn’t part of any bargain with Will. Consequently, anything he wanted Tailtiu to do beyond her evening impersonation would have to be negotiated separately. He repeated his aunt’s name three times and waited, knowing it would take her nearly twenty minutes to reach the house from the nearest congruence.

  Usually she arrived in the form of a bird and slipped in through the window to avoid anyone seeing her comings and goings. Today was no different. She arrived after nearly an hour had passed, which meant Will was running short of time if he was to make it to his first class of the day without being tardy.

  “What took you so long?” he demanded shortly.

  His aunt arched one brow. “Pardon?”

  “It shouldn’t have taken you an hour.”

  “I’m under no obligation to appear quickly. Coming here every day to satisfy Mother’s demands is trouble enough,” she remarked.

  Will took a deep breath, silently blaming his dysphoria on Blake’s horrifying attempt at breakfast. Keep your wits about you, he cautioned himself. He’d gotten so used to having Tailtiu around every day that he had started to think of her as somewhat human, a dangerous pitfall if he allowed such thoughts to color their negotiations. “I need your help with a separate matter,” he told her. “You still owe me twelve days from the agreement on your payment of the second unbound favor.”

  “What is it you require then?” she asked. Tailtiu showed no outward sign of annoyance, but her lack of flirtation was all the evidence Will needed to see she was out of sorts.

  “It’s about my sister, Laina. She’s being followed by an assassin.” He described the events of the previous night.

  Tailtiu frowned at him in obvious disappointment. “You were defeated? After all our work, I thought you more proficient than that.”

  “I can’t use my magic for the next few days,” he replied. “Apparently I hurt myself worse than I realized at the dam yesterday. That’s part of the reason I’m asking you to do this.”

  His aunt remained silent for a long minute, her expression pensive. “I can watch her during the day until you’ve recovered. In the evening I have another obligation, as you are already aware. I can’t help you during those hours.”

  Tailtiu’s job in the evening was nominally to impersonate Selene if the need arose, but Will knew her other purpose was to serve as a bodyguard
for him. Whether that was because Aislinn had asked for it, or whether Selene had tacked that stipulation on as part of her own negotiations he couldn’t be sure. “That won’t be a problem,” he informed her. “I’ll follow her myself in the evenings. You’ll just have to stay close to me.”

  “If you can’t use magic you won’t be able to hide your presence from her,” she pointed out.

  “I’ll just keep my distance. Besides, I’m not bad at following people, even without magic.”

  His aunt seemed unconvinced. “You might avoid your half-sister’s notice, but I doubt you’ll remain unseen by this assassin you mentioned.”

  He rubbed his chin, nodding in agreement. “You might be right, but I’m going to keep an eye on Laina regardless.” Will gave the fae woman a knowing smile. “You’ll just have to decide the best way to keep me safe. Letting me risk a blunder or following Laina in my stead.”

  Tailtiu growled softly. “You’re picking up bad habits.”

  “Must be the company I keep,” he returned, meeting her gaze evenly.

  After she left to begin her watch over Laina, Will wasted no time hurrying to his first class of the day, Foundations in Artifice. He barely made it in time, causing Janice to give him a questioning glance as he found his seat beside her.

  “You’re nearly late. What happened at the dam yesterday? Stephanie has been telling some wild stories about—”

  He interrupted her, “Whatever she said, she’s probably lying.” Before he could say more the lower door of the auditorium opened and Professor Salsbury entered. The chatter in the room quickly died away. Todd Salsbury was nominally the head of the Department of Artifice, though the man didn’t look much like many of the other teachers at Wurthaven. Despite being in his middle years the professor was still lean and his hands showed the thick skin and scars that came from years of hard use. He was very much a man who had learned by doing, or if his knowledge had come from books, he had then spent most of his time putting it to use.