by Lisa Cassidy
“What is it? Was my instruction not clear?”
“I’m sorry, sir,” Dawn spoke for them. “It’s just…”
Howell glanced over at where they were all looking, then appeared to notice Brynn for the first time. “Oh yes, you’re Initiate Brynn Starrin, aren’t you?”
“Yes, sir,” Brynn said. “I’m sorry for…”
Howell waved a hand, dismissing his words. “Your master has agreed for you to join my initiate group. It seems he has some fear for your health if you remain with him. Renwick isn’t the strongest of mages, and you’ve managed to incur the ire of our strongest students here at DarkSkull.”
Alyx opened her mouth to protest, caught Dawn’s look, and abruptly shut it as shame kindled in her. When she saw the stunned smile that transformed Brynn’s face, the shame at her initial reaction deepened. He looked happier than she’d seen him since they’d met.
“No objections I take it?” Howell turned to Alyx and the twins.
“No sir,” Finn said.
When both Finn and Dawn looked her way, Alyx shrugged. “It’s fine.”
“I really do appreciate it,” Brynn said. “Not only because of Fengel. I’ve not had any friends since I came here. It’s nice to have company.”
Alyx winced at him claiming her as a friend, but smoothed out her expression when she caught Dawn looking at her.
“If you could all stop nattering and please follow my initial instructions,” Howell barked at them. He wheeled his mare around, cantering out the gate and across the DarkSkull fields towards the valley wall.
“He wants us to gallop after him?” Dawn looked aghast.
“Yes, let’s go!” Finn shouted.
Brynn, Alyx, and the twins had more difficulty than Howell, but eventually managed to drag their strong mounts around and out the gate.
Their master’s disappearing figure led them away from DarkSkull Hall and along the edge of the surrounding fields towards the thick forest lining the valley floor. Alyx clung desperately to the reins, trying to ignore her aching thighs and fingers.
Sometimes it felt like she lived in a constant miasma of soreness and exhaustion. When Alyx had peered into the cracked mirror in the girl’s bathroom that morning, she’d seen dark shadows under eyes that were bloodshot and dull. Dawn looked just as bad, and Alyx genuinely wondered how she would have coped without another girl to share this misery with.
With his usual disregard for the inexperienced rider atop him, Tingo broke into a gallop almost as soon as they were out of the field. Alyx hauled on the reins, but this had little effect, and soon her entire focus was on simply staying in the saddle and trying to steer him in the direction she wanted to go.
The day was overcast, heavy clouds promising snow later, and the light grew dim once they entered the forest. A narrow path wound between thickly clustered fir trees and the horses were forced into single file. As they rode further into the forest, the path became an incline which grew gradually steeper until Alyx was leaning far forward in the saddle.
The temperature dropped too, numbing Alyx’s throbbing fingers. Eventually they emerged onto the summit of one of the tall hills ringing the valley.
A high stone wall ran along the top of the hill, extending as far as Alyx could see to their left and right, broken just ahead by a thick tree that had fallen across it. Drag marks in the snow showed where the tree had been moved away from the wall, and now the broken section gaped open.
Alyx took a moment to stare down at the bright gleam of green water far below and the rugged rise of more hills on the other side of the gorge. Far to her right she could just make out the hazy outline of part of the massive bridge leading into DarkSkull.
“The boundary of DarkSkull Hall,” Howell informed them, waving towards the wall. “It goes all the way around the valley.”
“Why?” Alyx asked.
“I don’t think I catch your meaning?” Howell raised an eyebrow.
She gestured down below to the glimpse of gorge visible through the break in the wall. “It’s pretty steep, and there’s a river down there. Why do you need a wall as well?”
“DarkSkull Hall has been attacked before, Initiate. Simple water and a steep incline are unfortunately not enough of a deterrent. These walls are thick and high and are intended to discourage large-scale attacks.”
“Attacks from whom?”
“My, aren’t we chatty today? I believe this is the first time you’ve spoken more than two words to me. We’ll discuss that at another time, Alyx. As for why I brought you here today, it’s imperative this broken section of wall be fixed as quickly as possible, and I volunteered my initiates for the job. You’ll find stone blocks just through the trees to your right, and they’ve already been cut and squared.”
“What about tools, sir?” Finn asked.
“You’ve already got all the tools you need. Any questions?”
Groaning inwardly at Howell’s familiar, irritating response, Alyx shook her head along with the others. She didn’t dare ask about the mathematics class they were currently supposed to be attending.
“You’d best get to it then. You don’t want to be out here when night falls,” he said cheerily, before reining his horse around and galloping back down the trail.
Finn looked dubiously up at the sky. “Night can only be an hour or two away at the most.”
“What does he mean, we already have the tools?” Dawn said.
“I think you’ll find he means magic,” Brynn said, trying to dismount and half falling to the ground.
Alyx dropped the reins, gripped the pommel, and swung one leg over. Dropping the long distance to the ground awkwardly, she was nonetheless glad to be off Tingo’s back.
“What magic?” She grabbed the reins to tie them to a nearby tree. “I’ve seen no trace of my supposed magic, and I doubt your magical voice is going to be of any use in fixing a wall.”
“You’re quite fixated on your misery, aren’t you?” Brynn teased her. He was more forward with Alyx than either Finn or Dawn, treating her as she imagined an affectionate younger brother would. While his manner would have irritated her coming from the twins, something about his genuine warmth soothed any irritation before it could take hold.
“I’m going to start bringing some stones over,” Finn said, walking off through the trees.
Alyx shared a glance with Dawn, and the two girls set off after him, Brynn close behind.
“I know you think I’m going to bring you trouble, Alyx,” Brynn said as he fell into step beside her. “You could be right, too.”
Alyx paused, decided to be honest. “I want to survive here as painlessly as possible and go home. Fengel could hurt us all if he wanted to. He almost killed you last week.”
“Master Howell gave you an opportunity to protest my joining you. You didn’t take it.”
“No, I didn’t, and I’m not going to.”
“Why?”
She glanced at him, then away. “Because when I put myself in your shoes, I can’t.”
“Thank you for being honest with me.” Brynn met her eyes. “I understand your reasons for not wanting me around and I respect them. Consider me your friend, though. It’s not much, but you should know.”
Alyx stopped walking for a moment as the others continued on, taken aback by Brynn’s words. She’d never had such a genuine offer of friendship before, given not because she was Lady Alyx Egalion, but because of something she’d done. She immediately felt guilty for not treating Brynn better and squashed the feeling. Liking Brynn wasn’t enough to overcome her genuine fear of Fengel.
“Found them!’ Finn’s voice called out from ahead.
Following his voice, Alyx and Brynn pushed through a thick copse of trees and stepped out into a small quarry where blocks of bluestone sat already cut and dressed. Dawn was helping her brother pick one up, so Alyx and Brynn hefted another. The stone was heavy and rough and Alyx’s arms burned as they hauled it back up to the broken section of wall. Once
there, she let go of the stone with a painful gasp. It thudded to the ground beside the one the twins had carried.
“We’ll put ours right here.” Finn pointed, leaning forward to show them where to place it correctly. “Alyx, you and Brynn place yours beside it.”
“You’re an expert on wall building now?” Dawn shot an irritated glance at her brother.
“You have a better idea?” he retorted.
Alyx tried intervening. “Let’s not fight.”
Finn let out a breath. “I just figure if we stack the stones inside the hole neatly to start with, we can figure out where to go from there.”
“One step at a time, huh?” Brynn surveyed the gap. “Sounds good to me.”
They spent an hour hauling blocks of stone from the quarry and placing them carefully into the broken section of wall.
“Do you think there’s any use for mages who can’t use magic but know how to haul rocks?” Dawn panted sourly as she and Alyx hauled another stone back to the wall.
“I doubt it,” Alyx muttered. “I’m sure Lord-Mage Casovar will be thrilled to be presented with a group of well-trained labourers, though.”
Eventually all four of them stood before the wall, hands on hips. The stone blocks had all been placed together neatly, filling most of the hole in the wall, but they had no tools or putty to bind them together. Small cracks ran throughout the fixed section.
“That’s going to come crashing down the second there’s a good gust of wind, isn’t it?” Brynn grinned openly.
Just as the words came out of his mouth, a wind kicked up and the two stones at the top of the wall wobbled precariously. The four of them looked at each other and dissolved into laughter.
The laughter was infectious and soon Alyx was doubled up, trying to get air as tears ran down her face. It was the first time she’d laughed in a month, and for a brief moment it felt good enough to dispel her misery.
Trying to catch her breath, she glanced at Dawn, and saw that instead of laughing, she looked pale and terrified.
“Dawn?” Alyx asked sharply.
Dawn looked across at her. “I can hear the voices.”
“Here?” Finn’s eyes widened.
“What voices?” Brynn asked.
Finn explained as quickly as he could about their trip to DarkSkull Hall. When he was finished, Brynn looked even more confused.
“The Shiven that chased you couldn’t be here,” he said. “We’re far from Shivasa.”
“They’re coming closer,” Dawn rasped.
“Coming from where?” Alyx asked. Her voice came out higher-pitched than intended; the hairs on the back of her neck were prickling, and her heart had begun to pound in remembered fear.
Dawn raised an arm, pointing into the rapidly darkening shadows between the trees where the path ran back down the valley wall towards DarkSkull. Alyx glanced over at the horses, but they seemed calm.
“Stay together,” Finn said, moving towards Dawn and Alyx. “You’ve all got the knives Howell gave us?”
Alyx dropped a hand to her right boot. She’d gotten so accustomed to wearing the knife that she could barely feel it anymore. Her raw wood staff hung from Tingo’s saddle, a good distance away. A quick glance showed the others had left theirs with the horses as well.
“Dawn, tell us what you’re hearing,” Finn instructed.
Dawn nodded and closed her eyes. “Snatches of voices… they’re not the same ones I heard on the way to DarkSkull, but…”
“Go on,” Brynn said encouragingly.
“I can feel the same…” she frowned, shaking her head in frustration. “The same anticipation, I think. One voice is stronger than the others, but I think I can pick up maybe three different voices, maybe more. It’s not clear, but…”
Her eyes flew open. “They’re coming this way. And they know we’re here.”
“All right. We’re in the grounds of DarkSkull Hall, so let’s just wait. It could be one of the masters coming to fetch us,” Finn said.
Alyx looked uneasily in the direction their horses were tethered, wondering if it wasn’t a better idea to just leave before whoever it was arrived.
Hooves sounded from somewhere below them on the slope, heading their way. The four of them stood in tense silence as the sound of horses came closer and closer. Shadows crept through the trees, the light dying as the sun slowly set over the hills.
Some minutes later, a group of riders came cantering up the trail. When they left the tree line and saw Alyx and the others standing by the wall, they slowed the horses and reined to a halt. The lead rider was Fengel, and Alyx’s heart clutched in fear. By the look on Fengel’s face, this meeting was no coincidence. There were four others and at the back of the group was Tarrick, sitting easily in the saddle and watching the proceedings with interest.
“These are the ones?” a voice asked.
Fengel smiled, but there was no warmth in it. “This is them.”
Another rider kicked his horse forward out of the deepening shadows, and Alyx took a half-step back in shock. It was the silent apprentice she’d seen sitting with Fengel in the dining hall, but now he was so close she could tell instantly he was Shiven, with their pale skin and dark brown eyes. Unlike Dashan, he was full-blooded, and had their characteristic pointed ears and long fingers. He wore his lengthy brown hair tied neatly in a bun at the back of his neck, a look that highlighted the almost alien handsomeness of his features.
“Can we help you?” Finn sounded calm, but his back was stiff with tension.
Dawn leaned close to Alyx and murmured, “Fengel knew we were here, and I can feel danger from that Shiven clear as a bell in my head.”
Brynn, close enough to hear Dawn, cried out a warning for them to run and led the way by running for the trees. Fengel went to chase him down, but the Shiven rider stopped him.
“The ones we want are here.”
“You said the A’ndreas girl was mine.”
“You can have her.” The Shiven’s mouth curled. “After we’ve killed the others.”
Alyx mouth turned dry. They were so far from DarkSkull Hall that any shouts or screams would never be heard. None of them apart from Dawn knew their magic yet, and they had only Howell’s knives to defend themselves against students many years ahead of them in learning and experience.
Dawn stepped forward. “We’re students at DarkSkull Hall, as are you. You can threaten all you like but we know you can’t just murder us.”
Alyx was as impressed by Dawn’s bravery as she was horrified by the audacity of her words. A chill ran through her as both Fengel and the Shiven began to laugh, looking genuinely amused.
“You think students haven’t died here before, especially initiates?” Fengel asked. “These woods are dangerous, not to mention the cold. Accidents happen.”
“Even if that’s true, why would you want to kill us?” Finn asked. “What did we ever do to you?”
“I know who you are,” the Shiven hissed, his dark eyes flicking to Alyx. In that momentary glance, utter terror gripped her. She wanted to speak, to respond, to tell him he was mistaken, but her throat had closed over and she couldn’t summon any words.
“The girl is right—you said we were just going to mess with them a bit.” Tarrick spoke up suddenly, urging his horse forward. “Master Romas is a telepath, Galien. He’ll know if you kill anyone and we’ll all be expelled.”
“What would you know, Tylender?” Fengel glanced at him in contempt.
“I’m just saying, are they really worth the effort? They’re useless innocents.”
“You have no idea,” the Shiven murmured. “And why would Master Romas think to read my thoughts even if he could defeat my shielding? He doesn’t know we’re out here. We’ll be sure to make it look like an accident.”
Tarrick persisted. “It’s too much of a risk, Galien.”
“Why is he even with us?” Fengel turned to the Shiven in disgust. “I told you he was a worthless coward.”
“
He’s pure mage blood,” the Shiven said coolly. “He belongs with us.”
Alyx followed this exchange closely despite her fear, desperately hoping Tarrick would succeed in stopping Fengel and the Shiven.
“He’s a coward,” Fengel said to the Shiven. “You should cut him loose.”
Tarrick shouted in anger at the insult, hurling his small knife straight for Fengel’s throat. The Zandian shifted sideways gracefully, the knife flying harmlessly past him. Then, with mocking ease, he conjured a fireball and sent it straight at Tarrick’s head. Tarrick barely dodged aside in time, falling from the saddle in his haste and landing awkwardly in the snow.
He rose and scrambled backwards. Grim anger darkened his features as he faced Fengel. The Shiven watched, a gleam of amusement in his dark eyes, not making any move to help either Tarrick or Fengel.
“Maybe you’re right about him, Fengel. Tarran, go find that initiate. We don’t want any witnesses.”
“If you want us, then leave Brynn out of it,” Dawn said, words firm despite how pale she was. “He saw nothing.”
“She has a point,” Fengel chuckled. “He’s so useless he’s no threat to us. Just like the Tylenders, weak and pathetic.”
Tarrick’s shout of fury was incoherent. Alyx’s eyes widened as they fell on his hands; a mother-of-pearl glow encompassed them, shining brightly against the falling darkness. Tarrick himself snarled in triumph as he saw what was happening and raised one of his glowing hands into the air.
A massive concussion burst exploded through the clearing, making Alyx clap her hands over her ears in pain. It was as if a vice were being tightened over her chest so that she couldn’t breathe, and then it vanished just as suddenly as it hit, leaving her gasping.
The group of riders had dissolved into chaos as their horses reared and bucked in panic. Tarran and Fengel had fallen and were trying to avoid being trampled by the razor-sharp hooves of their mounts. Tarrick wavered on his feet, skin deathly pale. The Shiven snarled in anger as he fought to get his mount back under control.
“We have to run,” Finn shouted, reaching for his sister.