DarkSkull Hall

by Lisa Cassidy

  “Dawn nagged Father for weeks before her thirteenth birthday for a horse.” Finn grinned. “She cried all day when he wouldn’t give her one.”

  “I did not.” Dawn scowled. “It was only an hour, maximum.”

  “Neither of you have ridden much?” Alyx knew the conversation was really just an effort on all three of their parts to postpone actually having to ride the horses, but that was fine with her.

  “The gardens scattered throughout Alistriem are so lovely,” Dawn said wistfully. “There’s a big one only two blocks away from where we live, and we mostly played there as kids, so there was never a need for us to ride. Plus, we live within walking distance of everything our family needed in the city, like the markets.”

  “Have you seen the palace gardens?” Alyx asked. “There’s nothing like them in this world.”

  “You spend a lot of time at the palace then?” Dawn asked with interest.

  “Yes, in fact, I hear you’re betrothed to the Crown Prince of Rionn.” Finn said, a teasing note entering his voice.

  Alyx’s head shot up, looking at Dawn. “You told him?”

  “You could hardly expect me to keep that sort of news secret from my twin brother,” Dawn said indignantly.

  “So, we’ve got a future queen at DarkSkull?” Tarrick’s voice made all three of them jump. “It begs the question, what are you doing here, Lady Egalion?”

  “Tarrick,” Alyx noted. “Do you make a habit of listening to other people’s conversations?”

  He spread his arms innocently. “I just came to exercise my horse before my next class, and heard you talking.”

  “Well, in answer to your question, I’m here against my will,” she said sourly. Tarrick looked astonished. “You didn’t want to come here and learn your magic?”

  “Magic isn’t a big part of our lives in Rionn,” Dawn said.

  “I didn’t even know I had magic, and I’m still not convinced I do,” Alyx said. “Just because my mother had magic doesn’t mean I do, right?”

  “Yes, that’s true, but—”

  The barn door opened again, breaking off Tarrick’s reply. Alyx recognised the boyishly handsome features of Brynn, the initiate who had been bullied in the sparring yard on their first day. He looked cheerful, despite the now yellow bruising around his eye. He stopped in surprise when he saw the four of them gathered together around the horses.

  “Hello,” he said in a friendly tone.

  “Have you got stable duties as well?” Dawn asked brightly.

  Brynn nodded. “I’m a bit late though. Got caught up in the sparring yard.” He grinned. “I think I still have plenty to learn in that regard.”

  “You are late,” Tarrick noted. “As we all will be if we don’t hurry up and get these horses exercised before our next class. Alaria is the nicest of the bunch so I’m not too worried, but aren’t you all in Master Prajana’s class next?”

  Alyx shuddered at the thought of incurring the severe master’s wrath, and shared a panicked glance with Dawn.

  “You’re right.” Brynn sobered.

  “Would you like to join us? Maybe we can be faster if we get this done together.” The words were out before Alyx really thought about them, but at the look of surprised pleasure on Brynn’s face, she couldn’t take them back.

  “Sure,” he said. “Can I give you a hand with that saddle, Finn? One thing I have learnt in two weeks is how to buckle up a saddle.”

  “That would be fantastic.” Finn stopped struggling with his, and it crashed to the ground at his feet. Alyx had to leap out of the way as the horse spooked, smothering a smile as she did.

  “I’ll leave you to it.” Tarrick smiled and winked. “Wouldn’t do to be seen in public with innocents like yourselves. Enjoy your ride.”

  “He’s a strange one,” Finn noted as Tarrick left to tend his own horse.

  “I don’t think so,” Dawn said. “He’s been friendly, although I suppose that’s strange enough, given he clearly looks down on us.”

  Alyx said nothing as Brynn approached Finn’s horse; she understood Tarrick in a way the twins didn’t. His status here in the mage world matched what hers was back at home in Rionn. She wondered if she’d been so accommodating of others below her station. It wasn’t something she’d ever thought of before.

  “Here, I’ll go slowly if you want to watch.” From anyone else, Brynn’s words would have been condescending, but from him they sounded sincere.

  Alyx studied him as he taught, going much more slowly than Ladan had. Brynn wasn’t very tall, about the same height as she was, and his golden hair was thick and almost scruffy, sticking up all over his head. His smile was warm and friendly though, and his green eyes sparkled with good humour.

  “Thanks, Brynn.” Finn smiled when he managed to get the buckles right.

  “No problem. Dawn, yours looks fine, although you might want to tighten up this one a little bit here.” He turned to Alyx. “I’m sorry, I don’t know your name.”

  “We haven’t officially met,” she said. “I’m Alyx Egalion.”

  “And royalty too, if I overheard Tarrick correctly?”

  A little taken aback by his direct manner, she nodded. “Not quite. My father is a lord of Rionn.”

  “I’m Brynn Starrin.” He held out his hand. “It’s nice to officially meet you, Alyx.”

  Not wanting to be rude, Alyx took the proffered hand. His grip was warm and dry as they shook.

  “You don’t really have to wait for me,” he told them. “I’ve still got to saddle up my mare.”

  “No, we don’t mind,” Finn said.

  They waited a few minutes while Brynn saddled his mare before they led their horses out to the wide, green field adjoining the barn. Alyx and the twins immediately headed for the mounting blocks nearby, but Brynn’s shout stopped them dead.

  “If you’re going to learn to ride, you might as well do it properly,” he said with a shrug. “There won’t always be a convenient mounting block nearby.”

  Alyx looked between him and the enormous stallion beside her. She’d always used a mounting block before, and always had the assistance of one of her father’s grooms.

  “Jump up, grip the saddle, and haul yourself on.” Brynn flashed another friendly grin. “It gets more graceful with practice, I promise you.”

  “And how would you know?” Dawn rolled her eyes at him.

  “I used to fall off at least ten times a ride,” Brynn said. “Now I’m down to about seven or eight times.”

  “He’s right,” Finn said determinedly. “We have to learn.”

  They all watched as Finn jumped up, missed the pommel of the saddle, and slid awkwardly back down.

  Alyx was hard pressed to hide a grin, while Dawn laughed out loud. Finn, red-faced, tried again. This time he managed to grab hold of the pommel; he hung there for a few seconds, then painfully hauled himself upwards. His stallion decided to shift sideways right at the end, so that he barely managed to avoid rolling off the other side.

  “Go on, then. You do better.” Finn taunted his laughing sister.

  Alyx turned towards Tingo, attempted to judge the distance to the saddle, then jumped high. Her bruised fingers protested painfully as she grabbed the pommel, then tried to haul a leg over the saddle. It was a struggle, and she was certain she looked like an idiot, but she eventually managed it. Luckily Tingo stood still, bored the entire time.

  Once she was up there, she abruptly realised how far away the ground was. The saddle was also one she was unused to, so she was perched uncomfortably.

  Dawn managed to get astride after two attempts, throughout which Finn laughed gleefully, and Brynn in three. Once they were done, Finn kicked his mare into a trot through the gate and into the field. Alyx urged Tingo after him, and the others fell in behind. Tingo’s stride was far different to that of her little mare back home and Alyx struggled to adjust to it.

  Finn let out a shout as his mare lurched into a gallop. Completely of his own accord,
Tingo decided he wanted to stretch his legs as well. The change in gait was abrupt and Alyx tried desperately to rein him in but he was far too strong for her. She bounced around wildly for a few moments, then fell off.

  She hit the ground hard, the breath whooshing out of her lungs. His rider dealt with, Tingo slowed back to a trot, then stopped some distance away and lowered his head to start cropping the grass. Dawn managed to haul her trotting stallion in and looked down with a concerned glance.

  Alyx had been a girl the last time she’d fallen off a horse, and her father had been watching from the fence. He’d run over immediately to give her a hug and kiss her sore arm better. Once she’d calmed, he’d told her the best way to deal with the situation was to try and get back on the horse. Afraid and still crying, she’d allowed him to place her back onto the saddle. He’d been so proud of her, and after walking the horse around the field one more time, he’d carried her inside and ordered the cook to make her favourite cookies as a treat.

  This time, nobody was around to kiss her better.

  “I hate this place,” Alyx grumbled as she rose painfully to a sitting position. Her fingers were throbbing from trying to rein Tingo in.

  “It was nice of you to invite Brynn to join us.”

  “It was stupid of me. If Fengel sees us with him, he’s likely to turn his attention to us too.”

  Dawn scowled. “I’m glad you didn’t think about it too much then.”

  “I just fell off a horse. I’m in no mood to be nice,” Alyx snapped, feeling the pain and humiliation of the fall overwhelm her.

  “Are you all right, Alyx?” Brynn appeared, hauling his mare in with every bit of his strength.

  “No,” she muttered, hauling herself to her feet. “I’m sore and angry, and I don’t want to get back on that stupid horse.”

  “We’d better hurry,” Finn shouted from across the field. “I think we’re supposed to be at language class.”

  The fear of Prajana was enough to get Alyx to her feet, and she dragged herself back into the saddle. Tingo fortunately remained at a trot as they rode the horses a few more laps around the field before returning them to the stables and then running for class.

  Alyx and the twins arrived as a group to the dining hall that night. In wordless agreement, they’d stuck together since the staff-cutting in the woods. Tarrick’s early assessment of them as innocents had clearly passed through the student population, because none of the other initiates had made any attempts to be friendly. The incident with Fengel wouldn’t have helped matters, either. She couldn’t imagine any initiate wanting to get on his bad side by appearing to befriend the newcomers from Rionn who had caught his ire.

  On reflection, Alyx supposed she liked the twins, but she didn’t truly know them, and they did little to ease the miasma of depression that hung heavy in her chest since their arrival.

  This night, as had become usual, they took their seat at a table near the edge of the room, Alyx balancing her bowl of stew in one hand because of her aching fingers.

  “Do you mind if I sit with you?” Brynn approached them as they began eating.

  “Of course.” Finn reached around and pulled out a chair for him. Brynn sat down beside Alyx, and she tried not to be annoyed at Finn.

  “Thanks,” Brynn said as he sat. “It’s hard to find table companions when you’re a lesser mage.”

  “You don’t seem too upset by that,” Dawn noted.

  “I’m not,” he replied cheerfully. “I’m proud of my family, and I’m thrilled that I have any mage ability at all.”

  “Still.” Finn leaned forward with a smile. “You should consider that the three of us are both innocents and possibly lesser mages. Do you really want to fall any further down on the social ladder?”

  Brynn laughed. “It’s all a matter of perspective, Finn. Would you actually want to spend your time with a bully like Fengel?”

  “The man has a point.” Finn sat back. “You’re welcome to sit with us anytime.”

  “Thanks.” He spooned a mouthful of stew. “You said that you were possibly lesser mages. Does that mean you don’t know what magic you have?”

  “Alyx and I have no idea.” Finn smiled. “Dawn can hear things at long distances, but I don’t think Master Howell knows exactly what that means yet.”

  “You haven’t started classes with him yet?”

  “You mean to learn magic?” Dawn asked. “No. Who’s your master?”

  “Renwick. I had my first class with him last Seventhday,” Brynn said.

  “How did you work out what your power was?” Finn asked.

  Brynn shrugged. “I can mimic any sound you can think of. All I have to do is hear the sound once and I can replicate it perfectly. I’ve been doing it since I was a boy.”

  “Can you give us an example?” Finn looked fascinated.

  “Sure.” Brynn sat up and straightened his shoulders for effect, then spoke in a perfect imitation of Master Prajana, “Tardiness will not be tolerated. I absolutely insist on punctuality.”

  They all laughed.

  “It’s not just voices. I can replicate music, animal sounds, anything.”

  “What an interesting mage power,” Dawn said.

  Silence fell for a few moments as they hungrily emptied their bowls of stew. The hum of conversation that pervaded the hall mixed with a full stomach lulled Alyx, making her sleepy.

  “I was impressed by how you got back up on the horse after you fell today, Alyx.” Brynn’s voice broke her from her daze. She looked over to see him spooning up the remnants of his bowl.

  “My father always taught me that you have to get straight back on after a fall,” she said.

  “Easier said than done, though. That’s one big horse. Good on you.”

  “Thanks,” she said quietly, warmed by his words.

  Finn engaged Brynn in conversation about his origins after that and Alyx listened with half an ear, most of her concentration taken up with staying awake enough to finish eating. She caught enough to learn Brynn was Tregayan, and that his family was from a small rural village not far from DarkSkull Hall. He talked unashamedly about his family’s lack of money or property and spoke about them with great affection and pride.

  Alyx finished her stew, her attention moving to take more note of her surroundings. She focused on Fengel first, sitting at the crowded table in the centre of the room; most of the others sitting near him were older students wearing grey apprentice robes. Oscar was there too, and Adahn, the apprentice from mapping. Tarrick was one of only two initiates sitting with the group, although he was at the opposite end of the table from Fengel. The other initiate sat sprawled languidly in his chair, looking bored.

  Alyx’s gaze fell on an apprentice sitting beside Fengel, silent amidst the lively chatter around him. The distance was too great for her to make out his features clearly, but there was something different about him, an almost visible aura of intensity. She wondered what it was that made him a part of the group that was clearly atop the student pecking order, as Tarrick had put it.

  Other students sat clustered in groups throughout the rest of the room. As far as Alyx could tell, initiates and apprentices sat separately, with the initiates at the tables furthest from the centre. After searching a few more moments, she found Ladan sitting alone in the corner of the room. His help with her horse earlier that day had been cool and perfunctory but there had been no reason at all for him to offer it. She sensed there was a lot of feeling locked up behind the forbidding expression he habitually wore.

  As if sensing her regard, his head turned and caught her glance. She was unable to look away from his cool green eyes, and after a long moment, he turned back to the food before him.

  “I’m exhausted.” Dawn tapped Alyx’s arm. “Want to head off to bed?”

  “Sure.” Alyx yawned and waved a half-hearted farewell to Finn and Brynn.

  “Brynn seems nice,” Dawn commented as they walked.

  “I suppose,” Alyx said.
>
  “You really are a snob at times,” Dawn said in amusement. “I know he made it clear just now that his family is poor, but—”

  “It’s not that,” Alyx interrupted. “What if Fengel goes after Brynn again and we’re with him?”

  “So what if he does? How is that Brynn’s fault?” Annoyance tinged Dawn’s voice as she opened their door.

  “It’s not. But I don’t want to get hurt.” Alyx continued before Dawn could say anything. “I don’t want to fight with you over this, either. Fengel scares me, Dawn.”

  “I’m scared too. But imagine how Brynn must feel?” Dawn sighed as she surveyed their room in the soft lamplight. “We’re going to have to fix this up soon.”

  Both Dawn and Alyx had been in too much of a rush every morning and too exhausted every night to do more than drop their clothes in piles and leave their bedding in a mess. Neither of them had forgotten Madam Grange’s warning about room inspections.

  “I can’t do it now,” Alyx groaned, collapsing onto the bed.

  “Me neither,” Dawn said. “Tomorrow morning?”

  “Sure.” Alyx tossed off her robe and climbed under the covers. After a moment’s hesitation, she spoke again. “Dawn, my father asked me to try here. It’s important to him, and me, that I don’t dishonour our family or sully his reputation at court, irrespective of how much I hate it here. Bullying doesn’t happen in my world, well... not physical bullying anyway. The only way I know how to deal with it is to avoid it. Do you understand?”

  “I do, but Alyx your world is like a bubble. In our world, there’s no option to avoid dealing with the tough things that happen in life. How we deal with them is what defines us, makes us who we are.” Dawn’s voice was soft, but resolute. “And I won’t be someone who stands by while others are hurt.”

  Is that who she was? Uncomfortable at that idea, Alyx turned over, her thoughts keeping her from sleep for a long time.