The Apprentice's Path: The Alchemist #1

by Stacey Keystone

  "Feeling better now?" he asked.

  "Yes," I said. "I'll be taking a bath in a little while, but for the moment, let's just sit here."

  "Your grandpa and the Major want to speak with you," Jack said.

  "They already know what happened yesterday," I said. "They were both present when I told the police. And I don't want to rehash it. I feel bad enough as is."

  "You need to decide what you'll do. It seems like, as we expected, the people who arranged Captain Greggs' murder are also going after you. They observed you, and, the moment you were vulnerable, they attacked," I could hear the disapproval in Jack's voice. He didn't like me going around drunk in the middle of the night.

  "I did what you guys told me for almost two months," I said. "I only went to university, came back home before dusk, and did nothing else. But I can't live my life like that."

  "Which is why we need a plan," Jack said.

  "We?" I asked.

  "You, me, your grandpa, and, apparently, Major Craen," Jack said.

  "Major Craen? I'm not sure I want him to be planning anything with us," I said.

  "You can't get rid of him," Jack said. "Since he'll be watching you like a hawk. His guys screwed up yesterday."

  "His guys? You mean he had me under surveillance?" I asked.

  "He did. After you left, he spent a lot of time yelling at the gendarmes who came. He was furious that they didn't catch the perpetrators."

  "Ha!" I exclaimed. "Serves him right. That's the kind of people you get when you engage in witch hunts instead of investigating actual criminals."

  I could see Jack disapproved of my schadenfreude, but he said nothing.

  "Well then," I said. "I'll go take a bath. You can tell those two geezers I'll be coming down in an hour and a half. We'll discuss strategy then."

  When I emerged, clean and relaxed, out of the bath, Jack was waiting for me.

  "They're waiting for you at your grandpa's office," he said.

  I dressed, put on the moccasins I used at home, and followed Jack. I still hadn't been to grandpa's new office. This house was so enormous, you could get lost in here (I did a couple of times; once, I just went outside and went back inside through the other door because I couldn't find the way).

  The two geezers (I know Major Craen's middle-aged, but he's still a geezer to me) were sitting in there. Grandpa, behind his desk. Major Craen, on the windowsill behind the desk. Despite perfectly suitable chairs and armchairs in the office, he would not take the visitor's seat; he had to control the room.

  "Good morning, Master Bedwen, Master Craen," I said. I'm not sure Craen had heard my slip yesterday, but I could always pretend it was just the exhaustion.

  "Good afternoon, more like it," Major Craen said. He noticed the order in which I saluted them, because he frowned.

  "Good afternoon, then," I said, with a smile.

  Jack sat on the chair next to me.

  "Good afternoon, Miss Bedwen, Detective," grandpa said. "I see you are well. How is your magic, Miss Bedwen?"

  I tried to do the usual exercise and felt nothing. There was no energy in my body. I couldn't see or feel the magical channels; it was gone.

  "Still blocked, I guess," I replied. "I can't see or feel it at all."

  "According to your blood test," Major Craen said, "you inhaled enough blocker to last a fortnight. You won't get to practice any magic."

  Not practicing magic didn't seem like a tremendous sacrifice.

  "Does that mean our classes are canceled?" I asked.

  "They are," grandpa said. "We need to focus on getting you safe right now. With your magic blocked, you'll be more vulnerable to an attack."

  "It's not like I know enough magic to use it for self-defense," I shrugged. "I can manage without it quite fine."

  "A physical attack, you can," grandpa said gently. "But without your magic, you're vulnerable to mental magic. And if the attackers are who we think they are, they'll try to lure you with it."

  "That means you aren't safe at university, either," the Major said. "I'll have policemen assigned to you for these two weeks. They'll accompany you between classes."

  "I don't think that's necessary," I said. I didn't want to have a police escort following me to class. What would that do to my reputation?

  "This attack has shown that the perpetrators won't be stopped by anything other than a visible police presence," Major Craen said. "And we need to control the situation."

  "No way," I said. "I will not consent to this. I won't be guarded."

  "So you don't mind being manipulated with mind magic?" the Major said.

  "As far as I can gather," I said. "A simple artifact can block the kind of contactless mind magic you're talking about. Only a powerful light mage can use contactless magic and overcome a defensive artifact. And policemen can't defend themselves against a powerful enough mage, either. So, unless you have the budget for a magical escort, it's all useless theater, anyway."

  By the way the Major frowned, I could see he didn't have the budget. Figures. No mage would agree to babysit an adult. Not for reasonable amounts of money, at least.

  "Dana's got a point," grandpa said. "I'll give her an artifact for mind defense, but it will only work against people with artifacts or weak mages. No artifact can defend against a strong enough mage."

  "The police can't defend you against mind magic," Jack said, "but they can defend you against other attacks."

  "Which won't happen if I only go from home to university during daylight hours," I said. "I can defend myself against anything the police can. Especially if you give me the same equipment."

  Jack didn't answer. I could see he knew I was right, but didn't want to agree on the lack of capabilities of the police.

  "It seems like you already have a strategy in mind, Miss Bedwen," the Major said. "Just tell us what you'd like to do."

  "I think we need to provoke them," I said. "Make them attack me when we want them to rather than when they want."

  "And how would you like to do that?" the Major asked.

  "Well," I said. "This entire thing started because of Captain Greggs' research, right? There was something there that they don't want to be found."

  "That is the working theory," the Major replied.

  "Declassify it, then," I said. "And I'll make a presentation on it, during the defense of my minor thesis. All the information I put on the report for Captain Greggs."

  "You must be joking," the Major said.

  "No," I replied. "I'm serious. Whatever secret there is, it has already leaked. Why not let the public know? Besides, I don't see what's so important to keep secret. Or do you have a good reason to keep it secret? Forg island belongs to Kalmar; that interesting archeological finds where found there isn't the kind of thing that should be a super-secret. And if you reveal it as part of an academic study, nobody but eggheads will learn about it. The general public can't handle complicated language."

  I could see he didn't like it.

  "Dana's right," grandpa said. "Unless there is a serious reason to keep the information she knows secret, revealing it will either provoke those who want to keep it quiet or, once it's revealed, will make her safe. Since they would gain nothing by killing her."

  The Major didn't look happy.

  "Revealing classified information is a crime," he said.

  "Declassify it," I said. "It seems somebody in your department is leaking it to outsiders, anyway."

  "How do you know about the leak?" the Major asked.

  "It's the only way the Society could have learned the information," I said. "Look; if your enemies are willing to kill to keep some information secret, shouldn't you be fighting to make it publicly available?"

  "That's not how it works," the Major replied.

  "Well then," I said. "I have nothing to propose."

  "Dana," grandpa said. "I'd like to talk to the Major in private."

  This time, I did not complain about being left out of the conversation. I knew gr
andpa was on my side.

  45

  After Dana and Jack left, the two men were left in the office, staring at each other with mistrust. The Professor turned his chair to look at the Major, who was still sitting on the windowsill.

  "Do it," Professor Bedwen said.

  "Or what?" the Major asked, with a smirk.

  "Or else I'll reveal some other secrets your department doesn't want to make public," Professor Bedwen replied.

  "That's a crime," Major Craen said. "You'll go to jail for that."

  "I know," Professor Bedwen said. "Which is why I didn't reveal them before. But I will, if you don't do whatever it takes to save Dana Bedwen. You can arrest me after that. I don't care."

  The Major stood up and leaned on the table, placing his arms around the Professor. He didn't move an inch, staring at him from a close distance.

  "And why would you do that?" he said. "She's your apprentice, but nobody expects this level of dedication from a master to an apprentice. Apprentices are disposable."

  "I've got my reasons," Professor Bedwen replied, staring firmly into the Major's eyes. "But I promise you, on my family's honor, that I will do it if you don't do what I'm asking. It's not an empty threat."

  "I could detain you," the Major said. "For threats of revealing government secrets."

  "You could try," Professor Bedwen replied. "But, by the time we're done in court, the public will know for sure that something is going on. I'll hire all the best lawyers, and I'll make sure every damn reporter in the country knows about the case. It will be bad."

  The Major stared at the Professor, who remained motionless despite having a battle mage inches from his face. Then, after making some decision for himself, he stood up.

  "So it's true," he said. "She is your granddaughter."

  "Why would you think that?" Professor Bedwen asked, raising his eyebrows. His face was as expressionless as before.

  "Because you wouldn't risk everything for a nobody. At first, I thought she was your lover; but I am observant enough to see you aren't. Besides, you expressed no jealousy towards Detective Taylor. I noticed that her mother has the same name as your supposedly dead daughter... But she's dark. It couldn't be. Yesterday, though, when she called you 'Gramps', I realized it is true."

  "Miss Bedwen was in a highly inebriated state," Professor Bedwen said. "And tired. She must have confused me with her grandpa because I'm also old."

  The Major ignored him.

  "She doesn't look like you, and she's dark... She's adopted, right? She must be your son-in-law's daughter."

  "Dana is the child of her parent's marriage," Professor Bedwen said. "There's even a birth certificate for that. She isn't her mother's stepdaughter."

  "And that's one thing that tripped me at first. But then I realized. Caerland is an area where people don't care that much about the letter of the law. If an illegal immigrant came with an infant, and that infant could get legal status with the right paperwork, especially with an available and eager mother... Well, for a small bribe, you could easily do it. They won't even consider it corruption."

  "If you think birth documents were faked," Professor Bedwen said. "You should absolutely investigate it. That's a serious crime."

  "Except I won't be able to get anybody to testify, they'll stonewall me every step of the way, and I'll be known as the worst master ever," the Major replied, with a smile. "I admire men who protect their families. That's why I'm willing to go along with it. Something must have changed in this world for an Inquisitor to put everything on the line for an adopted grandchild, especially one that is dark arall. But don't threaten me with those secrets again. It won't work."

  And with those words, the Major left the office.

  The Professor stared at his back blankly. It seemed like the group of people aware of his secret was growing by the day.

  Grandpa convinced the Major to go along with my plan. I don't know what kind of strategy he used (knowing grandpa, it was some kind of threat), and I wasn't going to ask. But it seemed like, whatever it was, it had convinced the Major that my slip at the police station must have been true. When I asked grandpa about it, he dismissed my concerns.

  "Don't worry," grandpa said. "He guessed, but I have confirmed nothing. He won't go telling it to everybody. But I'm thinking keeping it secret is not a good idea."

  "So you'll tell everybody about mother?" I asked. "How she's alive?"

  "I think we should go with the adopted granddaughter story," grandpa said. "That I adopted you as my granddaughter. Include you in the family register, the works. I should call my lawyer and do that, actually."

  "Tell him?"

  "To include you in the family registry. And will. We should also introduce you to society after this is over."

  "You mean, like those rich kids who have a debut?" I asked.

  "Yes, like that. You should prepare a dress."

  Another dress? I had already dipped into my savings, and I had no money left. A dress for a social event would cost a fortune. And, whatever Jack thought of my scruples, I had them. I would eat for free and stay at his house, but I wouldn't take his money.

  I thought how long it would take me to get the money.

  "Take your time organizing the party," I said. "At least two months. I'd like it to be after I've started with my summer courses, so it doesn't happen at the beginning of the courses, in case I need some extra time to prepare."

  "I'm glad you're OK with this," grandpa said.

  I smiled at him, with some of the mixed feelings I had towards him. I was also tired of the effort required to keep it secret, but telling everybody and an official introduction would open an entirely new can of worms.

  "You're my grandpa," I told him. "It will be easier if everybody knows it. Now, how about we focus on my thesis? I'd like the presentation to be top notch, if I'm risking my life for it."

  My minor thesis had been almost ready, and, with the recent changes, I just added another chapter. Grandpa and I went over it exhaustively several times, before it was polished enough for his satisfaction.

  So, with the date set for next week, I prepared, trying to make the most polished presentation I could. Of course, the part of it I was least satisfied with was the chapter on the stupid button. I couldn't understand what was so important about it, to keep it that secret. Nothing in it seemed particularly incriminating. I was sure I would be endlessly questioned on that part, but there was nothing I could say.

  "Just say: 'Further study is required'," grandpa said.

  "That's what everybody says when they've got unsatisfactory results," I protested.

  "You've got unsatisfactory results," grandpa said.

  He had a point. It was just so... inelegant.

  "It's just a minor thesis, for crying out loud," grandpa said, as he saw me struggling. "It's already way too long and way too complete."

  "You were the one who insisted I was thorough," I reminded him.

  "And I'm regretting it," grandpa said. "Because it seems like I released a perfectionism monster. Let it go. We've got bigger fish to fry right now."

  I went to submit my thesis with the Major. He wasn't too happy about standing in the queue at the Dean's office, either.

  "You mean, they only work for two hours a day?" he asked, staring at the secretaries.

  "Yes," I replied. "And that's why we had to come early. We have to submit now so I can make my presentation next week."

  I stayed home after that, waiting for the presentation date, as my magic recovered. The date was put right after my recovery, so they couldn't just hypnotize me easily.

  46

  Professor Bedwen approached the Major.

  "Dana has disappeared," he told the Major.

  "What do you mean, disappeared?" the Major, who was still observing everybody, trying to see anybody suspicious, asked.

  "Just that. She disappeared. She went to the toilet, and, when she didn't come out for a while, I checked. She wasn't there."


  The Major swore, calling one of his subordinates with a gesture.

  "Show me where this toilet is," he asked the Professor.

  Inside, he checked the window, which seemed closed. He pushed. It wasn't locked.

  "Damn," he said.

  Then, turning around to look at his subordinate, who had followed him here, he started yelling.

  "You nitwit! How could you miss them again? Make sure to search the whole building. Make a perimeter around the University -- make sure nobody can take anything outside without checking."

  Then he turned towards the Professor.

  "We need to find her as soon as possible," he said. "Because if we don't... They'll kill her or destroy her mind as soon as they realize she doesn't know anything other than what she already said."

  Professor Bedwen nodded, his hands shaking a bit.

  He hadn't been able to protect his family. Again.

  When I regained conscience, the first thing I felt was the pain in my wrists. I kept my eyes shut, trying to feel my body. I was sitting on a chair, with my hands tied behind, and my feet tied to the chair.

  "Stop pretending," I heard a voice. "I can see you're conscious. Your aura tells me so."

  I opened my eyes. I saw the juror from the magical tribunal in front of me. The one that looked and nodded at grandpa way too much.

  "Now, abomination," the man said. "Tell us everything you know about this," he said, holding a button that looked like the one I'd been working on in front of me. Did they steal it, or were there many in Forg island?

  "If you wanted to hear that," I said, looking around the room, "you could have attended my presentation. I'd have told you, together with everybody else. But since you're asking, let me start with the review of the literature," and I started my perfectly rehearsed presentation. I had practiced it so much, it was solidly ingrained, so I could say it without thinking about the contents.

  I looked around the room. Only the juror was a mage. The others were ordinary people, with slightly hazy looks you see in drug users. Were they on drugs, or was it the magic? They were all armed with daggers and swords. I also saw some crossbows on the corners.