Past Tense (Schooled in Magic Book 10)

by Christopher Nuttall

  Bernard looked surprised, but he bowed anyway and took Julianne’s hand. Emily didn’t blame him for being astonished. Normally, he wouldn’t have been left alone with Julianne under any circumstances. She wondered if Whitehall knew that Bernard and Julianne had grown closer, then realized that Whitehall knew that Julianne had magic too, now. Bernard would be in for an unpleasant surprise if he tried anything stupid ...

  Which he isn’t going to do, she thought, as Whitehall led her back into the castle. He’s almost sickeningly sweet on her.

  The thought nagged at her mind, tormenting her. She’d kissed Robin—and she’d wanted to kiss Robin. The forest had been romantic ... no, it had been more than merely romantic; there had been something in the air that had encouraged romance. Julianne and Bernard did have feelings for one another, thankfully, but had the forest pushed them together? Would they come to regret it in time?

  “Emily,” Whitehall said. They stepped into his office and sat down. “What happened?”

  “The Manavores hunt by using magic,” Emily said, flatly. “They ...”

  “Manavores,” Whitehall repeated. “Is that what they’re called?”

  “I named them,” Emily said. She brushed her hair out of her eyes as she leaned forward, hoping to convince him. “It went after the boys first, Master. It didn’t seem to notice me until I used magic and it completely ignored Julianne. When they attacked your village ...”

  “They went after the powerful magicians first,” Whitehall finished. “The ones covered in ... slop.”

  “Yes, Master,” Emily said.

  She paused, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. “I hit it hard enough, physically, to kill a man,” she added. “I don’t think it even noticed the blow. The only way to stop them seems to be to drain the surrounding magic field.”

  “I see,” Whitehall said. He looked like a man who had bitten into a particularly sour lemon and forced himself to keep chewing. “Should we abandon the castle?”

  Emily shook her head, without thinking. Whitehall couldn’t abandon the castle. The school had to be established—and she’d been laying the groundwork for it all along. She didn’t dare let him simply walk away, but how could she stop him? And the rest of the Whitehall Commune? She’d earned some respect from him, she felt, yet not all the masters saw eye-to-eye with him. Master Chambers disliked her personally and she rather suspected that Master Reaper felt the same way.

  And I killed Master Gila, Emily thought. They’ll hold that against me, even if it had to be done.

  “You don’t think we should go,” Whitehall said. “Why not?”

  “The current system of learning magic is doomed,” Emily said, grimly. “Those creatures—the Manavores—are going to be hunting you for the rest of time, until they run out of prey or you learn to kill them. Each apprentice raised in the old system is going to be prey, as far as those creatures are concerned. Their magic will draw the hunters like moths to a flame.”

  “Which is why they kept discovering our villages,” Whitehall muttered. “But our apprentices cannot abandon magic.”

  “You don’t have to,” Emily said. “The creature ignored me until I used magic. And even after I did cast a spell, it had problems seeing me. You have to teach your students to mask their powers.”

  “Like you do,” Whitehall said. He cocked his head, thoughtfully. “How very convenient for you.”

  Emily flushed. “I didn’t set out to ...”

  “I know,” Whitehall interrupted. “But this is not going to go down well.”

  “Yeah,” Emily said.

  She sat back in her chair, suddenly feeling very tired. Logically, if she already had the scar on her cheek, it couldn’t be long before she petrified herself. The scar couldn’t be allowed to heal ... it crossed her mind that she could keep the scar from healing, but she’d definitely not looked very much older than she was when she started her trek back to the future. She hadn’t spent as much time admiring herself in the mirror as some girls she could mention, yet she didn’t think she’d put on too many years ...

  I need to work out the spell, she thought. Then I need to find my hiding place.

  “And Robin’s demon was banished,” Whitehall mused. “It didn’t turn on him?”

  “No, Master,” Emily said. “It just vanished.”

  She leaned forward. “What was it?”

  Whitehall frowned. “A protective demon? Robin would have bound the demon to one task—protecting him. When released, the demon would attack the person threatening Robin and then return to the darkness. DemonMasters prefer not to use them because they’re completely indiscriminate. There’s rarely any time to get them targeted before they have to be unleashed.”

  “And they could lash out at everyone,” Emily mused.

  “They could,” Whitehall agreed. “And their presence can make it harder to summon some of the other demons.”

  And the demon simply flickered out of existence when the Manavore attacked it, Emily thought. Does that mean that demons are made of magic?

  She pushed the thought aside for further consideration as she met his eyes. “It should be possible to use the nexus point to safeguard the castle,” she said. “And now that the nexus point has been tamed, the level of ambient magic in the vicinity should drop sharply.”

  “That might have been what brought the creature here,” Whitehall said. He looked back at her, thoughtfully. “Can you show me how to cast the runes you used?”

  Emily hesitated, briefly. The runes had come from the future, after all. But realistically ... it wouldn’t be long before Master Wolfe duplicated them, once he knew they were possible. He was already halfway towards building up a comprehensive outline of runes, sigils and other rituals that would eventually lead to subtle magic. And Whitehall needed them. If the Manavores were on the prowl, he’d have to prepare to defend the castle.

  “On one condition,” she said. “You teach the girls how to use them too.”

  Whitehall gave her a sharp look, but nodded. “Very well,” he said. “You might have to do the teaching, though.”

  “I know,” Emily said. “Julianne will learn quickly, I am sure.”

  She sketched out the runes for him, briefly explaining how they diverted magic around the circle, leaving the interior isolated from the ambient magic field. The Manavore had starved very quickly, suggesting that it desperately needed mana to survive. And yet, there was the nagging doubt over precisely what had happened after it had been trapped. Had it died—or, as Whitehall had warned, had it merely gone home? The implications worried her more than she cared to admit.

  “There’s no reason why mundanes can’t draw out the runes,” she finished. “You could surround the castle with traps designed to catch and kill the monsters.”

  “This is something that should be spread far and wide,” Whitehall said. “And something that I should discuss with the other masters.”

  He shrugged. “And unfortunately, I cannot ask for you to attend.”

  Emily felt oddly conflicted. On one hand, she would have liked to be there, standing and watching as history was made ... but, on the other hand, she knew that Master Chambers wouldn’t welcome her presence. And some of the others would probably agree, pointing out that Emily was no master. And that she’d only been with the commune for a few short weeks.

  “You have to propose changing how to teach apprentices,” Emily said. Could she spy on the meeting? It might have been possible before the nexus point was tamed, but now ... she had a feeling her spells would be detected. “And you have to try to bring other apprentices here.”

  Whitehall smiled, humorlessly. “We will see,” he said. He rose. “Go to your bedroom and wait; have a wash, if you like, but don’t try to sleep. I may have to summon you to answer questions.”

  “Yes, Master,” Emily said. She rose and bowed. “Please make sure they all know how to cast the runes.”

  “Of course,” Whitehall said, dryly. His smile grew warmer. “T
hat will be the first order of business—once we finish hearing the protests, of course.”

  “Of course,” Emily agreed.

  She turned and walked out of the office, then paused by the air vent, glancing up and down the corridor before removing the snake-bracelet from her wrist and undoing the spell, freeing Aurelius from his confinement. The Death Viper curled on her palm, sniffing the air; a barrage of impressions slammed into her mind as the familiar bond returned to life, leaving her feeling oddly guilty for keeping Aurelius in suspension for so long. But what other choice did she have? No one else in Whitehall had a familiar that was utterly lethal to everyone else.

  Gritting her teeth, she introduced Aurelius to the air vent and watched as he crawled inside, slithering up the pipes. The castle was threaded with tiny air vents, all far too small to allow a human to use them to move from room to room. But a snake would have no difficulty in finding a place to listen, spying on the conversation. And they’d have no way to know that they should be watching for him.

  And I’ll know what they’re saying, she thought, as she hurried to her bedroom. And then I might know who truly understands what is at stake.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  JULIANNE LOOKED HALF-ASLEEP WHEN EMILY entered the bedroom, but she still insisted on cleaning the wound on Emily’s cheek and disinfecting it before lying down on her blankets and downing a foul-smelling potion of her own. She fell asleep moments later, leaving Emily sitting on the blankets, watching her. Emily allowed herself a moment of relief—she’d been considering casting a sleep spell on Julianne to make sure she couldn’t interfere, then checked the potion before lying down and closing her eyes. It was strange to see through her familiar’s eyes—the world always looked weird—but she’d grown used to it. Void had made her practice, back when they’d shared a house.

  And I really should spend more time with him, she thought, as the snake slid into a vantage point. Other familiars spend all their time with their partners.

  She shook her head, dismissing the thought. Aurelius was just too dangerous to be left off the leash, no matter how she felt about him. His poisonous skin wouldn’t cause her any harm, but anyone else who touched him would be lucky if they only lost a hand. She still shuddered when she heard the horror stories, including a number Lady Barb had told her when she’d been trying to convince Emily to turn Aurelius into alchemical ingredients. But the thought of slaughtering her familiar had been unbearable.

  I’ll just have to give him more time in my bedroom, she mused, as she watched Master Chambers and Master Reaper step into the chamber. And when I get home, I can take him to the house for a few days.

  She couldn’t help feeling oddly dirty as the remaining masters gathered in Whitehall’s office, even though they weren’t doing anything naughty. Magic provided hundreds of ways to spy on one’s foes—hell, Emily had heard that trying to crack the spells protecting the girls changing rooms and bedrooms at Whitehall kept a number of male students gainfully occupied when they weren’t actually studying. She knew she’d be in real trouble if she was caught spying on another student, let alone a tutor ... she felt, despite herself, that she shouldn’t be doing anything of the sort. And yet, she wanted desperately to know what was going to be said. She had to know.

  At least I’m not spying on the boys, she told herself. It wasn’t a convincing argument. And the discussion concerns me.

  “We have a problem,” Whitehall said, once the door was closed. “They’ve found us.”

  “One of them has found us,” Master Chambers corrected. “And it was destroyed.”

  “By her,” Master Keldor said.

  “She gave me a copy of the runes she used,” Whitehall said. He passed the parchment to Master Wolfe. “I have no reason to doubt her story.”

  “My apprentice confirms it,” Master Chambers said, grudgingly. “The hunters have found us.”

  “None of us had any warning,” Master Reaper said. “I have been attempting to divine the future. None of my ... contacts ... gave any warning about this.”

  Demons, Emily thought.

  “Nor mine,” Master Chambers confirmed. “Are we sure it was one of them?”

  “Your apprentice said so,” Master Drake snapped. “And so did Whitehall’s apprentice. Apprentices.”

  “They could have been fooled,” Master Chambers said. “And encountering the creature could have been nothing more than bad luck.”

  Master Wolfe leaned forward. “I questioned young Bernard extensively,” he said. “There is no reason to doubt their story.”

  He paused. “The creature was extremely resistant to magic,” he added. “It shrugged off both direct and indirect attacks, as well as ... snuffing out ... a demon. If it was not related to the hordes that destroyed our settlements and slaughtered dozens of magicians, we will have to come to terms with the fact that there are two forces out there hunting us.”

  Logical, Emily noted.

  “Emily believes that the creature actually eats magic,” Whitehall said. “Our ... sloppy ... magic draws the creatures to us.”

  Master Chambers snorted. “First you argue that uncontrolled magic causes madness,” he said, sharply. “And now you argue that sloppy magic lures the hunters.”

  “The hunters have targeted magical villages almost exclusively,” Master Drake said. “I have only heard of a handful of attacks on mundane villages and all of them housed at least one magician.”

  He paused. “And we have learned, in the last few weeks, that many of our spells are overpowered,” he noted. “We can achieve so much more with less, if we knew better what we are doing.”

  “And you may be giving up some of your power,” Master Chambers said. “Have you considered the possibility?”

  “When we came to this castle, turning someone into a frog for a few hours would leave me tired and drained,” Master Drake said, curtly. “Now, I can cast the spell several times in a row without feeling so rotten afterwards. And a couple of apprentices can also cast the spell without constantly casting smaller spells to build up their reserves.”

  Emily shivered. She’d boosted her reserves, after the duel with Master Grey, but it had come with a price. And Void had admitted, openly, that he’d worried about her sanity. Whitehall and his commune didn’t know about the dangers of pushing themselves too hard, tacitly accepting the risk of either driving themselves mad or burning out their magic. But they didn’t know what they were doing to themselves.

  Master Wolfe nodded. “And there’s another point,” he added. “Apprentice Bernard was very clear on the important matters. It was he and Apprentice Robin who were targeted first, even though there were two other magicians present ...”

  “You need to control that girl,” Master Chambers said, to Whitehall. “There’s nothing more disruptive than a disobedient apprentice.”

  “Particularly one who involves herself in the affairs of her betters,” Master Keldor added, darkly. “If I had talked to my master the way she talks to you ...”

  “She is clearly unused to living in a commune,” Whitehall said.

  “She is clearly unused to being brought to account for her actions,” Master Chambers thundered. “She taught your daughter magic! The curse will strike them both.”

  “They believe the curse can be handled,” Master Wolfe said. Emily honestly wasn’t sure if he believed his own words. “And we need to know if ...”

  “It can be handled,” Master Chambers said. “By not learning or using magic.”

  “I worked my way through the figures,” Master Wolfe said. “There are no incidents, as far as anyone can recall, of a witch giving birth ...”

  “We know,” Master Chambers interrupted.

  “... But there are also creditable reasons to worry about men too,” Master Wolfe continued, ignoring the interruption. “I have no children; you have no children ... the largest number of children born to any magician, any male magician, is three. And that father was a notorious seducer: his three c
hildren were born to three different mothers.”

  He nodded to Whitehall. “And Whitehall, who never uses demonic spells, still only has one child,” he added. “He ...”

  “Should have married again,” Master Keldor said. “So should the rest of us.”

  Whitehall cleared his throat. “We have three problems,” he said, cutting off any further digressions. “First, the hunters—the Manavores, as we have termed them—are clearly sweeping the area for us. Second, we now understand both the true nature and the cause of the curse—and that it affects men as well as women. And third, we have rather more apprentices than we can hope to teach.

  “At the same time, we have also discovered--” he nodded to Wolfe and Drake “--that combining the different magical disciplines leads to more useful and versatile spells. Spells, I might add, that we don’t need to draw from demons.”

  “And how to tame the nexus point,” Wolfe said. “We are constantly expanding the control structure under the school.”

  Emily felt a thrill of excitement. Wolfe had taken her ideas and run with them, creating what would eventually become the control room she recalled. How long would it be, she asked herself, before the first Warden was ready to take his place? Maybe not long, now that some of Master Keldor’s work had been integrated into the growing structure. He knew more than anyone else about how the human body worked.

  Whitehall pressed his fingers together as he surveyed the room. “I believe we need to rethink our approach,” he explained. “And that we should ... expand the commune to the point we can teach multiple apprentices at once.”

  “Out of the question,” Master Chambers snapped. “Do you have any idea of the dangers?”

  “We can prepare for the dangers,” Whitehall said. He kept his voice calm, but Emily caught the underlying edge. “There’s enough power in the nexus point to protect the apprentices from harm.”

  “He does have a point,” Lord Alfred said. Emily was surprised. Lord Alfred had always struck her as a doddering but kind-hearted old man. “Teaching one student at a time does allow us to catch their mistakes before it’s too late. Trying to teach even two or three students will make it harder to save them from themselves.”