by Stas Borodin
Perhaps I should blame Mistar’s Flowers for my current condition. Maybe the poison was finally taking its toll on me, or maybe it was the scouts’ drug wearing gradually off and making me feel dizzy. I grabbed the edge of the table, watching the room spin around me.
✽✽✽
I woke up in bed. The room was light and airy, with white-painted ceiling and walls. I felt a cool breeze blowing through the open window. At the head of the bed, I noticed a fluid-filled glass jar hanging from an iron hook. Some clear flexible tubes hung down from the vessel. Cautiously, I turned my head and was surprised to see that the tubes were connected to a shiny needle sticking out of my arm. I felt no pain, only weakness. A terrible sickening weakness, as if some giant leech was sucking all the blood out of me.
I leaned back on the damp pillow, closed my eyes for a second, and passed out again.
It was evening when I awoke again. The room was painted pink by the sunset and I could hear shouts coming through the open window; it sounded like there was some kind of game in progress.
A cold hand touched my forehead.
“The fever has broken.” Master Aydiola sat down next to me on the chair. “Now your life is no longer in danger.”
I propped myself on an elbow, and the magician held the tubes, helping me to assume a more comfortable position.
“Is it all because of Mistar’s Flowers?” I asked. “Did they make me sick?”
“No.” The Master Magician shook his head. “Actually, they saved your life, by neutralizing the poison in your food with their toxins.”
“Poison in the food?” I couldn’t believe my ears. “Someone tried to kill me?”
“Not necessarily you,” Master Aydiola replied. “There were eleven people in the dining hall. The poisoner could have been targeting any one of you. We will never know who.”
“What happened to the others?” An eerie foreboding came over me.
“All dead.” The magician sighed sadly. “It’s just you.”
Master Aydiola went to the window and looked out. “There will be no new trakee team this year.” His voice cracked. “Every day I witness many strange things, my boy. Someone has stepped on the scales, upsetting the balance. We don’t know who, we don’t know why.”
I heard shouts of triumph coming from outside.
The Master Magician smiled. “Master Keandr asked me to take care of you, young man. He asked me to help you if possible.” Master Aydiola leaned toward my ear. “Well, this time it is me who needs your help. I need to find out what is going on at the Academy.”
I didn’t know what to say. How could I help the famous magician? It all seemed like a bad dream. “You shouldn’t pin your hopes on me,” I said. “My so-called Gift is a joke. You said it yourself.”
The Master Magician sighed and rubbed his unshaven chin. “Hmm… maybe so.” I saw him weighing up whether to continue our conversation.
“Master Aydiola,” I blurted out hurriedly, “I am not refusing; I just don’t know what I can do for you.”
“I know, my boy, but you mustn’t rush.” The Master Magician smiled and patted my hand. “First of all, you have to understand what magic is and what responsibility lies on our shoulders. I want you to understand the difference between magic, witchcraft and sorcery. Without this essential knowledge, this conversation may be very dangerous for both of us.”
I felt that there was something important happening, but I couldn’t fully grasp the meaning of the magician’s words.
“Good. I’m glad we understand each other,” Master Aydiola said. “In the meantime, let’s keep our acquaintance secret. Let the rest of the students believe that I’m just a humble librarian.”
I grabbed the magician’s hand and nodded vigorously. “Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me.”
“That’s good.” Master Aydiola rose. “And remember, they call me Raydun the Librarian.”
✽✽✽
I was discharged the next morning. A young doctor felt my pulse, looked into my eyes, wrote me some prescriptions, and ordered me to visit him again in a week’s time.
An old servant was waiting for me in the hallway. He grunted something inaudible and stalked forward, leading me through the maze of corridors. We went down the stairs and found ourselves in the hospital courtyard, overgrown with all kinds of medicinal herbs. A young man with a bandaged leg was sitting in the shade on the grass, reading some thick ancient-looking book. I glanced at the yellowish pages covered with complex formulas.
“Follow me, young master,” said the servant, picking up the pace. Despite his age, the old man proved to be pretty nimble.
The Academy was the size of a small town. High walls loomed above the red-tiled rooftops; there were crooked streets, tiny squares, miniature parks and fountains of all shapes and sizes. I saw a lot of statues. Made of bronze, stone, marble or even wood, these were not idols, they portrayed real people. Some of them were sitting on benches reading books, some were walking purposefully, clutching under their arms map rolls and strange contraptions. There were also those who did nothing, just lay on the lawn or sat on the window ledge, carelessly dangling their barefoot legs. I noticed small nameplates beside each statue, and decided to give them a closer look in the near future.
The streets were deserted, only stocky janitors, who looked more like retired soldiers, were sweeping the cobbles and watering flower beds.
The servant led me to a small two-storey house. We climbed the black wrought-iron spiral staircase and stopped by a door.
“This is my room?” I asked, pointing to a sign with my name on it. “It’s not a dormitory?”
“We do not have dormitories,” grunted the servant. He handed me the key. “Keep quiet and don’t throw garbage out the window.”
I turned the key twice and opened the door. It turned out my apartment occupied an entire floor. On one side it had four large windows; the opposite wall was occupied by empty bookshelves. At the far end of the room I saw a bed covered with a mosquito net. At the window there was a massive antique table, light sphere, writing instruments and a stack of paper held down by a green crystal.
I left the door open and sank into a chair. My belongings, including the precious Amrus hat, were neatly stacked by the window. Someone had even put some flowers in a simple glass jar.
I liked the room. It reminded me of an artist’s studio, so spacious and bright. In fact, it was so big it could easily accommodate half a dozen students along with their horses and luggage.
On the far wall, I noticed two rectangular sheets of paper. One of them turned out to be a map of the Academy; the other one contained my schedule and a long list of lectures and lecturer’s names.
“Studying the schedule?” I heard a soft chuckle. “Don’t waste your time! The only thing worth knowing at the Academy is when feeding time is.”
A boy was standing in the doorway. He was barefoot and dressed in a rumpled mustard-coloured suit. The breeze fluffed his red hair, and it shone above his head like a bonfire.
“I’m Ayssived.” The youth offered his hand. “But they call me Ice. I come from Antraga, a tiny shithole ten days ride east of Mino. My kingdom is smaller than the Academy’s stables, so don’t waste time looking for it on the map.”
We shook hands.
“I’m Marcus Grimm, but all my friends call me Mark,” I replied. “I come from Lieh, which is far in the north. We live in caves, we go naked and we eat human flesh.”
“Yeah, I heard about that,” my new acquaintance laughed. “But I’m not afraid! Look here, just skin and bones! Besides, I’m your neighbour from below.”
We laughed together.
“I was told to look after you for a while,” he continued. “This place is crazy, pal, but with me you won’t get lost.”
Ice looked around and then spotted my hat hanging on a chair.
“Oh, gods!” He looked surprised. “Don’t tell me that in Lieh you all wear Amrus hats!”
“Of course not
.” I shook my head. “Only the poorest folk, those who can’t afford the Toadus hats.”
Ice raised his eyebrows quizzically, wondering what it was about, then slapped his forehead and laughed. “Ha, in Antraga we all wear Toadus! They multiply mighty fast and grow even bigger than Cowus! Maybe we should start a trade between our kingdoms? We’ll sell you Toadus and you’ll sell us Amrus?”
“Frankly speaking,” I admitted, “I don’t even know what an Amrus is.”
“It’s okay,” Ice chuckled. “Before I came to Paara I’d never heard of them either. The Amrus is a very rare beast, and only the bravest hunters dare to hunt it.”
I took the hat and handed it to Ice.
“Take it, it’s yours now.”
My new friend recoiled. “I can’t accept such a gift. It’s too expensive for a country bumpkin like me.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you,” I said. “But what is so special about the damn beast? Why can’t I give it to a friend?”
“Are you serious?” The boy’s eyes widened. “Cause it’s made from a baby dragon’s skin!”
✽✽✽
It turned out that this was Ice’s third year in the Academy. He wasn’t the brightest one among the students, but he advanced nicely developing his own Gift.
“At first I didn’t want to come to the Academy,” he told me on the way to the dining hall. “But my parents decided that Antraga needed its own wizard, and that only a wizard could restore our kingdom’s former glory. We are talking about several pastures in the next valley and a mountain pass where we can collect taxes from passing merchants and travellers.”
We crossed the square and climbed a short flight of stairs.
“This is the refectory.” Ice sniffed the air. “Love the smell! Can you feel it?”
The air was rich with exotic aromas.
“I must admit, the grub here is pretty decent.” My friend’s belly growled loudly. “Way better than in Antraga.”
The dining hall was even larger than the one in which I had been served the poisoned meal. Instead of chairs there were long benches polished to a mirror shine by students’ backsides. The table tops were covered with inscriptions and elaborate carvings made by countless generations of diners.
“Admiring the table-art?” Ice chuckled. “You have to scribble your name too, it’s a local tradition. Just wait a minute; I’ll get you a tool.”
I sat on the edge of the bench and ran my hand over the bumpy table surface. Half-erased names, monograms and intricate patterns intertwined so that it was impossible to determine where one began and the other ended.
“Here you go.” Ice threw me a table knife. “While you work, I’ll bring something to chew on.”
I took the knife and set to work.
“A freshman?”
I turned around and saw two older boys. They were standing by the entrance to the hall, holding stacks of books and bags stuffed with scrolls.
I threw a leg over the bench and turned around to face them.
“I was admitted just a couple of days ago,” I said, offering my hand. “My name is Marcus Grimm. Pleased to meet you!”
“We don’t give a shit who you are!” One of the boys spat on the floor. “Stay away from us, freak!”
The boys were gone, and I was left standing with my hand hanging in the air.
“Sit down, don’t stand there like a statue.” Ice lowered two trays onto the table. “Everyone knows that only you survived ‘the Dining Hall Massacre’. Some fools even think that you were dead and resurrected by the wizards. No wonder it scares the shit out of them!”
“What about you?” I looked at Ice suspiciously. “Are you not afraid?”
“Afraid of what?” He grinned. “There are things more terrifying, my friend. Going back to my beloved Antraga, for instance, or losing my pitiful allowance.”
I nodded, looking at the plates standing on the wooden tray. There were decent portions of steaming ragout, some salad and half a loaf of bread.
“Don’t be afraid.” Ice pushed the tray towards me. “It is not poisoned.”
In silence, we started the meal; however, my new friend couldn’t keep his mouth shut. He carefully wiped up the remains of the sauce with a piece of bread, licked his greasy fingers and stared at me, as if expecting something.
“What?” I set my spoon aside. “Pretty good grub, as you said.”
Ice produced a toothpick and stuck it in his mouth. “You know, I keep wondering… Why you? Are you someone important? I mean, you must be filthy rich, but… Damn, I was also ordered not to pester you with questions…”
I shook my head. “I’m nobody. Really. It appears that a friend of mine who put in a good word for me is Master Aydiola’s old acquaintance.”
“Now I get it,” Ice sighed. “I wouldn’t mind having such a patron too.”
I pointed a finger at the students sitting at the far end of the dining hall.
“And who are they? Shouldn’t they be in the classroom?”
“Them?” Ice snorted. “They are the Blockheads. Their parents spent a fortune, hoping to make them wizards. It’s really funny how stupid some people can be!”
“It means they are not gifted?”
“But they have money.” Ice shrugged. “One rich student without a Gift pays for five gifted kids who can’t pay for themselves. I think that’s fair. It’s a crazy place, my friend; and it’s hard to understand right away what’s going on here.”
Ice lowered his voice. “We call them Blockheads. Stupid, no Gift, lotsa money. Those like me, who have the Gift, but who don’t have a clue what to do with it, are called Goofs. Then there are the Scholars, who study like mad, know everything, but still have no magic. And finally, there are the Elite. These are high and mighty; they fart lightning and belch thunder!”
We giggled quietly, but the Blockheads heard us anyway.
“They think we are laughing at them,” Ice grinned. “The Blockheads are very touchy and like to brawl. These bastards are scared of the Elite but always ready to bully some Scholar or rough up a Goof.”
“You’ve fought them too?” I said.
“More than once,” Ice said. “A couple of times they got me pretty good. Just look how big they are!”
We left the dirty dishes on the table and hurried out of the refectory.
“For starters, you have to attend the lectures marked on your calendar,” Ice explained on the way. “I don’t recommend you take the higher-level classes. You can take them, of course, but for you it will be a waste of time. At first you need to build a foundation, and only then start to build walls.”
“I’m in no hurry,” I sighed. “But I don’t know where to begin.”
“Don’t worry,” Ice reassured me. “The most important thing for a young magician is to learn to think freely. You’ll have to learn how to conduct research, how to extract the very essence from the mountains of knowledge.”
Ice slumped on the bench and began to explain.
“Let’s take, for example, a Goof like me.” He patted his chest. “When I was first accepted to the Academy, I spent a whole week in the refectory until I had eaten my fill and tried every single dish! Why are you looking at me like that? Back in Antraga our entire menu consisted of potatoes and turnips. Baked turnips, fried turnips, boiled turnips, turnips with potatoes, potatoes with turnips. So, the following two weeks I spent roaming Paara’s streets, staring at the ships, fishing, swimming and chasing pretty fisherwomen. I didn’t have much money and I couldn’t afford much, but as long as there was silver jingling in my purse, I was free!
“A month passed and I was left without any money, so I had no other choice but to sit down and study. They didn’t make me a schedule, like the one you have on your wall. They probably thought that I wouldn’t be staying at the Academy for long. They were wrong! For two months I attended all the lectures in a row, until my head was about to pop. I was completely exhausted and felt like a fool, and then, what a sur
prise, I got a letter from home. My father boasted that all the neighbours were already scared of his wizard son! He wanted me back as soon as possible, to put an end to an old dispute over some broken fence!”
Ice jumped up from the bench and bowed. “What should I have written him back? Should I have told him that his son is an idiot? No, thank you, I’m not that eager to get back to my goats. I began to study hard. I analysed my abilities, and decided in which direction I should move, and what kind of lectures I should attend. Eventually, there were a few stones in my foundation, and I hope to build some mighty strong walls pretty soon.”
“All this took you three years?!” I exclaimed in disbelief.
“Well, I told you that I’m a Goof.” Ice cast his eyes down humbly. “And then, no one bothered to tell me what classes I should attend. Don’t be surprised, there are many kids like me around here.”
“I’m wondering…” he’d got me curious “…what kind of Gift you have.”
Ice smiled slyly and put a finger to his lips. He grabbed me by the arm and dragged me to a deserted trakee field.
“I’m a true Goof in all kinda things that don’t concern my Gift,” he said with a grin. “Master Raydun, our librarian, is giving me private lessons twice a week. If you want, I’ll introduce you, you could use his help.”
“I think we are already acquainted,” I muttered.
“I’m so damn lucky that he is helping me. Without him I would be stuck in the same place for a long, long time.” Ice clapped his hands. “Look!”
He put his hands to his mouth, licked his lips and swallowed audibly. Something gurgled in his throat and he belched loudly. “Sorry.” He spat on the ground, inhaled noisily through his nose and threw back his head, directing his cupped hands to the sky.
A stream of blinding white fire burst from his mouth and rose almost to the heavens. The flames roared. I was thrown back by the unbearable heat, but Ice wasn’t harmed.
I shook violently, feeling my legs turning to jelly. I remembered how the same flame had burned down the fleeing Zontrakian soldiers who were desperately trying to escape the fiery breath of the Dragon of Lieh.