Cave of Nightmares

by V. St. Clair

  Wordlessly, Hayden removed the blue prism from his belt and twisted it into the eyepiece. He knew it was slightly smaller than it should be due to the spells he cast last night, and knew that there was no chance of Asher not noticing.

  But the Prism Master didn’t comment on it at all, simply drawing a clear diamond prism from his own belt and equipping it, pulling the eyepiece down over his left eye.

  “You see, class, by looking through my prism and into Hayden’s—which is backwards from my perspective—I have access to a multitude of inverse arrays without the risk of compounding,” the Prism Master stepped closer to him as he explained. Hayden was seized with a mad desire to jump up and run away.

  “Now I will show you a little-known power of the mastery-level clear diamond prism.” He stopped just in front of Hayden’s desk and looked him straight in the eye through his prism.

  Hayden was momentarily diverted by the view he had through his own prism. Master Asher was right; there were tons of inverted arrays he could see that he hadn’t been able to before the Prism Master moved right in front of him. He didn’t even know the names of most of the alignments, but scanned them eagerly all the same.

  Then, without warning, Master Asher’s voice seemed to fill his head, as though it was coming from inside his own skull and echoing unpleasantly around his brain.

  I reward you with a more advanced prism and you waste it on petty revenge? Do not make me regret my faith in you, Hayden. I will not cover for you again.

  Hayden cried out in terror and fell out of his chair just as his blue-tinted prism shattered in the eyepiece and a butterfly made of glass flew out of it. His classmates began to ooh and aah excitedly as the butterfly soared around the room, eager for the chance to examine it more closely or touch it.

  Master Asher lifted his eyepiece out of the way and offered Hayden a hand to pull him to his feet. “Quite surprising, isn’t it?” his gaze bore into him.

  “Y-yes sir,” Hayden’s voice squeaked nervously.

  The Prism Master immediately resumed looking cheerful as he walked to the front of the room, holding out his hand for the glass butterfly that alit on his open palm.

  “Now, as you can see, this is a bit like an animate conjure. The creature is not actually alive, but has replicated the behavior of the thing it is modeled after. Giving movement to inanimate objects can be obscurely useful in the following ways…”

  Taking notes gave Hayden a good excuse not to make eye contact with the Prism Master for the rest of the class period, though his hands were trembling from the shock of having his mind invaded and his writing was barely legible. When Tucker leaned over and asked why his face was so pale, Hayden nearly jumped out of his seat.

  “I must just be hungry…” he answered without looking up.

  I may never be hungry again.

  18

  Abnormal Magic

  He never told Zane and Conner that they’d been caught by the Prism Master, but he also didn’t ever suggest tormenting Oliver and Jasper again.

  The older boys returned to classes the next day, ink-free, though they were the surly recipients of many questions from their peers about what had happened to them. Hayden was absolutely positive that they knew who was involved in their late-night art project, judging by the glares and menacing threats he received every time he passed one of them in the hallway.

  Master Asher must have said something to Jasper and Oliver too though, because though they were constantly threatening to dismember him and feed his entrails to the birds, they didn’t actually make good on their dire promises for the rest of term. In turn, Hayden did all he could to avoid them—and trouble in general—and Master Asher never mentioned the episode again and continued to treat him normally.

  Two weeks before the end of the fall term he was sitting in the common area with Zane and Conner, reading over the informational pamphlets on the minor arcana. Anyone who was planning on dropping or adding classes to their schedule for the next year had to schedule an appointment with the Masters to get permission.

  “Charms looks kind of interesting…” Hayden remarked to his friends, reading the leaflet out loud. “Learn to manipulate materials and weave spells for protection, transformation, and dueling.”

  Zane frowned thoughtfully. “Yeah, lots of people take Charms because you can make great defensive emblems, which is important if you plan on fighting deadly monsters for a living.”

  “Did all the Masters take Charms, or do they just know how to use their Mastery Charms automatically?”

  It was Conner who answered. “I don’t think all of them took Charms, but most of them probably did. I know Kilgore is top-notch at them, and Willow and Asher aren’t bad either.”

  “Still, I’m definitely going to have to stick with Scriptures…” Zane tapped his fingers against his knee and read out loud, “Learn to harness the power of the written word and amplify the effectiveness of your conjures beyond your wildest dreams.”

  Hayden frowned. “I still don’t really get what scriptures are, even though I’ve seen Tess use them a few times in our arenas. It looks like conjury to me, just without the circle.”

  “It is very complementary, which is why almost all Conjury majors take it.” Zane sighed. “Basically, with conjury you’re summoning or sending something that already exists in the world: a specific blade of grass, a certain rope, and so forth,” Zane explained patiently. “When you pull that rope out of thin air, you’re removing it from its previous location.”

  “Yeah, I get that,” Hayden nodded. It was one of the first things Master Reede had explained to them at the beginning of the year.

  “Well, scriptures are different. If you write the word ‘rope’ on a piece of scripting vellum and use it, a rope will appear in front of you.”

  Hayden waited for a moment to see if Zane would continue before pressing, “So?”

  “So…” his friend explained, “the rope you summon won’t have come from anywhere else. It’s not something that already exists, it’s something you made.”

  Hayden tilted his head in surprised consideration.

  “So you can actually create something…out of nothing?”

  “Well, not nothing…the scripting vellum and ink are all consumed in the process, and the thing you make is an imitation object, not a real one, so it doesn’t last very long.”

  “But why do they need to teach a class on it if it’s all just writing words on paper?” Hayden frowned. “If you know the word for ‘rope’ then just write it down and have done with it, right?”

  Conner laughed. “Sometimes I forget that you didn’t grow up in a magical family.” He continued immediately, “There’s a whole art to how you write the word, how you get your will to join to the paper so your command actually works. There are different strengths of vellums and inks that allow you to do different things…”

  “Okay, okay, I get it,” Hayden interrupted.

  “Anyway, it’s a great supplement to conjuring, so I’m definitely signing up for it. I should have room in my schedule if I drop Elixirs like I’ve been planning. Since I dropped Prisms after my first year, I guess I could also take Charms, but then my schedule will be full again and I kind of like only having five classes.”

  Hayden raised an eyebrow in surprise. “You think Kilgore will let you drop Elixirs?”

  Zane let out an inelegant snort. “He’s been hinting strongly at it for the better part of the year. I think he’ll throw a party once I tell him I plan to drop out. I messed up my elixir of wisdom so badly a few weeks ago that he asked Mistress Razelle to check and make sure I wasn’t brain-dead.”

  Hayden and Conner both laughed at that, though the former said, “I’ve always wondered how the Masters are allowed to be so…sarcastic, I guess, without getting in trouble. At my primary school, before my mom died, the instructors all had to be very professional, but Mistress Razelle is the only one here like that.”

  “It’s because they’re so good at thei
r jobs,” Tamon entered the common area with them and took a seat on the floor beside Zane. “Getting a teaching position at one of the Great Nine schools, especially at Mizzenwald, is no easy thing. It’s pretty cut-throat actually.”

  Zane nodded emphatically. “Yeah, so the Masters all got their jobs by being crazy-smart and powerful. Since the administrators all want Mizzenwald to keep its reputation as one of the top schools in the Nine Lands, they’ll let them do just about anything they want, short of beating us.”

  “I’m not certain they’d actually prohibit them from beating us,” Tamon contradicted, “as long as they still bang out an awesome research topic by the end of the year and win some awards and funding for it. All the administrators care about is balancing the budget and making sure the school makes more money than it loses.”

  “Then why is Mistress Razelle so nice?” Hayden put in.

  “Well, healers aren’t quite as hard to find as say, a Prism Master, so maybe she has to be a bit more careful,” Conner suggested. “Or maybe she’s just a nice person, I don’t know.”

  “You all figured out what you’re going to sign up for next year?” Tamon gestured to the small pile of pamphlets on the floor between them. “I’m dropping Healing and picking up Herbalism instead.”

  “Why?” Hayden asked, surprised.

  “Because Herbalism is complementary to elixirs, and I’m an Elixir major,” he answered smoothly. “All of the minor arcana have a complement in the majors.”

  Hayden picked up the leaflets and examined them more closely. Not all of them came out and said they were supplemental to one of the major arcana, though a few of them hinted at it.

  They probably expect people to come from a magical household and to just know these things.

  “Um, so what’s complementary to Prisms?” he asked the others.

  “Charms is tagged as a good minor for both Prisms and Wands,” Zane said. “Herbalism goes with Elixirs, Healing goes with Elixirs or Powders—mostly Powders…” he counted off on his fingers as he went down the list. “Scriptures goes with Conjury, and Abnormal Magic goes with everything.”

  “What in the world is Abnormal Magic supposed to be?” Hayden didn’t even see a brochure for it.

  “I’ve heard it’s a really weird class,” Conner offered up. “It sort of combines the history of magic with a description of really obscure, bizarre bits of it that don’t seem to follow any of the normal rules or categories.”

  Hayden thought that over for a minute or two.

  “I guess that could be interesting, learning really unique kinds of magic.” He frowned in frustration. “How in the world are we supposed to choose what to put in our schedule? I don’t have room for everything I want to do.”

  Zane laughed. “You are ridiculously studious.”

  “It’s not that I like studying,” Hayden interrupted flatly, “It’s that I want to learn about all sorts of magic so I don’t have to worry about being eaten by massive dragons while on holiday.”

  Even Zane had to concede the point on that one.

  “Well, are you dropping any classes at the end of the year?” Tamon prodded.

  “I didn’t plan on it…other than Powders, which I’ve been out of for a while now.” He sighed. “I’m decent at everything else, or at least not failing.”

  “Hmm…” Conner glanced at his schedule. “You could drop Healing.”

  “I’m good at it though, and given the things I’ve seen in the third-year challenge arenas, trust me, you guys are going to want someone who’s good at healing in your group.”

  He and Zane were the only second-year students in the third-year rosters, and Conner and Tamon frowned thoughtfully.

  “Well, that really only leaves you room for one new class then, since six makes a full schedule.”

  “I know, but I’m interested in Charms, Scriptures, and Abnormal Magic now.” He sighed and ran his hands through his hair, making it stick up on end.

  “Go with Charms for now, and if you decide to drop something else after third year then you can squeeze in another,” Zane suggested. “I’ll take care of the scriptures for both of us during the arenas.”

  Hayden knew his friend was right. There was plenty of time for him to study other branches of magic, especially if he stayed on as a mastery student, though he’d have to find someone to sponsor him. Master Asher was out, of course, but perhaps Master Willow would be willing to give him a research project. Alternatively, he supposed he could save up his yearly allowance and simply pay for an additional year or two of schooling to complete more subjects.

  His ten minute appointment with the Masters was scheduled for three days later, just after dinner, and Hayden transferred Bonk to his shoulder and hurried to the Masters’ conference room, not wanting to be late.

  He got there just as Mira was leaving.

  “How’d it go?” He slowed down, attempting to flatten his hair and straighten his clothing before he went in so he’d make a good impression, not that it mattered much at this point.

  Mira shrugged. “Not bad. They approved my transfer from Elixirs to Scriptures.” She patted Bonk affectionately on the head and said, “Good luck.”

  Hayden wasn’t sure whether she was talking to him or his dragon, but he went inside without asking. If I ever need a girl to help me with something I should just walk around with Bonk on my shoulder, because they seem to love him at first sight.

  All ten Masters were assembled, five from each of the major and minor arcana, dividing the long table in front of them into the red half and the green half due to their robe colors.

  Hayden stood at the approximate center of the room and tried to look calm. The effect was marred somewhat by Bonk, who decided it was a good time to climb around his shoulders and stand on top of his head, his little claws gripping tufts of Hayden’s dark hair.

  “Bonk, what are you doing?” he hissed at his familiar, trying to look up at him without success. “Get down here right now.”

  A few of the Masters chuckled as they watched him struggle with his dragon, who refused to be moved. Frustrated, Hayden gave up and decided to just pretend there wasn’t a tiny magical creature perched on top of his head, turning back to the Masters.

  “So, Hayden, you’d like to make a change to your schedule next year?” Master Willow began without preamble, also doing him the courtesy of ignoring Bonk.

  “Yes, sir. I’d like to add Charms in place of Powders, if that’s alright.”

  Master Sark snorted in dry amusement, making his point very clear. Yes, I know you wouldn’t let me back into your class even to save my life.

  “That is the only change you’re requesting?” The Master of Wands looked mildly surprised to hear it.

  “Um, yes. I thought I was doing alright in my other classes.” Oh lord, are they about to tell me that I’m failing everything?

  “I didn’t have the impression you much cared for Elixirs,” Master Kilgore interjected in his normal gruff tones.

  Hayden frowned. “Oh I don’t mind Elixirs, or you for that matter. It’s Lorn Trout I don’t care for, and I keep getting stuck near his workstation,” he admitted, and both Asher and one of the Masters of the minor arcana laughed at his honesty.

  “And Healing?” Master Willow continued without changing expression.

  “In the last year I’ve come to appreciate how important it is to be able to dig myself out of whatever trouble I’ve gotten myself into.” He smiled weakly, and Master Kilgore muttered, “Too true,” just loudly enough for him to hear.

  “So you are taking the traditional path of the Prism and going with Charms then?” Master Willow looked almost disappointed in him. “A safe bet, I suppose.”

  “I wanted to try Abnormal Magic and Scriptures too, but I couldn’t make room for them on my schedule,” Hayden admitted. “Everyone said Charms was a good complement to Prisms though, and Wands.”

  “And so it is,” Master Asher spoke now. “A good choice for your third-yea
r— well, your second year of actual schooling,” he amended with an airy wave of the hand. “I didn’t have time for Abnormal Magic until my fifth year here.”

  The Master wearing green robes at the far end of the table leaned forward and muttered, “You are abnormal magic, Asher.” He didn’t sound entirely complimentary.

  The Prism Master beamed as though it was the most flattering thing he’d ever been called.

  “Very well then, Charms it is.” Master Willow stamped a sheet of paper in front of him. “All of your current instructors have given you permission to continue on in their courses. Pending the results of your final exams and the average score from your arena challenges, you’ll be notified which level you will be permitted to enroll in for each class.”

  Hayden nodded and tried not to dwell on the possibility that he might have to retake a level-one class if he did too poorly in his exams.

  “You are dismissed,” Master Willow waved him off, and Hayden walked out of the room with Bonk still perched on top of his head, claws fisted in his hair. The little dragon hopped down onto his shoulder as soon as they were out of sight and began behaving properly now that there was no audience.

  “Torin was right about you,” Hayden grumbled to him. “You are a little menace.”

  ***

  The last week of school was reserved for finals, which were supposed to be a culmination of everything they had learned over the course of the entire year. Fortunately there wasn’t a practical portion to contend with, because his nerves were so frayed he would probably find a way to burn down the school on accident and get arrested for it. It was understood that their last challenge arena would be their most difficult and would serve as a practical final exam, weighted more heavily than their average scores throughout the entire year.

  Classes were cancelled in the days leading up to the exams, and the Masters instead held optional review sessions, which almost everyone attended. The exams themselves would last two hours each, and they would have to do three in a row for two consecutive days. The schedule of final arena challenges was posted on the wall in the main foyer, divided up by year. Hayden’s group fell on the night after their other tests were finished.