The Black Mage: Complete Series

by Rachel E. Carter

  HOURS LATER, Erwan returned with my mare and an armful of lumber. In the meantime, Jared and I had seen to the camp.

  I staggered to my feet as an order rang out to gather the wood.

  How long are they going to keep me? A mountain of branches was shoved at my chest, and I swayed. Would the bandits let me go at all? Or were Alex and a patrol of soldiers going to find me gutted on the side of the trail the next morning?

  I’ll have to make a run for it when they fall asleep.

  The men’s conversation rose as I placed more wood on the fire.

  “Halseth and Karl haven’t made it back?”

  “Hard to see anything in this blasted forest. They probably made camp somewhere else.”

  “Do you think they caught the other one?”

  “I don't see why not.” Jared spat at the ground, and his gaze fell to me. “You, boy, is your friend a worthless brat like you, or does he have magic?” His eyes gleamed over that last word.

  “N-no.” My lip trembled. If they suspected my brother had magic, would they try harder to find him? To use him for his abilities?

  “Shouldn’t have lied.”

  Before I could duck, the man snatched my wrist and thrust my hand into the fire. I screamed out as the flames ate at my skin.

  The man dropped my arm with a start.

  Blinking back tears, I cradled my hand, careful not to touch the patch that’d turned a nasty, glistening red.

  “Well, well…”

  I glanced up to find Jared smirking.

  “Why don't you go get us some more wood, Erwan.” The man’s eyes never left my face, and the corner of his lip rose higher. “I would go myself, but someone's got to watch the boy.”

  He knows.

  Erwan shot Jared a confused look. “I just brought a whole lot of it—”

  “Just fetch us more wood, you dolt!”

  As soon as his comrade disappeared, the bandit turned to me, hunger playing across his malevolent gaze. The shadows from the fire swept across his face, making every inch of him more menacing than before.

  “Who would have thought?” the man sneered. “A girl.”

  I glanced around the site as panic took hold of my lungs. If I ran now, would I make it far? I couldn't fight in the condition I was in. Perhaps a boy my brother's size, but not someone a head taller and twice my weight.

  Jared took a step closer, fingering the scabbard at his hip. “If you behave, I won’t tell the others.”

  It was time to run.

  My heels dug into the ground as the man leapt.

  I wasn’t fast enough. He caught me in the air, knocking me to the ground.

  Two hands pinned my wrists as his knees dug into my legs.

  I writhed and screamed as the man bent. A foul, sour stench assaulted my senses as his lips drew closer to my own.

  My head jerked forward. I’d learned some moves from fighting with boys my own age. There was a jolting pain and a satisfying crunch. Blood sprayed across my face as the man roared, clutching his nose.

  “You insolent wench!” The man’s right fist struck my face just as I kneed him in the groin, earning another curse.

  My face stung, but it was nothing compared to the pain in my hand. Grimy nails dug into the burn, and I shrieked. Why oh why didn’t I have a way to access my magic like Alex?

  I twisted and clawed, fighting back with my free arm.

  Jared reached for the top of my tunic, and I swung my fist as hard as I could.

  The man caught my wrist.

  I threw my weight into his hold for all I was worth.

  But the man was too strong. He slapped me again, so hard I saw stars.

  My face snapped to the side as the camp exploded in light.

  Then, I started to scream.… At least, I thought it was me. But it wasn’t. I was too busy choking on dirt.

  The screams were getting louder.

  Was my hearing damaged? Did he hit me that hard?

  I attempted to pull myself from the ground, trying to make sense of what had just taken place.

  An immense pounding filled my head as I drew up to my knees. The screams were like the screech of a rusty wagon’s wheel. They kept going and going, ringing in my ears.

  The cries were coming from the shimmering thing in front of me.

  I blinked twice and my vision cleared.

  Jared was enshrouded in flame. Fire ate away at flesh and cloth in a frantic inferno as he staggered across the camp shrieking at the top of his lungs. Somehow, someway, he’d been set entirely ablaze.

  Without bothering to wait, I shoved up from the dirt. I sprinted as every muscle inside of me screamed. My trembling hands undid my mare’s lead while she stared out at me with wide, unblinking eyes.

  I gave swift thanks to the gods she was saddled with my bag still attached.

  Then, I swung up into the saddle, wincing as my bad hand brushed the horn. Every part of me ached, but the burn on my palm the worst of all.

  I gave the mare what I hoped was a reassuring pat, nudging her forward with my knees.

  “What is— Get back here, boy!”

  Erwan had returned, and he was racing toward camp. Pulse jumping, I leaned down, undoing the two other horses’ leads.

  Our eyes met across the way. He might be able to reach me in time, but his friend would burn alive.

  The man swore and rushed to Jared’s side.

  Ha.

  The last rope fell away, and I let out a loud whoop. The other horses startled and scattered as I took off into the night.

  Try to catch me now.

  I’D BEEN on the run for an hour when a loud crash of hooves pierced the silence from somewhere behind the trees.

  Pulling at the reins sharply, I steered my horse into a hard turn.

  “Ryiah, is that you?”

  Thank the gods. I’d thought I’d be searching for him all night. “Alex!”

  “Lost my tail a couple miles back.” He sidled closer. “Where’s your two?”

  “Occupied.” That was certainly one way of putting it. “They won’t be searching for us tonight.”

  It was too dark to see Alex's face, but I knew he was grinning. “What did you do?”

  I swallowed, unwilling to tell my brother the story while we were still in the middle of the woods. “Let’s get out of here first, and I’ll tell you everything in the morning.”

  We wouldn’t be safe until we were through the pass. There was still my brother’s tail searching the hills. Sooner or later, they would turn back.

  “Fine, but let’s take the rest at a walk. My horse needs a break, and I can barely see in this awful darkness…” Alex snorted. “I don't know about you, but I’ve almost fallen off twice tonight.”

  I knew better than to comment. My overprotective brother would emerge as soon as he saw me in the light. I was in no mood for one of his rants, and I didn’t want to give him a reason to go charging back after the men.

  I wanted to get to the Academy as quickly as possible and leave this nightmare behind.

  My brother let me lead—I had a better head for directions than he—and the two of us quietly found our way back to the main road after another hour of silent climbing.

  We finally left the canopy of trees and continued the remainder of our trek across open plains. The moon's soft glow and the occasional glitter of starlight lit the way.

  Fortunately for me, Alex was too exhausted to take in any abnormality of my appearance. Instead, the two of us remained silently alert, using the remainder of our energy to listen for others’ approach.

  Several hours later, just as the sun peeked through the towering crags off in the distance, we came across a welcome sight. A large, homely inn stood out from the road with the scent of hot, buttery eggs and sausage wafting through a wide pair of windows at its base.

  Alex took off with a yelp, and I chased after my brother, eyes glued to the vision ahead.

  2

  All I wanted to do was sleep, but
that was clearly the last thing my brother had in mind.

  “How?” Alex’s face colored with each mounting word. “How could you not tell me the moment you found me?”

  As soon as we’d turned over our mounts, Alex had finally noticed my appearance. All enthusiasm had faded in the light of the many scratches, bruises, and blood mottling my skin.

  And then he noticed my hand. “Ry!”

  I hid my arm behind my back. Angry blisters marred my fingers and palm in unsightly patches of glistening red, and the pain was worse.

  “It was more important to get to safety first.” My apology was weak at best.

  “Safety?” Alex snapped. “Don't use that Combat nonsense with me, Ryiah. And what happened? I thought you said—”

  “I didn't say anything because I didn't want to make you upset!”

  Alex made a face. “I believe I have a right to know what happened to my own sister.”

  The last thing I needed was his rage after he heard the tale. “Not now. Tomorrow, please, when we are both feeling better.”

  Alex glowered. “One day of rest. And then you will tell me what happened.”

  I raised a brow. “Keep acting like that, and people will start to say you’re the hotheaded one.”

  The two of us entered the inn, and while I inspected the grounds, Alex went ahead and ordered a room and a bath. Then, eyeing a loitering maidservant with a wink, he added on a list of common salves to be brought.

  The girl scurried off, blushing at my brother and glaring at me. I knew what she was thinking. Women all took to my brother the same.

  Alex and I might’ve been the same age, but that was where the similarities began and ended. I was a bit stubborn, a little too quick to settle my fights with a fist. My brother was assured and quick to smile. He never got into fights. He was too busy flirting with girls and charming our parents.

  It wasn’t that I was a brat, I just didn’t have the patience that came with my twin’s confidence. People liked him and tolerated me; I suspected it was also because I had what my parents joked was a “big mouth.”

  Alex was also a good three inches taller than me, with shoulders I envied. He barely even tried and muscle sprouted on his arms and legs like a plant. Meanwhile, my build wouldn’t change. I was slim and gangly, and months of hard training back home had never changed it.

  I wanted to hate my brother, but apparently I was also under his spell.

  Alex had everything. Our parents’ soft brown locks and warm blue eyes that made most girls forget how easy he flirted around town. Well, that and his humor.

  My eyes were blue too, but they were so light it was more common to think of them as gray than anything else. Gray. Take into account my quick temper, and it was no wonder people did not take to me the same.

  In a lot of ways, I was more like my younger brother Derrick. Alex took after our parents.

  Alex motioned for me to wash my cuts and then gave me a warning smile after I’d finished. “You are not going to like this next part.”

  I nodded absentmindedly. I was more than used to him tending to my wounds.

  My brother pressed two fingers to my palm. There was a moment of awareness, like needles prickling against skin, and then my pain flared, like hot embers working inside my flesh. It seemed to go on for ages, and I bit my cheek.

  A mage of Combat wouldn’t show weakness, so neither would I.

  The ache built to an unbearable point, and then it suddenly ebbed, a chill sweeping out and covering my flesh.

  Alex kept the pressure steady for another minute, and then he got up to grab the tray the maid had delivered.

  My brother filled a warm glass with water and mixed it with salt. He poured the mixture over my skin. It wasn't a pleasant sensation, but more tolerable than the last. He dabbed the inflamed flesh with a cold poultice a few seconds longer, and then spread a bit of honey over the top, wrapping my hand in a thin cloth when he was satisfied.

  “Thank you.”

  Alex shook his head. “It's a shame this couldn't have happened after we started the Academy. If it had, I'd be able to do a lot more than this. You are still going to have to let the rest of those cuts heal naturally.”

  In brother speak, don’t do anything else to hurt yourself before we reach the school.

  I waved his apology away. “Just feel lucky you have magic. In two days' time, I am going to be the biggest fraud in the history of that school.”

  Alex sighed at the familiar argument. “You have something, Ry. You just haven't found it. Everyone knows twins always share the gift.”

  The scrolls also said magic was rare, not hereditary, and emerged in adolescence. Who’s to say our shared birth played a part since blood didn’t? Perhaps other twins had been the exception, and we were the norm.

  I wasn’t even sure when the last pair of twins had attended the Academy of Magic. It wasn’t like we were a common occurrence.

  “But who is to say the Council's scrolls were talking about us? For all we know, they could have been referring to identical twins.” I fingered my red locks, a sharp contrast to the muted brown of my brother.

  We couldn't be more different there.

  Alex gave my knee a reassuring pat. “Gods help us, Ry. Even if you do have magic, it isn't as if we have a real shot.”

  I sighed. That much was true at least. Most applicants failed their trial year. We were just two lowborn kids without any formal training.

  “Mark my words,” he added, “this time next year, we'll be applying to the Cavalry.”

  I knew my brother was right, but I hoped more than anything he was wrong.

  THE NEXT DAY came too soon. I’d barely shut my eyes before Alex was shaking me awake with the reminder that we still had sixty miles of riding left, and two days to do it.

  “And if we fall behind now, we'll miss the admission period.”

  I glared at my brother. “Not funny.” I’d said the very same thing two mornings before, which had led us to that gods’ forsaken overpass and the bandits in the first place.

  Alex grinned in reply.

  Grumbling, I dressed and walked the length of the room, gathering the rest of the supplies until we were ready to leave. Alex handed me our breakfast as we exited the inn, the same stale bread as every meal before. I eyed it unhappily. If I never saw a piece of rye again, it would be too soon.

  After we’d tipped the stable boy for our horses’ return, the two of us set to checking the fit of our straps and loading the saddlebags. Alex finished much sooner than me. He volunteered to assist, but I refused. Warriors dealt with pain every day, and now that the worst of mine was gone, I was determined to do the same.

  Exhaling loudly, my brother mounted his charge, muttering about mule-headed sisters who were too stubborn for their own good.

  I finished a couple minutes later and then swung myself into the saddle, wincing. My body was still sore, but for the most part, a full night’s rest had done me good. My ribs were only a little bit tender, and most of my wounds had closed. Even the burn on my hand, while still a terrible shade of pink, didn't sting.

  It did itch, unfortunately. But I had enough sense not to scratch it. I'd learned that lesson plenty of times before.

  Alex moaned as we started out onto the main road. “What I wouldn't give for some creamed porridge.”

  My tongue salivated. “Or a honey bun.”

  Alex's stomach roared loudly in accord. The bread hadn't done very much to slake our hunger. After the room, we hadn’t had much coin left for the inn’s meals.

  “The first thing I'm going to ask the masters to teach me,” my brother declared, “is how to conjure food—good food.”

  I raised a brow. We both knew the Academy only taught war casting. The masters would never waste any of the faction’s lessons on something so silly. Magic was too precious. If they taught us food-anything, it’d be the easiest fare for an army, hardly the tastiest.

  “I look forward to hearing their responses
.”

  Alex chucked the last bit of his roll at me. It was rock hard.

  Laughing, I managed to catch it and toss it into the forest beyond.

  “So,” Alex said, “are you ready to tell me what happened?”

  I wasn't, but I was going to anyway.

  I, at least, knew the truth. Alex had only my injuries and his wild imagination to explain them. If our roles had been reversed, I would have insisted as much.

  I proceeded to tell him everything.

  When I was finished, Alex snarled, “That cowardly whelp! He deserved much worse than what he got!”

  I cringed; that memory was anything but pleasant. There was also a nagging in the back of my mind. Something about the turn of events didn’t make sense, even now retelling them. How exactly had Jared caught fire? We’d been scuffling close to the fire, but had he really been so senseless to roll his entire body into the pit?

  He’d been on top of me, and then he’d disappeared.

  In the heat of the moment, I hadn't bothered to question it.

  But now I wondered. Was there another explanation for what I'd seen? I still felt like something was missing.

  My hands stilled on the reins.

  Was it magic?

  “Ryiah?”

  I glanced at my brother. We’d been riding in silence for the last couple of minutes, and now he was watching me with a curious expression.

  I stared at the grassy plains ahead of us, wondering if I should say my last thought aloud. It seemed too much to hope. There’d been a couple times since Alex discovered his powers where I’d thought… But each time I’d been wrong, and the disappointment had been crippling.

  No. It was better left unsaid.

  But Alex knew me too well. “You think you lit the man on fire with magic, don't you?”

  Was I really so obvious? I flushed. “I know how it sounds.”

  “But it makes more sense than anything else.”

  “Tell me I’m wrong.” I didn’t want him to. I wanted magic to be the answer, but I’d been wrong so many times.

  He was quiet. I knew Alex was caught between believing in his sister and facing our pattern in the past.