“Oh,” she paused, “are you planning on Restoration too then?”
“Combat.”
Ella laughed. “Another fighter.”
“You?”
“The same.” She made a flippant gesture with her hand. “My family lived at court for thirteen years before they finally gave up on me as a lady-in-waiting. I spent years convincing them to let me try out for the School of Knighthood… but then my magic showed up. So here I am instead.”
So Ella was highborn from court. It explained her pretty accent. But she was also stubborn, and that made me like her. It would be nice to have a friend in the same faction.
“What time did you arrive?”
“Not long before the two of you. But don't worry. We didn't miss much. I overheard someone say that Master Barclae was the only master to make an appearance.”
I sighed. “Good. I would have been upset if we had. We made good time today, but it was still an eight-hour ride.”
“You do look as if you've had a long day,” she observed.
I fingered the frayed ends of my shirt. She was being polite. “It's been a long week.”
Our group took a turn and found a cluttered chamber with a formidable old man and the frantic-looking servant from earlier. Each one of them was waiting with a scroll lined with names.
“Ladies first,” the old man barked. “Then the boys.”
Everyone called off their names, and the man checked off the applicants from the roll.
When we finished, the constable eyed us with distaste. “Well, well, young ones, welcome to our realm's own version of the Realm of the Dead. For as long as you last, this will be your new home.”
No one spoke. Is everyone here so angry? I wondered. I’d heard some of the staff didn't like first-years, but now I was wondering if it was all of them.
“Well, not this place exactly, but close to it. We keep your living quarters out behind the Academy. There are two barracks to separate each of your lots.”
My jaw dropped. Barracks? I heard a gasp to my right and knew I wasn't the only one who was shocked.
“Frederick,” the old man said, jerking his thumb at the manservant beside him, “will take you there. You will carry your own bags. We don't waste castle chambers on first-years, so the barracks are where you will spend your time when you are not eating or training here in the Academy. You clean up after yourselves. The apprentice mages are abroad most of the year, so the layout of the Academy will be at your disposal.
“We have rules you must follow in accordance with your residency,” the constable added tartly. “You are not allowed to enter the residence of the opposite sex. Curfew is ten bells. Classes are mandatory. No unauthorized fighting. And you may not leave the Academy grounds. There are no exceptions.”
I didn’t want to leave it. I just wanted to survive it.
“Any infraction of these rules, and you will find yourself in my chambers.” The man cleared his throat. “Don't let it happen. I’ve been known to send first-years home on a first offense.”
THE ENTIRE WALK to the barracks was silent. Clearly, I wasn't the only one to expect a more pleasant orientation.
We reached the wooden buildings, and I bid my brother goodnight, entering the women's residence with Ella.
The inside was much bigger than I’d anticipated, even for a crowding of fifty girls. Double bunks were spread out in rows with comfortable blankets and small trunks lining each of the walls for our belongings. A large fireplace stood at the furthest corner, no fire present but probably necessary in winter. There were even a couple baths in an adjoining house, and while I’d probably have to spend half my night waiting to use one, at least I'd have the opportunity.
It could have been worse.
There were also two servants to contribute to the upkeep. As the constable had warned, the Academy staff didn't assist with personal needs, but they did build fires, clean sheets, and heat water for bathing. It was more than I'd had at home.
Almost immediately, I could identify which girls had come from a background like mine and which were used to the palace. The ones like me were far and few between, maybe ten in the crowd. We tended to be the ones smiling at our luck while the others complained loudly about the “accommodations.” Ella wasn't outspoken like the others, but I could sense that even she was disappointed. Highborns were used to more.
Setting my bag on an unclaimed bunk, I pulled out a cotton nightshirt and my only pair of clean undergarments. Then I headed to the baths.
After an hour of waiting, I finally got my chance at a lukewarm wash and scrubbed until my skin was raw. There was no one else in line behind me, so I was able to take my time. My dirt and grime warded off any potential bathers.
I returned to my bunk, satisfied and clean. It was only as I wrapped the soft sheets around my chest that the weeklong journey finally hit with staggering force.
I fell asleep in a matter of minutes. But before I did, a smile crossed my lips.
The Academy. I was finally here.
3
“Ryiah, wake up! Everyone else has already left.”
Groaning, I opened my eyes. Every muscle in my body felt like it’d been hit by a thousand tiny hammers and rocks. It was not a pleasant sensation.
I forced myself out of bed and found Ella standing by impatiently.
“How much time do we have?”
“Ten more minutes before breakfast ends to report to Master Barclae.”
Barclae. Immediately, all exhaustion was forgotten and I yanked my only clean dress over my head. Then I ran out after Ella, combing my fingers through my hair and wishing I had more time to put in a better impression.
Too late now.
The two of us rushed through the courtyard and into the back entrance of the Academy. We made it into the dining hall just as the platters were being taken back to the kitchens. Just my luck.
Ella and I took our seats at the end of a back table. I’d just spotted Alex a couple seats down when Master Barclae entered, looking stern and impressive in his silks.
“Well, it looks like you’re all still here. I will try my best to discourage that.”
I flinched. Master Barclae's mood was worse than the night before. Or perhaps he was happy and just hated first-years in general.
“What is he doing here?”
I turned in the direction of Ella's whisper and saw where she was looking. The prince was seated one row from Alex.
I’d forgotten all about him. “Maybe he doesn't know the rules?” My explanation sounded ludicrous even to my own ears.
Master Barclae coughed loudly, and my cheeks burned as his scowl fixated on Ella and me. “Have I bored you?” he drawled loudly.
We quickly shook our heads, and I lowered my own, shamefaced.
But Master Barclae wasn't done making his point. “Really, I insist, what is so fascinating that you needed to interrupt my lecture?”
“Nothing,” I said quickly.
“Him.” Ella pointed.
I quickly snuck a look at the prince and saw his garnet eyes fixated on Ella and me. The expression he wore was one of unadulterated loathing.
I swallowed uncomfortably. Ella!
“Ah.” Master Barclae smiled sardonically. “Him. What about this him?”
Ella stood nervously, “The Council's Treaty states no heir of the kingdom can undertake training as a mage. T-to prevent the Crown from interfering with matters of magic.”
The irritation in the young man's eyes turned to daggers. I quickly looked away.
“The doctrine was alluding to first-born children who would be inheriting the throne. Prince Darren is second.”
“But we've never had a prince before—”
“You've never had one before,” the boy interrupted with a snarl, “because nobody was good enough!”
I winced. There was no mistaking the indignation and resentment in his tone.
Master Barclae laughed. “Ah, my dears, you are so young to have a
lready made such an unpleasant impression with a member of the royal family.”
Ella bit her lip and I could feel the prince's angry gaze burning us alive.
“Well, now that these two girls have finished embarrassing themselves, would anyone else like to join them?”
Silence.
“Good. Now, before I send you off to your actual lessons, I want to make a couple of things clear. Each year, students enter my school claiming to have a gift. Please understand that having magic has never been and never will be enough. The power most of you possess is nothing short of insignificant.” The master grunted. “Unfortunately, it takes months of testing to determine this. Were it only weeks to identify potential, there would never be such a thing as a trial year.”
Someone behind me snickered loudly. That person wasn’t worried, a sentiment I couldn't help wishing I shared.
“The constable informed me that we have one hundred and twenty-two new faces this year. There will only be fifteen apprenticeships passed out at the end of the year. I advise you all to think long and hard on those odds. Do you really want to waste an entire year under the guise of hope?”
He didn’t wait for an answer.
“Ten months of hard labor, course study, and endless repetition. That is what you have to look forward to if you choose to remain. Most of you will be gone by midwinter, if not sooner.” Master Barclae eyed us coolly. “In any case, we’ll have a weeklong trial for those who remain at the year's end. Which brings me to my final note before you begin your studies, and that is your faction. Each one of you walked through our doors with a preconceived notion of which magic to train for, and for most of you that faction is Combat.”
An elbow nudged me in the ribs; Alex had made his way to where Ella and I sat. He gave me a crooked grin, and I shoved him back, knowing exactly what he was thinking. I already knew Combat was a long shot, but it wasn't going to stop me from trying.
“I implore you to think twice. We’ve two other factions with far easier odds.”
LEAVING THE ATRIUM BEHIND, Alex, Ella, and I followed a winding corridor to the left. I’d just finished introducing the two when I noticed the prince watching us from the corner of my eye.
“If looks could kill,” I said to Ella in a low voice, “you and I would already be dead.”
The girl stiffened. “Darren can glare all he wants. Who cares if he's not first-born? All it takes is one accidental stabbing, and suddenly, he's the heir. The masters made an exception for the Crown.”
“Does it really make a difference?” Alex was curious.
“It would,” Ella snapped, “if you knew who he was.”
“You know the prince?”
Her mouth twisted. “Oh, yes, Darren and his brother. Trust me when I say not knowing them is a gift.”
I was instantly curious. “What did they do?”
Ella shook her head, clearly unwilling to drudge up memories of her childhood back in court.
Alex glanced at me, and I shrugged. We entered an enormous library with the rest of our class, and the three of us took our seats in a hushed silence.
Already, there was parchment and quill at our desks. Beneath my chair, I discovered three heavy leather-bound books. I couldn't imagine the coin they would’ve fetched back in Demsh'aa. Books were a privilege, a very expensive one that few nobles could even afford. A baron or duke might’ve had a small collection at home, but only the king's palace in Devon and the Academy could have so many volumes as the ones I saw now.
No matter where I turned, shelf after shelf greeted my incredulous gaze. Thousands of books and yellowing scrolls stacked high along the walls, and at the very end of each was a ladder leading up to yet another floor of, you guessed it, more books.
I hazarded a guess that the second floor was a study. There was another floor after that, but I couldn’t make it out in the dark.
Back at ground level, a heavyset woman in her fifties stood at a raised platform that had two solid oak desks at its center. Her brown hair was pulled back in a wavy bun, not a strand loose, and her powder was perfectly pressed. She was dressed with strict formality in a heavy blue cloak with a high-laced collar and an emerald pendant clasped tightly around her neck. Her eyes had a severity that warned one not to fool around in her presence.
To the woman's right sat a slightly twitchy man about half her age. His vest and pants were frayed, and his hair was rather unkempt. He had an untrimmed mustache that lined his chin and upper lip, but it seemed more from neglect than the careful precision of Master Barclae’s style. Though he seemed out of sorts, his eyes spoke of kindness and intelligence.
The duo introduced themselves as Masters Eloise and Isaac and wasted no time in familiarizing the class with their expectations for the year.
Magic was the very last thing on their list.
“There is no point in learning to cast if you haven't a clue what you're doing.” Master Eloise sniffed. “What you need are the basics. I don't care how much tutelage you’ve had, one can never know too much.”
“Yes,” Master Isaac added quickly, “'tis far more important to know the ‘why' than the ‘how.' The basics will give you the foundation first.”
The “basics,” apparently, were the scholarly arts: history, science, mathematics, geography, and Crown and Council law. “Nothing of interest” as Ella grumbled under her breath. I couldn’t help but agree.
I wanted to cast and wield weapons with the best of them, not bury myself in books.
It would be two months before we actually commenced the individualized study of our magical factions.
I was so close to Combat, and yet so far away.
FOUR LONG HOURS LATER, I pushed my way past a slow mob of students and came close to clawing my way into the dining hall. Ella found me just as I was piling my plate high with salted pork and a wedge of cheese, and a second plate of leeks and yellow squash.
“Hungry much?”
“You have no idea.” I ravaged a roll and then grimaced. I could feel other first-years' eyes on me, and I made an effort to eat a little more slowly as we sat.
“We didn’t have much to eat on the road.” Alex leaned down to take an apple off Ella's plate as he joined us at the table, winking. “Thanks for that, beautiful.”
Ella snatched her fruit back with a huff. “I bet other girls giggle and blush when you steal their lunch. I want to eat it.”
Alex reddened, and I snorted, drink spraying across my lap. It’d been a long time since I met a girl who was immune to my brother's charm. It was a refreshing, and amusing, change of pace.
Ella turned back to me, no longer concerned with my brother. “Ryiah, your hair is such an interesting shade. I bet you had a crowd of bumbling farm boys following your every word.”
I choked into my glass. “Hardly.” Scarlet red hair was a curse, and when I blushed, it seemed to make it worse.
Alex snickered. “Ry was too tough for the lot back home. She was too busy fighting for them to notice.”
I kicked his foot. “We were training, not fighting. There’s a difference.” I glanced at Ella. “What about you?”
She laughed loudly. “The boys at court? Hardly my type. I need a man's man, like Master Barclae.”
Alex cringed. “But he's so old!”
“And mean,” I added. “He was mean to us.”
Ella scoffed. “He doesn't look it. Besides, most first-years are younger than us. Have you noticed that?”
“Highborns,” Alex offered, “they all took advantage of the early admission at twelve and thirteen, I'd bet.”
“I don't see why.” Ella frowned. “I’m highborn, and it always seemed more of an advantage to wait until the cutoff at seventeen. A better chance to build up your powers before you apply.” She laughed lightly. “But I guess it's hard to wait once you discover your magic.”
“Prince Darren is older,” I observed, “and so are some of the others too.”
“He's one of the smart ones,” Ella admit
ted. “But most of the students rushed admission.”
Wasn’t that the truth? The day Alex’s magic emerged, he’d planned for the following year, and I’d been all too eager to follow. I wondered what she would think if I told her I hadn’t even had my powers when we set forth for the Academy. Rushing admission was putting it lightly.
Still, not everyone was overwhelmed like us. “It certainly didn't seem like they rushed admission in the library.” A lot of the younger highborns were the smartest in our year.
“All that extra tutoring.” Ella didn’t look surprised. “My parents would’ve done the same if they hadn't been so set on a convent.”
Still, they knew so much more than me. I sighed. “In Demsh'aa, Alex and I were one of the few kids who knew how to read and write, but that was only because our parents were merchants. I didn't even realize it would be a part of our studies!”
“Well, it makes sense, doesn't it?”
I just groaned and put my head in my hands. “All the work they gave us? It's our first day, and they already expect us to read through four chapters and do fifteen sets of those horrid math equations.”
“We can start on them now. We've got a half hour until our next session.”
I frowned. “I would, but if I take in any more ‘learning' right now, I think my head will explode.”
Ella chuckled. “Your head better catch up quick.”
“I'll study with you, Ella.” Alex flashed my friend a winning smile.
Ella turned to me, ignoring him completely. “It's not going to get better. Remember my brother. There's a reason people leave early on.”
I shook my head. That might be true, but I needed a moment of quiet to breathe. I was afraid, if I didn’t take a break, the expectations would intimidate me into retreat. “I'll meet you guys at the armory before our next session.”
Ella nodded. “Just don't be late.”
AS I STARTED down the Academy's long corridor, I spent the walk fantasizing about the pile of blankets that awaited me back in the barracks. I was only four hours into my year, and I was already longing for sleep. It couldn't be a good sign.
The Black Mage: Complete Series Page 4