The Black Mage: Complete Series

by Rachel E. Carter

  The prince opened the door and waved me forward. “I wasn't lying when I said you might have potential.”

  “Well, as long as it's been decided,” I said sarcastically.

  “That is a decision I have yet to make.”

  8

  On the last day of Combat's orientation, no one had resigned, and Piers came into practice with a raging fervor.

  “I told Barclae I'd cut this flock by five!” he roared. “And you have all remained to spite me. That ends today.”

  I exchanged nervous glances with Alex and Ella. We’d all known this was coming; the man had been threatening us for days.

  “Master Barclae has given me permission to try something new.” The knight pointed to the mountains just east of the Academy. There was a trail leading into the hills just past the stadium’s track. The crags looked ominous in the afternoon light. “Master Cedric and I have a special course just for today. And there’s only one rule: don’t ask for help.”

  I gulped.

  “There are healers, but the only way you’ll receive treatment before you finish is if you forfeit.”

  Note to self: whatever you do, don’t break a leg.

  “At this point, you either have what it takes—or you resign. I don’t care which faction you want. This may be orientation for Combat, but endurance and stamina are prerequisites for all lines of magic.”

  I couldn’t help but notice Alex was looking a little green. I patted his shoulder awkwardly.

  Piers and Cedric went on to explain the rest of the course.

  In short, we were to race up and down a treacherous trail, dodging a random assault of castings and obstacles in hopes of snagging one of the hundred tokens hidden away in a chest.

  There were one hundred and twenty-two of us. And the course was two hours in either direction.

  Once we had a token, we were to return to the start. If we returned without one… well, it went without saying our fate wasn’t good. Cedric had something special in store for the twenty-two of us left.

  “And go!”

  The class took off like a stampede, first-years sprinting across the field like it was a race for their lives. In some ways, it was.

  There were two ways up the mountain: the side of a cliff or a gradual climb. I picked the first. Climbing didn’t scare me; I’d had enough experience in the hills back home.

  For once, I had an advantage over the rest of the class.

  It was a great decision—until one of Cedric’s assistants cast lightning. A bolt hit the dry grass to the west and a huge fire shot up from the ground, roaring to life. It spread in the blink of an eye. In seconds, it was blocking the head of my trail.

  No.

  There were large barrels of sand nearby, but there was no way I could squelch the flames. I knew the masters had placed the props for us to put out the fire, but it was a futile effort. There were only a handful of students who could cast the magic needed, and I wasn’t sure which route they’d picked.

  I had no way of cutting a path across those flames. I started to turn—

  And then I paused. At first I’d missed it with the smoke, but there was a cluster of students at my right. They’d cut across from the east. The prince and his friends had gone after the fire and a couple of first-years were tagging along, waiting for them to clear a path.

  Darren and Eve tackled a barrel while the two brothers and Priscilla took the second. In no time, they had sand stifling a small trail across.

  A desperate boy shoved his way past and sprinted toward the opening, not bothering to look back.

  My muscles tensed—should I try too? I was close.

  But I hesitated. There was something holding me back. The prince and his friends hadn’t moved, and Darren wasn’t the kind to let someone get ahead.

  My choice was justified a minute later when the boy reached the trail’s start. The prince gave a shout and the sand was gone. Ralph was trapped in a circle of hungry flames.

  The boy couldn’t move. Like me, Ralph did not have the magic necessary to cast an escape.

  I turned away and started off after a group of first-years to my right.

  A minute later, the boy cried out for Master Cedric. I could hear his scream through the flames.

  One down, four to go. Maybe I wouldn't have to worry about those tokens after all.

  First-years were starting to act mercilessly. It didn’t surprise me in the least that Darren had been the one to lead the charge. I could hear him and his minions laughing as they started up the cliff with a new path through the fire. Ugh.

  The trail I took was an easier climb, but it was also more traveled, and I was lagging behind. My first choice had cost me precious minutes in the course. I followed a horde of scrambling first-years up the rocky trail, ducking and diving as the constable’s staff lobbed rocks at unsuspecting first-years on the ascent.

  I had to be doubly careful. The assisting mages were hiding behind boulders casting arrows that rarely missed.

  Eventually, we reached a dead end. There was a raging stream dividing the trail, easily ten yards across. Its waters were white, frothing, and fast.

  If I fell in, I’d probably break my neck.

  The masters were mad.

  There was no other way to get around. I needed to cross.

  Like the fire and its barrels of sand, this river was another obstacle. Instead of a tightrope and shattered glass in practice, we were facing a river. The only way to cross: bobbing logs and slippery rocks covered in moss. I shivered. It didn’t look particularly promising.

  I started my way across, one foot after the other, following the crowd of first-years in front. Seconds into my progress, the girl in front of me slipped. She just barely cast a recovery in time. A wobbling stick acted as a cane in the river’s base.

  As I approached the same spot, I reached out to grab the stake for extra support. It vanished the second my hand clasped the pole.

  I should’ve known better.

  All I heard was the girl’s snicker before I was suddenly thrashing in the river, struggling to break the surface.

  Cry for help and disqualify or fight and survive? I chose the latter.

  But now I was fighting for air.

  I kicked off the river’s bottom and paddled for all that I was worth. It wasn’t enough. The river’s current pulled me back down and slammed me against a rock.

  I broke the surface again and wrapped my arms around the next boulder I hit, struggling to rise. My teeth were chattering, and I was choking. My gritty nails clawed at rock covered in slime.

  Come on, keep climbing.

  My arms were shaking as I heaved myself up. I was close to shore, but I was afraid I’d be carried further away if I swam.

  “Ryiah?”

  I saw my brother running down the bank. He must’ve been one of the first-years ahead of me who turned around when they heard a heavy splash.

  Thank the gods he even looked. The rest of the class hadn’t bothered. It was every man for himself.

  I made the lunge and Alex caught my wrist before the current could catch me.

  “Thanks.”

  His eyes were wide as he helped me to shore. “Thank me when it's over. I thought you’d taken the trail west.”

  “I tried.”

  By the time I was out of the stream, we’d lost even more time. Another cluster of first-years had passed.

  I started jogging up the trail. My boots squeaked with water and sludge.

  “Ry, behind you!”

  I spun just in time to conjure a shield. A rock shot out into bramble behind us; I’d used my staff as a bat.

  “Blasted servants.” I scanned the trees to find the culprit.

  “Come on.” Alex’s fingers dug into my wrist as he dragged me forward. “We've got to get to that chest before all the tokens are gone.”

  He was right.

  I stopped struggling and led the way, panting as we continued the rise. So much for a gradual climb. I was out o
f breath and Alex was wheezing by the time we reached a clearing at the top.

  In the clearing ahead, a large group of first-years was engaged in a full-on assault with Darren and his friends. Both trails must have led to the same place. Alex started forward, and my hand shot out, blocking his chest.

  I’d already seen the prince’s tactics once. We would wait the battle out. There were close to forty students here, and I wasn’t eager to test our luck.

  They were certainly taking “no rules” to heart.

  Darren and his friends threw punches and traded blasts of air and conjured daggers in the air. A part of me swelled with jealousy as Eve sent a powerful quake that shook the ground.

  The other first-years held up their hands in surrender, letting Darren’s group pass. It’d obviously been a desperate attempt to rid the competition from our pack. It was both foolish and brave.

  Mostly foolish.

  Alex and I didn't move, hoping to remain unnoticed. They’d just begun to leave when my brother sneezed.

  No.

  The procession stopped, and the prince spun, scanning the canopy behind us. A second later, his eyes caught on mine, and he smiled.

  We didn’t have time to run.

  Boom.

  Darren’s magic shot across the clearing and the ground split in two. I leaped back, jerking my brother with me as dirt crumbled and caved beneath our boots.

  Seconds later, there was a deep fissure in front of us, too wide to jump and too deep to climb.

  It cut us off from our only route to the chest. We had to cross; there was no alternative.

  When I looked up, Darren was gone.

  That… I hissed. The prince had gone out of his way to do this to us.

  I had the distinct impression, if it’d just been Alex, it wouldn’t have happened.

  “Why… why would he do that? He didn’t do it to them!” My brother was scowling at the pack of first-years trailing behind the prince’s group.

  I didn’t say anything. I was too busy studying the hole, trying to find a way to cross.

  “We can still make it,” I announced. “We just need a running start.”

  Four yards is doable, right? It was a longer drop if I failed.

  “And break both legs in the process?” Alex grabbed my arm. “It's not worth it, Ry.” He motioned for us to turn around. “There might be another way around.”

  “And lose time?” We were already behind most of the year—there were still a few stragglers, but how many? Five, ten? If there were any less than twenty, we’d lose our chance at a coin.

  I didn’t want to be a part of Cedric and Piers’s final elimination round.

  “Ry, come on.”

  I stared at the gap, envisioning a thick tree trunk as a plank. It would be bigger than anything I’d ever attempted in the past, but that didn't mean it couldn't work. I’d been casting fire and wind for days, why not a stick? Albeit, a giant one.

  “I'm going to get us across.” I was going to cast. “Just hold guard in case anyone shows up.”

  Alex opened his mouth to protest and then thought better of it. He knew just as well how much time we would lose if we were forced to backtrack.

  I set to work, concentrating on my breathing until it became a slow, even pace. I willed myself to lose the distractions around me: the buzzing of late summer insects, the sweltering sun, the dull and aching sensation of my limbs.

  Slowly, everything trickled away until all that was left was the image of a sturdy, robust pine without its branches—sturdy and solid enough to carry me across. I breathed in the intoxicating scent of its sharp, resinous odor. I tasted the tang of bitter needles in the air.

  I heard the trunk land, thudding against the dense clay earth. I imagined it spreading across the length of the fissure at our feet with a snap of will—like flint against steel. Give me a tree.

  And finally, I opened my eyes.

  There was a log laying across the gap in front of us. Alex gave a low whistle, returning to my side.

  “You've been holding out, Ry.”

  I shook my head. “I didn't even know I could.” Then again, I’d never tried to cast a tree.

  Alex took a step forward, but I stopped him before he could cross. “I don't want you to break your neck if this doesn't work.” I would go first.

  Hesitantly, I put one foot forward, and then another, until both feet were firmly planted on the trunk. I was still on the part that covered the ground. Now came the hard part.

  I took another step, testing my weight with arms spread out for balance. The trunk felt stable enough, and the coarse bark helped traction with my boots.

  For a moment, I tottered, a bit dizzy, and then I sprinted the rest of the way across.

  There was a dull throbbing in my head as I waited for Alex to follow.

  He started to cross and the pressure grew, drumming inside like thunder, a heavy, rippling growl.

  Uh-oh. “Alex!”

  My casting shuddered just as my brother reached the edge—

  The trunk vanished.

  Alex stumbled forward, grasping at air.

  I leapt and caught his hand seconds before he dropped into the dark fissure and broke both his legs.

  I was stammering apologies as I helped him over the edge. “I don't know what happened.” My head felt like it was on fire and my stomach was reeling.

  “You didn’t have… enough stamina,” Alex choked. “Next time… we backtrack.”

  If there was a next time; we had to survive today first.

  The two of us started down the rest of the trail in a dash. I kept up for several minutes—until the pain became too much.

  Ducking behind a bush, I spilled the contents of my stomach until there was nothing left. A sour odor filled my nose. I wiped my mouth against my sleeve, noticing the headache was instantly gone.

  So this is what happens when I push myself to the brink.

  Alex was waiting for me when I emerged. He didn't ask, and I was grateful.

  We didn't encounter another first-year for a while, but eventually we made out another group in the distance. Ella was with them, descending the steep switchbacks below. I hadn't noticed her at first because she was so far down, but now I did. Her black bangs and bronze skin glistened in the afternoon rays.

  I didn't see Darren's group below, so I could only assume they were ahead. A second later, I confirmed it. There was a cluster of first-years racing across the ravine following a winding stream to a dense cluster of trees. Was that the glitter of gold? I couldn’t tell.

  But the one thing I could tell was that the ledge we were perched over was an immediate shortcut to said trees. No one had attempted it because the fall was perilous. A gradual descent like the groups to our left was the safer alternative.

  “Don’t you dare, Ryiah.” Alex had noticed my train of thought.

  I was about to counter, and then he swore.

  There was another company of students emerging from a hidden alcove at the bottom of the trail. They must have found another way to go around the overpass. There were about twelve or so in Darren's group, and this new hoard easily accounted for thirty. Add Ella's large group of sixty, and that left a shortage of tokens.

  Somewhere behind us were bound to be fifteen or so stragglers, but it was not enough. Alex and I needed to get ahead of the first-years in Ella's group. Not all of them, but at least ten to be safe. I couldn't be too certain of the numbers ahead.

  “It’s the only way, Alex. We’ll never catch up if we take the same route as everyone else.” We were certain to catch up if we avoided the switchbacks and used the drop to cut straight down the mountain instead.

  “You can't be serious.” Alex stared at the granite ledge. It was easily a sixty-yard drop.

  I lowered myself to the first foothold, digging my toes into the cracks along the side. “I climbed all the time in Demsh’aa. You know that.”

  “I can't follow you, Ry.” My brother had a crippling fear of hei
ghts.

  “Only one of us needs to reach that chest in time.” I adjusted my hold on the rock. “You follow the others, and I’ll take the cliff. If either of us gets a token, we can grab an extra for the other. We’ll meet back at the beginning.”

  He didn’t look happy, but it was our only choice.

  FOR THE NEXT THIRTY MINUTES, I scaled the side of the cliff. It was taller than anything I’d ever attempted back home, but there were also plenty of breaks in the rock for a foothold or catch.

  My hands were cracked and bleeding from the constant friction of flesh against the sharp edges of rock. I had no way of measuring my progress against the rest of the class—I wasn’t about to risk a look behind me—so I could only hope I’d made the right choice.

  In what seemed like forever, I finally touched ground.

  Sprinting over scattered brush and dense thickets of grass, I raced in the direction of a babbling stream.

  No more than a quarter mile ahead, I could see a crowd of first-years rushing back. Flashes of red and orange—telltale copper coins the size of my palm—glittered from tightly clenched fists.

  I shoved my way past the crowd, not caring to apologize as I made my way toward the chest.

  I ran the two minutes it took to reach its wooden coffer and snagged two medallions. There was still a large handful left.

  “Well, well, the lowborn is a thief.”

  Not her.

  My elation broke as I came face-to-face with Priscilla. She must’ve separated from Darren’s pack. Or perhaps I just missed him.

  My fist closed around the two coins I’d taken. I started to push past, but Priscilla shoved me forward, back toward the crowd and the chest.

  “There's enough for both of us!” I hissed. The last thing I wanted to do was draw attention. People would not take kindly to the fact that I’d taken more than my share.

  Priscilla grabbed my wrist, and I jerked it away.

  “She grabbed two!” she shrieked.

  Angry faces crowded around me and the chest.

  “Piers said no rules! It's for my brother—”

  She turned toward the audience. “Does anyone think it’s fair to sabotage the rest of us?”

  “No, I wasn't…” I paled, inching backward, only to find myself surrounded by the hoard. Where was Ella? Alex? Any of my friends from the study group? I couldn’t take on this crowd by myself.