“Give us your tokens, Ryiah.”
I glowered at Priscilla, angry that she was playing the part of the people's savior when we both knew it was her furthest intention. Her only loyalty was to the prince. She was just using the students here in her personal vendetta against me. Our last encounter was coming back to slap me in the face.
I never should’ve baited her with the prince.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Ruth and Jordan at the edge of the mob, but they both shook their heads. There were too many others for them to help.
The last thing anyone wanted to do was find themselves in the same position as me.
I had no way out. If it’d just been Priscilla, perhaps. Twenty-on-one was another tale.
I'm sorry, Alex. I tossed my brother's token to Priscilla.
“I said both coins.”
“But I—”
“You should’ve thought about that before you got greedy.” The beauty smirked. “Does everyone agree Ryiah should pay the price for her crime?”
A unison of nods.
“This is ridiculous!”
“You steal, you suffer the consequences. Give us the other coin.”
Glaring, I hurled the second copper at her, hoping it’d leave a mark.
It didn’t.
“Now, does anyone want to help me make sure she doesn't get her hands on anymore?”
Several hands shot up, and I froze.
“Wait,” I argued, “I gave you what you wanted!”
She pursed her lips. “Really, Ryiah. You act as if we are doing this out of spite. Please understand we are only doing what we think is fair.” She stepped forward and snapped her fingers.
The crowd lunged. In seconds, my hands and legs were bound, and a thick strip of cloth was secured around my mouth. My cries were muffled, and I couldn’t cast—there was no magic left.
Priscilla leaned in close so that only I could hear her next words. “Darren told me where the two of you go each night. You’re not as coy as you think. If you make it after today, I’ll ensure you don’t last the year.”
I WAS TIED up and bound to the base of a towering oak, a mere yard from the wooden chest and its now empty contents.
After Priscilla and her entourage left, there'd only been five medallions left, but in a matter of minutes, another cluster of first-years had appeared, snatching the last of them forever from my grasp.
I struggled for awhile, but that’d only left me with rope burning my wrists into shiny, red welts.
So there I was, tied to a tree with a giant piece of parchment above my head that read “hoarder.” Thanks to the label, no one bothered to help. And why would they? One less competitor was one less competitor, much less a hoarder who had tried to cheat them out of a coin.
I wondered if the masters would have to send someone to recover me when they discovered a first-year was missing from their ranks.
Ten more minutes passed and my luck finally changed. I could see Ella and Alex out in the distance, jogging down the trail. Ella was limping—she must’ve gotten held up. I waited for their gaze to land on me.
In seconds, they were both sprinting toward the tree.
Ella set to my ropes as Alex read the sign above my head, running a hand through his messy locks, hanging his head. “I’m sorry, Ry.”
The cloth left my mouth, and I gasped. “Not… your… fault… but—”
I pointed to the empty chest.
Alex swore as Ella hurled her dagger at the ground.
“We've got to… head back.” I coughed between huge gasps of air. “Not over… yet.” We still had our final test, whatever Piers and Cedric designed for the remaining twenty-two.
I stopped and pointed to the tunnel everyone had been using to return. It was almost hidden in the brush; I wasn’t sure I would’ve ever noticed it otherwise. There’d been a third route to the coffers, but most of us hadn’t realized it.
Another first-year appeared, saw the empty chest, and started jogging back toward the mountain. At least we won’t be last.
I rubbed my wrists. “I saw some of the class use that tunnel.” While they ignored me tied to a tree. “Let’s take it.” The alternative was trying to cast across an abyss with magic I no longer had.
“Well, if you’re sure.” Alex was understandably reluctant to enter, but as I pointed out, we had nothing to lose. Any students hiding out to ambush others for coins would have long since given up. No one this late had a token.
As we walked, I explained how I’d ended up bound to a tree.
“Priscilla really does hate you.” Ella cast the light to guide us through the passage. Alex had apparently used his stamina up seeing to her leg. “What happened to me was expected. Everyone was fighting when we reached the base of that trail—but you and her? That’s the second time she’s gone out of her way to torment you.”
I winced as I tripped over a small rock. “She thinks I’m after the prince.”
“Why?”
I could feel both Alex and Ella’s gaze on me despite the shadows. It was unsettling, and I knew it was because of my guilt. The secret wasn’t doing me any favors. “The library.”
My brother coughed. “What does that have to do with the prince, Ry?”
Ella knew right away. “He goes there with you, doesn’t he?”
“No, not with me. We don’t even study on the same floor.”
My friend was silent, and I knew she thought I’d ignored her advice. I reached out to clamp a hand down on her wrist. “It’s nothing else, I swear. Priscilla just thinks there’s more.”
My brother stalled. “When he cast that magic, the fissure… it was because of you, wasn’t it?”
“He hates me.” I scowled. “That Priscilla thinks there’s anything else between us is madness.”
“If they both hate you, Ryiah, that’s even worse.”
I shrugged. What was I supposed to do? I already had little chance of surviving the year, what were a couple more obstacles in the end? It wasn’t as if I could change their minds.
After another hour in darkness, we finally reached the tunnel’s exit.
“Now, that's more like it.” Alex raised his hands to the sky, bathing in the red and amber glow. It wasn’t that warm, seeing as it was almost night, but I suspected he was teasing for Ella’s sake.
She didn’t notice. “We've still got to get up that hill and whatever else is out there.”
Ella was right.
Ten minutes later, a barrage of arrows came flying from our right.
“You just had to say it,” Alex complained. “You couldn’t say fluffy bunny rabbits and rainbows.”
“What fun would that be?”
The three of us ducked and dodged, racing up the grassy slope as fast as our legs could carry us.
Eventually, we made it past the missiles' range and continued, cautiously, down the other side of the hill. It was barren—except for Sir Piers, Master Cedric, and a heavy burlap sack that sat between them, glimmering with the telltale tokens.
Piers twirled a coin in his hand, watching it spin and then falter, falling flat in his palm. He did this two more times and then glanced up.
“Do any of you have a coin?”
We shook our heads, shamefaced.
“There’s still a handful of you left.” He groaned. “Cedric, I think it’s time.”
The old man shifted his feet. “Shall I?”
Piers smiled, white teeth flashing. “I insist.”
Cedric reached out to touch Piers's throat, standing as tall as he could to reach the full height of the knight. “Go ahead.”
“Attention all remaining first-years.” Piers’s words screeched across the landscape. “Anyone who has not turned in a token shall report to the starting point now. Your final test will begin as soon as you all have arrived.”
Cedric released his grip on Piers, and the commander turned to face the three of us. “Rest up, children,” he said. “You might be here all night.�
�
IN THE SHORTEST fifteen minutes known to man, the remaining first-years made an appearance. A part of me wondered if they had hidden away from the entrance, hoping the masters would forget their earlier threat. Each one looked worse for wear than the last, and I was sorry to note Winifred among them.
Once the final student arrived, Piers turned to Master Cedric. “Is Tera ready?”
An assisting mage stepped forward; she was a short blonde woman with a heart-shaped face. “I am.” In her hands, she held a flask the size of her palm. Its green contents seemed to glow in the fading light.
Alex gripped Ella’s and my arm; he’d gone pale. “Whatever happens, don't let me be one of the five.”
“It’s four. We lost one at the beginning. Ralph.”
“It’s time, children. Gather round,” Piers barked.
We drew closer, and Master Cedric motioned for us to take a seat in the same circle we’d assumed so many times before.
“Is anyone familiar with the basics of hallucinogens?”
Several of us looked around, but no one dared to speak.
Tera laughed and held her bottle high. “Well, the ones that aren't will certainly understand after they've had a taste of this.” She crossed the grass to the nearest first-year and produced a small thimble from her pocket. She poured a little of the solution into the cup and indicated for the girl to swallow. She continued to do the same until each one of us had copied.
Gods. It was worse than any brew my parents had ever thought up back home.
“This potion is a powerful brew from mandrake root and nightshade. Distortive blends are what I was known for in my apprenticeship.” The mage beamed. “You'll begin to feel the effects after a minute or two.”
Master Cedric cleared his throat. “Draughts like these are used for interrogations. A trained warrior can withstand many things, but not a mental assault.” His lips pressed together. “We usually don't use this type of thing on students, as it can induce madness if left untreated for too lo—”
Sir Piers jumped in beside Master Cedric before the rest of us could run screaming. “We usually don't, but good old Barclae has given us the go-ahead since this year's first-years are more resilient than our usual batch of halfwits.”
Master Cedric rubbed a hand along his neck. Does he pity us? “The dose Tera gave you should be enough to induce a hallucination. The vision you experience will seem real, and nothing, not even the knowledge that you are dreaming, will stop you from believing its effects. Tera has worked her magic so that each of you will have a part of your subconscious reminding you of this fact and asking you to surrender. You’ll be able to speak through the casting.”
“And the moment you do, we’ll administer the antidote.” Tera smiled toothily at the rest of us. “The first four of you will be sent packing. The rest will pass.”
But we would have no way of knowing when the others surrendered.
As Tera continued to talk, I leaned in closer to listen, my head unusually heavy as I strained to catch the rest of her words. Her speech was choppy and quiet, a slow murmur punctuated by sharp consonants that hurt.
Moments later, my eyes started to itch. Sharp, glistening blades of summer grass became a dull, almost hazy green. The beginning of the hallucination?
I glanced around the circle. Ella's pupils were dilated, more bug-like than human. I wondered if it was really her or a vision.
To my left, Alex sat staring intently at nothing, eyes just as wide, mumbling.
A cold shiver crept down my spine. Everyone else was muttering too, over and over. Nonsense words. Was I whispering too?
Dark tendrils of smoke snaked out of the sky like branches.
I didn’t like this, but I didn’t know how to stop it.
My hand began to twitch uncontrollably, and I was thirsty. So terribly thirsty.
Something is wrong.
That was my final thought before the sky went black.
I’m alone in a room I’ve never seen before.
There’s a frosty chill that seeps down my arms like raindrops and ice. Everywhere I turn, no matter where I look, are giant, windowless openings. Just outside, a blood-orange sky is painted with magenta clouds, sitting bright against the harsh emptiness of my tower.
Wind howls and I press my bare arms to my chest.
Bare arms? I glance down and find myself in a dress. Bright green silk, with frills and a sweeping neckline, it’s something I would never pick out by myself.
Another cruel gust of wind blasts me, and I look up.
This time there’s a long black bench at the room’s center. Three strangers and Master Barclae are seated upon it. The strangers wear embroidered mage's robes in the stark colors of Jerar's three factions of magic.
I hasten to kneel, but my audience is too busy arguing to notice. I can’t make out a word.
I lean in closer, but it’s still impossible to hear.
“They are trying to decide if you’re good enough.”
I spin around but can’t find the speaker.
“I’m standing right next to you.”
I blink, and Prince Darren appears. He’s no longer wearing the training attire of the Academy. Instead, he’s dressed like that first day I passed him in the mountains.
“You’re not good enough,” he continues. “You shouldn’t be here.”
I open my mouth to tell him he was wrong, but no sound comes out. I gasp, clawing at my throat and looking to Darren with wild eyes. Help me, I mouth.
He throws back his head and laughs.
I lunge at the prince, but all I grasp is air, and then cold, hard marble.
Knees bruised, palms bloodied, I look up to see the prince is now on the bench with the others. He winks at me as he whispers something in the Black Mage's ear, and the man laughs.
“Don't trust him, and you can't get hurt.”
Ella stands in front of me now, dark ringlets billowing as she gazes down at me in earnest.
I try to assure her I never will, but I can only offer silence.
Suddenly, the entire room spins, and I find myself outside my parents' house in Demsh'aa.
I immediately run to the door.
Smoke greets me as soon as I twist the knob. I can’t breathe. I cough and hold a hand over my nose as I feel along the wall, trying to see through the haze.
“Mother?” I choke. “Father?”
My voice is back, but it does no good. There’s only silence and smoke. I stumble forward, coughing and shouting as I pound on the walls.
The smoke clears the second I reach my parents’ bedroom. I swing open their door and scream.
A pool of blood covers the ground and the rug, with my parents at the center. Their bodies are mangled and bruised, eyes glassy. Blood trickles along their skin like a web.
I sink to the ground. Why did I ever leave home?
Another boy’s scream. And another.
My heart drops. Alex and Derrick are here.
I stagger out of the room, my parents’ blood coating my hands and leaving bloody streaks as I feel along the hall. I shriek back, pleading for them to answer me.
Where are they?
I barrel from one corner of the small house to the next, but it’s empty. My brothers’ screams only get louder.
Where are they? Who is doing this? I slam my fist against a doorframe, hysteria tugging at my chest. I pull my knuckles away, watching the blood slide down my wrist.
“You brought death to this house.”
My breath catches in my lungs as I turn slowly to face a dim figure shrouded in smoke. It’s impossible to tell who she is.
“What did you do?”
“You can change this.” The stranger ignores my question. Her voice is void of all emotion, and yet it tugs at my memory. There is something familiar. It’s on the tip of my tongue. “You can change your future and never lose anyone you love.”
“I don't know what you are—”
“Call out for Piers. Surr
ender. This is but a glimpse of what could come if you don’t.”
She’s lying. This isn’t my future… It can’t be. Can it?
The stranger snaps her fingers, and an image shimmers in the air. I can see myself seated in a giant circle, sobbing quietly, eyes shut, as Tera paces along the edge. She holds two fingers up to someone else, laughing.
The vision ends, and I’m back with the stranger.
“Surrender now,” she says, “and save the ones you love.”
This can’t be my future; I won’t accept it.
“You picked Combat, Ryiah.” Her voice grows cold. “Are you really so vain?”
A blast of magic hits me, slamming me against the wall.
“No.” I struggle to right myself—even if she’s telling the truth, I don’t trust her, whoever she is.
“You fool!” the stranger rages. “You’d rather risk the ones you love than give up your chance at an apprenticeship!”
I fold my arms. “If this is only a dream, then I won't lose them.”
“You reckless idiot,” she snarls, “you’ll suffer, and so will they. There will be a day you regret this choice. There will be a day you regret everything.”
Something turns in the pit of my stomach. Fear? Am I making a mistake?
All at once, I hang across the ledge of an endless pit, suspended midair with the stranger above. Her head is still hidden by a black hood and smoke.
The Black Mage: Complete Series Page 13