The Black Mage: Complete Series

by Rachel E. Carter

  “So full of authority.” Darren joined me as I started toward the nearest passage. He pointed the direction we were to take. I was headed the wrong way. “And I believe I told you I would never carry you.”

  I let him lead the way. “That was four years ago. And I’m not asking you to carry me. I just want your company.”

  Darren flashed me a predator’s grin. “Well, don’t expect me not to gloat on the way over. Because despite your injuries, love, I do believe I’ve maintained my standing as a first-rank mage.”

  “For now.”

  His chuckle echoed along the barren palace hall. It was disconcerting. Usually the king’s palace was filled to the brim with wandering courtiers, mages, off-duty knights, servants, and, of course, my favorite, his older brother by three years, Prince Blayne.

  Luckily, today was not most days. The entire court, with the exception of a small sampling of its staff, had departed that morning for the yearly first-year trials at the Academy of Magic in Sjeka.

  Traditionally, the Crown—the king and his two sons—was supposed to attend, but Darren had been granted a leave of absence since his new service as a mage in the King’s Regiment was to begin at the week’s end.

  The two of us continued on in a comfortable silence—well, as comfortable as it could be given my new injuries. It was nice. We’d barely shared any time together since the ascension. After Darren had publicly declared our engagement, most of his time had been stolen in long meetings with the king and his advisors. I’d been thrown into a parade of anxious courtiers eager to earn the favor of a future princess of Jerar.

  King Lucius hadn’t been thrilled with his son, and he definitely didn’t look favorably upon the former lowborn who’d caused his son to make such a reckless decision in the first place. Darren and Princess Shinako of the Borea Isles had found a way to avoid their own impending marriages by promising her dowry to me in exchange for a renewed treaty between her island country and Jerar. It’d been a brilliant move, and one no one had seen coming, but after the initial night of revelry, there’d been new problems to contend with.

  There were many concerns about someone with my background taking on such a vital role within the Crown.

  It didn’t matter that said role was purely ornamental since Darren would never be king. It didn’t matter that, as an apprentice, I’d acquired a highborn status of my own. And it certainly didn’t matter that I was hopelessly in love with the boy.

  What mattered was that I’d ruined a very strategic match between Blayne and an important ally. Now King Lucius was stuck in negotiations with Pythus. As heir to the kingdom of Jerar, Blayne needed to marry above Darren. And since the Borea Isles’ princess’s dowry had already been promised to me, Blayne was forced to pursue a new match with one of King Joren’s daughters instead.

  In truth, it was a great opportunity. The Borea Isles were a small territory and a large continent like Pythus could offer better resources. But try telling that to Blayne. Darren and Blayne had been intended for quick marriages to secure their dowries’ funds as fast as possible, and now Blayne had to find a new wife. King Joren was a much shrewder man than Emperor Liang. It didn’t matter that the Crown needed as much support as it could get in order to go to war against its northern neighbor, Caltoth; to Blayne, I would always be the unruly lowborn who’d managed to ruin all his plans.

  And now he was determined to ruin mine. The very next morning after Darren’s and my engagement, Blayne had petitioned his father to hold off on our wedding until he secured his own. When Darren had tried to counter his brother’s absurd proclamation, citing the impending war with Caltoth, the king had stiffly sided with his heir, stating that the suggestion might motivate Darren to become more involved in Crown affairs. “Besides,” he’d added dryly, “we need two dowries to finance an army, not one.”

  I wasn’t sure I believed that. More likely, the king just wanted to punish Darren for the public humiliation he’d faced the night of our ascension. Lucius had been all too willing to go along with his youngest son’s strategy until he found out the second half of the arrangement: marriage to a lowborn. Since the king had already agreed to Darren’s proposal and Emperor Liang’s treaty had specifically mentioned me by name, there’d been nothing the king could do—not if he wanted to keep the princess’s dowry.

  Needless to say, the last couple of days hadn’t been pleasant. On the bright side, since the king could hardly stomach the idea of me in court, Lucius had been more than willing to grant my petition for service in Ferren’s Keep. Darren hadn’t been pleased, but he knew just as well as I that once Blayne’s wedding passed, I’d be forced to take up permanent residency in the palace.

  If anything, I thought Darren envied my freedom. Now that he was done with his apprenticeship, he was limited to the palace regiment. The same would apply to me once that year was over.

  It wasn’t a bad thing. The King’s Regiment was the most prodigious company in the land, and who could forget the palace housed the current Black Mage, Marius? But an eternity was daunting. Ferren’s Keep was my one chance at glory, and I hadn’t forgotten what the Combat mages said about its action: the northern border was the place to be.

  We finished the ten-minute walk to the palace infirmary, and I was surprised to see two familiar people as we turned the corner. The taller of the two, a young man with sandy-brown locks and warm blue eyes, was chuckling at something the dark-skinned girl beside him had said.

  Like most mages in the kingdom, neither wore their colored robes except for special occasions, but their status was still unmistakable. The two bore the air all newly ascended mages carried: one of barely contained excitement and pride. Their demeanor was a sharp contrast to the calm of the palace healer in her red Restoration robe that greeted us upon entry.

  “Alex! Ella!” I called out to my brother and best friend.

  The couple immediately turned toward the doorway. Ella broke into a grin, but my twin’s smile faded as soon as he noticed my injuries and the person standing beside me.

  “What happened?” His question sounded innocent, but I knew Alex well enough to catch the unusual lilt to his tone. My brother had already chastised me for too many injuries during the course of our four-year apprenticeship, and I knew he was anything but pleased that his sister had gotten herself hurt. Again.

  “It’s nothing. We were dueling—“ I corrected myself hastily. “I was drilling, and I think I broke a rib.”

  “Ryiah just needs a healer to look at her,” Darren said. “Nothing too serious.”

  Alex’s gaze narrowed on the prince. “I know what a broken rib is.”

  Darren stared at him. “I didn’t say you didn’t.”

  “Did you do this to her?”

  The prince folded his arms. “Your sister was the one who wanted to duel, Alex.”

  “That doesn’t mean—” My brother never finished because, at just that moment, Ella placed a perfectly timed kick to his shins. Alex swallowed, scowling, and Ella finished for him with a small smile in Darren’s direction.

  “I take it Ry thought she’d give you a run for first rank?”

  At her question, the prince gave a small smile. “She tried.”

  “Did she at least get in some good castings of her own?”

  “Depends on what you consider ‘good.’”

  I cringed. Now was not the best time to joke, not with my brother seething in anger a couple yards away. “So about that healing…”

  Darren and Ella stayed where they were, engaging in a strained but polite conversation while I followed Alex to one of the covered cots in the back of the infirmary. He wasn’t employed by the palace staff, but the healer was busy enough with two of the knights of the King’s Regiment in the back, so she didn’t give us a second glance. The other healers had undoubtedly left for the Academy trials with the rest of the court.

  As soon as Alex started his examination, I lowered my voice to a whisper. “There’s no need to blame Darren for th
is.”

  My twin grumbled under his breath.

  “You can’t continue to hate him, Alex. I already told you, everything he did during the apprenticeship, he had a reason—”

  My brother cut me off. “I really do not want to talk about him right now.”

  I sighed and let him continue his work in silence. I felt the cooling touch as his magic seeped out of his hands and into my stomach, the terrible feeling of tissue and bits of bone sliding into place, and then the blissful sensation as my rib pain trickled away, bit by bit. It was a simple injury to treat—a broken or fractured rib could heal naturally with no magic within a month or two on its own—but I didn’t have the luxury of time.

  Sitting up, I gave my twin a grateful smile. “So, have you and Ella finally decided which city to take up service in?”

  My brother’s expression softened at the mention of her name. “Montfort.”

  I started. I’d been expecting Ferren’s Keep, or maybe Ishir Outpost. “Where is Montfort?”

  “It’s five days north. Ella wanted to come with you—you already know that—but after what happened last year, I didn’t feel comfortable stationed so close to the border, not that I like you going there either.” He gave me a pointed look, but I ignored it.

  Neither Darren nor Alex could talk me out of a position in Commander Nyx’s regiment. Besides, unlike the two of them, my station was only temporary. The Crown’s advisors had made it clear that, as soon as Darren and I were married, I’d be stuck serving close to home—and that would be the end of my grand adventures. It was the one thing I wasn’t looking forward to about my impending marriage.

  “…Still close enough to the action to give her the excitement she wants, but they also have some of the best healers in the kingdom. Ronan is going there.” Ronan was a first-rank mage like Darren—only his faction was Restoration like my brother’s. The two of them had bonded during their apprenticeship, and while my brother was jealous of his friend’s ranking, I knew he also looked up to him. In Alex’s eyes, anywhere Ronan was stationed was worth going.

  “And we both met with Commander Braxton during the ascension feast. He seemed friendly enough, and it helps that his city is hosting the Candidacy next year. As soon as he reminded Ella, she forgot whatever scheme she’d been cooking up to convince me to join Ferren’s Keep with you.”

  I grinned. Ella was a true Combat mage. It didn’t surprise me in the least that she’d agreed to Montfort so easily after the commander’s mention of the Candidacy. It was a tempting opportunity, and if I hadn’t been so set on Ferren’s Keep, I would’ve probably begged to come along. The Candidacy was how our nation determined its reigning Council of Magic, known commonly as The Three. It was also how the Black Mage, Marius, had earned his title just nineteen years before. And in one year, it would be my turn.

  Even if I didn’t win the robe—and the odds were I wouldn’t—the prestige that came with any victory at all in our nation’s infamous tourney was enough to elevate my status. I was second rank now, but there were at least fifty other Combat mages with the same ranking, as I was only compared to four others of my same ascension year.

  Still, if I won against even some others of my same rank, it would improve my standing and prove that I was better than the ones I beat, and any of the lower ranks of that person’s own year.

  “All done. Stop daydreaming.” My brother clamped my shoulder lightly, startling me out of my thoughts with a jolt.

  I slapped his hand away in mock protest. “What if you missed something? That could’ve hurt.” It didn’t, but I wasn’t about to let him off that easily.

  My twin grinned at me. “You’re just jealous you don’t have my skill.”

  I rolled my eyes in humor. “Jealous? Hardly. I believe the people up north call me a hero.”

  “Funny how she forgets they were talking about both of us.” Darren and Ella had appeared beside us. I watched Alex stiffen at the prince’s proximity. “Ella tells me you two are headed for Montfort,” Darren added.

  My brother opened his mouth and then thought better of whatever insult he was about to say when he caught wind of my scowl. When he finally spoke, it was the quietest reply I’d ever heard him utter. It was also the shortest. “Yes.”

  “It’s a great city. Small, but accomplished.” Darren nodded to the red-robed woman on the other side of the room. “Jeanette hires most of the palace healers from there.”

  “How… nice.” I elbowed my twin and he ground his teeth. “Thanks for the recommendation. It means—” Alex took a long breath and the words barely left his lips. “—a lot. Thank you, Your Highness.”

  Darren’s face froze in a polite smile. He was as uncomfortable as my brother, but years at court had given him the upper hand. “Anytime.”

  Ella winked at me. She could read the tension just as easily as I. “Well, as pleasant as this little reunion has been, I do believe it’s getting late and Alex and I have a long ride ahead of us. It was nice to see you both before we head out. Darren, I’m sure we’ll see you in Montfort with Ry for the Candidacy next year?”

  The lines seemed to leave Darren’s shoulders—not much, but just enough to betray the real anxiety he’d felt just moments before. “Of course.”

  I exchanged a quick embrace with my best friend and brother, and then watched them go.

  As soon as they were out of sight, Darren turned to me. “He still hates me.”

  “Give him time.” I squeezed his hand. “He’s never liked anyone I courted.”

  “He liked Ian.”

  “Ian was…” I paused, unsure how to begin. “Well, he’s…”

  The prince studied me in my hesitation. “He’s everything I’m not.”

  “Ian is what Alex wants,” I amended. “Not me.”

  Darren was silent.

  “I chose you.” I jabbed at the prince’s chest with my finger. “I want you.” I jabbed again. “I love you, you—” Jab. “—silly—” Jab. “—stubborn—”

  Darren caught my finger with a straight face. “That’s enough injuries for one night, don’t you think?”

  “Do you believe me?”

  “Gods know I’m in for a lot of misery if I’m wrong.” He tilted my chin up to his face, and for once, his eyes were serious. “I’m going to miss you, Ryiah.”

  I looked down at the floor, heart sinking. “You could still come with me.”

  “You could still stay.”

  We were back to the same conversation we’d had all week.

  Darren looked toward the ceiling. “Out of all the girls I’ve met, I would pick the only one who is too stubborn to enjoy my father’s court.” He returned his gaze to me, defeated. “I suppose there’s no talking you around?”

  I shook my head.

  “I didn’t think so.” He groaned. “You frustrate me, you know that?”

  I smiled. “And you’re the most difficult person I’ve ever met.”

  He raised a brow. “Second only to yourself, of course.”

  “Darren.”

  “Yes?”

  I sighed. “I’m going to miss you, too.”

  2

  Trepidation filled every waking moment of the fourteen long days it took to reach the northeastern stronghold of Ferren’s Keep.

  Most of my trip was spent deep in thought, watching the passing of croplands and riverbeds of the country’s mainland. With the growing rebel attacks, Jerar’s impending war with Caltoth, and my new position close to the border, the Crown’s advisors had decreed that one of the King’s Regiment remain with the future princess at all times. So, like the pack of guards that’d once accompanied Darren to the Academy many years before, I now had Paige, a young knight four years my senior for companionship. She wasn’t talkative, and what little sentences she did speak were of basic necessity.

  When I tried to expand on our conversation, the girl just frowned. I sensed she wasn’t shy, but it was clear she hadn’t warmed up to me either. The knight was sharp-tongu
ed when she did utter an opinion, and I found myself regretting almost all of my attempts.

  Paige was tall, brawny, and almost the female equivalent of my younger brother Derrick in stature. She only packed chainmail and men’s clothes to dress. She had stunning brown locks she kept hidden in a braid to the side and narrowed eyes that seemed to pass judgment the second they looked at you.

  She was lowborn, but she was unlike any lowborn I’d ever met. She despised small talk, scoffed at all my suggestions, and eyed every traveler—noble or not—with the same suspicious edge.

  The third time I tried to engage her, she snapped at me to pay attention to the road, following hastily with an unfeeling apology, “My lady.”

  I didn’t know what to do. With all of our shared background, I’d assumed a friendship was in order. Both of us were women who’d risen above our station through hard work, and we were both young and stuck together for as long as the king ordained her presence necessary. It would have only made sense for us to bond—if for nothing else than the eternity we had ahead—but it was clear my companion had other ideas.

  The rest of the time, we traveled in silence, with the exception of one or two disagreements over direction.

  I spent most of the hours enjoying our scenery, which was easy as we drew further and further west. Plains gave way to pine and thick clusters of sweet-smelling grass as thin streams joined and became one large coursing current. Foliage sprouted up along the banks. First and foremost, my favorite were the dense green trees with their large, shiny leaves and clusters of tiny red flowers that dotted their branches.

  Clove trees.

  Before I knew it, we’d arrived at the small village of Demsh’aa. Home.

  We were only supposed to be passing through for the night, but much to the chagrin of my traveling guard, I insisted on one extra day to visit with my parents. I hadn’t seen either since my first-year trial four years before.

  Paige left me to visit, scouring the local shops to replenish our supplies, and I took a tour of the new changes in my brothers’ and my absence. I was pleased to see how much better we fared. Previously, the apothecary had been an extra room in my parents’ house, but because of the coin Alex and I’d been sending home—Derrick’s soldier salary was much less than that of a mage—they’d been able to purchase a small building close to the center of town, and they’d already apprenticed two young girls who’d chosen to pursue a local trade instead of a trial year in one of the country’s three war schools.