The Black Mage: Complete Series

by Rachel E. Carter

  Paige hesitated, and glanced back to me, undecided. She was torn between what she wanted and duty.

  “Go on.” I gave her a good-natured shove. “I’ll be fine.”

  Her brows furrowed and her chin lifted. “I’ll be keeping an eye on you the whole time, my lady.”

  “I wouldn’t expect any less.”

  The knight huffed and then nudged her mare forward, following the lead mage with one last lingering glance to me.

  Ian drew closer as soon as the guard had vanished into the crowd. “The King’s Regiment picked well, didn’t they?”

  “They did.” I thought about the way she’d helped me when I was casting. “She’s blunt, but I almost think it’s a blessing. I never have to wonder what she’s thinking. She’s already told me.”

  Ian cleared his throat quietly. “What Paige said about Caltoth being at fault, she’s not wrong, but…”

  I swallowed, mentally preparing myself for what came next. It’s your fault too, Ry. I didn’t want to say this in front of the others.

  “The Crown isn’t blameless.”

  I blinked slowly. Whatever I’d been expecting him to say, that hadn’t been it.

  Ian pressed closer and lowered his voice. “What I said wasn’t a lie. The north doesn’t get the help it needs.”

  “You want me to talk to Darren.” It wasn’t a question.

  “Don’t you?”

  “Ian.” I sighed. “It won’t change anything.” The king was still furious with Darren for the night of the ascension. He was preoccupied with negotiations with Pythus, and thanks to me, he now hated lowborns a great deal more than usual.

  Ian studied the ground. “So you aren’t going to even try?”

  “I will, but...” I waited until he looked up to continue. “But I don’t want you to have any expectations.”

  “I know what I’m asking.” His eyes were somber. “Thank you, Ryiah.”

  Hearing Ian say my full name was a bit unsettling. It was as if he were reminding himself to put a bit of formality to the end of his request, as if he were a subject and I the sovereign. It pained me to hear that bit of distance, especially after our conversation in the forest, but I understood.

  The north was his home, and whether or not I considered myself one of them, I was the Crown.

  “A WEEK,” I breathed.

  Ray echoed my words. “A whole week.”

  “Of freedom.”

  “Freedom,” he repeated.

  “A week.”

  “A whole week of it.”

  “If you two grow any more slack-jawed,” Lief said, chuckling, “you’ll become a pair of fish.”

  “It’s standard for any service in all of the cities,” Ian added.

  Paige scoffed. “Not the King’s Regiment.”

  I just shook my head in astonishment, still not quite believing we had a full week to ourselves. Three weeks of duty had flown by in the blink of an eye—well, not truly. At the time, it’d seemed like an eternity, but now…

  “What does one do during this—” Ray paused. “—freedom?”

  “What did you enjoy doing before the Academy?”

  Ray’s eyes were wide. “I don’t remember.”

  The head mage’s gaze flitted to me. “What about you, Ry?”

  What did I enjoy before the Academy? So many years before… I found myself emitting the same response. “I don’t remember.”

  “The novelty will wear off.” Lief set his packs on his bunk with a groan. “By the second month, we’ll find the two of you in the taverns with the rest of our lot. Ferren might be known for its blacksmiths, but the true secret is Tijan’s ale. Strongest brew around. Well, that and our women.” His gaze fell to Paige.

  My knight scowled in distaste. “Hmph. You must not have a very good selection.”

  I bit my lip. Tijan was tempting—not for the ale, but my younger brother. Now that I had seven days to myself, the world was full of possibility. And the best one: Derrick. I hadn’t seen him in months, and now we were only a couple hours apart.

  But there was also the Candidacy.

  Ray was already throwing a pair of fresh clothes into his satchel. “When can we leave?”

  “As soon as you’re ready.” Ian grinned and looked to me. “You coming?”

  “I don’t think so.” My enthusiasm had already started to ebb. I couldn’t visit Derrick, not with my dream looming so close on the horizon. “I think I’m going to stay behind.”

  “You serve the north,” Lief said. “Don’t forget to live, Ryiah. We don’t get paid near enough to risk our lives without a bit of fun from time to time.”

  “I know.” I frowned. “It’s not that… I just… I need to train.”

  “Train? For what? The apprenticeship is over. You already train every day in service.” His tone was incredulous.

  “For the Candidacy,” I mumbled.

  Ian and Lief exchanged knowing looks, and Ray spoke. “Ry, it’s months away. You can take a day off.”

  I looked down at my hands. “Not if I want to win.”

  “You really think you can beat him, don’t you?”

  I didn’t ask who he was; it was obvious.

  “Darren’s not a god.” I crossed my arms defiantly. “His potential isn’t infinite.”

  “Master Byron ranked him first.”

  “For now.”

  Ray held up his hands in surrender. “Remind me to never challenge you to a duel. You’re a bloodthirsty savage.”

  I just grinned in reply.

  Lief grabbed Ray and Ian by the shoulders. “Are you two ready to head out?”

  They nodded in unison and gave me a parting wave.

  Lief tossed me his extra water skin in passing. “You better get training, Ryiah. We can’t have our savage go soft.”

  Harsh crunching and then the ground gives a quivering sigh. The mountain of rubble rises into the air, twice the size of that boulder in the mountains. Thick granite hovers in the sky as I lift my hand, higher and higher, watching my magic mirror its movement with the rock.

  The rubble rises shakily, with small bits of dirt trailing down like a shower of rain.

  My whole body trembles with the effort. I hold steady, digging my boots into the soil as perspiration drips into my eyes, blinding me with the beating rays of the sun.

  Still, I hold steady. And the rubble keeps rising.

  Then, it stops.

  My fingers start to tremble and shake, and the sun’s blinding light seems to bleed itself right out of my chest. I can feel the casting sputtering inside me: a dying flame. My magic has reached its limit.

  I bite my lip. A pain casting in the height of such power is too risky to partake. Not on my own.

  Exhaling slowly, I let the rocks return to the ground and then take a deep swallow of mountain air to clear my head.

  “That was amazing, love.” Two hands slip around my waist from behind, and I lean into Darren’s arms, letting the rush of victory wash over me like the crest of a wave.

  “I’ve been practicing.”

  The prince smiles against the back of my ear, lips pressing into the skin just below. A shiver runs down my spine. “Yes, you have.”

  “Am I better than you?” The words tumble from my lips before I have a chance to catch them.

  Darren smiles and releases me, pointing to a large shadow in front of us. I lose my breath as I take in the mountain. No. The prince takes a step forward and raises his arm.

  I watch as the giant base splinters and groans, a terrible ear-shattering grate. Stones spew out in every direction as the jagged peak rises up into the sky, blacking out the sun so that the entire land is cast into shade.

  The world becomes night.

  The prince turns to me with a smirk. “Keep trying, Ryiah.”

  I WOKE UP WITH A START.

  My whole body ached, and every muscle felt as though it’d been torn from my sockets and twisted back into place—the wrong place.

  The sum
mer heat hadn’t helped; my sheets were pooling with sweat. I threw them off in disgust. Usually the keep was cool enough, but I suspected my dream had played a part in the mess I saw now.

  I’d spent the past couple days brushing up my routine while the three patrols on leave had all but disappeared from the keep. Sure, there were still stragglers and the squad in charge of the keep itself, but half of the men were visiting in Tijan or one of the nearby villages.

  “Can’t sleep?” Paige sat up on her bunk, rubbing her eyes.

  “I had that dream again.” I groaned. “I think the gods are trying to tell me to stop sleeping altogether. It’s the only way I’ll catch up to him.”

  The knight yawned. “The gods don’t waste their time dallying in mortal affairs. That dream means you are worrying too much. It’s playing on your fear.”

  I shot her a half-hearted glare. “I’m not worrying. I’m tired. I’m sore. I’m even hungry, but I’m not worried.”

  “Whatever you say, my lady.” She started to roll back on her side, and I tossed my pillow at her.

  “It’s time to go to the practice courts.”

  “Now?” She didn’t even open her eyes. “It’s too early. The sun won’t rise for two more hours—and you, my lady, are always the last one to rise.”

  I ignored her and began changing into my clothes, one painful tug at a time. “The dream was a sign.” I gritted my teeth. “I need to train harder.” Another painful tug and the tunic was over my head. “If I don’t—” Ow. “—I’m never going to stand a chance against him.” I bit back a sigh. “Or any of those other first-rank mages.” And I wanted to. All those years of trials and tribulations. I was tired of being second best.

  I wanted the Black Robe.

  Paige rose with an exasperated sigh.

  “That’s the spirit.” I shot her a grin. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to include you in my acceptance speech.”

  She followed me out the door, muttering under her breath. At first I was too busy feigning enthusiasm to catch what she was saying, but as we were sparring later outside the keep, it returned to me: “And they told me to keep watch over a ‘lady.’”

  I couldn’t help but smirk. A lady.

  I lunged and defeated her guard.

  I was a war mage.

  I SPENT the rest of the week in the practice courts. Endlessly drilling, over and over until I limped back to the keep each night. If my guard had an opinion for why I pushed myself so hard, she was wise enough not to comment.

  Every single drop of sweat was a testament to how deeply I wanted that robe. I cast until I was hunched over the ground, vomiting the contents of whatever meal I’d managed to force down just hours before. Then I’d pain cast.

  Paige had one of the keep’s healers nearby, just in case. Luckily, four years of Master Byron’s scrupulous gaze had paid off, and I knew just how far I could push myself before breaching those limits.

  By the time the week had ended, I was ready to return to service. Someone must have told the others how hard I was drilling, because I got nine reassuring pats on the back the morning we set out. They didn’t comment directly, but the Candidacy was all anyone could talk about.

  Like the previous patrol, our three weeks of service went by without much ado. Caltothians remained at bay, at least for now. We didn’t come across any outlaws this time around; our patrol was conflict-free. All of the extra time led me to drills and routine, anything to keep anxiety from taking over my thoughts.

  I wasn’t going to let fear get the best of me, not after everything I’d become.

  “I CAN’T—”

  “Ry,” Ray said plaintively. “You’ve done nothing, and I repeat, nothing, but drill for the last three months on end. You can afford one night off from your routine to take a drink with the rest of us. I know you want to concentrate on the Candidacy, but the others talk. They think it’s because you think you’re better than them.”

  I glared in response. “You know that’s not true.”

  “See here.” Ian stepped between us. “We’ll even take you to a tavern in town. Not Tijan, just a round with the squad, and then you can go back to torturing yourself for hours on end.”

  “Just one?”

  “Just one,” Ray promised.

  I shifted from one foot to the next. In truth, they were right. I’d heard what the soldiers were saying—I just hadn’t wanted to think about it. I was also exhausted: mentally, physically… even my castings had started to falter. A night off was truly what I needed. During the apprenticeship, we’d been given a reprieve. I could afford a couple of hours with friends.

  “Okay. You two win.”

  The boys exchanged victorious grins, and I promised to catch up the moment I finished putting away my things. In truth, I wanted to pay a visit to the bathhouse—the stench following me was anything but pleasant. I doubted they’d enjoy my company without a soak.

  By the time I’d finished washing up, Paige and I were ready for a reprieve. I was in such a good mood, I almost missed the person standing next to the exit of the dining commons.

  “Derrick?”

  I caught sight of those blond tufts of curl and sprinted across the hall as fast as my legs could manage. Paige scrambled after me, grumbling about impatient charges. I knocked into two soldiers and spilled a whole tray of pickled greens along the way. I shouted an apology in passing. The dancing blue eyes of my brother were all I could see.

  The young man broke into a grin, dimples on each side of his cheeks. “Ry! There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you!”

  I squeaked and threw myself at him. Derrick was three years younger than my twin and me, but already twice as thick—sprouting a legion of muscle on every inch of his frame. “Gods, do you ever stop growing?”

  Derrick ruffled my hair, setting me down with an unapologetic grin. “I have no intention of stopping until you can fit in the palm of my hand.”

  I snorted, and even Paige, who’d finally caught up after my mad dash across the room, almost smiled.

  “And who is this? Your beautiful lady-in-waiting?”

  And my knight was back to scowling. “You see the sword I’m carrying, no?”

  His smile faltered under her stern expression. “Yes?”

  “Say something that foolish again, and I’ll gut you from head to toe.”

  My brother backed away slowly. It didn’t matter that Paige was half his size; the look in her eye was formidable enough.

  “He’s only teasing, Paige,” I said. “Derrick doesn’t have a death wish.”

  “It wasn’t funny,” the knight muttered.

  “She’s harmless,” I promised.

  Derrick raised his hands in peace.

  A young man with coal-black hair coughed loudly beside Derrick. My brother put his arm around the boy’s shoulders and nodded. “This is my comrade-at-arms Jacob. He grew up here in Ferren. He was the one I wrote you about during the apprenticeship.”

  I studied the soldier and noted him doing the same to me. I started to smile and then stopped when I realized my brother’s best friend was wearing a sour expression. Not another one. I tore my eyes away from the boy to regard my brother instead. “What are you doing here, Derrick? Not that I’m not happy to see you, but I wasn’t expecting—”

  “I offered him a post here at the keep.”

  I spun and found Commander Nyx standing nearby. She gave a small nod to the boys and then returned her gaze to me. “I had no idea Derrick was your youngest brother, Ryiah. Sir Borgan in Tijan does nothing but sing the young soldier praises, and Jacob, well, how can I say no to the son of Aldus? He is one of the best soldiers we have.”

  Aldus might’ve been one of the best, but he was also one of the older soldiers who continued to treat me with perpetual dislike—much like his son was doing now—even after my performance in the mountains. I stifled a sigh.

  Derrick elbowed me in the ribs. “Guess whose squad we’re on?”

  “Mine?” I
t was too good to be true.

  “That’s right.” Commander Nyx folded her arms. “Sir Gavin just promoted two of his soldiers to Sir Maxon’s unit. When he informed me we had an opening, I immediately contacted Borgan for recommendations. These two are already settled in and ready to start first thing in the morning.”

  The woman paused. “I must confess, Ryiah… I’ve been meaning to talk to you about what happened in the mountains. I know my men aren’t the friendliest sort, but you’ve done some great work. I’m very impressed.”

  “Thank you, Commander.”

  “It’ll be a shame when your time here is up.” She dismissed herself and returned to the hall.

  “She doesn’t want you to return to the capital,” Paige observed. “Most of them want you to leave, but not her.”

  “At least someone wants me here.” I sighed.

  Derrick made an offended noise. “Aren’t you forgetting someone?”

  “Fine. Two someones.”

  “What about Paige?”

  My knight snorted. “Who would choose to stay in a wretched keep when they could reside in a palace?”

  5

  Ryiah,

  Blayne’s negotiations with King Joren have gone better than expected. The Pythian ambassador is set to spend a week in Devon during the winter solstice. Father has demanded your presence—a letter was already sent to your commander issuing six weeks of leave from the keep.

  I’d write more, but I haven’t had a moment to myself. I’ve spent half my time on patrols and the rest in Crown meetings. I miss the Academy. Our time in the apprenticeship was a reprieve. I would trade most anything for it now.

  When you get here, I promise to ask you all about your time in Ferren. If you met anyone half as unbearable as me. If you are happy. If you are sad. If you miss me…

  Gods, I wish it were sooner.