"This is still guesswork," Bryer muttered darkly, but even he didn't sound convinced. "But the probability is high. We'll have to test the colt to make sure."
All things considered, that was probably wise.
The office door abruptly exploded behind me, casting splinters all over the place. The professors threw up some kind of automatic shields to protect us from the blast, even as we were rocked out of our chairs by the explosion. I landed in a defensive crouch and twisted to look over the back to see what caused it. Was it some kind of attack? But who…?
Standing in what was left of the doorframe was an extraordinarily put out Nreesce colt. He actually glared at me as he daintily picked his way through the remains of the door. I stood up slowly, and I'm sure my eyes were as big as saucers. He had destroyed the door? He wasn't even a full day old! How had he done that?!
Ignoring everyone else, he put his head against my stomach and grumbled petulantly, "Gone too long!"
I stared down at him in amazement. Before I could get my scattered wits together, Chatta appeared in the doorway, a little flushed and breathless.
"Garth, I'm so sorry! He just got so agitated the longer you were gone. I finally said that I'd come fetch you, but it was like he knew where to go or something. He just came straight to you, I couldn't even keep up!"
I raised a shaking hand to my temples, feeling a real beauty of a headache coming on. I was gone perhaps twenty minutes, and he thought that was "too long?" How was I supposed to deal with classes then, considering they were at least an hour? "It's all right, Chatta." Well, it wasn't, but it wasn't her fault either.
"Don't fuss on him, Garth," O'danne murmured. Apparently not even a door exploding behind his back fazed the man because he was smiling in genuine amusement. "He's barely a day old, and you're the only parent he has at the moment. It's natural that he wants to spend all of his time with you. Admittedly, it does complicate things a bit," he observed wryly, looking around at the wooden splinters scattered all over the floor, like some crazy puzzle gone horribly wrong.
A bit, he says! Understatement of the year! I hadn't thought my life could get any more complicated, but then this happened. What a nightmare! I sighed and looked down at my Nreesce. Chatta had given him that bath, at least, although he wasn't dry yet. He still needed a good brushing.
The sound of footsteps started in the hallway. Chatta looked both directions and sighed. "I'll deal with all the questions, you deal with the baby." Stepping back, she took a wand out of her robes and pointed it at what was left of the door. "Repair."
All of the pieces flew together and coalesced back into the shape of the door, to rest on its hinges. I couldn't help but gape in surprise. It was the first time I'd actually seen magic in action. Brilliant!
"Gone too long," a grumpy colt informed me again, testily.
Now was not the time to stand around stupefied. Snapping back to reality, I sank down to his level. "No, I wasn't. I said I'd be back before you were hungry again, and it isn't anywhere close to that time." When this had no effect, I sighed, and tried a different tact. "If you were missing me, then all you had to do was call for me. You didn't have to destroy the door." I was still wondering how he'd managed to do that.
The colt looked at me steadily. "No more leaving."
If I didn't win this argument, there was no hope for the future. "I am never going to leave you permanently, but that doesn't mean I can be belted at the hip either. I have to do and learn things. That requires that I leave you sometimes, that is true. But I will come back. All right?"
"Do what? Learn what?"
Well, at least he was listening to me. "I'm an untrained Mage. I have to learn how to control my abilities. In order to do that, I have to attend classes here."
"Mage?"
Did he even know what a Mage was? "Yes, I'm an Earth Mage."
"Come to classes too?"
I sighed and looked up at the two professors. They were listening to this conversation with great attention, even if they could only hear one side of it. "He wants to come to classes with me."
"I think he can come to some of them," O'danne answered carefully. "But not others. Wizards Through the Ages is up on the third floor. I doubt he can get up the stairs."
That was a good point. "And Weapons is too dangerous for him," I said firmly. I'd seen one person almost get brained in that class.
"But the others should be all right," Bryer acknowledged.
"Come to classes too," the little Nreesce insisted again.
"Most of them," I countered. "Two of them are too dangerous. It's not going to kill you to be separated from me for two hours everyday."
He sulked again, but apparently this was a somewhat acceptable compromise, because he went back to rubbing his head against my chest in contentment.
"We'll have to move your bedroom closer to the stables," Bryer inputted thoughtfully. "You can't stay in the dorms."
No, being near the stables would be much more convenient. "Yes sir."
"Sleeping with you!" the colt demanded.
I foresaw very little sleep in my future. With a sigh I capitulated on this point. "Yes, you can sleep with me."
How do I get myself into these situations?
Chapter Six: Daily Hassles
One of the largest stalls in the stable was turned into a semi-bedroom for the colt and me. One side had a wardrobe, desk, locker, and wash stand for me. The other side had a huge feather mattress that was large enough to share, between one untrained teenage Mage, and one newborn Nreesce. It suited both of our needs, and the colt was happy with the arrangements. I was happy too, even if he did tend to use me as a pillow. At least he didn't kick in his sleep. That would have been bad.
Over the next week, a routine was slowly established. I fed my very demanding colt during the night (and learned how to quickly fall asleep in between feedings). In the morning I fed him breakfast, before going for my own breakfast, and then went to class. The first class always involved some negotiations because my Nreesce didn't want to let go of me. This is where all the girls I was going to school with were an absolute godsend. They would gather around him and pet him, and talk to him, and generally spoil him rotten for the hour I was in class.
It was turning out to be as much of a fight to get him to stay behind, as to pick him up! He was rapidly becoming an attention hound. He was delighted to see me again, but he didn't want to lose all the feminine attention either. He thought it a wonderful compromise for me to just stay, so he didn't have to give up anything.
That wasn't going to happen.
It was a constant cycle of feeding and classes until the afternoon. I usually sat in the main courtyard and studied with everyone, while my Nreesce frolicked all over the place. He enjoyed wrapping every girl in sight around his little hoof. Then it was back to the stables, bed, and another round of nightly feedings.
If I ever had the chance to see my mother again, I was going to profusely thank her for putting up with me as a baby. I had a whole new respect for her now.
I still hadn't thought of a good name for the colt, and he frankly didn't care, so long as I fed him on time. He was an absolute nightmare when he wanted something, and I told him so on a regular basis. Somehow that led to me calling him Nightmare, and the name stuck. Chatta scolded me for naming him that, so to get her off my back, I shortened it to Night. Considering he was a fiery chestnut with a white mane and tail, it was an odd choice for a name. People often commented on it until I explained it was short for Nightmare. Anyone who saw Night, while he was hungry, instantly understood where the name came from.
I did discover a few things in between feedings, classes, and studying. Night was a Breaker, a Nreesce with the ability to break anything as long as he hit it with two hooves. That explained how he had shattered the door in Professor Bryer's office. I also discovered that I had, inadvertently, made him Jaunten as well. We weren't sure if his white mane and tail were signs of his mother or signs of being made Jaunte
n. He definitely exhibited the “blood inheritance.” I resolved to be much more careful with my blood in the future.
The second week started. I was almost grateful for it, as the weekend had meant spending a lot of time catering to a certain colt's whims. The only reason he got by with everything he did was because he was so cute and charming about it. How do you argue with something that looks at you with adoring eyes?
It was after lunch when I heard strange rumors flying around about a "destructive ghost." Apparently the stairs leading up toward the third floor had these strange breaks in them, like small craters. No one could figure out where they had come from. I really doubted that a ghost was behind all of this, but I couldn't offer a more plausible explanation either. In the end, I just shrugged it off and kept my mind on what I was supposed to be doing.
For three days those broken stairs were the talk of the school. The maintenance crew would fix the stairs, and by the next morning they would be broken again. I had to skirt the work crew to leave Wizards Through the Ages.
During all of this madness, I had a note from Val Haben that enquired about me. It was friendly and cheerful. I answered it with a concise summary of what had happened to me. I have no doubt that when he read the note, an enormous laugh was charged to my tab. Well, at least I'm entertaining, right?
I only had one thought sustaining me during the week. I read the book on Nreesce, religiously, whenever I had a spare moment. In my reading I discovered that a Nreesce foal only nursed about two and a half to three weeks. Then they were slowly switched over to oats, and from that to hay and grass, and all that good stuff.
Two and a half weeks.
I had a week and a half behind me, which meant that in another week I could start taking Night off the bottle and actually sleeping most of the night. I felt like doing a jig in pure happiness.
Life continued on as usual, ignoring the vindictive "ghost" breaking apart the school stairs every night. The last day of school for that week finally dawned. I went through the usual routine of feeding a hungry and demanding Night, went to breakfast, and went to class. I asked my classmates to poke me if I started to snore too loudly.
They snickered, thinking it was a hilarious request. If they had been feeding a hungry Nreesce colt for two weeks, they wouldn't have been laughing.
In an effort to stay awake, I was taking more notes than usual, trying to really focus and stay mentally alert. I was so focused on Professor O'danne that it took a minute to recognize what my magical sense was telling me.
Something was coming in my direction, fast! That something was giving off little bursts of power in short intervals. A part of my mind irreverently wondered if this was what it felt like to have a giant taking a walk and shaking the ground slightly with every step.
The professor stopped, looking sharply at the door. Instinctively, I was halfway out of my seat when the door abruptly exploded.
Busted baskets, not again!
Framed in the ruined doorway was my Nreesce. The only difference was, this time he was quite pleased with himself, and not in the least upset with me. With a prance in his step, and an outrageous twinkle in his eye, he trotted straight over to me.
I was long past being shocked about anything Night might pull. My classmates were frozen to their seats, and I think the professor was trying not to laugh. In defense of my dignity I chose to ignore the rest of the room and focused on the colt. "Hello, Night. I take it you figured out how to climb the stairs?"
He just nodded happily, and cuddled up next to me.
Professor O'danne finally lost the battle, and laughed out loud. In between snickers, he pulled his wand out and fixed the door. I'm really going to have to learn how to do that.
He went back to lecturing like nothing had happened, but I don't think anyone was really paying attention to him. I just sat there, absently stroking Night on the neck, and thinking it through. Well, the mystery of the broken stairs was answered. The only way a horse could go up the stairs was by half-jumping to the next step. That meant that his front and back hooves had touched each step in tandem, breaking the stone on impact.
The tricky part…scratch that, there were two tricky parts. One, I had to figure out how to get Night back down, since I doubted he could do it on his own without completely destroying the staircase. I'd most likely have to carry him. Two, how do I convince him that he couldn't make this a habit? I doubted the maintenance crew would enjoy fixing the stairs twice a day, just so the baby Nreesce could accompany his Rider all over the Academy.
Night tugged at my shirt sleeve. "Hungry!"
Why me?
~*~
Despite all the distractions in my life, I was still making remarkable progress with my training. I was advancing rapidly in Weapons (with all my Jaunten blood; not a big surprise there), and I was way ahead of my classmates in Shielding. They were still casting small shields around things, using energy crystals, talismans, and wands to aid them. I could get a full-body shield up around me without any aid whatsoever. Granted, I had to really focus on it, and I couldn't maintain it for more than a few minutes, but that was still an achievement.
There were degrees of shields. The first shield was against magic, the second against weapons, and the third against power backlashes. Witches and Wizards didn't usually have to worry about power backlashes. It was the Mages that had a bad habit of drawing too much power at times, and having their own spells ricochet on them. I didn't find that knowledge particularly comforting.
The first shield is fairly easy to construct and maintain, but the second one is harder. For one thing, it has to be tougher in texture, while flexible at the same time, so that it won't shatter. After two weeks of practicing the first shield, I was ready to try the second. It took me half an hour to finally erect it.
I barely had it in place when there was an angry equine scream. I turned sharply, looking for Night. He had been dozing in the warm sun, well out of everyone's way. I'd barely managed to turn my head when he appeared at my side, rearing up on his back legs and hitting both of my shields with his front hooves.
Bam!
I was knocked onto my back from the blast, sharply hitting my head against the packed dirt. Owww. I slowly sat up, shaking my head a little in a vain attempt to silence the massive bells ringing in my ears. "Great Wizards, Night, what did you do that for?!"
He was standing over me, nostrils flaring and a fierce look in his eyes. "You put up shields between us."
Wow! That was the first complete sentence I'd ever gotten from him. I blinked myself out of the brief flash of surprise and focused on him again. "Yes, I put up shields. I'm trying to practice with them, Night."
My answer did not exactly sooth the situation. If anything, it made him even madder. "No shields."
I drew myself up to my knees so that I could look at him eye to eye. "Night, I have to be able to shield myself. Not from you, but from other people that might want to hurt me. I know you don't like being separated from me, but it's necessary that I learn how to do this. Okay?"
"No shields."
Children are just so much fun to argue with. Was I that bad at that age? I probably had been. I made another mental note that if I ever saw my parents again I'd apologize for ever being such a brat.
Professor Karmen had rushed over at the initial explosion. She was a wiry little woman with frizzy brown hair, and toughened skin from too much sun. With her black robes she almost looked like some kind of demented Witch out of a child's story book. She was watching my argument with Night, and if her growing smile was anything to go by, she was vastly amused by it. "Garth, why don't you let me try?"
I waved her on with an expansive gesture. If she thought she could make some headway, then I was more than willing to let her try.
Dropping down to one knee, she looked Night right in the eye. "Night, you must let Garth practice shielding."
"No shields."
I was a little surprised to be still included in the conversation, ev
en as a silent participant. Usually Night only spoke with one person at a time.
Professor Karmen didn't lose a whit of her smile, and tried again. "Do you want him to be hurt or defenseless?"
That made the Nreesce pause for a moment. "No."
"Then you must let him practice. He will be defenseless if he can't shield himself."
Night's head dropped slightly. You could almost see a war brewing in his eyes. I tried to hold firm, I really did, but I just felt so guilty for making him depressed like this. I knew I was right, but all he knew was that he didn't want to be separated from me.
With a sigh I shifted around so I could throw an arm around his neck and hug his head to my chest. "How about you stay inside the shield with me?"
He perked right back up, lifting his head so he could stare up at me. "With you?"
"Yes. But you have to be very quiet and still, all right? It's hard to do and I can't be distracted."
If he'd been a cat, I could swear that Night would have purred in contentment in that moment.
I looked up into my professor's face and could see the faint lines of disapproval around her eyes. I shrugged helplessly. How else was I supposed to respond? "I have to learn how to shield with him inside anyway."
She just rolled her eyes, got back up, and walked away. "Let's continue, everyone!"
I stood back up with Night practically glued to my thigh and started building my shields again. Hopefully I'd get the knack for this before my Nreesce got too bored and started fidgeting.
Chapter Seven: A Field Trip
I entered into Professor Doss's office like an unwary fly would venture into a spider's web. Sitting rigidly in front of the desk was Val Haben, looking irritated and determined. He was in the dark brown and green uniform of the Jaunten, and the crest showing his status as Head of the Jaunten was very prominent on his chest. That he had shown up like this, unannounced and in full force, was a trifle worrying.
Behind the desk was Doss, a little rumpled in his black robes, and every whit as rigid with irritation.
Jaunten (Advent Mage Cycle) Page 8