The Archmage

by Whiskey Flowers

  “Good luck on that,” Jonathan replied. “Mages born noble from two mage parents do believe they are just below the royal family. Nothing you can do will make them think otherwise, I have even heard them speak badly about Prince Jordan. One was so bold he did it to the Prince’s face.”

  “The nerve!” Madame Hawking said.

  “But they are only human,” Jonathan said. “A bunch of young ladies dancing is bound to make others come out even if it is just to ridicule.”

  “We are not fodder for ridicule,” Madame Hawking said. “But these young ladies do need partners for dancing. Many of them know how to dance already but they need the exercise to teach them about overindulging.”

  “I don’t even know what that means,” Red said.

  “It means that they have had too much of a good thing,” Jonathan replied.

  “That makes no sense,” Red retorted. “How can you have too much of a good thing?”

  “Like ale,” Jonathan replied remembering how Red had gotten drunk one night and the sickness the morning brought.

  “Madame Hawking,” said a girl walking up. Jonathan remembered her as the girl who yelled at him earlier in the day. “I don’t understand why we cannot dance with the noble boys inside.”

  “You can,” Jonathan replied. “Go right on in the Tower and grab one of them.”

  “It is you!” the girl said looking Jonathan up and down. “Why are your robes different?”

  “Because he is the strongest fighter in the kingdom,” Red replied.

  “Grace it is not proper for a young lady to go and ‘grab one of them,’” Madame Hawking replied. “A young lady shouldn’t need to either. All it takes is a little smile and a glance. If you have to do more than that then change your target.”

  “So I have to be stuck with poor commoners?” Grace asked. “My father always told me to never fall for a pretty face with a poor background.”

  “I don’t have a Da but I was always told to never fall for a full blouse with an itchy crotch,” Red replied. “Sorta the same thing.”

  “Have I never!” Madame Hawking said and grabbed her chest.

  “That is reason I do not want a commoner!” Grace said.

  “Well good luck to you then,” Red replied.

  “Hello,” said a girl walking up to Jonathan. Jonathan recognized her instantly as being from the mountains, she was almost as tall as he was and had hair so light it reminded him of the sun’s rays. Farrah said the girl favored her, Jonathan thought the newcomer was prettier and wondered if this girl was one of the people Duchess Golad wanted him to meet.

  “Hello, I am Jonathan,” Jonathan said and smiled.

  “I know,” the girl said and blushed. “I almost met you once at the Duke’s party.”

  “And we both know how that ended,” Jonathan said laughing.

  “Girls get to your places,” Madame Hawking said. “Bring out the rest of your people please Sir Mage and we can begin.”

  Jonathan looked on as the rest of the commoners came out of their barracks. Jonathan instructed them to bring their chairs and all except Tobin listened. Tobin eventually went back for his once he realized that he did not have a place to sit and listen as Madame Hawking talked about how to dance and interact in polite society. Jonathan was surprised the commoners all listened, Julian was especially interested and asked questions Jonathan himself never would have the nerve to, even if he wanted to know the answer to some of them.

  “Madame Hawking,” Julian began. “I am a lucky farm boy, my family doesn’t even own the farm, we work it for others. I got lucky to be here, if I didn’t have the gift I would still be on the farm shoveling what comes out of the backside of animals. I don’t want to mess this up, I have my Mum, my Da and three sisters depending on me. How will I know if someone is interested in me and is not just trying to be friendly? How do I go about not insulting someone when I talk to them? I have heard from some of the people around here that there are plenty of nobles who want magic into their family but I do not want to be with the wrong sort of person.”

  “You are just some commoner,” Grace snapped. “No noble girl wants anything to do with you.”

  “Mage Red says he has a friend that loves putting poor boys like me into contact with noble girls with open minds,” Julian replied. “I suppose I could meet them and see what they are about but Mage Red told me to start here.”

  “The young ladies who are here are the finest in the kingdom,” Madame Hawking replied. “Each one of them comes from an esteemed family young man. There are very few who can compare.”

  “Any of you should be happy to sit on my lap,” Tobin said loudly. “You all just need a real man to show you what’s what. We are the ones with the magic, now that I am seeing what’s what, maybe I should just spread my seed to as many women as possible. Make them pay for the privilege, I can always get married later.”

  “Your boy Bill would love this guy,” Red whispered.

  “You are likely to run into problems thinking that way,” Jonathan said looking at Tobin.

  “From who?” Tobin asked. “I aint scared of your tall skinny ass.”

  “Well then do you,” Jonathan replied. “Let me know how things work out for you.”

  “Why are you getting angry?” Russell said making Jonathan jump in fright.

  “Where in the pit did you just come from?” Jonathan snapped. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

  “We both know why I am down here,” Russell said. “I want to let my mother and the Queen know firsthand how everyone is getting along.”

  “We are doing well Milord,” Grace said as she got up and gave a little bow. “I would address you by name but you have not introduced yourself.”

  “My name is Russell, the Future Duke Golad,” Russell replied. “Some of you may have caught my speech, I graduated from the Tower earlier in the year and I am widely considered the strongest mage who ever lived.”

  “I agree,” Grace said as she blushed.

  “Lord Russell,” Red said with a smirk. “Would you ever consider marrying a mundane? I know you are going to be a Duke and have to be used to women falling all over you unlike us poor commoner mages.”

  “My children will be mages,” Russell said matter of factly. “The mountain has always been led by a mage and always will be led by a mage. Mundane women cannot birth a mage and even if one could, that babe would not be as strong as I am right now.”

  “So you would never consider a mundane?” Red asked.

  “Of course not,” Russell replied. “Do not be ridiculous. You have let your little position here cloud your mind. Marrying a mundane noble is the best you could aspire for. I am going to be a Duke, we do not settle.”

  “What is a mundane Lord Russell?” Grace asked.

  “Anyone without magical talent,” Red replied. “Someone as important as Lord Russell would never stoop so low to settle for someone with no magical talent. What would his mother say?”

  “She would say nothing because it would never happen,” Russell replied.

  “You got you answer,” Red said laughing as he looked at Grace. “You will always be a second choice unless you are looking for a mundane.”

  “Do not involve me in whatever this is,” Russell commanded. “I came over here to see how things were moving along, not to insult anyone.”

  “My apologies Lord Russell,” Red said mockingly. “It will not happen again.”

  “See that it doesn’t,” Russell replied.

  “Lord Russell we were going over etiquette,” Madame Hawking said. “As someone who apparently has the Queen’s ear, I am sure you are well versed in etiquette.”

  “I am,” Russell replied. “There are many unwritten rules to follow, especially if it a mage only gathering.”

  “There is?” Madame Hawking replied.

  “Mages have their own hierarchy amongst each other that is independent of any noble titles,” Russell began. “It has to do with how far back
your family can trace magic in their blood and how strong you are in magic.”

  “What Lord Russell means to say, is there is hierarchy among noble mages,” Jonathan replied. “I can trace magic in my family back farther than some nobles and yet many of them hate me. Of course they either have the decency or self-preservation to do it outside of my hearing.”

  “Here come the rest,” Red said and looked up as Farrah and Monica dropped out of the sky. “I think with time you will have every mage in the Tower over here Madame Hawking.”

  “I am just here to say hello,” Farrah replied. “And to make sure no one is giving you a difficult time.”

  “And what is a bird like you going to do about it?” Tobin asked. “If you are over here looking for action you can come over and sit on my lap.”

  “Thunder you better settle these commoners down,” Russell said. “The only thing saving that one is that I do not want to stoop to such a level.”

  “You mad because the blondie wants some of this?” Tobin asked. “Does she belong to you or something?”

  “Now you know why you should have never even entertained being with a commoner,” Monica said looking at Farrah. “Just look at this idiot.”

  “We should get on with the class,” Madame Hawking said. “Perhaps some exercise will tire the energy out of all of you.”

  Jonathan stood up and matched up with a partner, he knew how to dance a little so he was not worried about his skill. Jonathan was worried about the size of his partner, Jonathan was tall and many of the ladies there were too short to dance with comfortably. There were only six males who planned on dancing, Russell would never do so. The rest of the ladies decided that they would take turns dancing with the males there, Jonathan thought he would have a long night on his feet. Jonathan’s second partner was the mountain girl, she introduced herself as Wendy and gave him a little bow.

  Jonathan thought she was thinner than Farrah but it could have been due to her wearing a dress instead of robes. She was light on her feet and Jonathan thought she was obviously having fun while they danced. Wendy was fair skinned and turned red whenever she and Jonathan locked eyes which was often.

  “Milord?” Wendy said softly.

  “Jonathan,” Jonathan replied.

  “Do you and Lady Farrah have some history together?” Wendy asked. “She keeps staring over here but looks like she is trying not to be seen.”

  “Do not worry yourself about her,” Jonathan replied. “We aren’t doing anything scandalous.”

  “I still do not want her for an enemy,” Wendy replied. “I was there that night her friend beat up that tiny girl.”

  “We can stop dancing,” Jonathan said and shot her his best smile. “This song is about over anyway.”

  “You still did not answer my question,” Wendy said.

  “We were more than friendly once,” Jonathan replied as the song ended. “Have a nice night.”

  Jonathan’s next partner was Grace who seemed embarrassed and angry. As soon as the song started Jonathan could tell the smaller woman was good on her feet and moved so effortlessly it surprised him. Jonathan was just trying to keep up, Grace had moves he had never seen before and Jonathan thought he heard Madame Hawking talking about how well they moved together. Jonathan was sweating by the time the song was over, he was tired and the way Grace danced had extra moves that required concentration.

  “I carried you commoner,” Grace said looking up and Jonathan. “I made you look better than I should have.”

  “You did carry me,” Jonathan replied breathlessly. “Good luck to your next partner, you obviously are a good dancer.”

  “I am good at everything,” Grace snapped back. “Which is why I am not going to marry some commoner. I have too much education and I have put in too many hours to settle for anything less than I deserve. The only thing those mage women have is their magic. I am even better looking than most of them.”

  “I wish you well,” Jonathan replied.

  “I am not going to tie myself to one of you commoners and let something else pass me by,” Grace said as she then narrowed her eyes at Jonathan. “You were passable for a partner but your dark eyes have no effect on me. Save your wooing for some other girl.”

  Jonathan was left dumbfounded as Grace walked away. Jonathan thought the girl thought too highly of herself but figured it was not his problem. She did stand a good chance of landing one of the noble mages if she put herself out there Jonathan thought. Jonathan spent the rest of the night dancing with various women and had to admit he was having fun. He made small talk with most of them and they were pleasant to be around. He and Red stayed on the floor the longest, Jonathan knew Red wasn’t going to leave once Jonathan caught sight of Poppy looking from the Tower. Poppy was supposedly betrothed to Prince Xalen but had no friends in the Big Four. Russell wanted Poppy’s friend Lauryn and partly blamed Poppy for Lauryn leaving the Tower. Monica hated her because Poppy had a crew she used to run with and they had threatened and ridiculed Monica many times while boasting about Lauryn and Russell. Farrah hated Poppy because Farrah thought Poppy was trying to fix Jonathan up with one of her friends.

  When the night finally ended, Jonathan was tired but happy. Jonathan thought some of the people he met were charming but would hold each of them at arm's length. Jonathan was determined to blow the system apart and he could not do that if he fell for some pretty face. Red seemed like he had a blast, Jonathan figured his street mannerisms were probably charming to some of the ladies there and Red knew it.

  CHAPTER 6

  Cara’s Plan

  “So this is where you are hiding,” Russell said as he walked into Jonathan’s office.

  “I hide from no man,” Jonathan replied. “No matter how strong or who he may be.”

  “People have been asking about you Thunder,” Russell said. “Some of the young women from last night wanted to know why you were not at breakfast.”

  “And how would you know that?” Jonathan replied.

  “Because I invited them all to dine with me and Farrah to ensure there were no misunderstandings last night,” Russell replied. “Your little friend wanted to embarrass one of them and I might have come off as being brash.”

  “You are brash,” Jonathan replied. “And you think you are better than everyone else.”

  “I am better than everyone else,” Russell replied. “That is fact, not an assumption. I still do not want any of them thinking I was looking down on them for their lack of magic.”

  “Well good for you and them,” Jonathan replied.

  “Why didn’t you come to breakfast?” Russell asked. “Your friend Red was there.”

  “What are you, the city watch?” Jonathan asked. “You may be big news outside of this Tower but in it, you don’t give orders to me.”

  “No one is ordering you Thunder,” Russell said. “You should have been at breakfast.”

  “But I wasn’t,” Jonathan replied. “So what.”

  “Watch your tone with me Thunder,” Russell replied. “Your attitude is the perfect reason why a commoner shouldn’t be Champion.”

  “Just say whatever you came to say Russell,” Jonathan replied. “Shouldn’t you have already left by now?”

  “The people you were dancing and having fun with are exactly the type of people you should get to know,” Russell replied. “With the right connections you could be Mage Commander inside of three years once Kevin Wilson retires.”

  “I don’t need any connections,” Jonathan replied. “I blaze my own path.”

  “You are just trying to be difficult,” Russell replied. “Well I have news that you are going to love to hear. Once every few months, I am going to be down here to help you instruct Mage Dueling. This came from the Tower Mage once he heard how great we worked together last night.”

  “That is bullshit!” Jonathan said as he stood up. “I have never seen you duel another mage before and I have killed idiots in the arena.”

  “I am going to
be here Thunder,” Russell replied. “You can have me as a friend or as what we are now. Part of that depends on what you do while you are here. My mother’s offer about a job is still valid provided you have a betrothed and leave Farrah alone.”

  “You still think I am on about your sister?” Jonathan laughed. “You have nothing to worry about.”

  “If you would have listened to me you would have never gotten your feelings hurt dealing with her,” Russell said. “But you were an angry commoner trying to reach above your station. You should know what your station is now. You have the best of the best mundane girls just paces away from you. You will never get this opportunity again, this program could be shut down next year. Marry a rich girl, improve your fortune and get a high paying job working for my parents and then me when I come to power. Think on that Thunder, just think on it.”

  Jonathan watched Russell walk away and would have thought longer on what he said if Cara did not walk through the door after him. Cara had briefly flirted with Prince Xalen and had set Jonathan up to take a beating. Jonathan had snapped at her and let her know that she was lucky he didn’t kill her. Jonathan also told her if she did anything like that again that she would be the first person he went after. Cara looked hesitant at first to speak, Jonathan gestured to an open seat in front of him and she took it.

  “Initiate Cara,” Jonathan began. “We have our history but it is in the past unless you do not want it to be.”

  “I-I want it to be,” Cara said after some hesitation.

  “Prince Xalen, Lord Russell and their hangers on are gone now,” Jonathan said as he looked at her. “Right now you are in the senior class and you are your own woman. How can I help you?”

  “Those girls you were dancing with last night,” Cara said and flashed red.

  “I didn’t know you were paying attention,” Jonathan replied. “I thought mages were above simple mundanes.”

  “I heard those girls are here looking for suitors,” Cara said.

  “They are but you do not have to worry about that,” Jonathan replied. “You could practically have your pick.”