And all of it felt just slightly off.
He couldn’t shake the memory of what happened here and the violence that had occurred within this room. He couldn’t shake the memory of facing Ferand, the terror of learning that the Secundum was involved, all before he had learned a very new danger, that being that the Grandam could be equally involved.
How many others are still within the Academy?
While he did want to meet Mia here, Sam had another reason for coming here.
He paused, looking at the curved shelves. They were stuffed full of books that had once been tossed on the floor. The organization was slightly different than it had been, and as he peeked at the spines of the nearest section of books, he found that the order was off.
“Can I help you find… oh. Mr. Bilson.”
Sam looked over to the library and seated at the desk. Professor Milsen had been a librarian through the entire reconstruction, and from what Sam had been able to determine, he was one of the few who hadn’t betrayed the Academy. He had no idea how many had been involved in the betrayal, but there had been more than what most realized.
“It looks wonderful,” Sam said.
Professor Milsen smiled, and he sat more upright. He had a log in front of him and dipped his pen and ink before scrawling Sam’s name on the pages. It seemed they were now keeping a record of who visited. He wondered what the policy about taking books from the library would be, though that didn’t really matter to him with his access to the Study Hall, at least what he hoped he could still access. He had placed his own layer of power through the barrier that Havash had woven within the Study Hall, strengthening it and hopefully securing it so that nobody else could break in.
“It took a long time, but there was a measure of urgency to return it to its prior state. The students need access to the library, as you know. We have been working as quickly as we can to try to ensure that it was ready prior to the final exams. There were some who didn’t think we could get it back ready by second trimester exams.” He smiled tightly. “I assume that is why you are here?”
Sam nodded. Let them think he was here because he was concerned about his exams. He wasn’t as worried as he had been before. Now it wasn’t a matter of not having power. He could use the source much like others use the arcane arts, so even when it came to the approach of angulation, he thought that he might be able to replicate much of the more advanced aspects. And his other classes were simple enough for him to get through.
“Am I free to wander?”
“The policies have not changed, Mr. Bilson.”
He headed into the library, wandering through the shelves, breathing in the scent of books, leather, pages, his mind working on trying to place the organization here. He felt as if he needed to have a structure fall back into place for himself.
By the time he reached the back of the library, where the booths had been, he found the arrangement different. Now there were benches, with tables. A shared space rather than individual study spaces.
He didn’t like that at all. He had enjoyed the privacy.
He gathered a stack of books, those on angulation, alchemy—no longer worried about taking alchemy texts now that the alchemy tower was reopened—and several on advanced mathematics before setting them down.
Sam took a seat at the table. It was early enough that he didn’t expect many students to come and recent enough that the library had reopened that he wasn’t expecting too many other people to join him.
He heard the sound of footsteps before he saw Mia approach.
He shifted, positioning himself along the wall, and watched her come. She moved slowly, timidly.
Sam got up and was tempted to go over to her but held back. When she saw him, she stopped, watching him.
“Can we talk?” he asked.
“You told him,” she said.
“Who?”
“Your friend. Now everybody’s going to know the truth about where I came from.”
“James won’t say anything. I trust him.”
“It’s been hard enough, Sam. The last few weeks, especially.”
He was tempted to tell her that his last few weeks had been incredibly difficult, as well, but she didn’t look like she wanted to hear that from him, and she didn’t need to know what he had been through.
“I wanted to talk about finding the time for us to work together. I can help you.”
“How can you help me?” She looked at a stack of books before looking up at him. “All you can do is read and tell me what you’ve learned, but I can do that.”
“I can tell you about angulation, and I can show you—”
“You can show me nothing. You can’t use the arcane arts,” Mia said, before lowering her voice. She took a step toward him. “I know you want to take care of me. I know that you want to protect me. I don’t know if you can do that here.”
Sam got up, and he faced his sister. “Show me a basic pattern of angulation.”
“Here?” She looked around. Like all of the students in angulation, she must have been told there was a danger in releasing that power in a place where it was uncontrolled.
“Here. Do you trust me?”
She paused longer than he wished that she would but finally nodded. “I’ve always trusted you, Sam.”
“Then trust me now.”
He took a step closer to her and created a barrier around them using the source. It was a simple one, and he laced it off, using the pattern he had first practiced while staying with Lilith. Now that the barrier was sealed, he knew that her angulation pattern wouldn’t harm any of the books and destroy the library again.
“Go ahead.”
He sighed as she began to glow softly, her connection to the arcane arts building. He sought as she started to force two lines out from her at ninety degrees, a simple pattern.
And then he used his own connection to the source and nudged those lines back at forty-five degrees. When he did, the two triangles formed, ceiling together with a flash of light. It was a straightforward pattern with some complexity but no real purpose other than to create a burst of light like that.
Her eyes widened. “How did I do that?”
“You did part of it,” Sam said. “I finished it.”
“How? You haven’t had any connection to the arcane arts.”
“I still don’t,” he said, keeping his voice low, looking around. “But I have a connection to something else. Similar enough, but not the same. And I can use that to help me feel the angulation that you are using. I can use that to influence it.”
Mia watched him. She didn’t say anything for a long time.
Sam waited for her to tell him something more, to offer excitement on his behalf, the same way as he had been excited when she had demonstrated her own ability with the arcane arts. His new ability to use the source meant that he could stay in the Academy. It meant that he could pass his testing. It meant that he wouldn’t have to leave after the end of the year.
“I can work with you,” he said. “I can help you figure out what isn’t working for you.”
“What happens now when I fail at the end of the year?”
“We’re going to make sure that you pass,” he said. “I’m going to work with you.”
“What happens if I don’t?” Her eyes welled with tears. “All this time, I thought that you were going to be disappointed in me if I couldn’t stay, but I always knew that I had a place. If something happened to me, and I didn’t make it, I would just go with you. We’ve already made it on the streets before, and I knew that we could do it again. But now you won’t want that.”
“Mia—”
Mia backed away from him, shaking her head. “No, Sam.”
“I can help you.”
“I don’t think you can. I don’t think you can understand how hard it is for me.”
She hurried away, and he was tempted to chase after her, but what more would he say?
He knew his sister. She could get emotional a
t times. He would have to let her calm down. Cool off. Then he could approach her again.
Sam wasn’t going to let her fail. She had to know that. He was going to do everything that he could, everything in his ability, to ensure that she stayed.
Maybe he would have to press Havash to help.
The Grandam would want Sam around, especially with his connection to the vrandal and the almanac, and given what Sam had done on behalf of the Academy, he had to feel like he was owed some measure of help at least.
“What was that about?”
He looked over to see Tara striding forward. She had on her blue striped robe, but she had a bundle under her arm.
“That was me trying to help my sister.”
“Let me guess. She is upset with you because you now have your own connection to the arcane arts?”
“It’s not…” He shook his head. He wasn’t going to argue with Tara about this, even though she felt like what he could do was similar enough to the arcane arts that it didn’t even matter. “How did you know?”
“I know that she’s been struggling. I think she fears not passing through.”
“She does.”
Tara shrugged again. “We can work with her.”
“I told her that.”
“And she doesn’t want your help?”
“I think she’s scared.”
“Give her time.”
He nodded. That had been his plan.
“I’m surprised that it’s taken you this long to come to the library now that it’s opened. I figured you would have been here the very first night.”
“I’ve been preoccupied.”
“And I’ve been looking for you. I wanted to show you something.”
She unfolded the bundle under her arm. A black and white striped robe.
“Is that for me?” Sam still hadn’t gotten his alchemy tower robe.
“No. For me.” She grinned at him. “I figured that it was time that I push for admission to the alchemy tower. I’ve had to undergo some testing, but that was easy enough. And it was more than a little fun to see Tracen’s face. He’s always enjoyed being the best alchemy student.” She frowned slightly as she said it, though.
“What is it?”
“You’re not going to like this,” she said with a heavy sigh.
“What?”
“Well, somebody else applied for access to the alchemy tower. Now that it isn’t a residential tower and it is more a place of learning, there have been more candidates than usual.”
“No,” Sam started.
“I’m afraid so. Gresham passed.”
Sam groaned. “What does that mean for me?”
“The good news is that it doesn’t go on class rank. Only ability. And I think you might have all of us beat there. Well, all but me.” She glanced at the stack of books. “So, are you going to tell me why you came here?”
“Mostly to see the library. I’ll need to return later for what I really need to look into.”
“Why?”
“Because I think the two of us need to research, but the books we need probably aren’t easily available.”
“The reserve stack?”
He nodded. “You and I are going to find out everything that we can about Rasan Tel.”
He knew they needed to. The attack wasn’t over. The Nighlan weren’t finished with their plans. And he had to be ready the next time—whether here in the Academy or someplace else.
He expected Tara to understand, but the way she looked at him suggested that she was more worried than eager. He wondered why.
“I don’t like it, Sam.”
“You don’t like the idea of dealing with the Nighlan?”
“Well, that, but I don’t like the idea of you wanting to learn more about what brought you to her. What happens when she comes for you again? What are you going to do? She can teach you things that you can’t learn here.”
He wanted to argue, tell her that he could learn everything he needed in the almanac, or in the library, or someplace within Tavran, but how could he?
She was right. What would he do if Lilith came for him again?
He didn’t know, and any answer he might say now ran the possibility of being a lie.
“Will you help me?”
She took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. “You know that I will. And if you decide to leave, I’m coming with you. I’m not letting some strange woman take you away from the Academy again.”
The next book in The Alchemist: Alchemist Adept.
Sam must master his connection to the source—and understand alchemy—if he wants to save the Academy.
Sam had come to the Academy powerless and used his wits to keep his place until learning that he can command a different magic. With the Nighlan attacking along the border of the city in the hopes of freeing Rasan Tel, Academy students are called upon to fight.
Having used his power to protect the Academy, Sam finds himself in a new struggle. Somehow, he has to balance his classes, lessons with a new alchemy instructor, all while working on a secret assignment in the war against the Nighlan.
As he begins to learn the truths of alchemy and his unique connection to power, Sam knows that he holds a key to stopping the fighting, but only if he can master his power.
The lessons he needs can’t be found in books, and the only person with the knowledge he needs is the same person he must defeat.
Author’s Note
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for reading Alchemist Illusion. I hope you enjoyed it. If you would be so kind as to take a moment to leave a review on Amazon or elsewhere, I would be very grateful. Review link HERE.
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Dan Michaelson
D.K. Holmberg
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Series by Dan Michaelson
Cycle of Dragons
The Alchemist
Similar Series by D.K. Holmberg
The Dragonwalkers Series
The Dragonwalker
The Dragon Misfits
The Dragon Thief
Cycle of Dragons
Elemental Warrior Series:
Elemental Academy
The Elemental Warrior
The Cloud Warrior Saga
The Endless War
Copyright © 2021 by ASH Publishing
Cover art by Rebecca Frank
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Alchemist Illusion (The Alchemist Book 3) Page 26