Sorcerer's Academy

by N. A. K. Baldron

  “The first time is always the most disconcerting,” Richard said. “I’d like to tell you the tingling goes away after a few attempts, but the truth is we all learn to endure it. Some report enjoying the tingles, though I think they’re lying to themselves. A way of coping with the unpleasantness.”

  Ren could hear him digging through the desk drawers, and then he was being turned over with Richard offering him a small vile to drink.

  “It will help with the vertigo.”

  Anything to make this go away, Ren thought to himself.

  It tasted like raw kale and anchovies, but sure enough he began to feel normal again, and the burning in his legs started to subside. Five deep breaths later, Ren sat on the sofa and the pain was gone entirely. In fact, he found it hard to recall what the pain felt like in the first place.

  “You did well,” Richard said from behind his desk where he sat. “Most pupils aren’t able to follow a voidwalk on their own for many months. The rumors of your innate powers weren’t exaggerated.”

  What powers? Ren thought.

  “Thank you?” Ren didn’t know how else to respond.

  What do you say to the most powerful sorcerer in the world when he compliments your powers? True he accomplished more than the other pupils, but not consistently and only with the help from the others. It was only after the help of Goban and Adaku he was able to contribute in their test. If not for them, he’d still be an apprentice and not here in the Archamethyst’s office.

  “That’s enough for today,” Richard said. “Experience is the only teacher when it comes to voidwalking. Try not to be hard on yourself for failing. Look at it as a learning opportunity.

  “Unless you want to practice again on the way back to your dorms?”

  That was the last thing in the world he wanted to experience at that moment.

  “I’d rather not.”

  “I understand,” Richard walked over to where Ren sat. “Were I in your position, I’d hold off on practicing too.”

  Richard grabbed hold of Ren’s arm, and with the flash of a white light, they were standing back in the dining hall where they’d started their morning. But just as Ren’s eyes adjusted the Archamethyst left with another flash.

  Do you ever get used to the blinding light?

  With practice you learn to close your eyes at just the right moment, Richard transmitted. We’ll pick up where we left off tomorrow.

  And with that nugget of wisdom, Ren was left to his own amusement. Hopeful, he ran out of the dining hall and up the stairs of his wing to the apprentice’s dorms. Only to find that he was still alone. He checked Shaya’s, Goban’s, and Adaku’s rooms just to be sure, but there was no sign of them. He skipped checking Abaze’s—better to be alone than stuck with him.

  With nothing else to occupy his time, Ren dragged himself to the library. It wouldn’t be easy, but reading was better than sitting in his room alone.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  REN SAT IN THE DINING HALL eating eggs and sausage by himself, his second glass of ale half empty.

  Reading in the library was as hard as Ren imagined, and it didn’t help take his mind off the fact he was lonely. Instead, his thoughts kept drifting away from the text and focusing on the fact he’d lost all his friends overnight, and the only thing he had to show for it was lessons with a half-insane sorcerer.

  It may be a prestigious accomplishment, but Ren would happily give it up to be back with his friends in the library struggling together to prepare for a test. Anything to get rid of the void he felt in his stomach.

  “Ale,” Ren said, and a new mug appeared beside the two empty ones.

  None of the other pupils had returned last night—not even Abaze. Ren waited in the hall all night, and woke up to find himself utterly alone. When he checked their rooms again their trunks were gone, and there was no sign anyone had ever been there.

  Shaya didn’t even say goodbye.

  The ale had a bitter aftertaste Ren found comforting. Something about his drink mirroring his thoughts made him feel balanced. Despite the fact he could no longer sit straight in his chair, and slowly leaning to one side then the next. All while continuing to take large sips from his pint.

  Come to the courtyard, Richard transmitted. It’s time to practice.

  Shit! Ren scolded himself.

  He nearly tipped over his chair as he tried to push it back to stand, and after falling back into it, he slowly pushed himself away from the table before attempting to stand again. The whole process took several seconds, not that he noticed.

  Instead of pushing the front doors open, Ren rested his body weight against them, and they slowly swung open of their own accord. The crisp air of morning helped clear the fog from his mind as Ren walked toward the Archamethyst, who stood in the middle of a grass patch. Beyond him, marked out with red rope, was a circle large enough to hold six men.

  “Today you’ll practice voidwalking on your own,” Richard said as a way of greeting. “Distance doesn’t actually matter, but experience has shown that it’s easier for first timers to voidwalk to a place they can see.”

  Ren listened, but didn’t follow what the Archamethyst was saying. Instead his mind had fogged up again, and he was breathing deeply to push down the sensation building in his stomach. The bitter ale had turned sour in his gut as it mixed with the fried eggs.

  “First time through, we’ll do the same as yesterday,” Richard said. “You hold on to my sleeve and I’ll guide you through. That way you see the path once.”

  “Okay,” Ren said, only because he knew it was his turn to speak.

  “Right,” Richard held out his arm.

  Ren’s heart froze as he realized what Richard intended for them to do, and in his gut, he knew it was a bad idea. But how could he tell the Archamethyst no?

  Cold sweat dripping down the back of his neck, Ren grabbed hold of Richard’s sleeves.

  There was a sudden flash of light.

  Vomit gushed out of Ren’s mouth like a faucet. He heaved for breath as he hunched over. His stomach screamed in pain and convulsed as vomit poured out again, small bits of egg getting stuck in his nose.

  By time the vomiting finished, Ren felt as if he’d lost twenty pounds, and found the Archamethyst hovering over him, but far enough away as to avoid the splatter. Ren’s own shoes were covered with little white and yellow specks of egg, while the grass before him had turned into a toxic mud puddle.

  “Are you drunk?” Richard demanded.

  The stench of ale was unavoidable.

  For the briefest of moments Ren thought to lie, but then his stomach threatened to expel his kidney and he collapsed into a sitting position as far away from the toxic mud puddle as he could muster.

  “I didn’t mean to—” Ren began.

  “Then why drink so much?” Richard asked. “Did you think drinking would calm your nerves and make voidwalking easier? You need a clear mind, more so than calm nerves. But I suppose if I were in your place, I may have done the same.”

  Richard sounded genuinely interested in Ren’s motives for drinking, or perhaps he only wanted to know why his promising pupil was laid out on the grass under the bright morning source-light. It was hard to decipher motives while drunk and trying to focus on Richards over explanations.

  “No,” Ren said. “I miss my friends.”

  He didn’t mean for it to sound so childish, in his mind he’d constructed a more elegant explanation, but in his drunken state, it was the best he could muster. Ren was lucky it had come out coherent given how much the courtyard was spinning around him.

  “You mean the other apprentices who arrived with you?”

  “Yes. Shaya, and Goban. Even Adaku,” Ren belched. “But not Abaze.”

  Richard laughed at this last part. “I’ve heard reports that he’s rather full of himself. I can’t say I blame you for not wanting him around. I should also apologize for not thinking of you, and your need to be with sorcerers of your own age. See, typically a mentor tak
es in their pupil as family. They live with them and spend time with their family. However, that’s not possible with you and I.”

  Richard reached out his hand to help Ren up. His stomach no longer felt like it would expel his internal organs, so he accepted the Archamethyst’s help up.

  “Let’s get you back to bed.”

  Richard grabbed hold of Ren’s arm and walked him up the stairs. He hardly realized it when they were standing in his dorm room. How the Archamethyst knew which room was his, he couldn’t guess.

  “Sleep it off,” Richard said, and helped Ren lay down. “I’ll see to it that fish soup is added to the menu. It always works for me. When I was a pupil my closest friend and I use to . . .

  “Well, never mind all that. Be sure and rest.”

  And without another word, a burst of light appeared and the Archamethyst was gone.

  Crazy old man.

  CHAPTER SIX

  “YOU HAVE TO SHOW BETTER JUDGEMENT,” Richard spoke softly from behind his desk. “I know you’re young, but you can’t go around getting drunk. Sorcery requires a certain level of concentration, and as my pupil you’re expected to set an example for the others.”

  “I’m sorry,” Ren looked at his feet. “I rarely drink. It was a foolish mistake, and it’ll never happen again.”

  “I know you are, and I’m not angry.” Richard said. “This is a learning opportunity I’m trying to guide you through. It’s best not to dwell on the mistake, but instead discover the lesson it teaches.”

  “Okay. I guess my life has been rather dull until discovering my magic.”

  “Fair enough,” Richard said. “I’m not so old as to be completely out of touch with what it’s like to be a youthful new sorcerer.”

  Ren looked up to find the Archamethyst smiling at him.

  “I made more than my fair share of mistakes at your age, and I don’t expect you to be perfect. I do expect you to learn from your failures though. Am I clear?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Richard chuckled, “Richard is fine. No need for formality. Now, how do you feel today?”

  “Better.”

  “I don’t envy you; hangovers are something I’d rather not experience again in this lifetime. Stomach stop hurting? Did the fish soup work?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Excellent!” Richard stood and gestured for Ren to follow him out of the office. “I have great news. I’ve spoken with the council, and we’ve agreed to relocate you to the tower. Obviously, you can’t live with me, but I’ve found you accommodations on the 45th floor.”

  Ren’s stomach was feeling much better, but all the same he appreciated the old fashion method of walking down the three flights of stairs.

  The 45th floor offered a hallway which ran from the stairwell landing to the opposite side, where a window looked out upon the horizon.

  “The right-hand side is yours,” Richard said.

  “Who lives on the left?” Ren asked as they passed a door to their right a quarter down the hall, and continued to walk two more quarters before arriving at the single door on the left side.

  “No one at the moment,” Richard opened the door to Ren’s new apartment.

  * * *

  “YOU CAN’T DO IT,” TREASA SAID.

  “Of course I can,” the Archamethyst said, looking around to the other council members. “I can allow anyone I like into the tower.”

  “There’s no precedents for it,” Mao said.

  “She’s right,” Emil added. “I hate to admit it, but she’s right. No pupil has ever been given free reign of the tower before. Only fully-fledged sorcerers are supposed to have that level of access.”

  “Isn’t it us who sets precedents?” Marcel asked. “Ren is better served where we can keep a close eye on him. Isolating him is only going to lead to disaster.”

  “Ren is trustworthy,” Richard said, “otherwise I wouldn’t have taken him on as a pupil.”

  “A matter that I still think was ill advised,” Treasa said.

  “Good thing your opinion is irrelevant,” Richard said, and a pulse of white light shot across the wooden desk, leaving a burn pattern of lightning etched into the grain.

  Treasa gasped.

  “If there’s nothing else on the itinerary,” Richard stood to leave. “I need to show my pupil to his new quarters, as this was merely a polite announcement, not a debatable matter.”

  Richard didn’t wait for the barrage of complaints, instead he voidwalked into the hallway outside of Ren’s dorm room. Hopefully the boy was happy with the new accommodations.

  * * *

  “WOW,” REN STOPPED IN THE DOORWAY.

  His half of the floor was fully furnished. The doorway led into a main room where a fireplace rest against the far wall, flanked on either side by windows, looking out upon the frost-blue sky. Circling the fireplace were three dark leather armchairs, which called out to Ren.

  Ren looked right, and saw his room came with a small library of four shelves stretching from floor to ceiling. He followed as Richard led him to the left.

  “You can eat here,” Richard pointed to a square table with four chairs, “or there’s a dining hall on the 23rd floor. It’s open all hours, and you’ll usually find at least a handful of other sorcerers eating or drinking. I’ve had many engrossing conversations in that hall over the years.”

  A smaller door in the middle of a wall led into a cramped hallway, lit by a single lamp hanging in the center of the ceiling. The space forced them to walk single file toward the door at the end of the hall.

  “That’s your bathroom,” Richard gestured to the door on the right.

  “Storage room,” Richard gestured to the door on the left, “and it can also double as a guest room if you need it too. There’s a pull-out bed from the wall. Not the most comfortable, but it will do for a single evening.”

  The door at the end of the hall opened to a room the size of the main room they’d initially entered, with its own fireplace to the left, flanked by windows, and two arm chairs—these made of fine cloth. A four-poster king-size bed took up most of the far side of the room, while the half closest to Ren was left quite bare compared to the rest of the apartment.

  “We’ve left your room bare so you might decorate as you like,” Richard said. “I trust these accommodations will suffice?”

  Ren realized he’d been too flabbergasted to speak the whole time. The Archamethyst must think him rude and ungrateful.

  “It’s marvelous,” Ren said. “I’ve never seen a better apartment.”

  Ren walked up to the bed and pushed his weight against the mattress, “And it’s all mine?”

  “Yes,” Richard said, “for as long as you live in the tower. Once you’re a full-fledged sorcerer you’ll be expected to represent the Amethyst Nation, and may be sent abroad as a diplomat or advisor. Or you may show great promise as a researcher, and spend your time locked away in a lab. Either way, I suspect we can expect great things from you.”

  “Thank you!”

  “You’re welcome, but it’s not a favor. As my pupil it’s only proper that you have accommodations here in the tower. You’ll find sorcerers live better than you’re accustomed too.”

  Ren turned to look at him.

  “I’m aware of your upbringing,” Richard said. “I don’t mean to make you embarrassed. It’s nothing you should be ashamed of, none of us can control where we came from. Only where we’re going. And you my boy, are going to be a great sorcerer.”

  Apparently, this was to be the pattern of their relationship—Richard giving long explanations, and Ren baffled as to how to respond. Never before had he met someone who spoke so freely and openly about everything. It had occurred to Ren that perhaps Richard couldn’t help himself, and his sharing was a compulsion rather than a choice.

  “Um...” Ren said.

  “I understand,” Richard stepped back from where Ren stood. “Take the morning to explore. I’ll meet you in your new den around lunch time.”
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  A burst of light flashed.

  But this time Ren felt it coming and closed his eyes. He saw a bright red glow, from a light being shined directly on his closed eyelids, and when he opened his eyes the Archamethyst was gone.

  What should I do first?

  Ren didn’t know the first thing about decorating a room, so there was little chance he would get around to it today. No, the best thing was for him to explore the apartment and maybe check out the dining hall on the 23rd floor.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  THE FIRST NIGHT IN HIS NEW BED, Ren slept more soundly than since he stayed with Brandon, which made him wonder if the bed was enchanted in the same way. Either way Ren was grateful for the sound sleep. He needed to be fully rested if he were to stand any chance of keeping up with the Archamethyst’s expectations.

  The fire had gone out in the middle of the night, and when Ren pulled off the top blanket he was greeted with a cold blast of air. Through the window he saw the source-light which cast a warm light into the room.

  Facing the cold, Ren scurried to the chair where he’d left his robes from the night before. The view from his window had been fantastic last night, with the bursts of lamp light throughout the city against the vast pure black sky. Ren thought it might be close to what the Belfry’s experienced from their high rises in the Pearl Nation. but with the source-light blaring down on him, it was unlikely he’d enjoy looking outside for several hours.

  For the first time, Ren fully appreciated just how high up the Amethyst Nation was, more so the top of the tower. From his room he could look down on half the floating island.

  Ren regretted closing his bedroom door behind him as he entered the narrow hall. The dim, cool space gave the feeling of being underground. As he opened the adjoining door the source-light blinded him back into the hall. After his eyes adjusted, he re-entered the source-light flooded room to deal with his growling stomach. Food was several floors down, and as he’d yet to master voidwalking the stairs were the only option.