(The Zero Enigma Book 6) The Family Pride

by Christopher Nuttall

  I shivered. The classroom was freezing. I think he charmed it deliberately. The shorts and shirt I wore - that we all wore - didn’t provide anywhere near enough protection. He’d told us that suffering built character, but personally I thought he was just a sadist. Making us suffer was part of his job. I honestly didn’t know how he got away with it.

  Probably because he’s an equal opportunity sadist, I thought. Everyone suffers at his hands.

  “I trust you brought your sword,” Magister Harmon said, addressing me. “You’re going to be needing it.”

  “Yes, sir,” I said. I reached back and grabbed the hilt. “I’m ready.”

  “Very good.” Magister Harmon pointed towards the line of training dummies, positioned against the far wall. “Here we go.”

  He snapped his fingers. The training dummies jumped to life, their inhuman forms snapping into attack position. I drew the sword in one smooth motion as the others grabbed swords off the walls, whispering curses as hexes started to fly. The dummies moved with inhuman speed. I had to let the sword guide me in snapping their hexes out of the air. Two students were knocked to the ground - hard - before they could muster a protective charm.

  “Don’t clump up like that,” Magister Harmon barked. “Defend yourselves!”

  A dummy lunged at me. The sword darted out, guided by its formidable magic, and sliced right through the dummy’s chest. It fell to the ground, in pieces. I saw sparks of magic darting around it as another dummy appeared, trying to hex me. I deflected the spell, then stabbed it with the sword. It collapsed too, emitting an inhuman sound. I shivered as I ducked another hex.

  “Here,” Francis called. “Quickly!”

  I covered his back as he matched blades with another dummy, forcing it to lower its guard before he hit it with a fireball and blew it into bits. I saw Alana and Bella, also fighting back to back as the dummies closed for the kill. One appeared, ready to move into Alana’s blind spot and hex her; I sliced it in half without thinking, watching the pieces fall to the ground. She shot me an unreadable look, then nodded her thanks. I grinned at her, then moved on to the next target.

  And then, suddenly, everything was over. The dummies were all gone.

  “Form a line, those who can.” Magister Harmon didn’t sound impressed. “How many of you lost?”

  I glanced at the students on the ground. Eight were down, held in place by magic. “Eight, sir.”

  “I have two points to make,” Magister Harmon said. “First, if that had been a real fight, eight of your comrades would be dead.”

  I swallowed, hard. There were only twelve students in the class. Only four of us had lasted long enough to defend ourselves.

  “And second,” Magister Harmon continued, “don’t assume ...”

  A spell slammed into my back. My arms and legs locked, painfully. I tumbled forward, catching sight of Bella falling too. Someone - I think it was Francis - landed on my back as I hit the ground. The impact hurt, even through the spell. I struggled, trying to cast a counterspell, but it was impossible. I couldn’t even focus my mind well enough to call on the sword.

  “... That the battle is over until the fat lady sings,” Magister Harmon said. “Can you hear singing? I can’t.”

  An invisible force gripped me, flipping me over. I landed on my back, looking up at the dummies. They’d reconstituted themselves the moment our backs were turned, then hexed us. I cursed under my breath. Magister Harmon had deliberately set us up to fail. Of course he had. He wanted us to learn a lesson.

  Magister Harmon snapped his fingers. The spell holding me broke. I sagged, my muscles aching painfully. My jaw hurt from where it had hit the ground. I scooped up the sword and forced myself to stand. It was a mistake to show weakness in Magister Harmon’s class. He could practically smell it. Beside me, Alana staggered to her feet. Her face was set in an expression of pinched determination. And yet, she looked subdued. Even Francis looked subdued. There were no whispers in this class.

  The dummies turned and ambled back to the wall. I watched them go, then turned my attention to my classmates. Bella looked badly shocked, but otherwise unharmed; Louise’s cheeks burned with humiliation. Beside her, Saline - another girl, one I barely knew - seemed unmoved. Her face was slack, as if she wasn’t quite there. I wondered, suddenly, if she’d caught the brunt of the hexes. Should she go see the healers?

  Magister Harmon didn’t seem to think so. “I trust you all understand,” he said. “You cannot take anything for granted.”

  He looked at me. “Put that sword away,” he added. “The rest of you, return your blades to the wall.”

  I did as I was told, even though I wanted to keep hold of the blade. I could trust it to defend me, although it wasn’t very good at telling the difference between a mock attack and something that was actually deadly. If the dummies had been real people, they would be dead. I let go of the hilt, feeling my body sag as I broke the connection. The sword didn’t just guide my blows. It boosted my endurance too.

  “Divide into teams,” Magister Harmon ordered. “No, I’ll do it for you.”

  I glanced at Francis, who shrugged as he was paired with Bella. I expected to be paired with Alana, but instead ... Magister Harmon pointed Saline towards me. I saw a flicker of concern cross Louise’s face - I wondered, just for a moment, if I’d been wrong about her not having friends - as Saline joined me. I didn’t know either of them that well. They’d both been in different classes, over the last two years. But they’d survived two years with Magister Harmon. They had to have something going for them.

  “We will practice blocking exercises,” Magister Harmon informed us. “I trust that you remember how to cast a block?”

  “Yes, sir,” I said.

  “Good,” Magister Harmon said, once the others had agreed. “Go. Find a space and go.”

  “A pity we can’t find a space on the other side of the school,” I said, to Saline. “It would be fun, wouldn’t it?”

  She eyed me for a long moment, as if she hadn’t understood what I said. I met her eyes, trying to see if they were unfocused. If she was concussed ... I’d have to tell Magister Harmon, I’d have to take her to the healers. But then she smiled, brightly. It made her face light up.

  “Yes, it would be.” Her voice was very soft. She sounded a little like Cat. “But he would object.”

  I studied her as we found a space and faced each other. She was shorter than me by about a head, with light brown skin, dark brown eyes and long hair that hung down in two neat braids. Her shirt was loose, but ... I would have found the sight more interesting if the room hadn’t been so cold. She wore a pair of glasses, somewhat to my surprise. It wasn’t that difficult to fix someone’s eyesight. And the belief that a disability somehow led to greater strength in magic had been disproven long ago. No one let their children remain disabled these days, not if they had the money or magic to fix the problem.

  “Do you want to block me?” I looked down. “Or should I block you?”

  Saline hesitated, just long enough to make me wonder about her. Again. “I’ll block you,” she said. “Please ...”

  I nodded. “It’s fine with me.”

  She smiled, then started to cast the spell. Her movements were slow, but sure. I had a feeling she’d be in some trouble if she ever had to cast the spell in real life. I hoped Magister Harmon hadn’t noticed. He’d knock her flat on her back if he did, then point out just how much worse it would have been if she was facing a real attacker. He had never bothered to pretend the world was a decent place. I respected Magister Harmon for that, even though I didn’t like him. I had too many relatives who believed children shouldn’t be told the truth.

  I mustered the fireball, then threw it at her block as hard as I could. The air in front of her seemed to solidify as my spell struck it, exploding into a sheet of fire as it slammed into her magic. A wave of heat gusted across me, fading quickly as the room’s temperature reasserted itself. I saw her smile again - it was oddly
endearing - and then threw the second fireball, right at her block. It shimmered in and out of existence as I pounded it, again and again. I focused my magic, pushing her as hard as I could.

  And then, the block shattered ...

  Saline dropped to the ground and rolled over as the remnants of her magic flew in all directions. For a horrible moment, I thought I’d really hurt her. It was possible. Magister Harmon didn’t bother with the safety wards Magistra Solana cast before every lesson. But instead ... she sat up, giggling. It dawned on me that she’d allowed herself to drop before the block finally crumbled.

  “Good,” Magister Harmon said. “But what was wrong with it?”

  I jumped. I hadn’t realised he was behind me. I certainly hadn’t heard him ... I turned slowly and wished, a second later, that I hadn’t. He was so close that I would have slammed into him, if I’d not jumped back. It was a wonder I hadn’t heard him.

  “It held,” I said, surprised. Saline was strong, whatever else could be said about her. “I had to batter it down.”

  “Really.” Magister Harmon didn’t sound impressed. “Raise a block. Saline can batter it down.”

  He stepped to one side as I raised the block. It was a simple spell, on the surface, but it required a great deal of concentration and power to hold it firmly in place. There were simpler defensive spells, from shield charms to personal wards, but none of them would last long on the battlefield. Most killing spells, I’d been warned, would cut through them like a knife. And there were times when ducking and dodging weren’t options.

  I raised the block, then waited. Saline was taking her time.

  “Now, if you please,” Magister Harmon ordered. “I don’t have all day.”

  Saline lifted her hand, then snapped it down as she cast a fireball. It wobbled as it flew towards me, veering from side to side so rapidly that I was half-convinced it was going to hit Magister Harmon before it struck my block. And yet ... there was a lot of power tied up in that fireball. The force of the impact nearly pushed me back. I closed my eyes and concentrated, feeding as much power as I could into the block. It solidified rapidly, a second before the next fireball hit it. The third destabilised, exploding midway between us.

  “You stupid girl,” Magister Harmon bellowed. “What were you thinking?”

  Saline looked as if she wanted to cry, but didn’t quite dare. Magister Harmon bawled her out, pointing out just how dangerous it was to cast an uncontrolled fireball ... I felt my heart wrench in sympathy as he finally turned away, his glare lighting on me. I knew I was in trouble. I just didn’t know why.

  “So,” he said. “What’s wrong with the block?”

  “It worked, sir,” I protested. Behind him, I could see Saline wiping away a tear. “It worked ...”

  “Of course it worked.” Magister Harmon sneered, as if I’d said something very stupid. “If it hadn’t worked, our Head Boy would be a blackened corpse on the ground.”

  And you’d probably love that, I thought. Logic told me it wasn’t true, but it was very hard to believe. One less stupid student to worry about.

  Magister Harmon took a step back. “Raise the block again,” he ordered. “Now.”

  I hurried to do as I was told. Saline was in no state to cast another spell. And that meant ...

  Magister Harmon raised his hand and cast a fireball. I barely saw it before it slammed into my block with terrifying force. It was all I could do to hold the spell together. My magic screamed in pain as he hit the block a second time, bursts of heat leaking through as the block began to come apart. I tried to stumble back, or drop to the ground like Saline had done, but my legs felt rooted to the spot. And then a third spell hit the block, shattering it into a million pieces. A wave of force picked me up and threw me towards the far wall. I knew I was dead ...

  ... And then I hit a safety ward and bounced.

  Magister Harmon strode forward as I fell to the ground, landing on my bottom. “What went wrong?”

  “You broke the block,” I managed. My bottom hurt. “You hit it too hard.”

  “Obviously.” Magister Harmon sneered, again. “But what really went wrong is that you allowed the block to hold you in place. You poured too much magic into it, instead of planning for what you’d do if - when - the block collapsed. And what happened?”

  “The block collapsed,” I said, dully.

  “Correct,” Magister Harmon said. “Tonight, I want you to think about what you should have done. You’ll have another chance tomorrow.”

  “Yes, sir,” I said.

  He strode off to bully Francis and Bella, who’d been knocking each other around with great abandon. I watched him go, then looked at Saline. Louise was standing next to her, whispering words of quiet encouragement. I felt a sudden rush of warmth, mixed with pity. I wasn’t sure what was wrong with Saline - if anything was wrong - but it was nice of Louise to help her. And her suggestions weren’t bad either.

  I took a breath, then walked over to join them. “Are you okay?”

  Saline nodded, shortly. She was breathing heavily - and I could see a tear in her eye - but she was holding herself together. I wasn’t sure Isabella would have done as well. But then, even Magister Harmon would have hesitated to shout at Isabella. A word in my father’s ear would have ruined Magister Harmon’s career.

  “You did well,” I said. “You nearly took down my block.”

  Louise glared at me. “What do you want?”

  I felt a flicker of irritation and suppressed it, ruthlessly. “I have an offer for you, for both of you,” I said. “If you’re interested, come to the Head Boy’s suite after dinner.”

  Louise’s eyes narrowed. “And if we’re not interested?”

  “Then don’t come,” I said. I could have ordered her to come, but I had the feeling that would be a mistake. “But you might find it useful.”

  I looked at Saline. “You too.”

  “... Maybe,” Saline said. Her voice was dreamy. “Maybe we will.”

  “And maybe we won’t,” Louise said. Her eyes were sharp and cold. I knew she was looking for the sting in the tail. I hoped she’d realise there wasn’t one to find. “I ...”

  Magister Harmon’s voice echoed through the giant classroom. “Over here, now!”

  I nodded to the girls, then turned and hurried back to the front. Magister Harmon had finished reviewing the blocks and was handing out homework assignments. I sighed as he passed me a sheet of paper, with instructions to read a dozen sourcebooks by the end of the week. It was going to keep me busy, even if I didn’t get any more homework from anyone else. I had too much else to do.

  Francis nudged me as class was dismissed, not a moment too soon. “What did you have to say to dumbo and the know-it-all?”

  “I thought I might convince them to join us,” I said, airily. “And you’d better be nice to them too.”

  Francis blinked. “Really?”

  “Yeah,” I said. I sobered as the enormity of what I’d done began to dawn on me. “And now I just have to think of how to convince them.”

  Chapter Eleven

  It wasn’t easy to plan a meeting.

  I hadn’t realised that, either, until I’d had to do it myself. My mind ran in circles as I tried to decide how best to proceed, what sort of offer I could make ... Isabella would have done a much better job. Francis, of course, was no help at all; Alana, who’d kindly agreed to leave us alone for an hour or so, wouldn’t have given me advice if I’d asked. It was bad enough that we were going to be unchaperoned. People would talk, even though there were four of us in the room. I just hoped Cat let me explain if she ever caught wind of it.

  Francis arrived as planned, taking the seat on the sofa I offered. I could invite all three of them into my bedroom, but I thought that would be a bad idea. Louise and Saline would already be nervous about visiting me, even if it was just a friendly chat. Besides, technically, there was nothing wrong with inviting them into my sitting room. Alana could come back at any moment.r />
  Of course, none of the Grande Dames will accept that explanation if they want to make an issue of it, I thought, as I heated water in the pot. They could make things really difficult for all four of us if they wished.

  There was a knock on the door. I exchanged glances with Francis, then hurried over and opened the door. Louise and Saline stood there, the former looking nervous and the latter ... curiously unconcerned, as if she was drifting through life. I glanced past them - the corridor was empty - and motioned for them to step into the room. They’d clearly put some thought into the meeting too. Louise wore a long blue dress, her hair in tight braids; Saline had remained in her school uniform, but redone her braids to make it clear that they wouldn’t be coming down easily. I wasn’t blind to the underlying meaning. I wondered, absently, if it would matter. We all had enemies.