Essryl suppressed the urge to smile and answered calmly. “Certainly.”
Leticia gasped, her eyes widening as she exclaimed. “Mistress! You… are you being serious?”
“Of course I am, Leticia. Why wouldn’t I be?” Essryl asked, raising her eyebrows curiously, a faint sense of glee welling up inside. “It isn’t like any of you are likely to become a threat to me or My Lord, so… why not?”
“I…” Leticia looked speechless, as did most of the others, but she galvanized herself to ask a moment later, “May I ask why you haven’t offered before?”
“Because you never asked, Leticia,” Essryl replied simply.
All of them stared at her, and the dark elf smiled, then walked off, taking the tin of caramels with her. She’d best hide it before they finished them all off.
As for Anara… she was showing unusual promise.
Chapter 10
Settling into her chair, Ruethwyn relaxed with a soft sigh. Spring had come at last, and the snows that’d shrouded the city had mostly vanished. Only a few stubborn patches remained, and the days were growing warmer and brighter, though it was still cooler than she’d prefer most of the time.
In just a few weeks, it’d be a full year since Mellesyn had been attacked by Resvarygrath, and the thought was putting a fair amount of pressure on Ruethwyn. Her sorrow might have eased somewhat after the Dowager had seen fit to give her an ephemeral visit with her parents on Midwinter Night, but it wasn’t completely gone.
Even so, the end of the school year was approaching, and that meant that the final trials were soon. Since Master Mara hadn’t announced the subject he’d be covering this week, Rue suspected that they were going to be happening during the week. Everyone had been awfully mysterious about what the trials entailed, though, which made her nervous.
“Hey, Rue? How are you doing?” Sella interrupted as she slid into her seat, jarring Ruethwyn from her thoughts.
“Hm? Oh, I’m fine, Sella. Just… thinking,” Ruethwyn said, and paused before asking, “What do you think, will the trials start this week?”
“I’m not sure. Probably… it’d make a lot of sense, at least. I wish we had more of an idea about what they were like,” Sella replied, frowning thoughtfully.
“I asked Navaan, and he just smiled nastily and told me I’d find out when I went through them,” Tadrick chimed in, leaning forward in his chair. “I thought I heard him say something about misery loving company, but I’m not sure.”
“Hmm…” Sella murmured in a noncommittal tone.
“It’s something, at least,” Ruethwyn said, watching the two thoughtfully.
Sella and Tadrick’s relationship had been strange for the last few months. The near-competition for Sella’s attention between Navaan and Tadrick seemed to have made her much more hesitant than she had been, and Ruethwyn couldn’t blame Sella. A long-term relationship with Tadrick could last five centuries or more, and rushing into a situation she might not enjoy… well, it was something that would cause Ruethwyn to hesitate herself.
“Hey, Rue!” Korima exclaimed, plopping into the seat directly in front of her, her eyes bright with excitement and her ears perked up. The sight of her made Ruethwyn smile as the kitsune continued. “I just got some amazing news and had a few thoughts I wanted to get your opinion on!”
“Oh?” Ruethwyn asked, her eyebrow raising. “What might that be?”
She’d slowly found herself thawing still more to Korima. The past couple of months had been interesting, to say the least, and with how often they were stuck indoors… well, it’d given her a chance to get to know the others even better. Not perfectly, but better.
“Well, I got—” Korima began, but at that moment, the door opened and Master Mara stepped inside, immediately interrupting.
“Hello, everyone! Quiet down, I’ve an announcement to make,” the teacher said briskly. Noting the slight smile on his face, Ruethwyn felt a spike of worry run through her.
Korima reluctantly turned away, and everyone focused on the teacher as he moved toward the middle of the room’s front. It took a few moments for them to settle down, but finally he nodded firmly.
“Alright, it looks like I properly have your attention,” Master Mara said, folding his hands behind him. “You may have noticed that I didn’t announce what was going to happen this week. I’m sure this has caused a good deal of anticipation in some of you, while for others it’s caused anxiety. Well, today you’re going to find out. Any guesses?”
“Are we going through the end of year trials?” Barthel asked promptly, the nobleman looking unusually focused. Ruethwyn had noticed that he’d paid a lot more attention to the lessons after the chaos over midwinter.
“No, that’s next week,” Master Mara said, and smiled. “This week will involve each of you preparing for the trials. Today I’m going to impart some information on what to expect and what you’re allowed to do, but first we need to ensure that this comes as a surprise to students in later years.”
Ruethwyn frowned, but Dana spoke first, the white-haired elf’s voice soft. “How are you going to do that, Master Mara?”
“Quite simply,” Master Mara said, and pulled a glittering crystal orb from his pouch, one that had a deep blue spark within. It was only a couple of inches across, and he pulled out a pedestal to hold it and set them on his desk as he explained. “This is an oathstone. You charge it with mana before making a promise, and it forms a faint psychic link to you. If you break the oath, the stone informs the headmaster.”
“Um…” Ruethwyn frowned, suddenly even more worried, and spoke up. “My apologies, Master Mara, but that seems dangerous. Someone could use the stone to target us with some spells, could they not?”
“If it was a powerful link, yes. That’s why the links are designed to break easily, particularly if someone attempts to channel a spell down them, and why you’re only going to be asked to make an oath that lasts for a decade,” the teacher assured her. “Even then, the headmaster keeps the stone secured in his vault for safekeeping.”
“Ah, that makes sense,” Ruethwyn replied, a bit relieved by the explanation. Anything which created a persistent link to a person was something she’d been warned about by Sinera. She didn’t want someone cursing her from a distance.
“Now, the oath is simple. All I need each of you to do is to come up and send a thread of your mana into the stone, then to promise not to share any details on the end of year trials with those who haven’t been through them for the next decade,” Master Mara explained. “And before you ask, it’s based on what you know. If you don’t know that an apprentice is in the next room, eavesdropping… well, it’s not a violation of the oath, now is it? Try not to break it, but accidents happen.”
Ruethwyn nodded, growing a bit more comfortable with the notion. It wasn’t like the academy was trying to control them, just to encourage them to keep things secret. A moment later, Master Mara gestured to Dana.
“Come on, Dana, you first,” he directed, smiling slightly.
“As you like, Master Mara,” Dana said, her voice quiet.
Ruethwyn didn’t do anything, simply watching as her classmate moved up to the desk. When Dana slipped mana into the stone, the blue spark grew brighter, and as she gave the oath it flashed. The light died when she let go and Master Mara nodded in satisfaction. “Very good. Delvin?”
As the other students started to go up and make their oaths, Ruethwyn sat back thoughtfully. Sella cleared her throat, then asked, “Why’re you so concerned about the link, Rue? You said some spells, but…”
“I was warned by my teacher that some curses can be cast if you have a link to the person, and there’s also scrying, rare teleportation spells, and other enchantments or the like,” Ruethwyn replied, hesitating before she admitted, “I don’t know for certain, mind you, it’s just that I was always told that it’s best not to allow a link like that to be formed. If this is as carefully designed as Master Mara claims, though, it’ll be fine.”<
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“Okay, that seems fair,” Sella said, smiling as she waited. They watched as Madeline finished and Yalline went up to use the stone.
“I can’t wait for this to be done. I want to pass the trials and have fun. Maybe I’ll be able to get into the classes delving deeper into fire magic next year…” Korima said, her tone idly hopeful.
“Haven’t you been getting close to second circle in it?” Ruethwyn asked, tilting her head. “I remember you said you reached fourth circle in earth.”
“Yeah, but that’s not nearly—oops, my turn!” Korima almost yelped, quickly standing and heading up front.
“She’s getting interrupted a lot today,” Sella murmured, causing a soft chuckle from Tadrick as Ruethwyn smiled.
“That she is. I’ll just have to ask what she was trying to say later,” Ruethwyn agreed.
Korima came back quickly enough but didn’t try to talk. After Tadrick and Sella finished, Ruethwyn stood and headed to the front of the room. Master Mara looked back at her with a slight smile, one which felt off. Considering the smile, Ruethwyn turned her attention on the orb as she placed her hand on it.
The orb had immensely complicated designs engraved across its surface, she noticed, and for a second, she was surprised. Her surprise turned to suspicion as she trickled a thread of mana into the orb and she saw several sets of lines flicker before the spark in the orb’s center grew brighter. The glimpse she’d gotten of the runes felt… off. They didn’t look like the ones she thought were necessary to create an effect like what Master Mara had described.
Looking up at the teacher, Ruethwyn opened her mouth to speak, but the teacher spoke smoothly as he met her gaze. “The oath, Ruethwyn?”
Pausing for a long moment, Ruethwyn decided to keep her suspicions to herself for the moment, instead focusing on her mind as she spoke the oath. “I, Ruethwyn Sylaris, vow not to share any details of the upcoming trials with those who have not undergone them for the next decade.”
As she completed her oath, the orb flashed… and yet Ruethwyn didn’t feel the slightest flicker of magic against her mind. It solidified her suspicions, and she looked at Master Mara without comment, her suspicion turning to amusement.
“Back to your seat, Ruethwyn. I’ve got some explanations for the class,” the teacher said, and Ruethwyn grew almost certain that he knew she suspected what he was up to.
“As you wish, Master Mara,” Ruethwyn conceded, heading back to her seat. As she sat down, the teacher placed the orb back in his belt pouch and smiled at them.
“Now that we’ve dealt with that, we can get down to the point of the matter. In six days, I’ll be taking you to the Hall of Trials. The Halls are a specially enchanted, otherworld space that creates a broad series of magical trials that you’ll each be required to overcome on your own. From the moment you enter the trials, you have one week to complete them, after which you’ll be ejected from the structure,” Master Mara explained, and his smile suddenly vanished as he spoke soberly. “Carrying enough food for the week is your responsibility. Water is provided within the Halls, but should you be incapacitated via hunger, you’ll be ejected early. If you’re ejected without passing the tests the Halls present you, you will fail the tests to remain in the academy and won’t be allowed to return next year.”
“Um, what can we expect from the trials, Master Mara?” Yalline asked, her voice tense.
“I can’t tell you that, in part because they change every year. It’s all based on what we’ve taught you through the year, though,” Master Mara replied, glancing around the room as he smiled. “Now, that being said… how you pass the trials is up to you. You’re allowed to take anything into the trials you wish, save for items which would allow you to outright sunder enchantments, as such would defeat the purpose of the test to begin with. Beyond that… well, this week is a chance for you to prepare.”
Ruethwyn’s lips pursed, and after a moment, she spoke up calmly. “Master Mara… is this test’s primary purpose to see how resourceful we are, and how well we can plan ahead?”
“Precisely. It isn’t raw talent or skill in learning that makes a truly powerful mage,” Master Mara said, his smile fading. “I’ve seen many talented young magi who froze the moment they were confronted by danger, or who couldn’t deal with any problem outside their expectations. No matter how skilled they might be, that’s not the sort of students we train here. Those we send to the sort of academies which can play to their strengths. Here we need those who can excel in almost any circumstance, and who can look ahead to prepare for almost any problem. I don’t care whether you cut your way through an enchanted door or decipher the runes to let you through it. The important thing is that you get through the door. So this week, think about the sorts of problems you might encounter and prepare. Take nothing which you can’t carry on your own, but beyond that, it’s entirely up to you.”
“Ahh, hells.” Ruethwyn heard Tadrick mutter.
From the nervous looks coming from her fellow students, Ruethwyn suspected that most of them weren’t entirely certain about the tests being so open-ended. She wasn’t quite happy with it herself, but in other ways, it made her feel more secure. Not much that had been taught through the year had been a surprise, and after confronting demons, she thought she wasn’t in any danger of panicking in a crisis. Deciding just what to take with her would be a bit more difficult, but considering her plans, it was almost ideal as a test run of sorts.
“Um, Rue? Would you mind helping me figure out what to take?” Yalline asked softly, turning in her seat and looking at Ruethwyn nervously. “I mean, I’m not too concerned about the pure spellcasting stuff, but with runes and rituals…”
“We can discuss it later. This is going to be… interesting,” Ruethwyn said, tapping her chin slowly. “I might have to go purchase a few things.”
“Like food. That’s a bit of a surprise,” Sella said, nodding firmly. “This isn’t what I expected at all.”
“Now, since your task this week is to prepare, there isn’t any need to meet in the classroom. I expect all of you to meet outside the southern entrance at dawn in six days, and if you’re late, you’re going to fail the trials.” Master Mara spoke loudly enough that his voice cut through the soft conversations. “In the meantime, I’m going to be spending my time in my office, doing studying of my own and other preparations. You know where to find me if you have questions.”
The teacher turned to leave the room, and as he did so, Korima turned to Ruethwyn and asked, “Rue, could you go shopping with me for some supplies? I don’t think I need anything magical, but I need to restock on some mundane things. Sella had the right idea about food.”
“Sure, but first I’d like to talk to Master Mara about something. I’ll be back in a minute,” Ruethwyn said, quickly standing to follow the teacher. He’d already left the room, so several others watched as she followed him.
By the time she was out the door, Master Mara was halfway down the hallway, and Ruethwyn hurried to catch up. She managed to get close enough just as he opened the door to his office, and he paused on seeing her, raising an eyebrow. “Ruethwyn, you had questions?”
“Only a couple, and I thought they should be asked in private,” Ruethwyn said, quickly catching her breath.
“Very well, come in, then,” Master Mara said, opening the door to let her go first. She stepped into his office, moving deeper so she wouldn’t block the way, and he followed. As he circled the desk, Master Mara asked, “Now, what questions did you have for me?”
“Why did you lie about the oathstone? It’s just a simple glass orb, enchanted to glow when mana goes into it and to flash in response to words,” Ruethwyn asked bluntly, glancing at the teacher’s belt pouch. “It took me a second to recognize most of the sigils, but I knew it wasn’t real when I couldn’t feel it make a link to me.”
Master Mara slowly grinned as he sat down, looking at Ruethwyn in approval. “Indeed. As a matter of fact, if I were to use such an item, I’d
have instructed the class to lower mental barriers to allow it to make a connection. I was curious if you’d notice, Ruethwyn. The rest of the class… they’re too inexperienced with artificing to recognize the enchantments or other discrepancies. Very well done.”
“Wait, is that another test, Master Mara?” Ruethwyn asked, growing slightly incredulous.
“Not an intentional one, no, but it does serve to help us find particularly promising students,” Master Mara replied, and let out a heavy sigh. “Gods, I wish that you hadn’t been injured. It’d be fascinating to see how much you could do in that case. I do hope your trip to the Frostglades goes well, though I don’t think that going into the Golden Dominion is a good idea.”
Ruethwyn hesitated at that, then shook her head. “Perhaps not, but it’s a path I feel I have to take, assuming I manage to get through the Frostglades safely. So what is the purpose of the orb, then?”
“It’s quite simple, Ruethwyn. Many students would talk about the trials if we simply asked them not to do so. Telling them that a magical orb will inform us of who talks, though… that’s an entirely different matter. Some talk, but not many,” Master Mara explained, smiling slightly as he did so. “You’re the first in four years to bring up a worry about the link, though. I’m glad I had an excuse ready for it.”
“I see. Well, it does explain what you were doing. I was just… confused, Master Mara. It didn’t make much sense at the time, though I was sure that you had some reason,” Ruethwyn said, growing amused again. The idea that they’d created such a simple item to help keep students from spreading rumors was entertaining. “In any case, that’s all I wished to speak with you about. It seems I’m going to be harassed for advice about preparations, so I’d probably better get back to the others.”
“Very true. Good luck, Ruethwyn. I’m curious to see how you do,” Master Mara replied, smiling as he pulled out a book.
“Thank you,” Ruethwyn said, smiling slightly as she turned to leave the room.
Queen of Ice (Through the Fire Book 2) Page 8
