by Lisa Cassidy
“I never asked him about it. Astor always had his nose in some dusty tome or other. It seemed boring.”
Finn’s mouth fell open and he look momentarily struck for words. Eventually he managed a spluttering, “Boring?”
“Rionnans are a rare sight here at DarkSkull,” Howell spoke from ahead. “Many generations ago, Alistriem was a hub of mage culture and learning, but your countrymen seem to have no use for mages anymore. It caused quite a stir when Master Romas received word from Master Casovar that you were coming.”
“Tarrick indicated Lord-Mage Casovar is well known, sir. Do you know him?” Finn asked.
“We were together here at DarkSkull briefly. He’s very powerful, one of only two mages of the higher order in existence.”
Alyx had never heard of a mage of the higher order and wondered if she didn’t understand the term because Howell was using a Tregayan or Zandian word. The stark reminder of how out of place she was made her feel worse. She was about to summon up her courage to ask, but Howell spoke before she did.
“Master Casovar indicated that you had already begun to show signs of magic, Dawn. Can you tell me more about that?”
“I can hear things that nobody else can, sir. On our way here, I could sometimes tell when the Shiven pursuing us were nearby.”
“Really?” Howell stopped dead and focused his gaze on Dawn. “Describe this to me, please.”
“It’s hard to describe. It’s not a constant thing, but sometimes voices float into my head. I can never make out exactly what is being said or why I’m hearing it.”
“Can you discern the emotion in the voices?”
She shuddered. “Not until the Shiven. So much hate and anger.”
“I see,” Howell murmured, before abruptly turning to walk again.
Dawn turned to her twin. “From what you say, it sounds like Tarrick isn’t an innocent?”
Finn nodded. “He comes from a mage family. You heard him say that his brothers are mages.”
“Both of Initiate Tylender’s parents and several of his relatives are mages. His family is like royalty in Zandia; mage families often are. You’ll find the Rionnan view of mages and their usefulness is vastly different to that of the rest of the world.” Howell’s voice floated back to them.
Alyx bridled at Howell’s implied criticism of her home, but was too tired and hungry to argue with him.
Howell eventually stopped just inside the forest of fir trees. Above his head, a clump of snow shifted and fell from the tree branch. In a movement almost too quick to see, Howell flicked a finger and the clump of snow stopped inches from the top of his brown hair.
Alyx’s mouth fell open in astonishment as she stared at the snow hanging in mid-air. It was the first time in her life she’d seen mage power being used. Beside her, Dawn gasped. Howell didn’t seem to notice their reaction, but simply flicked a finger and the clump of snow fell sideways to the ground.
“There are bears and wolves in these woods,” he said conversationally, “and maybe some cougars as well. I wouldn’t suggest wandering around in here alone, or unarmed.”
Finn looked across at Alyx and Dawn with an engaging smile at Howell’s casual description of the dangers, and there was a quality to the grin that made her smile back. Howell caught the look.
“Something funny about getting eaten by bears and wolves, is there, Lady Egalion?”
“No, Howell,” Alyx said.
“Howell?” His eyebrows shot to the ceiling. “I am your Master here at DarkSkull, Alyx, not your subordinate. You will refer to me as sir, or Master Howell. Clear?”
“Yes, sir,” she said stiffly.
“There are no titles or ranks amongst students here. It’s best you learn that quickly.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good, I’m glad we understand each other.” He smiled genially, his anger gone as quickly as it had come. “The three of you are going to spend the afternoon here.”
“Sir?”
“I assume you’re all observant enough that by now you’ve seen the line of rather ominous-looking hills surrounding us?”
“Yes, sir,” Finn said.
“Those hills provide a natural defence. Of course, it’s possible to cross them—and the gorge on the other side—and there are paths all through them. However, the only way to reach DarkSkull via wagon, carriage, or in large numbers, is to come across the same bridge you did last night.”
Howell peered at them as if waiting for a response. Eventually Finn came up with one. “Yes sir.” He cleared his throat, then added, “The hills mean you can’t attack in large numbers.”
“Exactly.” Howell beamed.
Silence fell again. Alyx glanced at Dawn, then stared at her shoes. She didn’t understand what Howell was driving at. Why would anyone attack DarkSkull Hall in large numbers?
After a moment, Howell began speaking again. “Anyway…the wood in these trees is excellent for making a mage staff such as this.” He tapped the polished ebony staff in his right hand. “Listen carefully, because this is your first key lesson. All mages have a weapon to defend themselves with. Your magic will not always be able to get you out of a tight spot. Reserves of magic are finite, and it can be blocked. A good mage never relies solely on his or her magic. Never! If you learn anything during your time at DarkSkull Hall, remember that, and live by it.”
He gave them all a searching look, then reached inside his robe and threw them each a cloth-wrapped bundle. Alyx caught hers and unwrapped it, peering curiously at the small dagger inside.
“That dagger is my one and only gift to you. You wear it inside your boot; you’ll find the boots left in your rooms when you arrived will have space in the right boot to sheathe it. Any questions?”
They shook their heads mutely.
“I’ll leave you to it. Those daggers are sharp enough to cut you a nice staff. The length is up to you, but generally a good size is twice the length of your arm.” He paused before striding off. “Try and make breakfast tomorrow, please. I don’t want you all starving to death before I get a chance to teach you anything remotely useful. You’ll find me at the sparring yard immediately after.”
When he was gone Alyx studied the dagger in her hand awkwardly. She’d never touched a weapon before, let alone wielded one. Weapons were for soldiers like Dashan, not for noblewomen.
“This is sharp.” Finn whistled in appreciation, holding up a lightly bleeding finger.
“What is it with boys and weapons?” Dawn rolled her eyes in Alyx’s direction. “These things can kill people.”
“If somebody is trying to kill you, what’s wrong with being able to defend yourself?” Finn asked, waving the dagger around.
Dawn sighed. “I wonder where the Bluecoats are right now? I hope they make it safely back to Alistriem.”
Sadness sank down over all three of them at Dawn’s words. Alyx had been doing her best to forget the fear and horror of their journey, but abruptly felt bad for forgetting about the Bluecoats so quickly, especially Dashan.
“It sounded like Lord Mirren’s men were going to take care of them,” Finn said.
None of them spoke aloud what he didn’t say: that so many of them were never going to make it home.
“I think you should possibly learn to use that dagger first, before you start waving it around like that.” Dawn changed the subject.
“She’s got a point.” Alyx took a judicious step away.
“Finn, you’re going to poke yourself in the eye!” Dawn sounded exasperated.
Amused at the image that provoked, Alyx laughed at the same time Dawn did, and Finn looked at them with an offended air.
“Come on, the sooner we cut ourselves a staff, the sooner we can get back inside where it’s warm,” Alyx said.
“Will this tree do?” Dawn asked, pointing to the nearest one.
“Not unless you’re able to climb up to reach the lowest branches without handholds,” Finn said sensibly. “We’ll have to find some with
lower branches.”
They spent the next few hours finding tree branches that looked suitable, then sawing away at them with their new daggers. Even though the exertion did warm her up, Alyx’s arms ached within minutes of sawing at the hard wood. She’d never done manual labour before; she’d never needed to. Her father had servants for that.
That thought bought an involuntary smile to her face. She was thinking like a stuck-up snob, and, when she thought about it, had been ever since first meeting the twins.
“What’s so funny?” Dawn called across.
“I was just thinking that back home, I would have servants doing this for me. That made me realise what a spoiled brat I am.”
“You are,” Dawn said honestly, then smiled shyly, as if she weren’t sure how her teasing would be taken. “But at least you admit it. There’s hope for you yet.”
“That’s good to know.” Alyx smiled back. “I don’t think my aching arms agree, though. They’d love a few servants right now.”
“So would mine.” Dawn grimaced. “As would my frozen ears.”
“Think warm thoughts,” Finn called down.
Alyx looked up to where Finn was balanced awkwardly in one of the fir trees, sawing away at a branch. He looked so young, as did Dawn, but then so was she. They were all three in this together, for better or worse. She may not want to be here, might desperately want to be home with Cayr and her father, but the reality was that she was stuck at DarkSkull Hall for the next nine months. And if she wanted her father to keep his promise that she wouldn’t have to return, she needed to do her best.
Back in Alistriem, she and Finn and Dawn could never be friends. There was too much rank and culture between them. But here at DarkSkull all of that was erased. Maybe it would be easier, if only for this year, she acted like there were no differences between them. And in a way, it was true. Romas, Tarrick and Howell had each made it clear in their own way that rank didn’t matter at DarkSkull.
“You look like you’re coming to the same conclusion I did while not sleeping last night,” Dawn said shrewdly.
Alyx nodded and returned to her sawing. “I think so.”
“Here, let me help you with that.” Finn dropped to the ground and then appeared below her, holding up his arm to take the branch she’d cut off.
Alyx hesitated a moment, then smiled gratefully. “Thanks, Finn.”
“My pleasure.”
“So.” Dawn jumped out of the tree beside them. “The three innocents from Rionn, we’re a team? We get through this year together?”
Alyx and Finn looked at her soberly, until Dawn’s left foot slid on a patch of ice and she fell spectacularly. Both Alyx and Finn dissolved into hilarious giggles, and quite a few moments passed before Finn had contained himself enough to help his sister back to her feet.
By then the moment was lost, but as they continued working, Alyx had the distinct impression that for the first time since her father had told her she was going away, she’d done something right.
Chapter 11
By dusk, they each had cut themselves a nice thick staff, approximately double the length of their arms, and cut away all the little offshoot branches and leaves. While waiting for Finn to finish his, Alyx studied hers dubiously. The branch she’d chosen was knobby and not quite straight, and it had sharp points from broken-off branches all over it. It didn’t look much like Howell’s smooth, polished weapon. Still, it did feel pretty solid.
Nobody talked much as they trudged tiredly back out of the forest and across the valley floor to the main buildings. They split briefly to take their staffs up to their rooms, then met again just in time to make it to the dining hall for dinner.
They were served a bowl of lamb soup and hunk of dry bread each, along with a mug of cold water. Alyx was too tired to participate in the conversation around her, or to take much notice of her surroundings. The hall buzzed with the chatter of what looked to be about fifty or sixty students, but nobody bothered the three of them as they sat at a table near the edge of the room and ate.
“Let me guess, you’ve been out staff-cutting?” Tarrick’s deep voice caught their attention. He’d paused by their table with a bowl in his hand.
“Yes, how did you know?” Finn said.
“The blisters on your fingers.” He grinned, a flash of white teeth against his dark brown skin. “I cut mine a couple of days back. You’ll find they’re worth the effort.”
“I hope so,” Dawn said ruefully.
“Tarrick!”
An older youth was waving Tarrick over to a table in the middle of the room crowded with several students. Judging from their numbers and demeanour, Alyx guessed them to be the popular crowd. It was easy to tell—back at home that was her table at any court gathering.
She wondered whether having a mage background guaranteed popularity at DarkSkull. Tarrick was almost as new as they were, but already he seemed to have been easily accepted. Or maybe it was the strength of one’s mage family that made the difference. Either way, Alyx guessed she’d better get used to being the odd one out.
“Enjoy yourselves.” Tarrick winked at them and left.
“Hey, look, it’s the Madman.” Finn pointed.
Both girls looked in the direction Finn was pointing. Alyx recognised Ladan instantly, sitting alone on the opposite side of the room. An initiate was approaching him with a welcoming smile. Ladan levelled a stare at the youth that had him backing up so abruptly he almost tripped. Finn grinned into his hand.
“Should we go and say hello?” Dawn wondered.
“I’ll freely admit I’m not brave enough for that,” Finn said.
“What do you think his story is?” Alyx asked. “He seems so fierce and cold, but he got us here safely and protected us from the Shiven.”
“I don’t know,” Finn said. “His men have clearly killed before. The stories about him didn’t arise out of nothing, but as you say, he didn’t try to hurt us.”
“He is a lord of Rionn, and your father outranks him, Lady Egalion,” Dawn said. “As Dashan said, he was obligated to protect us.”
“Maybe. Dashan was right to question the timing of his travel here, though. He just ‘happened’ to be departing for DarkSkull at the same time as we showed up on his doorstep?” Finn sounded sceptical. “And how would Lord-Mage Casovar have known about him if he’s such a hermit?”
“It’s an enigma. I’m not confident about asking him directly though.” Dawn smiled. “That, I might get killed for.”
As they rose to gather their plates, Alyx cleared her throat and addressed the twins awkwardly. “Master Howell was right this morning. You… ah… we’re not in Rionn. You can just call me Alyx.”
“Are you sure?” Dawn asked. “No matter what Master Howell says, we’re Rionnans. It’s different for us.”
“For the next year, none of that matters, whether I like it or not,” Alyx said. “So yes, I’m sure.”
“Sure, Alyx.” Finn shrugged and began walking away with his plate.
Alyx was about to follow when she turned to find Ladan had stopped by her chair. Startled, she took a full step back, almost colliding with Dawn.
“Lady Egalion.” Ladan spoke tersely. “I wanted you to know that I sent a formal missive to your father and the king with your Blue Guard escort. It assures them of your safe arrival at DarkSkull. I didn’t want you to be concerned that your father would worry.”
“Thank you, Lord Mirren.” She mastered her surprise. “That was thoughtful.”
“Not at all. They needed to be aware of the Shiven attack on your party. I merely added a few words at the end.”
“Even so, thank you.”
He nodded. “Good night, Lady Egalion.”
He was gone before she could muster a response, striding swiftly out of the room.
They missed breakfast again the next morning.
Dawn and Alyx dragged on clothes and came sprinting out the front of their dormitory only to see Finn running over from his building,
equally late.
“I’m hungry,” he said mournfully.
“We’d best hurry over to the sparring yard to meet Master Howell before we’re late for that too,” Dawn said.
“I suppose the rules exist for a reason,” Finn said as they began walking.
“The rules are stupid,” Alyx weighed in.
“Yes, they are.” Dawn supported Alyx.
“It doesn’t matter whether we agree with the rules or not. We still have to live by them while we’re here.”
Alyx stopped, forcing them to stop walking as well. She was still angry, so her voice came out spiked with irritation when she spoke, “Where is the sparring yard, anyway?”
“Oh, good point.” Finn glanced around.
“Most people seem to be heading that way.” Dawn pointed towards a high stone wall set apart from the main buildings, along the shore of the lake.
“Fine.” Alyx snapped, turning to stride off in that direction and ignoring the amused look that passed between the twins before they followed her.
Howell’s raised eyebrows spoke volumes as he opened the side gate and motioned them through into the sparring yard. Inside, sawdust coated the flat, squared ground that was edged by stone walls on three sides and the lake on the fourth. Several brown-robed initiates were squaring off against each other with their staffs on one half of the yard, while a group of grey-robed students sparred on the lake side. Apprentices, Alyx remembered from Tarrick’s explanation.
“Hurry along,” Howell urged them, striding towards a tall man who appeared to be overseeing the sparring. He wore the same black mage robe as Howell, but was leaner and much older, maybe in his early fifties. His narrow face was striking rather than handsome, with severely cut dark hair framing a pair of sharp, ice-blue eyes. The leather belt he wore around his robe carried two daggers and a short sword, and he wore his staff hanging down his back.
The man’s gaze was fixed on a particular pair of grey-robed students sparring. As the pair finished their exercise, he nodded and spoke to them for a few moments before they began again.
