Schooled in Magic 5 - The School of Hard Knocks

by Christopher Nuttall

  “I don’t know what classes you’ll be taking, so it’s hard to say which teachers you’ll have,” Nanette added. “Mistress Mauve takes Charms; she’s also incredibly strict and doesn’t take any backtalk at all. Do not dispute your grades with her unless you’re absolutely certain she’s marked you poorly, or you’ll regret it. Professor Clifton takes Wards and Warding; I think you’ll probably have him, perhaps at a more basic level than some of your roommates.”

  She smiled, again. “He’s a decent teacher, but we think he spends too much of his time hitting the bottle,” she warned. “Students like me probably drive him mad regularly. Try not to deal with him outside class. It isn’t a very pleasant experience.”

  “I know,” Emily said, remembering her mother. She’d been a drunkard too. “And the others?”

  “Mistress Granite takes Healing,” Nanette said. “You took Healing last year so I imagine you’ll be expected to continue with it. She’s nasty; you really don’t want to get on her bad side. Strict, unpleasant and some of us think she actually searches out excuses to punish us for misbehavior. Try to keep your head down in her class and learn as much as you can, without making mistakes. She used to make us heal each other in the name of practice.”

  Emily swallowed. She’d studied Healing under Lady Barb and she had to admit that Lady Barb had been short-tempered and permanently cross with her students in class too. But then, there was far too much scope for Healing to be abused–or simple carelessness to leave a patient far worse off than before he’d met the Healer. Lady Barb hadn’t tolerated any mistakes either.

  “And then there’s Professor Zed,” Nanette added. “He’s...”

  “Zed?” Emily interrupted.

  “Professor Zed, who takes Alchemy,” Nanette confirmed. “Do you know him?”

  Emily hesitated. It could be a coincidence, she knew. Zed might easily be a common name in the Nameless World. Emily was largely unique, as far as she knew, but then she’d come from a whole different world. It was possible that it was a coincidence, that there were two different people with the same name who happened to be Master Alchemists, yet somehow she was sure it was no coincidence. The first Zed she’d met had been Zangaria’s Court Wizard...

  ...And it had been Emily who had cost him his position.

  Oh, it hadn’t been completely her fault, she knew. Zed had been a poor Court Wizard by any reasonable standards. He’d certainly been completely incompetent at teaching Alassa magic, if nothing else, almost leaving her completely dependent on a wand rather than using her own inner magic. But he’d been a skilled Alchemist who had preferred to research rather than teach. If he was here, at Mountaintop, with a good reason to hold a grudge against Emily...

  Nanette touched her arm. “Are you all right?” She asked. “You’ve gone quite pale.”

  You can tell? Emily thought, waspishly. Her skin had always been pale, even after spending two years in the Nameless World. She shook her head, cursing her display of weakness. It was all too easy to see how Nanette might use it against her at a later date.

  “Tell me,” she said. “When did he come to the school?”

  “I believe he replaced Professor Nutt a year ago,” Nanette said. “But I didn’t have his classes at the time.”

  Emily felt her blood run cold. If he’d taken up his post at Mountaintop a year ago, it would be directly after her Zed had been fired from Zangaria. It was quite likely that he was the same person. And that meant that Alchemy, hardly her best subject, was likely to become hellish. But she would just have to tolerate it. She’d endured poor treatment before, from both her stepfathers and teachers at school on Earth. She could be patient.

  “Thank you,” she said, slowly. “Are there others?”

  Nanette smirked. “There are dozens,” she said. “But it really depends on what classes you take. I imagine you’ll keep up with your classes from Whitehall, but also try some new ones.”

  “That makes sense,” Emily agreed.

  She allowed Nanette to lead her over to her bed, but frowned when she saw the drawer underneath. One of them was stuffed with clothing, ranging from simple underwear–no bra, she noted sardonically–to long dresses rather than robes. Nanette pulled one of them out and held it up for Emily to inspect. It was a long black dress that would fall to her ankles, she realized, surprisingly elegant compared to the shapeless robes of Whitehall. One arm had three white bands just below her shoulder, where Nanette’s dress had six. Emily guessed they represented years of schooling.

  “This is your regulation uniform,” Nanette explained, dryly. She shook it out, revealing a stylized V-shaped badge hanging from the collar. “You are entitled to four dresses and assorted underwear drawn from the school’s stockpiles; if you want something more fashionable, you are obliged to purchase it for yourself. I suggest you choose something a little more elegant, if you wish to make a splash among your fellows. A good fashion sense is a sign of both wealth and power.”

  Or of a desperate attempt to fit in, Emily thought, remembering how she had never been able to wear anything fashionable on Earth. Her mother had never been able to afford to buy anything new. They’d been completely dependent on charity shops, even for the basics. It had been one of the many–many–reasons why she’d been a social outcast back home. I don’t think I will be replacing the dresses anytime soon.

  “That’s your father’s emblem,” Nanette said, pointing to the badge. “You’ll discover that around half of the students will have badges of their own, signifying their family names and suchlike. Those that don’t are scholarship students like your friend Imaiqah. They won’t be able to help you with contacts and suchlike, but they will be able to help you study magic–if, of course, you wish to be seen with them.”

  “Oh,” Emily said. “Do I want to be seen with them?”

  “It depends,” Nanette said. “What do you want from your time at this school?”

  Emily shrugged, resolving to think about the issue later. Instead, she shucked off the set of replacement robes, and pulled the dress over her head. It was shorter than she’d realized, coming to an end just below her knees. The badge fell off the collar, then Nanette caught it and pinned it just above her right breast. There were no spells on the dress, as far as she could tell, but there was a spell on the badge. It wouldn’t glow, Nanette explained, for anyone else.

  “Don’t forget your underwear and stockings when you dress properly,” Nanette said, once Emily had inspected herself in the mirror. The dress was tighter around her chest than she would have preferred. “Flipping someone upside down is a common trick here, I’m afraid, so watch yourself. Most senior students learn to protect their dresses very quickly.”

  Emily nodded. She knew some of the spells from Whitehall. Others... she would have to learn, very quickly. She had a nasty feeling that Mountaintop was more clique-ridden than Whitehall... and Whitehall had far too many cliques for Emily’s liking.

  “Now,” Nanette said, when Emily had tested everything else in the drawer, “I think it’s time we had something to eat.”

  She kept up a steady stream of information as they made their way to the refectory, where they were served a stew and bread meal that was surprisingly tasty. Emily found that she was hungrier than she’d realized after stepping through the portal, something that puzzled her more than she cared to admit. Just how long had she been completely unaware of her surroundings? They could have done anything to her while she’d been asleep... she gritted her teeth, pushing the thought aside. There was no point in worrying about it now.

  “Markus,” Nanette called. “Come and join us.”

  Emily looked up. Markus was a young man around the same age as Nanette, if her guess was accurate, his face on the far side of handsome. And yet she had to admit he had character, the same character as many other magicians. Standards of beauty were different on the Nameless World, she reminded herself, as Markus sat down next to Nanette. Somehow, she had to admit that she found his presence dis
arming–and immediately likable. This was an honorable man.

  “This is Emily, the Necromancer’s Bane,” Nanette introduced her. “Emily, this is Markus of House Ashfall, Head Boy of Mountaintop.”

  She lowered her voice and winked. “There was a shortage of other suitable candidates,” she added, sotto voce.

  Markus didn’t look offended. “Pleased to meet you, Emily,” he said. “I understand you’ll be taking exams over the next week?”

  “Don’t scare her,” Nanette said, quickly. “They’re just placement exams.”

  Emily groaned, but she understood. Whitehall and Mountaintop probably didn’t match up completely, not when it came to how their students passed through their studies. They’d need to know where she was before they started teaching her newer and more interesting magics.

  “I’m looking forward to them,” she said, instead. “And to learning more from both of you.”

  Markus smiled. “That’s the best attitude you could have,” he assured her. “But I hope you keep it for longer than a week or two after term begins.”

  Chapter Seven

  MARKUS HADN’T BEEN JOKING, EMILY HAD to admit, after she’d spent her first week at Mountaintop Academy. The exams had been harder than she’d expected, pushing her to the limit as she struggled to pass without showing off everything she could do. They were very practiced at judging a student’s true level, unlike the exams she’d taken on Earth. But then, it was very difficult to fake competence in magic. Stupid magicians normally managed to kill themselves very quickly before they could cause harm to anyone else.

  Nanette was a surprisingly good companion, Emily had discovered, but she only rarely allowed Emily any true privacy. There was no way to be sure if she was watching Emily for the Administrator–who Emily hadn’t seen since the first interview in his office–or if she was merely wary of letting Emily out of her sight, yet, in the end, her motivations didn’t matter. All that mattered was that it was irritating. Emily was relieved when Nanette–and Markus–warned her they couldn’t spend so much time tutoring her once the term began. The other Third Year students wouldn’t like it.

  “You’ll be expected to join the other Third Year students in the Main Hall after lunch,” Nanette warned, as she stepped into Raven Hall. “Most of them will arrive beforehand, but they’ll probably be quite tired and a little disoriented. Don’t worry about helping them, just stay out of the way. There’s enough chaos when students return to the dorms without you adding to it.”

  Emily eyed her, warily. Nanette was rarely so snappy with anyone... but she looked harassed, her eyes dark and shadowed. It dawned on Emily, suddenly, that Nanette had had to catch up with her own work quickly, after spending so much time supervising Emily. Markus could do some tutoring too, yet he wasn’t allowed in Raven Hall. He’d told her, after she’d asked, that any boy who tried to cross the line into the sleeping dorm was automatically turned into a slug. Emily hadn’t asked what happened to girls who tried to enter the male dorms, but she had a feeling it wasn’t anything nicer.

  “I’ll stay out of the way,” she said. “Do you want me to go to the library or somewhere else?”

  “You’d be better off staying here,” Nanette said, briskly. She nodded at the book in Emily’s hand, an introduction to pocket dimensions. Nanette had suggested it, somewhat to Emily’s surprise. It was rather more detailed than the book she’d borrowed from Yodel, although not as instructive as the books Lady Barb had let her read. “Keep reading and planning for the coming semester. You’ll find it very hard work.”

  She was right, Emily suspected, as the older girl turned and swept out of the room. Whitehall had been hard too, but this Mountaintop was going to be different. She would have to study–to learn–while plotting how best to discover just what was going on. And, perhaps, to explore the rest of the cave systems. Supposedly, Mountaintop occupied only a very small portion of the caverns. There was much more for any enterprising student to explore. Part of her couldn’t wait.

  The next few hours were as chaotic as Nanette had warned. Students entered the room, stuffed their boxes and trunks under the beds, and took quick naps. None of them looked very awake or aware, something that worried Emily. How carefully was Mountaintop protected from detection? She’d read about a spell that could be used, if there was enough power, to hide something as large as a castle from prying eyes... had someone used something similar to hide Mountaintop? Or were they merely the local counterpart of jet-lagged, as they had stepped through portals from a dozen different time zones?

  By the time they were called for lunch, then into the Great Hall, Emily also felt tired. But her new fellow students looked much better after eating a large meal and drinking various odd-smelling potions.

  She stood at the back of the Great Hall and hunted for Lin, as well as silently trying to count heads. There were no less than a hundred Third Year students, she estimated finally, which suggested there were five or ten Third Year Halls. The numbers seemed to be evenly divided between boys and girls, although she suspected there were slightly more boys. Several cast curious glances at her, although they kept their questions to themselves. Emily, who hated being the center of attention, was relieved. She wouldn’t have to answer questions until much later.

  And there was no sign of Lin at all.

  But they would be fools to allow us to meet, she reminded herself. They’d expect me to want a little revenge.

  A ripple of magic ran through the hall, calling her attention to the stage. Aurelius stood there, looking impressive in red and gold robes. Compared to his students, he seemed to glow with light and power. Emily glanced from side to side, tearing her gaze away from Aurelius with an effort and gave everyone around her a careful look. It was easy to realize that almost all of her fellow students wore dresses that were specifically tailored for them. A couple of girls even had slits in their dresses that exposed their legs when they moved. It was so unlike Whitehall, where everyone wore the same robes, that Emily had to force herself not to stare.

  Status symbols, she reasoned, remembering what Nanette had told her. The ones who wear better clothes are richer.

  “Welcome back for Third Year,” Aurelius said. There was a subtle compulsion in his voice that drew their attention to him. Emily had to work to break it. “Many of you, I’m sure, will be relieved to hear that you have passed your first set of exams and are now free of the duties of being young students”–several of the students muttered excitedly–“and that you will take your rightful places as mentors to students younger than yourselves.”

  Emily frowned. What did he mean?

  “You will notice, of course, that not all of your fellows passed their exams and had to be held back a year,” Aurelius continued. “Those of you who have passed would be wise to concentrate on your future studies, rather than the past. Third Year is harder still, then Fourth Year will come before you know it. And it is those exams that will determine your future.”

  He paused, his bright eyes sweeping the room in an almost paternal manner. “The staff has determined your timetables, your hall supervisors and suchlike,” he added. “They will be distributed after you return to your halls. You will have one day to grow accustomed to your return to Mountaintop–we advise you to write letters to reassure your parents that you actually arrived–and then you will resume classes. As always, nothing but the best will be expected from you.”

  His voice softened, slightly. “You will also have noticed that several other students have joined you from other schools. Do your best to make them welcome.”

  Emily flushed as several more glances were aimed at her. She couldn’t pick out anyone else new... or perhaps she could. They were the ones wearing the school-issued dresses, without any frills at all. She found herself studying the black uniforms worn by the boys and shuddered despite herself. They were far too akin to the uniforms worn by the SS. But it couldn’t have been deliberate. Black was considered a suitable color for sorcerers, after all. />
  “Your Shadows will meet you in your halls,” Aurelius concluded. “Remember your side of the agreements, if you don’t do anything else. Dismissed.”

  Emily frowned. What was a Shadow?

  There was no time to ask. The throng of students poured out of the Great Hall, pulling her along with them. They made their way through corridors that were still dark and shadowy, despite the sudden profusion of light globes. There was little lighting outside the halls and classrooms, providing an incentive for students to learn to produce their own light as quickly as possible. It didn’t seem a very wise thing to do, Emily thought, but maybe the school board felt differently.

  But then, Whitehall tolerated an alarming amount of practical jokes and pranks in the name of teaching students how to defend themselves. Mountaintop probably did the same thing.

  Nanette was waiting for them as they filed into Raven Hall, her gaze silently pausing on Emily before she looked at the next girl in line. Emily felt an odd stab of bitterness, despite her relief; Nanette was clearly going to pretend she had no prior relationship with Emily or anyone else. And she wouldn’t know any of the other students personally, Emily suspected; she didn’t know many students outside her own year at Whitehall.

  She blinked in surprise as she saw the girl sitting on her bed... no, on the smaller bed attached to her bed. The girl was young–Emily would have placed her at thirteen or fourteen on Earth, although she knew that meant nothing on the Nameless World–with a pale, but vaguely Indian face. Her eyes were dark brown and fearful; she wore a black dress that seemed a size too large for her, with her hair in two pigtails hanging down the side of her face. One hand played with a wooden wand.

  She met Emily’s eyes and shivered. The nervousness in them made Emily fearful, too.

  “Gather round,” Nanette ordered, before Emily could ask the girl any questions. “Shadows to the front, Third Years to the rear.”

  Emily wasn’t the only girl who had picked up a Shadow, she realized; there were ten Third Year students and ten Shadows, all of whom knelt in front of Nanette. Emily wondered if she was expected to kneel too, but she took her cue from the other older students and remained standing upright, clasping her hands behind her back. There would be time to ask Nanette for explanations later.