The Academy

by Vincent Trigili

  “Now, Shadow, there is no need to be unpleasant. I am only here to talk,” he said.

  “Then you had best speak quickly,” I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt.

  “Very well. Shadow, you must know by now that you are much greater in power than your peers and that the school is holding you back. Soon we will move on the school and destroy it. Before we do that, we want to make you an offer: work for us as our inside man at the school, and we will accelerate your training,” he said.

  I had to keep him talking. Help could not be far away now. “It seems to me you are only making that offer because you cannot win without my help,” I replied.

  “Your help would speed things along, but sooner or later that school will be destroyed, and once that happens we will take over this realm. Think about it, Shadow. If you are on our side, each of your families will have a much better life,” he said. Suddenly, he vanished as Master Gafar appeared between us, and two elite wizards materialized behind where the sorcerer had been standing.

  “Greetings, Masters. Sorry my friend could not stay to chat. I did try to detain him, but he was in a rush,” I said. Then I sent to Master Gafar, “Take my memory of the event if it will help.”

  The two elite wizards left as quickly as they had come and Master Gafar read my memory. He turned and said, “I am sure he will be back, so be careful, both of you,” and then left.

  “Are you okay, Flame?” I asked.

  With a look of determination on her face and a force in her voice I had not heard before, she said, “They will not take our school as long as there is any breath left in me.”

  “I fully agree. It is getting late now; we should return to my parents’ place,” I said.

  When we got home I told my father what had happened in the park. He nodded and said, “I have been expecting them to make you that kind of offer. Their next likely move will be a direct threat against us and Flame’s family. Shadow, Flame, you must never let their actions or words dictate your moves. You must remain in control of any situation. Even if they follow through on their threat to harm or kill us, you must remain true to your position as guardians of our realm. Flame, you especially will be their target. They will see you as the easiest way to get to Shadow; the entire realm is relying on you to prove them wrong.”

  “Mr. Dougherty, they have already tried to kill my mother and attempted to use me to perform their foul deeds. I assure you they will not find me such an easy target again,” she said with more confidence than I had ever heard her show near my family.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  The rest of the night was fairly normal. Mother presided over another of those huge dinner ordeals, and eventually we all retired to our rooms. Flame woke me the next morning and insisted that we go back to the park again.

  “Are you sure? Our visitor may return there,” I said.

  “Let him. I will not live in fear of them, and that’s the only place on this planet that makes any sense to me,” she said.

  The trip to the park and our morning there was another nice break from the city life. We had lunch at the same meadow as the day before and then turned towards the same bridge so that Flame could admire the river again. While on the bridge I felt the sorcerer return. “He is back,” I sent to Flame.

  “Well, have you thought about my offer?” he said. I saw him reach out towards Flame with a little of his power. I knew just enough about my powers to reach out and stop his spell before it could reach her.

  “No, not at all,” I said. I returned the favor by reaching out and testing his shield. I could see surprise pass over his face as he quickly repaired his defenses. I am not sure who was more surprised by my success, him or me, but I did not let him see that.

  “Now, Shadow, you know you are not yet allowed to use your powers outside the school. I will just have to teach you a little lesson,” he said.

  Flame grabbed my hand, and I felt her power ready to pour into me as the sorcerer raised his hand to attack. That attack never materialized as suddenly he was hit from behind with a bolt of power that killed him instantly, completely consuming his body. Behind him appeared Grandmaster Vydor. He must have used his powers of concealment to arrive unseen before the sorcerer could retreat this time.

  “Thank you, Grandmaster, for giving him our answer so succinctly,” I said.

  He replied, “You are welcome,” and took a half-step sideways, then vanished as if he had stepped behind something, but there was nothing there. I could not detect the slightest trace of his power anywhere. “Simply amazing,” I said.

  The rest of the day was peacefully uneventful. When I told my father about our encounter in the park, he said, “Of course Grandmaster Vydor got him. He is a navy man, after all,” with great pride in his voice.

  The following morning, Professor Rannor contacted us to set up our return trip. They would open the gate directly in my father’s sitting room at midday. Flame and I gathered our bags and waited in that room with my father. Soon a blue, spiraling circle appeared in the air and slowly grew until it took up almost the entire space between the floor and ceiling. Three wizards in purple robes walked out of it into the room.

  Before anyone could speak, one of the wizards pointed his finger and called out a command word. A bolt of blindingly pure power leaped from his finger, striking something in the corner of the room. The outline of a man screaming in pain appeared on impact, then the body fully materialized and fell to the floor.

  “Greetings,” said the wizard. “Just a moment and I will get rid of this trash.” The body of what was apparently a sorcerer rose and drifted through the gate. “There! He will make a nice snack for the guardians.”

  “Greetings, Masters,” I said.

  “Why was the sorcerer hiding in here? I would think it would have been smarter to attack us before they arrived,” said Flame to no one in particular.

  “Because he was waiting for this gate,” answered my father. “It would get him access inside your base and neatly bypass all your defenses.”

  “That’s right,” said the wizard. “Now, we must get you two back through the gate before we get any more visitors. Nekamya, take the lead.”

  One of the elite wizards went through the gate, then we were directed to follow him through. We called out a fast goodbye to my father and crossed without delay. Professor Rannor was waiting for us on the other side along with three more elite wizards. Everyone looked ready for a fight, except for the three beasts that lay near the gate; they were lying around looking half-asleep. There was a delay of several minutes before the other two wizards came through the gate, but once they had the gate closed behind them everyone relaxed.

  Professor Rannor started to say something about getting us back to school when he was stopped by the wizard who had killed the sorcerer.

  “Shadow, I just had a nice conversation with your father. He wanted to assure me that we have nothing to fear if the sorcerers try to get to them; it will not affect your judgment or loyalty. He also asked for advice on how to defend against them, and I gave him what tips I could,” said the wizard. “Based on the reports from your professors I am sure he is right; however, you do pose a bit of a problem for us, one that requires an unorthodox solution. Recent events indicate that we need to make sure you can protect yourself reasonably well, but if you stay on the normal school track it will be years before you can stand up to even the weakest of our enemies. The other issue is a lack of teachers in your art. At present, we do not have any apprentice or journeymen spellweavers whom we can transfer to this school. This means that you would have to be largely self-taught, and for the one who will be the next grandmaster a more refined education is desirable. After much debate and discussion with both wizard councils we have decided to promote you, and I will take you on as my apprentice. Please be in my office tomorrow following the breakfast hour to start your lessons immediately.” With that said, he left.

  I turned and look
ed at Flame in shock. I had not expected anything like this and was taken completely off guard.

  Flame looked me in the eye and said, “If you think this means I’m gonna start calling you ‘Master,’ you’ll be sorely disappointed.”

  As part of the formal nature of the ranks of wizards it was customary to call all the ranks above you “Master,” unless they were one of your teachers: then “Professor” was preferred. For the most part, the titles were used only in formal settings. This of course meant that Flame and all our friends would have to start calling me “Master” on any formal occasion, and that was sure to make things awkward.

  “Well, you can work that out later. Now I need to get back to the school,” said Professor Rannor. He teleported us back to his office and then left in a hurry to teach his next class.

  Although it was midday where we had just left, it was fairly late in the day at the school, and we had missed dinner. We met up with some of our classmates who were still hanging around the mess hall. I chose not to say anything about my promotion, and Flame did not mention it either; I figured it would be easier to simply ignore the subject.

  “How was your vacation?” one of them asked.

  “Almost as exciting as our last one,” I said.

  “Really? How so?” he asked.

  “A sorcerer came along to annoy us, but this time Grandmaster Vydor was nearby and killed him,” I said.

  “Shadow, next break I want to travel with you; seems you know all the hot spots for trouble,” he said.

  “No, he just causes trouble wherever we go,” joked Flame.

  After exchanging anecdotes about our various vacations we all headed off to bed.

  Chapter Thirty

  The next morning I went to put on my robe and realized it was now red. This was the correct color for an apprentice to wear, but the last time I had seen the robe, just before we left for vacation, it had borne the white of a student wizard. The question I was left pondering was: had someone exchanged my robe for one of the correct color, or did the robe somehow know I had been promoted and adjust itself? Either way, I knew that my plan to keep my promotion quiet had just ended.

  I put on the robe and headed out of my quarters towards the mess hall for breakfast. I tried to ignore the looks of surprise as I left, but I could feel them follow me down the hall. When I got to my normal seat at the breakfast table everyone else was already there. “Hi, guys,” I said as I sat down.

  “Morning, Shadow. I see you already have your new robe,” commented Flame.

  “Yes; either they changed it while we were away, or it has changed color by itself. There is no way to tell,” I said. I looked around at all the faces staring at me in surprise and said, “It is still me, no need to be formal; I am simply wearing a different color.”

  “I really need to take my vacations with you. Not only do you get to have all the fun, you also come back to a promotion!” said one of the students.

  “Man, what happened?” asked Phoenix.

  “Nothing as special as you are all thinking, I am sure. The short version is there are no lower-ranked spellweavers here, and I need defense skills as soon as possible so they had to push me up a level and assign me to an elite wizard for training,” I said.

  “What does this mean for the Scrolls and Scribing class that we were going to take in the fall?” asked Flame.

  “I am not sure; I imagine that I will still take it and the other electives,” I said.

  “So, basically, just because there are no teachers you get promoted?” asked Phoenix.

  “Yes, something like that. And if another spellweaver comes along, I assume I will be the one to teach him or her,” I said. “Now, while you all get a light summer of review, I am to start my first lesson right after breakfast.” Then a problem struck me. “Only trouble is, the wizard never told me his name or where his office is. I only know that I am to meet him this morning.”

  “What are you going to do?” asked Flame.

  “The only other person there was Professor Rannor, so my only option right now is to hope he can help me. Anyone know where he is at this time of day?” I asked.

  “Normally in his office, preparing for his morning history lesson,” answered one of the other students.

  I wolfed down the last of my meal and quickly set off for Professor Rannor’s office. When I arrived he was working at something on his computer. He looked deep in thought, pads strewn around the desk. Each was powered on; they appeared to display all kinds of different information, but I could not make out what they said. I stood silently, waiting for him to notice me.

  “Shadow, you are no longer a student. You can speak without being spoken to,” he said with a big grin.

  “Thank you, Professor, but you looked busy and I did not want to bother you,” I said.

  “Oh, this?” he said as he gestured across his desk. “These merely contain images of the school records and other documents. I am just trying to get all the data belonging to the school onto the computers and off those archaic scrolls the professors use.”

  “That strikes me as a strange task for an apprentice wizard to be undertaking,” I said.

  “Yes, it is, but I do not intend to be an apprentice much longer. In fact, I have already passed the Journeyman Trials.”

  “Journeyman Trials?” I asked.

  “Yes. When an apprentice is ready to promote to journeyman, there is a series of tests he must pass. Those tests are referred to as the Journeyman Trials,” he said.

  “Professor, I do not mean any disrespect, but you are barely an apprentice,” I pointed out.

  “I know, but I was fairly late in promoting to apprentice and had completed most of the journeyman training. Remember, it has been almost four decades since I started my schooling, far longer than what you have gone through,” he said.

  “Agreed, but this still seems an odd task for a professor,” I said, gesturing at the pads on his desk.

  “Yes, it is; but Grandmaster Vydor wants me to take over from the headmaster, and I think you will agree that this is not an odd task for a headmaster,” he said.

  “You are headmaster now?” I asked.

  “Not yet. I am not sure if I will accept,” he said.

  “Why not? You would be perfect for the job, though I doubt if anyone could fill your role in the medical wing,” I said.

  “Vydor wants to increase the powers of the headmaster to encompass all department heads, with people delegated underneath,” he said.

  “Just like a naval ship,” I noted.

  “Yes, indeed. Exactly like that,” he said.

  “Then, Captain, I cannot think of a better person for the job,” I said with a sharp salute.

  He laughed and asked, “Now, how can I help you?”

  “You may remember that an elite wizard told me yesterday to meet him in his office this morning for training. I have a problem complying with that, since he never told me his name or where his office is,” I said.

  “That is quite a problem. How do you propose to solve it?” he asked.

  I stood and stared at him for a moment, then said, “I decided I would ask the most illustrious Professor Rannor for his wisdom and guidance in this matter.”

  “Funny, I don’t recall flattery being one of the subjects taught in this school,” he joked. “You are in luck; it turns out I know the information you need. His name is Master Mathorn, and I will take you to his office.” He paused for a moment, then continued, “Shadow, as an apprentice you are no longer limited in the practice of your powers or your freedom to move about the school, but I urge you to take it slowly. Do not practice your powers around your fellow students, as it could prove too much temptation for both them and yourself. Be careful also not to forget all the humility training you have had up to this point. Advancing so far in rank so quickly could give you an inflated ego; be ever watchful of that. Pride is one of the fastest ways to a wizard’s downfall.”
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br />   “If I cannot use my powers among the people I live with, how am I to practice what I am learning?” I asked.

  “Stop by my office after dinner, and I will show you where the other apprentices and higher-level wizards go to practice their art,” he said. He stood, gathered a few things, and said, “We’d best be on our way. I have a class to teach, and you have an appointment to keep.”

  I followed him out of the room and down some corridors I was sure I had not seen before. I was careful to note the exact route so I could make the trip alone. Eventually we came to a big archway flanked on both sides by Dark Knights.

  “No student or prospect may travel beyond this point unless accompanied by an apprentice or higher-level wizard, and even then only under special circumstances,” commented Professor Rannor.

  When we had passed through that archway we soon came across groups of professors moving to and fro, preparing for their morning classes. Most were speaking in a language I did not understand. It had not occurred to me until then that they probably spoke a different language in the realm they came from. I wondered if Professor Rannor spoke it, but before I could ask he gestured towards a large, ornate door.

  “There is the office you seek, and now I must take my leave and go to my students. I look forward later to hearing how your first day went,” he told me and left.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  As I approached the big door it swung open of its own accord. I went through it and found myself in a big room completely unlike anything I had seen in the rest of the school. The great dome of a ceiling must have been at least twenty-five meters high at its peak. The walls were covered with intricate carvings and paintings; the floor was highly polished black marble. Across from the entrance were two staircases that wound their way up the walls to a balcony which formed the base of the dome ceiling, at least ten, if not fifteen, meters off the floor. The room was well lit, but there were no visible lights anywhere. Standing up on the balcony was Master Mathorn, looking down at me. Behind me the door closed with a resounding thud.