The mist seemed to claw at her nose and mouth, slipping into her no matter how much she fought against it. The thin green tendrils seemed to wrap around her stomach from the inside, clenching it in a grip like a vice.
Helpless against the power of the spell, Volinette gasped for breath that seemed to burn in her lungs. She opened her mouth to cry out, but the only thing that came was a thick green bile that spilled down the front of her tunic and onto the floor by her slippers.
Janessa and the others crowed with laughter, jumping back away from the mess Volinette was making, unable to stop herself from retching. She collapsed to the floor, doubled over against the pain that wracked her. Volinette was only vaguely aware of Master Casto’s return. He rushed to her side, invoking a counter-spell that eased her misery. However, no spell could undo the humiliation she felt at being cowered on the floor in a pool of her own vomit.
“What is the meaning of this?” Master Casto demanded, still standing over Volinette’s pain-wracked body.
“She tried to attack me, Master,” Janessa simpered. “I was merely defending myself.”
Though Halsie, Nixi, and Syble were quick to back Janessa and her story, Volinette took some reassurance in both the loudness and vehemence of Baris’s defense of her. Much to her disappointment, the rest of the apprentices seemed content not to take sides, perhaps afraid of what might become of them if they did.
“You’ll need to see the Quartermaster and get new clothes, Volinette,” Master Casto said, helping her to her feet. She wasn’t so sick that she couldn’t see him wince when he helped her up. A fact that only deepened the sense of shame and humiliation she already felt. “Baris will go with you. Return here once you’ve had time to clean up.”
Volinette wanted to argue, to tell him that it was unfair that she should miss out on any instruction because of the unwarranted attack Janessa had made on her. By the time she felt strong enough to say anything though, Baris had a hand under her arm and was guiding her from the training room toward the commissary.
They didn’t say much on their way to the Quartermaster’s office. Volinette was too angry to form much of a coherent argument, and Baris was smart enough to keep his mouth shut until she’d regained her equilibrium.
The Quartermaster was a stout old man with a huge, bushy white beard and a tunic that bore the faded crest of the Merchant’s Guild. After getting a whiff of Volinette, he demanded that they conduct business at arm’s length. She was asked for her measurements and gave them, miserably. The Quartermaster disappeared into the back room of the dispensary and reappeared with an armful of garments, which he pointedly handed to Baris.
As they walked back toward the girls’ dormitory, Baris flipped through the clothing. There was a simple linen tunic and breeches, both in a natural brown, and a tightly braided rope belt to cinch the tunic closed.
“Not much to look at, are they?” he groused. “No flair, whatsoever.”
“I’ll just be happy that they’re clean and dry.”
Of all the ways Volinette had imagined her first day of classes at the Academy, the reality of it hadn’t even made the list.
Chapter Six
“I don’t know how much more I can take, Baris. She’s awful. Every time Master Casto looks away, she’s doing something horrid. I just can’t take it anymore.”
Baris swung his legs and stared out at the waves breaking against the beach. They’d been sitting on the breakwater since mid-morning, and now the sun was nearly halfway to the western horizon. After a long minute, he glanced at Volinette and shrugged.
“Syble isn’t exactly an ideal partner either, you know. I have no idea how she got through the trial. It seems like everything she touches turns to dung. She struggles with even the most basic spells. You’ll never convince me that she didn’t have help getting to the Academy.”
“Probably Janessa and her other cronies,” Volinette said, wrinkling her nose. “Those four are thick as thieves.”
“And just about as honorable,” Baris agreed. He picked up a rock from the edge of the breakwater and tossed it out into the waves. They watched it skip once or twice before it sank into the murky water. Neither of them said anything for a long time.
“Still, at least Syble isn’t trying to kill you.”
Baris chuckled without much humor. He looked at Volinette, his eyes scanning hers.
“Maybe not on purpose,” he sighed. “It certainly seems like I get the brunt of her accidents though.”
He rubbed his arm just under the sleeve of his tunic where a fresh scar was just beginning to turn pink with new flesh. It’d been a nasty burn, requiring the attention of a cleric and a healer and keeping Baris out of class for two days while the wound was tended to. They had been two of the longest days that Volinette had spent in the Academy. Her interactions with Baris were the only things that kept her sane when she had to deal with Janessa day in and day out.
Volinette took a deep breath and blew it out in a gusty sigh. They’d spent most of the rest day hanging around the docks, and she wasn’t very keen to return to the dormitory she shared with the other girls. It seemed so old fashioned and arbitrary that the boys and girls had to be segregated from each other. Still, that was the way things were done in the Academy, and she’d learned that some things just weren’t worth questioning.
“I guess we better get back,” she said at last, drawing out the words as if by sheer force of will she could slow time and keep from having to go back.
Baris shrugged. “I guess.”
They slipped off the breakwater and began the walk back toward the Academy grounds. Baris didn’t say much as they wound their way through the streets back toward the school. That was fine with Volinette. She really wasn’t in much of a mood to talk anyway. She knew that the night in the dormitory would be just as miserable as every other night had been so far. No sense in hoping that things might be different tonight. She’d just have to deal with it. Shorted sheets, snakes in her bed, her clothing dumped in the privy or hoisted into the trees outside her room. Volinette had to give it to the harpies, at least there was creativity in their evil.
Passing through the Academy gates was their cue to say their goodbyes. Neither of them had much to say, so they just drifted apart as the sun slipped below the horizon, plunging the ornate gardens into semi-darkness.
Unwilling to go back to the dormitory just yet, Volinette made her way into the largest of the gardens. There was an ornate fountain in the center, carved with the likenesses of Quintessentialists long dead. A small bronze placard on the edge of the fountain named the mages who had been immortalized and their contributions to the Academy of Arcane Arts and Sciences. One had been a Master Cartographer, whose maps still hung in the large library. Another had advanced the School of Sorcery to new and exciting heights. A third had been one of the first and most beloved Head Masters of the Academy and a vaunted member of the Order of Ivory Flame.
Volinette plopped down on the edge of the fountain, trailing her fingers through the cool water. How was she supposed to meet her full potential when Janessa was opposing her at every turn? It wasn’t that she blamed Janessa for being angry about Tenika’s death. She had every right to be upset about that, but there was no reason Janessa should be taking it out on her. Complaints to Master Casto had fallen on deaf ears. It was unfortunate that Janessa blamed Volinette for Tenika’s death, he’d said, but it was something she’d need to work out on her own. One couldn’t be made to see facts they didn’t want to see.
No matter how Volinette tried to explain that Janessa’s intentions were more than a grudge, Master Casto’s advice was to keep working at a reconciliation. Mages needed to work together, he’d said, pointing to the Great Tower in the distance. How else did we learn and grow? Secretly, Volinette wondered if there wasn’t a way for her to grow without Janessa’s constant interference.
There was a noise deeper in the garden, and Volinette huddled up against the side of the fountain. Whoever was lu
rking about out there, she didn’t really feel like talking. She breathed a sigh of relief when a page strolled down the manicured path, lighting the lanterns that lined the walkway. At least she wouldn’t be required to have a conversation with the page. He had his duties to perform and wouldn’t be concerned with her. In fact, as he passed through the courtyard on his way across the garden, he only acknowledged Volinette with the briefest of nods.
The night deepened as she sat there, listening to the gentle babble of the water falling into the pool. Of everywhere on the school grounds, this was one of her favorite places to sit and think. It was quiet and serene and helped soothe the nerves that were almost always frayed to the point of breaking by the end of the day.
“Oh, look, it’s the murderer.”
Volinette jumped at the cold voice behind her. She whirled to find Janessa standing there with her arms folded across her chest. The three other girls, shadowing their leader, stood a few steps behind, their arms similarly arrayed.
“Oh give it a rest, Janessa,” Volinette snapped. She was too tired to be tactful and really didn’t care to try anymore. Every day was more of the same, and for Janessa to start up with her on a rest day was just the final straw.
“I’ll give it a rest when you pay for what you’ve done.”
Before Volinette could really credit what she was doing, she’d leapt to her feet, inches from Janessa’s face. The taller girl took a step back, only registering a moment of surprise before she schooled her features into the sneering mask she normally wore around Volinette.
“I haven’t done anything,” Volinette exploded. “It wasn’t my fault that Tenika couldn’t handle the Trial. If you were so worried about her, why weren’t you there to protect her? She was your sister, after all, wasn’t she? What kind of sister are you to just let your sibling die?”
Volinette was trembling from head to foot. She wasn’t sure what had gotten into her, other than she was just so tired of Janessa’s attitude and constant accusations. Something had to give. Volinette felt as if something deep inside her had snapped, unraveling in a flood of words that she had no control over. She stood there, shaking, watching the furtive look that Janessa shot to her companions. For the first time, it seemed as if Janessa didn’t know what to do about the monster she’d created.
All at once, Janessa seemed to regain her composure. She flicked her fingers forward, intoning the words of a spell that she’d used on Volinette before. This time, though, Volinette was ready for her. The words that came from Volinette’s mouth were carried on a melody, a song that she’d known since her childhood, which she’d sung with her family on warm spring nights in front of crowds who bobbed and swayed along with the music. The lyrics, however, were different. Instead of the words she’d learned as a child, Volinette heard a whispered voice in her head, like chimes. She repeated the words as they came to her, weaving them into the familiar notes of the song.
A flash of brilliant white lit the courtyard. Janessa and the others were blown backward, sailing through the air as if they’d been picked up by a giant invisible hand and thrown away from where Volinette was standing. The sudden burst of power left Volinette unsteady on her feet, and she wobbled where she stood, trying to remain upright. Across the courtyard, she could hear the girls whispering to each other in hushed tones. There was some sort of argument, and the others fled from Janessa as the girl got slowly onto unsteady feet.
“You don’t know who you’re going up against, I promise you.”
Janessa stepped back into the light around the fountain, and Volinette saw that her face was stained with fresh blood from her nose and upper lip. Volinette hadn’t meant to hurt her or any of the others. She just wanted them to leave her alone.
“I think, perhaps, that you underestimate who you’re up against, Apprentice Navita.”
Both Janessa and Volinette whirled to face the new voice. Maera was standing at the edge of the courtyard, her rich purple robes seeming to drink in the little light that the lanterns provided. Even from where she was standing, Volinette could feel the muted power that seemed to waft off the Head Master in pulsating waves. Her amber eyes glittered, unsettlingly bright in the meager light, and they never left Janessa’s face.
“Please excuse me, Head Master,” Janessa managed to mumble through her split lip. She turned and trotted from the courtyard before Maera could dismiss her. Volinette wondered how the girl could get away with such blatant disrespect.
Volinette didn’t trust herself to stand any longer, so she sank to the edge of the fountain, risking disrespecting the Head Master in her own way. She fought back the urge to break into tears.
The Head Master sat beside her, smoothing her voluminous robes around her legs as she perched on the edge of the fountain. It was a long time before she said anything.With each passing moment, Volinette was sure she was going to be kicked out of the Academy. Her journey to become a Master in the Order would be over before it ever really began.
“I know it isn’t fair, the way she treats you,” Maera said, her voice so soft that Volinette had to strain to hear it over the rushing of the fountain. “However, you must learn to keep your temper. A Quintessentialist as powerful as you must learn to use her gifts only when absolutely necessary.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Volinette replied, with much less tact than she would normally have hoped for. “She blames me for something I had no control over. I can’t fix it. I would if I could.”
Maera nodded, her curious amber eyes scanning Volinette’s face in the faded light.
“Janessa Navita comes from a long line of powerful Quintessentialists. What most people don’t know is that, as bloodlines go, Apprentice Navita wasn’t blessed with the skill of her parents. She is, at best, a mediocre mage.”
Volinette gasped. She couldn’t believe that the Head Master, one of the most powerful Quintessentialists in the Imperium, had just laid one of her students and charges out so low. Maera raised an eyebrow.
“I trust in your discretion in this matter, Volinette. It wouldn’t do for me to appear to be playing favorites. Even if there is some truth to the accusation.” Maera smiled at her. “You remind me of me, when I was your age, young Acolyte. However, that doesn’t mean that I can interfere in your training. That is the bailiwick of Master Casto, and if he believes that you should have to stand on your own against Janessa and her ilk, then I must respect his decision.”
“It’s just so hard,” Volinette blurted, the tears coming dangerously close to slipping free of the dam she’d put them behind. “Every day she’s just so horrible!”
“Have you ever considered, Acolyte, that she’s so horrible because she’s jealous of your abilities?”
Volinette’s bark of laughter surprised both of them.
“Jealous? Of me? Why? Her entire family has been through the Academy. She was never punished for her magic. She was trained and groomed and knew that she was destined to be a Master from the day she was born. What do I have that she could possibly be jealous of?”
Maera shook her head, a slow smile creeping across her exquisite features.
“There are many things you have yet to learn, Volinette. The likelihood of Janessa Navita ever ascending to the Mastery, in any Order, is exceedingly slim. Advancement in the Academy of Arcane Arts and Sciences isn’t all about power. She has power, though it is woefully underdeveloped compared to yours. Power isn’t everything, though. She lacks a humility that the best Masters of all the Orders have. Something you have naturally, I might add.”
“It doesn’t seem to be doing me much good,” Volinette groused. She knew she was being peevish, but couldn’t help it.
“Neither will feeling sorry for yourself,” Maera said, somewhat sharply. “You and Janessa have undoubtedly gotten off on the wrong foot. She accuses you for something that you had no control over. It’s up to you to either educate her in the futility of her actions, or learn to live with her in such a way that you can peacefully coexist.”
“How am I supposed to do that?”
The Head Master stood, smoothing out the robes that billowed out around her. She glanced at Volinette and gave her a fleeting smile.
“You’ll figure it out. I have faith in you. You’re a clever girl.”
Maera gave her a nod, then stepped into the darkness. Volinette listened until the night and the fountain drowned out the Head Master’s retreating footsteps. The sun had slipped beyond the horizon, and now the only light that illuminated the gardens came from the lanterns the page had brought to life earlier.
Getting to her feet, Volinette started down the path that would lead to the girls’ dormitory. She encountered no one on her way to her chambers. The common room was empty of Janessa and her entourage. Though she might pay for the night’s adventure tomorrow, she doubted that even Janessa was foolish enough to press the matter tonight.
As Volinette got into her nightshirt and slipped into bed, she replayed her encounter with the Head Master time and again. She was stronger than Janessa. Maera had all but said that. However, she’d also said that she needed to control her temper. Volinette was sure that another outburst like the one she’d had tonight wouldn’t go unnoticed by the Head Master, and Maera wasn’t someone to be on the outs with. In fact, Maera had provided her with a wealth of information in their short meeting. It was information that Volinette was determined to use, but use judiciously. There was no sense in antagonizing Janessa any more than necessary.
Volinette reached over and turned down the wick on her table lamp, plunging the room into darkness. As she nestled down under the warm comforter, she couldn’t help but smile. Even if she could never reveal what she knew of Janessa, she had a secret, and that was a power all its own.
Volinette's Song Page 6
