Seeing Darren's letter from Princess Shinako only made the truth that much worse.
Between drills, weekly visits to see Derrick, the occasional armory chore, and all the extra arm-strengthening lessons I could manage, I quickly lost all track of time. I didn't really lose track of Darren, but then again that had never been an option.
As much as I might wish it were.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
"I second Eve."
"Darren."
"I also vote for Eve, she did a great job in Devon."
"Eve for me."
"I nominate Ryiah."
At that I gave Ella a grateful smile. I knew our fifth year was critical, I knew what it would say if we lost, but I really, really wanted a chance to try. And this was my last year to do it.
"I second Ryiah." Ray gave me a rueful smile, perhaps to make up for voting for Eve the year before.
"Well, I vote for Darren," Priscilla said shrilly. "I will not follow a lowborn."
"We vote with Priscilla. We want the prince." Merrick and Radley made no attempt to sound partial.
"Ryiah," Alex and all four of his comrades spoke at once. I grinned. Restoration's pride wasn't at stake the way it was for Combat so the fifth-years in his faction were more open to change.
"Ryiah. Give the poor girl a chance. If she wants to risk commanding this year, it will be her fate on the line if we lose. All of us know Byron will blame her anyway." Ruth winked at me from her circle of Alchemy mentors.
The rest of the class spoke out. Eve made a bold move and took herself out, voting for me in a pleasant twist of fate. Darren and I were tied… it came down to a third-year boy in Alchemy.
I stood tall. "You should vote for me because everyone deserves a chance. That's how we all became apprentices, isn't it? We were allowed to try… So you should let me try." I smiled sweetly and the boy blushed. Beat that, Darren!
Darren stepped forward and said loudly, "You shouldn't pick Ryiah because she's lowborn and reckless-"
I made a choking sound.
"-And did you hear why the Academy's armory had to be rebuilt the year before you started? That was because Ryiah made a rash decision that brought the whole thing down and almost killed herself and Ray here. The only reason she didn't lose was because he was able to save them. If she does that this time, who knows what will happen?"
I broke free of Ella's hold. I didn't even care that all of the mentors' eyes were upon me. I was done trying to ignore the prince.
I would not let Darren sabotage another part of my life.
"You and me," I growled, "duel. Pain casting. Now. Let's see which one of us has more control then."
"You know I would win," Darren shot back, "and at least I didn't resort to petty flirtation to sway someone's vote!"
"Flirtation is hardly the same as insult!"
"It's not an insult if it's true."
"You called me lowborn and reckless!" I put my hands on my hips.
Darren raised a brow. "Well, you were born in Demsh'aa and that decision was reckless."
"You know exactly what you were implying, Darren, don't you dare try to-"
"I want Eve."
Both of us turned our heads to face the boy we had been fighting over. We had forgotten about him.
"I want Eve too," another girl from Alchemy spoke up. "I want to change my vote."
"Both of you are wasting our time. I vote for Eve as well."
Before my eyes, I watched as the rest of the mentors turned against Darren and I with the exception of Priscilla, Ella, Ray, and Alex, who loyally kept their votes. When it was all said and done, Eve beat out Darren and I for the second year in a row.
Eve walked over to the both of us. "I don't want the two of you distracting everyone else from what needs to be done. Both of you can scout the grounds below the wall. When you are done, I want you both to report to me and we will station two of our third-years as sentries in whatever location you deem best. This way we'll be warned before the mentees arrive and I won't have the two of you hindering the rest of our planning."
My face fell. "How will we know what to do during the battle if we spend the whole time before it scouting?"
"Yes, Eve, how will I know my role if I'm out counting trees?" Darren's tone was incredulous. "I'm one of the most valuable people you have!"
"You should have thought about that before you decided to stage a fight during the middle of our vote." Eve frowned. "You two will be stationed next to me during the actual battle. But until then you scout. Understand?"
****
"Have you heard anything yet?"
I glared at Darren. "I thought you were keeping track of the bell tower."
"I was," he snapped, "but you kept bringing us further into the forest and I can't see it anymore… I was hoping we'd be able to hear it but-"
I threw down the charcoal I had been using to map our location. "But what?"
"I think we are too far out."
"You couldn't have mentioned this sooner? How many tolls do we have left?"
"Just the ten minute warning bell before it begins."
I stood up with a start. "Darren, we are twenty minutes away from the wall!"
"That was when we didn't know where we were going." Darren's tone was anything but helpful. "Now we do. If we run we should be fine."
A bloodcurdling scream shot out, echoing across the clearing. I whirled around to stare into the woods behind us. "What was that?" I kept my voice low. "Did the battle already start?" Leave it to Darren to lose track of our time!
"I'm not sure." Darren was staring in the same direction as me. He seemed puzzled. "Only it doesn't make sense. All of the other mentors are at the keep, so why would a mentee attack one of their own?"
"Maybe they know we are out here? It could be a trick."
Darren rolled his eyes. "But why would they think we would help?"
There was a loud boom and the ground beneath us shook violently. That same second, a chorus of men's shouting rang out just north of us.
"I don't think it's the mentees trying to trick us." I reached for my scabbard at the same time that Darren cast out three bolts of lightning into the sky, one by one. They flashed directly above us.
My lips parted in surprise. "What was that for?"
Darren grabbed my arm and started to run, dragging me behind him. "A distress call."
I stumbled along behind him, trying to keep up. "Caltothians?"
Darren released me and pointed to the same path we had taken from the keep. It was at least fifteen minutes from the fortress.
I started to walk toward it and then froze. Darren wasn't following. "Darren," I whispered loudly, "what are you doing?"
"I'm going to find out what is happening."
I stared at him. "Are you mad? What am I saying, of course you are! Darren, you can't - who knows how many of them there are!"
"Ryiah, this is not a request. I am ordering you back to the keep. Warn the others!" His garnet eyes flashed. "I am a prince; you are my subject. Now is not the time to question me!"
I ignored him. "Darren, you can't do this on your own! You need me."
"I need you to do what I…" He gave up when he caught my expression. "Fine," the boy snapped, "but Ryiah, no heroics. I will not have your blood on my hands."
"So kind of you to care." I couldn't keep the sarcasm from my words.
"I mean it, Ryiah."
"Are we going or not?"
****
I followed Darren, darting from one tree trunk to the next and peering out into the dark forest beyond. It was hard to see - the sun was almost completely blocked out by the towering pines crowding the sky… but what I did see through narrow shafts of light was alarming.
Five knights, four men and one woman, were tied and bound in a circle on the ground. Scattered nearby were three bodies with blood pooled around their necks. With a sickening realization I noticed their heads were severed, with just a small patch of skin connecting the n
eck to the body. I recognized one of them as a soldier from the keep's regular patrol. The young man had escorted me on my weekly visits with Derrick.
My chest tightened. Hensley. He was my age. He had told me he missed his old comrades in Tijan… Now he would never see them again.
The sun's next ray revealed a large gathering of men and women in dress I did not recognize. Caltothians. Their clothing blended in with the surroundings – dark brown breeches and long green tunics, covered in a thick brown cloak that hooded their faces.
One of the first things I noticed was that there was no chainmail or plate armor anywhere on them. That must have helped them catch the keep's regiment by surprise. Without the rustle of metal rings, the enemy had managed to blend right in with the rest of the forest… until a passing patrol had come across their place of hiding.
Who knew how many more would have been captured had it not been the day of our mock battle? Most of the keep's regiment had been dismissed to view the affair from the keep's towers; only a few had been assigned to patrols.
"I count fifteen, but there might be more out back." Darren's voice was barely a whisper.
The Caltothians seemed to be arguing over what to do with the remaining hostages, although it was hard to know for sure as they were all speaking at once. Only short fragments of speech carried over to where Darren and I hid crouching.
At one point, one of the Caltothians strode forward and grabbed a prisoner by the back of his braid. She brandished a jagged-looking blade against the base of his throat and shouted something to the others. Another Caltothian rushed forward to pull her back but it was too late. The woman dropped her grip and a thick spray of blood spewed from the man's neck.
One of the hostages let out a muffled cry.
My fingernails dug into Darren's arm so deep he bled. I dropped it immediately. Three soldiers – and now one knight - were dead. I glanced at the non-heir and saw fury.
"We've got to do something," he growled. "I can't just watch them slaughter my own people."
My throat burned and I forced myself to speak softly. "I can light a fire." I could see it now. "I could cast one large enough to get the Caltothian to investigate… I know they probably won't send all of their men, but they might be confident enough to leave only two or three guarding the prisoners since they are already bound."
Darren's jaw clenched, and for a moment he looked like he was fighting himself. Finally he said, "You need to go far enough that it takes them a while to return. I can handle the ones that stay behind, but I need to know you'll hide as soon as you've got their attention." He ran a fist through his hair. "I'll help the hostages back to the keep, but you need to promise me you'll stay safe until I can send help."
I squinted into the trees. The woman was already pointing to another one of our knights. I needed to go. Now. Before the others found the same fate as the man with the braid. I stood and Darren grabbed my arm.
"Don't you dare get caught." His voice was oddly strained.
"Why?" The words fell from my lips before I could stop them. "Why would you care?"
Darren looked away from me. "Just don't, okay?"
"Okay."
He looked at me then. For a moment he said nothing. When he finally spoke his expression was dark. "Run, Ryiah. Run fast."
And with that, our plan was set in motion.
****
I sprinted through the trees, leaping over jagged granite and forcing my way through thick brush as I made my way across the dense forest. I needed to get as far away from the Caltothians – and the Keep - as possible. It was hard to keep track of time as I ran. I needed to put at least ten minutes between us. I wanted to do more but I was afraid if I spent any more time running, another knight would die.
I came to a stop in front of a towering pine. Just behind it was a thundering white stream. The river would keep the fire from spreading west, which was where I would seek shelter. The pine's thick smoke would draw the Caltothians out and there was no chance the Ferren's Keep regiment would miss it.
I placed my palms on the trunk of the tree and set to work projecting my casting. The pine was close to three hundred feet – at least fifty taller than the rest of its surroundings. It would take much more power than normal to exert a casting of its range, but I had not used my magic once that morning. I had a full reserve to draw from. And pine burned fast.
In five minutes I had the highest branches roaring in red. A thick gray cloud straddled the sky. The top quarter of the pine was engulfed in flames.
I released my casting and stumbled back, slightly dizzy. The distance had been a greater effort than I expected. Still, the fire was burning high and there was no missing its smoke. Darren would see it any second.
I raced over to the stream and then, standing in the shallow shore, cast a cursory brush of wind to displace any dirt I had marked with my steps. The rest of the river was too powerful and too fast to swim. I could feel its undercurrent dragging at my feet.
Summoning another casting, I transported myself to the other side. It took a great effort to carry my weight across. Self-levitation was always costly, but I didn't trust myself to balance on a log. The river was too dangerous.
When I reached the other side I immediately dropped my magic and sprinted into the thick forest beyond. My heart was racing and every breath sounded louder than before. I clawed at blackberry brambles and forced myself to keep on running anywhere with brush so that it would be much harder to track the path I had taken.
****
I wasn't sure how much time had passed. I was crouched behind a tree, watching, waiting. I had heard shouts for a while now, but none of them had come close to where I knelt hidden. I couldn't see anything except for a few feet in front of me, but I was confident I wouldn't be caught off-guard. After finding my spot, the first thing I had done was cast a thick mess of dead leaves in a large radius surrounding me.
I would hear my attackers before they found me.
When the shouting got closer, I was able to count eight or nine voices. Relief flooded my chest. I had been afraid most of the Caltothians would stay behind. My plan had worked.
Darren is freeing the hostages right now.
I took a deep breath and then choked as I breathed in a new scent. Either the Caltothians had Alchemy potions on hand, or they had a Combat mage in their midst. I recognized that foul stench from the mock battle in Devon – it had come with the mentors' fog. The same poisonous vapor that had made me lose control of my body.
I had to move. The thick silver fog was spreading fast, any moment it would reach my tree line-
I made a split second decision to rip off my tunic. Then I wrapped it around my face so that my ears and mouth were covered. Then I ran, fast as my legs could carry me, ringlets of chainmail clanging against my skin now that the tunic was not there to muffle them.
"There! You see her?"
Shouting sprang up behind me but I didn't dare look. I cast out a giant sphere at my back and sprinted deeper into the forest.
To my right a tree exploded in flame.
I ducked right and started to zigzag among the trees and rock, hoping to lose the party tracking me. But I had no such luck. The shouting kept getting closer.
And the castings were multiplying.
They most definitely had a mage. And from the number of castings so far, they had at least three, if not more. A well-trained war mage couldn't cast as many attacks as the ones I was avoiding now. Not at once.
At some point I came across the same river from earlier. The burning tree was just beyond it, now a towering spiral of flame.
My stomach fell. I had to cross. Every other direction I was surrounded. My pulse was racing and I could barely breathe. My vision swam in front of my eyes. I could not maintain the defensive sphere and levitate at the same time.
My magic was depleting fast.
I sent a swift plea to the gods and dropped my defense, casting myself into the air. It would only take me twen
ty seconds to cross…
But a biting pain tore into my side before I had even completed ten. The sudden shock shattered my concentration and my casting fell away.
And then I fell. Into the raging stream below I lost control of my magic. It was too late to attempt another casting – it was impossible to focus. White water swarmed me and I was thrust under its surface. I choked liquid as I fought to get air, only to be tossed again, rock after rock in the stream's rapid course.
The river was ice cold and the sharp pain in my thigh became more intense. Red blood and white waters threw me against the current, beating my body with every river rock along the way. I fought to the surface each time, only to get sucked under and then out. My fingers rubbed raw from scraping against rock.
I couldn't cast. Not with the collision of pain and water choking my lungs. My legs were numb and it was becoming harder and harder to swim. I couldn't see anymore. Darkness was grabbing me, pulling me under.
My arms held on the longest, but eventually those two slowly slipped away…
All at once I was conscious of gold. Sunlight streamed down from above, blinding me. I was at the surface. I could breathe.
There was shouting in the distance. My ears were pounding too heavily to notice.
My entire body ached, my skin felt like ice.
I opened my eyes and saw that the raging river had fettered out into a shallow stream. I had washed ashore. There was a deep gash in my left leg. An arrow had struck it. Part of the shaft was still in it.
But I was still alive.
All at once the shouting drew closer and my heartbeat could no longer block out the words.
"We found the mage girl!"
"Get her bound and gagged – she might be able to pain cast!"
I tried to move, stand, anything, but my limbs were still catching up from the cold.
The Black Mage: Apprentice Page 27
