The Artful Apprentice

by Christopher Nuttall

  “People have been trying to find a way to store magic for centuries,” Void mused. “They’ve always run into the point of diminishing returns, when they don’t drive the sorcerer mad or kill him outright. Your solution is quite clever. Limited, but... workable. We can find a way to make it work better.”

  Emily had to smile. “We will.”

  Void glanced at her, his expression suddenly sharp. “How many others know about this?”

  “Jade, Cat and Lady Barb,” Emily said. “Although... there might be others. Knowing something is possible is half the battle.”

  “True,” Void agreed. “That said, most of the reports from Zangaria were horrifically confused. One report claims you stormed the Tower of Alexis with a small army of magicians and left the tower in ruins.”

  “And they never thought to check to see if the tower was still intact,” Emily said. She knew she’d damaged the tower’s defenses, but she hadn’t reduced it to a pile of rubble. Alassa wouldn’t have knocked it down, even though she hadn’t enjoyed her confinement. She’d need a prison to house enemies of the state. “Why didn’t they go look?”

  “That would be clever,” Void said, archly. “Point is, they’re not going to figure out how you did it if they don’t know what it was.”

  “I hope not,” Emily said. “The batteries will change the world.”

  “Change is inevitable,” Void said. “Even without you, Emily, things were going to change.”

  He shook his head. “Did you enjoy your reward?”

  “No.” Emily remembered the Dark Ziggurat and shuddered. “It’s a horrible place.”

  “Yes,” Void agreed. “But too many people find it useful.”

  Emily scowled. “It should be destroyed.”

  “Too many people find it useful,” Void repeated. “And those who agree with you, Emily, are concerned about what might happen if we destroy the city. Too many rumors about things sleeping under the city, too many whispered warnings from the wars... they want it destroyed, but they’re afraid of unleashing something worse. We don’t know.”

  He shrugged. “And how are you going to stop people from going there?”

  “I don’t know,” Emily said. “Why did you take me there?”

  Void met her eyes. “You didn’t grow up in this world,” he reminded her. “You had some hard lessons to learn, when you came here. Whitehall... was prepared to make allowances for you. Mountaintop wanted something from you. Zangaria... you’re a national heroine in Zangaria. The population would be quite happy to forgive anything from you.

  “But your exposure to the rest of the world has been limited. Lady Barb took you to the Cairngorms, which weren’t so tolerant of you. Sergeant Miles took you to war. Other places... are darker and more dangerous than anything you’ve seen so far. There are levels of magic, and secrets, that you would never have seen at Whitehall. I wanted to introduce you to some of them under controlled circumstances. If you fell into them without warning... the results might not be pleasant.”

  He quirked an eyebrow. “Does that answer your question?”

  “I would have slept better without seeing the dark city,” Emily said, although she couldn’t disagree. “How many other dark secrets are there?”

  “You’d be surprised,” Void said. “Every so often, you’ll disturb a rock and something nasty will crawl out. And then... sometimes, you’ll find yourself fighting for your life.”

  He sighed. “My master had a theory,” he added, after a moment. “He said... the more significant you were, the more you drew others to yourself. Your magic — not magic, if I understood his ravings properly — attracted challengers. You’d be cursed to live an interesting and dangerous life. Or so he said. He made it sound like you’d be casting a bad luck charm on yourself.”

  Emily considered it. “If that is true, in some sense, surely you’d be able to cancel the charm.”

  “If you knew it was there.” Void shook his head. “I was never sure what to make of it. He was... he was of somewhat questionable sanity towards the end of his life.”

  “So you wanted me to see it before I graduated,” Emily said. “Thanks, I guess.”

  “You’re welcome,” Void said. “I know you don’t want to thank me, but believe me... better you saw it now, when you had someone with you, than later.”

  “Yes, sir,” Emily said.

  She yawned, suddenly. How late was it? She wasn’t sure. It felt like midnight. Teleport lag was starting to catch up with her. Void would have sent her to bed well before midnight, wouldn’t he? He’d certainly kept reminding her to get plenty of sleep.

  “Silent will give you new clothes tomorrow,” Void said. “Put them on, then meet me in the lower spellchamber.”

  “Yes, sir,” Emily said, automatically. New clothes? “Why...?”

  “You’ll see.” Void smiled at her. “You probably should go to bed. Silent will wake you tomorrow morning.”

  “If I’m not up already,” Emily said. She’d made a point of casting alarm spells before going to bed each night. She stood, then stopped herself. “Can I ask a question?”

  “Of course,” Void said. “I may not answer...”

  Emily nodded. “I... I told Jan I’d like to meet up with him, on my next day off,” she said, carefully. “But I don’t know how to contact him.”

  Void laughed. “Was that deliberate carelessness or accidental carelessness?”

  “It was an accident.” Emily colored. She’d never been the type of person to deliberately forget such details. “It wouldn’t have been a problem at Whitehall.”

  “No,” Void agreed. “It’s a little harder to avoid someone there, isn’t it?”

  He leaned back in his chair. “You can send him a message through Master Lucknow,” he added. “Put it in the box for dispatch and one of the maids will post it. Bear in mind his master may read his mail. And... if you do meet up with him, you cannot bring him back here. Master Lucknow would sell his soul for a look inside the tower.”

  Emily blinked. “He’d force Jan to talk?”

  “Perhaps.” Void held up a hand. “I am not averse to you having friendships, obviously. But I expect you to remember, as long as you are my apprentice, that your duty to me comes first.”

  “Yes, sir,” Emily said. “I won’t forget.”

  “And Jan will have the same problem,” Void added, coldly. His voice was suddenly very sharp. “His master will always take precedence. Do you understand me?”

  “Yes, sir,” Emily said. She bowed her head. “I’ll send him a letter tomorrow and see what happens.”

  “If you must.” Void looked unconcerned. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Emily dropped a curtsy and made her way up the stairs. Silent had already cleaned the room, emptying the laundry basket and wiping the floor. Emily hoped the hooded garment was safe for the maid to handle, but there was no way to be sure. She made a mental note to ask Void as she stumbled into her bedroom, closed the door firmly behind her and hastily started to undress. The urge to get into bed without bothering to remove her robes was almost overwhelming.

  And I told Void about the batteries, she thought, dully. She wasn’t sure if she’d done the right thing or not. It would be nice to share notes with someone who might have some genuine insights into the devices, but... she knew she couldn’t control what he did with the secret afterwards. He might tell the entire world.

  She shook her head as she eyed herself in the mirror. She had the odd impression she should look dirty, or scarred, but her skin was untouched. The Dark Ziggurat had left its mark on her, even though she’d worn protection. She felt a stab of pity for the demihumans wandering the city, monstrous creatures who wouldn’t be welcome anywhere else. Was that the fate that awaited everyone who lived there? Was that why the Allied Lands had chosen to turn a blind eye to its existence? Or was she merely imagining things? The city had disturbed her on a very primal level.

  Her fingers touched the faded rune between her br
easts. It had been maintained by a tiny trickle of magic, a trickle that had faded when she’d lost her powers. There was no hope of repairing the damage, not now. She could heal the flesh, but could she redo the rune? Lady Barb hadn’t been sure. She’d warned that it might not be possible to replace the rune without dangerous side effects. If it started to interfere with her studies...

  Emily studied it for a moment longer, then turned and clambered into bed. There was no point in worrying about it any longer. She’d seen something... Void had been right. She’d had to see the city, if only to understand how dark and dangerous the world could truly be. The Cairngorms had been an eye-opening experience, even though they were technically part of the Allied Lands. The locals hadn’t been quite so respectful of her.

  Worry about it later, she told herself, as she closed her eyes. Her body was tired, so tired she could barely think any longer. Tomorrow is another day.

  But it still felt like hours before she dropped off to sleep.

  Chapter Fifteen

  SILENT WAS WAITING FOR HER THE following morning, when Emily climbed out of the shower and walked into the bedroom. Emily had to bite down an angry remark, knowing that Silent was only following orders. The maid could have waited in the living room, couldn’t she? Silent passed her a pair of black trousers and a dark shirt that felt as if they were made of silk, soft and comfortable against the skin. Emily couldn’t help feeling as if she were wearing a pair of expensive pajamas. They were a far cry from her apprentice robes.

  “You wear them well, My Lady,” Silent said. “I won’t have to do any adjusting.”

  Emily scowled at herself in the mirror. She looked as if she were on the verge of going back to bed. The garments were comfortable and loose in all the right places, but... they just felt odd after weeks of wearing robes. She headed into the living room and ate her breakfast as quickly as possible before hurrying down to the spellchamber. She hadn’t slept very well, but it didn’t matter. Void wouldn’t be happy if she was late.

  “Emily,” Void greeted her. He was kneeling on the ground, drawing out a runic pattern around the warding circle. “I trust you slept well?”

  “Well enough,” Emily said. She looked around the room in surprise. Spellchambers were usually bare, save for the wards, but this one looked as if it had been crammed with everything from barrels to empty bookshelves. It was a large chamber and yet it felt cramped. “What are we doing today?”

  Void smiled at her. “You tell me.”

  Emily looked down at herself. “Going back to bed?”

  “I’m afraid not,” Void said. He finished drawing out the pattern and stood. “Do you have any serious suggestions?”

  “No,” Emily said. “I don’t...”

  “We’re going to be practicing advanced dueling,” Void said. “I was watching your contest with Jan. You were clever, but you held back. You could have ended the duel much sooner if you’d wished.”

  “I didn’t want to actually hurt him,” Emily said. “I...”

  Void met her eyes. “Do you think the next necromancer you encounter will hold back?”

  “No,” Emily said. “And when I meet him, I won’t hold anything back either.”

  “Necromancers are powerful, but they often lack skill,” Void said. “You know that as well as I do, by now. A magician, on the other hand, may be weak in raw power yet skilled enough to give you a very hard time. Or simply kill you. Jan lacks your power, Emily. He may have enough skill to beat you. And he would have gained one hell of a reputation if he had beaten you.”

  “He didn’t,” Emily said.

  “Your next opponent will not be so considerate,” Void said. “You know the basic tagging spell, don’t you?”

  “Yes, sir,” Emily said. “Sergeant Miles taught me.”

  “Good.” Void walked around the circle. “Normally, you’d be expected to stay inside the circle. Depending on what set of rules you’re using, you’d either be penned inside by the wards or automatically considered the loser if you cross the circle. We are going to turn the entire room into our battlefield. You can go anywhere, as long as you stay in the room itself; you can make use of anything surrounding you... or not, as you wish.”

  He turned to face her. “A necromancer will not try to hit you with an elaborate spell,” he said. “It doesn’t matter. A major hit from a necromancer will, at least, seriously dent your wards. I’m going to pretend to be a necromancer, a generous necromancer. If I hit you twice, game over. You lose.”

  Emily swallowed. “And what am I supposed to pretend to be?”

  “Your job is to stay alive for ten minutes,” Void said. “You can do anything you like to stop me from hitting you. Ten minutes... are you ready?”

  “Yes, sir,” Emily said. She shifted, readying herself. “I’m ready.”

  Void jabbed a finger at her. A flash of light blasted through the air. She threw herself aside, dodging as another flash of light darted towards her. Void didn’t seem to be trying to close the range, she thought, as she ducked behind a bookcase. That was odd, if he was playing at being a necromancer. A smart necromancer would try to get close to his target. But then, few necromancers were particularly smart. They were so powerful, so wrapped in magic, that they could shrug off spells that would seriously injure or kill a more conventional magician.

  The bookcase shuddered, then ripped itself from the wall. Emily pushed on it with her magic, shattering the wood and throwing the debris towards Void. Void snorted, aiming another tagging spell at her as his wards deflected the wood. Emily darted to the side, muttering locomotive spells in hopes of keeping furniture between Void and herself. The tagging spell did nothing more dangerous than turn its target green. He’d have to use different spells to clear the way so he could tag her.

  She threw herself onward as the furniture was ripped out of her grasp. Void hadn’t moved from his place. She rolled over, realizing — too late — that she was exposed. A flash of green light flared around her. Emily cursed, grimly aware that she couldn’t take another hit. She forced herself to think, trying to decide what she could do. It would be easy to cancel the tagging spell before it hit her, but she couldn’t do that to a real necromancer. He’d smash her flat if she tried.

  Anything, he said, she thought.

  She reached out with her magic, throwing a hail of prank spells into his face. Void raised his hand to deflect them, giving her time to duck around the circle and find a brief moment of safety. Void launched another flash of green light at her, seemingly unbothered by her spells. She wasn’t surprised. The spells hadn’t had much hope of burning through his wards. She kept moving, picking up chunks of debris and hurling it at him, followed by a powerful haze spell. It might just keep him off balance... she created an illusion and sent it in one direction, then made herself invisible and crawled in the opposite direction. It wouldn’t fool Void for long, she was sure, but if he was pretending to be a necromancer... she braced herself, ready to jump, as the haze spell shattered. Void seemed to be tracking the illusion. He hit it, a second later, with a tagging spell. Nothing happened.

  I should have made it jump better, Emily thought. The more unrealistic the illusion, the more likely someone would see through it, but... she shrugged. Under normal circumstances, she would have had a clear shot at his back. He might not have seen through it long enough for me to take him down.

  Void whirled, filling the air with tagging spells. Emily cursed and jumped, too late. Her skin turned green, again. Her invisibility spell faded. She scowled as she stood, fingers brushing uselessly at her skin. Void nodded to her, then glanced at the clock. It didn’t look as if she’d lasted more than five minutes.

  “That was a neat trick,” Void said. “You should have configured the illusion to react to my spells.”

  “It wouldn’t have lasted,” Emily said. She wiped sweat from her brow. “You’d already hit me once.”

  “I still wouldn’t have known where you were,” Void said. “Why didn’t yo
u hit my back?”

  “It wouldn’t have worked on a necromancer,” Emily pointed out. “Would it?”

  “Perhaps. Perhaps not.” Void motioned for her to take his place. “Same rules, more or less. I want you to hit me twice.”

  “Yes, sir,” Emily said. “We should be doing this in the open air.”

  “We will,” Void said. He assumed a casual pose, arms crossed over his chest. “Are you ready?”

  “Yes, sir,” Emily said. She shaped a spell in her mind. “And go...”

  She threw the spell. Void moved so fast he was almost a blur, falling up to the ceiling, running over her head and dropping back down behind her. Emily spun around, but he was running around her, jumping up and down like a rubber ball. She couldn’t get a clear look at him, let alone hit him with a spell. He wasn’t even trying to use what remained of the furniture for cover. Instead, he was relying on speed and skill. Emily could think of a dozen ways to stop him, or at least to slow him down. But they’d be no use against a necromancer.

  Void hit the ground. Emily tried to hit him, but it was already too late. He turned a cartwheel, then launched himself up towards the ceiling again. Emily gritted her teeth, casting spells so rapidly they might as well have come out of a machine gun, but it was useless. He was moving too quickly, never staying still for more than a second or two. She found it hard to believe he was old enough to be her grandfather. Sergeant Miles or Lady Barb would have been hard-pressed to match him.

  “And... we’re done.” Void dropped down behind Emily and tapped her lightly on the shoulder. “Ten minutes are up.”

  Emily scowled as she turned. “I could have stopped you, if I hadn’t been limited to a single spell.”

  Void smiled. “Are you sure?”

  No, Emily admitted silently. I’d have found it hard to localize the spell around you.