Nature Mage (33 page)

“Now stay calm, young Mage,” the Chancellor said calmly, but without giving any obvious reassurance. “We will talk about your performance after the Test is complete.” Gaspi opened his mouth to ask a question.

“Now, Gaspi, you need to keep your focus; so take a breath and relax, and I’ll tell you what is expected of you in this third and final part of the Test.” Gaspi wilfully took a deep breath, and tried to let go of his worry about what had passed. It wouldn’t do him much good to get so wound up about the second Test that he failed the third.

“Much better,” Hephistole said. “Now you’ve already been through the Test of Power and the Test of Control and this,” he said, gesturing expansively around the room, “is the Test of Precision. Are you paying attention?” Gaspi said he was.

“Well, it’s simple enough,” Hephistole continued. “On the first table is a magical tool - a device used to draw and collect energy from deep in the ground. The tool is broken, and has been separated into three parts. Only one of those three parts is non-functional, and it is your first task to identify which piece that is. You are not to touch it, and have to use your magical senses alone. When you think you know which part is broken, just say your answer out loud, and move on to the second table. Is that clear?” Gaspi indicated that it was.

“The second table is perforated with hundreds of holes, each of which emits a tiny flame,” the Chancellor continued. Pausing for a moment, he gesticulated towards the second table and neat rows of miniscule flames rippled into being, standing to attention like tiny soldiers. “Of all the hundreds of flames, a single one will not be orange, but will in fact burn green,” Hephistole said, carrying on with his explanation. “Your task is to use your power to snuff out that single flame without extinguishing any of the others. You can keep trying this until you feel you’ve done as well as you can, and then simply say out loud that you wish to move on to the third. Do you understand?”

“I think so,” Gaspi answered, “but how do I use my magic to put out the flame?”

“I’m sure you’ll think of something,” Hephistole said, expressionlessly. He obviously wasn’t going to give anything away. He closed his hand with a flourish, and the flames went out.

“Now, on to the third table,” he continued prescriptively. “You’ll find an injured bird lying on its surface, currently held in magical sleep. Your task is similar to that of the first table. Simply use your power to identify the injury, announce it out loud; and when you are done, step on the transporter, and you will be automatically taken away. Is everything clear?”

Gaspi looked back at the transporter. “Yes, but where does it…” Gaspi trailed off. The Chancellor and his armchair had disappeared in the few heartbeats it had taken to look at the plinth.

“Blooming heck,” Gaspi muttered under his breath. All the mystique was just making him more nervous. He took a deep breath and tried to push all thought from his mind. The first and the second parts of the Test were gone now, beyond his reach. He knew what he had to do, and all that mattered was what was happening right now, here in this room.

Managing to re-establish a semblance of genuine calm, Gaspi moved to the first table. He didn’t recognise the device lying on it. It was inelegant and clunky, made of some kind of dark metal, and - as Hephistole had said - it was currently split into three pieces, though Gaspi could see how the pieces all fitted into each other. Gaspi didn’t delay, but summoned his power, delicately forming it into a kind of probe, running it through and over each part of the broken device. After the first pass, Gaspi was already sure he had the answer. Both the first and second parts of the tool gave off what he could only think of as a magical hum. There was something alive about them, but the third piece didn’t have that kind of feeling at all. It just felt…dead. He checked a couple more times in case he was making a stupid error, but quickly confirmed that he’d been right the first time.

“The third part of the tool is broken,” Gaspi announced clearly. When he received no response, he figured he’d done what Hephistole had asked, and moved on. Gaspi stood looking down at the second table, eyeing the hundreds of evenly spaced holes spread across its smooth surface. Gaspi was unsure if he needed to do something to activate the device, and nearly jumped in the air when hundreds of flames all burst into being under his nose. So much for staying calm! The rows of flame burned uniformly orange, but then with a strange sputtering noise one tiny flame towards the back of the board flickered and turned a wicked green colour. Gaspi wondered how he was going to snuff it out. If it was a normal flame he’d pinch it between his thumb and forefinger. Unable to think of anything more precise, Gaspi summoned a small amount of power, forcing it into a shape like a miniature thumb and finger. It hovered invisibly in front of him, more a focussing of power than an actual device.

Feeling nervous, Gaspi moved it carefully out over the board until it hovered over the single green flame. He lowered it over the flame and tried to quench it, but at the last minute he snatched at the flame, his carefully shaped magical pincher turning into more of a grasping fist. The flame went out, but so did about twenty of its orange neighbours. Wincing, Gaspi guessed this had not been a successful attempt. Kicking himself, he reformed his delicate magical tool, and waited for the flames to reset themselves.

Seconds later, the tiny flames had all re-emerged from their holes, and this time the green one appeared at the front of the board to his right. Taking a deliberate breath, he moved his pincher slowly over the flame and began to lower it. When his magical pincher was level with the board, he squeezed. The green flame went out again, and this time only took seven others with it.

“Better,” Gaspi murmured to himself, but he still felt that more precision would be needed to pass the test. He focussed on his tool, making it tinier, flaring the ends to make them just the right shape to cut off the flame at the base. The next green flame appeared right in front of him, and without pausing he guided his tool to the spot. Making it as small as he possibly could, he lowered it over the flame and carefully closed the magical finger and thumb over it. The flame went out, and to Gaspi’s pleasure only two other flames around it went out too. He tried it five more times, but he couldn’t improve on his third attempt. He wasn’t quite sure if it was enough, but it didn’t look like it was going to get any better. He decided enough was enough, and announced he was moving onto the third table.

As Hephistole had said, a small bird lay on the table. It lay unmoving, held in a magical sleep, and Gaspi couldn’t see any obvious clues about the kind of injury it had. Compared to most of the students, and especially Emea, Gaspi was practically inept at healing. He wasn’t even very good at probing wounds with his power, and so didn’t feel particularly confident when confronted with the injured bird. Nevertheless, he had to have a go.

He formed and sent out a probe, trying to treat the bird like the magical tool on the first table, looking for something that stood out. Gaspi searched through the bird’s small body, trying to sense any breaks in the bone structure. This proved difficult as he didn’t really know what it should look like, so he ended up just looking for something broken. He couldn’t see wounds from the inside like Emea did, so if it was an internal flesh wound he had no chance, and he just had to hope it was a broken bone. He was just starting to get desperate when he felt something half way along the right wing where the wing had a joint. He compared it against the other wing and could swear that the right wing joint was bigger than the left. It seemed like it was swollen, and given the length of time he’d already spent on this part of the task, Gaspi was pretty sure he wasn’t going to find anything else.

Hoping that he’d somehow managed to luck out and get the third table right, he announced his findings more confidently than he actually felt. “It’s the right wing, around the joint.”

When silence greeted his announcement, Gaspi walked over to the transporter. Before he stepped on, he ran his mind back through the Test. The Test of Power had been fine, but he’d fallen in the second test and had to re-summon his globe. In the third he hadn’t managed to single out the green flame, and who knows whether he’d got the injury right. He realised in that moment that he’d always had a kind of confidence - or maybe even arrogance - about the Test. He was a Nature Mage after all, and secretly he’d assumed he’d blast through it, but now he wasn’t sure he’d even passed two out of the three parts of it. He’d always thought it would be Emmy that would struggle. She might have a bit of trouble with the Test of Power, but there’s no reason she’d struggle with the Test of Control, and she’d probably be amazing at the Test of Precision. Maybe she would pass and he would fail! Well, there was no point putting it off any longer, Gaspi mused to himself. Stomach clenched with anxiety, he stepped forward onto the plinth. 

Chapter 24

When Gaspi’s senses returned to him, he found himself standing in Hephistole’s office. The Chancellor was already seated in one of two comfortable chairs, pouring out two cups of steaming tea. Seeing Gaspi, he placed the teapot down on a small, delicately carved side table.

“Gaspi, come on over,” he said in a neutral tone, beckoning the young Mage towards the other chair. Gaspi walked over obediently and took a seat, his heart thumping in his throat. He tried to read Hephistole’s expression, but the Chancellor was giving nothing away.

Hephistole pushed a cup and saucer across the table. “Have some tea,” he said, holding Gaspi’s gaze thoughtfully for a few seconds. Gaspi picked the cup up, but didn’t take a sip. “So...how do you think you did?” Hephistole asked seriously, peering at Gaspi intently as he waited for an answer.

“I’m not sure,” Gaspi answered honestly. “I think I did the Test of Power okay, but, like I said before, I fell down in the Test of Control and let my globe go out.” He looked at Hephistole for reassurance, but his expression was unreadable. “And then in the Test of Precision, I don’t have a clue how well I did.”

“Mmm,” Hephistole said, leaning back in his chair and stroking his chin. “Yes, the Test of Precision is hard to master,” he said, leaving another pause.

Gaspi was trying to be patient, but his need to know got the better of him. “Hephistole, please just tell me. Did I pass?” he blurted, flushing bright red in the face.

Hephistole leaned forward slightly, peering over his steepled hands. “Did you pass? Let me see…” His serious expression was suddenly transformed as a twinkle fired in his penetrating eyes. The corners of his mouth were pulled upwards in a broad grin. “Of course you passed!” he said, throwing his head back with a hearty laugh.

Gaspi sat back with a massive sigh of relief, all of the tension flooding from his body at once. “Why not just say?” he asked weakly, passing a hand over his forehead.

“Ah well, we mustn’t make things too easy for you, eh? And this way you’ll appreciate passing all the more, having spent several minutes fearing you wouldn’t!” Hephistole answered, still grinning almost maniacally. Gaspi wasn’t sure he agreed with the Chancellor, but decided it was best to hold his peace. Hephistole thrust out a long-fingered hand, and shook Gaspi’s hand vigorously. “Well done, young Mage! Well done!”

“Thanks,” Gaspi said, a smile creeping over his face as relief gave way to joy. “How did the others do?” he asked, his thoughts turning immediately to Emmy.

“They have also passed,” Hephistole said, still smiling. Gaspi experienced another surge of relief on hearing that Emmy was through as well. “But let’s talk about how you did,” Hephistole continued. “What do you think you did well?”

Gaspi thought for a second. “I think I did well at the Test of Power,” he said, remembering how the force shield had dissolved so easily.

“Yes, you did,” Hephistole agreed. “I’d say you blasted through it, wouldn’t you? Your block must be eroding nicely, or you couldn’t have summoned nearly so much power.” Gaspi was a little embarrassed by the praise but couldn’t help feeling elated at the effectiveness of his force strike. “I might have to go and check it’s still working properly!” Hephistole said conspiratorially to a grinning Gaspi. “So, how about the Test of Control?”

“It started well,” Gaspi answered. “I kept calm when it went dark, and thought of globe light pretty quickly, but I think I was a bit cocky after the force shield and tried to go too fast. And that’s when I lost control and fell down.”

“Yes, you did,” Hephistole said, the corners of his lips twitching before he brought them back under control. “And do you think that means you failed that part of the Test?”

“I really don’t know,” Gaspi answered. “I mean, I didn’t fall off the path did I? And I managed to summon another light and keep going. Actually, what
would
have happened if I’d fallen off the path?” he asked.

“Well asked,” Hephistole said enthusiastically. “Curiosity is always a good thing. If you’d fallen off the path you would simply have reappeared at the beginning of it. You don’t think we’d actually allow you to be in any danger during the Test, do you?”

Gaspi laughed out loud. “No, I suppose you wouldn’t,” he said. “I really should have figured that out, but for some reason I was desperate not to fall off.”

“Yes...we may have lent some apprehension about the depths surrounding the path to the fabric of the room,” Hephistole explained, “and the power of suggestion would make you want to stay on the path anyway - so you were only reacting naturally. As for passing that part of the Test, all you have to do is make it to the end, even if you fell in and had to start from the beginning. So yes, you passed that part too. And finally...the Test of Precision,” Hephistole said. “How do you rate your performance there?”

Gaspi sat quietly for a moment. “Not so good,” he answered. Hephistole waited for him to continue. “The first table was probably ok,” he said. “Did I get the right part of the tool?”

“Yes, you did,” Hephistole answered. “How did you work it out?”