The Black Mage: Apprentice (11 page)

"I guess it just felt like you were choosing
Darren over me… Which is silly because I always knew you liked him
best."

"I don't!"

Ian put a finger to my lips to quiet me. An
explosion of warmth ran down my spine, making me lighter than the
draught had ever made me feel. My sickness was instantly
forgotten.

"You do, though." Ian reached down to brush a
strand of hair that had fallen in front of my face. I held my
breath.

"Someday, Ry, you are going to realize who
Darren really is. He's a prince, and he's only going to break your
heart."

"But I don't want a prince!" I protested,
suddenly panicked.

"You say that but I see how you look at
him."

"Well then you are a fool for not seeing how
I look at
you
!"

Ian was silent. The third-year's eyes met
mine and I could see the small flecks of gold that dotted his
irises. He looked wistful.

"Alex,
Alex
, be quiet!" Ella's loud
giggling voice carried across the dark passage.

My head jerked in the direction of my friend,
and Ian abruptly stood. "Goodnight, Ryiah," he told me.

"Wait, Ian-"

He just shook his head sadly. Then the
third-year disappeared into the dark hall, intent on his room.

Moments later I saw my twin and friend
stumble into the light of a nearby flame, the two of them laughing
with their eyes aglow. Neither of them had seen or heard me. I
watched in silence as Ella attempted to pull away to enter her
chamber two doors away. Alex grabbed her, chuckling, and kissed her
like he had all the time in the world.

My jaw dropped and I let out an inadvertent
gasp.

****

"What
was
that?"

"A mistake."

"No." I eyed her skeptically. "That did not
look like a 'mistake.' That kiss lasted
at least
ten
minutes."

Ella blushed. "Ryiah, I really wish you
hadn't been there."

"It wasn't my intention." I yawned loudly. My
head pounded awfully: the draught had been a terrible idea. I would
be feeling sick the entire ride out and this time we would be in
snow for
at least
three days before we passed into warmer
climate.

Looking out at the freezing landscape I
shivered and wrapped myself tighter in my furs. At least in our
morning practice we'd been able to stay warm by activity; now there
was nothing to keep my blood flowing as I sat astride my mare for
ten hours at a time.

I
hated
being cold. I considered
casting a small fire in my hand to keep warm, but I knew if Byron
caught me he'd be livid. I needed to learn to deal with the
elements the same as everyone else. When I was serving in a
regiment someday I'd be asked to conserve my powers for battle.
"Wasting magic on mundane comforts" could be the difference between
victory and defeat.

The irony was that Ella hated the cold even
more than me – yet she seemed blissfully ignorant, undoubtedly
brought on by her happy daydreams regarding my twin.

"Why were you in that corridor anyway?"

Ella's question brought me back to focus, but
I blanched at responding so close to the others. We were riding out
in a two-columned formation and the icy winds made it easier for
people to listen than talk. I didn't want the whole faction hearing
about my strange run-in with Ian, or how I had come so close to
begging him to leave Lynn… Or how he had insinuated I still had
feelings for Darren.
That
would be the worst humiliation of
all.

"I cast a sound barrier," Ella told me
quickly, "why else do you think I would have been willing to
discuss Alex?"

I glanced around our surroundings. I couldn't
see anything. "Where?
How
?"

"It's something I taught myself years ago,"
she explained, "you can't see it because it's intended to deflect
noise, not sight." She grinned. "Watch this!" The girl leaned back
in her saddle and clapped loudly behind her.

Nothing
. There wasn't a sound. But
there should have been – especially when Priscilla turned around
from her saddle and opened her mouth to make a crude remark to Ella
for interrupting her quiet.

I made a mental note to ask Ella how to cast
that barrier in the future. That skill would be very valuable –
especially if it meant that private conversations would actually
stay private, and that I'd be able to block out Byron and
Priscilla's insult.

I took a deep breath, and then proceeded to
detail the rest of the previous night – not sparing myself as I
described what had been said between Ian and I. When I was finished
she didn't look surprised.

"You can't blame him. He's afraid of getting
hurt."

"I would never hurt him!"

Ella shook her head smiling sadly. "Ryiah,
you can lie to him but not to me. You still like Darren."

I swallowed, a lump stuck to the bottom of my
throat. "But I don't want to," I finally said. "And I do care for
Ian. I don't fancy myself naïve, it's Ian that I want."

"But that's not enough. You need to show
him." Her eyes were somber. "He might be weak enough to listen to
your words, but he won't believe them until you put his fear to
rest."

"But he is avoiding me!"

"Find a way, Ryiah. If you really want Ian,
you will find a way."

"Is that what you told Alex?" I stared at her
wonderingly.

"Yes. But like you, I'm not sure your brother
will know how. It's an easy thing to want someone, it's another to
love them."

"When we reach the barracks I expect each one
of you to brush down your steed and put your tacks away prior to
settling into your meal." Master Byron's voice rang out clearly in
the frigid desert air.

I rubbed my numb hands, teeth chattering. So
much for a warm desert – the plains we had passed through had been
better. Who would expect the hot sands of Ishir to be so cold in
January? Glancing around I saw the rest of the factions giving out
small puffs of warm breath: the only source of heat for miles.

We had just passed through the Red Desert
Gate and we had ten more miles before we would reach the city's
outpost. The giant gate was the only manmade barrier in the entire
bluff wall separating Red Desert from the rest of Jerar.

The sudden thundering of hooves drew me from
my thoughts. I stared out into the darkness – searching for the
source of the noise, half-wondering if we were being attacked -
when I spotted one of the Ishir Regiment riders galloping toward
us.

"Master Byron, Master Joan, Master Perry!"
the man practically fell out of his saddle as he pulled to a sudden
halt in front of us.

"What is it, soldier?" The Master of Alchemy
nudged her horse forward to peer down at the breathless young man.
"Is something wrong?"

"Ma'am, we've just received new orders.
Commander Ama asked me to come find you right away. The Red Dune
bandits have taken over the Mahj salt mines again. The local
infantry couldn't hold them off – we suspect they're using magic -
and our whole regiment has been ordered to help!"

Perry sighed loudly. "Well there's goes any
semblance of sleep."

Master Byron informed the soldier that we
would join the commander and her men at once – just as soon as we
exchanged our mounts for fresh ones at the nearest village. When
the soldier departed the Master of Combat turned to all three
factions to remind us that we were now serving as an extension of
the local regiment.

"I had hoped we would have a couple of days
to rest up before your first patrol – but it appears you will be
starting right away."

It was a two-day journey, Byron added, but it
wouldn't be too hard as we had enough supplies to last us the rest
of the way there. Once we reached Mahj we would be housed with the
rest of the regiment in makeshift tents since the town was already
inhabited by local miners and a small handful of desert farmers. We
would need to treat our orders with extreme prudence. Salt was a
vital trade between Jerar and its easterly neighbors, the Borea
Isles and Pythus. We could not afford to lose such a valuable
resource.

"The bandits will be less skilled than an
enemy knight," he concluded, "but it worries me that the locals
suspect magic at play. Exercise extreme caution and make sure to
obey
all
of Commander Ama's orders. This is not a mock
battle. The masters and I don't want to lose any apprentices in
this deployment."

****

I dug my shovel into the dusty earth,
scattering sand and rocks as I tossed its contents behind me. I
wiped my brow, shivering and hot at the same time as I continued
digging the women's trenches for the Ishir and Mahj regiment. It
was hard, dirty work.

It didn't surprise me that while everyone
else was setting up camp
I
was the one servicing the tasks
no one wanted. Master Byron's dislike had no end to its unpleasant
consequences. I longed to be with the other Combat apprentices
taking care of the horses, cleaning the weapons, counting the
inventory, prepping the cots… but instead I was stuck here. Digging
trenches.

Alex had been put to work with the rest of
Restoration – there were already casualties to the battle of the
Mahj salt flats – and he was busy learning and using his magic to
make a difference. Alchemy was busy prepping various restorative
and fighting drafts to help with the efforts as well. Both factions
were behind the scenes, so to speak, so their masters had let them
actively participate in the local efforts.

Master Byron, on the other hand, was keeping
Combat as far from battle as possible. "They have enough warriors,"
he'd chastised our group for complaining, "what the regiment needs
is swift hands to help with their camp's upkeep since their Combat
mages will be too busy to do it themselves. I am not going to lose
my
apprentices because they are too big for their britches."
The locals, of course, couldn't help us because half of them had
been barricaded in the mines, and the few farmers that the Mahj
oasis held were busy preparing meals for the whole camp.

I groaned. The regiment mages were getting
all
of the glory while the Combat apprentices were stuck
playing house. This was not the life of a warrior I had imagined. I
knew it was wrong to be jealous –
especially
when I had seen
the injuries of Mahj's local command - but it was impossible not to
resent the others after months of preparing for battle.

"You would get a lot further if you stomped
your shovel blade along the surface before digging."

I paused to look up from my labor and see
Darren, holding a water skin in one hand as he leaned against a
nearby palm. The non-heir had been one of the lucky ones to guard
the oasis instead of performing menial tasks.

I swallowed, remembering the way our last
conversation had transpired. I had managed to put it out of my mind
until now, but I couldn't help remembering how Ian had said I'd
been right to do what I did in that canyon. I had yelled at the
prince for helping me win, and I thought I had been justified. But
the only reason Ian had been upset with me was because he thought
it meant I liked the prince better, not because I had been a bad
friend.

Which meant Darren had been right all along.
And I had been a bad friend – only not to the person I'd
thought.

Following the non-heir's advice I loosened
the topsoil first and was surprised how much easier it was to dig.
Right again
. Sighing, I set down the shovel and approached
the fig tree Darren was residing under.

I opened my mouth to speak but Darren spoke
first. "I'm sorry."

I shook my head. "No, it's me who should be
apologizing."

"Ryiah." Darren's garnet eyes met mine and he
smiled. It was the first time I had seen him smile without the
trace of sarcasm I was so accustomed. I lost my breath. "Just let
me apologize."

I started to say he didn't need to, but the
way he was looking at me made the words get lost in my throat.

"I was right to tell you to trick Ian. Any
Combat mage would have pressed the same advantage-"

I should have known he wasn't going to
apologize.
The tightening in my chest deflated, just a
little.

"-And while I
know
I was right, I
still find myself thinking I was wrong. Because of you, Ryiah." His
gaze fell away and he was staring at the back of his hands. "I hurt
you by hurting him, and for that I'm sorry."

My jaw dropped.

"You want to know something ironic?" Darren's
lips were twisted in a grimace. "Until you, I'd never really had a
friend. Not really."

"But Priscilla and the others-"

"Priscilla? Our lives are forever bound
because of her parent's wealth and the fact that my father covets
it. I understand her, but I don't respect her. Most of the
highborns are like that." He laughed, but it was bitter. "Eve is
different. Her father is the commander of the Crown's Army and we
grew up to similar expectations. We aren't close, but…" Darren
exhaled slowly. "But I'm close to you. Or I want to be, but I keep
making a mess of things every time I'm around you. I respect
you
, Ryiah. I told you last year you were the one good thing
about the Academy and I meant it. You aren't like anyone else here,
or any person I've ever met. You've overcome so much and yet at the
end of it you are still kind. You still
care
." He ran a fist
up his jaw and through his hair. "I'm not like you. I've never
cared about keeping relationships or sparing people's feelings. All
I've ever cared about is power: how to get it, and how to keep it.
I told you as much when we met."

"Darren," I said softly, "you don't have to
explain yourself."