The Black Mage: Apprentice (14 page)

He chuckled and dipped me, spinning me around
once more. And again. And again until I was a twirling mess of
color and gleam.

Then he caught me.

Two green eyes locked on my own and I was
unable to breath.

My heart caught in my ribs, a frantic beating
in my chest. I was falling, flying, safe.

It was the best night of my life.

****

The next couple of months passed in the blink
of an eye. No sooner had we arrived in Ishir we were called back
into the desert. Each time we returned to the outpost we were
summoned for another patrol. Thankfully, these ones were a lot less
difficult than the first.

Eventually we reached the end of our term and
headed out to Devon for the yearly ascension ceremony. It was time
for the fifth-year apprentices to become mages.

For Alex and I, this was the first time we
would see the capitol and its infamous palace. Everyone always said
it was more stunning than the Academy, but I had always found that
hard to imagine. Especially after spending two months in its grand
chambers as an apprentice.

But the others weren't lying.

"No. There is no way
that
can be the
palace." My jaw dropped as I stared out into the distance.

"Really, Ry, you act like you've never heard
anything about it."

"But it's just so
huge-
"

"I told you that.

"And
high-
"

"Again, I-"

"And
high
!"

Ella snickered. "Well now you are just
repeating yourself."

Far past the rolling hills and rocky crags
below was a towering structure that seemed as tall as the clouds
above. The King's Road snaked across the clustered landscape, a
large paved path that wove around thatched huts, tiny shops, and
lumbering temples. Large hanging jacaranda dotted the landscape,
beautiful blue and lilac blossoms sprouting from their branches as
lush grass covered the grounds in every which direction.

As the road approached the towering palace
the landscape shifted, flowering trees were quickly replaced with
majestic mountain foliage and a rugged mountain backdrop. At the
base of the palace walls was the town square: cobble streets and
the wealthy merchant stalls sporting luxury goods and services.

The palace was enclosed by walls that were as
tall as the Academy had been. They spanned thirty feet high and
were made of the same dark brick material. Every so often an even
taller pillar protruded from its length housing the palace sentries
with unlit torches and narrow openings lined strategically
across.

I couldn't see much of the palace from the
road – the walls were too high to see its base - but the structure
still doubled the wall's height, and some of its towers even more
so. The palace was made up of gray stone and mortar, a lighter
shade than its fortification, but it also housed large, stained
glass windows at staggering heights that shimmered under the direct
light of the sun.

The roofs were darker than the rest of the
palace. They cut rounding peaks into the sky. It was so beautiful I
forgot to breathe.
This
was where Darren lived? Why had he
ever bothered to become a mage? I would have never left home.

"This is what all of us lowborn folk missed
out on." Ian had nudged his mare closer to ride next to me. Then he
reached out to take my hand in his, sending a warm tingle down my
spine as he squeezed. This year was the second time he was seeing
the king's palace.

The three of us followed the trailing parade
of apprentices down the cobbled road, finally halting at the palace
gates. The masters came forward to give our introduction to the
local guard, and the soldiers opened the groaning doors to what lay
just beyond.

My jaw dropped – again. Beyond the towering
gate's walls was a lush garden filled with thriving flowers of
every shade, well-manicured brush, cherry blossoms, and a giant,
sprawling fountain that hosted a rippling tide of clear, sparkling
waters.

To my right lay a long trailing path to the
stables, armory, and the massive training grounds. Each structure
was in meticulous condition. The guard's bright red livery stood
out amongst the large stone buildings. The compound was huge. It
housed the King's Regiment and all of the local guard. The Crown's
Army, I knew from our lessons, was stationed just outside the city
limits. Ten thousand men was much too big a number to fit within
the palace walls.

I also knew from our studies that the King's
Regiment's housing was in the actual palace itself. As the elite
guard to the royal family, the regiment had specific chambers
closest to the king and his heirs. There were only thirty knights
and mages in its division, but they were usually the most powerful
in the land and recruited directly from promotions in the Crown's
Army and the Candidacy itself. While the Crown's Army was deployed
from time to time to assist with various efforts, the King's
Regiment only ever left the palace to accompany the king – or one
of his sons like the band I had seen Darren passing with on my way
to Sjeka almost two years ago.

To the west lay a continuation of the palace
gardens – a place for the courtiers to wander during their
residency. I could see highborn ladies-in-waiting strolling the
grounds in extravagant dress, with hair perfectly coiffed and
powders perfectly pressed and red, red lips. Young highborn men,
off-duty knights, and the sons of high-ranking nobility were seen
walking the grounds, placing bets and discussing mundane subjects
with a practiced flourish that could only come from a lifetime of
court.

"Toss me off one of the balconies if I ever
talk like that," Alex muttered. We had just given our horses over
to the hostler and were walking the remaining steps to the
palace.

Ella gave my brother a long look. "You know I
grew up here, right?"

His face burned and she laughed. "It's fine,
I was never a fan of their habits either."

The four of us followed the rest of our
factions in through the palace doors.

By this time I had given up expectation. The
second I entered the enormous castle I was ready, and I was not
disappointed. Marbled tile covered the floors in elaborate design,
a mixture of red, gold, and purple swirl. The walls were dark
stone, covered in gold and purple tapestries that depicted various
battles and past monarchy in succession. Elaborate gold-plated
pillars highlighted the corners of each room as giant stained glass
windows let in a cascade of colorful lights…

Everywhere I looked corridors branched into
twisting passages, stairs, and chambers in a maze of direction.
There were so many twists and turns I didn't know how I would ever
find my way out.

"They've got three libraries, two ballrooms,
the throne room, a grand dining room for the king's family and
special guests, two large halls for the nobility to take their own
meals, two kitchens, four servants quarters, a privy at the end of
each floor and at least two hundred chambers besides the ones
reserved for royalty and the King's Regiment." Ella couldn't
contain the irony in her tone as she described the palace – down to
the exact count of jewels encrusted in its ceilings.

"Well they say Jerar
is
the wealthiest
nation," Ian remarked casually.

"It's second." All of us jumped as Darren
appeared behind us. I hadn't even realized he'd been listening. I
had thought he was in the front of the group with Priscilla, Eve,
and the rest of the highborns reminiscing on their shared
childhood.

"Caltoth is the wealthiest," Darren expanded.
"We have more land, citizens, power… but they have the ruby and
emerald mines in the North."

"That many rubies, huh?" Ian grinned. "Their
streets must be paved with them."

Darren's jaw clenched but he said nothing.
When he finally spoke there was a stiffness to his words. "The
Caltothians are actually very frugal. My father suspects that is
because they are using their wealth to build a secret army." He
raised a brow. "Though their ambassadors have denied this whenever
they visit."

I stared at the prince. "Do you think Caltoth
is using their wealth to buy off our mages as well?" I hadn't
forgotten the rebel attacks in Mahj.

"I wouldn't be surprised." The prince gave a
curt nod to the rest of my group, letting his eyes fall on me last.
"If you'll excuse me, I have some affairs to attend to now that I
am home."

Darren retreated with a quick explanation to
the masters. The rest of us followed the palace servants to the
chambers we would be residing in for the next week before the
ascension. While the fifth-years' affair would only last one day,
we had the six days prior to enjoy ourselves. It was the only
respite we would receive each year until our own ascension. As soon
as the ceremony was over we would be returning to the Academy with
most of the king's court to watch the first-year trials and pick up
our newest batch of apprentices.

"Do you want to take a tour of the city after
you've unpacked?"

I smiled up at Ian – he had walked me to my
new chambers instead of following the rest of the young men to the
men's one hallway over.

"I would love to."

"Then I would love to take you." He started
to pull me close, but the two of us broke apart when the sound of
angry footsteps sounded behind us.

"Apprentice Ian," the Master of Restoration
snapped, "you know the Code of Conduct! Do
not
make me
report the two of you to Master Byron."

"I'm sorry, Master Joan." Ian gave her his
most disarming smile. "I was only assuring Apprentice Ryiah safe
passage."

She narrowed her eyes. "You are lucky I
detest your master as much as I do – if I didn't you would already
be reported for your flagrant sass."

"Yes, ma'am." Ian was grinning. It was no
secret Master Joan hated Master Byron for his sexist ways. She
would sooner swallow poison us than report us. The man complained
loudly to anyone who would listen that she and Perry were an
"abomination" as female mages.

"See to it that we don't have this
conversation again."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Apprentice Ryiah." The woman turned her
focus to me. "Since you and that boy are in no apparent hurry, I
will need your assistance returning those books to the palace
library." She pointed to a mountain of crates beside her door. "I'd
have the servants take them, but we wouldn't want you Combat
apprentices to lose that muscle you worked so hard building would
we?"

I nodded meekly.
So much for that tour of
the city.

****

Seven days came and went before I even knew
they had passed. In no time at all the robe ceremony for the
fifth-years ascensions had passed and I found myself in a crowded
ballroom filled with hundreds of simpering courtiers and regiment
mages who had come to celebrate the fourteen new apprentices to
join their ranks.

"I can't wait until it's us." Ella stood next
to me against the large tapestried wall, gazing in earnest at the
four new Combat mages wearing their black mage's robes proudly.
Their faces were flush with excitement and they were currently in
talks with the regiment commanders of some of Jerar's most
prominent townships. Whenever an apprentice became a mage they were
offered positions in accordance with their rank during the
ascension ceremonies.

Unfortunately that rank was decided by Master
Byron. Whose bias had led to fourteen straight years of women
apprentices ranking last.

But I was not going to think about that now.
I had three years to change his mind.

Taking a long swallow of a chilled juice that
one of the servants had offered me I focused on the rest of the
ballroom crowd. While most of the others were regulars at court
whose only interest lie in what their highborn friends were
wearing, there was still a large number of mages in attendance –
including the Colored Robes who had come to officiate the ascension
and offer congratulations to their faction's newest members.

The Black Mage was wearing his signature
robe. The silken black layers were etched in an intricate gold
design with small red and yellow gemstones dotting its fallen hood.
He looked uncomfortable in such lavish dress – probably because
mages only wore their robes during public occasions, choosing to
spend the rest of their time in more comfortable garb for battle. I
could see the two gold earrings in his left ear, dangling under the
bright lights of the hall.

I longed to approach him. The dark skinned
man with the piercing green eyes had gone against tradition and
vouched for me to become the sixth apprentice of my year. That
alone would have been enough to make me worship the man, but he was
also the best Combat mage in the realm. The man had won the
Candidacy fifteen years ago and before that he had served as one of
the leading mages in the Crown's Army.

"He won't bite, you know."

I blushed. "You caught me."

Ian grinned and grabbed my arm, dragging me
forward to the most important, most powerful mage of Jerar. "Hey,
Marius, I think you have an admirer."

I turned the shade of the tapestry behind me
as the Black Mage swung around, white teeth flashing. "Is that
Master Byron's least favorite apprentice I hear calling my name?"
The man's tone implied a longstanding joke.

"Not anymore." Ian nudged me forward,
chuckling. "Ryiah has taken over the job for me."

Recognition flashed across the Black Mage's
features and he smiled. "Ah, Ryiah, well it is only fitting. That
cranky old frog
would
hate the first-year I personally
nominated." He held out his hand and I shook it, palms sweaty and
unable to breathe.

After a couple minutes of listening to easy
banter between the curly-haired third-year and Marius, I finally
found the courage to speak. "I am so grateful you vouched for my
apprenticeship." I took a deep breath and continued quickly before
I lost my nerve. "And I hope I do not disappoint you."