The Young Magician (The Legacy Trilogy) (29 page)

‘I told you,’ Samuel stated plainly. ‘I haven’t said a thing and I can’t help what other people say.’

‘We know it’s your damned friend Pot! Well, we’re going to teach you both a lesson,’ Artam hissed. ‘It’s bad enough we have to put up with you Outlanders in the first place. You’re lucky to even have a place in the Order. You’re lucky the Emperor didn’t put you lot in chains. This is the last warning you’ll get.’

They turned and stormed away and Samuel shook his head before continuing on his way, himself.

‘What news of the boy?’ asked the thin voice of his dreams.

‘Stronger each day,’ replied the gruff. ‘He learns at a frightening rate. Some of his spells may now even eclipse mine. He only lacks confidence and experience.’

Silence.

And a moment later, ‘Can you control him?’

‘I believe so, but he grows ever sure of himself. He is not a child any more.’

The thin voice sounded full of thought. ‘He shows great hidden potential as we expected, but still keeps much to himself.’

‘Yes…and I feel that he has reached only a fraction of that potential.’

Still, Samuel was sure he knew who this gravelly-voiced speaker was, but the fog of his dreams kept him from putting the pieces together.

‘There are many mysteries around this boy.’ Again, long silence, then, ‘What about the ship?’

‘Nothing substantial, but I fear there was some interference from the Circle. Some of the sailors told of strange events in the few moments before it ran aground. Sailors are superstitious, but it could make sense.’

‘We should look into it. Seek Balten. The Archmage was not happy at all to lose his cargo and the loss of the books is a tragic blow. I cannot believe someone was not responsible for such misfortune.’

‘The Circle are never to be trusted,’ the gruff voice stated, ‘but we need them. Never forget that they may be playing us as much as we are playing them.’

‘We are all players and the played,’ the thin voice surmised. ‘All that matters is who finishes on top.’

‘And we play with dangerous company.’

‘Not for much longer.’ The thin voice carried no lack of satisfaction.

It was a few weeks later, in the Great Library—Samuel was beginning to think that Robert and Artam had lost their venom—when their promised moment of comeuppance finally arrived. He was browsing through the library gallery when a dozen or so Adept came stomping in through the doors. Looking around, Samuel found that he was the only other soul there at such an hour, a situation that the grinning Adept had no doubt been awaiting. They had managed to raise a small group of followers, all Imperials by the look of them and all smirking and intent on misbehaviour.

Samuel stepped away from the shelves as they gathered before him. They were all taller than him, and Samuel had little chance if it came to blows. He decided magic was best to decide this encounter and he began summoning his power. The magic felt thrilling as it filled him. He knew he should probably be nervous, but for some reason he did not feel the slightest bit threatened by these older boys once his magic had begun to come.

‘Have you heard of wet-beatings, Samuel?’ Robert asked, arms folded and standing tall before him.

Samuel shook his head.

‘It’s when smart apprentices like you are put in their place. We hold you down and whip you with wet towels until you beg us to stop.’

Samuel waved one hand, dismissively. ‘I don’t feel like it just now,’ he said. He was tired of their strutting and posing and wanted to teach them a lesson. Despite their numbers, he was sure his magic could handle them all.

Robert signalled and a number of Adept stepped forward and took Samuel by the arms. He did not even attempt to resist.

‘You don’t seem to appreciate how much this is going to hurt, but you need to be put back in your place. And we’ll take care of Pot next. Take him outside,’ Robert ordered.

With a grin, Samuel began to spell and, just then, Grand Master Anthem appeared behind them by the doorway.

‘What’s going on here!’ he bellowed and the Adept spun around to face him, releasing Samuel at once.

Robert began to stammer a response while the Grand Master strode closer.

‘You will all be expelled for this!’ he bellowed.

Samuel almost burst out laughing as the Adept shook with fear.

‘In fact,’ Anthem roared, his eyes wide and wild with anger, ‘I believe this calls for the harshest of penalties…
death!
’

The Adept looked to each other with hideous disbelief. Struggling to withhold his laughter, Samuel made his illusion grow up to the roof, transforming the raging Grand Master into a horrid, red-faced creature that began spewing fire from its mouth. The Adept screamed and ran in all directions. One even passed straight through the illusion as it roared and clutched its claws out towards them. Samuel laughed wildly, finding it hard to keep his spell intact though his spasms of mirth.

‘Grand Master!’ Robert stammered, backing away from the great creature. ‘Please don’t kill us! Please!’

Samuel could hold his spell no more and the demon vanished as he bent over laughing, slapping his thigh again and again. Artam and the others were still scattering out the door as Robert’s face went red with anger.

‘You!’ he declared, turning to Samuel.

‘Oh, Robert!’ Samuel said, still cackling. ‘You should have seen yourself!’

‘Why you—!’ Robert began, but he was still too terrified and angry to finish his words.

Samuel regained his composure and decided it was time to teach this arrogant Adept a good lesson. He was sick of them harassing him and treating everyone from the territories as inferior. ‘That’s right, Robert. It
was
an illusion, but I could quite as easily have summoned the real thing, but I couldn’t have guaranteed who it would eat or not. You had better...’

Robert’s fist flew up and punched Samuel squarely on the nose and Samuel staggered back, clutching his face in agony and complete surprise. His eyes filled with tears as Robert raised another fist before him.

Samuel raised a hand himself, but instead of fighting, he cast a spell. A heavy book flew up from the table and crashed into the side of Robert’s head, knocking him to the floor. Samuel’s vision cleared as Robert crawled up from the floor. He was even more red-faced with fury.

‘You!
’ was all he said, shaking with rage.

A sudden spell came from him and the same book sprang from the floor back towards Samuel. Samuel stepped aside and the book flew far behind and bounced off distant shelving, leaving some of its pages fluttering loose to the floor. Samuel adjusted his shirt calmly as Robert spelled again and another volume came flying towards him. Samuel stopped the book with his fingertips just before his face and then waved it aside, where it waited, floating patiently. His head was swimming now with magic, for he was drawing as much power as he could. He wanted to show the arrogant Adept, once and for all, who was the more powerful.

‘Now, Robert,’ Samuel began to explain. He cast his spells out all over the room and Robert’s face filled with horror as hundreds of books and manuscripts began sliding out from the shelves and started floating slowly around below the library chamber ceiling. ‘I thought I would have a little fun, at first, but now it’s time to teach
you
a lesson. You seem to have some talent with Lifting spells, but you don’t realise how pathetic your powers really are compared to mine. You tried to lift the
Merry Widow
and you failed dismally and it nearly cost all our lives. Then you have the gall to blame me for your troubles, without any hint of an apology or thanks. You have no idea how powerful I really am. I have the power to crush you like an insignificant insect and I will not hesitate, should I choose to. This is no illusion, so I hope you are prepared.’

More and more books flew from their shelves and joined the pageant of parading pieces in the air and Robert watched them, frozen in sheer disbelief, as they swam around the ceiling beams in magnificent procession.

‘If you speak to me ever again without just reason, or if I hear of you harassing anyone else for any reason at all, I will be forced to do something we both may regret. I will not warn you or threaten you; I will merely put you in your place without hesitation. Keep your mouth shut and keep out of my way! The next time, I will not be held responsible for what happens to you.’

Robert turned and nearly tripped over himself getting out of the library. He ran to the great doors and darted out between them as quickly as he could. As the doors slowly creaked shut once more, Samuel could hold his spells no longer and the books all dropped from the air as one, spilling down onto the Great Library floor like a rain of paper. He had to cover his head with both arms to avoid receiving a concussion from some of the larger, leather-bound volumes.

Samuel suspected he would not have any more trouble from any of the Adept, but now he had another problem. It would take him hours to put the piles of books that littered the floor back into their places. Some of them looked broken and loose pages lay all about. He only hoped no one else would come into the library before he was done cleaning up, or he would surely have more trouble than his little stunt was worth.

Samuel was summoned to Grand Master Anthem’s chamber soon after. The old man had heard word of his exploits and did not seem the least bit impressed.

‘I understand you are quite a talented young man,’ the Grand Master was saying, ‘but you know it is absolutely forbidden to use magic for such purposes—
especially
against other members of the Order.’

‘It was only an illusion, Grand Master,’ Samuel defended. ‘Otherwise they were going to beat me!’

‘Wet-beatings are forbidden here,’ the old man said, ‘and the boys would have been punished, but you have only escalated the problem. The School of Magic is an ancient and revered institution. Imagine what would happen if every time someone upset me I decided to punish them with some spell. It would be terrible! Wars would begin in moments if everyone acted like that. I know some of the Adept are pretentious upstarts, but you must learn to deal with your daily problems without resorting to magic. Use reason, deliberation. As an Outlander, you must learn to understand Turians. What you think of as arrogance is pride in the Emperor and Empire.’

‘They…’ interjected Samuel, but Anthem kept talking.

‘You are a mere apprentice, Samuel. Imagine how upset I would be if you started talking back or assaulting
me
with magic. The Adept must be respected and shown due manners, even if it means being subservient on the odd occasion. You have a place here, Samuel. Remember it and you may keep it. Magic is not all you must learn here; also obedience and discipline. You are a promising student. Your spells may find a worthy niche in our society, but not if you have made an enemy of every other magician in the Empire. What those two young men did the other night was, indeed, foolhardy and they risked their own lives and also their teacher’s. Luckily, Master Glim was there to help them. You only complicated matters by foolishly tearing out after them and then you and your friend, Mr Pot, have the nerve to make matters worse by spreading the tale. You should think yourself very lucky you have not found yourself before the Council already. I am much more forgiving than they are. Such actions could easily result in expulsion, but I would hate to see your potential go to waste. Do not disappoint me like this any more, Samuel.’

Samuel nodded solemnly. ‘Thank you, Grand Master.’

‘You may go.’

Samuel pushed back his chair and stood. He closed the door as gently as he could but, as he strode away from the Grand Master’s chambers, he gritted his teeth and his fists were clenched tight at his sides. He had saved them all that night, but all he had received in return was chastisement for his efforts and not one word of thanks. If this was the reward for his humility, perhaps it was better for him to start showing them exactly how powerful he really was.

That night, Samuel’s dreams were nightmarish, filled with visions he had not experienced for a long time: beasts howling in the wilds; figures charging in with raised fists, and a tall, pale-faced man, always waiting and watching from the doorway. That face filled him with the most terror, as the man in the doorway—evil and monstrous; rejoicing in Samuel’s terror—was controlling the others. All the while, Samuel could hear a sorrowful voice of some boy calling over and over again, calling aloud for someone to find him. The sound was faint, as if the boy had almost faded away completely, drowned by all his sadness.

A familiar-looking magician, lean and tall, with skin of brown came striding over as Samuel was raking half-heartedly at some leaves by the smooth school walls.

‘Lomar!’ Samuel called, carrying his rake over to meet the man.

‘Hello, Samuel,’ Lomar said, granting a warm smile. ‘How you have grown since I saw you last! You’ll be towering over me soon—and going well in your studies, too, I hear.’

‘Yes,’ Samuel agreed. ‘Only a little trouble with some of the Adept, but nothing I cannot deal with.’