The Last of the Firedrakes (23 page)

Vivienne just made a face, ignored Celia, and gathered her things.

I laughed and got up. “See you later, then,” I said to Celia. “I’ve got to go too. Don’t want to be late for my first warrior skills class.” I turned and hurried out of the outdoor cafeteria.

“Do you think Celia is telling the truth?” I asked Vivienne as we walked to class. “Maybe all these stories about the prince are rumors, did anyone ever think of that? I don’t think he could be all that bad.”

Vivienne shook her head. “Celia’s right, I have also heard my parents talking recently, and apparently the Eldorean nobles have already been moving their allegiance from the ruling Ravenswood dynasty to the Blackwaters. Father says King Petrocales has pinned all his family’s hopes on the Silverthornes. Your guardian is the most powerful lord on the royal council, and Father says that, without Silverthorne, the Ravenswood dynasty will come to an end. It is the Duke of Silverthorne who is the real power behind the throne. He is chief advisor to the king, and the Blackwater’s hate him. So be careful.”

“Why should I have to be careful?” I said. “I haven’t done anything.”

“It doesn’t matter to the Blackwaters,” said Vivienne. “You are a Silverthorne. If I were you, I would watch my back.”

We walked down open corridors, past gardens and fountains, to the eastern grounds of the academy. A large marquee was set up in an open field, overlooking the sea. This was to be an outdoor class, and it seemed like it would be fun. The cool sea breeze ran across my face. I could hear the waves lapping on the shores of the beach, below the steep white cliff. I was early, and only two other boys, whom I recognized from my healing class, were whispering to each other on one side of the marquee.

Soon the rest of the students came in twos and threes, and finally Damien Blackwater and a group of boys and girls I hadn’t met before walked in. He had such a smug look on his face that I felt like smacking him. I was not too happy to be sharing a class with Damien, and especially this one. Warrior skills would be the most important if I were going to learn to defend myself. I had only just learned to put up a shield and even then I couldn’t hold it for long.

“All right, everyone,” said a big, booming voice. “My name is Professor Tanko, and you may call me Baron or Sir. Is that clear?”

I looked up to see a massive man with plaited red hair, wearing a leather breastplate under the black robes that swirled about him as he strode into the center of the marquee. He carried a huge sword at his hip.

“Now, I understand that most of you have no training in warrior skills at all. But no matter; you are here to learn, and I will teach you what you need to know. The basic skills are easy to practice and should hopefully be enough to defend yourself should the need arise,” said Professor Tanko. “Advanced magical warrior training is quite another matter. I know that all of you have the potential, or you would not be in this school, and we shall find out soon enough. Now, I want all of you to pair up.”

Unfortunately we were not allowed to choose our own partners. Professor Tanko paired everyone up, and much to my disdain I was partnered with Damien.

“Now, I want all of you to take a defensive position,” said the Baron, his voice drowning out the sound of the waves. “Shielding will be our first lesson. I presume everyone here has read the theory about shielding, chapters one through four, and knows how to create a shield even if it hasn’t been successful. If not, I expect you to do the needful by tomorrow’s class.”

The professor went through the groups checking our shields.

“Now, keeping your shields up, I want you to pick up a pebble and throw it at your opponent.”

I did as I was told, and concentrated on keeping my shield in place. It was easier this time because I had done it before. I flung my pebble at Damien, and it bounced effortlessly off his shield. But suddenly I felt a pain on my shin, and I collapsed on the ground. My shield had wavered, and Damien’s pebble, which was more like a large stone, hit me hard.

Professor Tanko came over to me. “Your name?” he said.

“Rory, Baron. I mean, Sir Baron,” I said, getting up and rubbing my shin. That hurt a lot.

The big professor smiled at me. “Just Baron or Sir is fine,” he said kindly. “Rory, you must remember that concentration is the key. The first rule is: always keep your shield up, no matter what. It gives you time to think, to decide what to do. When you attack your opponent, your shield must not waver. It is the main novice mistake. At the time of attack, your shield is at its weakest.”

He turned to the rest of the class. “If your shield is strong when you attack, it will not break. Nothing can penetrate the shield unless you let it,” he said. “Now try again. Shields up!”

I calmed down and drew my magical shield around myself. I concentrated on holding the shield while I did other things. We practiced this for a whole hour, and by the end of the class my shield was getting better, but I was tired, and Damien kept taunting me and breaking my concentration. Sometimes my shield would waver just enough for him to get a hit in.

“All right, that’s enough for the day,” said Baron Tanko.

Illusions class was more fun. Our professor was a young man, probably in his thirties or so, and quite an entertainer. For our first class, he made six illusions of himself and walked them around the classroom. We had to try and recognize which ones were illusions and which one was really him.

They all looked the same. Short, curly blond hair, eyes the color of a shallow lagoon, and a wide toothy smile. Each one was dressed exactly alike, in black robes lined with silver. One girl touched the arm of one of the illusions, and it dissipated in a puff of smoke.

“Very good, Marietta,” said Professor Swindern, from the other side of the room. “That, as you just saw, is one way to tell if it is an illusion or not. Illusions are not real. Transformation, however, is a different thing altogether, and much harder to do. Although it is taught as one class, transformation and illusion are not the same thing.”

I raised my hand for the first time since I had come to school. I had a question.

“Yes?” said the professor, squinting against the light to see me at the back.

I stood up. A few people turned to look at me, probably noticing me for the first time.

“Is it possible for a mage to change the appearance of a person?” I asked. “Like, say, hair color or the color of your eyes?”

The professor nodded as the four remaining illusions dissipated into tendrils of smoke.

“Absolutely,” he said. “It can be done. Many of the ladies of the nobility pay handsomely for these services. Some want their hair color changed, and some want different colored eyes; some even want their lips permanently reddened. In fact, many mages who leave the university get jobs doing precisely this.”

I nodded, sitting back down on my bench. I was confused. If mages could do all that, then why did Rafe take me to see the old fae lady Magdalene and get her to use fae glamour on me?

I decided to ask Penelope after class.

“Mages use illusions to change things into what they want them to be. Some illusions can be temporary, and some can last for years. It all depends on the will of the mage who performs the transformation or creates the illusion,” Professor Swindern was saying to the whole class. “Now, can everyone please turn to pages six and seven in your books, and we can begin.”

It was a warm evening, and the leaves rustled gently as I walked down the flower-lined paths of the academy. I was looking for Penelope, so I went to her room in the professors’ house.

I knocked gently on the stout oak door.

“Come in, come in,” said Penelope, opening the door and smiling as she always did. “What is bothering you, my dear? Come and sit with me and tell me what happened.”

“Nothing has really happened as such,” I said, sitting down next to her on the comfortable cream couch. “It’s just that I wanted to ask you a question.”

“Yes,” said Penelope patiently, giving me her full attention. “What is it you want to know?”

“If mages can change a person’s appearance, why did I have to go to the fae lady in the woods to do it? Rafe or even you could have done it. Now how will I get rid of it when I want to? Will I have to go back to Magdalene to have it removed?” I asked, all in one breath.

“Firstly, my dear, you had to change your appearance before you traveled to Neris, or even Greystone,” said Penelope after a moment of silent contemplation. “And I was not with you.”

“Okay,” I said, “but then why didn’t Rafe or even Uncle Gabriel do it?”

“Because,” said Penelope, “fae glamour, though it is similar to mage illusion, is undetectable by mages. If Rafe or your granduncle had put the illusion on you, or even if you did it yourself, the mages would be able to sense it.”

Oh! I thought inwardly. That made sense.

“But can someone else remove it, or will I have to go back to her?” I asked.

“I can remove it for you when you wish it,” said Penelope. “Do not worry, my dear, for now you know that it is better to leave it as it is. I will remove it for you when the time is right.”

I was relieved. I said good night to Penelope and thanked her for all her help. I was exhausted and aching all over, so I had a long, hot bath and got into bed. I was too tired to go for dinner, and Vivienne very sweetly brought me a baked potato and an apple to eat in my room.

Celia came over to say good night, but I suspected she was only being nice to me for a chance to get to know Damien. Vivienne had told me earlier that Celia had been trying to get Damien to notice her for years; everyone knew that she had a huge crush on him. But I was too tired to be bothered about that just then. Tomorrow would, hopefully, be better.

The next day, I tried to ignore Damien and the other Blackwaters. I just grabbed my breakfast and ate on my way to class. Vivienne was busy in alchemy and would be the whole day. Damien cornered me after my healing class.

“Are you trying to avoid me?” he said. He looked more amused than angry. “I was just teasing you in class yesterday. I hope you didn’t take all that childish banter seriously.”

“No,” I said, looking him straight in the eyes.

I was still irritated with him and just wanted him to leave me alone. He was mean and selfish. But I realized that this was a perfect opportunity for me to get close to Damien and find out more about Lucian and Morgana’s plans. If I pretended to be friends with him, I may overhear something of importance that could help my granduncle.

Damien’s voice interrupted my reverie. “So are you coming or not?” he asked abruptly, probably nonplussed that I wasn’t hanging on his every word like half the other girls in the school.

“Sorry, I didn’t hear the question,” I answered sweetly. I was enjoying his confusion. I wanted to upset him, but not too much. I needed to get friendly so I could find out what he knew.

“I asked if you wanted to come with us into town tonight,” Damien said slowly, as if he was talking to an imbecile.

I fought hard to control my temper; he always brought out the worst in me. “But isn’t it forbidden to leave the academy grounds after dark?” I said, and I immediately felt stupid for saying it. Of course they would be breaking rules. The Blackwaters didn’t think that any rules applied to them.

“Yes,” he said, “but what fun would there be if we were actually permitted to go?”

I thought about it for a moment. I could go. That would show him that I wanted to be friends. But I was apprehensive, and I was breaking school rules. If Professor Dekela found out, I would be thrown out of school in my first week. Uncle Gabriel would not be too pleased about that.

Why did the Blackwaters want to leave the academy at night? Where were they going and what were they up to? My curiosity got the better of me, and I had to find out.

“Sure,” I said finally. “Why not?”

17

The Lion's Den

“You can’t leave the academy after dark,” whispered Vivienne, looking at me wide-eyed. “If the night patrol catches you, you will be expelled from school.”

“Don’t worry so much,” I said to Vivienne, who was sitting cross-legged on her bed, and had already changed into her nightclothes.

“You can’t trust Damien,” she said in a whisper.

“I know,” I answered, pulling on my supple leather boots. “I don’t trust him, but I want to find out what he’s up to.”

“Why do you care what he’s up to?” said Vivienne, watching me carefully. “Damien’s a troublemaker and can be very dangerous if you get on his bad side. I really think you should be careful. Just stay away from him.”

I knew Vivienne must be suspicious, and I wanted to tell her the truth, but it was too risky. I didn’t know her well enough and wasn’t quite sure where her family’s allegiance laid.

I hugged Vivienne. “I will. Thank you. It’s so sweet of you to worry about me, but I’ll be fine. Don’t wait up for me. I may be late,” I said as I gathered my cloak and ran downstairs.

Damien came to get me from my dormitory after dark. He was waiting near the entrance, leaning against an old spruce and wearing a black cloak over a black robe, like the professors. I wondered where he had gotten it. Although most girls would find him handsome, I thought Damien looked more sinister than good-looking in the moonlight. He flashed me a wide grin, showing all his pristine white teeth. I shivered slightly and pulled my own brown cloak tightly over my shoulders.

“I thought you were going to back out,” Damien said, a cutting edge to his voice.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” I murmured.

Calisto and Zorek were standing a little further away in the shadows.

“Come on,” Calisto urged quietly. “We haven’t got all night.”

She glared at Damien and completely ignored me, as though I didn’t exist. Zorek led the way. We followed him down shadowy paths, past the alchemy building, and round the back, until we came to the far walls of the university. How were we going to get out? There were guards at all the gates. Zorek then moved slowly along the wall, to a shadowy little grove surrounded by apple trees. He went towards a particular spot on the wall and moved his hand over it. As if by magic, which was exactly what it was, a little door appeared in the wall.