Mage Training

  On the subject of Dark Magic, a theoretical transversion of the Wellspring’s power . . . I honestly do not know who came up with the theory, but it has been whispered in dark corners of the mage world for some time now. The idea is simple: everything has an opposite—just look in the mirror, and you will see your own opposite. Mani’s magic is the source of life itself . . . and the opposite of life is death. I shudder to think what may come of our world should a mage think to touch such a power, no matter what reason he may have, be it evil or altruistic.

  — From Secrets of Mani, by Sor the Lark

  (Dri’Shal 21, 997—Night Season)

  “Lesson one,” said Rhidea the Wandering Mage, “Coaction is dangerous.”

  I gulped, but I kept my chin up. I stole a glance out of the corner of my eye at Mydia, who seemed to be feeling a similarly warm, fuzzy feeling at our mentor’s words.

  The two of us sat on a scarlet rug in Rhidea’s study upon folded knees, hands held relaxed on our laps just as the mage had carefully instructed us. She herself sat cross-legged in front of us, hands folded in front of her face with steepled fingers pointing between us. She wore a satin dress that matched her red décor and her crimson hair, which she had pinned back in a twist like a folding flame.

  It had been decided that Rhidea was going to give private tutoring sessions to me and Mydia both while she stayed at the Palace. Once we had our rescue plan laid out and the time came, she would help us break Mandrie and Phoebe out of prison, and then I would become her personal apprentice. I was perhaps the most scared about that last part.

  The princess and I did not speak, but instead waited to hear what would follow Rhidea’s ominous words.

  “Magic is a pervasive force of nature in our world,” she continued. “It is wild, primal and beautiful. Coaction is only a tool used by synergists to harness the power of Mani’s magic that is all around us. But always, always use caution when practicing this art. Do not fear the elements, but respect them. Don’t ever trust yourself too much, or think that you know everything there is to know, because it will be that unknown, that unpredictable variable, that overlooked piece, that gets you into trouble. For instance, Lyn, your flames. They can burn you quite easily if you lose control.”

  I nodded. Makes sense.

  Then followed the practical lesson. She taught us a few pointers and rules on basic Coaction, not letting Mydia out of it just because she already had basic Coactive training. Rhidea refused to let either of us practice any Coaction without first proving that we could master her discipline.

  After the lesson was over, we dropped the formalities and relaxed a bit. I took this opportunity to ask her what her goal of study here at the Palace had been.

  “Oh? Interested?” was her response. “I seek the source of a major problem facing Mani right now. At this point, I’ve been all over the continent of Argent in my search.” The mage let out a small sigh before continuing:

  “Magic, my friends, is dwindling from this world. It is said that magi once wielded the power of gods. Nowadays, I am one of the strongest magi in the world, but a mere hundred years ago, my strength was not all that uncommon. In fact—” She addressed Mydia. “Do you want to know why your father fears me so much?”

  Mydia gave a small shake of her head. “I . . . didn’t realize he did.”

  Conscious of the speech seal Rhidea had placed around us, I asked, “Why?”

  “It is the same reason that he bows to Master Gendric of the Nytaean Academy: he fears power. And the reason is that he is not naturally as strong as he seems.”

  “But I thought he was the most powerful in all of Nytaea,” said Mydia. “That’s what they all say.”

  Rhidea shook her head. “No. None in his family have ever held the power that he does. Even his son, the late Prince Kallyn, was close but could not match the strength of his father. No, Edrius gets his power on loan from the Archlord.”

  “From the Archlord?” I repeated. “How does that even work?”

  “Oh, there are ways. Kalceron possesses a secret well of power which Domon keeps constantly filled from his capital. It is the Archlord’s way of keeping control in his thirteen city-states of Kystrea, by way of his governors, the Twelve Lords. Domon himself holds unimaginable strength, that of the great ancient warlocks. I still have not discovered how he came to possess it, but I have . . . fears. I suppose my next place to head should be the Capital, Ti’Vaeth . . . perhaps.”

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “You don’t like the place?” asked Mydia.

  Rhidea grimaced. “I never did. Trust me, if you had ever met the Archlord, you wouldn’t want to come within a city’s distance of him ever again.” She gave no more reason than that, yet something about the far-off look in her expression, along with the intensity of it, told me that there was far more between her and Domon.

  Soon our first lesson with Rhidea was concluded, and she bid us a good day with a charge to practice carefully. Also, Mydia was to teach me phonetics, laying the groundwork for me to learn to read. I wasn’t looking forward to that. . . .

  That evening, Mydia had Julia and me bring in extra scones and fruit, and we all ate and chatted together. Mydia and I both got along well with the girl, quiet though she was, and the three of us often made small talk whenever Chara wasn’t around. Julia could tell that we had some secret between us, but she would never get us in trouble with Chara over it.

  My life as a handmaiden was so comfortable that I almost forgot about Phoebe and Mandrie sometimes. Almost. It was the most luxuriously I’d ever lived, all things considered, but I constantly felt guilty for enjoying this new life while my longtime friends were in a prison tower, held against their will and possibly tortured half to death for all they knew about me. It was enough to make a girl sick.

  Later that evening, I decided I needed to make something clear to Mydia. I approached her just as she was putting her mother’s book down for the night. “You know I’m not going to be here for much longer, right?”

  “Oh.” She looked up. “What makes you suddenly bring that up? I mean, I know you want to rescue your friends and all. And then . . .” She scratched her chin. “Then I suppose you’ll be going off with Rhidea?”

  “Right. Honestly, I’m a little scared. I still don’t know what I’ll tell my friends. ‘Sorry, I have to go look for some dusty old scrolls with a scary mage woman?’ I can’t even imagine what Phoebe would say. . . .” I chuckled at the thought.

  “I will be very sad to see you go,” Mydia whispered. “Julia will, too. Honestly . . . I’d stop you if I could.”

  I frowned.

  “Stop you from going,” she elaborated, looking both guilty and sorrowful. “Even . . . from rescuing your friends. It’s a selfish thought, I know. I’m a terrible friend.”

  I crossed my arms. “You do realize why I came here in the first place, right? And surely you understand that I didn’t mean to be here for anywhere near this long. Mydia, nearly a month—an entire month—has gone by, and my friends are still locked in that tower!”

  “I-I don’t know what to say, Lyn. I understand, and I feel bad—responsible, even—for it. I’m sorry.” After a pause, she said, “You know you’re going to have to break them out yourself, don’t you? You, Rhidea, Kaen. There’s not much I can do. I could try talking to my father, but . . .”

  “No, don’t bother,” I told her tiredly. “You’ll only put yourself under suspicion. Rhidea has promised to help me; we’ll figure this out. I trust her.” And Julia trusts me, I thought to myself. How was any of this going to work? We had to act quickly. My lessons with Rhidea would have to speed up if my Coaction was to be of any use in combat. But then what? I had no idea what would happen once we succeeded in breaking Mandrie and Phoebe out of the tower.

  We talked for a long while after that, mostly about happier things, but it all felt a bit hollow. Afterward, I said goodbye to my friend the princess and went to see Kaen in the guards’ barracks. In a place that was safe to talk—or so he said—I updated him on all the latest information I’d received.

  “Lyn—Podda—Lyn!” he stammered. “Look; we have to do something. If what you say is true, this magical Rhidea is leaving in one week, assuming Lord Kalceron doesn’t chase her out sooner. And I’m still not seeing any action.”

  “Kaen, calm down. She’s here to search out clues in the library to a terrible crisis . . . or at least so she says. Point being: when she’s done, she’ll leave. When she leaves, she’ll help us break them out.”

  Kaen thought about this. “All right, fair enough. And then what? Does she take you with her to train as her personal mage student? If so, what happens to me? To my sister and Phoebe? I am not staying on to work in Lord Kalceron’s army.”

  “Kaen, I don’t know what’s going to happen, but if Rhidea keeps her word, she will make sure that we are taken care of. Some way, sometime, somehow. We just have to trust her, all right?”

  He cocked his head to one side. “And you really do? You trust that withered old mage? That’s a lot of faith.”

  “Yes, Kaen. I actually do.”

  He considered my words, running a hand absently through his dark curls. “All right, then. I want to talk with this mage. Isn’t that fair?”

  I nodded. “Well . . . yes. She’s probably in the library now, or studying. . . . How about you try directly after supper tonight? She should be there. Tell her you’re with Mydia and me.”

  “All right. Sounds good to me. Where are her rooms?”

  I told him where to find Rhidea, and then returned to Mydia’s rooms, an idea coming to mind. I knocked on the princess’s closed door, and judging from her distracted response, she must have been studying that book of hers again. She had likely finished it already, and was just studying it further to please Rhidea. When I announced myself, her voice brightened up, and she bade me come in. I did so and closed the door behind me.

  “My lady.” I looked around and listened to make sure that no others were in the room. I wished I possessed Rhidea’s speech-sealing magic. “Mydia, can you get me into the Underground again any time soon?”

  She looked up from her book. “Oh. With the leaders?”

  I nodded.

  “Yes, but . . . not tonight, if that’s what you’re asking. It would have to be, hmm . . . whenever the next meeting is. Dri’Shal twenty-second—oh, actually that’s tomorrow.”

  “Thank you. That should work. Do you think you could send for my friend Kaen as well?”

  “So he can meet them?” she asked.

  “Right. I’ve got an idea cooking.”

  Mydia smirked, causing her dimples to emerge. “Then I hope you’re a good cook.”