《The High Mage of Birch Hall》 Chapter 1 Lewis marveled at how dusty the shop floor was after only one day. He had swept before the general shop closed the night before and already the floor was filthy again. Only a few people had passed through the store this early, but they had brought with them dirt and small rocks. The miners often had mud and other detritus on their boots that they tracked throughout the town. Lewis sighed as he swept the pile out the door. If he was fretting over how dirty people¡¯s boots were, he really did have a boring life. He had lost count of the number of times he had swept this floor, but the fact he had been counting at all was embarrassing. Nothing interesting ever happened in the town of Whisperstream, deep within the pale birch forest of Betula. Maybe interesting things happened in the mine, but the town itself went through its days half asleep. Or maybe it was just Lewis who went through his days half asleep. The small bell over the shop door rang, jarring him from his thoughts. He dropped the broom, which slammed against the wooden table next to him before clattering to the floor. The man who had just entered the shop raised a brow at him before continuing to the counter at the back. The shopkeeper, an older woman, was glaring at Lewis. Mildred was always glaring at him. Lewis picked up his broom and resumed sweeping. He didn¡¯t doubt his face was bright red. Somehow, no matter how many times he got distracted, the shopkeeper hadn¡¯t fired him. Maybe because he hadn¡¯t broken anything like at the glassblowers. The smith had fired Lewis on the first day, saying he didn¡¯t want to have to look at him every day. Lewis was still puzzling that one over, but only because he had little else to think about. The day wore on with its customary lack of anything of note. Lewis swept for the last time before the shop closed for the night and set out into the town. He went to the usual stall for the usual mystery meat that was roasting on a spit just behind the stall. He took his usual route home after he ate, thinking his usual thoughts. Should he leave Whisperstream? He again pushed the thought away. How would things be any better somewhere else? He couldn¡¯t find anything he was good at, or competent enough at to keep his job. Or maybe he was just bored out of his mind. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± He muttered as he bumped into a woman. She smiled. ¡°Deep in your thoughts?¡± Her black hair went down to just past her shoulders. Her clothes were made of fine cloth, which was an odd sight in the mining village. ¡°Could you direct me to the inn?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Lewis was glad for the distraction. ¡°Right this way.¡± He led her back the way he¡¯d come, toward the center of town, and pointed to the building straight past the well. ¡°Right over there. We only have the one inn.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± She stared at him for a moment, her expression unreadable. The silence dragged on. Lewis tried to think of a way to politely extract himself from this weirdness. Why was she staring at him? ¡°You look like someone I know,¡± she said. ¡°Do you know Stewart of Palegrove?¡± Now Lewis wanted even more to end this conversation. ¡°He¡¯s my father,¡± Lewis said, forcing a smile. The woman nodded slowly, looking at him thoughtfully. ¡°Did you inherit his magic?¡± ¡°No,¡± Lewis said, feeling as though the smile had frozen in place. ¡°I don¡¯t have magic.¡± That wasn¡¯t entirely true. According to the test, he had magic, but since they had never figured out what kind of magic it was and his father had shut him out¡­ The woman¡¯s shoulders drooped. ¡°That is surprising. Well, I best be going. It was nice meeting you.¡± She turned and headed for the inn. Lewis sighed yet again. He did that a lot lately. The woman must be a mage or must work for the court of Betula to know his father. He turned away from the inn and continued on his way toward home, trying to put thoughts of his father out of his mind. He hadn¡¯t heard from the man in years. Being High Mage, he was probably very busy. Still, he did wonder what would bring such a finely dressed woman, who was in a position to know the High Mage, all the way to Whisperstream. Maybe it was court business, or maybe she was a mage who was there to complete a request, to carry out some task only a mage could do. At his small house, half hidden among the pale trees, he washed and went straight to bed. But he lay awake, staring at the shadows of the birch branches dancing across the ceiling in the breeze. Maybe it was time to leave Whisperstream, but where would he go? What would he do? He turned onto his side and closed his eyes. The woman¡¯s words resurfaced in his mind. ¡°Did you inherit his magic?¡± Lewis closed his eyes tighter. If he had inherited his father¡¯s magic, if he hadn¡¯t been a disappointment to him, where would he be now? Would he have been trained at Birch Hall? He burrowed deeper under his thin blanket. It didn¡¯t matter. Whatever his magic was, it wasn¡¯t what his father wanted it to be. Even if Lewis discovered what it was on his own, it wasn¡¯t as though he wanted to go to Birch Hall to learn. That was where his father would be. These thoughts chased him into a restless sleep. He awoke when the sun had barely begun to rise and set out into town early. Sometimes Mildred opened the shop early. Sure enough, she was unlocking the door when he got there. Most of the town rose early, since the miners went off to work at dawn. Lewis wordlessly took up the broom and started sweeping, even though the only dirt on the floor so far was from him and Mildred. He froze when he noticed her standing nearby watching him, her eyes narrowed, how they always were when she was looking at him. Was this it? Was she going to fire him? ¡°You¡¯re wasting your potential,¡± Mildred said suddenly. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I have any,¡± Lewis said. Mildred¡¯s scowl deepened. ¡°You keep telling yourself that and you really won¡¯t. Is this what you want from your life? To move from job to job because no one will keep you, because you show us less than half of what you¡¯re capable of.¡± Lewis could only stare back at her. No one had ever said he had potential before. Was he giving less than half his effort? ¡°I can see you don¡¯t want to be here,¡± Mildred said. ¡°How old are you? Seventeen?¡± ¡°Nineteen,¡± Lewis said. She raised a brow. ¡°You best get on with it then. Also, you¡¯re running out places to work in this town. Ask yourself, what do you want to do? Who do you want to be?¡± She turned and went to the counter at the other end of the small shop, taking her place on the rickety stool behind it. Lewis stood there staring at his broom. He had no idea how to answer those questions. He was still mulling this over, or trying to, when the bell over the door rang. He looked at the door, but this time it wasn¡¯t anyone who lived in Whisperstream. The man wore dark blue robes, tied at the waist with a black cloth. The robes had a deep hood, but it wasn¡¯t up. His long black hair was tied back, but some had come loose. He appeared to be in his late thirties. The man came closer, frowning at Lewis with dark gray eyes. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Can I help you?¡± Lewis asked. The man looked familiar, and those were the robes of a mage. ¡°Lewis?¡± The man smiled, but he looked worried. ¡°You¡¯ve certainly grown since I last saw you.¡± Lewis hesitated. He had only met one mage other than his father. ¡°Curtis?¡± The man nodded. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you in about ten years.¡± He looked at Mildred, who was still perched on her stool. ¡°Can I borrow him for a moment?¡± Mildred shrugged. ¡°Borrow him forever if you¡¯d like.¡± Curtis frowned a little. Lewis put the broom back in its cupboard and followed Curtis, his father¡¯s best friend, outside. Curtis led him among the birch trees until the town was barely in sight. He kept fidgeting with the black cloth around his waist and with the long sleeves of his robes. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Lewis asked. ¡°Are you here because of a request?¡± ¡°If only that were all...¡± Curtis took a deep breath. ¡°Your father has vanished. He left behind a letter recommending you as the next High Mage.¡± For the second time that morning, Lewis was left speechless. ¡°I have no training and don¡¯t even know what kind of magic I have,¡± Lewis said when his brain started working again. ¡°Why would he do that? And where did he go? And why are you here unless...¡± He felt suddenly queasy. Curtis¡¯s bushy brows furrowed, making the dark circles under his eyes look even worse. ¡°There was a second letter, which was sent to Queen Abigail. The Queen of Betula has followed Stewart¡¯s recommendation. You have been named High Mage.¡± Lewis couldn¡¯t help but moan. ¡°This has to be a mistake.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± Curtis said. ¡°Though I think it¡¯s far more sinister than a mere mistake.¡± ¡°Sinister?¡± Lewis asked, the word coming out quiet. Curtis glanced at the town. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t talk more here. You need to come with me to Birch Hall.¡± Lewis ran a shaking hand through his hair, pulling some of the short, light brown strands loose from the tie. ¡°I¡¯m not a mage.¡± ¡°You are,¡± Curtis said with surprising calm. ¡°Come with me to the hall and we can talk more. Tell no one in town about this, and when we reach the hall, tell no one you don¡¯t know what magic you have. It¡¯s for the safety of us both and of Birch Hall.¡± Lewis¡¯s heart beat faster. ¡°You don¡¯t think my father wrote that letter.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question. Curtis paled. ¡°We must go. We must leave now.¡± How many times had he bemoaned how boring his life was? This wasn¡¯t the kind of interesting he had hoped for. Many years ago, he would have been overjoyed at the idea of going to Birch Hall, of even just seeing the place where his father worked. He had long since gotten over that. How could he have been named High Mage? ¡°There will be time for brooding later,¡± Curtis said. ¡°We have to go now.¡± Lewis nodded slowly. ¡°I need to tell Mildred I¡¯m leaving and gather a few things from my house.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with you,¡± Curtis said, glancing at the town again. Did he have some idea of who had written the letter if it wasn¡¯t Stewart? Or was he nervous because he had no idea who the enemy was? Lewis forced himself to move. This was happening. He was going to have to leave Whisperstream and go to Birch Hall, and hopefully they would sort this out there. Back at the general store, Mildred smiled when she told him he was leaving with Curtis. ¡°Good luck,¡± she said. Lewis doubted luck was going to be enough to deal with this. Curtis followed him to his house, where Lewis packed up what little clothes he had in a small bag. He didn¡¯t have any other belongings. When he told the landlord he was leaving, the man looked relieved, but said nothing. Lewis and Curtis set out from Whisperstream, heading straight into the forest, not even following the dirt path that led to Palegrove. ¡°We¡¯re going straight to Birch Hall,¡± Curtis said. ¡°There aren¡¯t any roads that lead there.¡± ¡°How far away is it?¡± Lewis asked. ¡°We should be there late tonight,¡± Curtis said. ¡°I don¡¯t know if we¡¯re being watched, so we¡¯ll wait to talk until we¡¯re there.¡± He frowned again. ¡°There are things you need to know. Stewart wouldn¡¯t have wanted you to find out like this, but there seems to be no other choice.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t spoken to him in years,¡± Lewis said. He hesitated to say more, in case they actually were being watched. Curtis smiled, but it was clearly fake. ¡°Only because you were such a good student. There was nothing more he could teach you.¡± Lewis didn¡¯t look around at the trees. Were they really being watched? If his father hadn¡¯t written that letter, then who had? And why? Neither he nor Curtis said anything more. It was late at night when Birch Hall came into sight among the trees. The moonlight made the trees look even paler, like ghostly fingers reaching up from the ground. The hall was made of pale stone, a sprawling building with a tower at the center. Lewis stopped and stared up at the hall. ¡°Home at last,¡± Curtis said, some of the impressive tension going out of his shoulders. ¡°We¡¯ll talk in the tower. That is the High Mage¡¯s quarters.¡± The entry hall was silent, with only a few candles in sconces to light the vast space. Lewis followed Curtis up the stairs and down the deserted halls. Everyone else was likely in bed. They went up a spiral staircase to the top of the tower. The round room had a dark brown rug on the floor, a large desk at the center, overflowing bookshelves on most of the walls, and a single window that looked out at the front of Birch Hall. A single chair sat across from the desk. A dark doorway led into a bedroom. ¡°This was where my father lived when he was at the hall?¡± Lewis asked. Curtis was staring at the desk with a lost look. ¡°It is,¡± he said quietly. He moved suddenly, lighting a candelabra in a corner. ¡°Sit. There are many things we need to discuss.¡± Lewis sat in the chair facing the desk, but Curtis sighed. ¡°The queen has named you High Mage,¡± Curtis said. ¡°It is imperative we don¡¯t give people reason to question it until we know what¡¯s going on. Until we know who planned this and why.¡± He nodded to the chair behind the desk. ¡°That is where you sit. You had best get used to it.¡± Chapter 2 The chair was comfortable, but he didn¡¯t think he could ever get used to this. Lewis had never been so tense as he was sitting in the chair at his father¡¯s desk. Curtis sat across from him, setting a strange stone plate between them. It was the size of a tea saucer, with tracings of odd symbols. Staring at it longer, Lewis wasn¡¯t sure it was stone, but he didn¡¯t know what it was if it wasn¡¯t. It was dark and almost shiny. A small knife of the same substance rested in the dish. When had he seen this before? ¡°Your father did the test when you were about five,¡± Curtis said. ¡°This is the relic that can tell you if someone has magic,¡± Lewis said. Now he remembered. Curtis held the knife out to Lewis. ¡°I believe your father, but I want you to see it for yourself again.¡± Lewis hesitated only a moment before taking the knife. He pressed it against the tip of a finger, then let a drop of blood fall onto the saucer. The blood seeped into the saucer. The tracings in the strange material glowed with a blue light before going dark again. ¡°You have magic,¡± Curtis said. ¡°There is no doubt about that.¡± Lewis set the knife back on the saucer carefully. ¡°But what kind of magic is it? My father lost interest when I couldn¡¯t use water magic¡ª¡± ¡°He did not lose interest,¡± Curtis said, his voice hard. He closed his eyes for a moment. ¡°Stewart believed keeping you away from magic was the only way to protect you. He didn¡¯t want you to use your magic if it didn¡¯t manifest on its own, but I fear we now have no choice. Someone wrote that letter, someone forged your father¡¯s handwriting with such skill even I thought it was his.¡± ¡°How do you know he didn¡¯t write that letter?¡± Lewis asked. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t put you in this position,¡± Curtis said, ¡°not after trying so hard to keep you away from magic. And he wouldn¡¯t leave without saying something.¡± Lewis thought about this. ¡°Someone forged the letter. Do you think they had my father abducted?¡± Curtis nodded. ¡°It is likely. Whoever did this is no ally to you. They probably thought you had no magic and hoped to humiliate Birch Hall, or possibly even cause the queen to question the trust she has for us. That is why we must make it look like you are qualified for this position, that you are a mage worthy of this title.¡± Lewis shrank back in the chair. ¡°I barely know about magic, let alone how to use it. Why did my father want to keep me away from it if I have magic?¡± Curtis didn¡¯t answer for a long moment. He seemed to be choosing his words carefully. ¡°What do you know about magic and mages?¡± ¡°I know it isn¡¯t common,¡± Lewis said. ¡°It runs in families, but sometimes it shows up far down a family line that has been ordinary for centuries.¡± Curtis nodded. ¡°That is how it was for me. Your father is of a long line of mages. Types of magic also run in families, which is why most will assume you have water magic. What are the elements?¡± It didn¡¯t take much thinking for it to come back to him. His father had told him all of this many years ago. ¡°Water, fire, nature, and wind,¡± Lewis said. ¡°These elements are the only kind of magic a mage can have.¡± Curtis sighed. ¡°That is not quite true. Most believe it to be a myth, but there is another kind of mage. Fortunately, they are extremely rare, but they are known as Afflicted Mages.¡± Lewis thought back, but he had never heard his father mention that kind of magic. ¡°What is an Afflicted Mage?¡± Curtis¡¯s hands gripped the arms of his chair tightly. ¡°Stewart feared that telling you about this would make your magic more likely to surface on its own and reveal itself. He believes it is what you are. Such mages still have an underlying element to their¡­warped magic, but they cannot wield element magic in the same way other mages can. Everything I¡¯ve read says it¡¯s a curse, but there aren¡¯t even theories about who did the cursing, why, or how. Another theory is that the bodies of mages are so inundated with magic that sometimes their children are changed by it. This magic can take several forms, and I don¡¯t know what is true of what I¡¯ve read.¡± ¡°Father never mentioned this,¡± Lewis said, not knowing what to think of it. Curtis nodded. ¡°Supposedly, some Afflicted Mages can change their appearance at will and can look like anyone. They can change their appearance, but not their shape.¡± Lewis tensed. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever changed my appearance.¡± ¡°Stewart thought it would have become obvious by now if you were a shapeshifter,¡± Curtis said. ¡°Other Afflicted Mages are born with plant or animal characteristics, so you¡¯re not one of those. There is another kind¡­¡± ¡°My father had an idea of what kind of magic it was,¡± Lewis said. ¡°Didn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°He believes you might be a spirit speaker,¡± Curtis said, ¡°but we haven¡¯t been able to find out much about it. Such mages can make a pact with a spirit, which allows them to use magic, but we don¡¯t know enough. It sounds like this pact allows the mage to use element magic, of the element they already have.¡± ¡°So I have to make a pact with a spirit to be able to use magic?¡± Lewis asked. ¡°Maybe,¡± Curtis said. He stood, moving to stand before the window, with his back to Lewis. ¡°Most can¡¯t see spirits unless the spirit allows it, but spirit speakers are supposed to always be able to see spirits.¡± He sighed. ¡°Much like Afflicted Mages, spirits are believed by most to be nothing more than stories.¡± He turned to face the desk again. ¡°I know this isn¡¯t what Stewart would want, but whoever put you in this position could have further plans. You must learn to use your magic, both to thwart whatever plan our unknown enemy has, and to protect yourself.¡± Lewis¡¯s breathing had gone shallow. ¡°Even if I made a pact with a spirit and learned to use my magic, I¡¯m not qualified to be High Mage. I know nothing about using magic. High Mages get requests that only they can handle. I can¡¯t do that. If they think I have water magic, they¡¯ll call on me to ease droughts and other things that a student can¡¯t do yet.¡± Curtis sat back at the desk. ¡°I will do what I can to help. Obviously I won¡¯t always be there for requests, and we don¡¯t want anyone to suspect I¡¯m helping you, or doing all the magic myself, but we have the same element. Your mother was not a mage, so it is highly likely you have the water element like myself and your father.¡± Lewis took a deep breath, trying not to vomit. ¡°Doesn¡¯t the High Mage have to meet with the queen and the court?¡± Curtis nodded. ¡°You are to meet with the queen in several days. I imagine your first request will come soon after.¡± Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Lewis stared at the saucer on the desk. This was too much to sort through all at once. Had his father really thought keeping this from him was for the best? And what had he feared would happen if Lewis used his magic? What would a pact with a spirit entail? A sudden calm settled over him. He was beyond not qualified for this position, but he had little choice. His father might be captive somewhere, might be in danger. If he was to figure out who had written that letter, what they were planning, and where his father was, he was going to have to go along with this. ¡°How do I summon a spirit?¡± Lewis asked. Curtis smiled briefly. ¡°I¡¯ve seen that look from Stewart many times. You are prepared to do whatever you must to get to the bottom of this.¡± ¡°If my father is in danger, I want to help,¡± Lewis said. Curtis stood. ¡°I know you¡¯re tired, and I¡¯m exhausted, but the sooner we do this the better. And it would be best to do it under the cover of darkness. I am the only one here at the hall who knows about your magic. All others believe the letter to be real, believe Stewart had simply had enough and passed the role on to you. They think he trained you himself, that you¡¯re some sort of prodigy and didn¡¯t need to study here at the hall.¡± Lewis groaned. ¡°We must keep this between us for now,¡± Curtis said, ¡°until we know who we can trust. We¡¯ll go out into the forest and see about summoning a spirit. Tonight.¡± Lewis followed Curtis back down the tower stairs and through the eerily silent corridors of Birch Hall. They stopped by Curtis¡¯s room and he handed Lewis a black cloak before putting one on himself. When he raised the hood, Lewis did the same. ¡°In case we¡¯re observed,¡± Curtis said. They left Birch Hall through the back door, into a small garden. They set off into the pale forest, not stopping until the hall was out of sight behind them. ¡°How do I summon a spirit?¡± Lewis asked, sweaty beneath the cloak despite the cool night air. This would be the first time he would do magic. ¡°Do you have any ideas?¡± Curtis asked. ¡°Only a spirit speaker should be able to summon a spirit, so I was hoping it would be¡­instinct.¡± Lewis sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± He sat on the forest floor and tried to relax, focusing on what he wanted to do. His father had said magic was a matter of intention, of the mage knowing what they wanted to do with their magic. Hopefully it was the same for him as an Afflicted Mage. He wanted to know more about that. Was this a curse? If it was, how had it happened? He calmed his thoughts. Now wasn¡¯t the time for questions. He needed to summon a spirit and make a pact, so that he could use his magic and find out what had happened to his father. A presence surrounded him, strong but not frightening. When Lewis tried to open his eyes, he couldn¡¯t. For a moment, he panicked. The darkness behind his eyes lifted. He was standing in a clearing surrounded by trees with dark bark. He knew the countries of Ferax and Conlis had trees that weren¡¯t birch, but he had never seen them before. There was a large pond at the center of the clearing, with the darkest water Lewis had ever seen. He took a step closer, but the water rippled. Something massive rose from the pond, fast enough to soak him. Lewis backed away so quickly he tripped, falling into the grass, the hood of his cloak falling back. He stared up at the massive creature. Its black skin looked rubbery, and possibly slippery. There were streaks of pale brown here and there on the giant salamander¡¯s body. It stared down at Lewis with entirely black eyes. ¡°What¡­¡± The word came out as a small, embarrassing squeak. The salamander leaned closer, its nose inches from Lewis¡¯s face. ¡°It has been a very long time since a spirit speaker called out for a spirit. You knew little of what you were doing, though I suppose there is nowhere you could have learned.¡± ¡°Did I do something wrong?¡± Lewis asked, his heart beating fast enough he thought it might beat its way right out of his chest. ¡°Are you a spirit?¡± The salamander grinned, showing sharp teeth. Lewis had only seen pictures of salamanders in books and wasn¡¯t sure what sort of teeth they had, but these looked unnaturally sharp. Maybe it was their size. ¡°I am a spirit,¡± the salamander said. He stared at Lewis for an uncomfortably long moment. ¡°I am Amnis. You are fortunate it was I who answered your call and not a lesser spirit, or one who simply sought to eat you.¡± ¡°Eat me?¡± Lewis was relieved when the salamander¡¯s mouth closed and he could no longer see those sharp teeth. ¡°For your magic,¡± Amnis said, as though it were obvious. ¡°You truly know nothing of your magic, do you?¡± He leaned away at last. Lewis got to his feet slowly and backed away a little. ¡°All I know is that I need a pact with a spirit to be able to use my magic.¡± Amnis sighed. ¡°That is a very simplified version of how this works. You must not have attempted to use your magic before now to have reached such an age. Without a pact, a so called spirit speaker is destroyed by their magic. They become something called a chimera, dying from the violent transformation.¡± So that was why his father had kept him away from magic. ¡°How is my magic different from an ordinary mage¡¯s?¡± Lewis asked. ¡°My magic still has an element, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Amnis dipped his head. ¡°Your element is that of water, just as mine is. You can only make a pact with a spirit of the same element.¡± Lewis thought carefully. This was his best chance of getting answers about his magic. ¡°What does the spirit get from the pact?¡± Amnis grinned, showing those sharp teeth again. ¡°So few of your kind ask that question.¡± The grin vanished. ¡°Spirit speakers have magic like that of spirits, which your human form cannot handle. For our part of the pact, we give the mage some of our essence, to give your magic focus and form, to prevent it from destroying you. Your magic is then like that of an elemental mage, getting stronger with experience, with use. But as your magic becomes stronger, so to does that of the spirit. This is what the spirit gets from the pact. Spirits often consume each other to become stronger, the weaker spirits being the most at risk of this, since they cannot protect themselves. Any spirit would be eager to make a pact with one such as you, but some are too greedy and would simply consume you, rather than wait for you to become strong and give them strength along the way.¡± ¡°Are all spirits as big as you?¡± Lewis asked, mulling all of this over. Amnis laughed, the sound big enough to shake the ground a little. ¡°We get bigger with the strength of our magic. For one such as you, it would have been wise to have given more intention to your call. A spirit with strength, and of the same element as you. Otherwise, any spirit might have answered. A spirit without the water element cannot make a pact with you, but they could still eat you. Ordinarily, you would be safe from spirits, but your call to us allows a spirit to reach out to you and thus could put you in danger. Or a lesser spirit could have answered, a tiny mouse or a rabbit.¡± Lewis hesitated. ¡°I can release you from this place,¡± Amnis said. ¡°You could try again if you wish.¡± ¡°Could I make a pact with you?¡± Lewis asked. Amnis smiled briefly. ¡°Of course. I did not want to presume, but I do have the proper element. The strength of my magic will ensure the pact succeeds. A pact that is too weak would leave you with the risk of your magic killing you. A pact with me will not.¡± Lewis hoped this was the right choice. For all he knew, Amnis was a spirit that wanted to eat him and was just good at talking. Would the pact mean Amnis could just eat him later rather than now? He pushed that from mind for now. He had to make a pact with a spirit, and this one was willing. Amnis leaned in closer. ¡°Do you accept?¡± ¡°I accept,¡± Lewis said, barely keeping his voice from shaking. What would happen next? ¡°You are certain?¡± Amnis asked. Lewis opened his mouth to say he was, but Amnis spat suddenly, right into Lewis¡¯s mouth. Lewis gagged and sputtered, but he felt something cold rush through him. The cold vanished, along with the clearing with the pond. Chapter 3 Lewis opened his eyes to the forest behind Birch Hall. Sweat was running down his neck and chest, the cloak suddenly unbearably stifling. He almost took it off, before recalling why he was wearing it. Just in case someone was watching, he had to leave it on. Lewis got to his feet unsteadily, Curtis catching him when he almost collapsed. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Curtis asked. ¡°Did something happen?¡± Lewis swallowed, an unpleasant taste in his mouth he didn¡¯t doubt was related to Amnis spitting in it. Did this mean they had formed a pact? He had thought it would be something more formal, not something so¡­gross. ¡°I think I made a pact,¡± Lewis said. ¡°You think?¡± Curtis¡¯s hood was still pulled low, his face hidden in the shadows. ¡°We¡¯ll go back to your quarters and talk there.¡± The two walked back to Birch Hall in silence, neither of them speaking until they were back in the High Mage¡¯s study at the top of the tower. Lewis took the cloak off, hanging it on a branching wooden rack by the door. He sank into the chair behind the desk, wanting nothing more than to sleep. Curtis took his cloak off before sitting across from Lewis, staring at him with a frown. ¡°You look terrible,¡± Curtis said. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I saw a spirit,¡± Lewis said. ¡°He told me more about my magic and pacts, then we made a pact. He said my magic will get stronger with use and experience, just like that of an elemental mage. The pact should stop me from¡­¡± He hesitated. ¡°Now I know why my father kept me away from magic. The spirit said those like me are often destroyed by their magic if they don¡¯t make a pact. Destroyed in a terrible way.¡± ¡°And the pact prevents this?¡± Curtis asked. ¡°It should,¡± Lewis said, leaning on the desk for support. Was it the pact that had taken so much out of him? Curtis was silent for a long moment, looking worried. ¡°Well, this was what we hoped for. I feel like we still don¡¯t know enough. It can¡¯t be so simple that making the pact makes your magic normal, can it?¡± He sighed. ¡°Or maybe it is, and I¡¯m just being paranoid.¡± He stood. ¡°You can tell me more about what Amnis said after we both have a good night¡¯s rest.¡± Those were the best words Lewis had heard all day. Curtis left, leaving behind the cloak Lewis had used in case he might need it again. Stewart had left behind everything, another sign leaving hadn¡¯t been his choice. Having been taller than Curtis or Lewis, none of his clothes would fit Lewis, least of all his cloak. Lewis went straight to bed, uncomfortable for just a moment at the idea of sleeping in his missing father¡¯s bed, but he was too tired to think about it for long. When he woke up, morning light streamed through the bedroom window. He had forgotten to close the curtain. From this side of the tower, he could see the garden and the forest behind Birch Hall. Lewis stifled a yawn as he got up. There was a small washroom off the bedroom. He washed off last night¡¯s sweat, put fresh clothes on, and went back out into the main room of the tower. He felt much better than the night before, ready to face whatever came next. At least, as ready as he could be. What if, after all these years, he still couldn¡¯t use magic? Would it be the same as calling on a spirit the night before? Was it really all just intention and instinct? Considering how he had felt the night before, he suspected using magic also took a lot of energy. He stood in front of the window, looking out at the front of Birch Hall. It didn¡¯t look so different from the back, with nothing but a pale forest in every direction he looked. He thought he saw some other trees far off to the side, in the distance, but he wasn¡¯t sure. A knock on the tower door made him jump. His heart beat fast. Was it Curtis, or was it someone else? Curtis had told him to lock the tower door the night before. ¡°Lewis? Are you up?¡± Curtis¡¯s muffled voice came from the other side. Lewis¡¯s shoulders relaxed. He opened the door and let the man inside. Lewis sat behind the desk, with Curtis across from him again. Curtis set a bundle of cloth on the desk between them. It was linen, like most cloth in Betula, since that¡¯s what grew on the farms. Imported cotton from Ferax was expensive. ¡°These are your robes,¡± Curtis said. ¡°They¡¯re a different color from yours,¡± Lewis said. Curtis nodded. ¡°I should probably explain before breakfast. You¡¯ll be meeting everyone in the hall this morning.¡± Lewis stiffened. Curtis smiled, but it didn¡¯t hide his worry. ¡°Just don¡¯t mention you¡¯re an Afflicted Mage or that you have no training at all. I don¡¯t want to lie to them either, but we don¡¯t yet know who we can trust.¡± He sat straighter, suddenly serious. ¡°Now, about the hierarchy of mages¡­ Did Stewart tell you anything about this?¡± Lewis shook his head. ¡°I suppose he wouldn¡¯t have had a reason to mention it,¡± Curtis said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve seen him wearing dark green robes, like these?¡± He nudged the ones on the desk. ¡°He only wore them when he was leaving the house,¡± Lewis said, ¡°but that¡¯s always what he wore when he left the house.¡± ¡°Only the High Mage wears dark green robes,¡± Curtis said. ¡°There is only one mage with that title at a time. There are three Elder Mages, who wear dark blue.¡± He gestured to his own dark blue robes. ¡°There are two other Elder Mages, whom you will meet at breakfast.¡± He frowned. ¡°Blake is the one who will doubt you most. I think he believes he should have been chosen as the next High Mage.¡± ¡°I definitely shouldn¡¯t have been chosen,¡± Lewis said. ¡°Even so, we¡¯ll make a High Mage out of you,¡± Curtis said. ¡°We don¡¯t have another choice. The queen has already officially named you High Mage. Now, where were we? The students. There can be any number of the lower ranks here at the hall, but we usually don¡¯t have many students, seeing as mages aren¡¯t that common. A few students just set out into the world a season ago, so we currently only have three left. We also have one Adept, who is your age.¡± ¡°Is that a high rank?¡± Lewis asked. ¡°Just below Elder Mage,¡± Curtis said. ¡°She is brilliant with her nature magic and would be an Elder Mage already if there weren¡¯t only three at a time. She and the Elder Mages teach the students, and sometimes the High Mage does as well. We¡¯ll hold off on that as long as we can. Adepts wear dark orange. You¡¯ll see one Apprentice, the boy wearing brown. The two girls in gray are Novices, twin sisters a few years younger than the Apprentice.¡± Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Those are the only students?¡± Lewis asked when he didn¡¯t continue. Curtis nodded. ¡°As I said, we often have few students here.¡± He stood. ¡°It will be time for breakfast soon. When they ask you what kind of magic you have, which I¡¯m sure the other Elder Mages will, just tell them you have water magic like your father. With any luck, we can get started on your training after breakfast.¡± Lewis stayed behind the desk, the energy he¡¯d had that morning having slipped away at the pile of potential trouble in front of him. ¡°When do I meet with the queen?¡± The words came out quiet. Curtis paled a little. ¡°In a few days. We¡¯ll be leaving tomorrow morning, and I will train you on the way to Palegrove. It¡¯s a three day journey from here.¡± He smiled, but it looked forced. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re hungry.¡± A bell chimed in the distance. ¡°It¡¯s time for breakfast.¡± Lewis reluctantly put on the robes before meeting Curtis on the stairs outside the tower. The robes were comfortable, but we wasn¡¯t accustomed to wearing something that went down to his ankles. The shorts he had on underneath did not feel like enough. He felt exposed, even though he was very well covered. The sleeves were even long enough to cover his fingers. Curtis stared at him with an odd, distant smile. ¡°If only your father could see you¡­¡± He shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The two of them went down to the first floor of Birch Hall, to a room with a single long table down the middle. It was the only table, and most of the chairs were empty. Lewis was relieved to see the High Mage didn¡¯t have to sit at the head of the table, just at the far end with the Elder Mages and Adept. The Apprentice and two Novices were at the end closer to the doors. Lewis smiled nervously and said good morning as the younger boy and the two girls greeted him. The Adept looked to be his own age, but he barely saw her before Curtis led him to the end of the table and sat in the chair beside him. The other two Elder Mages were across from Lewis and Curtis. The one directly across from Lewis was scowling. His light blue gaze seemed to bore into Lewis. His short, dark brown hair was neatly combed. He appeared to be in his late thirties or early forties. The woman next to him was older, maybe in her late fifties. Her black hair, threaded with gray, was tied in a bun. Her blue eyes were as dark as the man¡¯s were light, like pools of impenetrable water. ¡°You must be Lewis,¡± the woman said, her expression unreadable. ¡°Stewart was always very closed off when it came to you. He told us so little about you.¡± ¡°You must be something if you didn¡¯t even need to be trained here,¡± the man said coldly. ¡°Especially to become High Mage at such a young age. How old are you? Sixteen?¡± ¡°Nineteen,¡± Lewis said. He didn¡¯t know what else to say to all of that. The woman¡¯s expression softened, and she was almost smiling. ¡°Ignore him. He is simply bitter he did not become High Mage.¡± The man scowled even more, crossing his arms. ¡°I am not bitter.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Miriam,¡± the woman said. ¡°He is Blake. I¡¯m sure there will be time later for you to be properly introduced to everyone else.¡± She raised a brow at Blake. ¡°If you don¡¯t hurry, your porridge will get cold.¡± They ate in silence for a while. ¡°What kind of magic do you have?¡± Miriam asked. ¡°Water,¡± Lewis said, feeling his face turning red. He should have warned Curtis that he had never been good at lying. Miriam smiled briefly. ¡°Stewart also had water magic. I have wind magic.¡± ¡°Fire,¡± Blake said shortly, not looking up from his porridge. ¡°Curtis was always close to your father,¡± Miriam said. ¡°I¡¯m sure he will help you get settled in to your new position.¡± Curtis nodded. ¡°Certainly. I will also accompany him to Palegrove to meet with the queen, since it will be his first time meeting the court.¡± Miriam sighed. ¡°Such a thing never becomes easy. The court are a different kind of people from us.¡± She looked at Lewis and smiled kindly. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but the extravagance of the castle is very intimidating.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve only seen it from a distance,¡± Lewis said. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine going closer.¡± Blake snorted. ¡°Then your father didn¡¯t prepare you well for this position.¡± No one said anything else during breakfast. The Apprentice and two Novices left the hall first, closely followed by the Adept. ¡°Classes are about to begin for the day,¡± Miriam said. ¡°We¡¯ll give Curtis the day off to settle Lewis into his post.¡± She looked at Blake, as though daring him to protest. ¡°Very well,¡± Blake said, not looking at any of them. Lewis had never been so relieved to leave a room. He tried not to look too eager as he followed Curtis out of the dining hall and back up to the tower. ¡°That went better than I thought it would,¡± Curtis said when they were safely back in the High Mage¡¯s study. ¡°But you¡¯ll have to get better at not turning beet red when you lie. And that wasn¡¯t even truly a lie, as you do have water magic.¡± ¡°Just knowing I¡¯m deceiving people makes me nervous,¡± Lewis said. Curtis sighed. ¡°Well, your father would be glad to hear that. I don¡¯t think he could have foreseen something like this happening. Nor could I have.¡± He shook his head. ¡°We best get started, but we don¡¯t want to draw suspicion. I¡¯ll have to train you in here, where we won¡¯t be observed.¡± He took a wooden bowl from a shelf and disappeared into the washroom, returning to set the water filled bowl on the desk gently. ¡°Are you ready to learn how to use your magic?¡± Lewis nodded, even though he didn¡¯t feel the least bit ready. He sat across from Curtis at the desk. ¡°We¡¯ll start with the most basic use of water magic. Focus on the water,¡± Curtis said. ¡°Focus on your intention to make it move.¡± Lewis stared at the water in the bowl, but he felt nothing. Was he supposed to feel something? He stared harder, willing the water to move. Sweat ran down his face and neck. How long had he been staring at the water? If he couldn¡¯t do even this, then he wouldn¡¯t be able to uphold the lie that he was qualified to be High Mage. His failure would likely give whoever had put him in this position exactly what they wanted. Lewis focused harder. Was that the light of sunset reflected on the water? Lewis¡¯s eyes burned with the strain, but he didn¡¯t look away. Curtis had said this was the most basic use of water magic. Surely he could do this much now that he had a pact with a spirit. A tiny bubble rose to the surface in the bowl, a few small ripples spreading around it. Lewis breathed out, almost collapsing onto the desk. Curtis smiled. ¡°That¡¯s a good start.¡± Lewis glanced at the window. ¡°It took me all day to make a minuscule bubble.¡± Curtis looked away, but not fast enough Lewis didn¡¯t see his worry. ¡°We have three days to practice on the way to Palegrove.¡± Chapter 4 Lewis slept deeply that night, but only because he was exhausted from the effort of using magic. If it took all day for him to make water ripple a little, how could he carry out any request he would receive as High Mage? They would expect difficult, complex things from him, and they would expect him to not take an entire day to do just a little magic. These worries resumed as soon as he woke up, just as the sun was rising. He got up, since he and Curtis were leaving early. Lewis was glad it meant they wouldn¡¯t be having breakfast with the others. Miriam seemed nice, but Blake clearly didn¡¯t like him. He wanted to meet the other mages at the hall, but that could wait until he and Curtis returned from Palegrove. Maybe by then he would have learned how to do the most basic things with his magic and would actually feel like he was a mage. He still wouldn¡¯t be qualified to be High Mage, but he had to start somewhere. Curtis came to the tower just after Lewis had finished packing his bag for their journey. Curtis had brought him several spare robes the day before, since he was expected to always be wearing the dark green robes of the High Mage. The two of them had a quick breakfast in the tower before setting off through the birch forest. It was a warm morning. Lewis breathed in the late Spring air deeply, listening to the birds. Even that didn¡¯t get his mind off things. ¡°What did the spirit say?¡± Curtis asked. ¡°And what did the pact entail?¡± Lewis tensed at the memory. ¡°The pact was¡­not what I thought it would be.¡± Curtis raised a brow. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°He spat in my mouth,¡± Lewis said. ¡°That is how we formed a pact.¡± Curtis stopped walking, staring at him for a long moment. ¡°That¡¯s not what I expected either, but we truly know little about this magic. What did he say? What sort of spirit was it? From what I¡¯ve read, spirits are in the shape of animals, but their size is determined by how strong their magic is.¡± ¡°His name is Amnis, and he¡¯s a salamander spirit,¡± Lewis said as they started walking again. ¡°He told me most with magic like mine die when they use their magic without a pact. The pact is supposed to stop that from happening because Amnis gave me part of his essence.¡± ¡°Very literally¡­¡± Curtis muttered. ¡°How big was he?¡± ¡°Massive,¡± Lewis said. ¡°Amnis said a pact with a lesser spirit might not have protected me when I use my magic. He said it¡¯s the magic of spirits, which my body wouldn¡¯t be able to handle without the pact.¡± He told Curtis about spirits eating each other for more power, and that he had been in danger of being eaten when he summoned a spirit. ¡°I think that means spirits can¡¯t eat me now, but I don¡¯t know if it means Amnis can¡¯t either.¡± Curtis nodded slowly, his brows furrowed. ¡°That is a good question. I don¡¯t think you¡¯re in any immediate danger of him eating you. Not if your magic becoming stronger will make his stronger as well. If he didn¡¯t have the patience to wait for your magic to get stronger, he likely would have already eaten you.¡± Lewis thought of the effort it had taken to do a tiny bit of magic the day before. ¡°What if my magic doesn¡¯t get any stronger?¡± Curtis shook his head. ¡°You just need time. It¡¯s difficult for all of us at the beginning. Maybe not as difficult as it was for you yesterday, but your magic is different. We¡¯ll practice again when we stop for the night.¡± The two of them walked through the pale forest through the day, stopping only briefly for a rest. The sun was setting when they finally stopped for the night. It had been a long time since Lewis had walked such a distance, the longest distance having been the two days from Palegrove to Whisperstream. His feet ached, and he had the beginnings of a blister on his heel. There were two more days of this to look forward to. Worse was the knowledge he couldn¡¯t just go to sleep after they ate. He had to try to use magic first, while already exhausted. It was a warm enough night they didn¡¯t need a fire. After Lewis and Curtis ate some of the bread and cheese they had brought with them, Curtis took an extra flask of water from his bag and poured the contents into a bowl. He set it on the ground between them, saying nothing. Lewis assumed he was supposed to do what he had done the day before. Hopefully it wouldn¡¯t take all night. Lewis stared at the water, calming his thoughts. The sooner he got on with it, the sooner he could sleep. The water, reflecting the light of the moon, didn¡¯t stir. Lewis closed his eyes tightly, feeling like he had already been staring at it for a long time. Maybe he was trying too hard? Should it be this hard? He took a deep breath and opened his eyes again, looking back at the water in the bowl. This time he just watched the still surface, letting himself blink whenever he needed to, thinking about what he wanted it to do rather than focusing his entire being on it. His eyes started to close. It had been such a long day¡­ A blast of water hit him in the face, bringing him sharply back from the edge of sleep. He blinked, staring at the now empty bowl. Curtis was laughing. ¡°What happened?¡± Lewis asked, drying his face with his sleeve. ¡°That is why you should be well rested when you do magic,¡± Curtis said. ¡°I thought it might help since you were having so much trouble yesterday, and you were going for such small magic you wouldn¡¯t be in any danger.¡± ¡°Did I do that?¡± He didn¡¯t dare hope yet. Curtis managed to stop laughing. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t throw it at you if that¡¯s what you¡¯re wondering. That was entirely you. As soon as you drifted off, the water came rushing out of the bowl.¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°I was a little worried by how close to the bowl you were leaning. I thought you might fall asleep right into the water. Did you learn anything from this?¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Lewis thought about what had just happened. ¡°I was trying too hard yesterday. Trying so hard to use the magic makes it harder to use magic.¡± Curtis nodded, sliding the empty bowl back into his bag. ¡°There is a fine line between focusing too hard and not enough.¡± He chuckled quietly. ¡°And not falling asleep while you¡¯re trying to do magic. I think that¡¯s enough for tonight, but hopefully this means you¡¯ll have better luck tomorrow.¡± Lewis wanted to try again now that he knew what he needed to do, but that wouldn¡¯t be a good idea. He would probably just fall asleep again. Even in the warm night air, he was chilly being soaked. He changed his robes and hung the other over a branch to dry, then he slept more deeply than even the day before. In the morning, his other robes were dry. He and Curtis set off after a breakfast of more bread and cheese. ¡°Birch Hall is far out here,¡± Lewis said. Curtis nodded. ¡°It¡¯s at the border between Betula, Ferax, and Conlis, but it¡¯s just far enough into Betula that it¡¯s considered a part of this country. Still, Birch Hall is neutral. Ferax and Conlis may be at odds, but mages from both those places study at the hall. Some mages leave the hall when they become Adepts to travel all over the world, fulfilling requests in all three countries. Mages are just as neutral as Birch Hall.¡± ¡°So if Conlis and Ferax went to war, mages from there wouldn¡¯t fight in it?¡± Lewis asked. ¡°Or would it just be their choice?¡± Curtis frowned. ¡°It¡¯s much more complicated than that. Mages are required to be neutral. It is a law all three countries agreed upon, and it is a law that means the countries cannot hire mages to fight in a war. It also means a country can¡¯t request a mage to do something against another country.¡± He sighed. ¡°Being neutral has its benefits, but it does mean that if a mage wants to fight for their country, they are not allowed to. Thankfully, it has been a very long time since there has been any war on this continent, even if Ferax and Conlis still despise each other.¡± ¡°Betula is more closely allied with Conlis, but they¡¯ve said they¡¯re neutral when it comes to Ferax and Conlis¡¯s disagreements,¡± Lewis said. Curtis nodded. ¡°That is partly why Birch Hall was built in Betula, even if it is barely in Betula.¡± ¡°My father told me that,¡± Lewis said, his thoughts wandering to their house in Palegrove. ¡°He was usually away, at Birch Hall, or out on a request.¡± Curtis nervously tugged at the ribbon in his hair, making it tighter. ¡°Who took care of you when Stewart was away?¡± ¡°A maid,¡± Lewis said. ¡°Always a different one that he would hire only when he was going to be away. I left home when I was sixteen.¡± A silence settled between them. ¡°He feared he shut you out too much,¡± Curtis said. ¡°When you left Palegrove entirely, he wanted to find you, but he also worried it was best to let you go. He didn¡¯t want you involved in magic in any way, in case it would make your magic surface on its own.¡± ¡°How would he have found out what my magic could do to me?¡± Lewis asked. ¡°He traveled all over, reading ancient books about our world and about magic,¡± Curtis said. ¡°He never gave up on finding a way to help you.¡± It was hard to believe that after all this time. He had believed for so long that his father was just disappointed in him for not being a proper mage. ¡°I understand why he didn¡¯t tell me,¡± Lewis said, ¡°but I still wish he had. Couldn¡¯t I have made a pact with a spirit sooner? That is supposed to protect me from my magic.¡± Curtis frowned. ¡°That¡¯s what worries me. Before Stewart vanished, he told me he found something more about your magic. He seemed troubled, but he didn¡¯t get a chance to tell me about it before he vanished. I worry what else the pact means, or maybe he was just worried a spirit would eat you. I¡¯m still worried that spirit plans to eat you eventually. As soon as we return to Birch Hall, I¡¯m going to read all the books Stewart brought back from his most recent trip. I hope whatever he found out is in one of those.¡± ¡°I want to read them too,¡± Lewis said. Neither of them said much more as they walked through the day. When they stopped again for the night, they ate in silence before Curtis filled the bowl with water again. They had found a stream earlier, where he had refilled their flasks. He had stopped at the stream before on the way to Palegrove and was certain it was clean. This time, when Lewis gazed into the water, he was excited. Would it be easier this time? The excitement made it harder to calm his mind and focus. He consciously relaxed his tense shoulders, imagining the water rippling while watching the still surface. A ripple spread through the water, followed by another. Lewis realized he was holding his breath and let it out. More ripples spread through the water. He imagined waves in the water, but it simply continued to ripple. He was getting sweaty and tired again already. The water stopped rippling entirely, and Lewis couldn¡¯t make it start again. He leaned back against the tree behind him, breathing hard. Curtis carefully poured the water back into the flask and put both back into his bag. He handed Lewis another flask of water to drink from. He felt a little better after that, but he went right to sleep after. In the morning, he and Curtis set out early again. ¡°You made good progress last night,¡± Curtis said. ¡°Just remember, this is going to take time. You¡¯re not going to suddenly be capable of localized rain clouds.¡± ¡°My father could make it rain?¡± Lewis had rarely seen his father actually do magic. Curtis smiled. ¡°He could do far more than that.¡± The smile faltered. ¡°I know it feels like you have little time to learn, and truly you don¡¯t, but this isn¡¯t something we can rush. Still, so long as you remember what you learned, to not focus too hard, I think you¡¯ll keep making progress.¡± ¡°How much can Novices do when they first come to Birch Hall?¡± Lewis asked. Curtis itched his nose, not looking at him. Lewis sighed. ¡°You¡¯ll get there,¡± Curtis said, patting him on the shoulder. ¡°As you¡¯ve seen, pushing too hard, trying too hard, will only make this more difficult.¡± Chapter 5 The sun was setting when Lewis and Curtis reached the gate of Betula. The pale stones of the city almost blended in with the birch forest around it. The two were just in time to enter the city before the gate would close for the night. They went to the most expensive inn, near the market. Lewis had never been to an inn like that before. Curtis got them separate rooms, handing over a lot of Tanza. Lewis had never seen such a pile of the blue and purple gem discs used to pay for an inn room. Even if dinner was included. The common room was large and crowded with well dressed people. Lewis felt out of place, and even more uncomfortable when people looked at him and whispered excitedly to each other. He wanted to raise his hood, but doubted that would be proper. He was thankful when Curtis led him to a table in a far corner. Dinner was a hearty stew of vegetables and rabbit meat. ¡°This inn is very¡­¡± Lewis wasn¡¯t sure how to say it, or how to ask the question that was gnawing at him. Curtis smiled. ¡°I know it feels like we shouldn¡¯t be here, but the court is the one who pays for it. They sent Tanza with their letter that told me when to bring you here. You are the High Mage.¡± He lowered his voice. ¡°That is as high a position as the Queen¡¯s adviser. You are of a higher rank than the nobles of Palegrove.¡± Lewis shrank down in his chair. ¡°Sit up,¡± Curtis whispered. ¡°People are watching. You need to look confident. If we¡¯re to convince them of anything, we must start now, or there will be rumors all over the city that the High Mage is a frightened child.¡± Lewis sat up straighter. ¡°I¡¯m not a child¡­¡± he muttered. ¡°Surely you¡¯ve seen Stewart in public before,¡± Curtis said. ¡°How did he act?¡± He had always looked uncomfortably rigid, not at all laid back like he was at home. He had an air of confidence all the time, but it was even more noticeable in public. Lewis didn¡¯t have the slightest idea how to look that confident or important. It was all he could do to keep his hand from shaking while he ate. There were so many people staring at him. He avoided looking at them, but he dreaded what it would be like at the castle the next day. Would it be worse than this, or the same? The answer wouldn¡¯t make him feel any better, so he didn¡¯t ask Curtis. When at last they went up to their rooms, Lewis was somehow more drained than when he¡¯d practiced his magic. Curtis went to his own room, not saying anything about practicing that night. Maybe he wanted Lewis well rested for meeting the court in the morning. Lewis doubted any amount of rest was going to prepare him for that. He slept little that night, staring up at the ceiling, uncomfortable in the vast bed with the strangely soft blankets. Even the bed in the High Mage¡¯s tower wasn¡¯t like this. That had been an ordinary bed. Lewis closed his eyes, managing only a little sleep before dawn. The common room was emptier during breakfast, but Lewis still felt eyes on him the entire time he ate. He and Curtis ate quickly and in silence before leaving the inn and heading for the castle, which loomed in a corner of the city. On the way, they passed the street where Lewis had grown up. He didn¡¯t look down the street. A glimpse of his old home wouldn¡¯t make him feel any better. At the castle, a man dressed in richly colored, fine fabric led them into the castle and into the vast throne hall. Lewis had never felt so stiff, but he didn¡¯t know how to relax, how not to look like a frightened child. It didn¡¯t help that Curtis was taller than him and Lewis was scrawny, his robes too big. Would anyone believe he was even nineteen? Even that was much too young to be High Mage, unless he was some kind of magic genius. ¡°Stop fidgeting,¡± Curtis whispered. Lewis had been messing with the belt on his robes and hadn¡¯t realized it. He let go quickly. ¡°There are so many people here,¡± he whispered back. ¡°It is the entire court,¡± Curtis said. At least two dozen people stood along either side of the throne hall. At the far end, Queen Abigail of Betula sat on her intricately carved wooden throne. Her long white hair was braided and tied in a bun. Her clothes were white with silver stitching as intricate as the carvings on the throne. Lewis recalled his father having mentioned the queen¡¯s age a few years ago. She was sixty-eight now. Even sitting down, she had a presence greater than anyone else in the room. Someone wearing a black cloak with the hood up stood in the shadows to the side of the throne. ¡°Who is that behind her?¡± Lewis whispered as he and Curtis walked down the long hall toward the throne. ¡°Her adviser,¡± Curtis said. ¡°Esther of Leafvale. Here is where we stop and bow.¡± Lewis followed Curtis¡¯s lead, bowing low to the Queen of Betula. Queen Abigail nodded, a slight, graceful movement. The well dressed man who had accompanied Lewis and Curtis still stood behind them. He spoke in a booming voice that carried throughout the hall. ¡°High Mage Lewis of Palegrove, and Elder Mage Curtis of Gareca.¡± Lewis couldn¡¯t help but flinch with the loud, sudden voice right behind him. Whispers spread through the hall. The one he heard most clearly, all throughout the court, was the question of his age, of how one so young could possibly be High Mage. He heard a few mutterings of the fact Curtis looked far more qualified to be High Mage than Lewis. ¡°This child is the new High Mage?¡± a man in the crowd asked. He stood closer to the throne than the others in the hall. His short blond hair was neatly combed. He appeared to be in his fifties. ¡°Indeed he is, cousin,¡± Queen Abigail said, her voice carrying through the hall without her shouting. ¡°Stewart named him as such. Stewart served as High Mage for many years, and if he believes his son is qualified for the position, then I believe him.¡± Lewis felt all the blood draining from his face. At least it wasn¡¯t turning bright red this time, but he doubted this would give any better an impression. The queen¡¯s cousin glared at Lewis, somehow even more frightening than Blake had been the other morning. ¡°Martin of Palegrove,¡± Curtis whispered. ¡°Queen¡¯s cousin, first in line to the throne.¡± ¡°He is hardly more than a child,¡± Martin said, still glaring. ¡°So much a child he had to be accompanied by an Elder Mage.¡± You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°How many times did I accompany Stewart?¡± Curtis asked, his voice shaking a little despite how confident he looked. The queen smiled. ¡°Each and every time he came. There is no rule against this, Martin, and the boy will still be learning what his duties are as High Mage. Curtis is the perfect person to teach him.¡± She frowned a little. ¡°It would have been more ideal for Stewart to teach him himself. Is there any word on his whereabouts?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, Your Highness,¡± Curtis said, bowing low again. ¡°All we have is the letter. Even Lewis doesn¡¯t know where his father has gone.¡± Queen Abigail nodded slowly. ¡°Perhaps Stewart simply tired of his position as High Mage, or perhaps he simply believed his son was ready.¡± Lewis didn¡¯t know what to do, but doubted he should say anything, so he stayed silent and simply nodded stiffly. ¡°There is already a request of import awaiting you, High Mage,¡± Queen Abigail said. ¡°The farms of Leafvale are suffering due to an issue with their well and a recent lack of rain. All attempts to restore the well have failed and the crops will not survive much longer. Curtis shall accompany you, as this is your first request, and it is important enough to send both of you.¡± She stared at Lewis with eyes the same dark green as Martin¡¯s. ¡°This will show us all the strength of your magic. I trust you, Stewart¡¯s son, will not be found wanting.¡± Curtis bowed again, so Lewis quickly followed, his heart beating fast. If he could barely make water ripple, how could he water all the farms of Leafvale? This question haunted him the entire way back to the inn. Curtis said nothing on the way, ghostly pale. He led Lewis upstairs, both of them going into Lewis¡¯s room and sitting at the table in front of the large window. ¡°What do we do?¡± Lewis asked, breaking the silence. ¡°Creating water from the moisture in the air is a very advanced use of water magic,¡± Curtis said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t try teaching it to a Novice, and I would teach it late to an Apprentice.¡± Now Lewis felt even worse. ¡°It¡¯s not something I can learn before we get to Leafvale, is it?¡± ¡°Not likely,¡± Curtis said, frowning hard at the wood of the table. ¡°Worse, the people of Leafvale will definitely be watching. I don¡¯t know how much I can get away with doing the magic for you.¡± He leaned further back in his chair, silent for a long moment. ¡°Perhaps we should focus on the well and not the fields. If we can fix the well, there will be no need for us to water the fields.¡± Lewis nodded, but what if they couldn¡¯t fix the well? Curtis would have to water the fields, and if he did that, someone might notice Lewis wasn¡¯t the one doing the magic. Fixing the well was their best chance of not revealing Lewis wasn¡¯t even qualified to be a Novice, let alone High Mage. Neither of them said anything more about it. They ate dinner downstairs, with everyone else in the common room staring at Lewis and whispering. He slept little that night, despite knowing he would need energy for the journey and for what would happen when they reached Leafvale. Lewis and Curtis left just after breakfast, restocking their supplies before leaving through the opposite gate they had come through on the way into the city. This time they were following a road. There were others up ahead and a few more behind them. When night came, these other groups of travelers stopped to the side of the road within sight of Lewis and Curtis. They couldn¡¯t risk Lewis practicing his magic with so many people around. The next day, the group of travelers behind them went down another, smaller road while the rest of them continued toward Leafvale. The sun was setting when they reached the edge of the forest, the small stretch of plains where all of Betula¡¯s farms were. At least the land was fertile, but if all these crops failed, Betula would have no choice but to buy food from Ferax. Conlis had little farmland as well, and theirs never produced much. Like Conlis, Betula relied on hunting and fishing for food along with farming, but they would still have a shortage without the food from the farms. The farming town of Leafvale was at the center of the fields. Lewis didn¡¯t manage to count all the fields before he and Curtis reached the town. He doubted he could water one plant, let alone all of these fields. Lewis wasn¡¯t sure Curtis could water all these crops alone either. He saw Curtis staring at the fields, having gone pale. Maybe he was thinking the same thing. At the center of town, an older man stood beside a well. A crowd had gathered there. The man bowed. ¡°Welcome, High Mage. We heard you set out from Palegrove two days ago and hoped you would arrive soon. A room has been set up for you and Elder Mage Curtis at the inn. I am the Alder of Leafvale. If you have questions, I will do my best to answer them.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Lewis said, unable to keep his voice from shaking a little. Hopefully they would just think he was tired. The inn was more comfortable than the one in Palegrove, because it was less extravagant. There was also no one else in the common room, so Lewis and Curtis ate in peace, with no whispers or stares. The inn had only two rooms, one of which was occupied, so Lewis and Curtis were to share. There were two beds in the room, as well as a table with two chairs near the window. It was reassuring how normal it looked compared to the inn in Palegrove. ¡°Get some sleep if you can,¡± Curtis said. ¡°We¡¯ll see what we can do about the well in the morning.¡± The people of Leafvale would have tried to fix the well. If they couldn¡¯t do it, what could Lewis and Curtis do? Lewis¡¯s worries kept him awake most of the night again. He was tired enough when he woke up that he wasn¡¯t sure he could do any magic at all. He took a deep breath and got out of bed. The sun had almost finished rising, and Curtis was already up, putting on his robes. Lewis went into the washroom and splashed cold water on his face from the basin. That woke him up a little, but not enough to suddenly do the impossible and do magic far beyond his capabilities. Curtis said nothing during breakfast, staring at his porridge with distant eyes. There were dark circles under his eyes, as though he had slept no better than Lewis. Breakfast was over too soon. The two of them went out to the well, where the alder and many others gathered to watch. No one said anything while Curtis and Lewis examined the well. Lewis looked down, the light of sunrise just enough to see into the darkness. ¡°There¡¯s no water,¡± Curtis said. ¡°It dried up many days ago,¡± the alder said. ¡°We don¡¯t know why. We¡¯ve been getting water from a river in the forest, but it¡¯s a long way to walk. There¡¯s no way we can water all the fields with water from the river alone.¡± ¡°Can you sense the water with your magic?¡± Curtis whispered. Lewis reached out with his magic, how he did when he made water ripple. To his surprise, he felt something. ¡°Is it stuck somehow?¡± he whispered back. Curtis nodded, smiling briefly. ¡°Maybe there are stones blocking its path into the well, or something else. The water might just need some help to push past it. It¡¯s just like making it ripple, making it move, but you¡¯ll have to imagine the water rather than seeing it.¡± He kept his voice low enough that only Lewis would hear him. Lewis closed his eyes, imagining the water in a small, dark tunnel far beneath the ground. He imagined a rock in its path, holding the water back. He felt the water with his magic, but how would he know if it was moving? His magic flowed through the water, giving him a better idea of the shape of the tunnel. Maybe there really was a rock blocking the way. He adjusted the imagined tunnel in his mind and made the rock bigger, then he willed the water to move. The water rippled, sloshing around in the tight space. The rock began to move. Lewis¡¯s hands were sweaty where he gripped the edge of the well. The people gathered around the well were whispering, and he was aware of Curtis standing beside him. Lewis let go of his awareness of his surroundings, focusing entirely on the water far below them. If he could do this, they wouldn¡¯t have to water the fields with magic. The water pressed against the rock harder. With one last push of magic and intention, the rock gave way, the water pushing it out into the main part of the well. Lewis opened his eyes, a sharp, cold feeling flashing across his chest. His breath caught, but the feeling was gone as quickly as it had come. He stared down into the well as the water level rose. He had fixed the well.