Wolf in the Fold, page 38
It was there. She picked up speed. They had no time left.
Her mind shifted. She was kneeling beside Caleb, not daring to look up as Master Wolfe materialised in the exact centre of the chamber, a glowing form of too-bright light that burned through her skin and sank deep into her brain. She could feel his thoughts becoming things, feel the madness tainting reality itself ... the skittering things were back, if they’d ever left, feeding on the horrors the mad god was leaving in his wake. The power was too great for her to even look at, let alone steal. It was too much ...
Caleb moaned, his eyes twitching beneath his closed eyes. He was having a nightmare ... Emily almost envied him, even though she knew reality was waiting for him. He would awake into a world ruled by a mad god, a nightmare given shape and form and brought into being by an all-powerful monster. She could feel Master Wolfe getting closer, reality itself twisting around him ... she couldn’t tell if he was showing off, by adjusting his position rather than walking, or if he no longer cared to walk. It didn’t matter. There was nowhere to run.
Half of me will be safe, Emily promised herself. She was terrified, but also calm and controlled. That’s all that matters.
She leaned forward and kissed Caleb lightly, silently apologising for dragging him into yet another nightmare, then forced herself to look up. The light was so bright it felt like hell ... she could feel it rushing towards her, a new reality imposed on the old. She clutched his hand tightly, only to feel him dissolve under her ... faces snapped in and out of existence around her, faces she knew, faces she feared. She opened her mouth to scream ...
It was too late.
Her awareness snapped back. The nexus point was right in front of her, a moment where all times were one. She tried to throw herself back in time, to get back far enough to shut the mad scheme down before it was too late, but ... it was already too late. The nexus point wasn’t in the human realm any longer ... did the human realm even exist? She could feel the mad god howling as his power grew and grew, his mentality spreading towards her and rewriting reality in its wake. He thought he’d got her. He thought she was trapped in a nightmare. She had the edge as long as he thought he’d already won.
She sucked in her breath sharply, then threw open the nexus point. Her spellware was waiting for her ... she picked up Frieda and carried her into the new chamber, then slammed the door behind them. Master Wolfe’s awareness washed over the nexus point a second later, his mind seeming to pick up every atom and examine it carefully before letting it go again and receding into the distance. Emily breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if they’d escaped ... briefly. She could hear the howling even inside the nexus point, feel reality – the universe, the multiverse, everything – cracking under the pressure of his mind.
Her heart sank. The world had become the plaything of a mad god ...
And, as God was her witness, she had no idea how to fix the nightmare he’d unleashed.
End of Book Twenty-Eight
The Story Will Conclude In:
The Hour of the Wolf
Coming Soon
Afterword
When I came up with the idea for the grand finale for the Schooled in Magic series, or at least Emily’s role as a major character, it became obvious that I would have to split the novel into two parts. This was not ideal, for obvious reasons, and unlike the previous time I had done a two-part storyline (Infinite Regress/Past Tense) it was much harder to separate the books into two separate plots that flowed naturally from one to the other. Accordingly, once this book is edited, I will start work on The Hour of the Wolf, which will hopefully bring the storyline to a satisfactory ending and clear the decks for Heart’s Eye, which is intended to be the coda for the series. This is not the end of stories set in this universe, and I do intend to write a trilogy following the adventures of Emily’s son as he grows up in her shadow, but I think it will be the end of Emily herself (or at least her adventures).
I apologise for the cliffhanger. Or Chrishanger. But I will do my best to resolve it shortly.
A reader asked just how much of the storyline I had planned out from the beginning, and the truth is I had a great deal in mind - at least in vague terms - and I sowed a great many seeds as I went along, leaving them with time to germinate, but many of the elements were not drawn together until I started planning out the grand finale. I always had the intention that Emily will encounter the roots of magic, and those who wish to study it, yet I did not know how the confrontation would go until now. This is something I have tried to do throughout the series, with varying levels of success. Let me know what you think.
I would like to take this moment to remind you all about the Fantastic Schools collection of short stories and invite you to contribute (details on my website). If you are interested in writing stories set in magic schools, or related themes, why not send us a story? We can’t promise fame and fortune - I wish - but it may kick-start your career by giving you a solid sale to put on your resume. All are welcome, from experienced authors to newcomers. We don’t discriminate.
If you have enjoyed this novel, please leave a review. It is a great deal harder to gain any ground in the indie publishing world now, and reviews are one of the few ways to boost a writer’s career. Even a handful of words help, if they are posted in the right place.
Thank you for your time, and follow me (links below) for updates, opportunities, and much more.
Christopher G. Nuttall
Edinburgh, 2025
Appendix: The Hierarchy
The Hierarchy does not exist.
That is the official position of the magical families, the monarchies of the Allied Lands and just about everyone else. They react badly to any suggestion that there might actually be some truth buried in the myth, and enquiries into the subject are strongly discouraged. The few who admit there is any truth to the legend agree, almost unanimously, that the Hierarchy was destroyed during the Imperial Period and there were not enough survivors, if any, for the Hierarchy to regenerate itself. The Hierarchy does not exist.
The silence is understandable, because the magical families have always had a tense relationship with the Hierarchy. The few who do know that the Hierarchy remains in existence are the ones who are prepared to make deals with the Hierarchists, to trade magical knowledge for resources and personnel the Hierarchy can’t or won’t secure for itself. The Hierarchy’s lack of scruples when it comes to carrying out magical research gives it an edge, when it comes to developing newer and potentially very dangerous forms of magic, the kind of research that is banned elsewhere. In many ways, the relationship is a balancing act: the magical families seek to exploit the Hierarchy, while trying to advance to the point they can destroy it for good, while the Hierarchy seeks to maintain its independence and pursue its own goals. The few who are in the know expect the balancing act will not last forever, but for the moment they have no choice but to play the Hierarchy’s game.
The Hierarchy was founded by Master Wolfe, nearly a thousand years ago. At that point, it was just another quarrel (an association of magicians) with the express goal of sharing magical knowledge, carrying out magical research, and generally pushing the boundaries of magic as far as they would go. It had no interest, officially, in politics or war: it cared nothing for the disputes between magical factions, the formation of the first kingdoms and later empires, or even the tensions between magicians and mundanes. It did not discriminate between magicians who came from magical families and newborn magicians who had to struggle to get the education they needed, and indeed it has few qualms about recruiting either woman (before female magicians became commonplace) or theoretical (non-magical) magicians. This willingness to innovate and adapt gave it a significant edge, ensuring its survival in a world where the original quarrels often died out, collapsed into infighting, or simply merged together.
It also brought the Hierarchy to the brink of destruction. There had always been an element of extreme danger in the experiments they conducted, and one experiment unleashed untold devastation. The Empire ordered the Hierarchy’s obliteration and carried out a near-total purge. Known Hierarchists were marked for death, and few survived: families and quarrels that had links to the Hierarchy were ordered to abandon their former allies and either imprison or execute family members who had joined the Hierarchy. It was fortunate for the Hierarchy that most of its inner circle was unknown, even to their allies, and that their fortress was concealed in ways that kept it secret from anyone who was not already a soulmarked member of the Hierarchy. Even so, the Hierarchy was devastated. It took several years to rebuild and start recreating links to the magical community. It never came into the light again. Instead, it carefully practised a policy of absolute secrecy. The few outsiders who knew the truth were bound to silence. As far as everyone else was concerned, the Hierarchy was gone.
The Hierarchy continued its research in seclusion. There was no longer any attempt to openly recruit the most promising magicians of each generation. Instead, prospective candidates would be tested secretly and eventually offered the chance to join the Hierarchy, taking the soulmark and pledging their lives to the cause. Very few knew what they were truly joining until it was too late, and the ones who backed off before crossing the line were allowed to go in peace, never knowing how close they had come to the darkest secret of the magical world. Agents were scattered through the magical and mundane communities, gathering intelligence on magical developments, identifying prospective candidates, and generally keeping an eye on possible threats. It also scattered a great many rumours about itself, ensuring that what little truth did leak into the public eye was buried in a tidal wave of utter nonsense. A great many people who have no connection to the Hierarchy were branded Hierarchists, the handful of true Hierarchists who drew attention were ‘proved’ to have nothing to do with the Hierarchy. These rumours often took on a life of their own. The Hierarchy was darkly amused to note that quite a few ‘Hierarchists’ claimed links to the Hierarchy without any encouragement from the real Hierarchists.
The end of the Necromantic Wars brought opportunity as well as threat to the Hierarchy. They were quick to study Lady Emily’s innovations and make full use of them, and had no qualms about using magitech even though it had been invented and developed by a mundane (admittedly one who had studied magic for much of his life). Indeed, the Hierarchy would have happily recruited both of them if it had been possible to do it without attracting attention. The Heart’s Eye University provoked envy as well as excitement within the inner circle, who regarded the university as both a perfect recruiting ground and a rival. And as more innovations spread into the wider world, the Hierarchy started preparing to take full advantage of them...
Given its penchant for secrecy, the Hierarchy is something of a metaphorical onion. The outermost layers consist of thousands of agents (the Hands) that rarely, if ever, know who they really work for. Their job is gathering intelligence, studying magic, and trying to prove themselves to their superiors. The Hierarchy regards these agents as expendable, and while it is happy to make use of them it rarely goes out of its way to assist them if they run into trouble. This secrecy has occasionally backfired on the Hierarchy, as the agents have often unknowingly done things that are detrimental to the Hierarchy’s interests. The Hierarchy regards this as a small price to pay for their secrecy.
A very small number of these agents go on to join the inner layers. Most inner recruits, however, have no prior connection to the Hierarchy, and generally come to its attention by demonstrating a willingness to push the boundaries combined with a certain disregard for the rules enforced by the magic schools and the wider magical community. The Hierarchy often puts temptation in their path by offering them access to dangerous, often forbidden, magical knowledge, then seeing what they make of it. They are not just looking for raw power (most necromancers would never be considered), but innovative magical developments and solutions to previously unsolvable problems. Upon being convinced the candidate is worthy, the Hierarchy makes them an offer. Not all offers are accepted, of course, but the Hierarchy is generally very good at identifying magicians who are willing to join. The few who don’t are left to go their own way. The Hierarchy is fairly confident (with reason) that if they reported the truth it would simply not be believed.
Those who join discover that the Hierarchy has a very definite hierarchy. At the bottom, there are the Thousand: a thousand magicians who are true members of the Hierarchy and bear its soulmark. They report to the Hundred, each one responsible for ten of the Thousand, and report in turn to the Ten. The Ten report to Zero, the unquestioned master of the Hierarchy. The Hierarchy encourages debate where necessary, and the lower-ranking members often have more influence than it seems, but once the decisions are made no further argument is allowed or tolerated.
This is enforced through the soulmark, a magical brand burned directly into the Hierarchist’s magic. It serves as a form of identification, as one Hierarchist can always identify another, but also binds them to the Hierarchy’s rules. It is impossible for a Hierarchist to speak openly of their allegiance without permission (oddly, the Hierarchy does allow dying members to taunt their murderers before they die), or to advance through assassination. The only way to gain promotion is to either challenge and defeat your superior, a contest decided through superior magical ability rather than brute force, or to devise an innovation that expands upon the Hierarchy’s understanding of magic. The Hierarchy does not punish failed challengers, assuming they survive the challenge, but it forbids them to challenge again for at least five years.
As part of this process, the Hierarchist gives up their name. All Hierarchists are identified as a number, which is woven into their soulmark, that represents their position within the organisation (the lower the number, the higher ranking the Hierarchist). They are free to use their old name if they wish, or take on a multitude of identities, but as far as the Hierarchy is concerned their number is their name.
The dark secret at the heart of the Hierarchy is this: Master Wolfe (otherwise known as Zero) is not dead. His personality was copied into a mimic, the very first mimic, and since then he has survived by absorbing the souls and magic of his challengers. He cannot truly be said to be a lone personality any longer, as each of his challengers has been added to his multiplicity and he has taken on their personality traits as well as their knowledge and insights into magic. This gives him a remarkable adaptability where magic is concerned, allowing him to cast a multitude of spells at once in a manner no purely human magician can match. Unlike most mimics, he is perfectly aware of his true nature and is never truly dormant, even when wearing a new human face.
Effectively immortal, practically indestructible, Master Wolfe has all the time in the universe to pursue his studies into magic. He has gone farther than anyone else, and sees vistas of unlimited power opening up before him. But for everyone else, he may unleash a nightmare beyond compare.
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If You Liked Wolf in the Fold, You Might Like:
Mercenary’s March (The Schooled in Magic Universe II).
A new stand-alone novel!
Fifteen years ago, the Kingdom of Kentigern was destroyed by a necromancer and his army of orcs, the Royal Family and a handful of aristocrats and commoners forced to flee across the Inner Sea before it was too late. Since then, few have set foot on Kentigern and fewer still have returned, leaving the refugees trapped, unable to return home. But now the Necromantic Wars are over.
Determined to keep his vow to return, Crown Prince Hadrian of Kentigern raises an army of mercenaries, armed with the latest weapons and magitech necromancer-killing devices, and sets off to reclaim his father’s kingdom. For Sir James, Captain-General of the Bloody Hands, it is a chance to gain the titles and wealth that should be his by right; for Robin and Eliza, runaways from aristocratic justice, it is a chance to make a new life for themselves, far from their former tormentors.
