Runic Apprentice, page 10
part #1 of The Rune Mystic Series
Regardless, he didn’t want to make a target out of himself. Given the somewhat dark if not completely defined legacy of mystics, he knew he’d be at risk if anyone found out. The royal family would fear ambition, and other mages would be jealous.
Despite that, he’d already had several insights and ideas to make spells better and cheaper, but he ignored them.
His sword training was going slowly but steadily, and he managed to master the first five forms over those two weeks. If he kept on with it at that pace, he’d be joining the main class for sparring practice in just six weeks’ time. That’s when the real training would begin. He was even to the point where he understood the difference, and the importance of it. There was a flowing economy of movement to them when done correctly, one that would extend his stamina in a martial fight. There was no wasted energy in the forms when done perfectly, and it required a looseness of body to do it right. Even overextending by an inch or two would add up during a fight. Tensing muscles would also lead to faster fatigue during a fight.
Personally, after the two weeks, things were both good and bad. For one, he was starting to get over his loss, sometimes whole hours would go by without him thinking of Celane or his old life, which would perversely make it even worse when it did hit him unawares, as it made him feel guilty.
Also, on the bad side, his friendship with Caley had all but run its course. He didn’t blame her for it, not in the least, but it was clear she’d bent to peer pressure, even while knowing it was wrong to do so. At least, it felt wrong, to both her and him. He wasn’t sure if he’d do anything differently, if he’d been getting pressure that way from Lia and Sam, the people he spent the most time around. He also hadn’t even bothered to try to reach out to any other mages outside of the rune guild. There was no point. He was professional, even friendly, they’d be his allies after all, some of them anyway, but he was as professionally distant as they were, if courteous.
It seemed wrong and almost alien to his upbringing and who he was, but sometimes traditions and custom were stronger than any law, and it was the way it was.
In the end though, he would have Caley’s back if she was in trouble, and he suspected she’d have his as well. They may not have spoken, and they may have bent to the twisted traditions of the towers in that way, but that didn’t mean they still didn’t like each other, or weren’t good people.
On the good side, he continued to get along with Lia, Sam, and Cassandra very well, and they were a family of sorts. A guild officially, but too small and their moments together too intimate a circle to be called anything less than family. It was a good thing, and a comfort, if not always perfect.
Cassandra was generous with her time, and obviously truly cared. The rules weren’t sharply adhered to simply because they were rules, but because she actually cared about keeping her apprentices safe. She was a strong woman, and he was proud to know her and be in her good graces.
Lia amazed him as well, and he wasn’t looking forward to the time she earned her mage title and was sent away on missions, which he suspected wouldn’t be too much longer. She’d grown into a solid friend, and he barely even noticed her dazzling looks any longer. She was just Lia, and probably the closest friend he had there. Most of his free time had been spent with her, mostly because Sam disappeared a lot, something he very purposefully never inquired about again.
He’d also discovered Lia’s parents were on a long-term mission, a yearlong tour on the southern border who led the mage contingent down there with Sam’s parents. It’d be nine months, before he’d even meet the other half of the known rune mages.
Sam was a bit more complicated. The young man, a year older than Olin, was a solid person as far as having Olin’s back. He was also fun to be around, and quite amusing at times. It was Sam’s work ethic and integrity that Olin struggled not to judge him over.
Sam was about to be promoted to mage as well, but he was nineteen, where Lia was just seventeen, almost eighteen. He’d been an apprentice almost twice as long as the norm, and he was lackadaisical about his studies at best. A little spoiled and entitled from growing up in the tower perhaps, although Lia went the other way and she’d grown up in the tower as well.
Olin had always been a hard worker, took satisfaction and joy in success and the rewards of hard work, and he really didn’t get Sam’s mindset. He didn’t think it was ability either, which would be far more understandable. Still, he liked Sam, had his back as Sam would have his, there was nothing lacking in Sam’s loyalty, but past that he struggled with some of Sam’s attitudes and actions.
Well, no one was perfect, and perhaps he was a little too focused and dedicated at times. Lia had even teased him a bit, about spending so much time in the library. Perhaps that came of being a blacksmith. Not much was more permanent than creating something at the forge. Simple mistakes could cost a lot of coin and set back projects for days. His work ethic and focus were built from those realities, and how he was shaped by his old master, Cain.
The only other change those two weeks was that Queen Delphine was now regent and ruled over the kingdom of Reton. She’d rule for the next twenty-two months, until heir apparent Princess Vida reached her eighteenth birthday. They never did discover exactly what had happened, or who was behind the poisoning of the king. In fact, they never even found the assassin, never mind who had sent him, or her.
Even magic, and mages, had limits. Only the king and the four dead mages knew the truth leading up to their poisoning, and the queen had absolutely forbidden her husband’s resting spirit to be woken and questioned by a death mage.
Olin was nervous about the next morning as he turned in that night, two weeks after arriving at the tower. His studies would be put on hold that next day, no classes either, it was the day of his first competition. He was ready to a certain extent. His magic had almost doubled in capacity the last week, but even then it was still very small. It’d be a long while before he reached his limits that way.
He had the five spells he planned on, plus a few other alternative spells he’d learned and scribed, as another idea. He didn’t expect to last very long, but he’d still be horrified if he came in dead last.
Clearly, trickery was his only chance at lasting even a few minutes, but as Master Jaren said, there’s no such thing as a fair fight, and if you’re not cheating, you’re doing it wrong. There’s only the winner and loser. The one still standing, and the one dead on the ground. The stakes were far too high in a fight for fairness to come into it. Sure, the competition wasn’t a life and death fight, but it was training for that very thing, and he took it very seriously.
Chapter Thirteen
“Nervous?”
Cassandra had already left the tower to help the other six tower masters prepare the arena. Apparently, the layout changed every month, except for the one small open field on one side with the practice weapons building. That way, even the oldest person there wouldn’t have an advantage in knowing the layout before the competition.
It was after breakfast, and there were only a few minutes before they had to go. From what he’d been able to determine, there’d be almost two hundred people in the competition, most of them full mages, some of them masters, and only twenty-two apprentices.
For four of them, it was their first one. Caley, the two new earth apprentices, and himself.
He looked at Lia with faux confidence, and smirked, but said jokingly, “Resigned.”
She giggled, “It’s not so bad. I’d offer to ally, but that would just get you killed quicker, probably by a stray spell.”
Sam said, “Me too.”
He nodded in agreement, she wasn’t planning on sneaking, or trying to, and he wasn’t strong enough to stand by her side in a battle. No more than a babe with a toy sword could stand next to a sword master on the field of battle.
Sam might be able to team with her, but he didn’t ask why they weren’t going to do that.
“I do have one question, how does the arena work. I’ve never seen or heard anything to explain permanent spells. Spells we cast have to be fed, and if we run out of magic they fall. I imagine the arena spells must be pretty powerful if they can prevent death, with fire mages going around casting spells that would normally incinerate someone. Not to mention keeping the people on the stands safe from stray spells.”
She grimaced, “We don’t know. It was a secret of the mystics that wasn’t shared. There’re a few books in that general library, that I’ve mentioned more than once, that speculates on it. The one thing I’m sure of is that kind of permanency can’t be cast on a person, or a moveable object, only a building, and only in specific places. The word you’re looking for is enchantment. We do know the source of the spells, if not how they’re permanently powered. There’s a network of several rooms below ground that are off limits to anyone but the tower masters, when I asked about them Cassandra said they were filled with complex rune spells, and half the runes down there aren’t in our library. They also maintain the building itself, which is why the towers and core dome doesn’t look old or worn, and they aren’t pitted anywhere.”
That was true, and he wondered at himself that he’d never noticed before. The mage building was hundreds of years old and it all looked like the masons had just packed up and left moments before.
He sighed. He’d love to get his eyes on them, but he couldn’t without explaining why, even then they might prevent it. He wouldn’t forget though, and if he lived long enough he might get a chance to see them. Ironically however, even if he could see their purpose, that wouldn’t explain how they were powered, would it? He had an innate understanding of runes, not magical theory, but perhaps there’d be enough implied context in the rune spells to understand it anyway.
She said, “Time to go.”
“To my doom,” he quipped, with a genuine smile. Although joking, his heart started to drum faster and both a ridiculous excitement and fear went through his body as he flushed with adrenaline. He took a deep breath as he stood up, and mentally went over the runes on his bracers. He could feel them there, ready to do his will if he had the magic to feed them.
She smirked, and then bumped his shoulder with her own as they headed toward the door. It was a little bit of a shock, and the first time she’d ever touched him, but he appreciated the gesture for what it was.
“Good luck,” he said.
They did have one advantage, when it started all the participants streamed through their towers entrance to the core arena. There were seven entrances, seven spoke hallways, and seven towers. Neither Lia nor he was interested in taking each other out, and he imagined there were more than one or two people with rivalries from other towers. It would give him a few moments to get his bearings and set his final strategy in his mind. There’d be no chaos at the rune tower entrance in the first few seconds of the contest.
They’d already been to the arena before breakfast, to pick up their practice swords or weapons, if they were so inclined. He had his sword, plus a practice dagger.
He wondered if he was an idiot, because of the excitement that permeated his body, he even wondered if he would place well. Probably not, but that wouldn’t stop him from trying. At the very least, he’d get firsthand experience in fighting and the trickery of the other mage disciplines. He was also curious to see who’d be watching from the stands, outside of the masters and mistresses of the towers, but that could wait until after he was knocked out, no reason to get distracted.
In truth, he was more nervous about meeting royalty and giving his oath after the competition. A less deadly confrontation perhaps, but at the same time it was a lot more real, with lifelong consequence and a huge commitment tied to the occasion. He took the competition seriously, but his primitive mind and instincts knew this wasn’t really for keeps. Taken seriously or not, that made a difference.
Lia was talking to him.
“Sorry, what?”
She snickered, “You need to work on your situational awareness in a tense situation. I said you should power your runes, we’re about to start.”
Huh, he’d been stuck in his thoughts and worries, he hadn’t even felt her cast hers. But she was practically brimming with power at the moment, with seven protection spells and at least as many enhancements. At a guess, speed, strength, eyesight, hearing, scent, and magical detection. If he had all those spells going, his magic would run out in minutes, at most. A stark reminder he was still a baby mage, and he would grow in power over time.
“Right. Thanks.”
He supposed she’d given him a break for not paying attention, since he’d never lost his focus before on what she was saying, after all. He sped up his magic channels, and then activated the runes one at a time. Strength and speed flooded his body, and a shield of earth magic surrounded his body. Once a rune was activated, he didn’t have to focus on it anymore. All he had to do was make sure his channels were circulating fast enough to power the spells, otherwise the rune would try to pull it anyway, which would make it impossible for him to maintain his channel width to the right size, and which would hurt his body.
Point being, once the rune was activated, it would happily keep going and consume the magic it needed, without his focus. Which allowed him just to concentrate on the actual channeling. It’d only been two weeks, it wasn’t quite a subconscious activity yet, maybe the next competition it would be. Still, he had plenty of concentration left over for situational awareness, and to fight with a physical weapon. Unlike that first time he did it, where any movement at all would’ve distracted him and thrown him off.
To cut off the spell, all he’d have to do is cut off those small openings he was imagining in his magical circulation closest to the runes in his forearms. The spell would starve at that point, and end.
“Thanks.”
She winked.
A tense moment later, the competition started with a loud gong, no doubt an air spell by one of the masters, either Cassandra or of course Kaitlyn, the air tower mistress. That gave them fifteen seconds to get to the area grounds, or they’d be disqualified, so they didn’t hesitate and rushed through the door.
His eyes scanned the arena quickly. The entrances were raised up higher than the center arena floor, which gave a partial overview of the place as they ran down the stairs to the arena floor. The field was in the same place, to his right with a single building alone. His stomach sank as he saw the tiny mock village was clear across on the other side, he’d never make there, but he had an alternate plan ready.
Besides, he imagined most would go for that anyway, since it offered the best opportunities for using natural cover, not just protection spells. He wasn’t all that surprised when Lia threw him an evil smile and headed that way at an enhanced sprint.
He cut to the left into the mock forest, which was plan B, something he’d been ready for, had planned for just in case, so he hadn’t even hesitated. How they moved a forest around he wasn’t sure, but it was probably life spells that did it. He winced, as flashes of fire, harsh whistling wind, the grating of stone, and the wild burbling of rushing water filled his ears from four different directions. He tensed up slightly, but the screams that sounded weren’t his own. He suspected he’d just heard those rivalries take place, that he’d speculated about. Enough time really hadn’t passed for the different tower mages to reach each other.
There were more screams, closer, from his left and right, life and death spells made no sound.
He was also painfully aware by going left he was heading toward the tower directly to the west. He was closest to death mages tower, one of the disciplines of magic that his earth shield would be weakest against. Not worthless, just highly inefficient, it would burn through his magic at a much higher rate to defend against a life or death spell with an earth shield.
In retrospect, the rune tower was surrounded by life and death, life to the right, death to the left, then after death came fire, earth, water, and air. It made him question having the earth shield at all, but realistically there was four times as many enemies with elemental disciplines than life and death combined.
It was just, he’d most likely run into a life or death mage first.
The two tricks he’d been planning on, to use the environment had depended on the mock village and cobblestones. One was going to be rippling the ground underneath the enemy mage, putting them off balance long enough to hit them with his sword. Simple, but effective, and was using the environment so his magic didn’t have to break through a stronger mage’s shields to be effective. The second one had involved illusion, making a wall a foot or two longer or wider, so he could hide within the illusion. Obviously, those weren’t useful in a forest of trees with dirt underneath his feet, a wall would be out of place, and the dirt was all one piece. He could target a small group of cobblestones to shake, but he couldn’t shake the whole ground.
Fortunately, he’d planned out plan B as well, which were two spells that would be useful in a forest.
Plan C existed, but it was a rather desperate option he was happy to avoid. It involved war cries, and suicidal attacks. Fortunately, he reached the trees within a second or two, given his enhanced speed, and it wouldn’t be necessary to enact plan C.
His enhanced strength came in usefully a moment later, just a few trees into the forest, as he bent his knees and leapt off the ground, grabbing a thick branch almost fifteen feet off the ground. A quick pull up, and he practically launched himself on top of it. It would have been a blast, enhanced speed and strength, if he wasn’t worried about dying.
He moved against the trunk of the tree, and he activated another rune. It was a fire spell, called chameleon. It wasn’t true invisibility, but it would make him very hard to see. It was an aspect of light, making him appear to not be there, they’d just see the tree and leaves. There were similar spells in air and water using refraction, but they weren’t as effective as fire, which used light. It was also not so incidentally, a cheaper spell than the other options.
