The Magician’s Apprentice

We may not be close friends but we have a respect for each other, Dakon thought now. At least, I hope he knows how much I value him. He lifted a hand to knock on the door, then froze. Should I tell him what I suspect brought about Tessia’s possible use of magic?

No, he decided. I can’t be sure what she and Takado were doing, although I doubt Tessia initiated or welcomed it. Even so, I should leave it to Tessia to decide how much anyone learns of the matter. And I might be wrong. It’s always possible, though highly unlikely, she approached him.

He knocked, and after a short wait the door opened. Tessia’s mother, Lasia, answered. She lifted a small lamp.

“Lord Dakon,” she said. “Would you like to come in?”

“Yes, thank you,” he replied. Stepping inside, he looked through an open door to the right and saw a homely kitchen with freshly washed dishes on the table. The door opposite was closed, but he knew from past visits that Veran’s workroom was beyond. Berin had used the room for the same purpose. Lasia knocked on the door and called out to her husband. A muffled reply came from within.

“Come into the seating room, Lord Dakon,” she urged, leading him to the end of the short corridor, where she opened another door and stepped back to let him pass through. He entered a small, slightly musty-smelling room containing a few old chairs and some sturdy wooden chests and tables. Following him in, Lasia bade him take a chair, then lit another lamp. Footsteps in the corridor heralded Veran’s arrival.

“Is Tessia here?” Dakon asked.

Lasia nodded. “She’s asleep. I looked in on her before dinner, but she didn’t wake up. She’s clearly exhausted.”

Dakon nodded. Should I ask them to rouse her? If I tell them without her, I’ll have to explain it all again to Tessia. But she probably needed the sleep, after all the work of the night before, and the surprises of the day.

“Tessia came to the Residence earlier,” he began.

“Yes. We’re sorry about that,” Lasia interrupted. “She should have waited for her father, but we were asleep and I expect she thought she was doing Veran a favour. Sometimes I think she has no grasp of proper manners, or, worse, she knows but chooses to—”

“I have no problem with her coming alone to the Residence,” Dakon assured her. “That is not why I am here.”

Veran had laid a hand on his wife’s arm during her outburst. Now he looked at Dakon, his eyebrows rising.

“Is it the slave? Has his condition worsened?”

“No.” Dakon shook his head. “He is awake and has managed to eat some broth. Tessia said he was healing well.” He paused. “It is what happened afterwards that I must talk to you about.”

The couple exchanged a glance, then looked at Dakon expectantly.

“On her way out of the Residence Tessia was... surprised by my guest,” Dakon continued. “The Sachakan. I think he gave her a fright. She may or may not have done something quite extraordinary in reaction.”

Lasia’s eye widened. Veran frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I think she used magic.”

For a long moment the couple stared at him, then as realisation came a grin broke out on Veran’s face. Lasia had turned pale, but suddenly she flushed a bright red and her eyes brightened with excitement. By then, Veran had smothered his smile and become serious.

“You’re not sure, are you?” he asked.

Dakon shook his head. “No. It is possible Takado made it appear she had used magic, as some kind of strange joke. But it is—”

“I thought you did it!”

Everybody jumped. The voice, female and full of surprise, came from the doorway. They all turned to find Tessia standing there. She stared at Lord Dakon. “So it was him?”

“Tessia!” Lasia exclaimed. “Use Lord Dakon’s name when you address him.”

The young woman glanced at her mother, then gave Dakon an apologetic look. “Sorry, Lord Dakon.”

He chuckled. “Apology accepted. Actually, I’m here to establish whether or not you used magic this morning.”

She looked suddenly uncomfortable. “It wasn’t me... was it?”

“It is possible. We’ll know for sure if I test you.”

“How... how do you do that?”

“An untrained natural magician cannot prevent magic from straying from their mind. I should be able to detect it with a light search.”

“Mind-reading?” Her eyes widened.

“No, there’s no need for me to enter your mind, just sit at the edges and look for leakage.”

“Leakage?” Veran looked at his daughter. “You magicians have some interesting terms. Not particularly reassuring ones.”

“They shouldn’t be, in this case,” Dakon told him. “There is another way to learn whether Tessia can use magic: wait until she uses it again. It tends to lead to expensive house repairs and redecoration costs, so I don’t recommend it.”

Tessia looked at the floor. “Sorry about that – if it was me.”

Dakon smiled at her. “I never liked the colours in that room, anyway. The pink was too... orange.” She did not smile, and he realised she was too nervous to find any humour in the situation.

“So... what do I do?” she asked.

He looked around, then with magic drew one of the smaller chairs round to face his. Veran chuckled and gave Dakon a knowing look. The small reminder of what Tessia might be able to do if she co-operated wasn’t lost on the healer.

“You’ll find it more comfortable if you sit,” Dakon invited. Tessia obeyed. “Close your eyes and try to still and calm your mind. That’s probably not easy right now, but you must try. It helps if you breathe slowly.”

She did as he suggested. Aware of her parents watching, he placed his fingers gently on either side of her brow and closed his own eyes. He sent his mind forth.

It took only a moment to find what he sought. Magic was flowing from her, gently but with occasional small bursts suggesting greater power within. Truly the term “leakage” was a good one to describe what he sensed. It wasn’t meant to suggest the drip from a small vessel, but instead the escaping water from cracks in a dam. Cracks that warned of imminent failure, and of flooding and destruction of all in its path.

Releasing Tessia, he opened his eyes. Her own flew open and she stared at him expectantly. As always, it amazed him that a mere person, a human, could contain such power. Like all new apprentices, she had no grasp of her own potential. Not even the most educated, ambitious apprentice truly appreciated the limitless possibilities it offered, or the inescapable limitations it imposed.

“Yes, you have magical ability,” he told her. “Plenty of it, from what I saw.”

Her parents both let out the breaths they’d been holding, then Lasia burst into chatter.

“Of all the things... what amazing luck! This couldn’t have come at a better time. She’s not ready to marry, sweet thing, and this will give her the time to – and what a husband she might attract now. Oh! But how long until she can marry? I expect she has to become a magician first. What—”

“Mother!” burst from Tessia. “Stop talking about me as if I’m not here!”

Lasia paused, then patted her daughter’s hand apologetically. “Sorry, dear. But I’m excited for you. No more . . .” She looked at her husband. “No more silly ideas about you becoming a healer.”

Veran frowned, then turned to Dakon. “I expect Tessia will have to move into the Residence.”

Dakon considered, then nodded. “It would be better if she did. Especially at the beginning, when she has little control over her power. If I’m there when she uses it, I can minimise the damage.”

“Of course,” Veran said. “I would ask a favour, though. I was considering taking a boy of the village to be my apprentice. It seems I must, now. But it will take time to train him to even half of Tessia’s level of skill, knowledge and experience. Might I borrow her now and then?”

Dakon smiled. “Of course. After all the good work you’ve done, I can hardly begrudge you that.”