The Magician’s Apprentice

“We can’t take too long to decide, Stara. There are rumours about that Emperor Vochira may go to war with Kyralia. If Father sends me off to fight I won’t be able to protect or teach anybody.”

Stara looked back and met his gaze, nodding soberly. Then she followed Vora back into the mansion, her thoughts turning slowly but ceaselessly with the choices she now faced.

CHAPTER 29

It came as a relief to Tessia, the next morning, to learn that the magicians had decided to move on to the next town. Vennea was a larger town on the border of two leys and, being on the main road to the pass, was a good place to base themselves for a few days. Sabin wanted to send out more scouts and locate the rest of the Sachakans before he and Werrin decided on their next move.

Tecurren was a town in mourning, which was too sharp a reminder of the fate of Mandryn and her parents. The survivors had begun to behave strangely towards the magicians. Their fascination and gratitude had only increased after the magicians took the strength they’d offered (though not from the girls, as Tessia advised). Some began following them around. All agreed it was time to leave and let them begin rebuilding their lives.

The road to Vennea descended in graceful curves along the sides of a widening valley. The forests around Tecurren had been patchy, held back by the spread of fields and relegated to a narrow band of trees hugging rivers and creeks. Now the group descended into a near-treeless landscape, giving them a clear view of fields, clusters of tiny houses, a river and the shiny surfaces of lakes and reservoirs.

As a horse drew alongside Tessia, she glanced up and saw that Lady Avaria was riding beside her. The woman smiled.

“How are you getting along, Tessia?”

“Well enough.”

“I was saddened to hear about your parents, and the people of Mandryn.”

Tessia felt something inside spasm as grief suddenly sprang to life again. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak, and resolutely pushed the feeling away.

“The girls all send their greetings – especially Kendaria. She wanted to come with me and try out her healing skills, but doubted the guild or the magicians would let her.”

Tessia grimaced. “I’m not sure it would be what she expected. I’ve been failing to heal more often than succeeding. We don’t have the time to treat serious injuries. I don’t know if she’s experienced being unable to save a patient. It’s shocking the first time.”

Avaria frowned. “Sounds as if the king ought to be sending a few healers to join this group. Lessen the burden on you.”

“We haven’t needed them so far. The Sachakans don’t tend to leave their victims alive. But if there are more attempts to take over villages there will be more people with injuries from houses falling down and fires.”

“Let’s hope the war never escalates to the point where Kendaria has a chance to try out her skills. Though I imagine you’d have liked her company. Any womanly company. I can’t imagine what it’s been like for you travelling with all these men.”

Tessia smiled. “It has been interesting.” She looked at Dakon and Jayan, and the other magicians and apprentices ahead of them. “You know, I’m glad there’s another woman now, but when I think about it I wonder why. I’ve spent all this time acting as if it doesn’t matter that I’m female. I’m living as roughly as the boys – though I do get a tent all to myself – eating the same food and even dressing the same. Oh, I do have some physical requirements different from theirs, but it’s not as if I haven’t been dealing with that by myself for years already. A bit of extra privacy is all that I’ve needed.”

Avaria glanced at her, an eyebrow raised. “You must tell me the arrangements you’ve made. I’ve been wondering what I’ll do when... when that time of womanly inconvenience comes.”

“Magic makes it easier, of course. Think how badly we’d all smell by now if we weren’t able to wash our clothes because we didn’t have time for them to dry.”

Avaria chuckled. “I’m surprised your clothes haven’t turned to rags in the process.”

“We’ve bought or been given new clothes and shoes in the villages. Not always to the taste of some, but I think even the fussiest of us has had to acknowledge that fine cloth doesn’t last long when you’re riding every day.”

“It would be a waste of fine cloth, too.”

“Yes.” Tessia chuckled. “We can’t have that.”

“What’s this cloud ahead...?” Avaria began, her voice tailing off. Tessia looked at the woman and saw she was staring into the distance. Following her gaze, she saw smoke billowing up from a cluster of tiny shapes in the valley below. At once she felt a sinking in her stomach.

A murmur of voices flowed through the magicians and apprentices as they saw the smoke. Though their words were too quiet to catch, Tessia heard the grimness in their voices and felt her stomach sink even further.

“Is that Vennea?” someone asked.

“I think so.”

The rest of the morning passed slowly and painfully. Sometimes the road led them out of sight of the smoke below. Every time the valley came into view again, the smoke always appeared worse. Nobody spoke, but the pace had quickened and the silence was only punctuated by the huffing breath of the horses.

At last they reached level ground at the valley bottom and the road straightened. Though they no longer had a view of the town, the smoke cloud was now a stark shadow against the clear sky. At the same time, what had been a near-empty road ahead of them was suddenly full of people – both walking and riding – carts, and small groups of domestic animals.

Her stomach sank as she saw the numbers coming towards them. As she began to make out detail, she saw heads turning to glance behind and recognised the haste in their movements. When one of a group of reber skittered away from the rest, the herder made no attempt to stop and chase it.

The magicians fell silent. Expressions were grim. Slowly the gap between the two groups shrank. Several strides before the crowd reached the magicians people began to call out, some pointing back the way they’d come.

“Sachakans!”

“They’ve attacked Vennea! They’ve wrecked Vennea!”

“They’re killing people!”

Tessia watched as the refugees stopped and formed a crowd before Werrin. The magician’s questions were followed by a dozen answers, and she was unable to make out much. After several minutes she heard Werrin call over the voices.

“You must travel south. This way will take you towards the mountains and more Sachakans.”

“But we can’t go back!”

“You must go around,” Werrin replied, pointing to the west. After more discussion, the refugees moved to the side of the road so the magicians could ride on. Narvelan, who had managed to keep a position close to the leaders of the group since the reinforcements had arrived, turned his horse and rode back to join Dakon, Everran and Avaria.

“The townspeople say about twenty Sachakan magicians attacked Vennea less than an hour ago,” he told them. “They’re destroying the place, so it’s doubtful they’ll try to occupy it as they did Tecurren.”

“I imagine scouts will confirm the number before we form a plan of attack,” Everran said.

“Yes. It’s likely they—”

– Lord Werrin? Magician Sabin?

Tessia jumped at the voice in her mind. She looked around to see her own surprise reflected in the faces around her. The voice had been familiar...

– Who are you? Werrin replied.

– Mikken of family Loren. Ardalen’s apprentice. He told me to report when I reached a safe place.

– Then report.

– They’re dead. All of our group. Ardalen. Everyone. He paused. We were so careful. Silent. Travelled at night. But the pass...it was full of Sachakans. By the time we came close enough to see it was too late. Ardalen told me to run and hide, so I could tell you. I climbed the cliff... There are about ten of them. They have tents and carts of food and other things that indicate they are planning to stay there