“Well, Rory, you know why I have asked to see you. Your training is not satisfactory, although it is no fault of yours. I think that you need to be challenged far more. You have shown an extraordinary use of power for someone so young and inexperienced. I must say that I am not completely surprised. After all, you are Azaren’s daughter.”
I nodded.
“I want you to cease worrying about the Blackwaters. I will keep an eye on them, and for now I will not expel them from school. I understand that it is necessary to keep your identity secret. But now it is even more important that you learn all you can as fast as you can. Your power must be properly directed and controlled. I also think you are ready to learn some more advanced skills, and unfortunately you don’t have the luxury of time like the other students.”
He leaned forward. “You may or may not know, but Morgana and the archmage are readying Illiador for war with Andrysia, and when and if that happens, even Evolon will be under threat.”
“Why? I thought we were safe here. Uncle Gabriel said that you would be able to protect me.”
“Yes, that is true. We are safe for now. But the archmage has always been against me, and he wants me to give him warriors from the school to assist with his campaign. Naturally I said no, and he is obviously not too happy with me. He has given the king an ultimatum: give him an army of warrior mages of Eldoren or he will wage war on us too.”
I gasped. “Can he do that?”
“Lucian has become very powerful. And he is the leader of the Mage Guild. Even in Eldoren, some are afraid to go against him openly.” Professor Dekela paused and looked me straight in the eye. “I am telling you all this because of who you are, or who we hope you will grow up to be. You must be updated on the politics of the kingdoms as well as excel in your studies. Therefore, you will have classes with me every day after school. I don’t want anyone getting suspicious, so we will just say I am tutoring you at the behest of your guardian, who feels that you are lagging behind in your studies.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. Just the fact that I was getting extra lessons would make everyone presume that I was falling behind in my classes. Damien would have a field day. But I had no choice. And I had made up my mind; I was going to show Damien that I was not afraid of him or anyone else.
“Professor Penelope and Professor Tanko will also give you extra classes in healing and warcraft, respectively. One day you may be in a situation where you will not have anyone to protect you, and you will have to defend and heal yourself. Now return to your classes. I will see you in the evening.”
I nodded. “Thank you, Professor.” I was late for fae studies, and we were going on a short field trip to meet a family of dryads who had moved to the woods behind the gardens of the school, relocated from Illiador.
I had already met dryads with Kalen in Pixie Bush. Dwelling on that caused me to wonder how he was doing. It had been a long time since I had seen my friend or heard from him, and I hoped he was all right. I reminded myself that I must ask Professor Plumpleberry when she would send for him. I missed Kalen and his incessant chatter.
I missed Snow, too. Uncle Gabriel had taken the pegasus with him, as his journey was long and tedious, and Snow had offered to take him more speedily to Kelliandria. I even missed Uncle Gabriel. He was strict, but when he was around, I felt safe.
That night after dinner, I lay on my bed, waiting for Vivienne to fall asleep so I could go and meet Rafe. I knew she would disapprove, so I decided it was best not to tell her.
“Aren’t you late to go meet your new suitor?” said Vivienne tartly, rolling over in her bed to face me. She was sharper than I gave her credit for.
I was startled. I thought she was asleep. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”
Vivienne sat up in her bed and tried to light a candle. But her fingers only sparked and went out. “Oof!” She threw her hands in the air and gave up. She looked at me sheepishly. “Could you please light it?”
I laughed—poor Vivienne. She was an amazing person and very intelligent, but unfortunately she didn’t really have much potential for magic.
I pointed my finger at the candle and it lit up. Vivienne was sitting there on the bed, her arms crossed, glaring at me.
“What’s the problem, Viv?”
“The problem is that you still don’t trust me.”
“Of course I do,” I said quickly. “I’ve told you everything.”
Vivienne’s jaw tightened. “I saw him last night.”
“Saw who?” I had a pretty good idea who she meant.
Her eyes narrowed. “It’s the Black Wolf, isn’t it?”
I nodded; it was no use lying anymore. I had to tell her the truth. “You saw him without his mask. Did you recognize him as anyone you knew?” I asked tentatively.
Vivienne shook her head. “No, it was too dark. I couldn’t see his face clearly.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. Although I wanted to know who he was, I didn’t want him to get into trouble because he came to see me.
“You are being very reckless, Rory,” said Vivienne. “You’re meeting him alone, in the dead of night, without even knowing who he really is.”
“I know he has a reputation for
