'All right, I'll do it,' he replied, with rather more self-assurance than he felt. 'You lot had better back me up if he explodes, though.' A vigorous series of nods decided the matter.
Three taps on the floor announced Crohn's arrival, as usual.
'Gentlemen,' Crohn boomed, 'this afternoon, we will explore the thaumic resonances of runic groups of the Second and Third Families when combined…
'Yes, Afelnor, what is it?'
Grimm rose to his feet and stood before Crohn, his head lowered in a respectful attitude. The black-robed Magemaster towered over the boy like some huge crow.
'Lord Mage, I am sure that we all appreciate the wisdom and learning you give us,' he began, trying to be as diplomatic and deferential as possible.
From the corner of his eye, Grimm saw Madar give a slight but definite nod of approval, as if to say, 'That's right, Grimm; butter the old fool up first!'
'I am sure that is not all you wish to say to me, Afelnor.' Crohn's voice was as cool as ice. 'Out with it, Student.'
Grimm licked his lips with a tongue that felt as dry as cured leather. 'Lord Mage; we, that is, I,' he stammered, 'feel we might all learn a little better if we were actually shown how to do some… some real, practical magic, instead of just learning theory all the time.'
Crohn moved to glower over the boy, who paled a little, trying to stand tall and unbowed before the Magemaster's baleful gaze.
Crohn's tone was low, often a sign of impending fury. 'One answer, Afelnor,' he said in clipped, curt tones, 'is that the Scholasticate curriculum has been developed over many decades, indeed centuries, by heads far wiser than yours. A shorter reason is that I am the Senior Magemaster, and you are not!
'How dare you presume yourself more knowledgeable than those who are your elders and betters? Perhaps you would prefer to complete your education as a cook's drudge or a scullery-boy? Believe you me, Afelnor, this can be arranged with ease!'
Inwardly, Grimm quailed, but he stood his ground. 'If you will it, Lord Mage, then so be it,' he said, willing his voice not to tremble. 'May I please be allowed to speak my mind?'
Crohn's eyes opened wide, and Grimm realised that he had delivered his words in a soprano version of the Magemaster's own voice, with not a trace of tremulousness. However, Crohn maintained his irate appearance and gave a grave, curt nod.
'Pray continue, Student.'
'Lord Mage,' Grimm said, determined to maintain the correct, formal speech expected of a potential mage; he was certain this was the only way to persuade Crohn of the depths of the malaise and exhaustion that had subsumed his companions and him.
'I intended no disrespect or impertinence, Lord Mage. I do, however, feel that we would better appreciate and understand what we are taught if we were given a practical demonstration from time to time. As to whether I should be punished for my beliefs… well, I am in your hands.'
A gnat scratching its nose could have been heard within the classroom, but the silence seemed to thunder with implied applause from the other Students.
Crohn felt nonplussed by Afelnor's little speech, delivered with such self-assurance. The unyielding intensity in the boy's dark eyes was somewhat unnerving in one so young. It reminded Crohn of Loras Afelnor's steely Questor's gaze…
'And is this the opinion of all of you?' he asked, as much to fill the silence as for any other reason. The red- headed boy, Gaheela, raised his hand in affirmation, and most of the other boys followed suit. Crohn felt as if his eyes might fly from his head at any moment, striking some boy in the manner of a pair of his infamously accurate chalk projectiles. He knew he should not let such apparent mutiny go unpunished. Yet could he punish the whole class for an honest and forthright request?
What did the Afelnor boy demand that was so unreasonable? he wondered. I cannot respond just by saying that this is the way things are because this is how they have always been.
'Very well,' he said, after a long pause, 'but you are not, I repeat not, to take this as a sign of some new, benign order. I will not be cozened or bullied, is that quite clear?'
'Quite clear, Lord Mage!' the Students chorused. Crohn did not fail to notice the broad smiles on the faces of several of the Students, but he chose to ignore the fact.
'I want it clearly understood,' Crohn said, 'that you will learn spell-casting only when your appointed Magemasters decide and not before, and that is an absolute.
'As for a demonstration, attend.'
Crohn stood before the class and steepled his hands. A chant similar to many the class had been taught rose from his lips, and a faint blue light began to coruscate around him.
Crohn could feel the normal mage's tracery of fine, yellow threads being drawn into his head, coalescing into a solid, golden mass as it did so. All of the mage's will and power had been directed to one end.
Slowly, the Magemaster rose into the air, still chanting, concentration etched in his face. He turned twice end over end, like a taper twirled in the fingers, and then descended again, landing on his feet. With a sigh, the Magemaster allowed the threads of power to disperse once more throughout his aura. He felt a distinct ripple of pleasure run through his body at the success of the complex spell he had just cast to perfection.
A ripple of applause rose from the class, with several muted cheers, and Crohn had to resist the urge to bow.
He cleared his throat to cover his confusion, regaining his accustomed pose as a cold, emotionless master of his own will. He turned his habitual, stern gaze on the Students, in control again.
'A relatively simple, even frivolous, use of the craft,' he barked. 'Some of you, if taught too much in too short a time, would be tempted to try the spell yourselves; in truth, most of you lack sufficient power and all of you lack sufficient control.
'Know you that, had I transposed the runes Het and Terva in the fourth stanza, I would have slammed into the ground with great force instead of spinning gracefully in the air. I might have sustained considerable injury, not to mention embarrassment, had I made the least error in my casting.
'As another example, had I given the third instance of the rune Sha in the second stanza a straight downward inflection instead of an initial rising cadence, I should have hurtled upwards and through the ceiling and doubtless injured myself even more.'
'I would also be guilty of the offence of wilful destruction of House property, since I would have been held accountable for attempting a spell without sufficient preparation.' Crohn punctuated this dry statement with a stern gaze that swept the room like the beam of a lighthouse.
'Even I, a Mage of the Seventh Rank, am not immune from such strictures. The least hesitation in the execution of the tertiary cadence would have given an unpredictable response, ranging from simple failure to my transportation to an unknown location, such as a desert or even the bottom of an ocean.'
Crohn turned to Grimm. 'Should any other of this class seek to question Scholasticate rules, he may well find himself at the bottom of an ocean, Afelnor; remember that. You may sit down.'
Grimm returned to his seat, a little red-faced, but with the trace of a relieved smile on his face. He received appreciative nods from several of the boys. Crohn carried on as if nothing had happened, choosing to overlook this brief insurrection.
'The craft is not for the dilettante, or for the casual experimenter,' he said. 'A more powerful spell, if misremembered or miscast, could well endanger the very soul of the caster. A miscast Healing may kill the patient or the caster. Failed Weatherworking may inundate the land or bring vicious tempests.
'For this reason, we test your ability to remember faithfully each chant, and to be able to reproduce it again and again, without the least error in cadence and pitch, no matter what diversions or frustrations are placed in your path. We teach you to see your own powers and to control them with ruthless efficiency in all circumstances.
'Each of these facets will go towards making spell-casters of those of you who have the gift, but you will not be taught how to link the two aspects of magic together until you have proven your talent.
'Some of you will be called to another magical vocation, such as Scribing or Seeing, without ever being taught how to cast a simple spell. Only those of you who show the responsible attitude and rigorous application necessary
