Guild Mage 86

Chapter 86: Examinations

Liv jolted awake to the ringing of a great bell, far closer at hand than she was used to from living in Whitehill.  While the temple bells had been audible from the castle, there was enough distance to make them easily drowned out by the noise of the kitchen, lessons with Master Grenfell, or practicing in the courtyard.  There, it was the small horologues that had regimented her day, with soft, unobtrusive chimes.

She groaned, rolling over onto her side and pulling the blankets around her ears.  The noise was so loud that it was impossible to ignore, which meant the bells were very close - probably in the main hall of the college.  After seven ringing strikes, the noise died away.  For a moment, Liv wondered when she’d gotten used to sleeping so late.  The habit of rising early as a scullery maid had gone away, and she wasn’t certain that was a good thing.

The door to her bedchamber opened, and Thora bustled in.  “Time to rise, m’lady,” she said, making her way over to the vanity to fetch the aspen wood comb they’d brought from Whitehill.  To Liv’s surprise, Wren followed the maid in and then closed the door behind her.

“Your armor stand is being delivered today, along with an invoice to pay,” Wren said.  “Ordered it from the local blacksmith.  We also need to take a trip down to a lady’s store when you have a free hour or two, but that can wait.  I found something interesting last night.”

Liv yawned, threw her blankets off, and crawled out of bed.  She stretched until she heard her back crack, then pulled off the shift she’d slept in so that she could change into something fresh.  “Yes, Thora said you’d gone out last night,” she recalled.  “Getting to know the town?”

“I needed to make certain I had a source of blood,” Wren said, finding herself a seat in one of the two chairs the room had come equipped with.  Thora dropped the comb on the floor, and it made a clatter.

“Did you say blood?” the lady’s maid asked.

“Chicken’s blood,” Wren told her.  “I said my mistress, the Eldish witch, needed it for her enchantments.”  Thora had just bent over to pick up the comb, but at that she immediately fumbled it again, as if it had been coated in grease.

“My father’s family drink seal blood,” Liv remarked.  “They say it helps with the cold so far north.  So it isn’t that strange, Thora.”  She finished pulling on a fresh shift and took a seat in front of the vanity.  “Let’s get my hair done, please.  Nothing that will get in the way if I need to be sparring or running around.”

“A braided bun, then,” Thora said.  “I wish your bodyguard wouldn’t go making the rumors worse, however,” she complained.  With the comb, she began at the bottom of Liv’s long hair, working her way up to tease out any tangles from the night’s rest.  “The other servants are already talking enough without it.  The last thing you need is them passing on stories about how you sacrifice chickens for your witchery.”

 “That isn’t the important part,” Wren said, pulling out one of her smaller daggers, which she used to clean and trim her fingernails.  “I saw a crew of armed men getting off one of the ships at the wharf, and heading over to an old warehouse.  Armed and armored, I should say.”

“That does seem a bit suspicious,” Liv said.  “If we were back home at Whitehill, I’d go and tell Duchess Julianne, and let her figure out what to do.  Or if I was at Kelthelis, my father.”

“Is there anyone you trust here, m’lady?” Thora asked.

“Besides the people in this room,” Wren added.

“I trust Sidonie and Cade,” Liv said.  “I think we can trust Arjun, but I’ve only known him for a day.  And then there’s Master - Professor, now - Jurian.  He’s protected me before.  We can trust him.  Wren, I’ll find a chance to speak to him sometime today, once we’re all finished with these examinations.  I’d like you to come with me, and tell him what you saw, if you could.”

“I’ll have to be careful about how I do it,” Wren told her.  “Can’t quite come out and say I was flying around as a bat last night.”  Thora yanked on the comb, pulling Liv’s hair.

“Ouch!” Liv said.

“Sorry, m’lady,” Thora apologized.  

Once she’d resumed, more gently, Liv continued thinking out loud.  “I’ve gotten used to having a whole lot of people around to protect and support me,” she admitted.  “At Whitehill, there was an entire castle of guards to call on if I needed help.  Even when I went up to Kelthelis, no matter I’ve only been a few times,  a word to my grandparents and a scouting party would have gone out to investigate.  But here, we’ve only got ourselves.  We’re going to have to change that,” she decided.

“What do you mean, m’lady?” Thora asked - but Wren grinned.

“I mean that we need at least a few people we can rely on,” Liv said.  “I don’t know what it will be, next - a string of eruptions, monsters of blood.  A princess spoiling for a fight - maybe this band of armed men in the night.  But I think it would be foolish to assume there won’t be a single crisis during our time here.  And when something comes, I want to know who we can count on.”

“I’ve already started making a few friends in town,” Wren said.  “The kind of people I can talk to for a bit of gossip and rumor.  I don’t think I’ll fit in well at the servants’ meals, though.  That’s going to have to be your maid’s job.”

“Thora, just let us know about any gossip you think might be important,” Liv said.  “Anything that catches your ear.  You don’t have to say anything or do anything beyond that.”

“I’ll do what I can, m’lady,” Thora said.  “There.  Your hair’s sorted.  Let’s get you dressed for the morning meal.”

☙

Though she could probably get away with dressing like a noblewoman, Liv was still most comfortable in muted grays.  She’d asked Duchess Julianne to keep the signed adoption papers a secret, after all – and since both Matthew and Triss had returned from the eruption, Liv expected the matter to stay private.  Julianne would have her heirs soon enough, and she wouldn’t need Liv.  

Lucanian society tended to style Liv a lady in her own right, the moment people found out about her father and grandparents.  Nevermind that wasn’t actually how Elden society worked; Liv wasn’t going to bother to explain to everyone she met that she was hundreds of years away from sitting on a council of leaders for House Syvä, if it ever happened at all.

As a result, Liv was the only one of the six young women who sat down to breakfast on the second floor of High Hall who stood out.  Sidonie and Edith wore shades of blue and lilac, respectively, while the three girls Liv hadn’t met yet dressed in a variety of pastel colors: yellow and pink and green.  A lady’s maid hovered behind each, to assist with serving.  Wren stood out, as well, lurking by the grand staircase with her knives strapped over her hunting leathers.

“Why are you dressed like a merchant?” Edith asked, setting down a cup of tea.  Liv took her seat, arranging her skirts carefully, and looked out over the spread prepared by the hall cooks for them.  She realized that she hadn’t gotten around to arranging for her own, mana-rich food, yet.

“I don’t feel right dressing like a noblewoman,” Liv admitted.  Thora filled her plate with eggs that had been scrambled with crab meat and cream, along with bacon, spiced potatoes, fresh bread with butter and fruit preserves spread across it, and slices of juicy orange.

“You’ve a right to, though,” Sidonie pointed out.  She still had a habit of speaking quietly, almost hesitantly, Liv observed, and she had a journal on the table next to her meal.  “Through your father, at least, don’t you?  Nevermind being promised to Cade.”

“Elden clothing is different,” Liv said.  “Especially in the far north.  I think people would stop and stare if I wore a parka made from caribou hide here, not to mention I’d pass out from the heat.”

“So, you’re the girl Cade Talbot’s been on about,” one of the three ladies that Liv didn’t recognize broke in.  “I’m Florence Hading - my father’s baron of Bexbury, in Courland.”  Florence was dark haired and short, and shaped something like a pear, with wide hips but a small bosom.  “This is Helewise Boyle – we call her Helly – and Tephania Lane.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” Liv said, in between bites of her eggs.  The two other girls gave her nods and waves.

“Tephania’s a first year, like you,” Edith said.  “I expect we’ll have at least one new roommate next year from one of you washing out.”

“Well,” Liv said, “it won’t be me.  Tephania, perhaps you’d like to walk down with me once we’re finished here?”

“I’d like that very much,” the other girl said.  Her hair was a blonde so pale it looked almost as if the color had been washed out.  “My family’s not so far from Whitehill, you know?  My father is one of Duke Falkenrath’s knights.”

“We’re neighbors, then,” Liv said, making an effort to smile.  “Wonderful.”

“I see you’ve given up the staff for a wand,” Sidonie observed.  “What’s it made of?”

“Bone from a stag,” Liv told her.  “Hunted it from the shoals of the Bald Peak Rift.  Here, take a look.”  She drew the wand from its leather sheath at her belt, and placed it on the table.

“Very nice,” Sidonie murmured, looking it over appreciatively.  

“Were we supposed to bring wands?” Tephania asked, hesitantly.  “I’ve never used one.  I’ve actually – never cast a spell at all,” she admitted.  “But Duke Falkenrath’s court mage said I had an ear for Vædic, and recommended I come.”

“You don’t need a wand,” Liv explained, accepting hers back.  “But it helps focus your mana, especially when you’re first starting out.  It prevents waste.”  She pushed her plate aside, only half eaten.

“Crab not to your taste?” Edith asked.

“It’s not that,” Liv said.  “I need something of a special diet - my Elden heritage.  And I haven’t had time to talk to the cooks about it yet.  I’ll have to find time to do it today.  Anyway, if you’re done, Tephania, we could walk down?  It’s nearly ninth bell.”

The blonde girl nodded, and hurried to stand up from her seat, nearly knocking her teacup over.  For some reason, seeing how flustered the other girl was helped Liv to be calm herself.  She took Tephania by the arm, and they walked downstairs together, trailed by Wren.  

In the foyer of the ground floor, the young men inclined their heads as the two girls passed, and made way for them.  Liv looked for Cade, but didn’t see him.  Once they’d reached the courtyard, however, she did spot Arjun, among the crowd of first year students who’d eaten in the great hall.

“Arjun!” she called, maneuvering her way through the crowd.  “This is Tephania - she’s a first year, like we are.”

“Tephania Lane,” the girl said, releasing Liv’s arm to extend her hand.

“A pleasure to meet you, Tephania,” the dark haired boy said.  He took her hand and bent over it, only a little awkwardly, with a quick glance to Liv to make certain he was doing it correctly.  “Arjun Iyuz.”  Before he could say anything further, the bells for the ninth hour rang out, cutting through any attempt at conversation.

“Alright, first years, listen up!” a young woman shouted, as soon as the tolling of the bells had died away.  Someone had dragged a wooden crate over into the center of the courtyard, and she was standing on it for more height.  “You’re going to take five written examinations this morning - in grammar, sigils, medicine, the history and regulations of the guild, and your knowledge of mana-beasts.  That’s going to happen in the great hall, as soon as breakfast is cleared and your tests laid out.  Which is happening right now.  After luncheon,” she continued, “we’ll be handing you over to the practice yard and Professor Jurian’s crew of miscreants, for practicals.”

“Practicals?” Tephania murmured, next to Liv.

“Probably casting and sparring,” she whispered back.

“There’s going to be half a dozen journeymen watching you take your exams at all times,” the young woman on the crate said.  “So don’t even try to look at someone else’s work.  You can’t be a mage by riding someone else’s coat-tails, and we’ve got no tolerance for that sort of thing here.  It’s a one way ride back down the bluff to the waystone.  If you have a question while you’re working, just put your hand up and one of us will get to you.  You’ll all eat together today, so we can keep track of you.  The results of your examinations determine what classes you’re assigned to, so do your best.  Any questions now?”

“Quills and ink will be provided?” a young man asked.

“They’ll be waiting for you in there,” the woman said.  When no one else spoke up, she waved them on toward the hall as if she was shooing a toddler.  “Get on inside, then.  Let’s go!”

The hall where the entire school had eaten supper the evening before looked much different by daylight, Liv saw.  It was less crowded, as well, without the professors and the older students and plates heaped with food.  Places had been set with a stack of paper, inkpot, and quill, and a good bit of distance between each seat.  She found herself a spot with Arjun to her left and Tephania to her right, and got to work.

The grammar examination began by asking her to identify and define parts of speech, first using examples in the Lucanian tongue, and then later in Vædic.  Liv sped through nouns and verbs, adjectives and pronouns, and on to the later parts of the test, where she was asked to conjugate the verb Aluth, then shift a variety of nouns through the dative, genitive, and locative cases.  By the time she’d composed an incantation from a bank of Vædic words that had been provided, Liv was surprised to realize she was finished with the first examination.  

She set her pages aside to dry, and found that Sidonie appeared at her elbow.  “I’ll take those,” her friend murmured, and handed her the next sheaf of papers.  Liv bent back to her work, identifying sigils.

This, she felt, was a weak spot for her.  Besides the work on designing her wand, Master Grenfell had always told her that enchanting would wait for college, and refused to go into the subject.  She was able to make a few guesses that she was confident about when it came to which words of power were used in specific enchantments, such as the pipes that heated bathwater.  The question on cold storage enchantments almost felt like she was cheating.  When she was finished, a journeyman she didn’t recognize took her work and handed her the medical examination.

And so it went, as the bells marking the morning flew by.  Liv wrote the names of bones next to a sketch of a human skeleton, and identified the symptoms of mana-sickness.  She struggled through questions on the founding of the mages’ guild: Master Grenfell had tended toward more practical knowledge, but she knew enough to recognize the name of the founder, Lamon Blackstone.  The questions on the guild’s culling responsibilities, and the workings of a conclave, were easier, with her own personal experience of each.

The questions on mana-beasts felt familiar, as well, and Liv wrote about the use of casques, harvested meat, and even hide or fur easily.  There were creatures she’d never encountered herself, but they’d all been in her old, dog-eared copy of Blackstone’s Bestiary.  When she finished that test, she was surprised twice over: first, to find Cade at her elbow to accept her work, and second, that everyone else in the room was still working.

“Come with me,” Cade murmured, and Liv stood up.  She capped her inkpot, set her quill aside carefully, and then followed him out of the hall into the courtyard; along the way, he handed off the last of her work to a waiting journeyman.

“Am I really the first finished?” Liv asked, once they were out into the open air.

Cade laughed.  “Liv, you finished with nearly an entire hour left before luncheon.  That’s why I took you out: no sense in you sitting there, kicking your heels while all the rest of them catch up.”

“Oh,” Liv said.  “Well, I’m certain more people will be done soon.  What should I do until then?”

“If I were you,” Cade said, “I would have your maid gather up that armor, and the jewelry you won from Princess Milisant.  Do you have a sword?  A fencing mask?”  

Liv shook her head.  “It was never my strong suit,” she admitted.

“That’s not the end of the world.  You can borrow them down at the practice yard,” Cade said.

“Why is that student out of the hall?”  The young woman who’d lectured them before the examinations strode over, her face stormy.

“She’s finished, so I took her out,” Cade said.

“Blood and shadows she is,” the woman said.  “They never start finishing for another half-bell.  Who is this?”

Liv extended a hand and introduced herself.  “Liv Brodbeck, from Whitehill.”

“Why are you wearing a guild ring, then?” the woman asked.  “You shouldn’t have that as a first year.”

“Master Jurian gave it to me,” Liv explained.

“It’s true; she had it six years ago, at least, when we were at Freeport,” Cade broke in.  “Don’t give her a hard time, Venetia.  Professor Jurian knows about her; if you’ve got questions, he can answer them.”

“I’ll ask him right now,” Venetia said, and strode away.

“Don’t mind her,” Cade said.  “She’s one of the Archmage’s journeymen, and I think she’s let it go to her head.  Now, are you ready to fight?  Because that’s what you’re going to be doing after you get something to eat.”