“You impaled yourself on a sword,” Master Barclae said dryly.
“I would do it again, a thousand times over if I thought it would help.” I couldn’t help feeling less confident than my words. “It was the only way I could access my magic.” I thought of Darren’s warning so many months before. “Better to lose a limb than a battle.”
“You are a fool,” the Red Mage told me shortly. “It wasn’t a limb you almost lost. It was your life, and the life of that boy you were with. All for a trial.”
“A powerful fool,” the Black Mage corrected, smiling behind the palm of his hand. “She could rival the prince in that outburst.”
The Green Mage chuckled, “Until she kills herself in the process.”
“True,” the Black Mage acknowledged.
The Three glanced to Master Barclae, and he cleared his throat. “We shall now begin the second portion of your trials, Ryiah. You will have twenty minutes to address three questions, all concerning the art of strategy in Combat…”
I returned to my barracks much later that evening feeling confident, confused, half sick and half mad. The trial had only lasted a half hour, but the questions the judges had asked left me reeling in self-doubt. Had my answers been good enough? I thought they had. I’d cited several battles for each scenario they had given me. I’d weighed the resources, the weather, the landscape, and the politics of each situation to the one approach I thought would best suit their needs. I’d considered all the right questions: Was it a full-scale invasion, or was it better just to send a small regiment to conduct the mission? Was it on our homeland, or in a neighboring country?
For each question they had asked, I’d had a million queries of my own. I’d been desperate to show the product of my endless nights in the library, and even more frantic to prove I was more than the reckless first-year they had seen during the first half of my trials.
You could still win this.
Could I?
The next two days were the longest of my life. I spent the time in restless wonder, following my friends around the small town of Sjeka and trying not to think about what lie ahead.
“It’s in the hands of the gods now,” Alex declared, as Ella and I followed him into the town’s bakery. Ella bought us each a sticky bun, and we exited the fragrant shop licking the honeyed sugar off our fingers.
We had five more hours before the naming ceremony. All of us were trying to pretend the trepidation did not bother us as much as it did.
“I’m surprised your adoring fans haven’t stolen you away from us today,” Ella told my brother. She’d intended for her comment to come off lightly, but the slight resentment in her tone had destroyed any pretense of indifference.
“I told them to find a new hero,” he said easily. “It was off-putting to have so many beautiful ladies returning my favor.”
Ella scowled. “Well, I hope you don’t regret that later, when you are alone with your jokes and no one to listen—”
“Oh, I won’t be alone,” he said, winking at me.
I rolled my eyes and walked ahead, letting the two of them return to their silly banter. I wasn’t sure how I would feel if Alex started to court my best friend, but I had finally decided the decided it wasn’t my decision to make.
Entering the town’s apothecary I found my parents discussing the merits of witch hazel with the frazzled shop owner while my younger brother raced over to greet me.
“Ryiah!” Derrick’s eyes were as big as saucers. “We didn’t see you at all yesterday! Ella said you locked yourself in the barracks!”
I gave a small smile. “I was wallowing in self-pity, but I am done now.”
He beamed. “Good. Because today you are going to get a black robe!”
I raised a brow. “Apprentices don’t get robes until they graduate.”
“Ah-ha, so you do think you’ll be apprenticed!”
I shook my head. “I don’t want you to get your hopes too high, brother. I lost my first trial, in case you have already forgotten.”
Derrick didn’t bat an eye. “Just because you didn’t win doesn’t mean you’re disqualified.”
I ruffled his hair. “You always were my biggest fan.”
“Ryiah.”
I turned and saw Clayton standing in the middle of the doorway.
He looked nervous. My stomach fell. I had been evading Clay ever since he’d introduced me to his parents.
I didn’t know how to let him down nicely, and so while it was petty, I had figured the best way was to avoid him as much as possible. After all, we only had one more day at the Academy. One day and then we’d never have to have the awkward conversation to begin with.
Too late.
My brother snickered. I slammed the ball of my heel into his foot. Derrick yelped and then hopped away to join our parents at the back of the store, shooting me a mean look.
“How are you, Clayton?” I quickly busied myself with one of the charms on the counter.
“Better now.”
I cringed and fiddled with the locket until his big hand closed softly around my own. I looked up to meet Clayton’s gaze., An uncomfortable silence passed between us.