Magnus stood up and rapped the boy lightly on the side of the head, hard enough to make Talon’s ears ring and his eyes water even more. Stepping away, Magnus shouted, “Defend yourself!”
This time he unleashed a vicious swipe at the other side of Talon’s head, and the young man barely avoided being brained. He fell to his knees and rolled away, gaining a moment as Magnus had to come around the foot of the bed to reach him. When he did, he found Talon standing beside the table, his sword drawn and ready. “Master Magnus!” he shouted. “What is this?’’
Magnus didn’t answer, but instead feigned a jab with the foot of the staff toward Talon’s head, then swept the rod around in an overhead arc. Talon caught the staff on the forte of his blade with just enough angle to force it past his shoulders, but not enough force to break the sword. Then he stepped inside and grabbed his teacher by the front of his robe, yanking him off-balance. Placing his sword at Magnus’s throat, he said, “Am I supposed to kill you now?’’
“No,” said Magnus with a grin. He gripped Talon’s sword hand and Talon felt his fingers go numb. As the sword fell from his unresponsive grasp, Talon heard Magnus say, “That was very good.”
Talon stepped back, rubbing his hand. “What is all this?’’
“If your enemy comes upon you unexpectedly, do you think he’s going to stop and say, ‘Oh, poor Talon. He’s upset over his lost love. I think I will wait for another day to kill him’?’’
Talon kept rubbing his sore fingers. “No.’’
“Precisely.” He motioned for Talon to sit on the bed once more. “Our enemies will attack you in ways you have not even imagined, Talon. Caleb and others can teach you weapons and hone your natural talents. I can show you things about your mind and make it more difficult for your enemies to confuse you or beguile you. But the heart . . .” He tapped his own chest. “That is where many men are the most vulnerable.”
“So this was a lesson?’’
“Yes,” said Magnus with a grim expression. “As harsh a lesson as I’ve ever seen, but necessary.”
“She didn’t love me?’’
“Never,” said Magnus coldly. “She is our creature, Talon, and we use her, just as we will use you and every other student here.
“Once this was a place for learning, education for its own sake. My father founded the Academy of Magicians down at Stardock. Did you know that?’’
“No.”
“When politics overtook the Academy, he started another place of learning here, for students of special gifts. I was raised here.
“But when the Serpentwar raged, and Krondor was destroyed, my father realized that our enemies were relentless and could never be counted on to give us respite. So, this school became a place of training. Some students from other worlds attend, but there are fewer of them each year; Father brings in some teachers from other realms, as well, but mostly he, Mother, Nakor, I, and others—like Robert—teach.”
“I’ve not asked, for I assume I’ll be told in time, but who is this enemy?’’
“It is very hard to tell someone as young as you. I’ll leave it for Father and Nakor to tell you when you’re ready to understand.
“But you will be tried by the enemy’s agents, and as you saw on the night the death-dancers came for me, they can strike in the most unexpected fashion in places you think quite safe.’’
“So I must . . . ?”
“Learn, be wary, and trust only a few people.” He paused, considering what to say next. “If I were to tell Rondar or Demetrius to kill you, they would. They would assume my reasons were valid and that you were a threat to us here. If I were to tell Alysandra to kill you, she would. The difference is that Rondar and Demetrius would feel remorse. Alysandra would feel nothing.’’
“You made her this way?” said Talon, his anger rising and his sense of order outraged.
“No,” Magnus answered. “We found her that way. Alysandra is . . . flawed. Tragically and terribly. She doesn’t think about people as you and I might. She thinks of them as we might a stick of wood or a”—he pointed to a chair—“. . . a piece of furniture. Useful, to be cared for, perhaps, so it can continue to be useful, but with no intrinsic value beyond its use to her.
“We found this terribly damaged person and brought her here. Nakor can tell you about that; I know only that one day this lovely young girl was among us, and Nakor was explaining what we needed to do with her.’’
“But why? Why bring her here?’’
“To train her to work for us. To use that remorseless nature to our own ends. Otherwise, she might have ended up on the gallows in Krondor. At least this way we can channel her and control who gets hurt.’’
Talon sat silently, staring out of the open door. “But it felt so . . .’’
“Real?”