Kin of Kings (The Kin of Kings Book 1) (35 page)

“As the only first-year in here,
Basen
Hiller
, you’d better pay attention and learn fast. Most of what needs to be covered today are battle strategies and formations, which is review for everyone else here. If you can’t keep up, then I have a valid reason to demote you to a more suitable group, and don’t think I won’t take it. You are also to learn meditation by the end of the week. If you don’t, or you do anything to endanger yourself or the rest of us, you will regret it!”

“I understand,” he muttered, sinking down in his chair as he tried to ignore everyone’s eyes on him.

After a quick roll call, Penny began discussing battle strategy as promised. She used diagrams to supplement her lecture, quickly demonstrating that some groups of mages and warriors took different roles in battle. The Group One mages and warriors were supposed to be the most skilled, therefore they were given the more dangerous and difficult roles.

It didn’t take long for Basen to forget the animosity between him and Penny as he focused on her instructions. Group One was where he belonged, and he would prove it to her.

The lecture had started in the early afternoon, so they only had half the day. It took Penny two hours to explain the different formations, techniques, and orders they might hear, and then the time came to practice in the training area outside. It was difficult to remember everything as Penny yelled out different scenarios and gave specific orders to counter them. But eventually Basen realized that all of the strategies were intuitive. If he forgot one, his own counter to the problem was often correct.

They treated the training dummies as enemies, casting fireballs at the charred metal throughout the evening. It gave Basen pride to be training among these mages, who were certainly the best. All of them shared Effie’s skill that he’d seen during evaluation week. About two thirds were women, and the more time Basen had to observe everyone, the easier he could confirm they were all second- and third-years. They had clear knowledge about what they were doing that often was lacking in the expressions of first-years Basen had met in his evaluation group. All of these men and women had killed before and were ready to kill again, a sense of duty in their eyes. Basen wondered if he now had the same look after last night. He didn’t feel like he did.

Not a moment went by, that entire afternoon, without at least two mages pulling in bastial energy to the front of their wands to form fireballs. Basen began to wonder: With so much BE being pulled near the same location at the same time, why have no portals been created by accident? He started to realize that there must be more to it than just piling BE on top of itself until the world couldn’t contain the force of it. Something had to open a hole and decide where it led, and whatever it was must be the difference between a cluster of energy and a portal.

When he had the chance, he gathered a cluster of BE and felt for the extra heaviness that he’d experienced in Nick’s room yet not in his own. There it was, like a scent in the air, waiting for his mind to grab. He could make a portal here.

He let his bastial energy disperse, then tried again. As expected, the feeling was gone.
So I can only open a portal after first gathering enough BE.

A realization struck him. The training center in Oakshen, Nick’s room, and now the Group One training area—he could only make portals where mages had gathered bastial energy before. There must be lasting effects from squeezing large amounts of BE together. Thousands of spells had been cast in each of the three areas where Basen could create portals. Nick trained in his room all last year, yet his roommate then was a warrior, which was why it didn’t work in Basen’s room now.

Something felt hot against his leg.
The akorell bracelet in my pocket.
He moved to put himself behind everyone and took it out for a look. The stone glowed orange, now emanating too much heat for him to keep in his pocket. He hastily buried it beneath a thin layer of sand, thankful the day was nearly done so it wouldn’t have to be there long before he had a chance to put it somewhere else.

It must’ve charged quickly because of all the bastial energy being drawn past it by mages forming fireballs.

Good to know the process can be rushed.

This was all too perfect. He had a place outside of his house to make a portal, and he had the akorell stone to strengthen the spell. He would practice tonight.

But first I need protection against the murderer.

*****

Basen needed to wait for the rest of his class to leave for supper before retrieving Alabell’s buried akorell bracelet. Effie didn’t believe his excuse that he wanted to stay and practice, so she waited with him until everyone else had left except for Penny.

Now that they had some privacy, he told her what she wanted to hear: the truth. He didn’t want to practice but needed to move the akorell bracelet back to his house. It was too hot to conceal in his pocket and too bright to wear on his wrist.

“Then put it below my neck on the back of my training robe,” Effie suggested. “My hair will cover it.”

With Penny focusing on whatever she was writing, Basen quickly dug out the akorell bracelet and slid one side down Effie’s back.

“I hope your hair doesn’t burn,” he said.

“If it does, I’ll tell people it was an errant spell from you that did it.” She fluffed her black hair around the glowing akorell stone.

“That’s just what Penny wants to hear.”

“How does it look?”

There was still some visible light pushing through her lush hair. “It’s good enough as long as no one gets too close to your back.”

“My friends know by now not to startle me, so it should be fine.”

They started to leave, but Penny called out for Basen to wait.

He whispered to Effie, “Put the stone somewhere in your house where no one will find it. If I don’t see you in the dining hall, I’ll come by later.”

She nodded and hurried off before Penny came too close.

“Mage Penny, can I apologize?” Basen asked.

She seemed surprised as she nodded.

He swallowed all of his pride, the feeling bitter in his stomach. “I’ve thought about it more and have come to realize that you were right to scold me. I put myself and my classmates in danger. I was too focused on showing you what I was capable of, and I let it distract me. I’m sorry. I won’t cast any other spells that will put myself or anyone else at risk.” He was thankful there were no psychics around to hear that last part. Later that very night he would be practicing a spell that he believed could get him killed.

“That’s what I wanted to speak to you about.” Her tone was as if his words had done nothing to alleviate her frustration. “You
have
been dangerous, and I can’t allow that to continue. We need everyone training hard but safely so we don’t injure each other. I want you to keep no secrets from me. The more I can trust you, the more I can allow you to push the boundaries of your limits. I would be a fool not to see that you have great potential with bastial energy. But for every legendary mage who reached old age, there were five others with the same potential who were killed by their own power before ever becoming known. Let me help you be the former and not the latter.”

“Thank you. Your help is invaluable.”

“I’m glad you think that way, because I know you have something planned with Effie.” Penny folded her arms. “I’m seeing the same look on your face that I’ve learned to watch for on hers. Tell me what it is so I can help you.”

Perhaps Penny hadn’t been as distracted by her writing as Basen had thought. He could lie, and she probably would never hear of him using the akorell stone later that night in her classroom’s training area. But the thought of a new ally and shedding the need for secrecy was too tempting to ignore.

“Alabell brought an akorell stone from the castle. She’s given it to me to practice—.”

“Casting fireballs like the one seen at the start of the battle. I’m glad you’re admitting to what I already knew. The bandage on your hand gave it away.”

So this was a test. “Yes, and now I think it’s important I learn how to safely use the akorell stone.”

“I do, too, however it’s not your decision who gets to practice with the bracelet. That’s for Terren to decide. Give it to me so I can take it to him.”

Damn. He wondered what would happen if he defied her request. She would probably find some way of getting it herself, and then the rancor would return to their relationship.

There was something that didn’t feel quite right about this, though. Why was Penny so adamant about Basen giving the akorell stone to her?

“I could take it to Terren right now,” Basen tested.

“Where is it?”

If she wasn’t going to be direct, then neither was he. “I’m not carrying it with me.”

“Basen, all forms of akorell stones are dangerous. Even the ones fastened to bracelets can still cause fires if stored incorrectly. Take me to the stone now, and then I’ll bring it to Terren.” She lifted her hands. “It
may
return to you once we see you’re the most fit to wield it. But I can’t allow such a weapon to remain in any student’s possession without first having the headmaster assess it. Cleve encountered the same situation with his bastial steel sword. It was decided that no one can wield the weapon like he can, and you will have your chance to prove the same thing with the akorell stone. Now let’s go retrieve it.” She gestured for him to walk.

Feeling hesitant about this whole thing, Basen tried to come up with an excuse. But as he led her toward Effie’s house, he realized it was futile. Eventually he gave in and explained his fellow mage had taken it for the moment to move it somewhere safe.

They knocked on the front door to Effie’s campus house. Alex answered, surprising Penny, it seemed, as she whipped her head back.

“You’re that warrior, Alex Baom, aren’t you?” Penny spoke with disdain that was lost on Basen. Perhaps she didn’t like students consorting with each other?

“Hello, Mage Penny.” He was his usual friendly self, showing a gentle smile in spite of her attitude. “How can I help you and Basen?”

“We need to come in.” Penny stepped forward, but Alex blocked her path.

“For what?”

“To get something from Effie,” Penny replied. Her level of eagerness to get to the stone had become somewhat alarming.

Alex held his arm across the doorway. “She’s in the dining hall.”

“Then I need to search through her room.”

“Why?”

Penny folded her arms. “This isn’t your house, and I’m asking you to let me in.”

“Ask, demand, it won’t matter.” The amity dropped out of his voice. “I don’t know if Effie wants you searching through her room, and the only people who can do that without her permission are the headmaster, the king’s liaison, any of the master classes, or if you have a signed decree from any of those. Do you?”

Penny spun to direct her look of angst at Basen. “Make sure you bring the akorell stone to me by the end of the night.”

“Shouldn’t I bring it to Terren if that’s where you’re taking it anyway?”

“Bring it to me first and we’ll take it to Terren together, if that’s what you wish. I want to speak with him about it.” She turned to face Alex. “Your brother was an honorable man. In case you didn’t know, I was a student at the Academy at the same time as he was.” Judging by her swing of emotion, it seemed that there was a lot she wasn’t saying. “He was born to lead, and he did a perfect job until the very end.”

Penny left abruptly, appearing as if she was holding back tears.

Alex didn’t move as his gaze fell to his feet. Basen stepped up and clasped his shoulder. “Are you all right?”

Alex seemed to come back to reality, his head jerking up and slowly forming a sad smile. “Did you know it was your uncle who caused my brother’s death?”

“Your brother must’ve been Hem Baom. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”

Alex gestured for Basen to come in. “There’s no one left alive to blame for that, and you’re not at fault, either.”

He brought Basen to Effie’s room and opened a drawer. Basen saw the akorell bracelet sitting on a block of hardened sartious energy so as to keep the drawer protected from the heat.

“This is where she put it. Would you like it back?”

“Here’s fine for now. Is she really at the dining hall?

“Yes. She wanted to speak with Steffen as soon as possible. The chemist always seems to know ahead of everyone else what’s happening, as he did with the war last year. Most likely because he spends an inordinate amount of time with Chemist Master Jack, who works closely with Terren. I was going to meet Effie after I showered. Would you like to wait for me and walk together?”

“I could use a shower as well, while the water’s still warm. I’ll meet you back here?”

“Sure.”

Basen returned home to find his house empty. Annah was either still in battle training or in the dining hall. He grabbed his towel and hurried to the nearby bathhouse, where he showered and then wore the towel back to his house.

There were many sensations he’d forgotten about during his time at the workhouse: walking through the brisk air after a warm bath, or shower in this case; a sense of pride in his appearance now that he no longer wore rags or was covered in dirt; the trailing gazes of women, more so when he wore only a towel like he did now. It felt good to be part of the Academy.