Trial By Fire (Schooled in Magic Book 7) (15 page)

“I think the artist never actually saw you,” Frieda said, holding one hand in front of her face to hide a smile.

“Clearly not,” Emily muttered. The second painting showed her wearing a red dress, with hair shading to red...maybe the painter had read a description of Melissa instead. It didn’t look
that
much like Melissa either, but at least the hair and dress color matched. “Why do they keep hanging them up here?”

“You’re famous,” Frieda said. “There’s a whole set of portraits of famous graduates in the North Corridor. Mistress Irene had me cleaning them once for a detention.”

“I won’t ask what you did to deserve it,” Emily said. “They weren’t all of
me
, were they?”

“No,” Frieda said. “I think one of them was of the Grandmaster, but the others were strangers.”

They reached the entrance to the Second Year dorms. Madame Razz was standing outside, a nasty expression on her face, as the remaining stragglers filtered through the doors and into the corridor. Emily waved goodbye to Frieda as she ran towards the entrance, and turned and hurried up the stairs to the next level. The lights started to dim sharply, reminding her that she really should be in bed - or, at least, in her bedroom. She reached the top of the stairs, and stopped. Alassa was standing outside the door, looking grim.

“I’m meant to make a note of everyone who gets back late, after the lights go out,” she said, as she saw Emily. “Get inside before I have to write your name.”

“Ouch,” Emily said. She hurried through the door, then stopped. “What happens if you catch any of us?”

“I have to give the list to the House Mother,” Alassa said. “Madame Beauregard is known to be strict. After that, I have to patrol the corridors for twenty minutes, rounding up strays.”

Emily winced in sympathy. “Remember to be diplomatic,” she said. What could Alassa do if she caught someone from one of the upper years? “And keep your wards up.”

“I know,” Alassa said. “I got told a whole series of horror stories by Thomas - you know him?”

“No,” Emily said. She’d known a handful of Fifth and Sixth Years in her first two years as a student, thanks to Martial Magic, but she didn’t know many of the students who’d been in Third or Fourth Year. “I don’t think I know him.”

“He’s one of the prefects for Sixth Year,” Alassa explained. “He said that Dorm Monitor was one of the worst jobs in the school, because students would try to turn them into things just so they could get away. By the time he managed to undo the spell, the person who’d cast it was safely out of reach.”

“Oh dear,” Emily said. Assaulting a tutor would be very bad - it would be easy to identify the culprit - but someone quick enough to cast a spell on the Dorm Monitor and run? It was quite possible the tutors would regard it as a learning experience, rather than something requiring punishment. “How are you feeling?”

“I’ve felt better,” Alassa said. “I...”

The lights went out. Alassa hastily cast a light globe, then smiled, her face illuminated by the soft radiance. “Go to bed,” she said. “I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

Emily nodded, headed down the corridor and stepped through the door into her room. Imaiqah was already there, lying in bed with the covers pulled over her head. Emily hastily undressed, pulled her nightgown on and climbed into bed herself. There would be time for a shower in the morning before she had to get to class. And then she had a free period before lunch...

And then I have Martial Magic
, she thought, feeling the butterflies returning to her stomach. Intellectually, she knew Lady Barb was right; this
was
an opportunity to learn from one of the most skilled sorcerers in the world. But emotionally...she caught herself starting to panic again and concentrated on her breathing exercises.
I survived Shadye. I can survive Master Grey
.

She was still breathing, in and out, in and out, when Alassa entered the room and glanced into Emily’s bed. “You awake?”

“No,” Emily said, dryly. “Are you asleep. too?”

Alassa smiled, then sobered. “I just caught Tam and Penelope trying to sneak back into the dorms,” she said. “They could have waited half an hour, if they hadn’t wanted to be caught...”

“Idiots,” Emily agreed. It might have been possible to wait until Alassa set off on her patrols, then sneak through the door. “Didn’t they know you’d be waiting outside?”

“Probably not,” Alassa said. “Madame Beauregard didn’t usually hang around outside the door in Third Year.”

That
was true, Emily recalled. She’d stayed in her office, further down the corridor, and waited. If someone had made enough noise to summon her, that someone would not have had a very pleasant time of it. But Alassa had waited at the door.

“Bad for them,” she said, dryly. “What did you do?”

“Took their names,” Alassa said. “What else
can
I do?”

Emily shuddered, remembering Mountaintop. “Be glad of it,” she said, as her friend started to undress. “This might be intended to teach you something about wielding power.”

“I already know how to wield power,” Alassa muttered. She finished undressing and climbed into bed, without bothering to don a nightgown. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Emily echoed.

She closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing, but it was a very long time before she finally fell asleep.

“T
HIS SHOULD BE FUN,” ALOHA SAID
, the following afternoon. “How are you feeling?”

“Nervous,” Emily grunted, as she pulled the uniform jacket over her head. It seemed to be a rule that uniforms should be ill-fitting, uncomfortable and itchy. “I didn’t sleep very well. Then I had Advanced Charms.”

“Just wait until you get to Fifth Year,” Aloha said, unsympathetically. “You’ll have
Very
Advanced Charms.”

Emily sighed, checking her uniform. It was a dark green, something that was supposed to make her harder to see in a jungle, although she had her doubts about its effectiveness in actual combat. The three black bands around her upper left arm puzzled her, unless they were meant to indicate that this was her third year of Martial Magic. She’d worn something similar at Mountaintop, but then she’d been an
actual
Third Year student. She tied her hair back into a long ponytail, and glanced at Aloha. Her friend looked...

Pretty
, Emily thought, numbly. Aloha practically
glowed
.
Is she dressing to impress him
?

She gritted her teeth at the thought. Aloha’s uniform was a little tighter than it should be, particularly around her chest, and her face was scrubbed clean. Her long dark hair was bound up in a bun, drawing attention to her face and cheekbones. Was she actually
crushing
on Master Grey? Emily honestly couldn’t recall seeing Aloha put so much effort into her appearance before. She opened her mouth to ask, then shut it firmly. Whatever the answer, she didn’t want to know.

“Let’s go,” Aloha said, as she checked her watch. “He’s waiting for us outside.”

At least he isn’t changing in front of us
, Emily thought. She’d always hated trips outside the school, even though the boys had given her some privacy. Sergeant Miles had warned her, privately, that that wouldn’t always be possible.
He’s just waiting for us to get changed on our own
.

She pushed the thought to the back of her mind as Aloha led the way out of the changing room and into the Armory. It was a giant room, crammed with all kinds of weapons both mundane and magical, but Emily had no time to look at them. Master Grey stood in the exact center of the room, hands clasped behind his back, watching them through cold blue eyes. Emily shuddered inwardly as his gaze moved over her, but forced herself to straighten up and hold herself steady. Beside her, Aloha snapped to attention, and held herself at parade rest.

“Your uniform needs adjusting,” Master Grey said, eyeing Emily sharply. He walked forward and tugged at it, almost pulling Emily over. “And you need to tie your hair back or shorten it considerably.”

Emily fought to keep her face calm. Her long hair was her one real vanity, something she’d kept even though she knew it would be easier to handle short hair. Carefully, not taking her eyes off him, she undid her ponytail and bound her hair into a bun, like Aloha. Master Grey nodded once in cold approval, then walked around them both. Emily shivered as she felt his gaze moving over her, then on to Aloha. If Master Grey noticed how pretty she looked, he said nothing.

“Follow me,” he said, curtly.

He turned and jogged out of the room, forcing them to follow him. Emily groaned under her breath as he picked up speed, jogging through the doors that led to the training field. Sergeant Miles was lecturing a group of new students just outside; Master Grey ignored them as he led Emily and Aloha towards the lightning-blasted tree at one edge of the fields, then into the path that ran into the forest. Emily forced herself to keep going when her body started to ache as she followed Master Grey and Aloha, cursing mentally. She simply hadn’t had time to walk in Cockatrice, let alone run, and her body had weakened. Neither Master Grey nor Aloha seemed to be breathing hard, let alone showing any other signs of tiredness. Aloha must have been keeping up with her physical exercises as well as preparing for her next year at school.

Probably didn’t have to worry about anything else
, Emily thought, resentfully. She knew nothing about Aloha’s family, but surely they’d be proud of such a brilliant girl. There wouldn’t be any suggestion that she should find a husband, or do anything other than what she was doing.
She could devote all her time to her studies
.

Master Grey stopped, standing next to a tree trunk. Beyond him, the pathway led down towards a second marker, half a mile away. Emily knew, from running the path before with the sergeants, that there were four markers in all, between them covering two miles. Students like her, graduates of Martial Magic, were expected to run the entire track in less than nine minutes. It wasn’t something she’d ever enjoyed.

“I shall be bringing up the rear,” Master Grey informed them, removing a baton from his belt. “I expect you to complete the track in ten minutes - and that’s being generous.”

Very generous
, Emily thought, sourly.
It took me months to complete the track in less than fifteen
.

“Go,” Master Grey ordered.

Aloha ran, sprinting down the path as though a wild animal were after her. Emily followed, cursing Master Grey under her breath. She’d been told to pace herself, back when she’d been running for the very first time, but it wasn’t easy when she heard Master Grey’s pounding footsteps behind her. She forced herself onwards, despite the growing stitch in her side, yet no matter how hard she tried she found herself slowing down. He swatted her backside with the baton, pushing her to run faster, yet it was hopeless. By the time she finally reached the final marker, she knew she was running very late.

“Thirteen minutes, with a little encouragement,” Master Grey sneered. Emily fought down the urge to rub her behind as he glowered at her, then shot Aloha a droll smile. “You made it in ten, barely.”

“Thank you, sir,” Aloha said.

“You will both have to do better,” Master Grey said. He produced a canteen of water from his belt and passed it to Aloha, who took a long swig and then held it out to Emily. “You may discover your lives depend, one day, on being able to outrun someone.”

He smirked, took back the canteen after Emily had taken a drink, and turned to lead them back down the path. “Follow me,” he ordered, as he sprang into a jog. “You don’t want to fall too far behind.”

Because the forest is charmed to make life difficult for unwary students
, Emily thought, as she followed him down the path. The pain in her backside was fading, but her body ached due to the sudden exercise. He was right; she’d need to go running more, at least if she wanted to stay in the class.
And you probably added a few nasty surprises for us personally
.

The pathway opened suddenly to reveal Blackhall, a towering mansion that wouldn’t have been out of place in a gothic horror novel. Emily caught her breath as Master Grey stopped outside, forcing herself to remain calm. The original defenses of Blackhall might have been removed long ago - although Sergeant Miles had hinted that some remained intact - but hundreds of Martial Magic instructors had charmed the building to test their students to the limit. Emily had been inside too many times to be sanguine about whatever they might have to face.

“Your mission is very simple,” Master Grey said. He turned to face them, his cloak swirling around his body to reveal he was wearing a silver breastplate over his chest. “I will be going inside Blackhall. You will follow me in ten minutes” - he jabbed a finger at them; Emily felt her feet suddenly and firmly stuck to the ground - “when that spell wears off, and try to catch me. I will be using no active magic of my own; you two may use whatever you please.”

Emily blinked. “You won’t be using magic?”

“I won’t be using any active magic,” Master Grey repeated. “Are you deaf?”

“No, sir,” Emily said, biting her lip.

“You are to catch me and take me out of Blackhall within the hour, before the next class arrives,” Master Grey continued. “That’s all you have to do.”

He turned and walked through the door, which closed with an ominous creaking sound. Emily hastily tested the spell binding her feet in place and discovered it was unbreakable, at least with the standard spells. It would probably take longer than the spell would last to break it, unless she found a shortcut. Maybe it would be better to just wait...

“All we have to do is catch him,” Aloha said. “And he won’t be using any magic. It sounds easy, doesn’t it?”

“There’s probably a sting in the tail somewhere,” Emily muttered. Blackhall was crammed with traps. “Something we’re not seeing.”

She gritted her teeth. On the face of it, a mundane - or someone pretending to be a mundane - fighting a magician was committing suicide. She knew a hundred spells that could be used to render a powerless mundane harmless. Hell, she’d learned enough to protect herself in her first few weeks at Whitehall. Master Grey might be more experienced than either of them, but could he fight without magic? Unless he planned to cheat...