Trial By Fire (Schooled in Magic Book 7) (34 page)

“If classes have been cancelled,” Frieda said, “what am I meant to do?”

“Go to the library and study,” Emily said. She would have liked company when she was facing Master Grey, but she knew Frieda couldn’t accompany her. “That’s what we did when classes were cancelled the last time.”

“Oh,” Frieda said. She tensed, suddenly. “Here’s someone I didn’t want to meet.”

Emily looked up, but smiled in relief as she saw Caleb. “Are you all right?”

“I was going to ask you the same question,” Caleb said. “Nothing seemed to be wrong until I walked into a pair of Fifth Years bawling like children.”

“They probably just failed their exams,” Frieda said, darkly.

Emily elbowed her, sharply.

“Then one of them tried to commit suicide,” Caleb said, giving Frieda a dirty look. “I had to freeze him to get him to stop.”

Emily winced. Suicide was taboo in the Nameless World; it was, quite literally, considered grounds for the death penalty. She’d never quite understood why. Mainstream religions on Earth had told everyone for years that those who commit suicide went to hell, but other religions had believed that suicide, under the right circumstances, was an honorable act. It made very little sense to her. The poor boy was likely to face scrutiny for the rest of his life.

“You saved him, at least,” she said. She wanted to kiss him, but it would have been cruel with Frieda right there. “That’s something.”

“So I’ve been told,” Caleb agreed. “I’ve also been told to report to the Alchemy Classroom after breakfast to assist in brewing potions that may help the victims.”

“My sympathies,” Emily said, dryly.

Caleb looked down at his hands. “You suggested I should keep working my way through alchemy,” he said. “But my hands shake badly if the potion is likely to explode.”

“I think it’s not a physical problem,” Emily said. Caleb’s hands didn’t shake when he was carving wood, or even when he was holding her. “You’re psychologically scarred by the explosion that almost killed you and it’s made you reluctant to risk a second explosion.”

Frieda opened her mouth, as if she were about to say something, then shut it as the remaining students entered the Dining Hall. Emily looked up and winced at the faces, the hopelessness and helplessness that came from watching their friends attacked by something they could neither comprehend nor fight. She thought frantically, trying to think of something that could be a cause, but nothing she considered would have been overlooked by Lady Barb and the Grandmaster. And, although she hated to admit it, by Master Grey. The asshole had earned his reputation the hard way.

She glanced towards the head of the room as the Grandmaster cleared his throat. He looked badly worried, although he still looked formidable. Emily felt a chill run down her spine as she sensed the magic bubbling around him, then another chill as she realized that, for all his knowledge, the Grandmaster was as helpless as she was. His students were at risk, and he could do nothing. At least they’d had a
plan
to deal with the Mimic...

And that plan failed
, Emily recalled. Who would have thought the Mimic would have gladly remained in captivity, rather than being held prisoner by the wards? But when it had been challenged, it had snapped the wards as if they were made of taffy.
We don’t even know what we’re fighting now
.

“I will not mince words,” the Grandmaster said. “Three hundred students have sunk into comas. Most of them come from First and Second Year; a relative handful comes from the years above them. Nothing we have done has been able to wake them. All we can really say about the effect, whatever it is, is that it is attacking students through their magic.”

He paused. Silence echoed around the hall.

“We are currently talking to experts across the Allied Lands,” he continued, after a long moment. “We
will
find out what is happening to them and we
will
manage to deal with it. I have faith that we will solve the puzzle.”

Before they die
, Emily thought.

“For the moment, regular classes have been cancelled,” the Grandmaster said. “Those of you tapped for specific duties have already been informed, so carry them out. The rest of you can go to independent study. I
strongly
advise you to refrain from doing anything that will disturb the school further. Anyone caught fighting in the corridors or playing practical jokes will regret it. I should also warn you” - his hidden eyes seemed to sweep the room - “that leaving Whitehall without special permission is currently forbidden. You may not pass beyond the outer edge of the wards. Do
not
try our patience on this,
please
.”

Emily nodded. If the problem was caused by a disease, an epidemic, allowing Whitehall’s students to mingle with the rest of the world would be asking for trouble. Hell, perhaps it
was
an epidemic. If a curse could be designed to conceal itself from detection spells, why not a magic-based epidemic? And someone could easily have altered a harmless disease and turned it into a weapon.

She shivered at the thought. Biological warfare, according to the books, wasn’t unknown in the Allied Lands. Dropping dead bodies into wells was a common trick...and Healers knew enough to create a genuinely dangerous disease through magic. It was one of the reasons for the Healer Oaths, but she knew that such expertise hadn’t remained hidden behind the oaths for long, if indeed it had stayed there at all. She knew enough forbidden spells to make a start on creating a disease...

And combined with what I know from Earth, I could make a really dangerous one
, she thought.
One that no one here would be able to stop
.

“Finish your breakfasts, then go,” the Grandmaster concluded. “If you notice anyone else acting strangely, inform a staff member as soon as possible.”

He sat down and dug into his porridge with every evidence of enjoyment. Emily blinked in surprise, then realized he was trying to suggest that he felt calm and confident. She didn’t think it was actually working, not when he’d admitted that the disease - if it
was
a disease - was attacking people through their magic. He couldn’t have alarmed his students more if he’d told them that necromancy had suddenly been declared legal and that they would be expected to draw lots to become the first necromancers.

“Anyone acting strangely,” Caleb said. “In
Whitehall
?”

Emily had to smile. “Anything that’s out of the ordinary for us would be worrying,” she agreed. “I...”

She broke off as Lady Barb strode over to the table. “The Grandmaster would like to see you as soon as you have finished breakfast,” she said. “You can meet him in the Great Hall.”

“I will,” Emily said. She frowned, nervously. “But I have to report to Master Grey.”

“The Grandmaster comes first,” Lady Barb informed her. “Tell Master Grey, when you get to him, that you were summoned.”

Emily nodded, finished her breakfast and encouraged Frieda to go to the library. She might have been more use in the alchemy classrooms, but she had a feeling that Caleb and Frieda weren’t going to get on in her absence. As soon as the younger girl had headed off, she walked through the corridors and into the Great Hall. It was crammed with makeshift beds, each one holding a student trapped in a coma. Emily shuddered when she saw one of the bodies twitching, as if it were having a nightmare. It would have been easy to believe that most of the students in the room were dead.

“Lady Emily,” the Grandmaster said. “Come into this room.”

Emily followed him into a small office and looked around. The walls were lined with bookshelves, each one crammed with dozens of books. A pair of comfortable chairs sat in the middle of the room, illuminated by a light globe hovering near the ceiling. She felt the privacy wards, wards stronger than anything she could cast on her own, snap into place as the Grandmaster closed the door. No one could hope to overhear their words.

She played with the snake-bracelet on her arm as the Grandmaster motioned her to a chair, then sat facing her. “Lady Barb tells me you sensed something earlier,” he said. “What did you sense?”

“Something
wrong
,” Emily said. She described the sensation as best as she could, although it was terrifyingly hard to put into words. “I had the feeling that there was something wrong with the wards, but Lady Barb said they had been changed.”

“They were,” the Grandmaster said. He paused. “There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with the Warden. We have been unable to identify the cause of the problem.”

The problem
, Emily thought. Several hundred students in comas wasn’t a
problem
, it was a disaster.
But if you can’t find the cause...

“It may be a disease,” she said. “Something that attacks them through their magic...it could be a curse designed to hide itself.”

She paused. “Have you tried an anti-magic ward?”

“We have,” the Grandmaster said. “It’s a desperation measure, because the curse might kill its victim before being dissipated, but we tried. It didn’t work.”

“Then a disease that’s purely non-magical,” Emily reasoned.

The Grandmaster seemed to look at her, although it was hard to be sure. “Did you have such diseases in your world?”

Emily hesitated. She’d heard of diseases that caused comas - or worse - but she didn’t know any specifics. If she’d been trained as a doctor...

And if I’d been trained as a SCA re-enactor, I would have been in a much better state to face the Nameless World
, she thought, sharply.
There’s no point in wishing for what one cannot have.

“I don’t know the details,” she said. How
did
they help people in comas anyway? Her memory suggested electric shocks, but she had a feeling that had been discredited by researchers years ago. “And we don’t have magic, so I don’t know...”

She paused. “Was there anything the victims had in common? Some non-human blood?”

“The Gorgon is the only student at the school who isn’t fully human,” the Grandmaster mused. “Although I suppose Alassa might count, given the Royal Bloodline.”

“And both of them were affected,” Emily said.

“Quite,” the Grandmaster agreed. He shook his head, looking tired and defeated. “Go see Master Grey, Emily. Try and take your mind off the crisis.”

“It doesn’t help,” Emily protested. She would almost have preferred him shouting at her than to see him in a broken-down state. “I can help here instead.”

“Go,” the Grandmaster ordered.

Emily nodded, rose and left his office.

M
ASTER GREY WASN’T IN THE ARMORY
when she arrived, although Sergeant Miles and Lady Barb were both there, talking in very low voices. It must have been something intimate, Emily reasoned, as Lady Barb told her where to find Master Grey at once. She smiled tiredly, and walked to the spellchambers.

Master Grey stood in the heart of a warding circle, tossing spells towards a handful of training dummies. Emily would have admired the display of power, perhaps, if she’d trusted him more.

“You’re late,” he said, as she entered the room.

“The Grandmaster wanted to speak to me, sir,” Emily said, simply.

Master Grey grunted, still firing off spells. “Are you carrying anything magical?”

Emily hesitated, thrown by the unexpected question. “Yes, sir,” she said. “A wand, a spelled knife and a couple of little protective charms.”

And the bracelet
, she added silently. She wasn’t going to mention the Death Viper to Master Grey, not if it could be avoided.
It probably counts as magic, too.

Master Grey turned to face her. “Go to the barracks and change into your walking clothes, then meet me at the doors,” he ordered. “Place everything - and I mean
everything
- magical that you happen to be carrying into your locker. I
will
check. You will receive one demerit for each magical item you’re carrying.”

“Yes, sir,” Emily said. She’d have to tighten the spell on the snake before taking the bracelet off. The last thing she wanted was for the Death Viper to return to its natural state and start hunting for prey. “May I ask why?”

“I’ll explain on the way,” Master Grey said. “Go.”

Emily blinked - he sounded almost friendly - and hurried to change into her walking clothes. The heavy trousers and shirt felt uncomfortable against her skin, as always, but she knew she’d get used to them. She took the bracelet from her wrist, checked the spell and placed it into the locker, accompanied by her other magical objects. It left her feeling oddly naked, she decided, as she walked back to the doors.

Master Grey stood there, holding a pair of knapsacks in one hand.

“Here,” he said, passing one to her. “Cheese sandwiches, a bottle of water and a handful of medical supplies.”

“Thank you,” Emily said, automatically. “Where are we going?”

“Somewhere,” Master Grey said. “It’s a long walk, so it’s better to take food.”

Emily felt her eyes narrow. “Do we have permission to leave the wards?”

Oddly, Master Grey smiled. “Yes, we do,” he said. “It was good of you to check, though.”

As opposed to checking if I could take Frieda for a run
? Emily thought, as she followed him out into the bright sunlight.
Or asking about safety precautions in Blackhall
?

Master Grey took one look at her once the door was closed, turned, and started to walk towards the mountains. Emily followed him, silently wondering why he’d set such a quick pace. It wouldn’t be hard to keep up with him, she thought, but given time it would leave her drained. The forest closed in around them while they walked; she gritted her teeth as she felt flickers of wild magic dancing through the air. Master Grey ignored them; he kept walking, maintaining a steady pace. Emily silently promised herself that she’d keep up with him as long as possible.

“That plant there,” Master Grey said, suddenly. “Name one use for it that
everyone
knows.”