فصل 6

Chapter 6

CLASSES THAT FIRST day were outside in the blazing sun, sitting on a half circle of boulders. Master Rufus felt that since the Assembly planned to start creeping around the woods, they needed to use the outside of the Magisterium as much as possible until that happened. Call missed the cool of the caves. His shirt was quickly soaked with sweat. Even the part on his head felt like it was getting a sunburn. Aaron’s nose and cheeks had turned red, and Tamara was wearing one of her notebooks like a hat.

“Welcome to your Bronze Year at the Magisterium,” Master Rufus said, pacing back in forth in front of them, his bald head shining. “You may not be the most trouble of all the apprentice groups I’ve ever taught, but you are certainly up there. Let’s try to approach this year a little differently.” Considering that Master Rufus was referring to a previous apprentice group that had included Captain Fishface himself, that really was saying something.

“We all just got medals!” Tamara said, and received a stern look for interrupting him. She went on anyway. “We’re the opposite of trouble.” Master Rufus’s eyebrows did something complicated, rising and wiggling all at once. “Nonetheless, let’s try to make sure that none of you get kidnapped or go on rescue missions or adopt more Chaos-ridden animals or leave the school for any reason.” None of them had anything to say to that.

“This year we will be learning about personal responsibility. You might not think that sounds like a particularly magical lesson, but this is the year that Constantine began his experiments with Master Joseph, trying to discover a path to immortality. It’s the year when you leave behind the basics and begin to focus on what you might specialize in, so we want to make sure that every student — but especially Call and Aaron — consider what the wider implications of those specialties will be. It is a worthy goal to wonder about the limits of chaos magic. It is irresponsible and corrupt to use methods that put lives in danger to discover those limits. Like all schools, we are always interested in learning, in research, in pushing the limits of knowledge. But we must balance that with our duty to protect the world, even from ourselves.

“And,” Master Rufus went on, “I want you to remember that you have walked through the gates of magic early in each of the preceding years. That should teach you not that you’re better than other students but that the gates of magic open when the student is ready — not before. If you do not learn the Bronze Year lessons, you will remain in Bronze Year until you do.” Call looked over at Aaron and Tamara. They appeared as floored as he felt. He wasn’t sure how any of what Master Rufus was talking about could be learned in school. It was remotely possible, however, that his brain was being slowed by heatstroke.

“One more thing,” Master Rufus said. “About the spy in the Magisterium. Tamara, I don’t know if I’ve spoken to you directly about this, but I am sure that Call or Aaron already told you, so I won’t embarrass us both by pretending otherwise. You have every right to know. However, I insist — insist! — that you do not attempt to catch the spy yourselves. Leave this to us.” None of them said anything.

Master Rufus’s eyebrows drew together more sharply. “Do you understand?” Call nodded.

“Sure,” Aaron said.

“Okay,” said Tamara.

It was the most unconvincing display Call had ever seen. He wasn’t sure if Master Rufus had been taken in or had just given up when the mage nodded and said, “Good! Now, I believe our first lesson should be about the element of water and how to balance it with air so that we can breathe underwater when we’re swimming. I know just the lake we can practice in.” Call jumped up, pleased by the idea of cooling off. It was only as they started moving that he remembered Jen’s body floating in the ocean and wondered if there was a reason that Master Rufus had put this particular lesson at the very top of his list.

Despite Call’s dark thoughts, they spent a pleasant day bobbing around in the shallows of a small lake near the school. Master Rufus gave them amulets filled with air for them to hold and draw from while they were underwater. On the first few tries, Call couldn’t focus and came up sputtering and choking. Aaron didn’t fare better, though Tamara seemed serenely untroubled.

Finally, in frustration, Call grabbed the amulet and dived down toward the bottom of the pond. He’d always liked swimming — in the water, his leg didn’t ache. He kept his eyes open. The lake was silty but fresh; he could see small fish darting around the plants that waved in the faint current. He could see Tamara and Aaron, blurred shapes in the water.

He thought, for some reason, of his father. He had seen in Master Joseph’s memories how Alastair had climbed the side of a massive glacier to reach the scene of the Cold Massacre, where the Enemy of Death had killed dozens of helpless mages. Alastair had been climbing toward his wife and baby son, using water magic to form handholds and footholds in the glacier wall. It must have been exhausting. It must have seemed impossible.

Compared to that, this was nothing.

Call tightened his grasp on the amulet, squeezing it so hard he thought he felt it crack. Air, he thought. Air all around him, there was air in the water, all elements were one, fire and earth, air and water. All are but one thing, not four, not two, and not three, but one.

He opened his mouth and breathed.

It was like breathing damp, swampy air. He choked a little, letting his body drift upward as air filled his lungs. The second breath was easier, and by the third and fourth he was breathing normally. Standing on the bottom of the lake, breathing normally. Jubilantly, he tossed the amulet aside and swam upward, breaking the surface with a yell. “I did it!” he shouted. “I breathed underwater!” “I know!” said Tamara, treading water. “I saw you!”

“Woo!” said Aaron. He punched the surface of the lake, making it spray up. “You rule!” “Hello, we all rule,” Tamara objected, as Call started swimming in circles, diving down to breathe and coming up again. He splashed water and grinned.

Sometimes magic really was just as awesome as he’d secretly hoped it would be.

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That night, they were the only people in the library — Tamara, Call, Aaron, and Jasper, huddled around a table where a light glowed inside a lamp made from the shell of a huge underwater snail. They kept their voices down; sound tended to echo in the big, spiral stone room.

“So the question is whether whoever tried to kill Call at the awards ceremony is someone who’d be at the Magisterium,” said Tamara, shuffling some papers. “I made a list of all the people who attend school here or teach here, as well as Assembly members who can come in and out.” Jasper leaned forward to look at the list. “You’re not on it,” he said.

“Of course I’m not!” Tamara flushed. “I didn’t try to kill Call.”

“Kimiya’s not on it, either,” said Jasper. “Or Aaron.”

“Because they’re not trying to kill me,” said Call.

“You don’t know that,” said Jasper. “The list should be objective. I should be on it, too.” “Believe me,” said Tamara. “You are.”

Jasper made a face. “Good.”

“Look, I know poking around when we’re not supposed to is kind of our thing,” Call said, interrupting them. “But maybe this time we don’t try to catch the spy ourselves. Master Rufus says that there’s some kind of plan in place and Alex’s stepmom is here and is supposed to be setting a trap. Maybe we could leave it to them.” They all stared at Call as though he’d grown a second head. Finally, Aaron spoke. “Did you drink too much pond water today or something? There’s no way you’d be saying that if it was one of us who was in danger.” “Think about it this way,” Jasper said. “If the same person who released Automotones tried to drop the chandelier on you, then anyone standing next to you is just as likely to get killed as you are. So for my own sake, I want to look into this.” Call couldn’t argue with logic like that.

“I’ve been thinking,” Tamara said. “We need to get down in the tunnels where the huge elementals are kept. Then maybe we could figure out who had access to Automotones and how they got it. We can use this list and see if any of these people were down there — there’s got to be some record of visitors or of who has clearance.” “Won’t the mages have already looked into that?” Aaron asked.

Tamara shrugged. “Even if they have, they won’t give us those names, so it’s a place for us to start narrowing our suspect pool.” “Someone spent their summer rereading all their Nancy Drew mysteries,” Jasper said.

Tamara gave him a toothy grin. “Someone is going to get a punch in their face.” “Do you have a better idea?” Aaron asked. “Because if not, don’t criticize.” “How about Call makes himself into bait?” Jasper offered. “I mean, why wait around and do all this legwork when we can make the killer come to us? We just let everyone know Call is going to be somewhere remote and alone and then when the killer shows up to finish him off, we can jump —” “Hey, wait a minute,” Call said. “That idea is stupid.”

“I thought we weren’t supposed to criticize,” Jasper said, grinning with self-satisfaction. “I think there’s no way it could go wrong.” Tamara shook her head. “Call could get killed!”

“We’d still catch the spy,” Jasper said, then winced after being kicked savagely under the table. “What? Not a lot of plans have that kind of built-in guarantee!” “Let’s try it Tamara’s way first,” Aaron said. Then, yawning, he stood. “After classes tomorrow, let’s meet here again. We can look through the Magisterium maps and see if we can figure out where the elementals are kept. I’ll take first shift tonight. Tamara, Call, you both get some sleep.” “See you then, suckers,” Jasper said. He departed the library by taking the steps on the spiral staircase two at a time.

Call wanted to protest that one of them being awake, taking watch, was unnecessary, but no one was going to listen to him anyway. He got up with a sigh and followed Tamara and Aaron back to their rooms.

Halfway there, though, he straightened up with a jolt. “I know who’d be able to get to those elementals,” Call said. “Warren!” The little lizard was a fire elemental, after all, and while he couldn’t entirely be trusted, he knew the layout of the Magisterium better than probably anyone or anything else. He’d led them through its labyrinthine corridors before — admittedly, bringing them to the attention of a more powerful and sinister elemental — but still, nothing that bad had happened.

And besides, last year they’d saved Warren’s life. Master Rufus had set up a test of Aaron’s chaos magic in which Aaron had been supposed to send the lizard into the void. Call wasn’t sure what happened to things that got sucked into the void, but he was pretty sure they wouldn’t survive. He’d helped Aaron to do some tricky magic so the lizard could escape. As far as Call was concerned, Warren owed them.

“Come on,” he said, then about-faced in the middle of the hall. “This way.” The longer the spy was around, the longer his friends were going to hover over him like there was something wrong. He hated it. He didn’t want them to be awake when he was asleep. He didn’t want them in danger. If there was something to be done, he wanted to do it now.

“Where are we going?” Tamara protested as they headed back the way they’d come. “Back to the library?” The corridor split in half. Call veered to the left. He remembered when he’d first come to the Magisterium how he’d thought he’d never learn the tunnels, the maze-like corridors that ran under and through the mountain. But he had, and now the paths through the upper levels of the Magisterium were as familiar to him as the streets of his hometown.

“Are we going to the river?” Aaron asked in a half whisper. The air of the tunnels was getting damper. They’d passed several of the rooms of other apprentice groups, only darkness showing under the doors. The Magisterium was asleep.

The rivers that ran through the school were its transportation artery. They carried students from classrooms to gates that led outside, to the Refectory and back to their rooms. Small boats moved on the rivers, powered by magic and assisted by water elementals. As Call, Aaron, and Tamara approached the water, the cave air grew colder, and Call could hear the rushing sound of the river.

Aaron and Tamara were muttering about whether Call was dragging them off to take a boat. The corridor opened out onto a pebbled underground beach. Phosphorescent moss clung to the walls and roof, lighting the space. Eyeless fish swam around under the water’s surface.

“Warren!” Call called. “Warren!”

Aaron and Tamara exchanged a look. It was clear they thought Call had lost his mind.

“Maybe he needs sleep,” said Tamara.

“Maybe he needs food,” said Aaron.

“Warren!” Call shouted again. “’The end is closer than you think!’”

“Lizards don’t come when you call them,” Tamara said. “Let’s get out of here, Call —” Something scrambled down from the rocky overhang above them. There was a flash of fire, light on scales. Red eyes gleamed in the dimness. What looked like a tiny Komodo dragon with a beard and back ridge made out of fire crawled toward them across the rocks.

“Warren?” said Call.

“He really did come.” Aaron sounded impressed. “Awesome, Call.”

“Sneaking.” Warren looked annoyed. “Sneaking and bothering Warren. What do you want, mage students?” “We want you to take us to the sleeping elementals. The ones bound by the Magisterium,” Call said.

“Right now?” Tamara demanded, whirling on Call. “I thought we were going to sleep!” “Yes, sleep. Sneaking too dangerous,” Warren said. “Tunnels too deep.” “You owe us, Warren,” Call said. “We saved your life. Don’t you remember?” “I pay you back already,” Warren muttered. “I warn you. Ultima Forsan.” “That’s not help,” Call said. He knew what Ultima Forsan was: a Latin phrase that had been carved over the Enemy of Death’s resting-place. It meant the end is closer than you think. He just didn’t see how it was a warning in any useful way. “Taking us to the elementals, that would be helpful.” “Maybe you don’t know how to get there,” Aaron taunted the little lizard. Although he was the one who’d yawned back at the library, now his eyes glittered and he didn’t look tired in the least. Aaron was someone who didn’t like talking about doing things half as much as he liked actually doing them. “Is that the problem? Maybe you don’t know that much about the Magisterium after all.” Warren’s red eyes whirled. “I know,” he said. “I know everything. But this is dangerous, little mage students. Dangerous business. I could take you, but you will have to trick the guardian.” “The guardian?” Tamara asked in tones of dread.

Call also would have liked some more clarification, but Warren, apparently deciding that his half of their conversation was over, sprang toward a shining mica wall and ran halfway up, before dashing toward the entrance to the other cavern.

“Follow that lizard!” Call announced, going after him.

Tamara groaned, but she followed.

He forgot that letting Warren lead you through the caves of the Magisterium — including some passageways that might never have been used by a single mage before them — was a frustrating and sometimes terrifying endeavor. The lizard led them along naturally forming cliffs and past lakes of what appeared to be boiling mud. He guided them into and out of rooms where they nearly choked on the sulfur smell and where they had to duck to avoid being scraped by the pointed ends of stalactites.

Call wasn’t sure how far they’d walked when his leg started really hurting — the kind of burning muscle pain that was only going to get worse. He felt stupid for suggesting they do this, stupid for thinking he could walk this far. But he couldn’t ask Warren to stop — the lizard was too far ahead of them, leaping from rock formation to rock formation, the crystals on his back ablaze.

And if Tamara and Aaron paused to wait for him, Warren might sprint ahead, leaving them lost in the caves. It had happened before.

Experimentally, Call drew on air magic, pushing slightly. He remembered the way Alastair had sent Call up the long winding steps of the Collegium. He remembered how he’d made his own way down them. All he had to do was concentrate and push.

Call went up into the air — fast enough that he had to bite the side of his cheek to keep from crying out — but after a moment, he was able to steady himself. He was floating just a little bit above the ground and none of the weight was on his leg. He felt amazing.

He pushed himself along with his mind, no longer stumbling like Aaron or Tamara did. He glided over the earth as though this was the way he was meant to walk. As they went along, the passages curling deeper into the mountain, the walls became smoother, the ground under their feet polished. It was as if they were making their way down the hallway of a museum. The doors set into the stone on either side were elegant, decorated with alchemical symbols and alphabets that Call didn’t know.

At last, Warren stopped in front of a massive door made from the five metals of the Magisterium — iron, copper, bronze, silver, and gold.

“Here, mage students. Here is the locked door in the way of the way. The guardian is here. You must face her to go farther.” “What do we do?”

“Answer her riddles,” Warren said, and, flicking out his tongue to nab a cave bug that Call hadn’t seen until the lizard scooped it up, raced off along the ceiling. “Riddle her answers!” he called back before he disappeared.

“Crap,” Aaron said. “This always happens. I hate riddles.”

Tamara looked as though she was forcibly swallowing the words I knew it and not much liking their taste.

“Do we just knock?” Call lifted his fist and then hesitated.

“I’ll do it.” Tamara pounded on the door. “Hello? We’re students and we’ve come to do a project —” The door opened. Standing inside, in a white suit entirely untouched by her surroundings, was Anastasia Tarquin. Her cloud of silver hair had been pulled back tightly and silver earrings sparkled in her ears as though they’d been enchanted to do so. Her manicured eyebrows shot up at the sight of them and her mouth compressed into a thin line.

“You’re the guardian?” Aaron asked incredulously.

“I don’t know what you mean,” she said, opening the door more widely. Behind it, they could see a long corridor that sloped downward. Two Collegium-aged boys in uniforms stood against the walls. Guards, Call thought. “What I do know is that you’re not supposed to be down here.” “Master Rufus wanted us to start a project,” Call began. “Like Tamara said. It’s our Bronze Year and we’re supposed to be figuring out our futures and our personal responsibilities, so we wanted to specialize in elementals. And, uh, we wanted to meet some.” “All three of you?” Tarquin asked. “Including two chaos magicians? You all want to specialize in elementals?” “We’re thinking about it,” Aaron said quickly. “We don’t want to rush into anything, but it’s interesting. And we figure if we got to see some of the most amazing elementals around, we’ll be sure one way or another.” Anastasia Tarquin didn’t look like she believed them for a minute. “I’m afraid that while students might have — infrequently — been given access to the elementals bound here before, that privilege has been suspended for the moment for reasons that I believe you already know.” Automotones. Call remembered the massive metal monster rearing above them, tearing at the air with fire and claws.

“Now,” said Anastasia, “unless you want me to discuss this with Master Rufus, I suggest you go back the way you came and we will all pretend we didn’t see one another.” Call looked from Tamara to Aaron.

“So much for riddles,” Aaron said under his breath. Then, unfailingly polite, he turned to Anastasia Tarquin. “We’re sorry to have disturbed you.” She, however, didn’t seem particularly charmed by him. Her eyes didn’t lose their flinty look.

“Just one moment,” she said, but she wasn’t looking at Aaron. “Callum Hunt. Come inside. I would like to speak with you. Alone.” “Me?” Call asked, his voice going a little squeaky. He hadn’t expected that, and with all the spy business, he wasn’t sure he wanted to be alone with any member of the Assembly. But she was Alex’s stepmother, and the Assembly had sent her to protect him. “Okay.” Tamara and Aaron looked at him mutely. Call was pretty sure they didn’t want to change places right then.

He walked through the door and she closed it behind him with a heavy clang.

Anastasia put one hand on his shoulder. “You must be very worried, to come down here, looking for answers,” she said, her voice softening in a way that made him nervous. He thought of the way snakes he’d seen on television did a little dance before they struck. “And I know how close you are to Aaron. You two look out for each other, don’t you?” “Yeah?” Call said. “I mean, yes. Aaron and Tamara and I. We all do.”

“It’s so good to have close friends,” she agreed, nodding. “Especially when you have a parent who doesn’t approve of magic.” “Alastair’s coming around,” Call said, trying to guess what this was about.

“When I married Alex’s father, I swore I would never try to replace his mother. I had my own children from my first marriage and I knew how important it was not to try and impose myself where I wasn’t wanted. I tried to be a friend, a guide, and a mentor. Someone who could answer his questions straightforwardly, as so many adults don’t. I would be happy to do that for you as well, if you ever need someone to talk to.” “Uh, okay,” said Call, puzzled by the whole conversation. He tried to glance past Anastasia a little, see what was hidden behind her. The two Collegium guards were completely silent, ranged along the wall of the room like suits of armor. There was a sofa with a newspaper on it, probably where she’d been sitting, and a corridor that stretched away behind. A deep red glow illuminated its walls. “So, you’re definitely not going to let us in?” Anastasia looked amused rather than angry. “You want me to say I would if I could, I imagine. But you have no idea how dangerous the great elementals are. It would be like tossing you into the mouth of a volcano. A friend would never put you in danger, Callum, do you understand?” “Because I’m a Makar,” Call said. “I get it, but —”

“No buts.” Anastasia shook her head. “You and Aaron should go back to sleep. You are far too important to risk yourselves. Try to remember that.” With that, she opened the door. When Call stepped out to where Aaron and Tamara were waiting, he heard the door slam behind him.