Chapter Nine
Eleven months later…
An invisible student hurried through the maze of corridors, fighting back tears. It was past midnight, and the magical lights in the wall sockets looked eerie even to those who knew them well. The unseen figure violently swore as they stumbled against an uneven patch of stone. Then they picked themselves up again and continued to stalk through the hallways.
'When I get my hands on Mother next time I see her, she's dead. She has just gone too far this time, too far I tell you!' she thought darkly. 'Oh, yes, I'm the child prodigy mage that has all of the masters thinking thoughts about the great deeds I'm capable of, and I'm still leaving for the palace in a month! Has the woman no ability to see anything she doesn't want to?' Thought process changed direction abruptly as Audra swung around a different corner. 'What's keeping Thom? It's late at night, and he didn't show up at our meeting spot. He said he'd have visitors today, but he could give a little more information—I do need his help, contrary to popular belief—and as his student I should be privy to a tad more information.'
An invisible grin spread wickedly on her face. 'Let's go see what information I can gather from Thom and his guests. I do hope he managed to forget that regular listening charms don't block me out; I just send my mind through it. With my luck these past three weeks, he probably did remember and has a special barrier up just for me. How lovely. And there's another thing, I'm getting to be as sarcastic as Thom is. The Daughters are not going to be happy when I travel with them to Corus. But it will be amusing to see the looks on their faces when they realize all those months in the university made me worse, not better. They will never listen to Master Si-cham when he asks them for permission to train a student for an extra six months again.'
Audra stopped focusing on her mental picture of the disapproving Daughters and crept quietly to the door of Thom's new room. 'And here we are, at the chambers of the soon-to-be youngest master of all time, Adept Thom.' She announced to her subconscious, or maybe it was really to herself. It had been hard to accept that the act was over and that Thom had passed to written exams for Mastery. All that was left was the Ordeal of Sorcery.
Sadness overtook her for a moment as she remembered the day Thom had been officially declared as having passed the written test. In the shocked silence from students and teachers alike, Audra had been unable to resist running over and hugging Thom, shrieking, "You did it!" The shocked silence grew worse as the students went from incredulous to floored. Even the masters were taken aback. Si-cham had asked to see them in his office.
Audra had sunk into the chair Si-cham pointed at, looking around the familiar room so she didn't need to meet his eyes. After ten months of daily lessons in it there was very little she didn't know about Si-cham's office. He had asked Thom to wait outside until he had interrogated Audra alone first. Master Si-cham didn't say anything. The two stared at one another, eyes holding eyes, look meeting look, silently daring the other to begin first. Si-cham finally began talking. His tone was so disappointed Audra found herself wanting to cry.
"Were you aware that the former novice, Thom of Trebond, was so advanced?"
'Don't answer, I have to answer, there is only one answer—' Audra swallowed hard, then brought herself to say, "I knew."
His tone got sharper. "Why did you not see fit to inform me of this small detail?"
Audra winced. "Well, sir, in the beginning, when he found out how much magic I had, Thom said he would train me. That's how I knew what type of magic I had when I came to you. I learned about the truth seeing, and the Seeing, and the mind reading through him. Sort of. I mean…." She trailed off, uncomfortably aware how angry everything she had said was going to make him.
Audra was right. Si-cham's voice became cruelly cold. "Let me see." He glared at her for a solid minute. "You knew he had magic, he knew you had magic, and neither of you mentioned this at the beginning of your lessons from me." A sigh escaped him. "I suppose this explains your 'learn a complicated spell overnight' ability—whenever you've had trouble, you asked Adept Thom."
She somehow managed to nod. Si-cham stopped her from verbally replying with a single icy look. When he spoke again, his tone was almost regretful. "Are you aware, Lady Audra, that you are one of the best students I have ever had? Many have been great, although I have reason to believe you will be the best of the best. In under a year you have completely learned most of the advanced magical theory, all of the basic magic spells and several advanced ones."
She dared to venture a question, "Sir?" When he didn't glare her down, she went on, "I'm truly sorry. And I know you probably won't ever forgive Thom or I. But—but sir, please know that I would have told you if I could have."
He looked at her sadly. " 'If you could have?' Could you have, Audra? Could you tell me why you kept quiet? Right now?"
A hesitant, "Yes, I could, but I won't. It puts too many lives at risk. And besides, some things are better to remain secret," was the answer she gave, although she would spend sleepless nights wondering why she had told so much.
Si-cham remained silent so long she was afraid he had died. Then he spoke, and he suddenly sounded ancient, creaky, not like one of the two people that had been teaching her magic for the months she spent at the university. "Lady Audra, you are not a pawn. I hope you realize that. Or, allow me to amend that statement. If you are a pawn, you are an important one……. a queen, perhaps, or a knight. Not merely a foot soldier. No, definitely not. Your lessons with me are hereby discontinued," Si-cham put up a hand and his voice and expression softened at the look of horror on Audra's face, yet he didn't stop there. "I will stop arguing with your mother on your behalf so you can postpone the inevitable trip to the palace, and you will begin formal learning with Adept Thom tomorrow until you leave for the court."
Audra didn't bother to say goodbye or apologize again, she simply ran out of the room and back towards her own chambers. Thom had whirled around after her when she burst out, startled, but Audra had vanished down the hallway and Master Si-cham had asked him to come in.
She smiled bitterly at this harsh reminder. Si-cham didn't trust her and Thom anymore, and she knew it. He spoke to Audra in the same chill tone he used for Thom. 'Thom! I'm supposed to be eavesdropping, not mulling over the past.' Audra scolded herself sharply as she sent her mind through the listening spells and settled down to listen.
A/N: I hope I didn't confuse anyone too much in this chapter, but if I didn't skip some time here I'd have to do it later, and if you thought this was bad……..well, I had to do it here. Next time we meet the visitors, and then off to Corus we go. If anything really confuses you, say so in a review and I'll tidy it up in the next chapter. Keep in mind that stuff Audra hasn't thought about yet may be in chapter 10. TTFN!