Chapter 16: Exams

The big exams that all the pages had to take started about a week after Adalia's prank on Lord Padraig.

It was early in the morning, and surprisingly Adalia was pacing around her small room, already dressed for the test. If she passed, she would be a fourth year page. I know everyone says they are easy, but there is always a chance that I will fail.

Adalia forced herself to stop pacing, and walked out her door, slamming it shut.

"Hey Kula." Adalia said while lounging against the frame of Kula's door. She was amused to see that the tall girl was even whiter than usual; her emerald eyes were more pronounced then ever.

Kula stopped pacing to see Adalia lounging against her doorframe. "You don't fool me, I know you are just as nervous."

"Yeah, sure. But instead of hiding it by being expressionless" – Adalia indicated Kula's blank face – "I employ different emotions. It's much more fun, and you can even start making yourself believe it after a while." Adalia said pleasantly, eyes sparkling.

Kula shook her head and a small smile slipped through her mask. "Are you saying that just to say something, or do you mean it?"

"Both."

Kula shook her head at her friend. Both were startled when their three other friends came trooping into the room, and then saluted in front of Kula.

"Reporting for inspections Sir." They said together, saluting Kula.

Adalia started laughing while her friend carefully went over their appearance, making sure that not a hair was out of place. "You boys will have to learn to dress yourself, you know." Adalia commented dryly.

Kaden looked at her and grinned mischievously, "Well, you see, that is what we are avoiding. Kula checks us now, and then if we ever need to be this dressed up in the future, we can get a girlfriend or someone to do it."

"Ah, but you'll never learn to fend for yourselves." Adalia told them sorrowfully.

"Don't need to, so why should we?" Charlie asked, just as Kula finished inspecting them.

"Fit for duty soldiers. Dismissed." Kula said in a voice that imitated Lord Padraig's.

The boys saluted and marched all the way to the page's mess hall. Kula and Adalia followed at a distance, after Adalia had pointed out, "Do we really want to associate ourselves with them?"

Breakfast was an unusually quiet affair; all the pages spent the time playing with their food, sneaking glances at the table on the platform, which today seated the examiners as well as Lord Padraig and their teachers.

Suddenly Lord Padraig stood up. "We are going to start the examinations. First years are taking them first. Follow our examiners out."

White faced first years stood up and trekked out of the hall after the grim looking men. When they had all left, Lord Padraig addressed the other pages. "You will all wait here until it is your turn. Second years will go next, and so on." With that, he sat back down.

"I swear he is enjoying torturing us." Adalia muttered to her friends.

"What else? He still hasn't found the person who strung up his underwear Adalia." Charlie said.

"Its not my fault, he would enjoy this anyway." She pointed out.

"I guess." Charlie said nervously.

"You guys are lucky. This is your last year of the exams." Dameon reminded Kula and Charlie.

They both glared at him, and Kula said, "That may be so, but it just means ours is way harder."

Dameon looked like he was going to argue, and Adalia cut across him, "Stop it you two. Arguing won't change anything, except annoy everyone."

"True." Charlie said nervously, and silence fell between them once again, as they went back to worrying about the exams.

Looking around, Adalia realised that she was the only one of them who looked relaxed. It didn't mean that she was, but she had decided it much better to try to be confident.

Two bells later, Kula and Charlie were sitting alone nervously. The third years had left quite some time ago to take the exams, and none of the previous groups of pages that had left had returned.

A crow that was hopping on the windowsill drew Kula's eye. It was tapping at the glass and cawing loudly. She nudged Charlie and pointed it out. "Do you recon that's Adalia?" She whispered.

Charlie looked up at the crow, which was now looking at them and bobbing up and down. He smiled thinly at it. "I guess so. It would seem that she has passed, and wants to tell us it's not hard."

The two looked at each other, and then relaxed while they watched their friend, who was obviously trying to distract them from being nervous.

Suddenly one of the servants entered the hall and summoned the fourth years. They jumped up, feeling much more confidant and followed the others.

Adalia watched them go, and then took off, gliding back to her rooms. She had managed to pass with flying colours, and was so relieved that she had decided to take her friends' minds' off the impending exams.

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Lunch was soon, and Adalia sprinted towards the mess, excited to see how her friends had done.

"Hey! How did you go?" She asked, smiling.

"Brilliantly! Thankyou." Kula said to Adalia, giving her a quick hug.

"I don't know what you're talking about. How could I possibly have anything to do with you passing?"

Kula and Charlie gave her an amused look, and Kula just said, "You know what you did."

Adalia just shoved some food in her mouth, deflecting further conversation.

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After they had finished eating, Lord Padraig stood up. "I am pleased to hear that all of you passed your exams. Congratulations fourth years. Knight masters will select you sometime over the next two weeks. As for today, you can have the rest of it off."

The pages cheered and picked up their plates, depositing them at the kitchens.

"Why don't we go for a ride? It will be the last time we will be able to in forever." This last she directed at Kula and Charlie.

"Good idea! We can have a race!" Kaden said enthusiastically.

Adalia ran past them, easily beating them to the stables. She was glad to see Anika, who called a greeting. She responded enthusiastically and opened the door to her stall, asking her to stand still while she groomed her glistening chestnut hide.

Finally saddled, she walked out of the stall, Anika following. "Hey, slowpokes! What are you doing? Hurry up!" She called teasingly to her friends, who were in various stages of saddling their mounts.

She was extremely surprised to see Rye waiting for her just outside the stables, his grey gelding Diablo waiting patiently while calling an enthusiastic greeting to Anika.

"What –" Adalia began, confused.

"I thought I would ride with you all. Charlie said I could." Rye said.

"Fine. But be prepared to lose." Adalia said teasingly.

"Today it will be you who loses." He stated grandly.

"What makes you say that, my young mage? It's not like this has been proved before." Adalia reminded him while swinging onto Anika's back.

"- Because I will win" Charlie cut across, grinning broadly and leading out his coal black mare, Tunza. (Which meant protect in Yamani – Kula had named her, because Charlie couldn't think of one.)

Both Adalia and Rye snorted in derision, and said together, "As if!"

It was then that Kula joined them with Tama, who was as irritable as ever. Dameon and Kaden followed soon after.

When they were all mounted, Adalia pointed to the woods. 'Let's get going!"

She asked Anika to gallop, and her ever-excitable horse reared up just before jumping into a gallop.

Had she not been accustomed to Anika doing this she would have fallen off, but as it was, she knew all too well Anika was likely to do that, and gripped tightly with her knees before letting out a ringing battle cry and leaving the others in the dust.

"HEY!" Dameon yelled after her. The next to go was Rye, who quickly asked Diablo to follow. The other four just stared after them for a few moments, the image of Adalia and Anika gracefully galloping off fresh in their minds.

"She hasn't learnt patience yet has she?" Kula asked, amused and half laughing before she kicked Tama into a gallop.

Charlie was the next to go, replying to Kula, "Adalia or Anika?"

"Both!" Replied Dameon as he caught up to his friends, Kaden close behind.

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The others could only just see Rye and Adalia racing up ahead, in the distance. It looked like Adalia was winning. Finally the two slowed down enough for the others to catch up.

"Took you guys long enough!" Adalia laughed when she saw her friends get closer.

"It isn't our fault! You could have warned us!" Kula said, a touch of annoyance in her voice.

"You should be used to it by now. It's one of my charms." She informed them.

They laughed at her. Finally Rye managed to reply, "True. We can't fault you there."

Adalia fluttered her fingers at him, a court lady's gesture of acceptance.

"Anyways, why not go for a swim? It is hot out here." Adalia said matter-of-fact, and then she and Anika plunged into the lake that they had been racing around. They managed to wet the others, and Adalia went in further, so Anika was swimming. Spotting a nice flat piece of ground, she asked Anika to come up there. She rejoined her friends, now thoroughly wet.

"You are crazy!" Dameon said, exasperated.

"It was fun, so I did it!" Adalia was smiling cheekily at her friends, who looked a mixture of annoyed and amused. "Little help, Rye?" She asked tentatively.

He sighed, acting frustrated. "It's your own fault that you got wet!"

"Yes, but I knew my loyal mage would get me un-wet." Adalia explained.

"Un-wet isn't a word." Rye pointed out.

Adalia was looking at him, purple eyes wide in the universal gesture of puh-leese.

Rye sighed. "Well, I guess I have to, after all, you got everyone wet."

"I knew I could count on you." She told him with a brilliant smile that was to essence of mischief.

Shaking his head, Rye flicked his figures and used his grey Gift to dry all of his companions and himself.

"Much better! Lets race back!" And she and Anika jumped off into a gallop.

The five allowed themselves a groan, and then followed her at the gallop.

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Next Chapter: And then there were three

Disclaimer: I am not Tamora Pierce

Thankyou to my loyal fans, and I hope this doesn't disappoint. I swear I have much better fun planned for the future!