Yes! Khalik grinned, tapping his na where it appeared on two lists: one for Magic Lore I and one for Earth Magic I. Aaaaah, my brother would have never let hear the end of it, were I not to gain top-five in at least two classes. He raised an eyebrow as he tapped the top na for Magic Lore I. Oho, I see that we have a familiar na at the top spot for Magic Lore. Well done, Alex.
Alex grinned as he saw his na emblazoned at the top of the sheet.
Most of the nas on the Honours Lists were written in black ink, but the top three nas were embossed with gold ink for the top spot, silver for second place and bronze for third. The ink seed to glitter with its own inner life, and Alex felt a flutter of pride and amazent to see his own na in raised gold letters.
Magic Lore Is midterm had been the easiest of all the tests hed taken. For one, it was an entirely written test: no spell-casting, practical exam, or anything of the sort. So, the only thing it really tested was how well he morized, regurgitated and processed magical theories and history.
No spellcraft involved.
Magic Lore would normally be sothing he was already good at, but with The Mark helping to boost his morization and application, he knew hed aced the exam before even reaching the last question.
Holy hell, Thundar blinked. Thats not the only class either, look at this. Top Rank for POTI-1000: Alex Roth. Guh, I really should have taken that class so you could teach . Lets see, though...hah! He tapped his own na, which was fifth place in Body Enhancent and seventh place in Illusions. I got two, so far! Better than I thought!
Nice job! Alex said.
A cheer went up from Shishi, and Alex noticed her pointing at a nawritten in Tarm-Lungite symbolsin fourth place in Lifeforce Enforcent I. She and Theresa were all smiles and exchanged double high-fives.
Alex raised an eyebrow.
He was surrounded by so very, very talented people it seed.
His chest puffed out a little. I guess talent attracts talent. He grinned, noting his na at the top of POTI-1000s list. No Derek Warren was anywhere on the list, though he did notice Carey London in tenth placelast spot on the Honours List.
Still damn impressive, though, Alex muttered, then frowned, noticing Kybasthe goblin student he talked to during classwasnt on the list for POTI-1000. A quick scan revealed Kybas na in second place for The Study of Magical Beasts, though.
Alex thought back to how much the little goblin loved his young crocodile.
No surprises there.
He swallowed, scanning the lists until he found FORC-1550 and sighed.
No Alex Roth appeared among the nas of the top ten for that class. No surprises there either. Hed done very, very well on the written test, but those lost points in speed for casting his spells had knocked his average down on the practical part to the low eighties.
That was one of the reasons hed focused on learning spells that could be sustained: spellcasting while dealing with The Mark still slowed him down, and while that didnt much affect day-to-day life, in situations of high-tensionsuch as combata few heartbeats could be costly.
Still, hed done well enough on the written part that hed hoped they would have balanced each other out and let him get a top ten spot. Apparently, it wasnt enoughhe supposed that was what happened when competing with so of the most talented students of wizardry in all the world.
Okay, what does this even an? Thundar pointed at the top of the sheet for Mana Manipulation I. Above even the top ten, Alexs na was embossed in larger print with a silvery ink that sparkled as though it were liquid diamond. Beside it was ValRoks seal and the printed words: Challenge Exceeded.
Khaliks eyes widened and he swore in his mother tongue. You challenged the exam for credit and defeated it? the young prince gaped. What kind of monster are you?
In all the Honours Lists for first year classesof which there were manyonly a handful of nas were embossed in the diamond ink.
A friendly monster. Alex grinned proudly.
All around, he could hear whispering among the other students. Others had begun to notice his na had appeared in gold multiple tis and were wondering aloud who Alex Roth was.
Not going to rate high on any lists of suspects for The Fool, now am I? Alex chuckled internally, even as he, Khalik and Thundar looked at each other and exchanged nods.
They searched for the sheet for COMB-1000.
Three cheers erupted at once.
In gold lettering: Alex Roth.
In silver lettering: Khalik Behr-dr.
In bronze lettering: Thundar, Son of Gulbiff.
In fourth place: Isolde Von Anmut.
Six more nas were ranked after that. It was a small class, and so the only na that did not appear on the Honours List was Raynes.
Isolde! Khalik called. Co, co you must see this! First group is best group! He laughed uproariously.
Alex looked over to see Isolde, who was staring up at several Honours Lists, nodding in satisfaction at each. Her friends were chatting to each other and seed to have lost interest in the lists.
Isolde! Khalik called again.
Hm? What? What? What? she blinked, shaking off her concentration. Ah, hello friends. What is it?
Co! See your na immortalized with ours! Khalik laughed.
Isolde raised an eyebrow, and her blue eyes lit up in anticipation. They flicked to Alex again and that note of challenge entered them. Alexs eyes darted back and forth as she approached, with her head held high.
Did we do well? she asked as she arrived. Ah I s-
She paused.
The colour drained from her face and her eyes went wide. Her jaw fell open. Fourth? she gasped as though shed just learned her father died.
Yeah! Thundar said, clapping her on the back. We did damn well! A big, bad four!
Isolde stumbled forward slightly, but caught herself. Her eyes continued to stare at Alexs na embossed in gold. Then they shot to other lists. She began to tremble when she saw the list for POTI-1000 and outright gasped again when she saw what hed achieved in mana manipulation.
Isolde stepped back, shaking her head. And at this point, shed caught Theresas attention.
Is...olde? Are you alright? Theresa asked.
Isolde, however, turned to Alex. She shook, muttering sothing under her breath.
Khalik and Thundar had stopped laughing.
Uh Thundar started.
Isolde swore loudly in Rhinean and imdiately began to rush through the crowd toward the exit.
Isolde? Isolde! shouted one of her friends.
Ah shit, Alex said. Isolde! Isolde!
His friends called after her too, but she kept going, her speed increasing as she neared the doorway.
Running in the hall is unsafe, Hobb chided from beside the board.
Thinking quickly, Alex decided to try sothing hed been practicing for awhile.
Isolde! Im sorry, I hope I didnt do anything to you! Whats wrong, co back to us! he called to her.
She froze in front of the entrance, and slowly turned back with an incredulous expression.
He hadnt spoken to her in the common tongue, but in her own mother tongue of Rhineanone of the languages hed been slowly practicing for months using The Mark.
II she said in disbelief, as Alex, Thundar, Theresa and Khalik rushed through the crowd. Isoldes friends also pushed through.
As the six of them arrived in front of a gawking Isolde, her face twitched, and suddenly, she broke down into tear-filled laughter.
Thank the elents, she gasped before the stunned group. Your accent is terrible. You are human, after all!
I do not like to lose, particularly at things at which I excel, Isolde explained.
The group had long left the hall and gone to a more secluded spot on campus. Each of them had grabbed drinks from a nearby stand and were sitting among the trees. Shishi and Isoldes two friends had departed for classes, which left Alex, Thundar, Theresa, Khalik and Isolde seated within a copse of trees, away from prying eyes.
And, thankfully, that is not an experience that I am subjected to very often. Isolde sipped her steaming hot cider. I work diligently and maximize my natural gifts in order to learn quickly, efficiently and well.
Yeah, so I heard. One of ValRoks graduate students told that you topped all the first year Honours Lists last year, Alex sipped his drink, leaning against the sa tree as Theresa.
Khalik whistled. Every list? he said with true respect in his voice. For every class you took? That is incredible: even the most gifted general cannot win every battle.
Thundar watched everyone quietly, remaining silent and taking a long sip.
Isolde gave a bitter laugh. Incredible? It is expected. She shook her head. My grandfather is the head court wizard for The Emperor of Rhinea.
Thundar spit his drink onto the ground, while Theresa began coughing into hers. Alex nearly inhaled his, and started making choking sounds. Only Khalik took the information in stride. Likely his own secret made him a little less shocked at her revelation of status.
I see, he said. That would an a great deal of pressure: a pedigree like that cos with expectations.
Truthfully spoken, Isolde said. It was drilled into at an early age to excel in the study of wizardry by my grandfather, in hopes that I would gain a position at court upon my graduation. It is not an easy task: the court wizards are highly skilled, and the choice is also half-political.
Her gaze darkened. And there are those that do not wish for to enter, as that would grant my grandfather another ally. As such, my performance here must be exemplary: unassailable by any standard.
That sounds like a lot of pressure, Theresa said.
Of course it is, Isolde agreed. But I do relish it: the thrill of accomplishnt is one that I am used to and one that I very, very much enjoy. She paused. But, Theresa, in truth, it can be so very tiring at tis. So very, very tiring.
Jeez, that must have made it really rough, when uhthat stuff happened in potions. Alex winced.
What stuff? Thundar asked.
Isoldes jaw tightened. Alex heard the grind of teeth against teeth. I t a handso, young, easy-going counts son from the countryside of my holand. He was delightfully charming, helped relax and brought a romance to my lifeand I thoughtwell, perhaps we
The grinding intensified. it turns out that when he said he was fascinated by my mind that his aning was far less romantic than I thought: I sought to help him with his studies, and unknown to , he copied my assignnts. To professor Jules, it looked like I might have helped him cheat. It was resolved in my favour, and I received no academic derits, but I was disqualified from the Honours List for POTI-1000 while the scandal was being investigated. Once it was proven that I had no knowledge of his misconduct, the list was already finalized.
She swore in Rhinean. A foolish, foolish mistake. And what do I see today? She looked at Alex. A first year who joined Generasi while knowing only onespell exceeded my performance in first year mana manipulation after only half of first sester and will now proceed to second year, and secured the top honours for many, many coursesincluding defeating along with two other first yearsin the chancellors personal course. It is a shock.
Alex grimaced, imagining how things must have been in the previous year for her. Hed been working himself to the bone since hed reached Generasi: how would he have felt if one of his achievents went up in smoke because he was manipulated by soone he trusted.
Well, uh, Alex said. The grad student I talked to said you were doing very well. Like, your feelings are your own, but you impress the hell out of .
The others nodded in agreent, but Isolde let out a short laugh. I have begun to hear professors and graduate students alike speaking about you. In POTI-2000, one of the teaching assistants spoke about how you were offered a position to help with professor Jules personal research. That is an honour that is unheardof for a first year. It is astounding!
Alex thought he noticed an edge in her voice as she said it, but didnt voice that.
So here I am, she said. Struggling to throw off the sha of my lack of judgentwhile you fly like an eagle. I must say, my complints. My complints.
Silence filled the copse of trees. Then Thundar raised his hand. Hey, why dont we all pool our resources? Co together as a herd?
Hm? Isolde looked up at the minotaur. What do you an?
Yes, whats this, Thundar? Khalik asked.
Well, I feel ya: you have to perform as best you can, and youve been doing it all by yourself, Isolde, Thundar said. But a lone bull gets killed without a herd.
I-I have friends, Isolde said a little defensively.
I know, the minotaur said. But when we saw you in the library, you were all by yourself. You work on your own, dont you?
....yes. As I was taught.
Thundar lifted the charm-necklace hed received from the chancellor. Baelin said his students sotis form lasting bonds, right? Why dont we do sothing like that? Together, the four of us crushed his first test. We work well together. I know Khalik and Alex study together a bunch, and I sotis join in, but what if we worked together a lot more closely. Were the big, bad four.
Whatre you saying? Alex asked.
I think I might know Khalik said, intrigued. Rember that brotherhood we saw recruiting in the stadium? Ursa-Lupine Brotherhood of Generasi?
Yeahthat really old battle mage thing?
Well. Khalik shrugged. It is really old, true, but it had to be started by soone, soti, right?
Alexs brain began to follow. Like how Carey London started Campus for Uldar.
What do you an? Isolde asked.
I an, Thundar said, leaning forward and grinning. The four of us co together. Start our own official little private society of wizards. Sothing that can last for our ti here and maybe beyond graduation. Sothing that can grow. A big bad four that helps each other like we did in The Barrens, now, and later.
Alexs mind began to race at the possibilities.
Isolde looked at Thundar closely. She was frowning, but her eyes were intrigued.
Reviews
All reviews (0)