Apprentice (The Black Mage, #2)(33)
"This is what all of us lowborn folk missed out on." Ian had nudged his mare closer to ride next to me. Then he reached out to take my hand in his, sending a warm tingle down my spine as he squeezed. This year was the second time he was seeing the king's palace.
The three of us followed the trailing parade of apprentices down the cobbled road, finally halting at the palace gates. The masters came forward to give our introduction to the local guard, and the soldiers opened the groaning doors to what lay just beyond.
My jaw dropped – again. Beyond the towering gate's walls was a lush garden filled with thriving flowers of every shade, well-manicured brush, cherry blossoms, and a giant, sprawling fountain that hosted a rippling tide of clear, sparkling waters.
To my right lay a long trailing path to the stables, armory, and the massive training grounds. Each structure was in meticulous condition. The guard's bright red livery stood out amongst the large stone buildings. The compound was huge. It housed the King's Regiment and all of the local guard. The Crown's Army, I knew from our lessons, was stationed just outside the city limits. Ten thousand men was much too big a number to fit within the palace walls.
I also knew from our studies that the King's Regiment's housing was in the actual palace itself. As the elite guard to the royal family, the regiment had specific chambers closest to the king and his heirs. There were only thirty knights and mages in its division, but they were usually the most powerful in the land and recruited directly from promotions in the Crown's Army and the Candidacy itself. While the Crown's Army was deployed from time to time to assist with various efforts, the King's Regiment only ever left the palace to accompany the king – or one of his sons like the band I had seen Darren passing with on my way to Sjeka almost two years ago.
To the west lay a continuation of the palace gardens – a place for the courtiers to wander during their residency. I could see highborn ladies-in-waiting strolling the grounds in extravagant dress, with hair perfectly coiffed and powders perfectly pressed and red, red lips. Young highborn men, off-duty knights, and the sons of high-ranking nobility were seen walking the grounds, placing bets and discussing mundane subjects with a practiced flourish that could only come from a lifetime of court.
"Toss me off one of the balconies if I ever talk like that," Alex muttered. We had just given our horses over to the hostler and were walking the remaining steps to the palace.
Ella gave my brother a long look. "You know I grew up here, right?"
His face burned and she laughed. "It's fine, I was never a fan of their habits either."
The four of us followed the rest of our factions in through the palace doors.
By this time I had given up expectation. The second I entered the enormous castle I was ready, and I was not disappointed. Marbled tile covered the floors in elaborate design, a mixture of red, gold, and purple swirl. The walls were dark stone, covered in gold and purple tapestries that depicted various battles and past monarchy in succession. Elaborate gold-plated pillars highlighted the corners of each room as giant stained glass windows let in a cascade of colorful lights…
Everywhere I looked corridors branched into twisting passages, stairs, and chambers in a maze of direction. There were so many twists and turns I didn't know how I would ever find my way out.
"They've got three libraries, two ballrooms, the throne room, a grand dining room for the king's family and special guests, two large halls for the nobility to take their own meals, two kitchens, four servants quarters, a privy at the end of each floor and at least two hundred chambers besides the ones reserved for royalty and the King's Regiment." Ella couldn't contain the irony in her tone as she described the palace – down to the exact count of jewels encrusted in its ceilings.
"Well they say Jerar is the wealthiest nation," Ian remarked casually.
"It's second." All of us jumped as Darren appeared behind us. I hadn't even realized he'd been listening. I had thought he was in the front of the group with Priscilla, Eve, and the rest of the highborns reminiscing on their shared childhood.
"Caltoth is the wealthiest," Darren expanded. "We have more land, citizens, power… but they have the ruby and emerald mines in the North."
"That many rubies, huh?" Ian grinned. "Their streets must be paved with them."
Darren's jaw clenched but he said nothing. When he finally spoke there was a stiffness to his words. "The Caltothians are actually very frugal. My father suspects that is because they are using their wealth to build a secret army." He raised a brow. "Though their ambassadors have denied this whenever they visit."
I stared at the prince. "Do you think Caltoth is using their wealth to buy off our mages as well?" I hadn't forgotten the rebel attacks in Mahj.
"I wouldn't be surprised." The prince gave a curt nod to the rest of my group, letting his eyes fall on me last. "If you'll excuse me, I have some affairs to attend to now that I am home."
Darren retreated with a quick explanation to the masters. The rest of us followed the palace servants to the chambers we would be residing in for the next week before the ascension. While the fifth-years' affair would only last one day, we had the six days prior to enjoy ourselves. It was the only respite we would receive each year until our own ascension. As soon as the ceremony was over we would be returning to the Academy with most of the king's court to watch the first-year trials and pick up our newest batch of apprentices.