Apprentice (The Black Mage, #2)(79)

"I second Eve." Ray stepped forward shooting me an apologetic smile. I remembered our first-year trials and the stunt I had pulled during our duel. Maybe I was a little reckless.

"I, as well."

"Me too."

Within seconds the mentees had all agreed to a change of leadership. Even Ella and Alex. The only person who did not was Priscilla but she was outvoted.

"Sorry, Ry," Ella murmured as Eve launched into strategy talk. "I'm sure you would have done well but I think everyone knows Darren would not be very cooperative if it was you, and we need all of us working together to win this."

I sighed. Once again the non-heir had found a way to make my life difficult. No one wanted me as a leader if it meant our most powerful fourth-year was against it.

How could I have ever fallen for someone like him?

We spent the next hour following Eve's directives. I had to admit she knew what she was doing. Having a father in charge of the Crown's Army had made her the ideal commander for a mock battle in Devon. She had the Alchemy apprentices busy mixing magicked oils to strengthen the weak armor our team was supplied. Restoration was already scouting the southern district, looking for possible safe houses to mark with our agreed upon sign.

Combat, of course, was busy planning the attack. Eve led the discussion, citing the best and worst locations for an ambush.

The entire township of Devon had been evacuated for our mock battle. All around the edges of its agreed upon border were families of merchants, farmers, nobility, and any of the King's Regiment and Crown's Army who had received the day off. They were all watching alongside our factions' masters and Commander Audric.

It was intimidating.

For the day's event each team had been allotted five horses, six breast plates, five chain mail shirts, a handful of wooden shields, six poleaxes, five halberds, a rucksack of woolen bandages and salve, and a small barrel filled with the ingredients Alchemy needed to cast their potions.

We quickly divvied up the components and gave the second-year mentees the spelled plate armor, halberds, and horses. They would need the most advantage and plate armor was too heavy for quick movement on foot.

Eventually, it was time to begin.





****





I fell hard, my palms slapping the ground and the rustle of small metal ringlets ringing in my ears. Moments later a spiraling torrent of ice slammed into the wall behind me, just inches from where my head had been. I barely had time to choke out a small gasp of relief and then I was on my feet, sprinting as fast as my legs could carry me.

I threw up a barrier behind me and prayed it would hold. It was a costly casting – something I usually didn't like to invoke since the sphere tended to drain my magic's stamina much faster than a shield. It was a combination of phantom currents: steel, wind, and crackling power all thrust into a giant purple globe. But I didn't have time to predict my pursuers' next casting – not while I was out in the open.

My feet pounded along cobblestone as I searched for a safe house, wishing desperately I had remembered Eve's instruction from earlier that morning. The mock battle had been going on for three hours and I already seemed to have forgotten most of our strategy.

"You can't run forever, Ryiah!" Laughter echoed down the street. I kept running.

Alex and the rest of his Restoration mates had spent twenty minutes going over the safe houses. Our signal was supposed to be a small splatter of mud at the bottom right corner of the doorway, inconspicuous to all except one who knew exactly what to seek… but try as I might I could not spot any in the buildings I passed.

I must have heard wrong.

I knew a safe house had to be somewhere close – just two shops further and I would be crossing into the northern half of the city where the mentors patrolled. At the start of our pre-battle planning the masters had assigned us the southern section. Which meant if I didn't pass a safe house soon I would be forced to turn back and face my two attackers alone. It was reckless to go into mentor territory, and there would be no help there.

If I found a safe house nearby I could get another Combat apprentice to help me take on my two followers. The houses here weren't just a haven for Restoration and mentees in need of healing, they were also where Alchemy and Combat mages could confer until they were ready to come back out of hiding. If I fought the mentors pursuing me now I would win - but it would cost almost all of my magic to do so. And who knew how much attention the attacks would draw. If more mentors spotted me I'd be forced to surrender in a second.

I needed help.

This was exactly what Eve had warned against. It was the reason she had asked us to patrol and scout in pairs. Our team was counting on the fourth-years mentees to secure victory – all but one of our Combat second-years had already surrendered during the first two hours of battle. More than ever we needed my magic.

The original plan had been for the Combat mentees to travel in packs of two: one fourth-year and one second-year each, with Eve, Darren and their second-year mentee as our sole grouping of three. We'd been instructed to carefully scout the city limits and take out any solo Combat mentors that might be foolish enough to enter the southern territory alone.

Unfortunately for us, the mentors had also traveled in packs. Which was how, when we did cross paths, Priscilla, Ella, Ray, and I lost our mentee partners as well as their horses in a lightning-quick skirmish.