CHAPTER THREE

THE TEST!

“I can’t believe you’re going to take the Test!” Bernice said excitedly as Dave helped himself to another portion of bacon. “Well done you.” She looked at him thoughtfully.

“I’m not committing suicide if that is what you are thinking. I intend to pass.” Dave said wearily.

Bernice laughed. “I know that, silly.” She punched him lightly on the arm, “You, Dave, are not the suicide type.” She grinned and swiped a bit of bacon off his plate.

“You know me that well already?” Dave asked while he fought the irritation at her taking his food. There would be plenty of food now.

“Not at all!” Bernice grinned, “But I know the look of weakness. You don’t have a drop of it in you.” She scooped a big pile of scrambled eggs onto his plate.

“Thank you, Mis-” Dave caught himself just in time. “Thank you, Bernice.”

She beamed at him.

“That’s better. It will be much nicer around here once you pass your Test.”

“If he passes,” A boy said from across the table, eyeing Dave with hostility. “Most do not. Especially not Janitors.” He sneered.

“He looked the Dean in the eye, Arnold. That’s more than you ever managed.” Bernice laughed as the boy reddened and stormed from the Hall.

Slowly, the seats around the pair emptied as more chose not to associate with them.

“You may be better off leaving me alone, Mi- Bernice,” Dave said nervously. “I don’t want to cause you any trouble.”

“Why not,” Bernice winked, “Trouble can be a lot of fun if you do it right.”

Dave blushed and tried not to choke on his food.

Dave felt drawn out of his caution and years of conditioning as they continued their breakfast in the still-widening circle of empty chairs. By the time they pushed back from the table, he had started thinking of her as a friend.

Had someone told him a week ago that some Noble would be his friend, he would have laughed in their face.

As they filed out of the Hall, Dave was stopped by one of the teachers.

“This way, Tester. We have a room prepared for you.”

Dave fought the urge to bow and simply nodded as he waved goodbye to Bernice. Saying she would see him soon, she ran off to her first class as he followed the silent Inscriptions Master to a door under the stairs to the first-year dorms.

Opening the door, expecting some pokey room or even a mop and bucket, he was faced with a sight that took his breath away. A vast room complete with an opulent double bed, floor-length mirror, storage chest, its own bathroom, and thick heavy drapes. A deep and luxuriant carpet covered the center of the room before a large fireplace.

“Your name, Tester?” The Master asked.

“Dave, Inscriptions Master.” He answered promptly. “Of the Eastern Harbour Orphanage.”

“Very well,” As the Master noted the name in a large book he carried, he paused. “I wish you hadn’t done this, lad.” He looked sad for a moment. “There is a full set of robes in the wardrobe for you, everything you will need today… I hope you enjoy it.” He paused as he was about to leave and looked around the room again.

“Is there something wrong, Inscription Master” Dave asked, confused by the man’s reactions.

“Yes, Lad.” The man snapped the book closed. “Too many people die this way, just for a day of peace.” He looked into Dave’s eyes. “What kind of a world do we live in where people are driven to this? Eh?” He looked challengingly at Dave. “Magic should not be a secret young man. You should have had a chance.”

Dave was stunned. It had never occurred to him that someone from within the system might hate it as much as him.

“Inscription Master?” He called as the man turned to leave again. When the man turned back, he froze as Dave held a little ball of flame in his hand. While the man watched, Dave lobbed it gently into the fireplace. “I didn’t come here to die.”

The man gaped, looking back and forth between Dave and the fire.

He closed the door quietly and checked it was firmly locked.

“Can you do it? Can you do three spells?” The man licked his lips anxiously.

“Yes, I can.” Dave nodded, then froze as the older man grabbed him in a bear hug, lifted Dave’s tall, muscular frame off the floor, and spun him around while laughing.

“Oh, thank you, Lad.” The Inscription Master wiped a tear from his eye and straightened himself up. “Not a word now! Tell no one else.”

“Why?” Dave asked.

“Because I want to see the look on the Dean’s face when you pass. And so do you, I bet.”

Dave could not help but smile.

“I thought so.” The Inscription Master left the room, and as the door slowly closed behind him, Dave heard the man whistling merrily to himself.

The room was everything he had always dreamed of, complete with a large bathtub in the bathroom. After laying out the plain but new robes, trousers, shirt, shoes, and satchel, he spent the next hour soaking in hot water. This was incredible compared to the few inches of tepid water they had had as foundlings in the orphanage. He laughed as he submerged himself entirely and watched the water ripple as it closed over him. He decided that this would be his first treasured memory.

Refreshed and relaxed, Dave emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel and took his time dressing. It was another luxury, having the time to get dressed. From his earliest memories, he rushed into his clothes every day. In the orphanage, there was no spare time. As a servant, there was no spare time. He was musing on that fact when a knock at the door caught his attention.

Instinctively he turned to open it.

Not a servant, not anymore, he told himself.

“Come in.” He tried to sound casual.

“Well, someone is adapting quickly,” Bernice said as she pushed open the door with a smile. She stopped and looked him up and down, making him blush. “Damn, that looks very good on you.”

“Th-Thanks.” He stammered and then laughed nervously.

“I got you a little celebration present!” She said as she tossed something to him.

Dave caught it in the air and opened it. It was a small and plain spell scroll. The spell inside was called ‘the preparation,’ he looked again, “It does my hair for me?” He asked and laughed.

“It saves soo much time, trust me.” She said.

“I do,” Dave said, surprised to realize he meant it.

“How are you feeling?” Bernice asked as she leaned against the door.

“Fantastic, honestly.” Dave smiled, “And thanks for this.” He gestured with the scroll. “It is always nice to look your best.”

“Well, I have to go, but will you join me for lunch?” She seemed a little anxious, her eyes meeting his and flashing away again.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“Of course, the dining Hall?” He said. That anxiety meant she was asking him out… or setting him up.

“I thought we could go for a walk, with a picnic.” She said shyly.

“I’d love to,” Dave said.

She beamed. Her eyes locked on his as a faint blush colored her cheeks. “I’ll look forward to it.” With that, she was gone.

Dave told himself off for his suspicion. He had a lifetime of distrust to overcome, but he had to try. And Bernice? She was worth the effort.

For now, he had some work to do.

Dave spent the next hour cultivating his mana gently. The time was not being used to increase his mana density but rather to deepen his connection with his focus. As such, he sat, legs crossed with the mirror held in both hands and concentrated.

His eyes closed the entire time; he was utterly oblivious to the reflection of him that opened its eyes and stared at him for a portion of the time. Dave’s green eyes were not in the reflection; in their place were shining orbs of glass. The reflection's eyes closed a few minutes before Dave ended the session; when he watched them open in the mirror as he opened his, they had returned to the green he expected.

After a few minutes of relaxation, Dave got up and used his new spell, every hair immediately falling into perfect place. Bernice was right; that was handy.

He felt butterflies in his stomach as he waited for the lunch bells to sound. There had been plenty of drunken fumblings, cold exchanges of services for cash, and on one memorable occasion finding comfort in another foundlings arms… but this was his first actual date.

And with a Noble, no less.

He took a deep breath and stepped out to meet the thing scaring him even more than the Test.

Bernice’s smile.

It turned out that she had not exactly planned where to go as she knew precisely nothing about the grounds of the College. He smiled and offered to show her around.

They talked about nothing much as he showed her his favorite places. They got on easily; she always seemed to know how to set him at ease. Whenever he stumbled over the conversation, she was always there to smooth it out and keep it going.

Dave had experienced a lot in his life, more than most as he was a foundling, but never before had he had an effortless conversation. When he suggested they sit and eat by the river, she took the blanket and spread it out, telling him to sit as she set everything out.

No one had ever served him before.

As she fumbled open the clutches, talking all the while, Dave realized with a start that he had found more than a friend… he was falling in love.

His hard-earned caution rose, listing reasons he should not trust her so easily.

He squashed them all. This was the start of his new life.

A life of good things and Bernice was a good thing.

After a delicious lunch, she leaned back against him and sighed contentedly.

“You know, when my family sent me here, I was sure I would never find anyone I could get along with.”

“You seem remarkably easy to get along with,” he said.

“With you, yes.” She blushed slightly; he saw the pinkness creeping up her neck from behind. “But where I come from is so different. Can I tell you a secret?”

“Of course,” He said breathlessly. She was so trusting of him.

“I hate it here, and I hate the people.” She sighed. “I’ve just been dying to scream ‘Nobles Suck’ since my second day here.” She half turned to look at him. “You know?”

“Better than most,” He confirmed.

“Do you know what my father was?” She asked suddenly.

“No.” Dave imagined some Duke or other.

“He was a ditch digger, just like his father.” She laughed at his expression, “And now he is the King.”

Dave nearly choked on his drink. She laughed.

“I told you, it’s different where I come from.”

“You’re a princess!” He said, feeling horrified at how familiar he had been.

“No, silly.” She laughed. “We don’t have noble families; I’m just a citizen who happens to be related to the King.”

It took a while to calm down and focus on what she was saying, but eventually, the message got through.

“So what would they think of their daughter spending time with a former Janitor?” He had to ask.

“My father would be proud of me. He warned me that if I returned with some Noble family's son or daughter, he’d throw ‘em in the fighting pits just to see if they pissed themselves.”

Dave laughed at the mental image.

When the next Bell rang, they headed back to the college. She walked with him to his new room and found the Inscription Master waiting.

“Might I have a word, Dave?” The Master said anxiously.

Dave nodded as Bernice hurried off to her next class. As he was about to enter the door, he felt a tap on the shoulder.

As he turned, Bernice kissed his cheek, and he blushed. She waived again and was gone.

“They are searching the College,” The Master said as soon as they were inside the room. “The Dean said you seemed to be too confident and ordered the whole school to be searched for illicit materials.”

“There is nothing to be found,” Dave smiled, remembering the walls of his tower scrubbing themselves clean when he cast his last spell.

“But, are you sure?” The Inscription Master asked.

“Yes,” Dave nodded.

“Oh, splendid.” He puffed out a relieved sigh. “Good show.”

The man left Dave to his thoughts and once more walked off whistling merrily.

That evening, when the dinner bell rang, he set out for the dining hall once more, feeling good. He certainly looked a lot better than he had that morning. When he entered, no one even looked twice. Almost no one.

Bernice once more beckoned him over, and they had another meal chatting exclusively to each other.

The only interruption in the otherwise delightful evening was the hissed comments from their dinner companions. That same boy was sat across the table from them and once more had to try and spoil the mood.

“Enjoy your meal and your fling with a Noble, gutter born. Tomorrow you die in fire.”

“You hope,” Dave amended amiably.

“What?” The boy spat.

“You hope I die tomorrow… otherwise I will be here for a long time indeed.” He smiled politely at the boy, “As will you.” He left the boy to his gaping and turned back to talking with Bernice.

Below the table, she reached out and took his hand. He flushed slightly.

After dinner, she came by his room again. Her soft knock designed to give them privacy.

“I have something else for you,” She said shyly. Before he could say another word, she kissed him.

Time stood still as they kissed; it seemed to be both a second and hours that he held her.

Finally, they parted. She ran her hand softly over his face and whispered in his ear, “For good luck and to make my intentions clear.” She winked and left.

He stood there in the soft darkness and stared after her as the door slowly swung shut.

How was he supposed to think of anything else, ever again?

It was a long time till he fell into a dreamless sleep.

==================

Awaking refreshed and eager, Dave dressed and prepared himself for the Test. In his mind, he had done it a thousand times already. He knew every step by heart… the only thing that had changed is that now, for the first time, he knew what he would do AFTER the test.

He would find Bernice and tell her.

Having someone to tell, to celebrate with was beyond his wildest fantasies.

When he entered the little Arena that served as the practice range for the College, Dave was unsurprised to see the Dean in attendance. He would not be a judge, which was unfortunate. It would have probably killed him to declare Dave a noble.

He moved to his appointed place before three Masters of the College and waited patiently as they got ready. Even though everyone expected him to simply die, everything had to be done correctly.

Eventually, the orb was brought from its box, and the Enchantment Master brought it before him.

“Testee, place your hand on this orb and let your class, if any, be known!”

Dave placed his hand on the orb and watched their faces.

MAGE

“Liar! Cheat!” The Dean immediately shouted, being forcefully pulled back down by desperate stewards.

“To interfere with the Test is cause for immediate execution!” The Master of Curses' thunder-loud voice rocked the arena. The Dean paled and stilled.

“The First Spell!” Intoned the three Masters.

Dave summoned a fireball and threw it at the distant target dummy; it burst into flame.

The Dean paled further.

“The Second Spell!” Intoned the three Masters.

Dave nodded and summoned an image of himself. He moved through a few simple movements, showing his image was solid, and copied his actions.

The Dean looked green.

“The Final Spell!” Intoned the Masters.

Dave pointed at the target dummy and cast his clean and repair spell. The burnt and damaged dummy was cleaned and repaired in a split second.

The Masters opened their mouths to make the pronouncement…

“I object to that spell!” The Dean roared, “A cleaning spell is not worthy of this test!”

Gotcha! Dave smiled internally as he raised a hand and summoned a sphere of water instead of fire. He lobbed it gently at the Dean’s feet.

The Dean went purple in rage.

“A Noble Effort!” The Masters intoned the words Dave had waited so long to hear.

It was over.

He had passed.

He felt a single tear fall down his cheek as the Inscriptions Master cheered and applauded. Soon the rest of the assembled people joined in.

Everyone cheered.

For him.

He turned to stride out of the Arena, only to be tackled into a hug by a sobbing Bernice.

“You did it!” She kept saying as she hugged him.

Just for once, everything was right with his world.