The rest of Q’s morning progressed more in line with what he expected of a typical day of training at the Academy. After the initial two hours with Burns to start their day, the remaining time before lunch was spent in the auditorium where they would be lectured on a rotating schedule covering all five Gifts of magic. Followed by a break for lunch, before rejoining Instructor Burns for a few hours of practical training.
Leaving the classroom, they walked in silence, Burns showing the way to their first joint class. Much like the room they’d just left, only on a larger scale, the auditorium was built on a three-to-one ratio. Instead of twenty to thirty students, you could easily fit a hundred along its tiered seating. Rather than a dais, a proper stage made up the lowest level, with room for exhibitions and presentations.
Theirs was the last group to enter, and eyes followed them as they made their way toward a section of open tables. Q was pleasantly surprised their quartet ended up staying together when they took their seats, rather than the ladies splitting off.
The day’s lecture was brief and to the point. Instructor Rawlings had a second-year aide pass out a list of required reading, with the books available for check out from the academy library. Followed by a detailed overview of what to expect from the class throughout the year. She ended up releasing them back to their instructors less than an hour later. Q’d noticed them standing along the back wall and had wondered why they hadn’t left to take care of more important things. The answer seemed obvious now.
Burns escorted them from the building and into an outside courtyard. Guiding them to a secluded corner, he turned to the students and announced, “I usually prefer to take this time to try to get to know each other. As I mentioned earlier this morning, you are going to be working very closely for the foreseeable future.” He paused, shifting from foot to foot, peering up at the sky overhead before nodding to himself. “Unfortunately, you are going to have to start without me. I have an urgent meeting with the headmistress that I cannot afford to miss. Take this time to learn about each other, and I will see you all on the training field after lunch. If you will excuse me.” Waving abruptly, he departed so quickly, Q was certain he’d tapped his Gift for a boost.
Watching the man disappear between buildings, Q asked, “That was weird, right?”
“Odd as shit,” agreed Cedric. “My bet is he’s going to report you to the headmistress”
Turning to face his friend, his brows knit in question, he asked, “Report me. For what? The thing earlier this morning? And didn’t you agree to knock off the betting thing?”
“I don’t think he would lose this one,” commented Mage Thorne. Speaking directly to them for the first time, her eyes locked on Q with intention.
Both boys shifted to regard her. Taking the opportunity to do the same for Mage Wakefield, who fidgeted uncomfortably under their combined gaze.
“Why do you say that?” He genuinely wanted to know. Q didn’t feel as though anything he demonstrated was remarkable enough to warrant such attention.
Surprisingly enough, it was Mage Wakefield, who, though she refused to look at either boy, answered for her. “He’s definitely going to notify the headmistress about you having four gifts, but he’s also going to report how well you can use them. For example, I only have two gifts of my own, Healing and Mental. My focus coming here is to learn how to be a healer, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t tried to learn how to use my Mental abilities.” Looking directly at him for the first time, she questioned. “Do you know the heaviest thing I can lift with my Gift? A book, and not a thick one.” The tone of sincerity in her voice did more than get her point across. It made Q feel like an ass. Even though he hadn’t gone all out to show off, Q could have proven his Gifts without putting on the display he had.
Cedric’s nose twitched as he fought back a smile. Failing partially, with his lips curling up at the edges, he asked. “Did she just call you a braggart?”
“Yes,” Q admitted with a heavy sigh, “And rightfully so.” Facing the two mages, he softened his tone and bowed. “I’m sorry about that, and I owe you both an apology. I guess I was showing off a little. I’m Mage Valtieri, but please call me Q, and this is Cedric Vaelmara. It is a pleasure to be on a team with you.”
The two ladies traded looks, before Thorne replied, “I am Isabella Thorne, but my friends call me Izzy.”
“And I am Helena Wakefield, and just Helena, please. It’s nice to meet you both. Neither of us were sure what to expect when we found out we would be paired with male mages, but you both seem very nice.” She admitted, forcing the words out in a rush, her cheeks turning a faint shade of rose.
Taken aback by her response, Q realized it was unlikely they’d ever spoken to a male mage outside of their immediate family before arriving at the academy. Given the unfortunate reputation spread by some of his more… lecherous male counterparts, he could understand their apprehension. The King’s Edicts, in his opinion, had only served to bring out the worst in both men and women.
Aiming to lighten the mood, Cedric said. “No worries there, my ladies. If you feel like you’re missing out, I can be of service.” Bowing low to them both, he swept out an arm as if at court, and began to praise their beauty, composure, and anything else that readily came to mind. Q, unable to take it, pushed his friend into a nearby bush. Their antics bringing a smile to Izzy’s lips while Helena laughed behind a raised hand.
“Definitely nothing like what we expected,” Izzy confessed, a small chuckle slipping through.
From that point, the conversation flowed more naturally, each offering brief glimpses into their pasts. Helena shared that her Gift had been an unexpected blessing to her parents. Like Q, she was norm-born. Her father served as a knight of repute, and her mother was the third daughter of an impoverished baron. Out of three children, she alone had the Gift manifest.
Izzy came from a somewhat more affluent family. The only daughter of a Baron, With her eldest brother being groomed to manage and inherit, her second had chosen to remain in the Mage Core after his mandatory service to try to make a name for himself. That left Izzy in a precarious position, with her likely being expected to make a strategic marriage to strengthen the family.
When the campus bells chimed, signaling the lunch hour, Q and Cedric invited their two new acquaintances to join them. Happy to accept, the four made their way to the main hall. A quiet optimism trailing behind at the possibility of forming new friendships.
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Grabbing their food, they sat down at an empty section of table, and were pleasantly surprised when Ronan joined a short while later. The five of them shared an enjoyable meal, continuing to get to know each other. Helena slowly started to come out of her shell, in large part due to Cedric’s increasingly outlandish suggestions about what the rest of the day might entail. After dropping off their dishes and saying their goodbyes to Ronan. They headed over to the training field en mass, as the rest of their class filed out of the main hall.
Q hadn’t yet had the opportunity to observe the other first-year groups, and couldn’t resist doing so now. It was obvious that some of the other groups weren’t faring quite as well as his own. Irritation and fatigue were evident on several faces. During lunch, he’d also noticed that some students had chosen to break off and sit with friends instead of bonding with their assigned group. He tucked that information away for later.
Reaching their destination, Q realized the term "training field" was somewhat misleading. It referred to a sprawling complex centered around a main field, roughly a hundred yards long and fifty wide, running the length of the building. Flanked by ten smaller fields—five on each side. These smaller areas, divided by high stone walls. Offered containment and a measure of privacy for individual or small group training sessions.
They found Burns waiting for them in the center of the main area, along with four other instructors.
“Good afternoon, students! I hope you didn’t eat too much over lunch, or you may come to regret it. Now, these two-hour blocks are free for us Instructors to plan as we wish, with the understanding that we tailor them to best meet the needs of our students. Early on, while we are still getting to know your strengths and weaknesses,” He paused, gesturing to the four black-robed mages to his left and right. “My fellow instructors and I like to start off each new year with an hour of non gift-assisted exercise to gauge your health and fitness levels, at least until we know where to better focus our efforts to help you improve.
Following along as Instructor Burns put the twenty-five or so students through an exercise routine of his own making. It only took a few minutes before Q began to suspect there was some truth to the rumors—nobles who anticipated awakening a Gift, rarely dedicated effort to strengthening or improving their physical condition.
Instructor Burns guided them through a series of bodyweight exercises designed to build a mage’s physical strength. These were followed by a lap around the field, then a repeat of the routine. The cycle continued for the remainder of the hour, testing the student’s endurance, before he finally had them walk a cool-down lap to steady their pounding hearts.
The second block of class saw just the four of them being led by Burns out of the main training area and into one of the smaller fields. Holding the stone door open for each of them as he entered, he gave them a once over.
Wakefield and Thorne performed as expected. They will both benefit from continued physical exertion, Burns thought. A closer look at Mages Vaelmara and Valtieri, showed them having hardly broken a sweat. He’d noticed it early in the routine that neither of them showed any signs of struggling, but he didn’t believe it was due to cheating and using their gifts. Remembering how they’d moved, Vaelmara has had some form of weapons training, and Valtieri flowed like water in comparison.
Asking the group, but looking more toward the more exhausted of the four, he asked. “Do you know why some of us have you start the year like this, instead of jumping straight into working with your Gifts?”
“Preparing us for torture,” Thorne groaned in suggestion.
Chuckling, Burns shook his head, “No. Honestly, a few of the others do it because they are lazy, and it saves them having to come up with an instruction plan for a few weeks.” Looking at each of them in turn, he continued, “I do it because I believe its value far out ways the effort it demands. Why do you think that is, and give it some thought. I’d like a real answer this time, please.”
“It will help our endurance while in the field…?” Wakefield suggested, hesitantly.
Nodding his head, Instructor Burns said, “That’s true enough.”
“Because a punch to the face can take you out just as well as a fireball.” Cedric added with confidence.
Burns opened his mouth to reject Cedric’s answer, but caught himself. He had to begrudgingly admit that the answered wasn’t actually wrong, it was just not to his taste. Sighing, he admitted, “While crudely put, you are correct. Sometimes things happen while in the field and your Gifts will be unable to save you. I hate to say it, but being in better shape than the person next to you can be what keeps you alive in that situation.” Pausing a moment to let the truth of those harsh words sink in, he continued. “Both of those answers are true, but they weren’t what I was looking for. You may not be aware, but the strength, endurance, and health of your body can actually impact your Gifts, improving your ability to work magic to a degree. Especially for someone with a Physical gift.” Burns explained with a pointed look toward Izzy.
Raising a hand, Helena asked, “If strengthening your body improves your Gifts as well, why isn’t that common knowledge or something the Mage Council recommends new mages do when they register and get tested?”
Scoffing, Burns replied, “I’d like to say incompetence, but that’s only partially true. A larger portion being that Physical is one of the most common types of Gift in the kingdom and Elemental being the other, mages typically tend to focus on the flashier magic that comes with the latter when they can. Physical gifts, when considered by themselves, are commonly seen as inferior.”
“Kind of like norm-born, then.” Q grumbled to himself. He hadn’t spoken loudly, but Burns must have been augmenting his hearing because he picked up on the words.
“Yes, just like how norm-born are looked down on.” Pausing to consider, Burns added. “For much the same reason, actually. It is seen as too closely related to manual labor, and they, the Gifted community, like to consider themselves above it.”
Unclasping a satchel Q had seen him grab at the end of their workout, their instructor removed a stack of papers. Passing a sheet to each of them, they saw a check-list of magic detailing what would be expected of them in order to progress to their second-year.
“You’re just giving this to us? The entire year’s requirements?” Q asked, a quick grin flashing across his face. But it slowly turned into a frown as he made his way down the list.
“Wait—that’s it?” Q blurted, a beat behind Izzy’s own exclamation. “We have to learn all of these?”
Cedric winced as the two traded glances. Q could see the hurt his words caused. He started to apologize, again, but she turned back to Instructor Burns before he could. One look at the pink coloring Helena’s cheeks, told him he’d stepped in it with her too. Nice going, you’re on a roll today, aren’t you? He berated himself.
“Yes.” Burns said flatly as he stared Q down. “That is the full list the Mage Academy requires of its students to move on to the next year.”
Shifting to address Izzy’s remark, he explained. “If Gift control was structured or something we could easily define and therefore teach, then we would likely present these to you one at a time in the optimal manner that gradually increased in difficulty as the year went on. Unfortunately, the nature of our magic—and the uniqueness of each person’s Gift—requires us to present the full list and navigate it together, with you as the student and me as your mentor. Some of the workings on that list will come easily for you, and others will not. We will have to handle each one individually, but do not fret, we have the entire year to manage it.”
An uneasy blend of emotions settled over the group: anxiety paired with concern, and frustration laced with confusion.
Noting their expressions, Burns clapped his hands together, getting their attention. “Enough of that, it is too early in the year to get so morose. Now, I’m not technically authorized to have you do this, but it’s my favorite part of instructing at the academy—dueling!”