“Interesting.”
“Interesting?” Samuel asked, repeating the older man’s word. “What’s interesting?”
The Archmage did not reply at once. Instead, he looked past Samuel, to where Shigeru stood, his brow furrowed into a deep, thoughtful frown. Then he looked from Shigeru to the black cat currently sitting on the desk. His frown deepened, and at once the red-robed attendant made a shooing gesture at Grimr. “Down, cat! These are important papers for the College!”
Grimr gave the attendant no more than a half glance, causing the young man to jerk back in surprise as he noticed the strange eyes. Then he met the Archmage’s gaze as if he suddenly found the old man interesting. The older man cleared his throat and turned to Samuel.
“Lord Bragg,” he said, the corners of his mouth twisting upward into a smile, “I am Lucian Peran, one of the seven Archmages at this school. I oversee the school of Knowledge here at the College of Milagre.”
“I… see,” Samuel commented blankly, thrown by the way the man ignored his question. “Nice to meet you?”
He gave a short nod, then turned to address the attendant. “I will be escorting Bragg and his companions to my tower. Send word to the kitchens that we will require tea.”
Such an odd request, Samuel thought. If the attendant found it strange, he showed no sign. He gave a quick but deep bow of his head, then ran off toward another door, just before slapping down a wooden plaque on the desk informing potential visitors of his swift return. Samuel turned to ask the Archmage what his bowl could mean, only to discover the white-robed figure already on the move toward the door that had taken him here, one hand beckoning lazily for him to follow.
Follow him, Grimr said quietly, hopping off the desk and pursuing Peran. You will need to bear witness to this. Still befuddled, Samuel decided to follow as well, driven forward by his curiosity. Shigeru stuck close behind him, a little to the left, saying nothing. Samuel glanced at his face to see what he thought of this strange situation, but it was, as always, stern and unmoving, as if he were bored with the entire affair.
Lucian Peran led Samuel, Grimr, and Shigeru along several long corridors before reaching their destination. Samuel couldn’t be certain, but the distance from this building to the tower where Peran lived seemed excessively long. It was definitely longer than seemed rational, given what he’d seen of the campus from the outside. Maybe there was some magical way to increase the interior of a building.
Peran didn’t speak as he escorted the three of them; he didn’t even reply as other staff and students gave him respectful greetings. They passed several rooms on their way - classrooms where other students were either listening to a lecture or chanting quietly as a group, producing magic. The temptation to stop and watch these lessons was almost overwhelming, but he kept Peran in sight, not wanting to be admonished by Grimr for dawdling about.
Finally, they reached the end of a long corridor, where a dark wooden door was set. This corridor, Samuel noticed, was shorter than the others, and had no other rooms attached to it. The door also had no handle, but it moved when Peran put one hand to it, swinging open lightly. “This is the entrance to my tower. Please, come in and make yourself comfortable.”
Samuel did as he was invited to, though Grimr hadn’t waited for an invitation, slipping across the threshold. Peran stepped inside, and Shigeru followed as the door began to close. Samuel put one hand on the smooth wooden surface to push it open again but found at once that it was far too heavy than he could manage. He was nearly caught between the door and its frame as he darted inside. He expected the door to slam with a thunderous boom, but it merely made a soft sound of wood scraping against wood.
“Not too used to enchantments, I take it?” Archmage Peran’s voice sounded from behind him. “The door is inscribed so that nobody can open it without permission. It’s simply too heavy.”
Samuel stared at the door in amazement. Magic was a wonderful thing, he thought, that could turn a thin and apparently flimsy piece of wood like that door into an unbreachable barrier. A thousand soldiers could throw themselves at that door, and it wouldn’t budge. Once you were in the tower, you were completely cut off from the outside world.
He took in the rest of the room, a perfectly circular space of dark grey stone. For a brief moment, it reminded him of the cave in which he’d dreamt of Arcana. It wasn’t just the shape that was similar. There was also a dark blue carpet spread out across the floor. But where the brazier had been in Arcana’s cave, here there was a large wooden desk bearing many stacks of books and papers.
“Before we begin,” the Archmage said, settling himself comfortably in the large chair behind his desk, “I must observe my manners. Master Grimr, it is good to see you again.”
Samuel whipped around once more. Had he just heard Peran correctly? There was no way, right? His mind must have been so preoccupied with the magical door that he hadn’t heard properly. The black cat was sitting lightly in the center of one of the chairs facing the Archmage, not moving. Then, without warning, he vanished, taking on the form of a small human child.
“Still alive, eh, Lucian?” the Ancient grinned across the desk at Peran - an expression that showed too many of his sharp teeth and not a single drop of good humor, slouching comfortably in the chair. Yet again, Samuel was reminded strongly of the cat’s nature. Which one was his true form?
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“I am,” Peran replied, smoothing the front of his robes and leaning back in his chair. “I’m an old man now, but I’ve learned many secrets of magic, and am now at the top of my field.”
“You seem the same as that angry young human I left on the plains,” the Ancient said with a smirk. “A bit more grey hair, but not much about you is different.”
Peran flushed slightly at the jibe but did his best to conceal it. “You’re virtually the same as well. Though I suppose Ancients do not age as us mortals do.”
There was a long silence before Peran glanced up at Shigeru and Samuel. “Seat yourselves, and we’ll talk.”
Samuel seated himself to Grimr’s right, while Shigeru sat on the left. Both were silent, though Samuel’s mind was once again burning with curiosity. He could see out one of the windows where he sat and saw a glorious view of the city below them. He’d been fairly certain they were still on the ground floor before entering this room. So then, the door was able to move them up as well as across.
“First things first, I’m sure you’re wondering what the results of your bowl test mean.”
“I am,” Samuel replied instantly, feeling a swoop of satisfaction that he would at last get his answer. “You’re all treating it like it’s some unexpected thing, but surely it’s not that surprising.”
“Actually, it is. It’s been nearly fifty years since a student has achieved that specific result when applying to the College.”
“What happened fifty years ago?”
A small and slightly smug smile spread across the Archmage’s face. “That was when I joined.”
“Ah.”
Grimr shook his head slowly. “Humans are supposed to grow more humble with age, young Lucian. You do your kind an injustice with this attitude.”
His tone was casual as ever when he delivered the insult, but it made Peran’s face go red. He couldn’t reply in kind, however. Provoking the wrath of an Ancient was never wise, or at least Samuel assumed. A nasty silence stretched over the room for several long seconds, then the Archmage appeared to gain control of his emotions. As he struggled, Grimr continued to watch him closely, his lean body still sprawled relaxedly on the chair.
“Furthermore,” Peran continued, pretending as if the last exchange hadn’t taken place, “You are also the first student in the College’s history to arrive under Arcana’s patronage.”
“What exactly does that mean for me?” Samuel remembered the scrap of parchment he’d seen in his father’s old study. Peran had dreamt of Arcana too. Was this old man also given the task of finding that being? If he was here and Arcana was still in need of help, that could only mean that they’d failed.
Deny any knowledge of Arcana, Grimr’s voice sounded in the back of his mind. If he learns that you have been given his old quest, he will undoubtedly try to stop you.
So he’ll try to kill me?
If he attempts to strike you now, I will intervene, Grimr replied. But I do not think he has the nerve.
Samuel held the Archmage’s gaze for a while. Even he could sense the suspicion and suppressed anger in the older man’s eyes, and he wasn’t good at sensing emotions like others. His next question seemed to confirm it. “Why have you come to the College, Samuel Bragg? What has drawn you to learn magic?”
Samuel was, at his core, an essentially honest person. He didn’t avoid lying out of any moral high ground, but simply because keeping up with a lie wasn’t worth the time and effort. But in the moment, he found that he had an answer ready at once. It was also technically true, so it wouldn’t require any later memorizing.
“I’ve always had the sense that I would be good with magic,” he said, offering up what he hoped was a blank, simple smile. “When I heard that I was going to inherit my father’s estate, I decided that I really wanted to try and learn.”
Peran glared at him for another few seconds, leaving Grimr and Shigeru out to watch the tense exchange as the Archmage tried to detect a lie. “Tell me, young Samuel. Have you ever heard of Arcana?”
Fighting to keep his face as even as possible, Samuel shook his head. “No, I haven’t. Are they one of the teachers here?”
He couldn’t be sure, but he thought that had been a rather convincing answer. Peran was certainly frowning uncertainly and had appeared to lose his enthusiasm for this line of questioning. After another few seconds that seemed to be more like minutes, he nodded. “Well then. As the Archmage of Knowledge, I officially welcome you to the College of Milagre. There are a few details we will need to go over before you can begin attending your classes.”
He snapped his fingers, and a few items appeared out of thin air to land on the table. Mostly, it was a pile of papers, though there was also a short stubby wand, a silver bracelet, and a book. “First, you will have to select a focus. Every novice mage benefits greatly from a focus, and enchanting your first one is a rite of passage within the school. You may choose a wand, a staff, or a bracelet.”
“I can’t use a book?” Samuel asked, gesturing to the one that had been summoned. “That’s more my style if that’s alright.”
“This thing?” Peran asked, surprised. “It’s certainly possible. I meant to offer it to you for recording your spells, but yes, it can be a focus as well. Anything can, but losing your focus is a big deal for a mage.”
Samuel shrugged diffidently, rather liking the idea of owning a magical book. “That’s fine. I can look after it and make sure it doesn’t get stolen.”
Peran shrugged as well, then slid the book across the desk. “Here you are, then, and this is the incantation for enchanting it to become a focus.”
Samuel glanced at the scrap of parchment that bore the strange combination of words. He knew enough about magic to be aware that casting a spell always required the speaking of an incantation. He didn’t know the reason but had always assumed that was one of the rules. Why, then, had Peran just managed to cast that summoning spell without using any words?
“Furthermore, you will also need these,” Peran said, pushing the papers across. “They outline each of the schools, and will help you in picking out a curriculum that is to your liking.”
“I get to pick which magicks I learn?”
“In this College, the curriculum for each school, deity, or organization is decided by their highest-ranked member. You may be brand-new, but as Arcana’s oldest and only representative at this institute, you are also in charge of deciding the lessons you take.”
“Sweet,” Samuel said with a grin, already certain that he’d try his hand at every kind of magic the school offered. “Was there anything else?”