In the tower, Lewis practiced his magic for the rest of the day. He spent most of that time making the bead of water roll around the waxed plate. At the end of the day, Curtis had Lewis try to raise a drop of water from the bowl. The water in the bowl quivered and rippled, small waves formed, but Lewis couldn’t separate a drop from it and make it hover how Curtis had before. The cold tingling all over him was much stronger when he tried this, so he stopped. The water in the bowl settled back into stillness.

  “I suppose it is too soon,” Curtis said. “But you are getting better with the waxed plate.” He hesitated, glancing at Lewis’s chest.

  “It was only spreading slowly earlier,” Lewis said. “I think it spread more when I tried to separate a drop of water from the rest.”

  Curtis nodded. “Likely because it was magic beyond your current capabilities. We’ll have to be careful with that.”

  The bell rang for dinner. This time, the mages were more relaxed during dinner. They still didn’t know why Martin had come to the hall, but for now it was just a relief he had already left. The next day, Lewis practiced magic in the morning and taught a lesson after lunch, which he and Curtis ate in the dining hall with the other mages. When Lewis realized he was getting used to this, was starting to feel like he had a place at Birch Hall, he quickly reminded himself this was temporary. They would get his father back, everyone would find out Lewis was barely a Novice, and then what? Would he go back to Whisperstream?

  His father had gone to a lot of effort to keep Lewis away from magic. Now the things he had tried to spare Lewis from were happening, but what would happen when they found his father? Lewis didn’t want to leave Birch Hall, but he doubted the other mages would want an Afflicted Mage around. If he stopped using his magic, would Amnis eat him? A sigh escaped as he finished his sandwich. He would worry about all of that when it came to it. What happened after mattered little to him right then. He just wanted to find his father.

  After lunch, he practiced his magic further. He could move the drop of water around the plate without much energy now, but Curtis hadn’t had him attempt anything harder again yet. Lewis was also wary of trying anything harder. The night before, when he’d taken a bath, he had seen how far Amnis’s essence had changed him. The salamander skin had covered most of his chest in just a few days. It would spread faster if he did magic that was too hard for him.

  The drop of water slid back to the center of the plate, only having made it halfway around the rim. Lewis’s worries kept distracting him. Worse, he felt like a coward. He needed to learn to use more advanced magic so that no one would realize he couldn’t be High Mage. Keeping this lie going was his best chance of giving him and Curtis time to find out where Stewart was and why he’d been taken.

  Curtis started to say something, but a knock came on the door. He took the plate, dumping the water drop in the bowl and sliding the plate onto a shelf on the way to the door. Lewis took the bowl to the bedroom, setting it on a table by the window before sitting back behind his desk just as Curtis closed the tower door. The Elder Mage was pale, staring at the letter he held as though it might bite.

  “What is it?” Lewis asked.

  Curtis sank into the chair across from him and held out the letter. “A request for you.”

  Lewis couldn’t keep his hand from shaking as he took the letter. The only writing on the envelope was High Mage Lewis. He undid the wax seal and pulled out the letter, his breath shallow. Maybe it would be something simple, not localized weather manipulation or something else far beyond him. But no one sent simple requests to the High Mage. As he read the letter, his dread turned to confusion.

  “Who is it from, and what do they need?” Curtis asked.

  “It’s from the Alder of Whisperstream,” Lewis said. “Shadowy wolves appeared in the mine. Weapons do nothing against them, and they’ve had to close the mine.” He set the letter on the desk. “These requests go to the court first, don’t they?”

  Curtis nodded. “The court decides what mage will take care of the request.” He stiffened. “Why?”

  “It says I’m to go alone,” Lewis said. “It says Elder Mage Curtis isn’t to accompany me.”

  Curtis groaned. “Then it’s a test. The court will no doubt ask the alder if I was with you.” He tapped his finger on the desk, staring at the letter. “I’ve never heard of shadowy creatures that weapons can’t harm.”

  “What kind of magic could do that?” Lewis asked. “It can’t be natural, can it?”

  Curtis shook his head slowly, still staring at the letter. “I’ve never heard of such a thing, but High Mages do get the odd, dangerous, and difficult requests. Maybe Stewart faced something like this before, but I feel like he would have mentioned something so strange. He would have been curious and wanted to learn more about it.”

  “I should leave this morning, since it’s early,” Lewis said. “The letter says it’s urgent.”

  “Lorna delivered the letter,” Curtis said. “She was leaving for Palegrove this morning, to visit that bookshop she mentioned.”

  Lewis glanced at the overflowing shelves in the tower. His father had searched for more about Afflicted Mages for a long time, but as Curtis had told Lorna, there were many books out there he hadn’t read.

  “I hope she finds something,” Lewis said, “even if it’s just more about magic.”

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Curtis smiled. “You hope she’ll find what she’s looking for, even if it’s not something that can help you.”

  Lewis blushed, standing and turning away quickly. “I should get ready to go.”

  He liked Lorna. He couldn’t deny that, but he didn’t belong at Birch Hall. And he doubted she would like him too if she knew he was a false High Mage, an Afflicted Mage, and was going to turn into some kind of humanoid salamander. A chill ran through him with that last thought, the one he’d been avoiding thinking about. How fast would it happen?

  Curtis brought him back from his thoughts, handing him something from the desk drawer. It was a belt with two small round flasks attached. “You’ll want to be prepared for a fight. Fill the flasks with water. I know you haven’t learned how to move water through the air, but maybe this fight will be like fixing the well.”

  “Maybe it will help me learn,” Lewis said absently, taking the belt.

  Curtis nodded. “In the dresser in the bedroom, you’ll find long pants. We also wear them in Winter, but they’re good if you’re facing something with sharp teeth. They don’t offer much protection, but it’s better than just your robes between a wolf’s teeth and your leg. I’m sure you’ve seen the armored boots I left in there as well?”

  Lewis nodded. “And the cuirass. I meant to ask you about that.”

  “It’s good against bandits,” Curtis said. “Your father had to deal with bandits several times. Since these wolves are clearly not natural, you’ll want to be prepared for anything.”

  Lewis filled the flasks with water, put on the long pants, the boots with the armor plates at the shin and across the foot, and the heavy cuirass. When he went back into the main room of the tower, Curtis was pacing in front of the window. He stopped when he saw Lewis was back.

  “I filled a bag with supplies,” Curtis said, nodding to the bag in the chair at the desk.

  “Thank you,” Lewis said, tugging at the straps of the cuirass. He had tightened them all the way, but it still felt loose. “This is all really heavy. How did my father fight in this?”

  “He just needed it to protect him long enough for him to use his magic,” Curtis said. “If it slows you down too much during the fight, take it off, but do consider if it’s worth it for the protection. We don’t know what those wolves can do, or what they even are.”

  The full weight of what he was about to face had settled in.

  “If weapons don’t work, do you think magic does?” Lewis asked.

  “I would hope so,” Curtis said. “I assume that’s why they sent for a mage, and why the court sent the request to the High Mage.” He closed his eyes for a moment. “I wish I could go with you. I believe you’re close to being an Apprentice, but this…”

  “Is far beyond what an Apprentice would be doing,” Lewis said, but he was glad to hear he was almost at the level of an Apprentice. “I should get going.” He took the bag from the chair, putting the strap across his shoulders, and weighing himself down even more.

  “Be careful,” Curtis said. “If you can’t face the wolves alone, inform the alder. Sometimes requests require more than one mage, even if the mage is a High Mage.”

  “I’ll try my best first,” Lewis said, but would it be enough?

  He left Birch Hall, setting out through the forest in the direction he and Curtis had come. It felt like so long ago. Lewis’s time sweeping at the shop in Whisperstream felt like a whole other life. He dreaded making the journey with the heavy armor, but at least it was only a day’s walk to the mining town, rather than the three it took to get to Palegrove. The sun was setting when he reached the town. He went straight to the inn, not knowing where else to go.

  The innkeeper, a young man, said he would inform the alder that Lewis had arrived and the two would meet in the morning. Lewis was given a room and dinner. He slept deeply after the day of trudging through the forest in armor. Despite his reluctance, he put the armor back on in the morning. As Curtis had said, he had to be ready for anything. The alder, an older woman, was waiting downstairs at the inn. She had breakfast with Lewis while telling him about the mine.

  “Weapons do nothing against the wolves,” she said with a shudder. “They simply appeared one day, coming out of the shadows and chasing after the miners. No one was hurt, but I dare not send anyone back in if we have no means of fighting these creatures.” She smiled. “I had hoped the court would send the High Mage. If anyone can take care of this, it’s you.”

  Lewis wished he had even a shred of that confidence.

  “I’ll head in there right away,” Lewis said. Best to get this over with.

  The alder stood. “I’ll unlock the gate. We locked it after a mercenary went in there and didn’t return. Perhaps you can find him, if there’s anything left to find.”

  He followed her along a dirt road that led from the town to the dark maw of the mine. She unlocked the gate, the metal creaking loudly. She shut it behind him, but didn’t lock it. The alder turned and walked away without another word. She seemed so certain he could do this. Lewis took a deep breath and stepped further into the mine. A few torches were lit along the tunnel, but they were dim, and some had gone out. The tunnel was eerily silent.

  Lewis loosened the caps on the flasks on his belt as he walked, watching the shadows for any sign of movement. Could the wolves move through walls? How solid were they? A howl split the silence from right behind him. Lewis turned so fast he stumbled, but that was the only reason the wolf’s teeth missed him. The creature ducked down, ears back, as though preparing to leap. It snarled, showing teeth as shadowy as the rest of it. Its eyes were a blue light amid the darkness.

  He fumbled the cap off a flask, grateful it was attached with twine. He pulled the flask from his belt, throwing water at the wolf, willing his magic to flow through the water. His magic flowed into the water as it fell across the wolf, and as it fell straight through the shadows, leaving a wet patch in the dirt. The wolf leaped at Lewis. He dived to the side, the shadowy claws barely missing him. His magic had no effect on the wolf. What other weapon did he have?

  The wolf howled, followed by countless other howls from the darkness further along the tunnel and back the way Lewis had come. He didn’t see the other wolves, but there was nowhere to run now. The wolf leaped again, this time hitting him full on, throwing him to the ground. The wolf stood on his chest. Lewis grabbed at the wolf, his hands passing through at first, but then he felt something solid within the wolf’s chest.

  Magic. He knew this was magic, even though it didn’t feel like his water magic, or anything else he had felt before. Cold tingled all over him as he pulled with both hands, trying to pull this core of magic apart. The wolf shrieked, sounding more like a large bird than a wolf. The shadows faded away the moment the core was destroyed. Lewis stumbled to his feet, shaking all over, breathing hard. That wasn’t water magic he had just used, but it was his own magic, separate and different from the water magic. He had used spirit magic.