Lewis and Curtis waited until late at night. Curtis returned to the tower, then the two of them left Birch Hall, wearing black cloaks with the hoods up again. The book Curtis had read before had said a spirit speaker could only summon a spirit while out in nature, so they hadn’t attempted it in the tower. They passed the garden, going into the forest to where they had been the night Lewis made a pact with Amnis.

  Lewis sat on the ground how he had that other night. He closed his eyes, thinking of Amnis and that forest clearing with the pond. He called out to the salamander spirit in his mind, hoping it wouldn’t be some other spirit who answered. He still wasn’t clear on if the pact protected him from being eaten, or if he was in danger any time he summoned a spirit. The cold feeling tingled across his chest, less unpleasant this time. He opened his eyes to the pond in the forest clearing.

  Amnis was half in the water, looming over Lewis. The spirit stared down at him with his all black eyes. He grinned suddenly. “I sense my essence has taken root.”

  Lewis didn’t like the sound of that. “Is it going to spread whenever I do magic?”

  “Would you rather have died from becoming a chimera?” Amnis asked with a quiet laugh. “Is this so horrifying to you that you would prefer death?”

  That was his other option. He had to remind himself the alternative to whatever was happening was death.

  “How far will it go?” Lewis asked quietly.

  “You will not become like me, if that is what you fear,” Amnis said. “You will retain your basic shape. There is a point at which the magic will be finished changing you, but should you use too much magic at once, it will alter you further. This will only be temporary, but it will take time for you to recover, just as it would for any mage who uses too much magic at once. My essence will protect you from your spirit magic. This is how it will do that.”

  Lewis thought about this. “Is the spirit magic separate from the element magic?”

  Amnis grinned again, showing his sharp teeth. “You are very observant. In time, you will learn what you can do with the spirit side of your magic. I suggest you focus on the element for now, as it will be the most use to you.”

  Lewis hesitated. “How much do you know about what’s going on?”

  Amnis laughed. “I know what you know. It was a part of our pact. The High Mage is missing and you must pretend to be High Mage, even though you have the skill level of a Novice. Even that is being generous.”

  Lewis felt his face turning red.

  “Fret not,” Amnis said., “your magic is getting stronger. Remember, a forest does not grow in a day.”

  The clearing with the pond vanished. Lewis opened his eyes, back in the moonlit birch forest. He stood and turned to face Curtis, trying not to wonder how much the salamander skin on his chest had spread just from summoning Amnis.

  “This is how the pact will protect me from my magic,” Lewis said.

  Curtis’s shoulders slumped.

  The two of them returned to the tower before Lewis told him everything Amnis had said.

  “So the spirit magic is something else you will have to learn how to use,” Curtis said. “He is right that you should focus on the element magic for now.” He stared at the desk for a long moment.

  “I’ll have to use my magic,” Lewis said.

  Curtis looked at him. “Maybe we can think of another way.”

  Lewis shook his head. “This is the best way to avoid the court finding out I shouldn’t be here. And if my magic doesn’t get any stronger, I’m not sure Amnis would have a reason to keep me around.” A shiver ran through him when he thought of the spirit’s sharp teeth.

  “I’m sorry,” Curtis said. “This is why Stewart kept you away from magic. He may not have known if what he read was true, but he didn’t want to risk it being true.”

  “How can we find out who forged the letter?” Lewis asked. “Is there some way to find my father through magic? I suppose there’s not an element that would help with that.”

  “Magic won’t help us with this,” Curtis said. “As for the letter, I’m still thinking about that. I don’t think the other mages would be involved, but I fear we can’t be certain.” He frowned hard. “Though even Blake wouldn’t have your father abducted, and he certainly wouldn’t have you named High Mage. He wants to be High Mage, but he wants to reach that on his own merit.”

  “How well do you know him?” Lewis asked.

  “He, your father, and I were students here together,” Curtis said. “Blake’s grandfather was High Mage at the time.” He stood, looking reluctant. “You can start practicing your magic again tomorrow, after you teach that class.”

  After Curtis left, Lewis took a bath. Birch Hall didn’t have the sort of plumbing found in a city, but there was a spring somewhere around there, the hot water used only for baths. There was a well in the forest somewhere, which Lewis hadn’t seen yet. That water was used for other things. He turned the knob and hot water filled the bath. The water felt uncomfortably good against the salamander part of his skin. He knew little about them, but maybe he could learn more from one of his father’s books or from Birch Hall’s library.

  In the morning, he joined the other mages for breakfast. After that, Miriam led him to a room at the back of Birch Hall’s first floor. The two large windows looked out at the garden. He had only seen it at night so far. The garden was filled with vegetables and flowers, and there was a small fruit tree in the center. Lorna was out there tending to the plants, both with magic and by hand. Lewis was watching her at work when Miriam cleared her throat. He brought his attention back to the moment.

  Miriam smiled. “You’ll have time for a proper introduction later.” She motioned to the podium in front of a chalkboard. “Pick a useful plant to teach them about.”

  “What has Lorna taught them?” Lewis asked.

  “How to tend to plants,” Miriam said. “They have yet to learn of the qualities of plants, so you’ll have plenty to talk about.”

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  The door opened and Dale, Priya, and Tanya filed in, taking their places at the three wooden desks that faced the front of the room. Lewis’s excitement of the day before had become nervousness that morning. Now that he was faced with the students, he feared he would simply freeze up.

  Miriam patted his shoulder. “You’ll do fine. Just remember how much you like this subject.” She leaned closer and whispered. “Let them see your love for the subject and they won’t be bored.” She left the room, closing the door gently behind her.

  Dale and the twins were staring at Lewis, waiting patiently. He swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. Lewis stood behind the podium, quickly sorting through his mind for the most useful plant he could think of. He took a piece of chalk from the podium and turned to write on the board. Feraxian Berry. Next to that he wrote, (Swamp Berry), before wondering if he shouldn’t have. He turned to face the class and found Priya practically beaming at him. Tanya whispered something to her sister, laughing quietly.

  Dale looked puzzled and raised his hand. His short red hair was messy, sticking up in several directions. His brown robes were a contrast, tied neatly, without any wrinkles. Miriam had mentioned that morning that Dale was sixteen, only three years younger than Lewis.

  “Yes, Dale?” Lewis asked.

  “Sir, there aren’t any swamps in Ferax,” Dale said.

  “You don’t have to call me sir,” Lewis said. “Lewis is fine.” He felt his face turning red yet again, struggling to find the words to explain with how nervous he was.

  “It’s from a book,” Tanya said. “A series of books Priya and Lorna are obsessed with.”

  “I’m not obsessed,” Priya squeaked.

  Lewis feared he would have a hard time telling the sisters apart unless they spoke. Priya was the quieter of the two, but visually, the two were identical. Their long light brown hair went down to their shoulders. They both had dark brown eyes. It didn’t help that they both wore the gray robes of Novices. Miriam had said the pair were fourteen.

  “It’s a series of books based in a world called Vasta,” Lewis said. “The berries are called Swamp Berries in the books, but other than the name and where they grow, they are identical to Feraxian Berries.” Once he got started, it was easier to just keep going. “The berries are vibrant blue and grow on small bushes. The branches grow low to the ground and often have a thick green moss growing on the wood.” He drew a rather bad sketch of it on the board. “The berries grow along the branches, but are spread out, not in bunches like other varieties of berry.” He looked back at the class.

  Dale was taking impressively fast notes on a piece of parchment, Tanya was staring at him as though he were a curiosity, and Priya was smiling as she stared at the board with wide eyes. He seemed to be off to a better start than he’d thought. At least no one looked bored.

  “Can you any of you tell me the main use for Feraxian Berries?” Lewis asked.

  Priya’s hand shot up and he called on her. When she answered, her voice was quiet, just as before. “They’re sought after by apothecaries in all three countries for their healing properties. They can fight off infections in wounds.”

  Lewis nodded. “The berry is ground into a paste and spread over wounds to prevent and fight off infections. It only grows in Ferax, but it grows prolifically on the plains. There are farms in Ferax dedicated to growing Feraxian Berries. It also grows in the wild in what little forest Ferax has, by the Conlis Mountains and along the Betula border.” He told them about the bush’s preferred climate and how to tend to it.

  Miriam came in just as he was finishing to take over for the next lesson, which would be a practical one on using magic. Lewis was relieved he didn’t have to stay and help for that one. He could talk about plants all day, but he knew little about what magic could be used for, let alone how to do it. As he walked away along the hall, he was already thinking of what plant to focus on for the next lesson. He paused at the door that led out to the garden, then decided to take a look before going back to the tower.

  Surprisingly, Lorna was still out there, standing in front of the fruit tree. She was staring up at it with an absent smile. Her long red hair was tied in a loose braid. She smiled up at the tree. Her eyes were the same light brown as the tree’s bark. She looked at Lewis, the smile still there.

  “How did the lesson go?” Lorna asked.

  “I think it went alright,” Lewis said.

  Lorna smiled. “Your students didn’t fall asleep, so I would say it was a success.” She nodded to the classroom windows.

  Miriam’s lesson had begun. Dale was staring intently at a potted fern on his desk, the plant growing slowly, but fast enough Lewis could see it happening from there. He must have nature magic like Lorna. Priya and Tanya were laughing as they blew dried leaves at each other with their wind magic.

  “It must have been lonely,” Lorna said suddenly. “Being taught alone at home by your father.”

  Lewis hesitated, hoping his face wouldn’t give him away somehow. He thought of all the times his father had been away and it was just him and the new maid, hired for just until his father’s return. The maids always avoided Lewis. He thought it might have been because they were wary of mages and thought he must be one since his father was such a powerful one.

  “It was sometimes,” Lewis said. It was all the time, but he didn’t want to think about that, didn’t want to long for the days before his father shut him out and stopped showing him the books about magic, stopped talking to him about much of anything.

  Lorna’s brows furrowed. “I was lucky to be a part of a class of five students, but I wasn’t close to any of them. I was…” She sighed. “I’m young to be an Adept. My magic is stronger than average.” She laughed. “Though you probably don’t find it strange, seeing as we’re the same age and you’re the High Mage.”

  Guilt clenched at him. There were so many other mages at Birch Hall who should have had this position when his father retired.

  “Perhaps you could give me some pointers sometime,” Lorna said.

  “Maybe you could tell me about the plants sometime?” Lewis asked, wanting to change the subject. “What kinds you have growing here.”

  Lorna beamed. “I can do that now if you have time.”

  She gave him a tour of the garden. When they finished, Lewis glanced up and saw someone standing at a window on the second floor. Blake was staring at the two of them. He frowned at Lewis before turning away.

  “He’s not so bad once you get to know him,” Lorna said, looking at the window too. “I know he seems intimidating, but has a good side.”

  “I’m sure he does,” Lewis said.

  Curtis had said Blake was the most likely to be suspicious of Lewis being High Mage. Was that why Blake had been watching, or was it a coincidence and he’d just been passing by the window?

  “It’s about time for me to take over for Miriam,” Lorna said. “I think Curtis said you and he would have lunch in the tower, that you had things you needed to take care of.”

  “I should be going then,” Lewis said. “Thank you for showing me the garden.”

  Lorna smiled. “You can come out here anytime.”