Lewis reluctantly went with Miriam back to the training room, but before he could move to stand before the basin, she spoke again.

  “We won’t cast you out for being an Afflicted Mage,” Miriam said. “The sooner you come to terms with what you are, the better you will be able to use your magic.” Her expression softened, but only for a moment. “I know what it’s like to be feared. The people of this world would fear you more than just any mage, but that’s not how it is here.”

  Lewis hesitated, thinking of what Lorna had said. “You’re from Ferax?”

  Miriam nodded. “Ferax fears magic more than Conlis or Betula. I discovered my wind magic while I was living in Tidrea, the harbor city. I was shunned for it, despite and maybe even because of how useful it was. I used my wind magic to aid the fishers. They thanked me, but as soon as they thought I wasn’t listening, they talked about how unnatural my magic was, how unnatural I was. I left Tidrea and came here to be trained, and to be around other mages. The world finds our magic useful, but they also fear us because of that magic.”

  “Do you really think the court will close Birch Hall?” Lewis asked.

  “It’s what Martin wants,” Miriam said. “He hasn’t been subtle about this, and his number of allies within the court is growing.” Her brows furrowed as she stared at him. “You may be no more than an Apprentice, but you are still High Mage to Dale and the twins. You are someone they look up to. Be a good example for them, not someone who fears his magic and himself.” She shook her head. “Curtis won’t push you as far as he needs to. He believes he owes it to Stewart to protect you, but going easy on you here will not protect you.”

  But at what point would he stop making progress? He was so tired… He pushed the thought away as best he could. At least he was getting used to what he was. Not resting long enough to appear closer to human had helped him get used to what he was, but he wasn’t sure he could make progress with his magic with how exhausted he was. He could tell by Miriam’s expression that telling her this would do no good. He turned to face the basin, focusing on the center of the water.

  A drop of water rose and fell, barely above the surface of the water.

  “Higher,” Miriam said.

  Another drop rose several hours later, this one higher.

  “Bigger,” Miriam said.

  The next drop of water, late at night, was hardly more than a fleck in the air. Miriam dismissed him for the night. He went straight up to the tower, to the tub, where he dreamed of the wolves chasing him. There was still nothing else in sight on the plains, only grass in every direction he looked. Morning came too soon, breakfast a blur before training resumed. Lewis stared at the water, barely seeing it anymore.

  “He needs rest,” Curtis said.

  Lewis hadn’t heard him come in.

  “He needs to focus,” Miriam said quietly. “Leave.”

  Lewis stared at the water, at the ripples spreading from the center, faster and faster until the water was quaking. Some of it sloshed onto the ground. No… This wasn’t what he was supposed to be doing.

  “Have you looked at him?” Curtis asked.

  Miriam made an irritated sound, close to a growl. “You think I should wait for the effects of using magic to fade, for him to appear human again? His magic will simply affect him this way again and distract him.”

  “That’s not what I mean,” Curtis said, his voice hard in a way Lewis had never heard it before.

  Lewis still didn’t look away from the water. He wasn’t sure anymore that he could look away. The water continued to slosh, back and forth. Back and forth. Just like Miriam and Curtis arguing behind him. The water stopped moving suddenly, frozen in mid splash in the air, the drops hovering in the air. Lewis’s breaths came in short gasps. Cold tingled all over him, a rushing sound like waves echoing in his head.

  Fire flared to life amid the water, bright and hot, burning the water away to nothing more than steam. Lewis saw it for only a moment before someone’s hands covered his eyes from behind. The rushing sound, the stormy sea in his head, was gone. He took a deep breath, almost collapsing. Blake’s hands moved away from Lewis’s face and the Elder Mage helped him to the floor, where Lewis sat shaking. Blake turned a stormy look on Curtis and Miriam, who had finally stopped arguing.

  “Is this what you call training?” Blake asked Miriam. “You didn’t even notice what was happening. He was losing control!”

  “He has to be ready for whatever Martin has planned.” Miriam’s voice quavered. “He has to be ready for the spirit when it tries to consume him.”

  “You’ve left him weakened,” Blake said. “He’s in the perfect state for the spirit to eat him. His magic is getting stronger, but he’s getting weaker, which is just what the spirit would want.”

  Miriam looked away, her face pale.

  Curtis knelt beside Lewis. “Are you alright? I’m sorry.” He shook his head. “I should have tried to intervene sooner.”

  Lewis tried to talk, but he couldn’t stop shaking. He felt raw inside after what had happened with his magic. Curtis helped him to his feet. He said something, but Lewis didn’t hear the words. The four of them left the training room, going to the library. There was no one else there. Miriam locked the doors. Lewis sank into a chair at a table with the Elder Mages. He was starting to feel more himself.

  “I still think I should take him to the tower,” Curtis said.

  “I want to hear what Blake found,” Lewis said.

  They all looked at Blake, who nodded slowly, as though preparing himself. “The mages of Birch Hall must work together, or we will be destroyed.”

  “Is what you found that bad?” Miriam asked quietly.

  “It is,” Blake said. “Martin has many allies among the court and has even been meeting with mercenaries in Palegrove. I managed to overhear one of these meetings. I believe the mercenaries are keeping Stewart captive somewhere beneath the city. The mercenaries don’t like what Martin has asked of them. Stewart is badly wounded, and the mercenaries want his wounds tended to properly. Martin told them it’s only a little longer before he’ll be ready to carry out the rest of his plan, but he didn’t say what that plan is. The man seems desperate.”

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  “Then we’ll have to hurry and find Stewart,” Curtis said.

  Blake nodded. “There is another matter. A group of mages has been recruiting students. This group believes the true form of magic has been forgotten and must be recovered. If I heard talk about them in Palegrove, then it’s only a matter of time before word about them spreads.”

  “Then the world will fear mages only more,” Miriam said.

  Blake nodded. “I couldn’t find out how many members the group has, or where they gather. Their members seem to be spread out, seeking young mages.”

  Miriam took a deep breath, her shoulders tense. “Martin could make his next move soon, and we still don’t know what Esther is up to.”

  “What she told you is right,” Blake said. “The queen is losing control of the court.”

  Miriam frowned hard, and none of them spoke for a long moment.

  “I told you about the book Lorna brought back from Palegrove?” Miriam asked Blake.

  He nodded. “The one with shadow wolves and the strange language on the cover.” He glanced at Lewis. “The one that may have to do with Esther and her master.”

  “Lewis seems to have some sort of connection to it,” Miriam said. “I think he should try opening the book. If anyone can, it would be an Afflicted Mage. Curtis disagrees, so we’re going to have to vote on it.”

  “We don’t know enough about it,” Curtis said. “The knowledge may not be worth the cost.”

  Miriam looked at Blake.

  “No,” Blake said without hesitation.

  Miriam blinked.

  “I agree with Curtis,” Blake said, though it looked like saying that took effort. “We don’t know enough. Esther and her master are something beyond our understanding. We need to focus on making a plan to rescue Stewart.”

  Miriam’s jaw clenched, but she nodded.

  Curtis relaxed. “There are several books in the tower about the history of Palegrove. Something about the city fascinated Stewart. Maybe it has to do with those tunnels, which I’ve never heard about. It’s just the sort of thing that would interest him.”

  “I’ll search this library while you read Stewart’s books,” Blake said. He looked at Lewis. “And you will rest. No more magic until you are fully rested.”

  Lewis had no desire to argue with that.

  Curtis followed close beside Lewis on the way up the tower steps, but neither of them spoke. Lewis didn’t even glance at the window, too tired to care whether it was morning or night. In the tower, he went straight into the bedroom, too tired to even fill the bath. He took his boots off, collapsed on the bed, and closed his eyes. It felt like only a moment passed before Lewis opened his eyes to the clearing with the pond. Amnis towered over him, half in the water and half on land. Lewis took a quick step back, but the giant salamander could still reach him easily if he wanted to.

  “Your magic has grown in the last few days,” Amnis said, grinning.

  Lewis took another step back, stumbling. He willed himself to wake up, as hard as he could, but he didn’t wake up.

  Amnis laughed. “You know why I’ve brought you here. I sensed your weakness.” He lunged, slamming Lewis into the grass with his hand and keeping him there. The salamander’s hand was big enough to cover Lewis’s entire chest. “I prefer my prey to put up more of a fight, but it isn’t worth the risk with a spirit speaker.”

  “Because I could consume you?” Lewis asked, his voice strained.

  Amnis pressed on Lewis’s chest even harder, letting out a low growl that a salamander had no business making. “You won’t have the chance.”

  Lewis reached out to the pond with his magic, but he was too tired to do more than cause ripples. Amnis laughed, then he leaned in close and breathed in deeply. Something was draining away, darkness closing in at the edges of everything. Lewis fought to stay conscious. He wasn’t going to let it end like this. He was not going to be eaten by a giant salamander. It took all the strength he had, but Lewis moved his arms, gripping Amnis’s hand with both of his own and reaching for the magic within the spirit. It was just like fighting the wolves. His spirit magic moved more readily with his will than his water magic ever did.

  Amnis screamed, the sound so loud Lewis thought it might be coming from the clearing itself. This was Amnis’s domain. Strength was returning to Lewis. He gripped Amnis’s hand harder, the energy and magic flowing into him now instead of the spirit. The magic within the spirit was vast, a huge thing he could barely feel the end of. As he began to draw it into himself, he knew. If he took that magic into himself, he wouldn’t be human anymore, and he might not even be himself. This was what Esther wanted, what Esther had told him to do. Their supposed master wanted this.

  Amnis pulled against Lewis’s hands weakly, the salamander getting smaller. It was almost too late for both of them. Lewis pushed the spirit’s magic out of himself before it could latch on, before it could become a part of him. Amnis screamed again. Cold burned in every inch of Lewis, and he screamed too. At last, it was over. The clearing fell silent. Lewis was breathing hard where he lay on his back in the grass. A small salamander lay on his chest, shaking.

  Lewis put a hand on the salamander’s back as gently as he could. He felt nothing between them. The pact was broken, but Amnis’s essence was still within Lewis, its effects still having changed him. Amnis groaned quietly, opening one eye to glare at Lewis.

  “Why didn’t you take it?” Amnis asked, the words barely audible. “You could have had so much power.”

  “I didn’t want to be you,” Lewis said.

  Amnis opened both eyes, staring at him with an unreadable expression.

  “It’s what Esther and her master wanted me to do, but that’s not what I wanted,” Lewis said.

  “Her master is yours,” Amnis said. “He is the creator of Afflicted Mages. Some used to refer to them as his children.”

  Lewis shivered. “What else do you know about him?”

  “That spirit speakers are the most dangerous thing he ever created,” Amnis said. “The pact is gone. Should my essence prove too weak within you and fade, you will become a chimera. I fear you will survive. I have lived a long time. Long enough to see only a single chimera survive to become a blight that swept across the land. Such a creature brings death everywhere it goes, but this curse gives its master power. With you, he may return to this world without having need of a vessel.”

  “A vessel?” Lewis asked, but it was only one of many questions he had now. “What kind of blight?”

  “You will not find out,” Amnis said, closing his eyes again. “If it is the last thing I do, I will see to it the blight does not grip this land again. It brings death to spirits, plants, and humans.” He sighed. “For now, I must rest. I can only hope my essence remains within you, and that you see it as a curse.”