The Mirror Mage | ONC2022

26. Summer Solstice

Lucian woke to the dawn of a new day, alone in his bed as usual. He had spent nearly an hour the previous evening scrying Rider's Keep, seeking signs that someone, possibly Ben, was accessing the ether. When the first flash rippled across the pool he had leant forward, unsure whether he longed for Ben's presence or dreaded it. He would feel devastated if Ben had sought out the Rider instead of him, Lucian. But the ether had been stirred by a young woman. Uldon's apprentice, Ciara. He remembered her from the visit to Rider's Keep. She had been quiet and self-effacing, allowing Uldon to speak for them both. Lucian smiled wryly; she was stronger than he'd realized. Uldon would be wise to look closer to home for next his challenger.

Eventually Lucian gave up on the scrying glass and retired for the night, even more convinced that Ben had returned to Earth and Wentworth Manor.

He woke early after a restless night and headed straight for the washroom along the passage. Although he felt tired, today was not the day to languish in bed. Today was perhaps the most important day in Rhillion's calendar. The summer solstice.

All around the country, power balances would shift this day. Bitter rivals would issue fiery challenges, skilled apprentices would dare to compete with masters, adult children might ask parents directly if it was time for them to have more say in running the family business. Some would succeed and others would not. Emotions were bound to run the full gamut from triumph to despair.

Lucian looked dubiously at his clothes rack. If there was one thing he missed from his previous life, it was the extensive wardrobe he had taken for granted as a young nobleman. Breeches, pants, buckskins and pantaloons, shirts, embroidered waistcoats and tailcoats of all descriptions, not to mention smallclothes and cravats made of silk, and an extensive variety of footwear to suit every occasion. As well as the luxury of a personal valet, to make sure everything was kept spotless and to help him dress.

Lucian sighed. He could have done with some of those options today. Still, there was no point wishing for the impossible. With some resignation, he chose a pair of clean, if slightly marked, breeches and his favourite jacket.

Now, he had to get his head straight and focus.

Today he was going to challenge the Guild Master for his position, not because he wanted it, but because he knew Eldor would be launching a challenge of his own. Offhand, he couldn't think of anyone less suited to the role.

Lucian took the stairs down to the bottom of the tower and along to the Apprentice Hall. He and Eldor had duties to complete there before they could offer any personal challenges.

He could hear the chatter well before he reached the Hall, a mixture of excitement and anxiety as apprentices waited their turns for testing. Lucian pushed open the door and entered, wincing a little at the noise from a Hall full of eager prospective Mages.

A queue of beginners was lined up before a row of candles, the first row pausing for the allotted sixty seconds to attempt to light the candle in front of them. Eldor was already over there, watching the process with a critical eye, moving those who failed to complete the task out of the way with an impatient wave of his hand.

"Ah, Athol, there thou are." The Guild Master beckoned him over. Dressed in a smart dark blue cloak over black trousers, his grey eyes looked cooler than usual. Lucian was taken aback. He knew he wasn't at fault here, the testing wasn't technically due to begin until the eighth candlemark, but the Guild Master was no fool. He must suspect he would be challenged later today.

"Can thou supervise those attempting to mirrorspeak?"

A large group of hopefuls stood in the far corner, each with a small mirror clutched to their chest, all eager to show they could conjure up another's face.

"Of course, Guild Master." Lucian bowed politely.

He sorted his charges quickly into pairs, standing them back-to-back so that they had to use their powers rather than their eyes, offering advice and encouragement to the young ones as they tried to activate their mirrors. After all, in his opinion this was more of a training experience than a true challenge. Nobody would be knocked off their perch as a result of todays results, not at this skill level at any rate.

The testing continued throughout the morning. By lunchtime the room had cleared of everyone except for Lucian, Eldor, the Guild Master Midor, and three Third Level Mages who wanted to prove they could glass walk and hence qualify for the next Level.

"Elora? Would thou go first?" Midor addressed the only woman amongst them. She was short and dark haired, her eyes bright with intelligence.

"Of course, Guild Master." Elora stepped up to the floor length mirror attached to the wall and twitched off the protective cloth. She steadied herself with a couple of deep breaths then pushed one hand smoothly into the glass. She turned sideways and the rest of her body slipped into the mirror without a hitch.

A few moments later, Elora reappeared, a faint smile on her lips.

"Very neat," judged Midor with a nod of approval. "We have a new Fourth Level Mage. Well done, Elora.

"Justil? Thy turn now."

The older of the two men came forward, his expression tense. He put both hands up in front of his face as if seeking protection then steadily shuffled forward into the glass an inch at a time. Everyone had their own method of entering a mirror.

Justil completed the task successfully after a couple of minutes, if not quite so gracefully as Elora.

Midor turned to the last mage, a young man almost bursting with eagerness. "Thou may go ahead, Sumil."

He pushed his hand into the glass too quickly, causing a faint crack to mar the surface. He turned toward the Guild Master, dismay flooding his face.

Midor pursed his lips. "Thou can have one more attempt, Sumil. Stand back so that Eldor can mend the mirror."

Glass mending was a Fifth Level skill, but the crack was thin and Eldor was able to seal it without too much effort once Sumil had removed his hand.

Midor nodded at Sumil. "Try again."
However, instead of taking things more slowly, anxiety got the better of him and Sumil rushed the process, jumping forward. There was an explosive crash and the mirror shattered into hundreds of pieces.

Sumil stared at the ruins in horror. Lucian sucked in his breath and Eldor swore. Only the Guild Master seemed unfazed by the disaster. He turned to Eldor.

"Let's see what thou can do with that."