First Apprentice

Chapter 12 Part 2

Diane quirked a finger at her trunk, which levitated itself up onto the bed. She unbuckled the straps and pressed a finger against the latch, hissing when a needle pricked her finger. The latch sprang open. The lid raised itself.

After rummaging through it and stacking half the contents on the bed, she removed a rosewood box. Head bowed, Diane caressed the top, passing her hand across it three times. On the fourth, the lid disappeared, revealing two egg-sized crystals swaddled in black velvet. "If anyone else tried that, they'd lose a hand," Diane said as she extended the box to Joel. "Take the one closest to you."

Once he took one, she turned and offered the second to me.

Mind whirling with Grandfather's warnings about the Seven, how each member joined, and Diane in particular, I eyed the crystal like it was coiled snake. Most of the Seven volunteered. Prestige, power, freedom from their clans, the extremely generous salary and other benefits...a dozen things drew them in like flies to honey. Only one was sentenced: Diane-dae of the Shedu.

Asha plucked her off the executioner's block after the Shedu Clan caught her experimenting on her own underage kin. Two died. Asha gave her a choice: join Asha's Seven or death. Grandfather never said why Asha made Diane the Seven's official healer or why Terry upheld Diane's appointment after Asha's death, but Uncle Manfred discretely pointed me toward the Border Guard's official prison records. After Diane joined, the prisoner death rate tripled.

What did the crystals do? Was it a test? If so, what would she do with the information? Blackmail me? Grandfather? Or something worse?

She huffed and waved the case under my nose. "Take it."

I glanced at Joel. He nodded once. Taking a deep breath, I reached inside the case. My fingers curled around the cold rock. I hefted it in my hand. Heavier than an egg, but lighter than I expected.

"Channel your magic into the diamond," Diane said. "Once it changes color, place it back in the box."

"Why?" Endellion demanded before I could ask.

"Because his magic may interfere with the healing," Diane said.

Judging by Diane's brief hesitation, that was the official reason. My mind turned back to our spars and how our magic interacted then to the improbable healing. What was the unofficial one? I wondered as I rolled the stone between my fingers. Why diamond instead of quartz? Both showed auras equally well. I glanced at Joel and realized his stone was already navy blue.

Magic exploded from my fingertips. The clear stone turned red then black. The black shifted between dark gray and midnight blue before settling on a true black so dark it seemed to suck in the light. The stone slipped from my fingers and joined Joel's inside the box.

Without a word, Diane returned the lid and flipped the box over. Magic flashed across the rosewood in multicolored waves then stilled. A few strokes and Diane removed the bottom. Two black diamonds lay side by side. Occasionally, a flame would flicker in their depths or a shooting star would streak across their surface. Always simultaneous as if there was only one stone held in front a mirror.

Diane pressed her lips into a grim line, nodded once, and closed the box. "Joel, go keep an eye on Terry. Remind him what happened the last time he ignored my advice."

"But – "

"You already shared the memory." Diane swept an assessing gaze over Endellion. "My lady, it's best if you join him."

When Endellion opened her mouth to protest, Diane cut her off with a sharp gesture. "His magics might interfere. Yours will."

Endellion flushed then glanced at me. Lips pursed, she studied me for several minutes before nodding once. She swept out of the room without a word. Joel raised an eyebrow at Diane. Her expression shifted, making me wonder if they were using the Seven's telepathic link. Then he glanced at me, silently asking if I wanted someone to stay. I shook my head.

"Go before Endellion kills Grandfather or Terry," I whispered, shooting a nervous glance at Diane, who seemed more amused than angry.

Odd. I always thought the Seven would defend their war chiefs and chief to the death, but I implied someone wanted Terry dead and she acted amused. Then again, it was Terry. I imagined quite a few people wanted him dead or at least maimed.

"Diane, no experiments. Alannah, shout if you need anyone," Joel said then followed Endellion out, quietly shutting the door behind him.

The instant he left a hungry expression lit Diane's face. I recoiled. I recognized that look. It was the same one Martha's brats wore when they tore the wings off butterflies. Not an I-forgot-a-meal-or-two look. No, Diane's was a let-me-take-you-apart-and-see-how-you-work look. A bit like the one I wore when I was examining a new seal – one of three expressions I recognized.

"Sit. I don't bite," Diane paused, "unless you're Amit." She nodded towards the bed. Wary, I perched on the edge. "Let's see the damage."

"Amit?"

"Our sixth seat, my partner and mate. Now, as entertaining as watching Terry squirm is, Joel wouldn't ask me here to heal a simple stab wound any idiot can handle once the knife's removed, which means he asked for you. That he followed said request with a requisition form for a class ten balancer and a telepathic blocker tells me we have a bigger problem than Terry's arrogance getting the better of him. So tell me why Joel, who usually exhibits good sense, would ask for a telepathic blocker for an apprentice, knowing the Seven's communication methods require the same telepathic channels blocked by the potion, rendering said apprentice incommunicado. That is extremely risky given the position said apprentice fills isn't actually an apprentice seat."

"What did you test us for?"

Diane hesitated a moment, glanced at the door, then sighed. "Magical compatibility. Joel indicated there were some unexpected issues. Joel isn't scheduled back at headquarters for another six months. I thought it best we go ahead and conduct the test while I have both of you in the same vicinity. I'll analyze the results and discuss them with you both later."

"But you know something now."

"Suspect. I need to research a few things and speak with a colleague before I give either of you the results." Meaning she could tell Joel without telling me.

"Will you tell me?"

Author's Note: So my First Apprentice playlist only has six little songs left. I could dip back into the vault and haul up another gloriously weird tune. Lege Artis Chamber Choir, anyone? But I thought I'd ask for song recs first. So if you have a song rec or two, I'd love to hear them! Drop me a line in the comments or a DM. Thanks!