First Apprentice

Chapter 21 Part 2

"What about your apprentice?" I asked.

"Luis started as a candidate, which is unusual nowadays. He rallied the other teams when my previous apprentice died and inherited them. Since then, I've promoted replacement candidates from within my personal legion at his request."

"Why?"

"Why have I allowed it or why did he ask? Same reason either way," he said with a shrug. "Promoting from within minimizes assassination attempts. Luis's good, but he needs another five years or so before he's Seven material."

Head tilted, I stared over his shoulder as I compared his descriptions of Luis with his current partner Mitra. "You intend for him to challenge Mitra."

Joel hummed but didn't answer. An act I was beginning to interpret as "yes, but I shouldn't say". "Tradition allows the candidates to challenge each other for ranking, the first candidate may challenge an apprentice, an apprentice may challenge the Seven. Winner gets the higher rank."

"Lovely," I drawled. "In addition to the mentor who isn't, I get to spend the next year fighting challenges. When I lose control and they die? What then, Joel?"

"Anyone who wants to try needs to get past the first candidate. From what I hear, if he had the magic to match his brains, he'd already be apprenticed. I doubt he'll challenge you. As for your team leaders, any of them could challenge one of the other apprentices on equal footing. Given a few months observing them during training, they'd likely win. These aren't the rejects, Alannah. They're the survivors."

Joel's mouth compressed into a straight line. His gaze darted around followed by his magic, checking the woods and the trail leading up the mountain for eavesdroppers. "Candidates are a cutthroat group. Assassination is an acceptable means of moving up the ranks. Unless they've sworn a blood oath to you, do not trust them. Even then be cautious." He gripped my shoulders and shook me lightly. His talons dug into my skin, drawing blood. "Listen to me, Alannah. When you return, you will be assigned quarters. I don't care what people whisper behind your back, never sleep there. There's a prohibition on lethal wards around singles quarters. Too many accidental deaths. Add in a hundred overlapping wards in such a tight space –"

"Back doors," I finished. Placing my hands over his, I wrapped my fingers around his wrists and gently pulled his talons from my flesh.

Joel stared at the blood coating his talons and blinked. "Sorry," he whispered as I twisted my magic into runes, healing the cuts.

"It's fine. Continue please."

When I started to pull back, Joel curled his fingers around mine and squeezed. "You didn't hear this from me. Standard protocol during peacetime is capture. We don't encourage killing our captives. The clans don't exchange live prisoners for dead ones. Sealer offices come unwarded. When you secure it, ignore the minimum and recommended standards. Ward it to the teeth. If a mouse chews a hole through the wall, cook it. If you've added anyone to your study, remove them. If possible, re-key the dimension to both blood and magic."

"Endellion won't approve," I said, recalling how she pitched a fit when she discovered I conducted unsupervised experiments inside a subplane she couldn't access if something went wrong.

"She'll approve of you being murdered in your sleep even less. Lock down your office wards at night, set up your study inside them, and sleep there." Breath ragged, he paused and leaned his forehead against mine. "When the assassins come, Alannah," he whispered, "take payment in blood. Channel Endellion at her worst and cremate them alive if you can. If you don't, they'll keep coming in greater numbers until you fall."

I reached up and cupped his face in my hands. Stubble rasped against my palms. His breath hitched as my magic unfurled like a cat waking from a nap. It curled around his, coaxing it out until our combined magic wrapped around us like a cloak.

He nuzzled my palm and pressed on. "I've seen it happen countless times before. Lived it. You can either be their worst nightmare or a name on a gravestone."

His magic swirled around us like a tempest ravaging a shoreline. Shadows slunk through the trees as it escaped his grasp. A female, green eyes dancing with hidden laughter and curls sweeping down her back hunched over a fire – a hundred times prettier than I ever was with my aes scarred hands and sewn flat braided buns. A shadow twisted into a man, darted forward, and plunged a knife into her – my – back.

I closed my eyes and reeled him back in the only way I could. Stuble prickled my lips as I pressed a kiss against the corner of his mouth.

Then lips pressed against mine. His tongue traced the seam of my lips. My mouth opened. My fangs scrapped his lip, drew blood. Iron mingled with a taste that was uniquely Joel. His flesh gave under my claws as I dug my fingers into his back and pulled him closer as a haze settled over my mind. I lost myself in the sensations.

A throat clearing yanked me back to my senses.

My eyes snapped open. I stared into amused brown eyes. My gaze traveled down to his lips, noting the blood smeared across the corner.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Helen. She stood behind Joel with her arms crossed under her breasts. Thinly veiled amusement danced across her face as she eyed us.

"A private conversation, my chief? It doesn't look like either of you are doing much talking," Helen paused and tapped her finger on her chin as if in deep thought. Her gaze dropped to Joel's crotch. "Then again, lust has its own language."

Joel pressed his nose into my neck and huffed. "Go away," he mumbled.

"Not today," Helen replied, somehow sounding both firm and apologetic. "I'll give you a few minutes to say your goodbyes. Then I must take her to the summon site and give her the briefing Terry conveniently forgot."

He pressed another kiss to my lips. A gentle peck that meant more than the sloppy kisses I exchanged with the stable boy in the past combined. Magic simmered under my skin, reaching for him. Then he stepped back. The warmth retreated as he pulled his magic back inside himself.

Butterflies danced in my stomach as his fingers caressed face. "Stay safe, Alannah. If Terry won't work with you, summon Sumati for morning spars. Don't let him impede your progress. I'll contact you through the amulet tonight."

Another peck and his body faded into smoke and disappeared.