First Apprentice

Chapter 22 Part 3

Endellion's right sleeve shifted, revealing a solid silver band around her wrist.

"Who dares?" I demanded. The band cut her off completely from her magic, forced her to obey whoever served as her binder – enslaved twice over. An insidious piece of seal work second only to the suppression seals the Dracon used on young girls, the band was required for all guardians who left their gate for the Border Guard. They came in four levels. The first acted as a simple communication band, not unlike the amulet hanging around my neck. The fourth, characterized by interlocking circles of runes engraved on its face, rendered the bearer defenseless. Uncle Manfred's was the former; Endellion's the latter.

"Appearances are deceiving," she said, channeling her magic into the band. Only a single rune lit up.

Puzzled, I touched the cool metal. Magic flared around my hand. Warm and reassuring, it was the complete opposite of its owner. "Terry?"

"Apparently you aren't the only person who disagrees with the guardian laws. It's communication only, Alannah, and less restrictive than Rainer's was after we'd been mated for five centuries."

"Why does it look worse than it is?"

"Because the clans fear me. They will see this bracelet and think I'm completely neutralized. When they come for you, they won't see me as a threat until I tear out their throats. It protects you, but only if you let people think what they will. Don't correct them."

"But –"

A finger laid across my lips stilled my protests. "It's the same as the amulet hanging around your neck. It also legitimizes my presence."

"As?" I asked, heart in my throat. Even though the Ancients Council released her, I assumed Terry would demand that Endellion remain on Vinetta. Not my preference, but Terry didn't care about my opinion.

"A teacher. Luckily, a few old colleagues recalled my early attempts at managing Rainer's office and the ensuing firestorm and steered Terry away from assigning me a desk job."

"So you're not repairing the Well?"

"We haven't decided. Teaching agrees with me. Well, teaching you agreed with me," she corrected herself. "We'll see how I manage with other people's children."

"Children?" I asked, struggling to keep the disbelief out of my voice. Who in their right mind would turn Endellion-dae the Bloody, a woman who infamously melted entire cities, into a school teacher?

"Twin seven-year-olds," she continued, "an eight-year-old, and two ten-year-olds."

By the Mothers, she sounded excited. Given how our practical lessons always began at dawn and ended only when I couldn't scrap the magic together to continue, I pitied those children. If they didn't have magical exhaustion by the end of the first week, I'd eat my amulet.

"They're too advanced for the beginner classes and too young for the regular sealing classes. I understand they tried with the twins." Endellion shrugged. "We'll see if it works out. If not, I can always work as a guardian trainer. Now, rescue our water before it boils out and then tell me what's bothering you."

Over steaming cups of tea, I shared my concerns about my teams, my gates, the crates of random paperwork various guardians dropped at my feet each morning, the suggested yearly budget someone filled out and left for my approval, the three assistants they 'recommended' I hire from the Administrative Corps to handle the paperwork, and the insane expectations associated with my position. Between Terry's requested reports, gate reports, and the myriad of forms each corps demanded I fill out, my office's paperwork exceeded two reams per week.

At the end of my rant, Endellion calmly set her teacup down and rolled her neck. "I will tell you the same thing Rainer told his apprentices. I will not tell you how to run your office. I will say that your people can either be your greatest asset or your worst enemy. The choice is yours. In my experience, if you do right by them, they'll do right by you. As for your other issues, do you have a copy of the original charter?" When I nodded, amusement tinged with violence danced in her aura. "I highly recommend you refresh your memory about the actual limits and requirements imposed on various sealer offices. Those have not changed. They cannot change without a unanimous vote by the Seven, commanders, and any war chiefs. Most days, the Seven can't agree on what to have for dinner. On the important issues, they are almost always hopelessly divided. Do you and Mitchel still talk via those tablets you made?"

I nodded. "Every evening."

"Excellent. Write him tonight and ask about Katia's reforms and how they actually affect your job as opposed to how people claim they affect your job. I know for a fact that Rainer's apprentices never required three assistants to help with the paperwork, which leads me to suspect a good portion of it is unnecessary work created so people can look like they're filling a necessary function without doing any real work.

"Odds are a good portion of your paperwork is recommended," she said the word sarcastically, "as opposed to required. Mitchel and Manfred will know more about that than I do. Your primary mission dictates your teams' primary mission. They exist to support you. Period. If I were you, I would ignore everything people say about apprentice candidates. Pretend their files and job descriptions do not exist. They are faceless sealers assigned to you in a supporting role. Now, take your assignments and determine what you must do. Not," she said sharply, "what you want or what you feel you should be involved in. The question is what absolutely cannot be done without you."

Easier said than done. Until the healers released my candidates, Helen and I were the office.

"For example," Endellion continued. "Terry wants a proposal on your keyed ambient power arrays. As this is original research, you are perfectly within your rights to demand a secrecy oath. Do so. The research and the seal are all finished, but it needs at least ten separate tests by different sealers before its approved. At least, it used to. I'm not sure exactly what the current requirement is. Regardless, at this point, the best thing you can do is step away. Show them the seal, a few examples of what it can do, and ask for volunteers. Let them document their own tests and propose ideas for future use. It doesn't and shouldn't all come from you. Assign the job of writing the proposal to one of your people. Proofread and review the proposal. Answer any questions they have to the best of your abilities, but here their word will mean more than yours. You are a prodigious sealer, a master of the craft. Right now, people will look at your original work and say 'of course it works for her, but it won't work for me'. You need more opinions on the seal.

"You may also want to research the various restrictions you can impose on how your seals are used and disseminated in the future. For instance, prior to learning the seal, everyone must sign a magical contract guaranteeing they will not teach the seal to anyone through word or deed without having them sign the same contract and imposing severe restrictions on its use outside the Border Guard. Your spying arrays shouldn't be written. Ever. If Terry wants a report, give him a verbal one. This is not magic we want available to all and sundry. Offering an original seal to the Border Guard is your choice. This one should be available for use on a select basis, but it should never be public knowledge. Now, I believe that is enough shop talk. What's this I hear about a kiss?"

Blood rushed to my face. I gulped. "Helen?" When Endellion nodded, I cringed. "How bad?"

"I wouldn't know, dear. I'm not the one he kissed."

"The gossip."

"Helen's discreet. I believe Terry and I were the only people she told and Terry swore her to secrecy. I'm not entirely sure I approve of a man who kissed you without asking my permission to court you first."

"You don't get to choose who I kiss, court, mate, or anything else!"

"Of course not!" Endellion actually sounded affronted. "But I do get the supreme pleasure of tracking said male down and threatening to castrate him if he hurts you or in any way makes you unhappy. If I elect to stage a small reenactment of a battle or three, so much the better."