The Sceptre of Samnos

The University Part 2

     "You all know why you are here," Tragius said. "You all know what is expected of you. The test is divided into three separate parts, the first of which will take place here, today. The general knowledge test is intended to determine how much background knowledge you have picked up during your time here. It is a test of your attentiveness and memory, indispensable attributes in a wizard. Maybe the most important of all the qualities that a wizard must possess."

     He scowled down at the nervous students, some of whom were sweating and shaking with anxiety. One or two of the young men were smirking with confidence and winking at one another, though, amused and contemptuous of the heavy, serious atmosphere the wizards had laboured so long and hard to create. His silence made them look up curiously, and he locked eyes with each of them in turn, his scowl deepening. He held their gaze until they looked away, their faces pale with fear, whereupon he nodded to himself in satisfaction. He liked his students to take the test seriously. "First, however, Master Rastellin will remind you of what awaits over the next few days."

     He stepped back and Rogin took his place, whereupon he also had to wait the forty seven seconds before speaking. He was much more friendly and cheerful than the formidable Tragius, with a plump, round face and a fringe of white hair around his liverspotted bald head. He disapproved of the gravity and solemnity that Tragius liked to create, preferring to maintain a slightly lighter atmosphere, although he made sure that the students knew that magic was a serious business, not to be trifled with. You had to warn them, of course. Make sure they understood that, in all likelihood, less than half of them would still be alive five years from now, but he was of the opinion that Tragius overdid it a bit and would scare the lot of them into abandoning magic altogether if he wasn't careful. We need these people, he said to himself, his customary smile fading a little. We need University trained wizards. The standards we've laboured centuries to uphold cannot, must not, be allowed to die out.

     "The second part of the test will take as many days as you have spells in your spellbooks, which is three or four for most of you. Every day, you will demonstrate that you can cast one of them safely and correctly. Any material components you need will be supplied, unless any of you requires any dragon's blood, in which case you can jolly well go and get it for yourself." A ripple of laughter broke out among the apprentices, releasing the tension, as he had intended.

     "The final part of the test is the most difficult. You will each be given a spellbook belonging to a wizard who, for one reason or another, is no longer with us, and from it you will copy one spell into your own spellbook. To do this, you will need to use an Intellectus spell, which you should all be proficient with, a supply of magic ink, which you will mix for yourselves, and one cockatrice feather for each spell attempt, to use as a quill. If you spoil it and need a replacement you will be deemed to have failed. Just because we raise them ourselves on the premises doesn't mean we have so many that we can throw them away. Having said that, though, the Magister may, for whatever reason, choose not to grant you that particular spell. The ways of the God of Magic are mysterious, and even senior wizards are sometimes declined the use of a spell that they want to learn. If you are not granted that spell from no fault of your own, therefore, you will be allowed to try a different spell, as many times as you want. You will only fail when you yourselves have given up, or when it becomes apparent that the Magister has decided that you will never be a wizard.

     "To become a wizard, you will have to pass all three parts of the test. Fail any one part, and you fail the whole thing. Those that fail need not be downhearted, however, as, so long as the Magister continued to favour you, you will be able to retake the test any time you wish, after a mandatory one year of further study and tuition. Indeed, I happen to know that there are a number of people here today who have been with us for twice as long as the average student, and seem to have become something of a permanent fixture."

     There was a chuckle of amusement, and a small group of men in their mid twenties standing in the back row stared down at their feet in shame. Easy going though the wizard was for the most part, he wasn't averse to giving a lagging pupil a painful prod when necessary. And, of course, you had to be on the lookout for those who made a career of being an apprentice, who had no intention of ever passing the test. There was no official upper limit to how many years a student could hang on, but anyone who hadn't either passed or given up after ten or twelve years was looked upon with suspicion, and every so often a long term student was thrown out with great pomp and ceremony.

     He looked out over the students and grinned down at them, making Tragius scowl. "I'm sure you'll all do very well, however, and that you'll all pass with flying colours. Now, any questions?"

     A tall woman with long golden hair put up her hand. "What happens to those who never pass the test?" she asked. "Are they allowed to just carry on casting spells out there?" She waved a pale, slender hand to take in the entire outside world, full of helpless, innocent people who'd be at the mercy of a rogue, inept wizard. "And if so, what benefit do we gain from passing?"

     "I'm glad you raised that particular point," replied Rogin. "Those who pass will gain enormous benefits in the years to come. A register is kept of all graduated wizards, and as they progress in their mastery of the Art new spells are made available to them as soon as they are deemed ready to receive them. Also, you will be expected to return here from time to time for courses of further education, to prepare you for the higher level spells you may one day be able to master. Those who do not pass are denied these benefits, and their spellbooks are confiscated to deny them the spells they have already learned."

     He paused, and a deeply unhappy look passed over his face, as though someone he'd trusted had done something deeply hurtful and thoughtless. "I understand that some Lexandrian dropouts apprentice themselves to an Externum, a wizard who gain his or her education from other sources. I cannot emphasise strongly enough the dangers inherent in this. The Externi are dangerous amateurs, stupid and irresponsible, and anyone foolish enough to go to them will learn only how to get themselves killed, probably taking several other people with them in the process. I understand the temptations, and the fact that some may see it as a way of revenging themselves on an institution that turned them away, but take it from me. Nothing is worth the risk. Nothing is worth the danger, either to yourselves or to others."

     "There's an externum living not far from my home town," said a young man with bright ginger hair and the stubby beginnings of a beard, "and he's held in very high regard by everyone who knows him. It was he who first made me want to become a wizard, and it was he who advised me to come here for my apprenticeship."

     Tragius hurrumphed loudly, and Rogin looked rather doubtful. "If what you say is true, he sounds like a man of unusual common sense, but I still wouldn't depend on him. If you need something doing, do it yourself or get an Alumnus to do it for you."

     He looked out over the sea of faces. "Any more questions?" he asked. There was some shuffling and whispering, but no-one else spoke up. "Right then, in that case, the general knowledge test will now begin." He clapped his hands and a dozen teaching wizards, familiar faces from five years of tuition, came filing in, all wearing traditional testing robes with their high silver edged collars and carrying fancifully decorated staves that, in ages past, had been used to clout a dim witted student on the head. Tradition demanded that the staves still be carried, although they were no longer used for that purpose.

     "The first fourteen of you will come over here, where you will be asked a number of questions, all of which you must answer fully and completely to pass. Afterwards, you will leave quietly and study for the spellcasting test, which starts tomorrow. From now on, you are excused from the routine that you have been following for the past five years. Your time, when not being tested, is now your own. I suggest you use it wisely."

     He waited until the line had been formed, then moved to stand before the first apprentice, one of the nomes, while Tragius and the other teaching wizards picked out other nervous young men. The other apprentices, ignored for now, strained their ears to listen to the questions, desperate to know just how hard their own ordeals would be. "Ready?" he asked. "Right then." He produced a list of questions from among his robes, and read the first one. "Give me twelve different uses for the oil of the Winterfire vine, and explain fully the dangers associated with each use."