SORCERER (The Elemental Magic Series Book 1) (8 page)

"One of the elements was actually me trying to get a seed to grow. The only two that would work for me were water and fire. I don't know what any of it means but it looks like I’ll find out."

Chapter 8

The academy was huge. It looked more like a small city than a school in Alec's eyes. It sprawled out over several acres, brown towers of various heights stood behind an impressive perfectly smooth wall between short wide corner towers. The guard at the gate gave them directions to the three towers off to one side for the magic users and instructed them to stable their horses before going.

Alec and Jake craned their heads around back and forth as James led them past the various buildings. They went through an opening in the low wall circling the towers that they'd seen from the distance and came to the short building the guard had described.

"Name?" Asked a man in the front entry dressed in a brown robe.

"Alec Carter, sir."

"You’re not from one of the families?"

"No sir."

"Have you been tested before?"

"Yes, by Father Marcus at our farm." Alec said nervously.

"Go in to the desk on the right. Tell the Master there you're here for testing and placement."

"Thank you, sir."

"It's Master to anyone without a stripe on their robe." The Master said with a smile.

"Oh, thank you Master." Alec responded.

They entered the large room with the tables setup in rows. Three of them had a person behind it, a man on each end and a woman at the center one. They went to the table on the right with a friendly looking older man.

"Welcome young man. What can I do for you?" He asked cheerfully.

"I was told to tell you I'm here for testing and placement, Master."

"Name, son?"

"Alec Carter."

"Not of the families? Oh, fun! Call me Peter." He said with a friendly smile as he reached down beside his chair and put a large box on the table and gestured to the chair beside Alec.

"Put both hands in the box, flat down please."

Alec did as instructed. Peter put his on the sides.

"Let's see how much power you have." He closed his eyes.

"Wow, quite a bit there, young man." Peter said with another smile.

"Alright picture as many
colors as you can in your mind." 
      
Alec did as instructed and dozens of colors spread across the top of the box in different shapes and sizes.

"Wonderful, try picturing anything you want, I want to call Mistress Julie over."

Peter went to the next table over and spoke with a nice looking older woman for a minute.

Alec smiled up at James and Jake then closed his eyes and thought of Aunt Karen, forming her thin face with high cheek bones then picturing her eyes, hair, skin color even the faded freckles on her cheeks.

The picture formed on the box looking like some expert painter had painted it there. Alec heard several gasp from around him and he opened his eyes. Peter and Julie both stood with large smiles on their faces. James and Jake had their mouths hanging open.

"Well, I guess that does it for control. Do you know what elements you have an affinity for youngster?" Mistress Julie asked.

"Yes Mistress, fire and water."

"I see. We have two wizards with those same affinities. It should be interesting having a sorcerer too." She told Alec. "I assume you'll want to apprentice him Peter."

"You know me well Julie." He said as she walked away.

"Now, I assume you'll be backing your son sir?" Peter asked Mr. Phillips.

"No sir, his father passed in The Slide Master. He has a letter stating that his father’s commission is held by the crown and will be paying for his fees." James said motioning for Alec to give the letter to Peter.

Alec quickly pulled it out of his pack and handed it over.

"Oh joy, Samuel will have a blast with this. He loves to wring the crown’s coffers. I'll have you sign the ledger here. Then you can pick out your room over in the sorcery tower which is the second smallest behind us. Once you have your things settled in your room. Go to the smallest tower and tell them you're a first year sorcerer and they'll get you robes and materials.

Listen for the bells, two for breakfast, six for lunch, and ten for supper. This is our serving hall here. Guests are allowed for today till eight bells. Any questions you have I'll answer this evening in our parlor after ten bells. OK?"

"OK Peter. Thank you so much."

"Yes, thank you." Mr. Phillips said shaking Peter’s hand.

They left the hall headed for the tower he would be staying in. Alec felt like a huge weight had been lifted from him and felt the excitement of having actually gotten in to the school.

I'm really here. I did it! Alec's thoughts were interrupted by Jake

"That was really neat seeing you make Aunt Karen's picture on the box, Alec. It was so life like."

"I agree, nicely done. I'll let your Aunt know how beautifully you pictured her." Mr. Phillips told him with a smile.

They came to the stone tower and looked up at it. It can't be more than eight stories, Alec thought, and perhaps eighty feet across.

"Well let’s go pick you out a room Alec." James said.

They opened the wood door and stepped in to the parlor. There were several worn but plush looking chairs and couches with low tables arranged in a circle. Steps set in the back of the room could be seen spiraling up.

Delicate ankles followed by a black robe with a green stripe leading up to a pretty face with red hair were coming down them.

"Hi, I'm Christi," called a cheery high pitched voice. "One of you is a new sorcerer right?"

"Yah, I'm Alec and this is Mr. Phillips and my best friend Jake," Alec spoke up still too excited to be embarrassed.

"Great, me too but I've been here for about a week. I’ve got the room all the way down on the right of the second floor. Boys are on third and fourth. Look for me later and I'll show you around." She turned and headed down the hall.

They went up to the third floor and saw the first door to the left open and available. They went in and Alec dropped his pack on the floor by the bed. Jake sat on the chest at the foot of it and James took the chair in front of a small desk. Alec sat on the comfortable looking bed. The room was made of solid stone block and echoed slightly even with being so small.

"Looks like this is going to be home for a while," Alec said breaking the ice. "Thanks for seeing me here sir. You too Jake, thanks."

"No trouble Alec, we were happy to do it. We should probably go so I can meet with my contract holder in Kingston. But I'll look in on you this fall when I come to set the price for harvest. And don't forget to write your Aunt Karen or I'll never hear the end of it!"

"I won't sir."

"Oh, the school store should have an account with your name on it. Three silver pieces a week is supposed to be put in it for you to use, toiletries and what have you."

Alec shook James’s hand before he went out of the room saying he'd give them a couple minutes.

"Gee Alec I don't know what to say Alec. I'll try not to steal Sarah from you too soon." Jake said smiling at his own joke.

"It was over before it even started, you know that. Good luck with her, and swipe a slice of pie from my Aunt Karen for me sometime." Alec said laughing.

"Not if she has that spoon, ow!"

They laughed and shook hands which quelled it quickly.

"Thanks Jake"

"You too Alec."

James and Jake left to pick up the horses they’d left at the front gate, leaving Alec alone in his room. Alec opened the chest and started putting his things away. He didn't have much, three more changes of clothes, four trinkets and the knife he was given for his birthday. Tears started forming in his eyes. What am I going to do, start crying like baby? He thought irritated with himself and wiping his eyes clear. He hung up his cloak from James on one of two pegs on the wall by the door.

"Hey, you want to grab lunch it's almost six bells?" asked a cheery voice from behind him.

Alec turned to accept her invite. "Sure, um." Damn what's her name? He tried to remember.

"Christi."

"Right, sorry."

"It's OK, so what family are you from? I'm part of the Morsess family, more of an offshoot really, Morton." She said proudly.

"I'm not from any of the regular families." Alec told her slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, then you're our only singular here in the sorcerer’s tower. I know they have two with the wizards and no one really considers the cleric’s magic users seeing as they don't have any of their own. You must have done really well on the test for them to put you with us." She told him as they made their way over to the hall.

Several steaming pots and dishes were set on a counter in the back. They each grabbed a clean plate and helped themselves.

"There's Master
Peter.  Let's go sit with him.
Just call him Peter when it's just us in the tower. Otherwise he gets kind of irritated."

"I see you found my other first year, Christi." Peter said waving them to sit with him. “All settled in Alec?"

"I still need to go get supplies but figured I'd do that when I'm done eating."

"Good, I'll help you." Christi spoke up.

Alec ate while listening to them plan out the rest of his day for him. Christi volunteered to show him where each section was. They bid Peter good day when they were done eating and headed for the supply tower. It doubled as a small store for the magic students. The main one was clear across the school.

Christi quizzed him about his life on the farm. Alec told her of Jake and the fun they would have at the pond and how he would sometimes help at the butchers when a large order would come in, then about Ralph and Karen. She wanted to know all about the work he’d helped with around the farm.

In the small tower they were greeted by a tall thin man she called Gil who got him his things for first year studies, including four black robes with a solid green stripe down the sides and two sets of sturdy pants and basic shirts that laced up at the neck. Gil had him try on pairs of heavy boots and soft leather soled shoes till he found a pair of each that fit. Alec had him check his account for the store and found he had six silver pieces
in it. 

Christi led him around the rest of the school showing him where he'd have defense classes at in the martial area and introducing him to some of the first year wizards. It was almost ten bells by the time they made it back to their hall.

"Oh great, there's Travis Hale” Christi whispered to him as they stood in line. “He thinks he's god’s gift to women. Last year he almost killed a first year he was supposed to show shielding to, just for dancing with a girl that he'd been hitting on. That's the rumor anyway. He was suspended for three weeks and now he's a fourth year. He's good at magic but has the personality of a toad." She said pushing Alec to the line forming at the food counter. "I don't know why he's here. Second, third and fourths aren't starting for a week and a half. "

They found seats at the end of a table enjoying each other's company. Or they were till Travis saw them and came over.

"Hello there sweetie, you must be Christi Morton. I can spot a member of the families from a mile away, though I can't place you mister." Travis said, trying to pour on the charm.

"I'm Alec Carter." He said holding out a hand for Travis to shake.

"Going to try to join the ranks of us wizards? Well they must have lowered the bar again." He said with a sneer, ignoring the offered hand.

"Guess I'll be seeing you around the tower then. If you’re lucky you'll be placed in one of the classes I'm assisting with." He told Christi with a wink.

"I so sorry, I'm afraid there's "little" you'll be able to teach either of us, we’re both sorcerers." She told him with an obviously fake smile.

"Both of you are sorcerers?" He asked in disbelief.

"Master Peter tested Alec himself and said he was especially strong." Christi explained latching on to Alec's arm possessively. 

Travis walked away in a huff.

"Peter didn't say that." Alec accused Christi.

"Sure he did, just not to you. It's what he told Mistress Julie though."

"Really?" He asked.

"Yes, but don't let it go to your head." Christi told him.

They went back to the tower where they found Peter waiting on them.

"Have a seat youngsters and I’ll start my little lecture. Much of this you already know, Christi, so bear with me for Alec's sake."

"There are actually four types of magic users, clerics, wizards, sorcerers, and mages. Clerics have little to no power of their own so borrow it from the gods they worship. They can have as much control over it as a sorcerer given the god they are borrowing from allows them to do what they are attempting.

Wizards have a decent amount of power of their own but can't control it without the help of incantations and such.

Us sorcerers normally have more power in us than most wizards and have the control to use it so long as we are properly trained not to pull too much and burn our magic out, more control than magic like a cleric. Use it all up before it can refill and it won't refill. We’ll go over that later.