David Niemitz
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Guild Mage 84
🕑 Added 2025-01-27 21:25:24 +0000 UTCChapter 84: High Hall
“Wren,” Liv said, “put the knife down, please.”
The huntress’ gaze remained cold, and all around them students had stopped their comings and goings, their loadings and unloadings of luggage, to stare. Liv could already hear them whispering, and she had to fight the urge to hunch her shoulders under the weight of their attention.
“He asked to court me years ago,” Liv continued. “It’s alright.” That might have been an exaggeration: being hoisted up without warning and kissed in full view of the entire courtyard was actually not how she would have preferred to begin her time at Coral Bay, but letting her ‘servant’ slit Cade’s throat would be even worse.
With a grunt, Wren lowered the knife, stepped back, flipped it around by the handle and slid it into a sheath at her waist. Cade, who had been holding himself stiff and motionless, finally relaxed, though he turned to regard the dark-haired huntress warily.
“Your bodyguard?” he guessed.
“Yes,” Liv said. “Cade, this is Wren. Wren, this is Cade Talbot. He didn’t mean any harm, we just haven’t seen each other in a while. I think we can excuse him for being a little forward.”
Cade considered the situation for a moment, then smiled, and inclined his head to Wren. “I consider this my own fault, and I apologize. Believe it or not, it actually makes me feel better to know that my intended has someone like you, Miss Wren, to keep her safe.”
Wren laughed. “That one doesn’t need anyone to protect her,” she said. “Not against anyone who comes at her from the front, in any case. Only knives in the back.”
“Yes, well,” Cade stumbled over his words for a moment, “may I help you carry your things up to your rooms?”
“Yes, thank you,” Liv said. “I hardly even know where I’m going.”
Professor Norris, having at last noticed something happening that might demand his intercession, reluctantly detached himself from the transportation of the enormous casque Liv had brought, and approached. “Is everything alright here?” he asked, pinning first Wren and then Cade with a stern gaze.
“Only a misunderstanding,” Cade assured him.
“See that’s all it is,” Norris instructed, with a sharp nod. “Now, move along and get your things sorted, Miss Brodbeck. There’s more carriages coming. It’s a big class this year, sixty-seven students expected.”
“Yes, Professor.” Liv picked out the trunk that contained her leather armor and hoisted it, gripping the handle with both hands. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Arjun,” Liv called over to the boy from Lendh ka Dakruim, who’d gotten his things piled up to one side and was now struggling to carry three bags at once. “I’m sure I’ll see you in classes.”
“Here, I’ll show you where to go,” Cade interrupted, grabbing two of Liv’s trunks. “High Hall is over this way - it was originally Barnett-Falkenrath hall, but that was too much of a mouthful.” He set off across the courtyard, and Liv waved once to Arjun before hurrying after him. Wren took only one bag, and Liv noticed she left her right hand free in case she needed to draw that dagger again.
Indeed, the arch above the doors to the hall still bore the names of two ducal families, carefully engraved into the white limestone. Up the steps and through the open doors – someone had propped them with slivers of wood, because there was so much traffic – Liv followed Cade into a great foyer, with a polished stone floor and a grand staircase that led to the upper stories.
“Second floor,” Liv called up to Cade, who was already taking the stairs two at a time. “Right side, they said.”
“Yes, you’re with Sidonie Corbett and Edith Gage,” Cade called back, putting his back to the bannister so that a group of servants could pass him on their way down. “We made certain of it once it was clear their third had washed out last year.”
The first floor, from what Liv could tell at a glance, was for men, while the second was for women. The stairs continued up past her landing, though no one seemed to be headed in that direction at the moment. She was astounded, when they reached the top of the stairs, at just how much room was wasted in a building that was supposed to be for housing students.
The second floor landing of High Hall opened into a great common room, with a hearth to each side of the stairs, though neither was lit at the moment. Liv wasn’t certain she could imagine the need for two fireplaces in a single room at Coral Bay, given how warm it was outside, but the mantles were of finely cut and polished marble, so perhaps they were meant to be ornamental more than anything.
The inner walls were hung with tapestries, while those that opened on the courtyard were set with large paned windows, and doors out onto what seemed to be a balcony. Opposite the balcony, behind and to the sides of the grand staircase, were more windows that looked out over the old wall around the campus, and provided a view of the town down the bluff, and the land beyond.
The common room itself contained a long dining table - though not as long as the high table at Castle Whitehill - with four chairs along each side. Near the hearths were a variety of cushioned chairs and benches, along with low tables for tea. All of the furniture was made of oak, richly stained and polished, and the cushions were covered in sturdy brocade.
Liv and Wren followed Cade to the right, immediately upon stepping off the staircase, to a closed wooden door set to the left of the hearth on that side of the common room. Cade set one trunk down on the floor and knocked firmly. “Sidonie, Liv’s here,” he called in.
A moment later, the door opened to reveal an auburn haired young woman with pale, freckled skin and pink cheeks, as if she’d dashed over. “Sidonie’s run down to the library,” she said, “But she’ll be back in a bit. Good morning, Cade.” She flashed a bright smile without even looking at Liv.
“Liv, this is Edith Gage,” Cade said, lifting up the trunk he’d set down and squeezing past her through the doorway. “From Chestnut Hollow.”
“A pleasure to meet you,” Liv said. She would have preferred to see Sidonie first, rather than a stranger, but if she was going to be living with Edith for some time, she wanted to make a good impression. She put on her best smile.
“Your maid’s already got started in your room,” Edith said. “Furthest room on the right, next to the bath-chamber.” Her eyes flicked down to Liv’s bandaged hands, where they gripped the handle of her trunk. “What’s the matter with you?”
“Just healing from a bit of mana-sickness,” Liv said, wondering if she might have been better off taking the bandages off before coming, after all. “Nothing serious.” She followed Cade across a shared sitting room, where she could see the evidence of Sidonie’s presence from the pile of books on one of three desks.
Beyond the sitting room, Thora was indeed already bustling about the bed-chamber that would belong to Liv for as long as she stayed at Coral Bay. There was a four post bed, with freshly laundered sheets and gauzy curtains, and a vanity, along with a great wardrobe and trunk, all of oak. It appeared to be a corner room, for there were windows along two walls, and Thora had already opened them to let in the sea breeze.
“Don’t worry yourself about unpacking, m’lady,” Thora said. “I’ll be back with the rest of your things in a moment.” The maid hurried out through the sitting room. Liv set the trunk she’d carried up down on the floor, opened it, and began laying out pieces of white leather armor on her bed.
“I’ll need to find an armor stand in town,” she decided, casting about the room for a good place to put it. “And a place to buy tallow.” Wren threw the bag she’d carried down along one wall, then sat on the edge of the bed, from whence she glared at the girl hovering just outside the room.
“You brought armor?” Edith asked, from Liv’s doorway. From her tone, she might as well have been asking whether Liv had brought a pile of manure. “I hope you’ve got some decent summer dresses, as well. You’ll get more use out of them.”
“This is good work,” Cade said, picking up a pauldron and examining it. “Enchanted?”
Liv nodded. “By the armorer at Kelthelis,” she explained.
“I’ve never really seen Eldish work up close before,” Cade admitted.
“You’re Eldish?” Edith asked.
“Half,” Liv said. Something about the girl was already getting on her nerves, and it took a moment to put her finger on it. Edith’s tone reminded her of Mirabel and Griselda, during her lessons with Master Grenfell so long ago.
“People say Eldish men aren’t really men at all,” Edith commented. “That they’re all impotent. That’s why they have so few children.”
“The fact it’s my father who is Elden would argue against that,” Liv shot back.
“It’s just what people say,” Edith said, and shrugged. “Enjoy getting unpacked. Will you join us for dinner, Cade?”
He shook his head. “No, I’ll eat in the great hall this evening; the Archmagus always talks to the new students, so you should be there for it, Liv.”
“Maybe tomorrow, then.” Edith slipped back into the sitting room, and Liv took a deep breath. She noticed her hands were clenched into fists, and deliberately loosened them.
“You remember this?” Liv asked Cade, and walked over to the vanity, where Thora had set down her jewelry case. She opened it up, and pulled out the carcanet that Cade had sent her years before.
“I do,” he said with a smile. “I’ve never got to see you in it, though.”
“Maybe we can fix that tonight,” Liv said. “I feel as if the first dinner here would be excuse enough to dress up.”
“Let me go see to your horse,” Cade offered, “and make sure your driver gets off.” He leaned down to kiss Liv on her forehead, which was much less embarrassing – but also less exciting – than the kiss he’d given her in the courtyard. Once he was out the door and tromping down the staircase, Liv lifted the carcanet to her neck and held it there for Wren to see.
“What do you think?” she asked.
“I think it looks like a collar,” Wren said. “You Lucanians are bizarre. If he wants you as a wife, he should go out and hunt you a jaguar.”
☙
The evening meal in the great hall was a crowded affair: Liv guessed there were nearly two hundred students, spread across sixteen long tables arranged with a central aisle leading up the hall. At the high table, Liv recognized not only Archmagus Loredan, but also Professor Norris, the enchanter, Master Jurian, who she had difficulty thinking of by a different title, and Professor Blackwood, who she’d seen at the conclave in Freeport.
In addition to those four, there was a gray-haired woman in a white dress, and a tall, thin, severe woman with dark hair. Liv could guess they were professors, but she wasn’t certain of what.
“Professor Annora is the one in white,” Sidonie answered, when Liv asked. She’d taken the seat on Liv’s right, while Cade was on her left. Liv had managed to catch Arjun on the way in, as well, and he was across the table from her. Wren and Thora were at a separate meal for servants: Liv had made certain they knew where to go before coming down.
She’d changed into a fresh dress, taken the bandages off her hands, and put on the carcanet just as she’d told Cade she would. The gold bracelet, rings and chains Liv had won from the princess had been left in her room, for now.
“And the tall woman?” Liv asked, pushing a bit of white fish around her plate. Nothing in her meal was infused with mana, which was going to be a problem if the night’s menu represented the normal state of affairs.
“Professor Every,” Cade answered. “She teaches guild history and law. Is the food alright?”
“It’s fine,” Liv said. “Only I need to have a certain amount of mana in my diet, or I have problems.”
“You’re going to want to eat at High Hall, then,” Sidonie said. “You can talk to the cooks downstairs about special meals. I don’t think the college can afford to feed enriched food to hundreds of students every meal.”
“Listen up!” Master Jurian bellowed, and Liv was immediately reminded of the conclave. Once the voices in the hall had subsided, Archmagus Loredan rose.
“I will not ask your attention for long,” he said, scanning the room with his eyes. For just a moment, Liv found herself the focus of the Archmage’s attention before he moved on. “Welcome, our new students. By this time next year, many of you will no longer be with us. There is a good reason for that. This college is a place where you earn your position. We do not evaluate you on your birth, your wealth, or your ancestors. For some of you, this will be an unpleasant change. For others, it will be a freedom to savor.”
“Tomorrow morning, all first year students will assemble in the courtyard at ninth bell for evaluations. I recommend that you wear clothing you can move in, as there will be combat evaluations,” Loredan said. “Your results will determine what classes you are permitted - or required - to attend. I recommend you give your utmost effort.”
“Journeymen will assist the professors in your testing,” he continued. “You should treat them with the same respect you would a professor. They have earned their place, while you have earned nothing at all. Now, enjoy your meal, and get a good night’s sleep.”
Once the archmagus had resumed his seat, the buzz of conversation filled the hall once again. “What are you all doing while we’re being tested?” Liv asked Cade and Sidonie.
“Actually, I’ll be helping to give the grammar evaluations,” Sidonie said.
“And I’ll be assisting Professor Blackwood,” Cade answered. “Anyone who hasn’t made journeyman by their third year has probably washed out.”
“Or is only here to find themselves a husband,” Sidonie said, with a shake of her head. “Like Edith.”
“She doesn’t seem to be trying very hard,” Cade told her, in between sips of ale. “She could have had Wymond by now, if she wanted him.”
“Hasn’t she?” Sidonie muttered, but otherwise let the observation pass. “Arjun, is it? How did you meet Liv?”
“Miss Brodbeck was kind enough to give me a ride up from the waystone,” the dark-haired boy said. “Which reminds me - may I examine your hands, Liv? I see you have your bandages off.”
“Of course. But they really are almost healed,” Liv said. She pushed her plate aside and reached her hands out across the table. Arjun grasped them in his own, leaning over to examine the mostly-healed cuts left from Mistress Trafford’s incisions.
“I’m best with bone,” he mused. “But I think - Cailet Co Aen’Thelia,” he intoned.
A soothing warmth, like the feeling of sinking into the hot springs beneath Castle Whitehill, flowed up Liv’s fingers, through her hands, and into her arms. The cuts healed in a moment, leaving only scars that were raw and red; and then those, too, faded, as if weeks or months had passed in only the space of heartbeats. Finally, only pale white lines were left, a few shades darker than the surrounding skin.
When Arjun released her hands, Liv held them up in front of her to get a better look. “Thank you,” she said, unable to keep from smiling. “I had honestly gotten used to the idea my arms would look a whole lot worse than this.”
“You’re going to be Professor Annora’s new prize student,” Sidonie teased Arjun. “Just wait until she gets a hold of you, she’ll never let you out of the infirmary.”
“It makes me feel a lot better about whatever we’re going into tomorrow,” Liv admitted. “I hope they don’t make us do a lot of fencing.”
Cade coughed, and took another drink of his ale. “I wouldn’t count on that.”
“We’re not supposed to give you details ahead of time,” Sidonie said. “But I think it's safe to say that I enjoyed some of the examinations more than others.”
“You should turn in early, though,” Cade said. “The archmagus was speaking truthfully about that. Examinations are exhausting. Can I walk you both back to High Hall?” He stood.
“That sounds like a good idea,” Liv said. “And thank you for making certain that Steria got stabled, earlier.” She gathered her skirts, swung her legs over the bench, and accepted Cade’s hand when he offered it.
Arjun walked with them out into the courtyard before turning aside and making for the East Hall with a promise to see her in the morning. Cade and Sidonie walked Liv up to the common room on the second floor.
“Once move in is done, boys aren’t supposed to go past the common room,” Sidonie told Liv, then opened the door to their suite and headed in.
Liv hesitated. “I don’t think that girl – Edith likes me very much,” she told Cade, keeping her voice low.
“If she gives you any trouble, let me know,” Cade said. “In fact, if anyone gives you trouble, tell me. I’m on the first floor, to the left, if you need to find me. I’m sorry if I took you by surprise with that kiss, earlier.”
“I’ve already forgotten about it,” Liv lied. “Goodnight.” She was glad to see that Edith wasn’t in the sitting room, and proceeded straight through to her bedchamber, where Thora was waiting.
“Do you know where Wren is?” Liv asked her.
“She said something about scouting the town,” Thora answered. “And not to expect her until late.”
Liv frowned. “I hope she doesn’t get into trouble.” But there was nothing she could do about the huntress right then, so she let Thora help her get undressed, and comb out her hair. Try as she might to go to sleep once the maid had left the room, Liv found that she couldn’t help but look out the windows, searching for the dark silhouette of mountains against a sea of stars.
Comments
Gopard
Thanks for the chapter!
Gopard
I assume Liv will definitely learn that... She already has an in with knowing there's electricity in ice if she firgures out approxamitely WHY that is I can see that being a devastating combination^^
Gopard
they are in their second year. Came up a a while back when everyone was in the capital that Cade would go to Coral Bay 2 years earlier but at least he and Liv and Sidonie would have 2 years together...
Tarrim
Wren doesn't and she is resitent.
John Koor
Just curious, would Liv's horse also have mana diet requirements? It's an animal from a high mana environment that is likely resistant to the mana corruption of high mana zones. I would think that would require some mana intake through its grain/grass. I'd assume that if mana touched trees are a thing, there'd also be places that focused on growing grain along the edge of the mana zones for infused food/drink for mages.
Darastrix
Ye but I've forgotten and we don't have the character thingie to remind ourselves on patreon. Edith is then prob a first or second year as third years seem to get washed out if they are not journeymen and she doesn't seem the journeymen type as implied in the chp.
Dave N
correct on both counts
Tarrim
Sidonie is the same as cade it was mentioned awhile back. Edith hasn't come up yet I believe.
Darastrix
How many years are Sidonie and Edith in Coral? It's not exactly clear. Are they third years like Cede?
Dave N
heal to kill - not explicitly; maybe if someone is super creative. lightning from hands - they'd need a way to build up/store the charge
Dave N
I want to do some development over time with them as roommates, but I already went over 3k on this chapter!
Dave N
thank you!
Dave N
thank you!
Maritienna
"less exciting – then the kiss" -> "than" "to hundred of students" -> "hundreds" "gotten use to the idea" -> "used" "its safe to say" -> "it's"
Kittora
I'm surprised there wasn't more of Liz reuniting with Sid like the was with cede
Grayson
TYFTC! Have you decided how flexible to make words of power?? For example, can Luc be used to shoot from hands in rifts when undergound? Can healing words be reversed to kill?
Jiří Horák
Oooh the juicy drama starts. I honestly can't wait.
Tarrim
The second floor landing of High Hall opened into a great common room, with a heart to each side of the stairs, though neither was lit at the moment. Heart> hearth
Dave N
Thanks!
Cryptiddies
waste = waist You also have carcanet spelled carcanat once in there. Excellent chapter, so excited for the school arc!
