The Shattered Path

Chapter 13 - The Academy

Alara hid her excitement all morning and openly begrudged going to her Aunt Ganie's house, else her father would have suspected something faster than a hunting dog chasing whatever the nobility hunted when they rode around with that horn. Yes, he certainly would have. She made sure to complain, protest, and whine. She threw simple logic at him: it would be good for her to see a real test, and more than likely no one would even notice her there. She threw complex logic at him: it would aid in her development both as a blossoming young woman and wizard to experience firsthand the ceremonies and traditions respected by all wizards in the land. And she threw debatable logic at him: if she did not go, she could die. The results were all the same, as she had known they would be.

Lastes was unmovable stone. He ate his sausages and eggs at the breakfast table, calmly listening to each reason, considering it, and then saying no.

Eventually, she pretended to grow tired of the game and ate her breakfast, staring at her plate sullenly. Her father seemed to swell up with pride, as if he had finally convinced her of something for the first time in his life. It would be a short lived victory, she noted. But now, the battlefield would appear to be his.

"When is mother coming home?" She wanted to tell her mother about the testing. Her father had decided it would worry her mother too much to know about her magical studies, but she had told her anyway.

"I'm really not sure," Lastes replied, running a hand through his dark hair, then shrugging. "I received a letter from her yesterday. The merchant house on Trader's Isle is doing better than expected. She said she would be a few more days." He held his mug of water close to his lips as he spoke, taking a drink once he had finished his words. His eyes were far away as if reading the letter.

Her mother, Imaen, had been spending more time at Trader's Isle lately. Her grandfather had passed away a year ago, leaving her mother the only heir to the family business. In Denowith, the King's laws would have given the business to a male in the family, however, on Trader's Isle, there were no silly laws degrading women. It was a free island where anything could be bought or sold by anyone.

"She sent you more feathers," he added happily. "She says you can take them to her seamstress and have a fancy hat made. Well, she called it a headdress. She says it's what everyone is wearing who comes in from the north."

"Father, I don't want to walk around here with giant feathers sticking from my head. No one here is wearing that sort of thing." She frowned at the idea of having everyone point at her and laugh as she walked the streets, or ran, as the case may be.

"You can be the one to start the new trend," he smiled. "Sure, if everyone sees a pretty, young woman like you doing it, within a week, they'll all be wearing hats with giant feathers sticking from their heads. And your mother can sell them the feathers."

"Oh, I think you're right, father," Alara said excitedly across the table. Her fake excitement faded and she made a sour face. "Right crazy. I don't think so. You wear them." She crossed her arms and raised a brow, awaiting a reply.

Her father shrugged. "Maybe I will." He seemed to genuinely consider the idea after that. It would embarrass Alara just as much if her father wore the feathers and stood next to her.

An elderly woman emerged from the kitchen, wearing a brown dress and white apron. Alara didn't recognize her and gave a startled shriek before she realized the woman was a house servant. The woman was frightened by the cry and took a step back. She hesitated a moment, perhaps waiting for another outburst, but finally gathered the breakfast dishes.

Face flushed with embarrassment, Alara shrugged at her father. She wasn't accustomed to having servants, and she had never seen that one before. With the success of her mother's business, they had hired two or three servants in recent weeks. Sometimes, they took her by surprise, when she thought it was just she and her father. Really, she didn't like having them around, but they made her life easier, doing the duties that had once been her responsibility. And that was the point of servants, she assumed. It had left her more time to study magic. And there was never enough of that.