3
When I returned to the Order, I saw my mentor standing before the Alchemist’s Spire, his white robes stained with blood.
My heart seized. He was injured? But he was an Archmage of the highest circle. There were few in the world who could harm him.
“Master, you’re hurt?”
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He glanced at me and shook his head, but his eyes were filled with worry. It was only then that I noticed that despite the blood, there were no wounds on his body. The injured person must be someone else.
Just then, the head Alchemist emerged from the Spire.
“It’s a good thing you shielded her heart with your magic,” the Alchemist said. “Otherwise, not even the Archons could have saved her.”
My mentor finally let out a breath of relief.
“Cora, go back to your quarters. Don’t cause trouble here.”
I stared at him, dumbfounded. I was just standing here. How was I causing trouble?
As he hurried inside, I grabbed the Alchemist’s arm. “Who is in there?”
“A mortal woman. They say she saved Lord Kael’s life. A benefactor of the Order.”
My mentor was an Archmage. How could a mortal woman have saved him?
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7
Filled with doubt, I returned to my chambers. My own training had been neglected for far too long. The Path of Apathy was not for me. I spent days in seclusion,
trying to recapture the focus I once had, but it was gone.
Finally, I stormed out of my chambers and went straight to my mentor’s hall.
“Master!”
The hall was empty. I went out into the courtyard.
There, under a pear tree, I saw him playing a game of stones with a woman. The look he gave her was one I had never seen before. When he looked at me, it was always with severity, with disappointment. Never with such tenderness.
I broke the piercing silence. “Master, who is she?”
He looked up at me. “Cora, do not be rude. This is my savior, Elara.”
So this was the mortal woman. She turned and smiled at me.
“Cora thanks you for saving the Master’s life,” I said, giving a small bow. Then I rushed to my mentor’s side.
“This is my apprentice, Cora. She is also your senior sister,” he said to Elara, his voice softer than I had ever heard it.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sister,” Elara’s voice was gentle and melodic, but it grated on my ears.
I looked at my mentor and, for the first time, threw a tantrum. “Why didn’t you tell me? You said I would be your only apprentice.”
‘Do not be insolent,” he snapped, his eyes filled with disapproval.
I knelt before him. “Master, please, take back your decree.”
‘My decisions are final.”
Master…” Elara chimed in. “If Sister Cora is unwilling, I can go to another Spire. It’s just… without you nearby, I would be frightened.”
I ignored her saccharine words, stubbornly remaining on my knees.
“She is simply undisciplined,” my mentor said, taking Elara’s arm. “That is why she has grown so wild.” And with that, he led her away.
I knelt on the cold stone, a single tear tracing a path down my cheek.
