Despite the pain of her injuries, when the healer arrived, Laelah refused magical treatment, insisting repeatedly that she go to the infirmary to recover naturally. After a brief inspection to ensure that her wounds were not serious--during which Laelah looked away and said nothing besides “I’m fine”--the young medic relented, offering repeatedly to support her as he and Nari led her, limping, off the field.
When the nurse on duty in the infirmary had finished fussing and cleaning and bandaging the long slashes on Laelah’s leg and stomach; when Nari had left her side to get dinner, promising to bring something back; when Laelah was finally alone in her small cot in the non-critical ward, she allowed herself a few silent tears as she replayed the afternoon’s events in her mind. She was in no hurry to get back to her quarters; no doubt word of her shame had already spread throughout the whole of the student body. She would face them tomorrow morning at the Palace. For now, she would rest, and as she lay there leaking tears into her pillow, she eventually drifted off into a fitful, dreamless sleep.
The next morning came all too soon. Nari was there, rousing Laelah from her rest, making no mention of her red eyes and disheveled look. She’d brought a change of clothes for her friend; Laelah donned them wordlessly, pulling the fabric, unmarred by steel, over her bandages. Her leg was stiff and painful to walk on, but she would accept no help as they made their way across the city to the Palace in the silent predawn light.
They were directed by an instructor Laelah didn’t recognize to the Great Hall[describe_earlier], where they found all the other Spellguard recruits seated at long tables expectantly. All heads turned to look at Laelah as she entered; she returned none of their glances as she and Nari made their way quickly to an empty pair of seats. The doors at the end of the hall opened just as the pair sat down, and Sus Korag, Lady Alustriel, all the Junior Instructors, and several other adults Laelah didn’t recognize entered the Hall together, taking seats at the staff table.
When the murmur of excited voices had died down, the High Lady rose from her seat to address the gathered students.
“All of you are here for different reasons. Some of you want to make some extra money; some simply need a source of income to continue on as a fellow after Graduation this summer. Many of you signed up for the Spellguard as a result of our recent troubles in the East. But what you all have in common is your excellent ability and your drive to protect our home and our people, and for that, I owe you my thanks. Congratulations, everyone!”
Enthusiastic applause broke out across the room, and when it settled somewhat, Lady Alustriel continued, “Now, to tell you all about everything else you need to know, I’ll give the floor to Instructor Julian Orn.” She began a modest round of applause as the young instructor stood up, and then the High Lady retreated, smiling, back out the door.
The unidentified adults turned out to be an assortment of active company officers representing the various troops stationed in the near-Silverymoon area. Many of the fresh recruits who were graduating this year would end up assigned to these companies over the course of the summer. Those students who still had a year left in the Academy, and those graduates who intended to stay on as fellows, would be serving the special group of retainers charged with the defense of the city proper, as they would have to remain nearby to continue their studies. This was the group from which instructors were drawn, though Laelah thought glumly that her chances of being picked for that particular role were pretty slim right about now.
Julian’s talk went on rather longer than necessary, Laelah thought as they finally filed out of the High Palace and dispersed through the city towards the various dormitories. Going over the entire Spellguard Ethics Handbook seemed particularly needless, and she was certain that the same lecture would be given again at the start of the next academic year, when the details would actually be immediately relevant.
Laelah hurried through the dormitory’s noisy common room with her head down, Nari remaining at her side in solidarity. When they arrived at their quarters, however, Nari stopped her in front of the door instead of opening it. “Look,” she said.
Laelah raised her eyes to see an envelope affixed to the door, bearing her name in indigo ink and the seal of the Spellguard. She looked to her friend, who raised her eyebrows--no such letter had come for her. It came free from the door at Laelah’s touch, and she held it in both hands for several moments.
Nari opened the door. “Come on,” she said, “let’s open it inside.” Laelah followed her numbly and sat down on the edge of her bed, still holding the letter without really looking at it.
The Elven girl sat down next to her with a concerned look on her face. After a minute’s silence, she asked, “are you going to open it?”
Laelah nodded slowly, drawing a small knife from its place in the drawer under the bed and carefully prying the flap open. A single piece of paper lay within; Laelah slipped it out and unfolded it to reveal a short message.
Miss Laelah Vrenn,
Please join me in my office in the High Palace at your convenience. There is a matter of some importance regarding your Spellguard career which we must discuss.
Best Wishes,
Gen Sus B. Korag, Master Instructor of the Spellguard
Nari leaned in to read it over her shoulder while Laelah continued to stare deafly at the paper. When she’d finished, the Elven girl stood, took the paper firmly from Laelah’s hands, folded it up, and placed it back in its envelope on the stand beside the bed. Crouching in front of her friend, she put a hand on Laelah’s cheek.
“Come on, V. Better you get this over with right away. Come on, I’ll walk down with you.”
As they left the dormitory and set out across the city once again, Laelah could think of nothing she desired less than a private conversation with Master Korag about her future in the Spellguard. Despite Nari’s suggestions that perhaps he just wanted to ensure that Laelah would take the summer to train properly, or that he was worried about her health after what had happened yesterday, Laelah knew there was only one reason the head of the Spellguard would want to speak to her today.
She had disgraced herself in the final test, invalidated all the work she’d done before. She would not be able to join the Spellguard after all. She would lose her scholarship to the Lady’s College, and with no Spellguard time to pay for it, she would have to withdraw from the school and find employment elsewhere, with no recommendations and a reputation as a liar. She’d never find a decent job, and she’d never again be permitted to study the Weave.
“...V? Laelah!” A hand waved in front of her face.
She looked up. “What is it, Nari?”
Her friend sighed. “We’re here.” She held a hand in front of her, gesturing to the massive marble castle standing before them. “Are you sure you’re all right? You lost a lot of blood yesterday, you know. Do you want to get something to eat before we go in?”
Laelah took a deep breath and held it for a moment before letting it out in a rush and tossing her hair back. “No; I am fine. Let’s get this over with.”
An usher directed them to the fourth floor of the central tower, where they found an antique-looking oaken door facing them across the immaculate marble landing. An engraved brass placard on the door read “General Sus Korag, Master Instructor”.
“Do you want me to wait for you?” Nari asked, looking around at the broad, empty landing. “How long do you think he’ll keep you here?”
“Not long,” Laelah replied scratchily. She cleared her throat. “But you need not wait for me. Thank you, Nari; I will see you at home.”
Nari smiled, took Laelah’s hand and gave it a squeeze, and turned back down the stairs. “You’ll be fine, V,” she called back over her shoulder as she started the descent. “See you at home!”
Laelah turned away from the staircases and toward the door. She looked a mess, she knew, but there was nothing for it now. She scrubbed her hands on her face and attempted to flatten her skirts for a moment before tossing her hair once more and stepping forward to knock on the heavy door. It swung open as she raised her hand.
General Korag stood in the doorway, his gray-blue uniform and the wood-paneled room behind him making a striking contrast with the brilliant marble walls of the Palace, and an unreadable expression on his scarred face. “Come in, Miss Vrenn,” he rumbled, taking a step back into the room.
Laelah followed him in, her eyes sweeping across the room as the general closed the heavy door behind her. A wide wooden desk and chair stood by the far wall, in front of a pair of windows and an immaculate circular painting of the landing just outside the office--a scrying glass, she realized. Closer to hand were five more chairs and a large, elliptical table with a variety of maps, reports, and a few scrolls littered about it. The walls were paneled with the same oak that the door was made of, and a large bookshelf with tracks in the dust in front of the recently-used volumes.
“Have a seat,” Master Korag invited, indicating the high-backed chairs at the table, and drawing one up for himself. He sat down, leaning forward just slightly as Laelah pulled out a chair and settled into it, being careful to sit up very straight and make direct eye contact with the older man, determined not to waver in front of him.
They sat in silence for a few moments before the general leaned back and shrugged his arms in front of him. “Miss Vrenn,” he rumbled finally, “you’re one of the brightest students ever to study at the Lady’s College; you know that. Certainly one of the most talented young magi to apply to the Spellguard. You have a rare dedication to the arts. I think you’ll be a terrific soldier; maybe an officer some day.”
Laelah blinked. This was not at all how she’d expected this conversation to begin.
“Alustriel has spoken very highly of you to me. I think you understand the sort of compliment that is in its own right, and I do not treat the Lady’s advice lightly.
“But by the gods, girl, you can’t fight to save your own damn life!” Laelah shrank back in her chair at the sudden change in tone, suddenly conscious of the fresh wound across her stomach. “Relying on magical enhancements to pick up a sword? Tapping in so often you nearly pass out in the face of antimagic? I can’t put you in a platoon like that, claiming you’re a Spellguard; you’d be a damned liability!
“Did you think you’d have time to learn to fight correctly over the summer, when you had a break from your studies?” Laelah opened her mouth, but the general was not finished. “Of course not; you thought you’d found a way out of having to train at all, having to sweat and bleed every single day just to be competent with a weapon.”
He leaned forward again; Laelah didn’t move. “This isn’t a game, you know. Being a Spellguard isn’t something you just test into and then brag about. Do you have any idea what can happen on a tour of duty, even in peacetime?
“We live in a dangerous world, Miss Vrenn; it’s easy to forget that inside these walls. But out there,
you’re the one making the people in here feel safe. But you can’t do that if you can’t defend yourself in an ambush because you haven’t cast your
Heroics yet. You can’t do that if you become as worthless as a candle in a flood when your company gets captured by knolls and they decide your spellbooks make good
food. You can’t do that if an enemy mage dispels your enhancements and then laughs while his friend, the cannibal, tears your limbs off. You have to be fully capable of handling any situation entirely on your own as a Spellguard. I owe it to you, to your parents, and to the High Lady not to give you the title before you’re able to shoulder it--and right now, you’re not ready.”
Silence filled the room as the general leaned back once more in his chair, Laelah sitting across from him as stone-faced as she could, nodding blindly as hot tears danced behind her eyes. She began to answer, but only a soft chirp escaped her throat. She squeezed her eyes shut and coughed before finally admitting a quiet “I know, sir. I am truly sorry.”
Master Korag sighed. “I know you are, Miss Vrenn. And I have some idea how much this post meant to you. The High Lady has waived your tuition fees for the past six years, has she not?”
Laelah nodded, the sparkles reappearing at the corners of her eyes as the general continued. “I expect she will continue to waive that requirement for you, but I also expect that you were hoping that wouldn’t be necessary--after all, the salary as a junior Spellguard is enough to pay tuition at the College; that’s a common enough track. I suspect, though, that it would have meant rather more to you, no longer being forced to rely on the Lady’s charity, than it does to the average student.”
He stood abruptly from his chair, beginning to pace a short line beside the table as he continued. “That’s why, Miss Vrenn, I am giving you a second chance to prove that you are worthy of a Spellguard post by autumn.” He turned to her, and her eyes widened in return, staring at the older man in frank astonishment. “As I said before, you are a very promising young woman, and I’m sure that you’re physically capable of learning the required skills, if only you would commit to them with the same intensity with which I am told you pursue your arcane studies. What do you think, Miss Vrenn--would you like to have a second chance?”
The room suddenly felt much closer than it had when she'd arrived ten minutes before. Laelah swallowed hard, meeting the man’s unblinking iron eyes. “Yes, sir. Whatever the price to restore my good name, I will pay it.”