Chapter Two
The whip cracked through the air again. Six.
The stinging pain from every lash should have blocked out all other annoyances, but Valerian still felt the ache in his legs from kneeling on the stone floor.
Seven. His hands fisted in front of him, nails digging into his palms. Eight.
Sweat dripped from his forehead and stung his eyes.
Nine. A tear slipped down his cheek despite trying his best to suppress it.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew this wasn’t the worst he would experience. At twelve years old, nothing in the world seemed as terrible as Tutor Hornick’s punishments.
Ten. Valerian didn’t move, afraid the punishment would continue if he stood before instructed.
The moment stretched on for a long time, the tutor testing him, and then a calm voice called, “You may stand.”
Valerian grabbed a chair to pull himself to his feet. His arms trembled from the effort, and he bit his lip to suppress a cry of pain. He stood as straight as he could and looked at the tutor.
“Do you understand what you did wrong?” Hornick asked, his eyes focused somewhere behind Valerian.
“I shouldn’t have skipped class,” another voice drawled. “Education is important, especially if I am to properly run this estate one day.”
“Correct,” Hornick replied and bowed his head. “Valerian, you may visit the medic and ask for a salve for your back.”
He nodded and stepped out of the room, clutching his shirt to his chest. At the door he paused and turned back to face the young master, who pretended to pay attention to his lessons after his scolding.
As soon as the tutor turned his back, Maksim gave Valerian a nasty smirk.
He’d known exactly what would happen if he misbehaved—he may receive a lecture, but Valerian would receive the punishment in his stead.
A future lord couldn’t go through life with proof of his mistakes.
Valerian turned away and went straight to the medic’s office.
Medic Chesna took one look at him, her most frequent patient, and hissed in a sharp breath. “What did he do this time?” she asked, retrieving salve and bandages from her supplies.
“Skipped class.” Valerian sat down on her cot, exposing his back to her.
“And Hornick punished you for that alone? He should know by now it only encourages that damn brat to keep acting out.”
Valerian’s lips quirked in amusement. Then his smile fell and he said in a small voice, “If someone hears you talking like that …”
“I know,” she murmured, “but you won’t tattle on me, will you?” She came around to look at him, her eyes crinkled in a mischievous, secretive amusement.
He grinned and shook his head, then crossed his heart to promise. The movement pulled on his wounds, and he clenched his teeth against a new wave of pain.
Chesna returned to her careful ministrations. The salve cooled the burning pain and numbed his back. The bandages were more annoying, constricting his movements, but he was used to such things. Once she finished, he put his shirt back on and hopped off the cot.
She watched him, eyes filled with silent pity. “You should rest.” From her tone, she already knew he wouldn’t.
“If I go back now, I can catch the end of the lesson.” Being present to take Maksim’s punishments was all that allowed Valerian to receive the same education as a future lord.
It was supposed to teach Maksim empathy and prove that even if he did not personally experience the consequences, someone else would.
Afterwards, Maksim always pretended to be contrite, perhaps behave for the rest of the day, but over time his ‘mistakes’ increased in severity.
Valerian wasn’t sure if Maksim was testing how far his tutors would go to punish someone else in his place, or if he wanted to drive Valerian out. Either way, he wouldn’t give his bully the satisfaction of breaking first.
He returned to the schoolroom and sat at his desk.
His notes were crumpled, as if someone had rifled through them, but neither the tutor nor Maksim acknowledged his presence.
Hornick was in the middle of explaining the government of Percosa and how the voting system worked.
Valerian picked up his quill and began writing.
Though he had missed a good portion of the lesson, he could fill in the gaps later.
One of the privileges of his position was full access to Krasna Manor’s library.
A knock on the door interrupted Hornick mid-sentence. His brow furrowed and he called, “Come in.”
The door opened and Lord Endre strode into the room.
“Father!” Maksim leapt up from his seat, launching himself into his father’s arms. It was the first time Lord Endre had been home in over a month.
“How are you, my boy?” the lord asked, grinning down at his son. He patted Maksim’s back a few times, then pulled out of his grasp. “I need to speak with Valerian for a moment.”
Maksim’s face scrunched up with hatred as he glared at Valerian.
Even the tutor seemed surprised by the request. Recovering himself, he bowed and said, “Of course, my lord.”
Valerian looked mournfully at his unfinished notes.
At this rate, he’d have to spend all night in the library to catch up.
Suppressing a sigh, he followed the lord into the hall, hoping he wasn’t about to be informed of some horrible infraction Maksim had committed that Valerian would now need to be punished for.
Lord Endre guided Valerian to his office and gestured for him to sit down in the visitor’s chair.
“I’d like to discuss an opportunity with you,” the lord explained as he took the other seat.
Clasping his hands on top of the desk, he looked Valerian in the eye, like an equal, conveying the seriousness of this conversation. “How do you feel about magic?”
Valerian’s brow furrowed. “Magic?”
“Yes, magic.”
“I don’t know,” Valerian replied slowly.
Tutor Hornick never discussed magic, no matter how many times the young master begged for stories. He’d always said: “I like to focus on practical lessons, not the nonsense of charlatans.”
“An acquaintance of mine is looking for new students,” Lord Endre explained. “Magic is a long, arduous study. It takes years to learn the basics, and decades to master a discipline. It is not for the weak of mind or heart.”
Valerian stared at him, not sure why they were having this discussion.
As young as he was, he understood that such an apprenticeship would come at a great expense.
Although his position at Krasna Manor provided him with room and board, he didn’t receive a salary.
He wasn’t even sure how he would be paid.
One copper piece for every whip lash? I could afford an estate this size by the time I’m sixteen.
When it became clear Valerian wouldn’t say anything, Lorde Endre said, “I recommended you.”
“Why?”
The lord’s lips quirked in a smile. “I thought it might suit you.”
“I don’t have a way to pay for it.”
“I am prepared to sponsor you. Do you understand what that means?”
Valerian shook his head.
“I will pay for your schooling now, and once you finish, you will work for this estate as our personal mage.”
Valerian thought of his future, chained to Krasna Manor for the rest of his life.
Lorde Endre would pass away eventually, and then Valerian would be at Maksim’s mercy.
Nothing seemed worth that, but if he accepted …
he would have years, decades away from this place.
“What if I wanted to repay you another way?”
Clearly taken aback by this question, the lord’s eyebrows shot up. “Well,” he began slowly, “these lessons are costly. Sponsoring you is considered an investment. Do you know what that means?”
“You want to receive more than you’ve paid for.”
Lord Endre chuckled uneasily. “You are a smart one, aren’t you?
Yes, that is the point. I will pay a large amount for your schooling now to benefit me later.
If you simply paid me in gold the same amount I gave you, that could potentially hurt me instead of help me. Prices rise every year, after all.”
“You could charge interest,” Valerian replied.
“I could, but you must understand, most mages are not paid lavishly. You would also need to pay for your own food and lodgings, which I am happy to continue providing if you remain in my employ. It would be a much more beneficial deal for you to simply work for me.” He smiled, expecting Valerian to immediately agree with him.
“I’d like a contract, sir,” Valerian said, trying to make himself sound as mature as possible to be taken seriously.
“A contract?” Lord Endre echoed, blinking in surprise. “Whatever for?”
“I want a document stating exactly what the repayment terms are—in years of employment or in gold.”
It was the lord’s turn to silently stare at Valerian. Then he carefully pulled a sheet of parchment toward himself and began to write.
Valerian sat with his hands fisted on his thighs, aching in anticipation, as Lord Endre wrote their contract.
Once it was complete, Valerian read it over, pointed out areas he wanted clarified, and then requested his own copy.
The whole time, the lord looked at him with a mix of bafflement and wary respect.
At the end, they both signed three copies.
One Valerian took with him, one to be filed with the town clerk, and one tucked into Lord Endre’s desk.
Valerian clutched his copy as he hurried back to the classroom. He stared down reverently at the lord’s neat writing, re-reading the terms for the fifth time. I’m getting out of here. I’m leaving! I’ll never see that toad-faced brat again!
A hand snatched the contract from him. Valerian cried out and tried to grab it, then froze as he looked into Maksim’s face.
“What’s this?” Maksim demanded. “Is this why father wanted to speak with you?”
“Give it back.” Valerian tried to remain calm. If he made too much of a fuss, Maksim might tear the parchment into tiny pieces. There are two other copies, he reminded himself, his heart pounding. Even if he destroys it, the contract still exists. I’ll still study magic. I’ll still escape him.
As Maksim read, his expression darkened.
Nostrils flared, lips pulled back in a snarl, eyes bulging.
“You’re going to study magic?” he demanded.
“No. I won’t allow it. I’ll tell Father you can’t go.
” Then he narrowed his eyes. “No … wait. If you’re going, maybe I’ll go with you.
Yes, of course! Then I can study magic, and you can still be there to take my punishments. ”
Valerian tackled him. He knew he should restrain himself—he hadn’t received the money for his education yet—but he couldn’t stand the thought of Maksim ruining his shining new future. Valerian pushed Maksim to the floor and landed a few blows before he roared and flipped them over.
A year older and twenty pounds heavier, Maksim soon had the upper hand. He pinned Valerian to the ground and punched him in the face.
Blood spurted and Valerian’s vision went black for a moment.
He couldn’t breathe through his nose and when he gasped for air, Maksim’s weight on his chest smothered him.
Something wet soaked the back of his clothes and it took him a moment to realize his lashes, still numbed from the salve, had reopened.
Satisfied that Valerian wouldn’t stand up any time soon, Maksim pushed himself to his feet. He reached for the contract, then noticed the blood soaking the edges and reared back in disgust. “You don’t leave unless I say you can,” he told Valerian before storming off.
Valerian stared up at the ceiling, half-dazed.
Once he caught his breath, he rolled over, squeezing his eyes shut to block out the pain.
When he opened them again, he spotted the stained contract.
There are other copies, he reminded himself.
But he still wanted that one, even if he couldn’t read it anymore. He grabbed the edge, then paused.
A spider rested on one corner.
That’s not right. With one swift smack, he squashed the spider under his palm.
Looking up again, Valerian found himself not in the halls of Krasna Manor, but a forest of towering trees. The bark on the trees had an odd, mirror-like sheen. In the depths of the closest one, he saw himself at twelve years old, clutching that damned contract.
His head fell back to the ground, covered in dirt and leaf debris, and he grit his teeth in frustration.
Now that he wasn’t reliving his own past, he remembered Alistair ensnaring him with roots and dragging him deep into the shadows of his own mind.
Niall cutting off Valerian’s mental protections and filling the room with sleep smoke.
Traveling to Causley Estate with Penn, on a mission to find the traitorous adviser and finding the Witch instead.
Adelaide’s words of warning: you not only unlocked a door, you left it open.
A mad dash to save Penn from disgruntled soldiers.
But before all of that, before any of the adventure began, Valerian remembered sitting in an office, Alistair Lindstrum’s unconscious body laid out before him, and a cherry pit clenched in one hand as he planted a part of himself in Alistair’s mind.
And now Alistair had trapped Valerian in his own damn memory forest. He had to find a way out, back to Penn and the others. He had to find a way to defeat Alistair.
Flopping over onto his back, Valerian looked up at the tree canopy.
Thick spiderwebs blotted out whatever sky there was in this mental landscape.
Spiders scurried across the branches before disappearing into the shadows.
Though they ranged in size, they were all monstrous and deadly.
He didn’t know how to kill them, or if killing them would allow him to escape, but it gave him something to focus on other than the lingering pain of long-ago wounds.
He pushed himself to his feet and stood, hands on his hip, surveying the creatures. First, I’ll kill all of you. Then I’m coming for your master.