Chapter 6
The next day, Rylan and I went to the Records Department and obtained a list of all the junior high schools in Solantha, then made phone calls to each one to find out how many ten-year-olds they had.
After calculating the number—around five thousand children, total—I realized there was no way I could get all the testing done on my own before the Minister arrived with his delegation. I needed reinforcements.
There was some muttering as I went around the Guild recruiting apprentices, and dark looks from the mages who used to be in charge of administering the magic wipes.
They were not pleased that I was taking over this duty, especially since I was a mere apprentice myself.
But since I was acting in the Chief Mage’s name, there was nothing they could do.
Their displeasure and skepticism only made me resolve to do an excellent job, so they would have nothing to criticize in the end.
“There really aren’t very many, are there?” Rylan asked as we headed back to the Palace on my steam bike. We’d just finished the first round of testing, and we wanted to grab lunch before we interviewed more children. “We’ve visited sixteen schools and only found two magic users so far.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, though my heart was heavy all the same.
The teachers of those two children, and the children themselves, had been stricken when I told them the news, but I’d done my best to assure them that no action would be taken at this time.
Even so, one of the teachers had fainted dead away when I’d told her that she needed to inform the parents of her student to escort the child to Solantha Palace after lunch to be interviewed.
I’d been forced to use my own magic to revive and then calm her.
“Do you think some of them are going to try to bolt from the city with their children?” Rylan asked as I parked my bike in the Palace garage. “That’s what I would do, in their stead.”
“They won’t be able to escape the tracking spell I put on each of them,” I told him as we made our way toward the dining hall. Iannis had taught me the spell last night, and while I regretted having to use it, I knew it was necessary. “If any of them fail to show, I will find them.”
After lunch, I met with a few of the other apprentices in a small conference room in the Mages Guild.
I’d recruited fourteen, and I had chosen them for their skill level as well as their temperament.
They were all young looking, with calm dispositions, and I’d sent them off in pairs to help with the testing.
“We found three today,” Sarai, a female apprentice, told me and handed me a sheet of paper with the names and salient details of the children. She tossed her mane of long, straight black hair over her shoulder as she settled back into her seat. “All Maintowners.”
“Two from us—one in Maintown, one in Rowanville,” Gorad, the male apprentice from another team, added as he handed me his list as well. “Our partners are keeping watch on the parents and children in the other room.”
“Have they all arrived?” I asked as I scanned the names.
“Surprisingly, yes,” Sarai said. “Though that might have had something to do with the fact that I sent guards to collect them.”
“I didn’t tell you to do that,” I said sharply. “Did the guards use force? I told you not to scare them.”
“They’re going to be scared no matter what,” Sarai said boldly, pinning me with her dark blue gaze.
“They think that you’re about to turn their children’s brains into mush.
I simply ensured that we wouldn’t have to go chasing after them, which we really don’t have time to do.
None of the children are sporting any signs of injury. You can check yourself if you want.”
“I will be,” I said, trying not to sound too annoyed. Sarai hadn’t really done anything wrong—I just didn’t like that she’d done this without my approval. “Go and join the others, then send one of the children in. I want to get these interviews done quickly.”
The two apprentices bowed, then left. Sighing, I leaned back in my chair and perused the names on the lists once more, going over the details.
Ten and sixteen were the typical ages that the tests were done, and I was very glad that we were only doing ten-year-olds right now.
If they were wiped at this age, it would leave little-to-no effects on their personality.
Iannis had explained that in children, only a small area of the brain was used to control magic, and therefore magic wipes were less dangerous to perform on them.
This area grew from a small point in infancy and gradually spread until it was entwined with the entire brain.
By the time a mage reached the age of seventeen, the procedure was considered too risky to perform without harmful side effects.
Besides, I wasn’t sure I wanted to handle rebellious teenagers just yet.
The door opened, and a young human woman, wearing a clean but faded yellow dress, came in with her son.
They both shared the same curly blond hair, though the boy’s was a messy mop as opposed to the mother’s tamed locks.
He gripped her hand tightly as she led him over to the chairs on the table opposite me.
“Good afternoon,” I said, rising to greet her with an outstretched hand. I didn’t have to, considering my status, but I wanted to make her feel more at ease. “I’m Sunaya Baine.”
“Delara Mencham,” the woman said, a slight tremor in her voice. She hesitated before shaking my hand. “This is my son, Briar.”
“Hello, Briar.” I offered him my hand as well, and tried not to be offended when he eyed it like it was a viper. “I really appreciate you coming on such short notice.”
“Mom said I didn’t have a choice.” He glowered at me, but shook my hand anyway when his mother nudged him sharply.
“Do you want anything to drink before we get started?” I asked as we sat down. “I hope you had time to eat lunch.”
“He’s been taken care of,” his mother said sharply. “Let’s just get this over with.”
“All right.” I turned to her and fired the first question off. “How long have you known that your son has magic?”
She stiffened. “I don’t know any such thing.”
“Mrs. Mencham, I’m sure you’re aware that as a shifter, I can smell a lie, correct?” I kept my voice even. “This will go a lot smoother if you’re honest with me from the get-go.”
“And what will happen to my son once I’m honest?” she demanded. “Are you going to take him away?”
“I won’t let her,” Briar said, and the air around him shifted. Rylan stiffened as we both caught the scent of magic, and sparks began to rise from the little boy’s skin.
“Briar, stop,” his mother pleaded, her gaze growing frantic. She grabbed his hand, then cried out as her skin sizzled against his.
“Mom!” The magic disappeared immediately, and Briar’s eyes widened with guilt and fear. “Mom, are you okay?” He reached for her, and his mother scooted her chair away instinctively. His face crumpled, and my heart ached.
“Briar,” I said, my voice soft but authoritative. He whipped his head around, his dark blue eyes wide with fear. “You need to calm down before someone gets hurt. That’s when you lose control of the magic, isn’t it?” I asked gently. “When you get upset?”
“I try not to.” Tears gleamed in his eyes, and he swallowed. “It hasn’t happened in a long time.”
“But it happened last month, didn’t it?” He was one of the children who had come to Iannis’s attention. “You set a boy’s pants on fire on the playground, didn’t you?”
Briar’s eyes flashed. “He deserved it,” he insisted, his cheeks coloring. “He was hurting my friend because he wouldn’t give up half his sandwich.”
“What a total jerk,” I said, and Briar blinked, confused at my empathy. “I bet he never bothered you again, did he?”
“Nope.” The little boy lifted his chin proudly, and then his shoulders slumped. “But all the other kids are afraid of me now. They won’t go near me.”
I nodded solemnly. “That’s the trouble with our society,” I told him.
“Since magic is forbidden, everybody’s afraid of it.
And I can’t blame them—you might have only set that boy’s pants on fire, but you could have easily set the playground on fire too.
And you hurt your mother today,” I said, gesturing to her.
She was nursing her hand as she watched us, but she dropped it instantly as Briar’s gaze turned back to her.
“It’s nothing,” she said quickly. “He’s done this before.”
“It’s not nothing,” I said, and she flinched. “As he gets older, his powers are only going to grow stronger. A small burn today could turn into your house going up in flames tomorrow. He needs to be trained, or he needs to have his magic taken away.”
“Trained?” Her eyebrows went up, and for the first time, a hopeful look entered her eyes. “You mean he can be taught to control it?”
“If we can find a mage willing to sponsor him, he could be trained as one in his own right.” I turned back to Briar just in time to catch the excitement in his eyes. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
He nodded eagerly, then his face fell again. “I would like to learn how to use magic,” he said, “but I don’t want to leave my mother.” He glanced guiltily at her. “If I have to do the magic wipe instead, I guess I will.”
“Oh, Briar.” She placed a hand on his small shoulder, her expression softening.
“I would never take your magic from you if there was a way for you to keep it without hurting people. Do you really think there’s someone who can help him?
” she asked, her voice going a little high.
“I don’t want you putting false hopes in my boy’s head, but if there’s any way… .”
“I can’t make any promises, but I’ve been intending to start a program to help train new mages like your son,” I told her. “If I can convince the Mages Guild, your son would be one of the first to participate.”