A gust of cold wind blew through Lyra’s hair and she lifted her head and gazed into the dark sky. The air smelled like rain and Lyra noticed the leaves on the bushes were turned upside down.
“We are going to get a blow soon,” Lyra called. “See if you can find some shelter.”
Antello shouted back an acknowledgement and Lyra returned to her puzzling questions. A rich person who needs some evil magic done must be part of the answer, she conceded. If that was true then she was willing to bet that other mages, perhaps not of the same stature as her father, were probably coerced into trying the evil magic before the mysterious wealthy person organized the attack on the Academy. She wondered how she could find out if this was true and if the information would lead her closer to finding her father.
Another troubling revelation was that Rhodella was a mage and, according to Walak’s account, a rather proficient one. She also had used a dagger to fend off the raiders. Neither of these details squared with Lyra’s knowledge of her mother. Lyra had been sure that Rhodella shared Master Malafar’s pacifist beliefs. Rhodella had never been known to use magic, in fact she never even participated in any of the discussions regarding magic, either in regards to the Academy or Lyra’s education. Lyra sighed. How could she live with two people her entire life and not really know them? Had she been so wrong about her mother or had Rhodella been under some type of magic spell? Perhaps Walak was mistaken about the source of the fireballs, but Lyra could not think of anyone else who could have been responsible.
Antello reappeared at the head of the little column and announced that he had found shelter for the night, and led the party to a small cave not far off the trail. The cave entrance was small, forcing the students to crawl in and necessitated leaving the horses tied up outside. There was barely enough room for the four of them and their packs and the small enclosure certainly ruled out a fire for the night, though they did light a torch for illumination. While everyone was getting settled, Syman went out to tend to the horses, but he returned after only a few minutes when the sky opened up and sent torrents of rain tumbling down.
“Looks like we made it just in time,” Syman announced as he shook the water from his hair. “We won’t have to worry about being tracked, but I do not feel good being so close to the trail and the horses being left outside. I think we should leave as early as we can and put some more distance between us and the Academy.”
“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Lyra added as she passed out bread and cheese to everyone.
“I don’t understand why we are running away,” mused Walak. “I mean they got what they came to the Academy for, didn’t they?”
“Only half of it,” stated Antello realizing the Walak had not heard the conversation near the drawbridge. “They are searching for Lyra now because…”
“Enough talk of such dreary things,” interjected Lyra. Lyra wasn’t entirely sure why, but she didn’t trust Walak very much. It was not as if he had ever done anything to her or anyone had complained about his dishonesty. It was just a nagging feeling in the back of her mind and she decided to learn more about him before anything more was revealed. His father was very wealthy and he did manage to miss the massacre this morning. Could his father be the wealthy person looking for a mage? “Perhaps we can talk about something more pleasant. Why are you studying magic, Walak? Was coming to the Academy your choice or did your father choose your vocation?”
Antello stared at Lyra in puzzlement, while Syman smiled thinly. Walak sat looking from one to the other and shook his head in confusion. Not fully understanding what was happening, Walak finally shrugged and look down at the cavern floor.
“It was my father’s choice,” Walak finally admitted. “I guess he wanted the prestige of a son attending the Academy. He was coming today because Master Malafar sent him a note regarding my progress, which I fear was not very congratulatory. I think the magic lessons are a waste of time. I mean, Master Malafar doesn’t even teach any of the exciting spells and what he does teach is hardly worth learning. I would much rather tend to my father’s estates and let my brother try magic lessons. He doesn’t have a clue as to how to maximize the income of an estate. His only qualification is that he is older than me.”
Lyra forced a smile at Walak. “Perhaps you will get that chance now. The Academy is finished. Maybe your father will relent and let you do what it is you can do best. I could not even begin to imagine how I would manage an estate. What would you do differently than your brother?”
Antello curled up near the wall, pulling a blanket over himself, clearly disinterested in the conversation. Syman sat pawing through his sack for dry clothes, but Lyra could tell that he was following the conversation closely without appearing to.
Walak brightened at Lyra’s question as if nobody had ever asked for his opinion before. “That’s easy,” he remarked. “My brother is too lax with the gentry for one. Often he has been known to let a payment slide because the borrower complained of problems. He has turned a blind eye to our contracts when a farmer’s yield is not sufficient or when a supplier has failed to deliver the appropriate goods on time. It may not sound like much, but when you add all of these errors up, it comes to a very tidy sum. He also doesn’t know how to negotiate an agreement. There are many vendors vying to contract with my family and he does not appreciate the bargaining position that puts us in. He insists that a contract is only good when both parties are pleased with it, but the fact is, that when you push far enough that the other party balks, that is when you maximize your profits. The point is, my brother just doesn’t know the value of a coin, and I do.”
“Hard to understand with your skills in managing, why your father packed you off to the Academy,” Lyra interrogated. “Does he know magic? Maybe he wanted you to follow in his footsteps?”
“Hardly,” Walak laughed. “My father couldn’t perform even the easiest spell. He has always relied on hiring mages when he needed one. No, I think my father sent me to the Academy because he would then have a free mage at his disposal. I think my brother may have had something to do with it as well. He knows that I am a threat to him and I spot his management mistakes easily. It would be better for him if I were sent away somewhere. I guess he will be disturbed to have me home again, if I ever get there alive that is. Why are you going to Alamar and why are the raiders looking for you?”
“You two will have plenty of time to talk tomorrow,” interrupted Syman. “We need to get an early start and some sleep will be good for all of us. We are not free of the raiders yet and until we are, we must travel long and swiftly.”
Lyra quickly agreed and stretched out as far from the entrance as she could. She pretended to fall asleep quickly, but her mind was troubled for a long time before she finally drifted off.
Chapter 4
Gatong
“Wake up,” Antello whispered and upon seeing Lyra open her eyes, moved off to wake Walak. Syman was already stirring and Lyra rose quietly and gathered her belongings.
“A band of raiders rode by here a few moments ago,” Antello softly explained. “If we were awake, I think we could have taken them. No more than six of them.”
“Antello,” Syman growled, “we don’t want to attack anyone, even if we can take them. What we want to do is quietly disappear. Which direction were they heading?”
“South, like us,” Antello replied sullenly. “They were not moving fast, so maybe we should wait a while before moving out.”