Firebrand

Chapter 464: Elemental Philosophy

Elemental Philosophy

With his sleep pattern out of joint, Martel only fell asleep several hours past midnight, and the morning bell woke him not long after. He did not feel particularly refreshed, but his magic seemed restored. He also felt a powerful hunger; although it seemed almost callous to fill his face with food at breakfast while Ruby's body decomposed in the darkness below his feet, he needed to keep up his strength.

Not that he intended to storm out and engage anyone in a fight. He would spend a day or two playing the dutiful student, avoid further absences and any scrutiny this might bring, and give Regnar time to get the lay of the land. Mostly to learn if Martel needed to watch out for anyone coming after him, and where it would be most obvious for him to strike.

He realised that he should have asked Regnar to find out more about who hired the hedge mage to enchant the lightstones; in his frazzled state of mind, he had simply forgot. It would have to wait until he next time he saw Regnar; it seemed unwise to keep returning to The Golden Goose, given that it lay so near the harbour district.

Martel would be patient. Today, he would attend his duties.

***

"What happened yesterday?" Nora asked. "You never showed."

"Sorry," Martel mumbled. It felt almost silly to be cleaning roots and drying them out, but he began his work without letting any emotions show. "I wasn't feeling well at all. Had to spend the day in bed."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Hope you're feeling better now?"

"Yes, I'm back to normal. It was probably something I ate."

"That's good. I didn't tell Mistress Rana either. I wanted to ask you about it first." She sent him a quick smile.

"I appreciate that."

"Though, for all her stern talk, she's not that harsh. I think she mostly acts that way to scare off those who don't take alchemy seriously," Nora considered. "She'd not hold it against you if you got sick and needed a day off."

"Good to know."

***

If the other acolytes wondered why Martel had missed combat lessons yesterday, they did not ask. And once Moira entered the Circle of Fire, there was no opportunity for idle talking anyway.

Martel had yet to receive any summons to the overseer's chamber, so he assumed there would be no repercussions for his absence yesterday. Fortunate that it was Malday he had missed; Reynard paid little to no attention to the fire acolytes during class. In the mornings, he might even leave them alone altogether, rather than bother spending his time instructing them. If Martel had missed Moira's classes, no doubt she would already have cooked up various forms of punishment. And unlike other teachers, she was not above using force or even pain to administer her teachings.

They were still practising duels with the addition of the gem-tipped staves. It felt strange, almost childish to Martel. He could not take it seriously. Even if any of the other acolytes were strong enough to defeat him, Martel knew he would not be seriously injured. He might take a few spells that hurt for a day, but that would be the worst of it.

In comparison, Martel thought about his fight against Flora. She had used spells and mastered elements that Martel knew little of, leaving him scrambling to defend himself. The elemental counterspell had been useful, and Martel blessed Master Alastair for teaching it to him, but ultimately not enough. Neither his nor Flora's defensive spells had been enough to win the fight.

Martel could easily have lost. He would have died without the ability to summon lightning; another blessing to send Master Alastair's way. And even then, it had been close. Flora had been on the verge of dealing a killing blow, her final spell already prepared; but her fear of the lightning bolt had made her try to defend herself in vain.

In a way, it summed up each of them as a wizard. Flora had been an earthmage. The ambush had been exactly her style. Careful consideration of eventualities, slow and patient, attacking from a strong, defensive position.

Martel was born of fire. In a fight, he acted swiftly and decisively, favouring offence over defence. He had used himself as bait to lure out the last of Flora's henchmen, confident in his ability to defeat them both.

If Flora had been more offensive, perhaps she would have shown Martel to be wrong. But she had hesitated, her fear for her own life proving stronger than her desire to destroy her enemy.

As Martel swung his staff against Harriet's shin, making her fall to the ground, he understood why fire acolytes became battlemages. If you needed your enemies destroyed, no element did this better than fire.

***

"Martel," Eleanor said in greeting as she sat down opposite him for the evening meal.

He nodded at her, a little surprised. She usually sat with her friends.

"You were gone from class yesterday. Not that I think Master Reynard noticed. But is something amiss?"

The same fabrication he had told Nora lay on the tip of his tongue, but Martel could not make himself say it. While he could not reveal all the details, he did not wish to lie directly to Eleanor's face. And perhaps if one person at the Lyceum knew the truth, it would make these days a little easier to get through. "There was a fight in the city. Someone I know – one of my friends – got hurt. Died." It was strange to say, even if he had already told someone before. He was glad that nobody else sat at the table.

"Martel, I am so sorry!" She placed her hand on top of his. "What happened? Are you injured?"

He shook his head. "I'm fine. It wasn't about me. I just happened to be present. Afterwards – I couldn't make myself go back to the Lyceum and attend class like nothing had happened."

"Of course." Her voice turned soothing. "And the guards? Have those responsible been dealt with?"

"They've been punished. Or they will be, at any rate."

"Anything I can do?"

"Not really." Anything that needed doing, Martel would handle himself. Though something else did come to mind. "Actually, would it be alright if I don't show up tomorrow at the library? I don't think I feel up for studying old books."

"Certainly. Let us call the whole thing off until further notice. You have already spent so much time trying to help me, I feel guilty. It was always a fool's hope," she declared with a sad smile. "It was just the only thing I could think of to help my sister."

"Don't feel guilty. It was the right thing to do." In fact, Martel felt a little bad himself for cancelling, but he knew he would not be able to focus on this with everything else hanging over his head.

"Again, I am really sorry for your loss, Martel. Losing someone you care about is hard."

He looked into Eleanor's eyes and saw the sympathy she felt for him. She was right, of course, even if Martel had tried worse. Losing his sister or his father - those had been deep wounds that still hurt from time to time. In comparison, Ruby had not meant nearly as much to him.

But another key difference was that Tora had died from hunger and cold, his father from sickness. Martel had been powerless to save them, and even now with his magic, he could not punish winter or disease for what they had stolen from him. But he could punish Ruby's killers, and he would.