The Artful Apprentice Page 4

  “You can use the spellchambers or the alchemy lab any time you like, when you’re not working with me,” Void said. “You may cast any spells or brew any potions you learned in Whitehall. Anything else, anything more advanced, is to be cleared with me first. I doubt I’ll be saying no. It’ll take a lot of power to weaken the spellchambers or seriously threaten the tower. If I do say no” — his eyes sharpened — “I expect you to respect it. There are plenty of isolated mountaintops where you can carry out your experiments, if you can’t do them here.”

  “Yes, sir,” Emily said.

  “You have a suite of your own,” Void told her. “A bedroom, a bathroom and a private workroom. I won’t enter unless you invite me or I see an urgent need. The workroom is for studying and writing, mainly. Use the spellchambers for anything that might turn nasty. The library is open to you, save for the books on the top shelf. Don’t touch those without my prior permission and don’t take any book out of the tower, under any circumstances. The wards will assume you’re a thief and react accordingly.”

  “But I can take them to my room,” Emily said.

  “Yes,” Void said. “Although I want you to be careful. Some of those books are very old and fragile.”

  He smiled, coldly. “Like I said, you have a day free every two weeks. Use it how you see fit, but I expect you back at the tower before midnight. I don’t want you to bring anyone back here without my prior permission, no matter who it is. There have been countless attempts to break through my defenses and I wouldn’t put it past some of my enemies to try to subvert or manipulate you. Do you understand me?”

  “Yes, sir,” Emily said.

  Void nodded. “I expect you to obey orders. When we’re alone, and there’s no pressing urgency, you can ask all the questions you like. I will be happy to explain the reasoning behind my orders if we have time. If things are urgent, or if we’re in a group, follow orders and don’t ask questions unless I give you prior permission.”

  His gaze sharpened. “There will be times when you’ll want to disobey orders, either because you don’t understand or because you think you know better. If you do and it works out, fine. If it doesn’t...”

  “You’ll kick me out,” Emily finished.

  “Perhaps,” Void said. “You’ll be the person on the spot. You might know something I don’t. My orders might be impossible or impractical. If that happens... we’ll see. I want you to think before you disobey orders. I’ll want to know your reasoning after the fact — what you did as well as why. You’ll probably want to know my reasoning too.”

  He met her eyes. “I hope you’ll learn a great deal from your apprenticeship, Emily,” he said, “but I don’t want you to be blind to the dangers.”

  Emily opened her mouth to point out she did know the dangers, then closed it again. She didn’t, not really. She’d been Sergeant Miles’s apprentice for a few short months, but that hadn’t been a real apprenticeship. Sergeant Miles had treated her more as an equal than a subordinate. She’d appreciated that, even though it had driven a wedge between her and the other apprentices. Here... she was going to be playing with forces most sorcerers regarded with wary eyes. Void was right. There would be dangers. And some of them — perhaps most of them — wouldn’t be obvious. She knew how to deal with overt threats. Knives in the dark were far more dangerous.

  She yawned, suddenly. “Sorry.”

  Void smiled. “It must be late for you,” he said. “Traditionally, apprentices eat breakfast in their rooms and then join their masters. I’ll expect you down here, dressed and ready for your first lesson, at nine in the morning. The servants will bring you breakfast. Ask them if you want anything special.”

  “I’d settle for anything,” Emily said.

  “You’ll probably get bacon and eggs, then,” Void said. “Plenty of energy, all of which you’ll be burning up. If you grow bored, feel free to ask for something else. The servants will do their best to oblige.”

  Emily nodded, curtly. She didn’t want to put them to any trouble. “Bacon and eggs will be fine.”

  “Just ask if you change your mind,” Void said. He put down his glass and stood. “Do you like your robe?”

  “Yes, sir,” Emily said. “It’s very comfortable.”

  “Good,” Void said. “As your master, it is my job to ensure you have everything you might happen to need. You already have spare robes and suchlike in your room. If you require anything else — within reason — just ask.”

  Emily smiled. “Within reason?”

  “Don’t take advantage of your poor old master,” Void said, with a grin that made him look years younger. “If you want a solid gold dress, expect some pretty searching questions about why you want it.”

  “I wouldn’t want a solid gold anything,” Emily said. “It would be useless.”

  “You might be surprised,” Void said. He smiled in what looked like happy memory. “You can do more with gold than just spend it. But we’ll be covering that later. Much later.”

  “Yes, sir,” Emily said. She stood, smoothing down her robe. “What now?”

  Chapter Four

  THE TOWER FELT WARMER, SOMEHOW, AS Void led her through yet another door and up a flight of stone stairs. Emily reached out with her mind, sensing the wards flicker. They felt more like Whitehall’s than she’d expected, ready to help a guest find her way around the tower while confusing any unwanted intruders. She was sure she’d have gotten hopelessly lost without them. She certainly had found it hard to navigate Fellini Mansion without magic. It had been humiliating enough to make her want to swear off magical homes forever.

  “The library is just down there,” Void said, pointing to a wooden door. “The spellchambers are on the lower levels.”

  Emily felt a pang as she glanced at the door, her growing tiredness competing with the urge to see the library. She’d always loved libraries, from the simple buildings on Earth to Whitehall and Mountaintop’s giant collections. The private libraries were often just as interesting, holding both their owner’s private notes and copies of books that were often vanishingly rare. She couldn’t wait to see what Void’s library was like. A man who’d lived and breathed magic for over a hundred years had to have a vast collection of books. She wanted to ask if they could take a look at it now...

  But she knew better. She was too tired.

  Void pressed his hand against another door. It opened, revealing a large sitting room. Emily blinked in surprise as she saw a teenage girl kneeling on the floor, her posture suggesting she’d knelt in a tearing hurry. Emily knew maids and servants were expected to remain in respectful poses while waiting, but she suspected they rarely bothered. As long as they were careful, and listened out for their superiors, they’d probably never get caught. And it wasn’t as if she would care either.

  The girl looked vaguely Japanese, Emily thought, although that meant nothing on the Nameless World. The Empire had blended so many different races together that someone having a different appearance was unremarkable, as long as it was human. She was young, probably a year or two younger than Emily, with long dark hair, downcast almond eyes, hands resting on her knees and wearing a simple maid’s dress. Emily couldn’t help being reminded of Frieda, although the maid looked very different. And yet, they had something in common. Emily wasn’t sure what.

  “This is Silent,” Void said. “She’s to be your personal maid, with orders to take care of you as long as you live here.”

  Emily glanced at him. “I didn’t ask for a servant.”

  Void lifted his eyebrows. “You won’t have time to take care of yourself,” he said. “Or are you planning to clean your own clothes, cook your own meals, brush your own hair...?”

  “I can brush my own hair,” Emily said, irritated. There were girls, aristocrats mainly, who literally couldn’t. She’d always thought they were silly. “I don’t need...”

  “You do,” Void said. “Believe me, you do.”

  Emily sighed, inwardly. She’d never been
comfortable around servants. The small army of maids that had surrounded Alassa at all times, as long as she wasn’t in school, had left her cold. She wasn’t an invalid. She didn’t need help to dress, or to wash, or to do anything a reasonably healthy person could do. But... she shook her head. Void had clearly made up his mind. And he might be right. Emily would just have to see to it that Silent was paid well for her time.

  “Fine,” she said, finally. “What now?”

  “Your bedroom is through there,” Void said. “Your washroom is in the room beyond. There’s also a large wardrobe. If you need anything else, let myself or Silent know.”

  “Yes, sir,” Emily said, reluctantly.

  “Good.” Void nodded to her. “I’ll see you tomorrow at nine. Do try not to be late.”

  He withdrew, closing the door behind him. Emily closed her eyes, centering herself before reaching out with her senses. The room’s wards were surprisingly complex, designed to monitor her magic without monitoring anything else. Beyond them... she could sense an intricate web of wards protecting the outer edge of the tower. Anyone who tried to spy on the occupants would be in for a nasty shock. Emily hoped Void had made sure they were up to date. Sorcerers seemed to spend half their time spying on each other. Naturally, surveillance spells advanced at breakneck speeds.

  And there are plenty of people who want to watch me, Emily thought. They want to learn my secrets.

  She opened her eyes and looked at the maid. Silent hadn’t moved, as far as she could tell. And yet, there was something about her that suggested she wasn’t used to kneeling for more than a few minutes. She probably hadn’t grown up in a magical or aristocratic household, Emily deduced. It didn’t matter. Void could have found her anywhere. She wondered, suddenly, if Void had a castellan. Someone had to take care of the day-to-day business of running a household.

  It doesn’t matter, she told herself.

  She spoke, as calmly as she could. “You can stand, if you like.”

  Silent stood, keeping her eyes downcast. She was taller than Emily had realized, almost as tall as Emily, but her posture made it hard to be certain. She looked small, despite her height. Her hair hung down, gleaming in the light. Emily felt a stab of sympathy. Silent probably hadn’t volunteered for the job. And yet...

  She found herself at a loss for words. Alassa would have known what to say. Melissa would have known. Jade would have known. But Emily... she looked at the girl, wondering why Silent refused to meet her eyes. She snorted at herself, a second later. An aristocrat would have been seriously annoyed if the girl had. They’d have seen it as a sign of uppityness.

  “I’m Emily,” Emily said. As if Silent didn’t already know that. “I...”

  She shook her head. “Do you have any questions for me?”

  Silent spoke in a soft, oddly accented voice. “My Lady. Where do you want me to sleep?”

  Emily frowned. “Where do you want to sleep?”

  “I can sleep wherever you wish,” Silent said. “Here. At the foot of your bed. Downstairs...”

  “Not in my bedroom,” Emily said, quickly. She remembered the Shadows of Mountaintop and shuddered. She wasn’t going to have someone sleeping at the foot of her bed. She valued her privacy too highly for that. “You can sleep downstairs, if you like.”

  Silent bowed her head. “As My Lady pleases.”

  Emily felt a hot flash of anger, which she quickly suppressed. It wasn’t Silent’s fault. She’d been raised as a maid. She didn’t know how to behave... no, that wasn’t true. She knew how the vast majority of masters and mistresses would expect her to behave. Be silent, be submissive, be obedient... Emily told herself, firmly, to be understanding. Silent wouldn’t expect her to be friendly. It would take time for the younger girl to realize she wouldn’t be beaten or hexed for every little mistake.

  “You can sleep downstairs,” Emily said. She hoped that was the right decision. Servants could be just as hierarchical as their masters. Who knew? They might see Silent as lucky or condemned. “Wait here.”

  She stepped past Silent and walked into the bedroom. It was a surprising mixture of comfortable and bare, a large bed — easily large enough for three — taking up most of the space. A sizable wardrobe sat in one corner, but otherwise the walls were bare. Her knapsack and the clothes she’d left downstairs rested by the door, the latter already cleaned and pressed. The bathroom was bigger, outfitted with everything from a bathtub to a shower and a piece of equipment Emily didn’t recognize. A handful of charms hung in the air, keeping the air warm and dry. There were no visible sources of light, but that was meaningless. The wards kept the rooms illuminated. Emily checked the toilet and washbasin — both of them were clean, thankfully — and then walked back into the living room. Silent hadn’t moved. Her back was ramrod straight.

  Emily peered into the final room — a workroom, complete with a desk, a chair and a small collection of notebooks — then turned back to the maid. Silent was still looking at the ground. Emily felt a flicker of guilt, mingled with a grim awareness that it wasn’t her fault. Silent had no reason to think Emily might be decent. Even Alassa treated her maids poorly, from time to time. And she was one of the kinder aristocrats.

  “I need to sleep,” she said, finally. “You can go.”

  “Yes, My Lady,” Silent said, tonelessly. “What time will My Ladyship require her breakfast?”

  “You can call me Emily,” Emily said.

  Silent looked astonished, just for a second. Emily sighed, inwardly. Asking — telling — the maid to address her by her first name probably broke a whole series of taboos. The aristocracy would have a collective heart attack if they knew. They wanted a society where everyone knew their place and stuck to it. Emily found it disgusting. There was nothing wrong with wanting to climb as high as one could.

  “My Lady... Emily,” Silent managed. She looked as if she expected to be slapped for the heinous crime of following orders. “I... what time would you like your breakfast tomorrow?”

  Emily kept her face expressionless, somehow. “Around seven-thirty, I think,” she said. It should give her time to eat, shower, dress and report to her new master. “Wake me if I’m not already up.”

  She opened her mouth to tell Silent to stay out of her rooms, then changed her mind. The poor maid had to go in and out, just to brush the floor and tidy the clothes. It was inconvenient, and Emily would have preferred to clean her room herself, but there was no point in suggesting it now. It would have to wait until Silent got a little more comfortable with her. She sighed, inwardly. It was starting to look as if that wouldn’t happen until well after she finished her apprenticeship.

  Poor girl, she thought. And she has nowhere else to go.

  “Dismissed,” she said, firmly. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Yes, My Lady.” Silent curtsied, then backed out of the room. “Good night.”

  The door closed behind her. Emily rolled her eyes. She should be used to servants by now, but... the mere concept of servants and slavery offended her on a very basic level. It was fundamentally wrong to rob someone of their freedom and put them to work, either through force or magic. And yet... the hell of it was that there were few other options for girls like Silent. If they didn’t have magic, they married someone their parents chose or they went into service or... or they went to the brothels. Emily shuddered. It just wasn’t right.

  I’ll have to do something for her, afterwards, Emily thought. Who knows? Maybe she’d like to study at Heart’s Eye.

  She turned and walked back into the bedroom. Her knapsack looked untouched, the spells protecting it still in place... although that proved nothing. Void could have undone the spells, inspected the contents and then replaced the spells without her knowing. It was his tower. He had every right to search her possessions — and herself — if he wished. She studied the bag for a moment, looking for something a little more mundane that might have been disturbed. Either the searcher had been astonishingly careful, with an
attention to detail that would have daunted many of the senior magicians she’d met, or the bag hadn’t been searched at all. She opened it anyway and checked the contents. There was nothing missing, not in that sense. She was grimly aware she hadn’t had time to pack everything she might need.

  Putting her possessions to one side, she undressed and climbed into bed. It was reassuringly warm and soft, although she sensed a handful of charms designed to throw a late sleeper out of bed. Whitehall had used similar charms for first- and second-year students. Older students knew how to cancel them. Emily smiled, canceled the spells below her and set an alarm spell before pulling the covers over her head. The teleport lag was getting to her. It felt like late evening even though she was fairly sure it couldn’t be later than mid-afternoon.

  Which means we probably teleported west, she thought, as tiredness threatened to overcome her. We might be somewhere near the Cairngorms.

  The thought amused her for a long moment, although she knew it was meaningless. She’d seen nothing to suggest the Nameless World was any smaller than Earth. The gravity didn’t seem any weaker. And that meant... they could be anywhere. On a map, Europe looked small compared to Russia or America. On a human scale, it was huge. The valley could be anywhere. The Cairngorms? Or somewhere she’d never visited?

  Except you were here, once before, she reminded herself. Void brought you here...

  ^ $The alarm spell went off. Emily sat up, half-convinced there was an intruder in the chamber. She clutched her duvet to her breasts with one hand as she readied a fireball with the other, realizing — a moment later — that it was merely seven o’clock. It was time to get up. She wasn’t sure she believed it — she wasn’t sure she’d even slept — but there was no choice. Void probably wouldn’t kick her out for being late on her very first day... probably. She didn’t want to take the risk. Instead, she stood and stumbled into the bathroom. She didn’t feel remotely human until she turned on the water and stood under the shower, allowing the heat to wake her. She wished, suddenly, for Kava. Silent would bring it. Wouldn’t she?