Chapter 267: 267

Brightblade guided Arran to the stronghold’s main keep, a towering building with thick walls that loomed over the training grounds as a permanent reminder that war was coming .

“It seems a bit much,” Arran offered as they approached it .

“Maybe,” Brightblade replied . “But it’s necessary . Most of the mages in the Valley have never seen a real battle . You saw the novices’ reactions when you attacked them — even without any real danger, their instinct was to flee . They need a reminder that these are no games, or most of them will perish in their first battle . “

“You speak as if war is a foregone conclusion,” Arran said . At the banquet eight months earlier, the Matriarch had said she meant to rebuild the Valley’s strength merely to deter enemies . Yet Brightblade’s efforts were clearly aimed at more than just deterrence .

“Because it is,” Brightblade said . “If the Hunters do not attack, others will arrive . In the few centuries I’ve been alive, I’ve seen the Shadowflame Society face dozens of enemies . Even if the Hunters somehow disappeared, it would only be a matter of time before others took their place . “

“But you believe the Hunters will attack . “

It was a statement rather than a question . Arran did not believe for a moment that the preparations he had seen were merely a precaution . Brightblade was clearly readying the Valley’s mages for war against the Hunters, and she was wasting no time in doing so .

“Perhaps,” she replied . “But we will continue this conversation in my quarters . Now follow me . “

Some minutes later they stepped into a large chamber inside the keep . To call it austere would be an understatement — it was empty except for a single wooden desk and three chairs, and the walls were made of bare stone that reached all the way up to the high ceiling .

Brightblade dismissed her guards with a gesture, and when the two had left the chamber and shut the door behind them, she sealed it with a small but powerful ward .

“Come,” she said, then walked straight at the far wall — and passed right through it .

Arran blinked in surprise . He understood she had placed a concealment ward inside the chamber, but although he had already learned several such wards himself, the one here was so masterfully made that he never would have noticed it .

He quickly followed behind Brightblade and passed through the wall, though not without noticing that even up close, it seemed completely real . Combined with a blocking ward, it would be completely indistinguishable from a real wall .

When he stepped through the illusory wall, he found another chamber . And unlike the first, this one was anything but austere .

Richly filled bookcases and fine paintings lined the walls, and several velvet-clad sofas stood in the left corner of the chamber . On the right was a large wooden desk, upon which lay various opened books and half-read scrolls, along with several empty bottles of wine .

Arran raised an eyebrow as he examined Brightblade’s quarters . Somehow, he doubted her students had any such luxuries .

“Sit,” Brightblade said, taking place on one of the sofas . “What you said earlier was correct . I have no doubt whatsoever that the Hunters will attack . “

“Why?” Arran asked, taking a seat on the sofa opposite Brightblade’s . It was even softer than he had expected .

“Because they have to,” she replied . “With the numbers Rhea has amassed, a few short decades will be enough to fortify the Valley to withstand any assault they can launch . By then, they will be trapped between the Valley and whatever it was that drove them here . “

“Something drove them here?” Arran looked at Brightblade in confusion . This was the first time he had heard anything of the sort .

“You didn’t think they just appeared out of nowhere, did you?” She shook her head . “They only began to appear a few thousand years ago, and under a thousand years have passed since they arrived in numbers . They’re fleeing something — though I don’t know what . “

The words briefly left Arran speechless . For all its Grandmasters and Archmages, the Valley had been brought to its knees by the Hunters . But now, Brightblade casually suggested that those same Hunters were fleeing an even greater danger .

“So they could attack at any moment,” he said after some moments .

Brightblade responded with a quick shake of her head . “They could, but they won’t . Assaulting the Valley is no simple matter, and just readying their troops will take years . More, if they have another enemy to the west . “

“How long do we have?” Arran asked .

A pensive expression appeared on Brightblade’s face, and her eyes narrowed as she considered the question . Finally, she said, “If I were to guess, I’d say we can expect the attack to happen in a decade — long enough for them to prepare a full assault, but not long enough for us to train a new generation of mages . “

That was far longer than Arran had expected, and he breathed a sigh of relief at the answer . He had trained for less than that, and with another decade of training to go, there were few enemies he wouldn’t feel confident in facing .

“And that brings us to you,” Brightblade said . “You are struggling to learn the Shadowflame spell, correct?”

Arran nodded . Brightblade hadn’t been able to follow his training as closely as before in recent months, but it came as no surprise that she’d kept abreast of his progress . And his struggle in learning the Shadowflame spell was no secret — every single one of his teachers was well aware of that .

“Many novices face the same obstacle,” she said . “And in most cases, it’s nothing that a few years or decades of training can’t overcome . “

At this, Arran’s face fell . He was well aware that it wasn’t uncommon for novices to spend decades learning the spell, and that more than a few never succeeded at all, remaining novices until the day of their death .

Yet Brightblade ignored his troubled look, and continued, “There’s another matter to consider . To gain the title of novice, you will have to spend a year in the borderlands . You have long surpassed the skill of a mere initiate, and it’s high time that you take a rank more befitting your strength . “

Arran frowned . “What are you getting at?”

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“I have discussed the matter with Rhea, and we have decided to address both matters at once . ” A small smile formed on Brightblade’s lips as she spoke . “You are to travel into the borderlands, where you will go into secluded training until you master the Shadowflame spell . Once you return, you will be made an adept . “

“An adept? Not a novice?” Arran looked at Brightblade in surprise .

“You have the skills to qualify for the title, if only barely,” she replied . “A year or two of secluded training will further add to that . Once you learn the Shadowflame spell, you will be more than ready to become an adept . “

Arran felt a brief flash of joy at the prospect of becoming an adept, but it disappeared a moment later, suspicion taking its place .

“Why not have me train at your estate?” he asked . “I’ve already spent plenty of time in the borderlands, and having teachers to guide me will help me progress faster . “

“We could make an exception,” Brightblade admitted . “But secluded training has its own benefits . And after you succeed, you will have the opportunity to recover Elder Nikias’s writings . You still intend to study the Forms, do you not?”

While the answer seemed straightforward, Arran could not help but think something was lacking . And after a moment’s thought, it struck him .

“Snowcloud,” he said, brow creased in confusion . “You want to keep us apart . Why?”

Brightblade smiled regretfully . “That is part of it, as well . The ember that has grown between you two could easily grow into a fire . And if it does, it would serve as a distraction from training . “

“Nonsense,” Arran said bluntly, some anger in his voice now . “I won’t be distracted that easily . “

“Perhaps not,” Brightblade replied . “But you are not the one I’m worried about . You are already strong enough to defend yourself, and even without training, your strength will grow further . But Snowcloud…”

“She’s more skilled than I am,” Arran interrupted her . “More skilled than any novice in the Valley — and most of the adepts . “

“True,” Brightblade said . “In combat, she should be a match for any adept in this entire Valley . But how much effort would it take you to kill even the strongest adept we have?”

Arran gave Brightblade an uncomfortable look . There was no need to answer the question — he could kill any adept in the Valley effortlessly . With his strength and resistance to magic, it would be like butchering a lamb .

“Hunters have powers similar to yours,” Brightblade continued . “And the Valley’s mages will face thousands such enemies when the war begins . If Snowcloud is to have a chance of surviving, she cannot afford even the slightest distraction from her training . “

To this, Arran had no response . When it came to Snowcloud’s safety, he wouldn’t take risks — even if they were ones she herself might accept gladly .

“It doesn’t seem fair,” he finally said, though not before letting out a deep sigh .

Brightblade shrugged . “You are both mages, and talented enough to live another thousand years . You will have plenty of time to roll around in haystacks in the future . “

Arran glared at her, but there was no point in refusing . As much as he wanted her to be wrong, he knew she was right . If the Hunters’ powers resembled his own, Snowcloud would need every second of training she could get .

Yet Brightblade wasn’t done yet .

“There remains one final matter,” she said . “We know little of the Hunters — too little . And although the Ninth Valley has sent plenty of spies their way, they have an unfortunate habit of killing any mages who set foot in their lands . “

Arran groaned, immediately understanding what she was about to say .

“But, as luck would have it,” she continued, “your powers not only match theirs, but you can also hide your Realms better than anyone else in the Valley . “

“You want me to spy on them,” Arran said .

“Correct,” Brightblade responded, a cheerful smile on her face .