There were three phases to the assessment. A written test of knowledge, a physical test of combat abilities and spellcasting, and an oral interview. The interview was the final phase, with the order of the first two phases being random.

For the groups who had arrived earlier, including Xerxes’ fellows, the order of testing was determined by lots. Xerxes was hoping that his combat and spellcasting test would come first, as that was his strong suit. He’d rather go into the assessment with a bang and make a big impression, than start out with his weak point: book knowledge.

When the lots were cast after the dinner hour, his scalp tightened when he saw he was scheduled for the first round of written testing on Firstday, with combat and spellcasting being tested on Thirdday.

He hardly registered anything around him as he trudged from the dining hall back to the dorms.

“I can’t believe this,” he said, flopping down onto his bed. “Our group arrived fourth! I thought for sure that meant we’d have a couple of days to study during the week.”

Gandash sat at his study desk, which looked smaller than ever covered with books and papers. It was quite a contrast to Xerxes’ desk, which seemed emptier than a torrent valley in the dry season.

“I told you something like this was going to happen,” Gandash said. “What were you doing all afternoon? ‘Training?’”

“Yeah.”

“Hope it was worth it.”

Xerxes opened his mouth to fire off a retort, but no words came. He closed his mouth.

Gandash sighed. “We have a couple of hours before lights out. Why don’t we review together?”

Groaning, Xerxes sat up. “Yeah, I probably should. But review what? Do you have any idea what’s going to be on the test?”

“Nobody knows that. From what I’ve heard, though, the topics from the recent lectures and training exercises are all going to have test questions. Which one do you think is your weakest?”

“All of them?”

Gandash laughed, then turned in his chair and grabbed a book. “Let’s start with starsea geography. That’s definitely not your strong suit.”

Xerxes groaned again.

Gandash flipped open the book. “Okay, they definitely talked about the breakdown of the empire itself. For instance, the Major Artery Gateways. How many of them were disabled, cutting off the passageways to the Nightmare Cove?”

Xerxes licked his lips. “Three?”

Gandash looked up at him with a deadpan expression.

“Two?”

Gandash visibly attempted not to frown. “Five.”

“I was going to say that….”

For the following thirty minutes, Xerxes proved that he was, at best, behind in geography. It was a struggle not to look embarrassed. He was already starting to feel like a fool for having his head in the clouds recently.

“How about we focus on something more in line with your strengths,” Gandash said, picking out another book, this one about spellcasting. “Let’s start by listing out the casting times for all Seer-level spells.”

An hour passed, whereupon they switched topics and delved into components.

“This is so dumb,” Xerxes said. “I’m an Asgagu mage. Why should I know all the details of Hasasu spell components? It makes no sense!”

“Simple. I’ll give you an example. A Hasasu Mystic can cast Superior Empathics, which has a range of about a hundred and twenty-five cubits. That’s more than enough distance to get a read on enemy troops, whether they’re in formation on the battlefield, or in a camp at night.”

“Okay. So…?”

“So you obviously need to know Hasasu components.”

“But why?”

Ganash huffed. “What if you’re… I don’t know, raiding an enemy camp, and you find a stash of spell components. You can only take enough stuff to fit in a bag, so you have to pick and choose. If you have a Hasasu Mystic in your group, you should know what components they need. What if you fill your bag with beach sand components, but have no Balatu mage that can use them? You’d waste your entire raiding trip.”

Xerxes tilted his head to the side and lifted his eyebrows. “Okay, good point.”

“So, going with the Hasasu theme. The Hasasu Seer-level spell is Base Empathics. The component is a mixture of…?”

“Diamond powder and… hm….”

“Broad….”

“Broadleaf dust!”

Gandash clapped softly. “Good! Mix broadleaf dust and diamond powder, and you get…?”

“Broadleaf powder!”

“You’re on a roll, Xerk. Okay, moving on to Hasasu High Seers. What are the two spells they bring to the table?”

“Greater Empathics and Minor Stellar Inkling!”

“Bingo!”

“See, I’m not completely hopeless.”

Another hour passed.

Gandash yawned. “You getting sleepy yet?”

“No way. Let’s keep going.”

“Okay, but it’s not smart to go into a test without a good night’s sleep.” He glanced at the timepiece above the door. “I’d say we have about another hour.”

Shortly thereafter, the toll of a bell announced lights out time had arrived. They dutifully turned the main lamps out. But as was a custom among students everywhere, they threw a blanket to the base of the door to block the light, and kept studying with candles.

They moved on to battlefield tactics, then did a quick review of basic history, before Gandash finally said he was too tired to continue.

“Night, Gandy,” Xerxes said. “Thanks for the help.”

“Sure thing, Xerk. See you in the morning.”

Xerxes blew his candle out, lay his head on his pillow, and looked up at the ceiling. All of a sudden, he realized he hadn’t thought about Katayoun for almost the entire afternoon. Now, she filled his mind; her hair, her eyes, her voice.

Dammit, I’m never going to be able to fall asleep now, he thought. Two minutes later, he was snoring.

The following morning after breakfast, he climbed the stairs to the second floor of the main wing of the school, where most of the classrooms were located. There were a few other Seers already waiting outside of classroom 2-E, which was the test location.

He was still behind on learning names, but he recognized most faces. Not a single one was from Humusi. More mages arrived after him, and then a teacher let them in.

“Make sure you have at least three desks between each of you,” the teacher said.

When they were situated, the teacher passed out wax tablets and wooden styluses to the test-takers.

“The first portion of the test is multiple choice. Record your answers on the tablet. You’ll have one hour. When you finish, close the tablet and put your stylus down, then wait for the second phase of the test. In a moment, I’ll pass out the test questions. Don’t break the seal until I announce the official start of the test.”

With that, the teacher passed out a sealed scroll to each student.

“Begin,” the teacher said.