Going back to the lectern, she took a small selection of papers out of the larger stack. Keeping them in hand, she stepped around the table, then leaned back so she was partially sitting on it.

“Before I hand out the actual oath papers, I’ll explain the situation. One of the main reasons you’ve been brought here, to the finest military academy in the Great Reef, is to learn how to fight alongside other mages and Unsighted troops on the battlefield, using magic effectively while you do it. That’s what the Sin-Amuhhu Combined Armed Forces are famous for, and we want you to be model members.

“One of the biggest downsides to this situation is that you’re at about the lowest level a mage can be: Seer. Not that becoming a Seer is a small accomplishment. But if this issue with the Abhorrent turns into a real war in the lower starisles, then we need more than Seers. And so, the Institute is going to give you resources the likes of which you probably aren’t aware exist. Spell formations. Medicinal pills. Techniques. All of which will significantly accelerate your progress.

“Question. How long does it normally take a Seer to become a High Seer?”

Three students raised their hands.

“You,” Rabya said, pointing at the girl with the buzzed hair.

“Two to two-and-a-half years.”

“That’s likely what you were taught. And generally speaking, it’s true. But you’re military people now. Backed by the Pontifarch’s entire bureaucracy. With the resources we’ll provide you, every one of you should reach the High Seer level in at least six months. Or faster in the case of those who’ve performed multiple Flushes, such as you, Katayoun of Dumusi, or you—” she looked at the young man with buzzed hair “—Kuri of Al-Ga. Both of you have three Flushes under your belt, so odds are the two of you will break through to High Seer first.

“We have others with two Flushes. Enusat of Humusi. Dasi of Sin-Masu—” that was the girl with the piercings “—Tizqar of Dadu—” the overweight young man with the jowls “—and Laxu of Harmu. The rest of you with only one Flush, will likely take the longest. However, nothing’s a guarantee. Work hard, and efficiently, and even those with a single Flush could surpass the others. And the school will reward the first twenty to reach that level.

“Now, what’s the point of these?” She held up the slips of paper.

Kuri with the buzzed hair raised his hand.

“Yes?”

“Blood oaths. When you mark them in blood, imprint them with mage touch, and burn them, you create an oath that the starsea itself will enforce.”

“More than the starsea,” Rabya said, “but I guess there’s no need to get so picky about descriptions. Yes, the point is that a blood oath is binding on a magical level. Well, perhaps not magical. It’s beyond that. It’s bound by natural law.”

She handed the stack of papers to Kuri and said, “Pass them back.”

Then she pulled out a small wooden case, opened it, and took out some needles. She handed them to Kuri as well. “These too.”

Going back to her spot at the table, she continued, “It’s not common knowledge that progress in the arcane can be accelerated so dramatically. In fact, it’s forbidden to spread such information. By whom, you might ask? The headmaster of our school, who’s a High Archon? The Mage Parliament of Sin-Amuhhu? No.” Her voice suddenly turned extremely hard, and she nearly yelled, “By the fucking Pontifarch himself!”

Her words hung as the Seers took sheets of paper and needles. After letting the silence grow suffocating, Rabya said, “I know I said to keep the language professional, but as the teacher, I get to bend the rules occasionally.”

Some of the students chuckled.

“In any case, I’m not trying to be dramatic. Or… perhaps I am. The point is you need to understand the gravity of the oath. Not even ordinary students here at the Institute receive the benefits you will receive. And thus, you must swear to never reveal this secret about magical advancement.

“Now, read the oath papers, then use the needle to prick your finger and mark the spot on the bottom with blood. Finally, use your mage sight to look into the structure of the paper, find the spot where you can bind yourself to it. After, pass the papers up to me.”

When Xerxes got his copy, he read the words, which were relatively simple, demanding that he be loyal to the Sin-Amuhhu Combined Armed Forces and never reveal confidential information. The matter of accelerated magical progress was specifically addressed, but the oath also remained somewhat open-ended in terms of what else might be considered confidential.

“What if we refuse to do the oath?” asked Dasi. “Not that I want to. I’m just curious.”

“Then you’re out,” Rabya replied. “They’ll run a full investigation to figure out what you’re hiding, and if you’re lucky, you might go home. If you’re not lucky, you might end up in prison or worse. I suggest just going through with the oath.”

After all the students completed the required steps, they passed the papers up to Rabya, who produced a cauldron of some sort from her pack. Into the cauldron went the papers, and then she used a device to produce a flame. The class watched the papers burn into ash.

Xerxes expected to feel something during the process, but didn’t. No tug at his heart. No tingle in his mind.

“And that’s that,” Rabya said. “Before we get to today’s lecture, I want to address something else. I bet some of you are thinking that Mystics like me aren’t very impressive, right? You all come from lower starisles where the most powerful mages you knew were Mystics, but here on Sin-Amuhhu, you were expecting to find Archons and High Archons coming out of the woodwork.

“If that’s what was on your mind, then sorry to disappoint. Even here, in a Flourishing starisle, we don’t even have forty Archons and twenty High Archons. And why is that?”

Katayoun raised her hand and Rabya called on her.

“There are limitations imposed by natural law that put a cap on how many people in a given starisle can break through to higher levels."

“That’s right,” Rabya said. “It’s for that reason that we don’t have many Archons to begin with. Beyond that, although you’re being treated special, you aren’t that special. So while you’ll still be taught by Archons occasionally, it won’t be the norm.

“The reason I’m your teacher has something to do with this.” She reached back and pulled her longsword out. Gripping it at the base of the blade, she pointed the pommel at the Swordmasters in the back. “These five all study the Epitome. Other than them, can anyone present explain what the Epitome is?”

Xerxes breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn’t asked the question of him, as he still didn’t know.

Only two in the class raised their hands. One was Katayoun, the other was the extremely short and skinny girl.

“Ningal?” said Rabya.

The skinny girl straightened in her seat. “The Epitome is a sword fighting technique created by the greatest swordsman to ever exist. He traveled the starsea thousands of years ago and defeated all his enemies. He had fifteen apprentices who carried on his legacy after he died.”

Rabya closed her eyes and sighed. “I was hoping for a slightly more accurate version of the story, but that’s close enough. He didn’t just travel the starsea, he went beyond it, to other starseas. And also—” she opened her eyes “—some people think he’s still alive. Which seems ridiculous to me considering he wasn’t a mage. And even if he was a mage, his longevity would surely have run out by now. Anyway, what’s more relevant, the Epitome specifically describes the oral and written tradition he created. But thank you for the answer, Ningal, it was close enough.

“You five in the back have obviously been introduced to the Epitome, which is unusual given that you all come from Stricken starisles. Frankly speaking, we didn’t expect anyone from such starisles to know about the longsword. There aren’t enough of you to form a dedicated class, so you’ll be under my wing. I myself have studied it for over two hundred years, and am considered… proficient.” She clapped her hands. “But don’t worry, I’m also quite good at other things, such as spellcasting, strategy, tactics, and the like. Also cooking and poker, but that’s not important.

“As for the rest of you, don’t worry. When I teach longsword, I’ll arrange for the best of the best to tutor you in other combat arts. That is, unless you feel like joining us, which you’re welcome to do.

“We have a lot to cover in the next six months, so I suppose we should stop jabbering and get to today’s lecture. Every Firstday we’ll go over battlefield tactics, and today we’ll start with High Seer combinations focused around Nasaru mages. This isn’t just important for our Nasaru mages, who include Jad, Arwia, and Atra-Hasis. The rest of you need to understand how you can benefit from working with a defense mage on the battlefield, either individually, or when leading a formation of troops.

“Question for non-Nasaru mages: how many times can a Nasaru Seer cast Personal Deflection before running out of melam? Ningal?”

The skinny mage answered, “Five.”

“Good. Now let’s talk Stronghold Deflection. How many consecutive castings could a High Seer sustain?”