Incendiary Knowledge

Thoughts about his mother's letter still flittered in and out of Martel's head the next day, especially since his first lesson in combat magic required little work by his mind. He realised that he was in danger of doing the same as before; delay writing a reply to avoid bearing bad news until he had completely forgotten about it, which would surely prompt another guilt-inducing letter from his mother. Even if Martel was unsure how to best proceed, he probably needed to handle this today instead of procrastinating any further.

Second lesson of Malday always proved more interesting than its earlier counterpart, for better or worse. Reynard had expanded on their previous tactics; rather than a fire acolyte and a mageknight against two of the latter, they now fought in bigger teams with several battlemages and their protectors side by side. Maximilian had explained it to him once; it resembled the tactics of the Khivan formation with muskets firing on the flanks only to retreat behind infantry once battlelines closed.

To Martel, who had no knowledge of war, Maximilian's explanations did not always make sense. He had never heard of gunpowder weapons before coming to Morcaster, and it had required a lengthier discussion along with crude illustrations before he understood the basic principle; it seemed to be similar to a bow, except it shot little metal balls rather than arrows. It did not sound dangerous, but given that the Khivans had fought toe to toe with the Asterian legions for over a decade, it had to be.

A mageknight pushed down the defender in front of Martel. Her triumph only lasted until she realised this gave her no cover from the fire acolyte; she raised her shield in futile protection as Martel's fire bolt struck her knee. The loss of balance kept her from avoiding his next attack as well; a third spell proved enough to make her yield.

"Alright, enough. Get some water in you," Reynard yelled across the gymnasium as the skirmish came to an end. The students got back on their feet, many of them muttering or grumbling. Martel caught a glimpse of Harriet, who had been on the opposing side, and he smiled to himself seeing her angry expression. While not outright at odds with each other, feelings between the two acolytes could not be described as cordial.

"You did quite well." Eleanor appeared, using her elbow to catch his attention.

"Likewise." They had been on the same team, though opposite ends. "Your flank won faster than ours."

They walked towards the water barrels, lining up with all the others. "Amazing how much better a battlemage performs when they have a proper defence protecting them." A few annoyed looks reached them from those mageknights nearby who seemed to take offence at Eleanor's remark.

"Oh, are you busy tonight?" Martel asked.

"I have a few matters to deal with. What makes you ask?"

"Ah, nothing. I was planning to go to the Basilica, leave an offering in my father's memory. I'll just go on my own."

"Well, I have nothing tomorrow evening. Or does it have to be today?"

Martel shook his head, smiling a little. "Not at all. Tomorrow would be great."

"In that case, I would be happy to accompany you." She reciprocated his expression, reaching out to grab a bowl to dip into the water barrel.

***

His duties done for the day, and his journey to the Basilica postponed until tomorrow, Martel had no excuses left when it came to writing his mother a letter. Seated in his chamber, staring at the blank parchment, Martel finally took hold of his quill.

Dear mum,

Thanks for writing me. I'm sorry I didn't reply to your last letter. As you guessed, a lot has happened here to keep me occupied every hour of the day. That includes graduating to acolyte. As a novice, I was learning general magic and other skills. Now, as an acolyte, I have begun my training into specialised magic.

I know that I told you I wanted to be a weathermage like Master Ogion, but it turns out, I am better suited for something else. I am very good with magic related to fire, and the Imperial administration wants me to become a battlemage. That may sound frightening, but you should not worry. I will not be at the frontline. We stay in the back, using our spells to provide support for the legionaries doing the actual fighting. So it is nothing to be concerned about. And maybe I can get posted to a legion in Nordmark, which would give me a chance to visit.

I am glad to hear everyone is well, including John. I will save up more money in case he or someone else falls sick again. I will also be visiting the Basilica tomorrow to pray for father. I think I mentioned it to you before. It is the most beautiful building I have ever seen. My friend Eleanor will go with me. She comes from a patrician family, but as we are both mages, we can still be friends.

We also had wonderful spring festivities here. I imagine I told you about seeing a play last year. The same troupe came back, and they performed a comedy that was so funny, I had tears of laughter. It was about a simple farmer who woke up and thought he was an important man, ordering everyone about, and they went along with it while laughing at him behind his back. Maybe it doesn't sound so funny when I explain it. I guess that's where the skill of the actors come in.

I will try to reply faster to any future letters. I will also let you know once I hear about my posting.

Love,

Martel

Setting his quill aside, Martel opened the drawer to pick out four copper coins to pay for the post. Once the ink felt dry, he folded the letter and placed the pennies next to it, keeping everything ready to hand over tomorrow.