Adept

  A Spell for Kia: Adept

  J. P. Larson

  Games

  It was spring. My nine-year anniversary at the school was approaching. I had turned twenty-one a few months ago, and Eva's twenty-first was less than a week behind us. We were both still journeywomen, but instead of being the youngest journeywomen, we were now the oldest that were expected to become adepts. Autumnia, Easen and Nuria were still journeywomen. The rest had graduated, some as adepts and some remaining journeywomen. We didn't see much of them. Several were expected to become magi eventually, but they were all focusing on their terms of service.

  Of the apprentices from our time as apprentices, half had become journeywomen in the last three years. Yalide had graduated first and moved in with Easen. They got along very well. Dalla had moved in with Wyntara, but then Wyntara graduated; now Dalla's old roommate, Diana, lived with her again. Brigette had been next and moved in with Autumnia. Pencia, Sarai and Mindy had all moved in with older journeywomen who had since graduated and now had rooms of their own.

  I'd been a little worried when Brigette had moved in across the hall from me, but the first night she arrived, she came to our door and asked to speak with me.

  "Autumnia used to tutor me, and I really like her," Brigette said. "You and I haven't had any trouble for years, and I'm sorry I was a bitch to you all those years ago. But if you're not comfortable, I'll ask Autumnia if we can move to a room on second floor, or I'll make other arrangements."

  And so, I'd accepted her apology, and in the year since she had arrived, we hadn't any difficulties with each other. We would never be friends, but we treated each other with careful politeness, and I was fine with that.

  When Wyntara graduated, and Diana was about to move in with Dalla, they had also come to our room together. Wyntara and Dalla had lived on second floor, but Dalla and Diana wanted to live on third floor. And so, we'd had a six-way conversation, as it included Lunia and Loralai.

  "Is six too many of us using one bathroom?" Dalla asked. "We can stay downstairs, but we like it up here better."

  "Are you going to invite your swordsmen to move in with you?" Eva asked.

  "We talked about it," Diana said. "No, we aren't."

  "Because I don't want to share a bathroom with men," Eva continued. "I don't really want to encounter them on the dash from the shower to our room, either. If there are any men moving into the dormitory, I want them in a wing that already has other swordsmen in it."

  "That's a fair point," Dalla said. "If we ever change our mind, we'll figure something out, but we won't do anything that makes you share your bathroom with men."

  "Then I don't mind," Eva said. And that was the answer for our room.

  Eva was the senior roommate, after all.

  She had become more than that. It wasn't official, but she was certainly considered senior of all of us living on this wing of the third floor, and the women from the rest of the building tended to look to her for leadership as well.

  There had been other changes. Lenda and Astari were apprentices now. Lenda had passed by the skin of her teeth, and I suspected the committee had gone easy on her. She was actually going to be a good healer, or at least a healer's assistant. I didn't think she would ever become a journeywoman, but she still had a few years of growing power, so it was possible. Astari was doing better, and I thought she would see journeywoman soon.

  I should know; I'd been given permission to tutor both of them.

  The summer after our big adventure, Eva and I had been given an easy summer of it. We'd been sent out together and told to, "Go wherever you want. Kia, you may be a journeywoman healer or botanist. You're qualified for both. Eva, you will keep your ear to the ground and see if there's anything we need to handle." In other words, we were given an excuse to go visit both our homes.

  I had offered to go to Lake Vartalta first, but Eva said, "Let's make a loop to Lamore's Crossing then hit my home on the way back."

  We invited Magus Iladarta to accompany us, and we took three weeks to get to Lamore's Crossing. She gave me a much better idea of how to be a proper traveling botanist than I had gotten with Magus Byseen the previous summer. We still couldn't spend the amount of time at each village that it would take to do the job properly, but we did what we could.

  I loved working with her.

  It was great to be home. We'd been there two days, and Eva and I had turned to Iladarta. "We want games."

  She laughed. "I thought you might. Quartain and I put our heads together, and I believe we have a few ideas for you."

  And so, every few days, she gave us a game, asking the rest of my family who wanted to play that day. Some days it was just Eva and I with our swordswomen. Other days Shalaya joined us. Mother enjoyed the games, too, and even Grandmama played. On Eightdays, Shalaya's new husband joined us along with Uri and his wife, Kindo and his girlfriend, and both my parents.

  I found myself hunting Eva the spy. I found myself evading Eva. We found ourselves evading our swordswomen. We found ourselves evading half the village one day, but we hadn't known the entire village was involved until it was nearly too late.

  We'd stayed for nearly three weeks before leaving everyone behind, four of us traveling to Eva's home at Neecor's Harbor on the shore of Lake Vartalta. We'd stayed there for a month with me acting as a part time regional healer. Eva's family had welcomed us warmly, and it had been a beautiful visit.

  Eva took me sailing.

  Last summer had been somewhat different. In the spring, Quartain invited us into her office. "I will give you two a choice. Together or apart."

  "Together."

  "You'll be with Magus Byseen again."

  "Together."

  "It should be calmer than it was two years ago."

  "Together."

  And so, we had headed north up the coast, investigating reports of smuggling. Byseen and Balorick went in disguise, and we were to call them Varta and Bandy, family friends of Eva's. We set up base at Invartine's Cove, a port town far to the north, and I spent the summer as a regional healer. Eva acted as my assistant, which gave her ample opportunity to talk to people. Byseen and Balorick together went under cover, and Eva spent many late nights out with them.

  They found the smugglers and also got a lead on a pirate den. That resulted in a letter to the Ordeen Navy, who had great fun catching the pirates. We were invited along, and it was my truth spells that were used during some of the interrogations.

  I hadn't exactly enjoyed that, but the navy thanked all of us for our work, and then they gave us a cruise up the coast, their guests for a week. They told us it was "pirate patrol," but Byseen just said, "Enjoy it. It's a beautiful summer to be out on the ocean."

  * * * *

  But now it was the following spring and Sevenday besides. Sevenday morning activities were performed with the initiates on one field, or sometimes two when there were enough, the novices on a second field, and the apprentices and journeywomen together on the last field. The afternoon would split the journeywomen out to their own field, but for the morning games, with no magic involved, we played together.

  Eva and I walked to the morning games with Lenda and Astari, the three of them already telling me how badly I was going to lose this morning.

  "You don't even know what game we're playing," I said.

  "It doesn't matter," Eva said. "And you know it."

  I sighed. She was right.

  For the afternoon games, Quartain had slowly allowed Eva and me to team together, at first occasionally, and then over the last year, more often, but certainly not every week. We had last week, so I was almost certain we would be separated this week. We were the only roommate pairs that were clearly singled out this way. Astari and Lenda were nearly always on the same team, for instance. Even if they
stood side-by-side, expecting to be put on opposite teams, Adept Cardartina might count them as "One-one, two-two" instead, putting them together.

  We arrived on the field and waited for Adept Cardartina and Adept Valla to declare the game. From beside me, Eva, Lenda and Astari were quietly chanting, "Capture the Flag. Capture the Flag." And so, when Adept Valla called out, "Capture the flag," they had jumped into the air together saying, "Yes!"

  Eva immediately turned to me. "Wager."

  I sighed. "What?"

  "I personally will capture you or help capture you at least three more times than you personally capture me. If I don't win, and you help capture me at least once, you win. Otherwise neither of us wins."

  "All right," I agreed. I would have agreed to whatever she proposed, of course, but form must be followed.

  "If you win, I'll leave you alone for at least the first ten minutes in the game later, unless you go after me first."

  "Oh, big stakes," I said.

  "Furthermore, if you last longer in the game this afternoon than I do, I'll count it as a second win for you."

  "And if you win this morning?"

  She whispered in my ear with her hands cupped, "Whatever Eva says."

  I laughed. "For how long?"

  "Until Oneday morning."

  "Agreed. And when I win this afternoon?"

  It was her turn to laugh. It wasn't going to happen. She cupped her hands over my ear again. "Whatever Eva thinks Kia wants."

  We laughed together and I agreed. I was going to lose, but it was all in fun anyway.

  As expected, they were all ones. I was a two.

  Everyone on my side expected me to lead our team. "Eva has a wager with me," I said. "You're going to need a different team captain today." So Brigette offered. She was a pretty good team captain. Then she asked me for the details of the wager.

  "It's how many times they catch me as compared to how many times I catch Eva."

  "You're going to lose."

  "I know, but it will be in fun."

  The game began. Eva, Lenda and Astari immediately moved to the front of their team, coming to a stop at the midway point. I hung well back and let Brigette direct our forces. She didn't order me to take point, which I appreciated. But Eva called out.

  "You. Roomie. I will consider it a forfeit if you hide in back all morning."

  I laughed. "You should have declared that rule before we started, Eva."

  But it wasn't my nature to play passively, and when there was a struggle at the middle, I stepped up to help. Suddenly there was a shifting. My entire team was pulled to the middle, and then the fight over Dalla and Balseena became a fight over Eva and me as Eva's entire team shifted to grab me. We struggled back and forth for a while, Lenda and Astari struggling to break my team's hold on me, and suddenly I was torn free. Eva's entire team picked me up and carried me into their territory. I was the first capture.

  Eva herself escorted me to prison, laughing.

  "That costs you," I said.

  "Oh?"

  "Yep. I want a kiss and a grope."

  "You should have made that rule earlier," she said.

  "I didn't hide in back," I pointed out.

  So, she pulled me into her arms, gave me a thorough kiss, and groped my ass. I was pretty happy.

  Two minutes later, I saw Eva at the middle in a conversation with Brigette, everyone else remaining well clear. The two split apart after that, neither of them even trying to drag the other one to prison.

  In all our games, Eva had never done anything I felt was cheating, but if my team helped her to win the wager, I was going to be very, very angry with all of them, and later, the entire field was going to be clinging brambles for everyone, every last one.

  Instead, a minute later, Dalla was running along the sidelines. She was on my team, and Eva's team was ignoring her, letting her run into their territory, although they cut off any escape if she should collect the flag. She ran deep into the back then cut straight to me, freeing me.

  "Oh no," Eva said dramatically. "She freed Kia."

  I began laughing. "Seriously, Eva?"

  "We didn't even notice her," Eva said. "We were strategizing."

  "Yeah, right."

  Dalla laughed and escorted me back to our side again. I walked straight to Brigette. "Did she tell you to help me get captured?"

  "Nope. She said we could free you every time though, but whoever does it needs to say your name before stepping into their territory, and if we cheat, she's going after me later, and she'll embarrass me badly besides."

  "So no cheating."

  "No cheating."

  They caught me four times in the first game and eleven times in all. I caught Eva once.

  I got a lot of kisses and gropes and didn't mind losing.

  Then it was time for lunch and our swordswomen to arrive. Eva and I had made permanent choices of Loralai and Lunia, but both of them periodically made us choose someone else. "It's good practice," they explained. Sometimes they let us switch, and I would partner with Loralai. We weren't really part of our old choosing club any more, as we hadn't been sharing our partners for so long we didn't feel it was right, so sometimes Eva and I picked from whomever was available after everyone else had chosen.

  I didn't like those weeks very much, and I had complained about it a few times until Lunia finally pulled me aside and told me to stop griping. "We get to play plenty. This is about making sure the other swordsmen remember you and think kindly of you, Kia. You and Eva are very charming with your swordsmen, but now especially that we're living with you, we need to keep good relations with the rest." I hadn't complained again.

  But this week was a "normal" week. Eva and Loralai were partnered as were Lunia and I. And, as Eva and I had been on the same team last Sevenday afternoon, I already knew we wouldn't be this week. And, of course, we weren't.

  We did our various partner exercises first. Then Adept Valla said, "We're going to do some three-on-one and four-on-one exercises. We borrowed the remaining unmatched swordsmen to help us." Eva began to grin, but then Adept Valla added, "No camouflage spells."

  "Wager, Eva," I said immediately.

  "You haven't heard Adept Valla's handicap to you," Eva said immediately. "And you know she has one."

  I turned to Adept Valla. "Are you going to limit my spells?" She shook her head. "Let them start within five paces of me?" She shook her head again. So, I turned back to Eva and smiled.

  "All right," she said. "Adept Valla, will you be judge of which of us lasts longest?"

  I scoffed. "I'm going to win."

  "Do you mean you are going to last longer than Eva, or you are going to beat the swordsmen arrayed against you?"

  "The latter, unless you shield them from my magic."

  "No shields," she said. "Make your wagers."

  "Laundry for a month," Eva offered.

  "Boring," I replied.

  "And nightly pampering for a week, beginning Oneday."

  "Better," I said. "Agreed."

  "That wager is now binding," Adept Valla said. "We'll save your competitions for the end." She paused. "Actually, we need a demonstration event. This event does not count towards your wager. Eva and Kia will both demonstrate at the same time. Opposite ends of the field. Neither of you to cast until your nearest opponent is within ten yards. Go."

  I went left; Eva went right, both of us coming to a stop near our respective end of the field. Adept Valla sent eight swordsmen onto the middle of the field then called, "Begin."

  I immediately began dancing back and forth on my feet. Loralai, Henta, Ploardo and Michael turned to me. They moved smoothly towards me, their practice swords glowing lightly with the magic cast upon them. If they hit me, whatever they hit would grow immediately numb and useless: an arm, a leg, or my entire body if they hit something more vital. Loralai loved spanking me in the ass, which numbed my ass and both legs.

  I was sorely tempted to dispel the spell cast upon me, the counterpart to
the ones cast on their swords, but I didn't even want to think about what would happen if I tried it.

  I didn’t think Senior Magus Quartain would be amused with me.

  My opponents moved in a line, fanning out only slightly, with Loralai and Ploardo in the middle. When they reached fifteen yards from me, I began shifting to the left, and they began running. The only chance they had was to move through the "killing zone" of the last ten yards before I could stop all of them.

  When they were exactly ten yards away, I cast my first spell, a tangle spell right into the grass at my feet. It ignored me but spread out for six or eight yards. I then shifted direction, running away from all of them.

  Ploardo and Loralai plowed right into my spell. Ploardo almost managed to bull his way through it, but then he fell, and the grass rose up and fully tangled him. Loralai had more experience dealing with it and managed to avoid falling, but she came to a stop, struggling to free her legs.

  "Oh, I'm going to get you, Kia!" she said.

  Michael ran across the right edge. The tangles slowed him down, but he'd be free soon enough. Henta managed to make it around the left side completely, so I cut right and threw a light spell at her, catching her in the face. Then I took Michael down with a paralyze spell and stopped, studying Loralai. I had my hand raised, a paralyze spell waiting for her. I didn't actually need to use my hands, but it was my way of letting her know I had something for her.

  "Adept Valla, have I won?" I called out.

  "If Loralai chooses to surrender you have," she replied.

  "I surrender," she said.

  "I think you're supposed to kneel, Loralai," I said.

  She glared at me then looked at the grass, hungry to wrap itself around her. The blades were waving around in the air. "That is so spooky. Are you really going to make me kneel in it?"

  "Of course not. It was preemptive teasing to make up for what you do to me later."

  She laughed.

  I dropped my spell then dispelled the light spell on Henta, Michael's paralyze, and finally I asked the grass to free Loralai and Ploardo.

  By the time I had everyone free and we had returned to the main group, Eva had won her round with Lunia, Nalteed, Bryce and Camicko.