11- The Sergeant's Apprentice by Christopher Nuttall

Author:Christopher Nuttall
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

EMILY FELT MORE HUMAN AFTER A long bath, although her body still ached and her jaw throbbed where Casper had struck her. She resisted the urge to drink something for the pain, instead concentrating on her mental disciplines as she made her way down to the kitchens. The servants had already laid out the food, a strange mixture of warm meats and breads that reminded her of Middle Eastern food on Earth. She took Casper’s tray, then walked back up to the dining room.

And if he makes fun of me, she thought as she pushed the door open, I’ll ...

She cut off that thought, sharply. She’d come up with a plan to help him. She wasn’t about to ruin it because he laughed in her face. But then ... she could always challenge him herself, after the war. General Pollack could hardly complain if she sought to regain her title. But she didn’t want the title ... perhaps she’d just refuse to spar with Casper, afterwards.

The dining room was little more than a pile of cushions, her fellow apprentices and their masters lounging on them as if they didn’t have a care in the world. General Pollack stood behind Casper, his face unreadable. Someone had opened a bottle of wine, the fumes tickling Emily’s nostrils as she strode into the room. Thankfully, Casper didn’t appear to be drinking. Instead, he sat upright, his eyes bright with a strange mixture of relief and fear. Master Grave, Emily suspected, had pointed out that he’d claimed a poisoned chalice. Everyone would want a chance to claim the title for themselves.

“My Lord,” she said, stiffly. She’d never liked watching servants abase themselves, but it was worse — far worse — when she had to do it herself. “Your food.”

“Thank you,” Casper said. He took the tray, then waved to a cushion next to her. “Please, be seated.”

Gaius snorted. “One doesn’t invite one’s servant to sit.”

“I do,” Casper said. He winked at Emily. “Please, sit.”

Emily shrugged and sat as the rest of the maids entered the room, carrying trays of food and drink. Casper seemed ... calmer somehow, even though he must know he’d caught a tiger by the tail by "winning" the duel and claiming the title. She could only hope, as she took her own tray of food, that the improvement would last for the remainder of the war. In truth, the war had yet to begin.

“You fought well,” General Pollack said. “It was an impressive contest.”

“Casper did very well,” Emily said. Did General Pollack suspect something? He didn’t have any magic himself ... logically, he shouldn’t have seen more than flashes of light. But he was an experienced officer. He knew how magic worked, even if he couldn’t use it himself. And his wife was a combat sorceress. “He saw an opportunity and took it.”

“He did indeed,” General Pollack said. He definitely sounded proud. “And it won him a title.”

Emily kept her face expressionless. Any reasonable parent would surely have qualms

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