Arcane (The Arinthian Line Book 1) by Sever Bronny Page B

He braced, trying to word the question as delicately as possible. “How many stripes do you have?”
    Mrs. Stone stopped rocking and gave him a look that made him shrink in his chair.
    “Be wary of power, Augum, for power corrupts.”
    He nodded quickly, cheeks burning, and took a sip of tea. Best to change the subject.
    “So … if I went to school with my friends, how would apprenticing with you work?” It was strange to use the word “friends”.
    Mrs. Stone picked up her tea and resumed rocking. “If you studied only with me, I would assume full responsibility of all your arcane schooling. However, if you attended the village school, your apprenticeship with me would focus on the lightning element. Traditionally, a student would have a mentor outside of their regular schooling to guide them through the many subtle intricacies of their element. It has been that way since the Founding.”
    “What’s the Founding?”
    “Unnameables give me patience. Has Sir Westwood taught you nothing about arcaneology?”
    He wrung his hands. “Um, well, Sir Westwood preferred to focus on combat and hunting. I’ve never seen a warlock visit the village, and magic was … not talked about except in children’s stories …” He mumbled the last part.
    Mrs. Stone’s eyes narrowed. “We do not use that word, Augum. We use ‘arcanery’ or ‘sorcery’. ‘Magic’is for children and parlor tricks and other such nonsense.”
    “Yes, Mrs. Stone.” He recalled Bridget mentioning something to that effect.
    Mrs. Stone took a sip of tea, gaze returning to the fire. “I suppose now is as good a time as any for you to start learning. The Founding was the most important event in all of recorded history. So important in fact, the calendar starts on that very date, the 1st day of the 1st month of the 1st year—3340 years ago. It was an illustrious affair; the greatest warlocks of the time from the seven primary elements came together and formalized the degrees, signified by arm rings. A degree is now three standard spells that every warlock learns plus—”
    “—one spell from their element; Bridget told me.”
    “Do not interrupt, child.” She glared at him before continuing. “Although anyone could learn spells beyond their degree level, it was deemed that learning them in this order was the most sensible and safe way to master the arcane discipline. It also gave a foundation to the study of sorcery, allowing schooling while simplifying advancement and apprenticeship. Before the Founding,arcanery was wild and volatile. Some southern faiths say the Founding was the moment the Unnameable gods descended on Sithesia to grant humans a portion of their powers. Other faiths have their own version of what happened.”
    She made to get up but he wanted to know more.
    “So when was the Academy of Arcane Arts built?”
    She sat back with a huff. “The academy, at least the one in Blackhaven, was founded about a thousand years ago. It is by no means the oldest, but it has achieved a level of respect few schools could match. Be that as it is, with the Legion in control … well, may the spirits have mercy on the place.”
    “There’re other schools?”
    “Gracious me, child, the capital of every kingdom has one.”
    Augum just stared at her.
    “Oh, for goodness sake.” She stood up with a groan and retrieved a rather large scroll from a shelf, handing it to him. “This is a map of all of the known lands of Sithesia.”
    He unfurled the crinkled parchment, finding a detailed plot of kingdoms and their capitals. He took note of Tiberra to the east, Nodia to the southeast, Canterra to the south, Sierra to the far south, Abrandia to the west, and Ohm to the north. Solia was in the top middle.
    She fetched her staff. “I am an old woman who needs her rest. Tidy up before going to bed.”
    “Yes, Mrs. Stone.”
    She shuffled down the hall. “Tomorrow we begin your training. Be sure to get a good night’s sleep.”
    Her door closed,