My Path to Magic 2: A Combat Alchemist by Irina Syromyatnikova

lesson. Kevinahari wondered whether she needed something stronger than tea to bring him out of the trance.
    " You've been a good teacher, I see," she said.
    "Rona, there is nothing left I can teach him. And it's getting dangerous: he juggles assaulting curses like balls! I didn't know it was possible."
    "Perhaps he applied some necromantic tricks," the empath suggested.
    "I thought necromancers were non-aggressive people."
    "Well, you 've learned something new today."
    " The first part, with the shield, I figured out," Satal could not calm down. "But what happened next is not that easy to grasp by a simple mind.  If Charak knows such tricks, he is a smart ass, son of a dragon!  I am not surprised then why he has lasted for so many years."
    "I suggest moving your relationship with Tangor to the next level."
    "What?" Satal did not understand.
    "Put your student on the payroll," the empath explained.
    "Do n't you think this will embolden him?"
    " He won't be disappointed!"
    " Fine. Of course, as an employee without the magic seal…"
    "Dan!"
    "Okay, forget the seal! I want to retain such a combat mage for myself, and the hell with formalities. If Axel learns what a talent I have here, he will instantly outbid me. There are others as well…They watch like vultures: all yours is mine!"
    The curator sighed quietly. Now she would have to fight the possessive instincts of the senior coordinator. A new challenge every day.
    Somebody gently knocked on the door.
    "Who the hell is there?" Satal responded without changing his posture.
    A communications officer came in and, after salutation, placed a sealed packet on Satal's desk.
    "Dismissed!"
    The officer disappeared. Satal lowered his feet to the floor and opened the envelope. As soon as he began reading, all traces of blissful ecstasy vanished from his face.
    H e pushed the letter to the empath: "I expected something like that lately."
    "Oh-ho-ho!" Kevinahari stretch ed anxiously, eyeing the text. "The artisans again. Have they not understood they are not welcome in Redstone?"
    "We'll find them and ask," the senior coordinator promised grimly.
    * * *
    On Monday, our concierge gave me a note again; Charak bowed and bid farewell. Unexpectedly - hop! - "his circumstances changed". At parting, he advised me to study literature and in no case practice alone.
    It was strange. The necromancer seemed to be a serious gentleman, not inclined to dart off without a good reason. His letter was too short for me - I wanted to know the mysterious "circumstances". I went to Satal for explanations, but he was not in his office. Neither he, nor Captain Baer, nor - most surprisingly - Curator Kevinahari, nor any other officer whom I knew was there. Everybody disappeared without saying a word to me!
    Perhaps Satal was offended by my trick yesterday and Kevinahari consoled him somewhere…And Captain Baer was on the lookout…Ugh, what crap came to my mind! I decided to pretend that their attitude did not hurt me. I had a lot to do without them! And I went home.
    Three days later I understood what happened to Satal and Baer: rumors leaked into newspapers about another demarche of artisans in our region, far away from Redstone, but with a less favorable outcome than in Mihandrov. Two sectarians, disguised as the kitchen helpers of one college for "cleaners", poisoned the food: twelve students died, three of whom were dark magicians. Apparently, Mr. Fox was not the only artisan who knew the properties of herbs! A sense of self-preservation made all journalists unite in resentment of this act: Ingernika experienced a shortage of dark magicians willing to serve, and even the most savage chauvinists knew that the "cleaners", despite all their flaws, were vital to the survival of our country.
    "How could such horrible murders happen?" a white student sobbed, stubbornly choosing my table in the student cafe for her suffering. "The innocent cadets just learned how to protect people!"
    I shrugged. How did I know