The Black Mage: Apprentice by Rachel E. Carter

fourth-year girls stood in
the hallway peering into my quarters and watching me with ill
humor. The two of them had been nothing short of miserable the
entire ten-day journey here.
    "It must really bother you," I snapped, "that
I am no longer lowborn."
    Priscilla sniffed. "You may be an apprentice
but you will never be one of us."
    Ella appeared abruptly and shoved her way
past the cold-hearted girl and her friend. "You ready to see our
new training rooms?" she asked, ignoring the others.
    I grinned and slammed my clothes quickly into
the trunk at my bed. "You don't have to ask me twice!"
     
    ****
     
    "We did not return to the Academy for two
months to listen to you romance your factionmates, Apprentice Ian!
If you can't pay attention to your studies then you clearly have
too much time on your hands. I want you mucking the stables until
we depart next month." Master Byron's irritated voice cut through
the slow murmur of the rest of our class.
    I felt a twinge of satisfaction as the
curly-haired third-year returned to his table with Darren at the
corner of the room. It had been hard to ignore the way Ian kept
touching Lynn's hand, or the way she blushed whenever he did. The
two had been carrying on a shy romance for weeks now and since she
was my mentor there had been no escape. It was much worse because I
kept wondering if that could have been me, and then I spent the
rest of the time hating myself.
    Each mentor-mentee was supposed to be
plotting strategy for the Master of Combat's current problem. We
were given thirty minutes each time to trade suggestions and
research using the books the Academy servants had provided. Then we
presented our findings to the class going around in a circle. Each
time Master Byron chose a winning approach, citing a group's merits
and weaknesses for desert combat.
    Lynn gave me an embarrassed smile. "I'm
sorry, Ryiah, I know I shouldn't be talking to him. I just can't
help myself!"
    The sweet apology should have made me smile,
but instead it just sent stabbing pains down my spine. I felt an
unnecessary irritation at my mentor and I knew it wasn't sourced by
logic. "I understand," I heard myself say coldly. Be nice! I
swallowed and forced myself to say with more warmth, "What do you
think about a flash flood casting?"
    "It's perfect!"
    We finished the exercise and then watched as
Master Byron tore apart everyone's solution but Darren's. The
prince's plan wasn't always the best, but even if it wasn't you
would never know from the way the master praised his "insightful
thoughts." It was a group effort but it was clear the man had
nothing to say about the non-heir's partner.
    And, of course, the man had even less to say
about the girls. Whenever one of us was up Byron would immediately
look bored, and then he would spend the next twenty minutes picking
away at our strategy.
    "Why does he hate women so much?" I
complained to Ella and Lynn later that evening. I had avoided
looking over at Ian the whole meal.
    "You really don't know?" Loren slid into his
seat beside Ella, grinning. From the way his eyes danced I knew he
had a story to tell.
    "Byron grew up in one of those old families
that didn't think women belonged in battle. His great grandfather
was actually the Council of Magic's biggest adversary when they
decided to change their ruling to let them in… Anyway, fifteen
years ago Byron was one of the top contenders in the last
Candidacy. He made it into the top three but when he dueled Kara,
one of the best Combat mages in the Crown's Army, he lost. Marius
won, of course, but Byron was so upset over losing to a woman that
he left his wife… There are rumors that he still harasses the
Council to this day exclude women from mage studies."
    "But he trains women every day! How did he
end up a master?"
    "Because whether or not he's fair, he's good
at what he does. The local regiments all praise the apprentices
that have come from his term – male or female."
    I made a face.
    Ella managed to say