Page 51 of The Black Witch

Wandtesting

They lead me to an underground military armory, the huge, circular room stocked with weaponry of every size. Swords, knives, terrifying razored chains and other objects of mutilation hang thick on the stone walls.

“Elloren Gardner,” Commander Kam Vin orders as the door closes behind us, “you will explain the extent of your training.”

“Training?” I croak out.What on Erthia is she talking about?

The Vu Trin sorceress narrows her eyes at me. “Yes, your training. In the martial arts.”

“I... I don’t understand,” I stammer, bewildered.

She purses her lips and starts pacing, her black cloak billowing behind her, never taking her eyes off me, looking at me as though I’m a dangerous, unpredictable animal.

“What kind of wandwork have you done, Mage Gardner?” she persists.

I’m completely lost. “I don’t...we never had wands...”

She stops pacing and points at me for emphasis. “Mage Gardner, answer the question! I will ask again.What type of wandwork have you done?”

“None!” I cry, holding my hands out, palms up.

“What aboutswordwork?” she asks slyly, as if she’s caught on to the game I’m playing.

“None!” I insist. “Why are you asking me...?”

“Knife magic?”

“What? No!”

“Caledonian stick fighting?”

“No!”

“Asteroth staff work?”

She goes on and on through a list of about twenty more forms of fighting I have never heard of in my life. I’m lost in a wilderness of confusion.

“No!”I finally cry in frustration. “I’ve never doneanyof these things!”

She pauses and glares at me, her brow furrowing sharply before she continues pacing. “Your uncle, he has not given youanytraining in the martial arts?”

My confusion spikes. “No, of course not. He’s a violin maker!”

“But surely he must have given you a wand.”

I shake my head vehemently. “He didn’t even allow them in the house.” The image of Sage’s white wand briefly flickers through my mind.

The sorceress eyes me with disbelief, one hand placed squarely on her hip. “Do not play games with me, Elloren Gardner! Your uncle must have armed you in some way.”

“Hedidn’t,” I bite out. “Uncle Edwin doesn’t like violence.”

Commander Vin freezes in her tracks and looks at me like I’ve started speaking some unintelligible language.“What?”she spits out.

“Uncle Edwin doesn’t like...”

“Iheardwhat you said!”

“Then why did you...”

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