Mother of Learning. Arc 3 Incomplete

Funny, it was just the opposite with Zorian — he tended to learn much better when he had the chance to study the topic on his own before trying. He still thought it was a pretty serious flaw for a mage to avoid books, but Zorian had to remind himself that Zach was clearly achieving results somehow. Come to think of it, there was a serious shortage of anything dangerous in the academy spell collection, so a mage that was chiefly interested in the more restricted areas of magic would find the library of very limited usefulness.

«So you learn primarily by mentorship?» guessed Zorian. «I’m surprised you can convince mages to teach you in less than a month. Don’t they all require apprenticeships lasting for several years before they’ll agree to teach you anything useful?»

«Well, usually,» said Zach. «But I’m the last Noveda, don’t you know? I had highly respectable mages tripping over themselves to teach me my whole life. Usually I just have to show up and tell them who I am and they’re all too happy to help me out.»

Zorian suppressed a wave of jealousy that washed over him. Zach was just making the most of his unique situation, just like Zorian would have in his place. It still bothered him, though, reminding him of how Daimen and Fortov could ask and get all sorts of help and concessions from their teachers, only for Zorian to fail in securing the same for himself. His parents had lectured him endlessly that the difference was in their attitudes — that if only Zorian was more sociable, more polite, more everything… he too could enjoy the same benefits. To Zorian, it always seemed like his brothers had some sort of invisible tattoo on their foreheads that only mages could see, and which marked them as somehow more special than him.

Zach wasn’t his brothers, though, and didn’t deserve to be the target for Zorian’s personal frustrations.

«Convenient,» said Zorian out loud, giving his fellow time traveler a smile that was somewhat forced. Zach didn’t appear to notice.

His jealousy aside, he was really starting to wonder if his assumption about Zach being an accidental stowaway like him had any merit at all. Zach had ridiculously huge mana reserves, probably the largest of any student currently attending the academy. He was the last member of a famous Noble House, enjoying all the prestige that comes from that without having to deal with nosy parents who might be freaked out by Zach’s sudden transformation. In addition to the power inherent in his name, the boy was also fairly charming and outgoing, further improving his chances of getting help from otherwise unapproachable high-circle mages. He was not your average spoiled prince, by any means — there was a lot of potential in the boy, if only he would get enough time to bring it out. Time that Zach now had. It was… convenient. A bit too convenient, in Zorian’s opinion.

That is why, despite Zach’s seeming friendliness, Zorian just didn’t feel at ease with the boy. Not enough to reveal himself as a stowaway, in any case. Right now, his main advantage was that he was an outside element in this game Zach was playing. An unaccounted variable. He intended to use and abuse that advantage for all it was worth.

Whatever force was behind Zach, Zorian had no intention of revealing himself to it any time soon.

«Take a seat, mister Kazinski,» Ilsa said. «I sort of suspected I’d be seeing you soon.»

«You did?» asked Zorian.

«Oh yes,» Ilsa said. «Usually students come knocking at my door immediately after a single session with Xvim. You actually waited until the second one, so points for patience.»

«Right,» said Zorian sourly.

«I can’t transfer you to another mentor at this time, though, so I’m afraid you’ll just have to bear with him for now,» she said.

«I sort of expected that,» Zorian said. Why should her answer be any different than it was the last time he asked her? «It’s not what I’m here for.»

«No?» asked Ilsa, raising an eyebrow.

«No,» confirmed Zorian. «Since everything I’ve heard and experienced about Xvim suggests we’ll never progress beyond the basic three, I’ve decided to be proactive about self study. I’ve been hoping for some pointers from you — where I should start, what I should watch out for, that sort of thing.»

Ilsa sighed heavily. «It’s hard to give that sort of advice, mister Kazinski. That’s why the academy gives students mentors — because there is no one-size-fits-all solution. I suppose I could give you advice about my own subject, though. How good are you at the basic three?»

«Depends who you ask,» said Zorian. «Most of the teachers from my second year told me I had them mastered. Xvim says I’m a shame to mages everywhere.»

She snorted and handed him a pen. Actually handed it to him, not threw it at him like Xvim would have. Ah, the joy of interacting with sane teachers…

«Levitate that,» Ilsa said.

She wasn’t even finished talking and the pen was already spinning above his outstretched palm.