Free Trial By Fire (Schooled in Magic Book 7) by Christopher Nuttall Page B

parchments from their inventor. Anyone caught using one in class, at least not without a very good excuse, will be caned. I strongly suggest you do not bring your parchment into the classroom, as the tutor may simply destroy it. In addition, last year there were an alarming number of blue books smuggled into the school. The school board has banned them from the school and anyone caught with one will regret it.”
    Oops , Emily thought. If she’d known that the printing presses she’d introduced would be used to print Blue Books, erotic stories, she might have thought twice about introducing them to the Nameless World. She’d glanced at a handful of the stories and they’d been universally awful. But they won’t blame me for that, will they?
    “On a more serious note, I strongly advise you not to miss any classes during this year,” the Grandmaster warned. “Fourth Year lays the groundwork for your later career and it is vitally important to pass your exams with good grades. If you feel you are falling behind, go to your advisers and ask for assistance before it is too late. Your advisers are there to help you, so take advantage of them. Should you fail Fourth Year, as some of you already know, you may have to go all the way back to Third Year. I am reliably informed that most students would consider this a fate worse than death.”
    There were some nervous chuckles. Emily understood; none of them would really be considered adults, whatever their age, until they passed Fourth Year. Being two years older than her fellow students would be bad enough, but to be treated as a child rather than an adult...it was not a pleasant thought. She silently resolved to pass Fourth Year on her first try.
    “In addition, there will be career sessions with an adviser from the White Council,” the Grandmaster stated. “You will be expected to attend these sessions; you’ve been provided with papers detailing procedures, career requirements and your options. Talk to your advisers, sort out a handful of prospective careers and plan how you intend to approach the session.”
    He paused. Emily couldn’t help feeling a stab of guilt. She’d barely glanced at the papers after shoving them into her pockets; hell, she’d left them back in her bedroom, rather than carry them with her. She made a mental note to read them when she got back, then turned her attention back to the Grandmaster. He looked stern.
    “There is something that needs to be said, and said clearly,” he said. “It is why I am serving as your Year Head, even though you are Fourth Years rather than Sixth Years, and why I am speaking to you now.”
    This was it, Emily realized. She glanced at Caleb and saw him smile. This was what he’d hinted at, yesterday. But the Grandmaster was still talking.
    “Over the years,” he continued, “many students – young men and women like yourselves – have questioned the very purpose of Whitehall School. And when we, your tutors and teachers, have answered, we have told you about the advantages of learning in groups, of meeting your fellows before you reach true adulthood, of sharing the experience of discovering magic together. All of those answers are true.
    “But there is another answer. Whitehall School exists for your protection and the protection of others.
    “Magic is a great gift, but it can also be a curse. Here, you have learned how to use magic safely – and, perhaps, learned what it feels like to be without magic, to be at the mercy of those with greater power. Here, we can cope with problems that would kill you, if you lived outside the school; here, we can discipline you if you act like children, if you use your magic as a weapon. The outside world has fewer options when it comes to children granted the powers of gods. They must kill you, if you remain weak, or bow to you if you become strong.”
    Emily shuddered. How long had it been since she’d come within a hairsbreadth of killing Alassa?
    “Some of you,