Drasmyr (Prequel: From the Ashes of Ruin)

  Durek looked up as Korina entered the study room carrying the three books in her arms.

  “Here, let me take those,” he said, standing to retrieve the small burden.

  He’s so gallant ... the moron, Korina thought, then smiled as she said, “Thank you, Durek, you are very kind. Marissa said to say hello.”

  He looked puzzled for a moment. “Oh, well that was nice of her.”

  “She’s quite fond of you, you know,” Korina said. “You really should take the time to talk to her on occasion.”

  “Maybe, but I don’t really see her that much,” Durek replied. “Next time I do, I’ll try to remember to greet her.”

  “She’d be forever grateful,” Korina said, then opened one of the books. “Where should we begin? How about here on the preparation of the clay?”

  “That sounds logical,” Durek answered.

  The class consisted of seven novice apprentices, each dressed in white robes, and each with barely more than six months of training. Although it would be years before any one of them could hope to prepare something as involved as a golem, the lesson Ambrisia had set for them introduced them to some of the fundamentals of the process. Between the two of them, Durek and Korina taught with remarkable depth and clarity, taking turns to alternate the presentation of each section. Whatever one was unsure of, more often than not the other had the necessary insight to approach the problem. Korina took great pleasure in noting that Durek asked for her input far more often than she his. He was a skilled and gifted student, but certainly not her equal. After nearly two hours of intense study, the class broke up and Korina prepared to leave.

  She handed all three books and the iron key to Durek. “Won’t you be a dear and return these for me? Ambrisia should be in her chambers by now and, if not, I’m sure Marissa is. That’ll give you and her a chance to talk.”

  Durek frowned thoughtfully a moment, then grabbed the books as he spoke, “I said I’d say hello, that doesn’t mean I’m going to talk to her all night long. Besides, it seems a little pointless—we are to be mages, after all.”

  “True,” Korina said, nodding as if she cared.

  Durek turned and left the room.

  Korina simply watched him leave, shaking her head. Oh, to be rid of these pathetic imbeciles, she thought, I really don’t know how much longer I can stand them.

  “Lubrochius,” she murmured reaching for the amulet on her breast, “give your daughter strength.” Turning, she made a hasty exit from the room.

  After stopping off for a brief snack in the kitchen, Korina returned to her bedchamber. She found it much as she’d left it: neat to the point of meticulous. A diminutive bookcase filled with a small collection of books on magical lore hung above a writing desk. A second bookcase, also filled with books, lay against the wall on her left. Ignoring both of these, she turned her attention to her bed; she knelt before one of the two footlockers at the end of the cot, and murmured a soft spell to disarm the rather nasty trap that protected the lock. She opened the lid to reveal a third collection of books, then read through the titles one by one until she finally found what she wanted.

  “The Poetry Of Tosryn-Kane,” she said, chuckling with pleasure. She removed the book from its confines, checked the door to make sure it was locked, then sat on her cot to read by the dim light of an oil lamp. Scurrying through the pages, she finally found the spot where she had left off, then opened the book wide to reveal the black script of the chapter title page. It had nothing to do with poetry.

  Smiling, she murmured the words softly to herself, “Chapter Six: On the Binding and Summoning of Demons.” Sitting back, she began to read.