Charm School

The competition between Brigid and Soraya began immediately the following morning.

In the morning each of the women were individually interviewed about their abilities, talents and interests, and given their schedule of classes. Brigid followed the directions she had been given at breakfast for her interview to a tall wooden door in the teacher’s wing of the castle. Knocking and hearing a muffled call from within, she opened the door and stepped inside to see headmaster Carolan sitting at a desk across the room.

“Come in, come in,” he said pleasantly, waving his hand towards a chair across the desk. Brigid sat herself down in the chair, puzzled.

Carolan smiled towards her as he began ruffling through a sheaf of papers in his hand. “As headmaster of this section of the University I am the only person to know your titles and lineage: it is often necessary in order to place prospective students in the proper courses of study.

“Because of that I do not normally conduct interviews, but so few of your family have attended here that it is such an honor to welcome you that I did not wish to allow it to another.” He grinned selfishly. “Your family of Amber, that is,” he continued, noting Brigid’s querying look; “you are the first of the Faerie to attend that I am aware of.”

“I was wondering…” breathed Brigid.

“So was I, about the magick of Faerie; I hope you will enlighten us sometime, as we enlighten you.”

He shuffled the papers again. “It says here that you have an almost intuitive understanding of illusions and transformational magick. Do I understand correctly that it is because of your Faerie nature?”

“I think so,” replied Brigid.

“And, in addition, a surprising level of ability in certain psionic disciplines; your mentor mentions a span of years in a distant Shadow where you specialized in psychic abilities. Fascinating.”

Brigid could only smile at the memories of her years as a superheroine on her Shadow Earth. When she left, she was numbered among the ten best mentalists in the world. With her training and discipline in Amber, she felt she could take on any of her former peers in a psychic battle.

“I see no need for additional tutoring in those areas. There are fortunately still a number of areas that you could benefit from: alchemy, elemental magick, divination, hermetic sorcery and enchantment, just to name a few. I have prepared your class schedule here.”

He handed over a page. Brigid looked at it, seeing the listing march the entire length of the page. She looked up over the top of the page at Carolan. “Yes, I know it is ambitious,” he continued, “but your mentor has said that you have a rare talent for the Art and a thorough grounding in its principles and practices are in order.

“Now, I suggest you get moving towards your first class.”

Brigid stood and thanked Carolan politely, then stepped out of the door and started to close it, when the door across the hall opened and Soraya boldly stepped into the hallway. She stopped suddenly at seeing Brigid, and, over her shoulder, Carolan within the doorway, and she glared a moment at Brigid before turning and walking haughtily down the corridor, her long black hair streaming in her wake.

“She, I gather, is annoyed that you were given the honor of being interviewed by me,” said Carolan quietly, and Brigid nodded. “Watch yourself around her.”

“I mean to, but you speak as if there is more I should know about her.”

Instead of replying he touched his fingertips to his lips and shook his head. Brigid recognized a gesture for silence and nodded in reply, then hurried down the corridor to her first class.

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