Regiara: Academy of Sorcery – Part 7

To start reading from the beginning, click here. If you missed the last chapter or need a refresher, click here. Otherwise, continue reading the conclusion to the story!

…

As the secret meetings progressed, the other students came to the same heavy realization that Mildred and Lorelei had: the old ways were quite obviously superior. Which brought them to the logical question: why weren’t they being taught at Regiara? Not only that, but actively suppressed. Something was amiss at their school.

After all of this sunk in – and those who had suspicions earlier realized it was not all in their heads – people began sharing their experiences in class and the odd reactions they received for using the old ways. It also became clear that the professors weren’t the only ones involved in the efforts to end the old ways. Older students and those who grew up in the large cities surrounding Regiara mocked and bullied anyone who they caught performing “outdated magic”. 

Eventually, there were calls for those at the meetings to do more than just keep the old ways alive – figure out what was happening at Regiara. Students started sharing theories and debating the merits of each one. These discussions now took place after every meeting, with updates on the latest observations.

“I’ve noticed something else. Those at Regiara don’t often use magic outside of class. At home, we used to use magic for basic tasks,” one student, a witch named Carlyn, said. Carlyn had been one of the first to join the group, as just like Mildred, she had caused a stir early on with her use of the old ways in class.

“I noticed this too,” Mildred replied. “We have servants bring up hot bath water when we could easily heat it ourselves with magic.”

“Maybe it’s all connected?” Carlyn asked. 

Everyone was quiet, deep in thought, trying to connect all the pieces.

Another student, Ilius, interrupted the silence. Unlike Carlyn, he was the observant type and had kept his knowledge of the old ways a secret. Lorelei was the one to notice that he sat in the back of class and never raised his hand to demonstrate a spell for the first time, likely because he hadn’t learned the Regiara formula. “I think we need more information,” Ilius said. “I think we need to do more than just listen and observe what’s happening in the open. We need to look where they don’t want us to see.”

…

“I know where we need to go,” Lorelei declared to the students assembled for the next meeting. 

They had all been observing the school for weeks to take note of places students weren’t allowed or no one seemed to go. Some had even landed detention for wandering where they didn’t belong. Each one of the locations that landed students in trouble had been investigated, as these were most likely to hide secrets. So far they hadn’t come up with much.

“I made some inquiries with the servants. I figured if there was somewhere they didn’t want even the servants to go, that would be our place,” Lorelei continued.

“And there was such a location?” Mildred asked.

“Yes! The topmost level of Regiara was the one place the servants were forbidden from going. None of them even had a key.” 

Mildred smiled. “Great work, Lor. That’s got to be where we will find answers.” She turned to the group. “All in favor of skipping today’s lesson to explore the top floor of Regiara?”

One by one, the group held up their wands with a faintly glowing tip. This had become their signal of sorts. 

“Alright,” Mildred nodded and the wands lowered. “I’m sorry, but you won’t all be able to go. We need a small group. Any volunteers?” 

Carlyn and Ilius’ wands were the first to shoot up again, as expected. Mildred looked around until she spotted a small, quiet witch in the crowd. Though she wasn’t the most outspoken, Auria, was intelligent and a hard worker. And she was skilled with spells of illusion, which would come in handy for this mission.

Auria noticed Mildred’s eyes pause on her and hesitantly raised her wand.

“We have our party,” Mildred said. The rest of you, go back to your rooms and act normal. Be seen, if you can, to account for your whereabouts if anything goes wrong.”

…

Their party crept up the stone steps, hidden beneath a cloaking spell maintained by Auria. They were almost to the uppermost floor. Because servants weren’t allowed this far up, they hadn’t encountered anyone in the stairwell. But they didn’t know who or what they might find once they reached the top.

A large and sturdy wooden door blocked their path. Carlyn stepped forward to try an unlocking charm.

“Wait,” Ilius whispered, putting out a hand to stop her. “I have a suspicion the old ways won’t work on this door. They might even set off a trap. I don’t think we should use the old ways going forward. Use the unlocking spell we learned in class instead.”

Carlyn nodded and turned to unlock the door. After she cast the lengthy and complex spell, the door slid inward on its own. The party all glanced between themselves. Mildred took a deep breath and led them through the door.

She didn’t know what she had been expecting, but this wasn’t it.

An entirely normal-looking study greeted them. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined the walls. A sturdy oak desk faced them near the center of the room, with books and papers stacked atop. A small but cozy seating area was set up near a dim stone fireplace in one corner. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary here.

Did they hit another dead end? Was this just the headmaster’s office?

Carlyn stepped forward and began shifting the papers on the desk. Ilius stepped behind her and, grumbling, began returning everything she touched to its proper place. 

“Be careful,” he hissed out.

“Well, we came here to search right? I can’t do that without touching things,” Carlyn snapped back.

“Search. Carefully,” Ilius bit out.

Lorelei stepped in and began slowly flipping through books and, with a look toward both of them, gently setting them back where she found them. Mildred bit back a smile.

A flash of light drew her attention toward one of the bookshelves. While they had been searching the desk, Auria had cast a spell. She looked over at all of their surprised faces.

“I thought I would try a revealing spell in the Regiara formula,” Auria said with a shrug. 

A book began to shake on one of the shelves. Auria stepped forward and pulled it out. The pages began flipping rapidly and she almost dropped it. They all held their breath when the book stilled, open in Auria’s palms.

Glowing words appeared in the air above the book. They all read as a story was written out before them.

I hereby entrust you, Headmaster, with the great mission of our school: 

Once upon a time, magic could be used equally by any and all. The commoners were just as strong as the leaders of this country. It was clear the populace was gaining too much power and could easily overthrow the government if that was their evil intent. We needed a magic that could be contained, a magic that had limits.

I set my best scholars to invent a new way of performing magic, and they succeeded. But that wasn’t enough. The people still preferred the old ways. We secretly began eliminating those most talented in the old ways and anyone who spoke up. But our cause took a lot of losses this way, for those strong in the old ways were powerful, and the people’s suspicion and rage almost caused the uprising we feared.

But we couldn’t afford to let the will of the common folk rule. People are not good enough or smart enough, and if left to their own devices would destroy civilized society. Elites must rule for them to protect them from themselves, but the common folk also needed to be appeased and told the right things to keep them docile. 

So I decided the best way to suppress the old ways was to accept those who were showing the most promise into a school and retrain them in the Regiara way. As Headmaster of Regiara, your duty is to end the practice of the old ways. We must start with the young to change our future. 

-King Regiara

A stunned silence filled the study. Anger bubbled up in Mildred, threatening to choke her. This was all about power? They wanted to take away the strength of the people, so they couldn’t resist their rulers. Well, not if she had anything to say about it. 

Now that they knew the truth they would bide their time, keep the old ways alive, and when the time was right, overthrow Regiara.

…

What did you think of the story? Clever envisioned this as a prequel to a larger story with more characters and world-building. Would you like to see another series or maybe even a novel set in the world of Regiara? Let us know in the comments!

Check back next week for a fun writing challenge, and we’ll have new stories to follow!

Thanks so much for reading!

-Clever and WTF