Lessons in Etiquette (Schooled in Magic series)

Lessons in Etiquette (Schooled in Magic series) Read Free Page A

Book: Lessons in Etiquette (Schooled in Magic series) Read Free
Author: Christopher Nuttall
Tags: Fantasy, Magic, Young Adult, Magicians, Sorcerers, Alternate world
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don’t see why he should,” Emily pointed out. Not that she could blame him for being cautious, even a little paranoid. The sergeant tested them constantly, in ways that were sometimes obvious and sometimes very subtle. “You need advice and the sergeant is the best person to answer your questions.”
    She shrugged. “What would you do if you refused the tutoring position?”
    “Apprenticeship to a combat sorcerer,” Jade explained. “He’d tutor me, supervise me…and finally put me in front of the White Council for final exams. If I passed, I’d be a qualified sorcerer in my own right.”
    And if you failed, you might end up dead , Emily thought.
    Jade turned away from her, looking down towards Whitehall where it sat in the valley below, pressing his hands together as if he was nervous. “Have you given any thought to what you will be doing in the next few years?”
    Emily had to smile. “There are five more years of schooling to go,” she reminded him, rather dryly. “After that…I don’t know. There are just too many things that need to be done.”
    “I know,” Jade said. He seemed almost hesitant, unwilling to continue. That was strange and rather out of character; Emily had never seen Jade actually scared . He’d once casually worked his way through an obstacle course that had terrified Emily when she’d first seen it, without showing the slightest sign of fear. “Emily…have you given any thought to marriage?”
    “Marriage?” Emily repeated, astonished. She’d never given any real thought to marriage, in either world. “I…”
    Jade turned to look at her, his face flushed red. “There is interest,” he admitted. A dozen possible scenarios flashed through Emily’s mind, all rather comparable to a bad romance novel. “You’re the most powerful sorceress of your generation–the most potentially powerful sorceress, I should say. There is no shortage of interest in you.”
    “People I don’t know have been discussing my marriage prospects?” Emily spluttered. The very thought was outrageous, too shocking for words. “Why?”
    “Because your children will be powerful too,” Jade explained, blushing slightly. “If you had children with a powerful magician, they might be extremely powerful. And you’re the Necromancer’s Bane, as well as a Child of Destiny. There are ballads sung about you.”
    Emily groaned. Years ago, back when her teachers on Earth had been trying to spark some interest in music in their charges, they’d been made to sing songs written by the Beatles. It wouldn’t have been so bad if they hadn’t had to sing Michelle –when one of her classmates had been called Michelle. Her classmates had teased the poor girl mercilessly for weeks. Maybe it was karma , but there were at least seventeen songs about Emily herself running through the Allied Lands, each one more embarrassing than the last. Emily couldn’t remember who had claimed that medieval society was genteel; he’d obviously been completely wrong. One of the songs was crude enough to make a punk rocker blush.
    She collected herself as much as she could. “They just want me for my fame?”
    “Yes,” Jade said. His blush grew darker. “It’s forbidden to approach someone in her first year, no matter how… famous they are. And no one is quite sure how to approach your guardian. But that will change.”
    “Oh,” Emily said. The thought of hundreds of people she’d never met proposing marriage to her was nightmarish. She’d never even had a boyfriend, nor had she really wanted one. She’d had enough bad experiences with her stepfather to put her off the idea of dating men forever. “Maybe I should just change my face and hide.”
    Jade looked away, clearly embarrassed. “Emily,” he said, slowly, “would you consider marrying me?”
    A second later, his form flashed with blue-white light and he froze solid, suspended in time. Emily stared, wondering if her shock and embarrassment had made her work

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