The Examiner's Save

"We... We should probably go," Albert told me while he poked at my arm.

I had been so preoccupied by the sorceress' sudden exit that I had forgotten where we were. I looked around to see that a few magic lines skirted around us. I only had to blink a few times to focus on the green one.

"Come on," I said. "Follow me."

After a few minutes, we had already made it out the forest. Finally out of the trees, I could see that the sun had completely set and night was already enveloping us in darkness. Fortunately, though, the castle was only a few yards away across a stone bridge. It towered over us even from where we stood.

"I can't believe it," Albert muttered. "We actually made it out. Do you... Do you think the others will be alright?"

"I suppose so," I replied. "This is probably some kind of sick game the Academy has put up for us. I won't be surprised if we are the last ones to arrive."

Unfortunately, though, I was wrong.

When we had arrived at the other side of the bridge, we were stopped by cloaked men. "Who comes there?" one of the pair asked.

Albert and I looked at each other in the darkness. I stepped forward and introduced ourselves. "My name is Eleftherion, a commoner, and my companion is Prince Albert of the Kingdom Montauk. We ask for passage to the Lunar Academy for Special Mages."

"That's good and all, but for what purpose have you come?" he continued to ask, his spear still raised in front of us.

I started to frown. 'What other reason could there be for children to go to school?'

"As my friend here has told you," Albert interrupted as he placed a hand on my shoulder. "We are students of the Lunar Academy. Ah... New ones, that is to say. We have just passed the most recent entrance exams."

The guards were silent at first, and then they whispered between themselves. It took a long time, and I grew impatient. Not to mention their confused gazes were grating on my nerves.

"What seems to be the problem, dear sirs?" I asked. "Cannot we go into the school grounds?"

"Well, technically, we already are on school grounds, Eleftherion," Albert whispered at me. "The Lunar Academy encompasses a third of the Forest."

I glared at him. "Not important."

He coughed a little, and then faced the guards. "What my friend means is that... Is it possible for us to pass? We have our tokens here to prove our identities."

When the guards agreed to see the tokens, I knew I was in a pinch. They were already fingering and inspecting Albert's token, and I knew I had to give mine next. Except...

'Keep that from others' eyes, boy. When you arrive at the Academy, head first towards my office, and nowhere else. Tell no one, are we clear?'

The examiner's words still kept ringing at my ears. But, then, it was my turn. The guard had already returned Albert's token and was reaching out a hand to me. My hands gripped at the token I had hidden in my shirt pockets. I was about to cough out some sort of excuse when I heard steps coming towards us. I glanced at the direction of the sound, and soon enough, the guards had heard it too.

A man in a professor's robes made his way towards us. I was about to shout out when I recognized his face. The examiner looked at us first before dragging the guards away with harried whispers.

Before long, the guards were standing on guard. "We're sorry for interrupting the test, Professor Whitaker. We'll have them pass at once."

"Good," the examiner said, and then turned towards us. "Come now, boys. I'll give you a brief tour around the castle."

~~

I tried not to think about it too much, but I had overheard the guards' whispers just as we had gone out of earshot. It must've been my trained senses, but I still heard their voices as clear as day.

"Did the professor say they actually made it out of the forest?"

"I didn't even know that was possible..."

Could that mean that we weren't supposed to get out at all? If that were true, then I had given myself another problem. People would start wondering why I had even made it out. Well, I wasn't alone... Maybe I can pin it on Albert?

"Hey, Prince Albert?" I called to him, careful not to make my voice unsteady. After all, the examiner was walking right in front of us.

He looked at me with squinted eyes. "I told you to simply call me Albert. Or are you trying to appeal to my affections?"

I flinched and then smiled up at him. "I mean, I just wanted to thank you."

"... For what?" he asked me with serious eyes. I was glad he was a clever one.

I told him meaningfully, "For leading me out the forest, of course! I never knew you could see through the forest paths like you could read through a book."

He stared down at me, and I kept smiling at him.

"... No worries," he told me succinctly, and then looked away.

I made a victory pose in my mind. I was grateful for the detailed reports given out to me about my marital prospects in my past life. Because I had been interested in the second prince, I had read through his report quite extensively. There I had learned about how the prince had an uncommon ability. He had a knack for searching for trails in the woods. It was a useful ability for commoners, of course, but royalty often just used magic to find their ways around. So, this commoner-like ability definitely made an impression on me.

'With that, I won't have all the attention on me,' I thought as I smiled. Now, all I had to worry about was Albert telling on me on my lie.

Finally allowed to have some time to enjoy the view, I looked around the insides of the castle. After the examiner had led us inside through a smallish side door, we had followed him along the dimly lit corridors. It reminded me of the Order in some ways, but while the Order was dark and dungeon-like, this castle had a warm glow to it despite the lack of light.

I stared out of the high, stained windows. Right outside, the Forests of Elara greeted us, its pink color lost in the night. I wondered if Joren was doing okay...

"They'll be fine," the examiner unexpectedly replied to my thoughts. "If you're worried about your friends, then don't be. Most of the professors are out doing all they can to ensure their safety. You don't have to be worried."

"Then what is this about there being no students who had successfully passed through the forest before?" I asked, my gut still filled with worry for my red-haired companion. With my adrenaline all but gone, I was tired and weary from using too much magic.

"... And where did you hear of that?" the examiner asked, looking at me behind his shoulder.

I flinched. I realized I had made an error. I quickly began to think of an excuse...

"We heard it earlier from the guards," Albert said. "Didn't we, Eleftherion?"

I stared at him. "Yes, we did."

The examiner was silent at first, but then continued to walk on. He told us, "This test wasn't meant to be some sort of race. If it was, then it would prove to be an impossible one. There are very, very slim chances for a student to find his way around the Forests of Elara, much less pass through it... The prince of Montauk must be very skilled and lucky indeed to have guided you out of the magic enchantments."

"... I have been told I was the best in the field, sir," Albert replied. "But I would think this case was simply brought upon by a great stroke of luck."

"I would think so," the man murmured. "Regardless, never would I have imagined for anyone to have such results. I could only say... that your arrival is nothing short of a miracle."

Albert and I looked at each other, but I was glad that the boy knew when not to speak. I ventured to change the topic. "Professor... Whitaker? May I ask where you are leading us to?"

He glanced back at me for a slight time before looking forward again. "Well, frankly, as this has never occurred before, I could only lead you to my office for now. We shall wait for the arrival of the other students there."

'His office...' I thought, and then realized he was giving me a clue. He had probably realized that he hadn't told me about it nor of his name after my entrance examination. Now, he was practically leading me to it like a gesture of apology.

I smiled a little. It seems like my school life is starting off quite unexpectedly.