John Bierce - Into the Labyrinth

To my cat, because why not.

CHAPTER ONE

Hugh of Emblin

Hugh of Emblin wasnt good at much, but he was very, very good at hiding. Which was good, because he really needed to be.

Where are you hiding, sheepherder? The longer it takes us to find you, the worse it will be for you!

Hugh slid farther back into the space behind the bookshelf. Rhodes and his friends might have chosen him as their favorite victim, but their attention span usually wasnt too long. If he stayed hidden long enough, theyd eventually get bored and find something else to amuse themselves.

Hugh waited until the noise had faded, then slowly let himself relax- too soon, unfortunately. A hand reached in and grabbed his arm, then hauled him out into the library aisle. Hugh stumbled to his knees on the polished granite floor.

Now, what are you doing in the library, sheepherder? a voice asked.

Hugh took a deep breath and looked up. Rhodes Charax was smiling down at him, two of his lackeys grinning at his shoulders. Rhodes was everything Hugh wasnt tall where Hugh was short, muscular where Hugh was skinny, handsome where Hugh was forgettable, nobility where Hugh was the son of merchants, blue-eyed to Hughs brown eyes, blonde to Hughs dark hair, and a far, far better mage than Hugh had any hope of being. Even Rhodes white uniform was clearly custom tailored to him, unlike Hughs poorly fitting, off-white uniform from the academys supplies.

Everyone knows sheepherders cant read, so that cant be why youre here. Why are you here, sheepherder?

Im not a sheepherder, Hugh said quietly. He could feel his face going red.

Whats that? Rhodes said.

Hugh glared at him. Im not a sheepherder.

Rhodes kicked Hugh in the ribs, sending him sprawling.

Didnt anyone ever tell you not to lie to your betters, sheepherder? Rhodes said. Though maybe if you were about to claim that you were one of the sheep I might believe you.

Rhodes goons snickered at that. Hugh clenched his fists as he clambered to his knees again.

You should stay on the ground where you belong, sheepherder. Rhodes lifted back his leg to kick Hugh again, but a voice intervened.

I imagine that where he belongs is in class the same as you three.

Rhodes and his friends spun around in alarm, and Hugh used that as an opportunity to scramble to his feet.

Its our free period. Rhodes didnt even seem worried. Not that he had any reason to be concerned. Hed done worse in class without getting in trouble. It wasnt any surprise- Rhodes family had immense political influence even hundreds of leagues outside their borders.

Well, spend it somewhere else. The mysterious voice sounded unamused. Hugh couldnt get a look at the man yet past the bullies. Youre not exactly using the library for its intended purpose.

Rhodes shot Hugh a look that promised this wasnt over yet, but strode off with the others. They all burst into laughter while still in earshot. Hugh winced. Rhodes was always worse for days after the rare occasions a teacher or other mage interfered.

The librarian that the mysterious voice belonged to studied him. He was tall and wiry, with a scruffy head of brown hair that looked like it hadnt seen a comb in days. He couldnt be much more than twice Hughs fifteen years.

After a few moments of silence, the librarian sighed. Whats your name?

Hugh. Hugh looked away from the librarian, hoping that he would move on so that Hugh could find somewhere to be alone.

Just Hugh?

People call me Hugh of Emblin, sir. To distinguish me from the other Hughs here.

The librarian gave him a curious glance. Hugh could already feel the usual questions coming. Mages werent ever born in Emblin, and yet Hugh had been. Not that hed ever amount to much of a mage. But, to his surprise, the librarian didnt ask him about being from Emblin.

Would you like me to report those other students to your instructors? the librarian said.

Hugh gaped at him in surprise for a moment. The librarian waited patiently. After a few moments, Hugh collected himself.

Wouldnt do any good, sir, Hugh said.

The librarian cocked an eyebrow at him. Wouldnt do any good?

Hugh just stared at the ground, waiting until he could leave. Eventually, however, he realized the librarian was ready to wait all day for an answer.

That was Rhodes Charax, sir.

The librarian just gave him the same level gaze.

Rhodes uncle is the king of Highvale, sir. Not to mention hes the most promising mage in our year. All the teachers just stand to gain by staying on his good side. Im just a nobody, though. None of them are going to stick their heads out for me.

The librarian seemed to consider that for a while, then sighed. Very well. He started to walk away, then turned back towards Hugh. Next time, try hiding in the stacks instead of the main law section. Much better hiding spots, plus the reading material is much more interesting. He looked like he wanted to say more, but turned and left.

Hugh sighed. Hed gotten off easy this time, at least. And the tip about the stacks wasnt a bad one.

Hugh, thankfully enough, didnt run into Rhodes and his lackeys on the way to his next class. That didnt make him feel much better, however. His next class was Basics of Unattuned Spellcasting- or, as everyone called it, Cantrips. It was supposed to be one of the easiest classes for first years like himself who hadnt attuned yet, but was yet another reason why life at Skyhold had been such a nightmare for him. For anyone else, it should have been a dream come true- being sent to study at the Academy at Skyhold, one of the most prestigious mage schools on the entire continent at Ithos.

Anyone else wasnt Hugh.

Hugh slipped into a desk at the back of the class, where he was less likely to draw attention. The students that didnt participate in Rhodes harassment of Hugh didnt care about his presence, so he really just wanted to avoid the teachers attention. Unfortunately, the eager young woman teaching today almost immediately noticed him.

There hadnt been enough full mages that wanted to teach first year classes this year, so Hughs class had been stuck with a rotating population of journeyman mages. He didnt know this ones name, but it didnt matter. Every new journeyman thought they could be the one to solve the infamous Hugh of Emblins problems, and in the end they were all proved wrong.

Today they were supposed to be learning a spell to set a stick on fire- about as basic as it came. Hugh paid careful attention to the teachers description of how they should channel their mana, even though he already knew what she was going to say. Hed been in the library to read about this spell ahead of class, desperately hoping he could get a spell right for once. It had been on his way back that Rhodes had found him.

Hugh took a deep breath and focused on the stick he held. Some of the other students were having a little trouble, but most already had their sticks at least smoking. He visualized the forms perfectly, and channeled his mana just so. He could tell that the teacher, as well as a number of his classmates, were already watching him to see how he would mess things up this time.

Once you all have figured out setting the sticks on fire, well move onto controlling the intensity of the flame, and maybe even to changing their colors.

Hughs stick exploded with magical light, then abruptly went dark again. He tried to shut his eyes in time, but his vision remained filled with spots.

The stick wasnt even charred.

Youre a menace, sheepherder, someone nearby whispered. Several other students were muttering and complaining as well.

Im not a sheepherder, Hugh muttered.

Everyones bound to mess up sometimes. Give it another try, Hugh, the teacher said.