Bloodrage - Helen Harper Page 0,9
your part. By the founder, you only just took the oath less than thirty minutes before you attacked a mage without any provocation!”
I lifted my head. “That’s not fair! I was provoked! He tricked me into shaving off my hair. I was just trying to do what I was told so that I could be a good initiate. When I found out it was all just a joke on his part, I got angry. That’s all.”
The Arch-Mage stared at me. “Do you mean to tell me that I had to interrupt a council meeting to come all the way here because of a little hazing? I thought you were tougher than that.”
“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again, I promise.”
He sighed heavily and sat down on the bed then, apparently appreciating how uncomfortable it was, changed his mind and stood back up. “The thing is that I’m sure you mean that right now. But if you can’t even control your temper, then all this is for naught. What happens next time you feel provoked? The point of you being here is to learn control so that you don’t misuse your power. It appears that all you are really learning, Miss Smith, is how to be as violent as possible.”
“Please,” I said in a very small voice. “She’s depending on me. I really will be good.”
He stared at me for a long moment while I held my breath. I knew that the Arch-Mage was a decent sort; our previous encounter in London when I’d broken into the Ministry had proven that. But I also knew that I hadn’t given him all that many options after almost killing one of his mages. I could well imagine that the Ministry, 99% per of whom were already baying for my blood as it was, were putting extraordinary pressure on him to deal with me once and for all.
“You have one final chance,” he said finally.
My heart leapt in my chest, but he held up a single digit in warning.
“However, there is a caveat. Once a week you will attend anger management counselling in London. And if you so much as send a dirty look in the direction of anyone else at this facility, then there will be nothing else I can do.”
I was nodding vigorously. I’d take any olive branch, even if it meant talking to some shrink about my feelings.
The Arch-Mage stared at me, hard. “I mean it, Miss Smith. One more fuck-up and you’re done.”
“I won’t let you down. I promise.”
He didn’t look as if he entirely believed me, but I would just have to prove otherwise to him. And maybe the counselling would help a bit. God knew that I needed to do something to start controlling my temper. It seemed to be getting worse and worse as each day went by.
“It’s for the best if you stay in your room for the remainder of the day. I will have some food sent up to you. You can begin your studies tomorrow, with Friday afternoons off for the counselling. I will smooth things over with Dean Michaels for now.” Something flickered across his eyes as he said that. For a moment, I thought it might be a gleam of self-satisfaction, but it was gone before I could really analyse it.
I blinked my acknowledgement, and the Arch-Mage left without another word. Sinking down onto the floor, I exhaled loudly. I was pretty sure that I’d had a very lucky escape.
*
The next morning, it was Mary who came to escort me to the dining hall. I guessed that she had volunteered for the duty; it was more than likely that after the display yesterday no one else was keen to be my escort. I hoped that Thomas was alright. I didn’t like him, but that didn’t mean I wished pain and suffering on him. Mary at least smiled at me tentatively.
“You know, it’ll probably grow back really quickly.”
“Yeah,” I said quietly, “it probably will.”
She stuck close to me all the way to the dining hall, but didn’t say anything else. When we entered the large room, the conversation died instantly and I could feel a hundred pairs of eyes on me, both teenager and adult. I took a quick glance around, noting with some relief that the room had been put back into order and looked exactly as it had the day before, prior to my tantrum. I strove hard to ignore the stares, and helped myself to the coffee, drinking it quickly and