A Dagger of the Mind (The Imperial Metals) Read Online Free Page A

Castle. One at a time, in person, alone. He promoted the people who were good at their jobs, he sent off the ones that were terrible at theirs , and he filled in some of the positions that had been vacant since the war.
    So what was the Countess doing with all this time? Was she just drinking mimosas and getting a tan? No. Vye wasn’t wired that way. She didn’t like to do nothing, she just wanted to do the things she knew how to do. So she spent most of her time training the guards. Technically, it was a task that was below her pay grade, but she got a thrill out of it, and Hartstone ended up with the best-trained guards in the Kingdom.
    But she had another skill that was sought after, and that was her magic. She tried to train a student here and a student there. Smart, capable people, by her judgement. But it didn’t stick. None of them could pick it up, and Vye couldn’t say why. She still wasn’t sure why she, herself, had managed to learn sorcery. It was something that sort of happened to her.
    After a few dropouts, Vye’s first real pupil was a girl name Nuria. She had been nine when Vye decided to start training her, and four years later, she was learning fast. Many people were confused by Vye’s decision to train Nuria. If you were only going to train one person to use magic, why would you choose an eighty pound girl?
    Vye had two reasons. The first reason was Nuria’s ability to climb. Those who knew nothing about magic were happy to tell you that climbing had nothing to do with magic. But Vye was looking for something in her potential students, and she didn’t know what it was until she found it in Nuria. It was someone who looked at things from a different perspective. Nuria had the instincts of a parrot. She always wanted to find the highest perch. She didn’t climb for the fun of climbing. She climbed for the view.
    The second reason was the day that Vye saw her playing with a group of older boys. They were playing at jousting with broom handles in place of lances, and crate covers for shields. Two of the boys would line up at opposite ends of a small field, run towards one another, and smash together. The fact that none of them lost an eye was kind of amazing.
    And then Vye, who was watching from her balcony, saw Nuria walk up to the boys and ask for a go. They laughed, of course. She had all the bulk of a feather pillow. But she kept insisting until they said yes. Vye was reasonably worried. But Nuria seemed confident. So instead of yelling at some nearby guards to put a stop to the nonsense, Vye watched, carefully.
    Magic was not something Vye completely understood. And after six years of practicing, she was still learning new things about it. But one thing she had realized was that she could...feel with the magic. She could put out vibes. Some things she could passively sense, if they were strong enough or close enough. But if she chose, she could send out a magical arm. An antenna of sorts.
    So as she saw Nuria line up across from a rugged teenage boy, Vye reached out. She felt Nuria’s heartbeat. Sensed her steady breathing... If anything happened, Vye would be able to protect her. She would let the brave girl take her turn, but Vye would make sure her heart kept beating, her lungs kept expanding and contracting, her skull stayed in one piece.
    And then Nuria turned to Vye. Across the courtyard, over the din of the marketplace, from the ditch by the road to the height of the balcony, Nuria made eye contact with Vye. Of course, many people throughout the day would glance up at the Countess. She was their leader, and a bit of a legend. People glared at her all the time.
    But Nuria hadn’t turned around by chance. Somehow, the girl had sensed Vye. Somehow, she had known that Vye was watching her. She smiled at Vye and turned back to the boys.
    Her hefty opponent charged across the line, broomstick held all the way out, wooden slats protecting his body. Nuria sprinted right back at him. But the broom