Chapter 19, First Day On the Job

(Trisha)

Trisha's eyes snapped open. She lay on her back, staring at the white plaster of the ceiling. Her head swam, and her stomach lurched. She clutched her chest as her stomach bubbled, forcing the taste of strawberry to her tongue.Trisha rolled out from under the thick, warm blankets. The icy floor shocked her senses as she placed her bare feet on the stone. Knock! Knock!.

" Get up, its time for your first day of training!." said the stern voice of the bishop. Trisha rubbed her bleary eyes as she slipped on her dark silken pants and black blouse with white lace on the neckline. She used the oiled belt next to the folded clothing and looped it around her waist, clasping the belt in front of her. She left her sword in its scabbard by the bed, but she slipped a small knife into her right boot. Trisha couldn't believe she was actually going to be learning under the bishop of the church.

Today was her first day. She had been stuck in her room recovering from a nasty headache and violent stomach aches for an entire day after she drank that wine. She licked her lips, forcing herself not to reach for the full bottle on the nightstand. Now she was going for her first day under her new teacher. Who knew what she may have to do. If the bishop was anything like her previous teacher. Trisha might need to use her boot knife on the mission.

Trisha opened the door into the empty hall. She hurried down the hallway to the dining room. Knocking on the door before she entered.The only person in the room was the straight-backed Bishop, the woman sipping a steaming drink from a glass.

" Ahh, very good. You dressed in the clothes I left for you." said the Bishop, her eyes roving over Trisha's athletic frame.

" Thank you, Lady Bishop. They are far more expensive than I could afford." replied Trisha ringing her hands nervously.

" I couldn't have you walking around in those drab clothes you arrived in. People would think I'm taking in strays and beggars from the streets." said The Bishop seriously.

At least the clothes were practical. Trisha felt light and her freedom of moment was fantastic in the smooth silk. She had never worn something so soft, she already didn't want to take them off.

" Will I need my sword today?" asked Trisha.

" No, you will need to get used to walking without it. Its unseemly for a lady of the court to carry a sword." Replied the bishop.

" May I carry a dagger?" asked Trisha.

" I expect you to. I don't care how many weapons you carry as long as they are well hidden." replied the Bishop smirking as she eye Trishas right boot.

"What can I do for you today, Lady Bishop?" asked Trisha, letting out a ragged breath.

" We have a problem with one of the major guilds in the city. The messengers guild is refusing to send any messages for us until we publicly apologise." said the Bishop, her face a mask of barely contained rage.

Trisha was taken aback. The surge of fury that was instantly on the Bishop's face made her heart skip a beat.

" Dont you use your own messengers?" asked Trisha curiously.

" Of course we do, but we are a large organization. We need the guild, and they know it." replied the Bishop, her knuckles white on her glass.

" I am unfamiliar with politics. That is for nobles and merchants." said Trisha.

" You will need to learn politics if you want to be my apprentice. This job involves a lot more backstabbing with words than with blades or magic." said the Bishop.

" That sounds much worse. I would prefer to get rid of my problems the easy way." said Trisha miming, stabbing the air.

" Politics is never easy, and that is why I'm going to send you to clear things up with the merchants' guild." said the Bishop.

" But I cannot speak for the church, even if I apologize they won't care." replied Trisha, wanting to run as far as possible from this mess. How did she get involved in politics?

" Its perfect. If I go, it will send the wrong message. Everyone will assume the messenger's guild has too much influence over us. However, if I were to send a lowly initiate. They would think I was insulting them. That is why I'm sending my personal apprentice. It is a show of my respect and a sign that we value them. But also it shows they are still not my equal." said the Bishop smoothing her straight black hair.

" I think I get what you mean. You want to make sure they feel appreciated, but not too important?" replied Trisha.

" Not exactly, but you have the right idea." said the Bishop.

" Why does the church need to apologize to the messengers guild?" asked Trisha. She didn't really care, but figured it couldn't hurt to know.

" One of our inquisitors from Drent arrested a guild master of their guild on a false accusation. The damned inquisitor had him beaten and kicked out of his own guild house." said the Bishop, gritting her teeth.

" From Drent? Do you mean the high inquisitor, Kelvin?" asked Trisha.

" Yes, that's the one. The man was disgraced and sent to the border city so he couldn't ruin his house's public image." said the Bishop.

"Why did you let him stay in the church and run a temple if he was a disgrace?" asked Trisha.

" Politics. Even as the fourth son of a count, I need to tread lightly. Enough of that! You will go to the messengers guildhall and present an apology." said The Bishop.

" I can to that. It would be a lot easier to just stab the person causing the problem?" asked Trisha hopefully.

The Bishop leaned back in her chair, reassessing Trisha.

" Not today. We can defeat this without stabbing. But we may need your knife skills some other time." replied the Bishop.

" How will they recognise me? They will laugh me out of the city if I go around proclaiming I'm your apprentice." said Trisha leaning on a chair. Her mouth water, but she hadn't been invited to sit and eat. The Bishop reached into her robe and pulled out an amulet that faintly sparkled blue, the metal shimmering with mana.

" This is a badge, that tells everyone you are my apprentice. I personally made this one. Go one, hold it in your hand." said the bishop, proffering the hexagon to Trisha.

Trisha reached out and touched the item, her fingers tingling. Immediately, she was bombarded with knowledge. She saw an image of herself, brown curly hair, pointy nose and athletic frame. She released the blue shimmering amulet. She was certain that the person it had shown her was indeed the bishop's apprentice.

" How? What! Why?" Stammered Trisha, dropping the amulet.

" These are not that uncommon, they usually are not so powerful. But I need to be certain people to know who you are. They need to be certain that you are in fact my apprentice." said The Bishop.

Trishas heart raced as she grasped the chain of the necklace gently avoiding the hexagon at all costs. She didn't want to experience that again today. It was disturbing to think all that information was just forced into her brain. What other things could the Bishop do? Could someone place a hidden attack that fried her brain?

Trisha shudder. She could see why people were so afraid of mind magic.

" Dont worry about touching the amulet, now that its shared its information with you it won't again. Unless you channel some mana." said the Bishop grinning mischievously at her.

" You did that on purpose! " said Trisha.

" Of course, until you have mastered your magic. I will test your defence until no one can get past. That was simply the first of many attacks." said the Bishop.

" But my Min-"

" Your magic, is not to be mentioned by name ever! Do not even whisper it." Hissed the Bishop furrowing her brows. Trisha bowed hurriedly, her stomach in knots as the silence lengthened.

" Take your medallion. Go to Expeditions plaza to the messengers guild hall. We will revisit your mana training when you return. For now, you are learning political training. I expect you to deliver a heartfelt apology to the guild, the backlash of course will come back on our heads." said the Bishop waving Trisha out of the room like it was a casual task.

Trisha left the room, her amulet around her neck, weighing her down. She shut the door quietly, hoping the silent exit would get rid of the anxiety welling in her stomach. What had she gotten herself into? In a daze, she walked down the halls, past guards that held so still they could have been statues. She stopped in front of one, looking for the slightest twitch in facial expression. The man eventually blinked, revealing he was indeed a human.

Trisha paced in front of the lone guard.

" How am I going to deliver a speech? Do I look like a public speaker to you!" asked Trisha. The guard remained perfectly still. Trishas frustration boiled over. At least this guard couldn't go anywhere.

" Why would the lady bishop ask me to apologize? I'm terrible at apologizing. I'm sure you understand, they pay you to stab people!

"Politics, it goes against my morals to apologize for something so underhanded as politics." said Trisha, balling her fists. The guard's lips turned up slightly, his bright blue eyes twinkling in mirth.

" I know you understand me, sir, guard. What would you do if someone asked you to apologize?" asked Trisha, sighing in defeat.

" Sorry about that. I just needed someone to talk to, I guess. Thank you for listening." said Trisha, straitening the hem of her dark pants. The guard simply blinked at her but didn't say a word, holding ram strait, his spear resting on his uniformed shoulder.

Trisha turned on her heels and rushed away from the annoyingly silent guard. She felt lighter, some of the tension leaving her shoulders after her outburst at her new friend.