Henry had a difficult time eating breakfast the next morning. Despite the fact that he knew in his heart that he was ready for the challenge of his journeyman's test, he couldn't help but feel nervous. It soured his stomach, and nothing on the table before him looked at all appetizing.
"Ready, my boy?" Master Rylan asked what seemed like an incredibly short time later.
Henry took a deep breath and nodded, pushing back from the table and meeting the curious and envious gazes of his fellow apprentices, who were seated with him. With a smile that he hoped portrayed confidence instead of anxiety, Henry left the dining hall as an apprentice for the last time.
Henry knew as much about the test he was about to take as any other apprentice, which is to say, nothing at all. It seemed to him that if anybody failed this test, they were either too embarrassed to talk about it, or they blocked the painful memory from their conscious minds. Anybody who passed the test was apparently sworn to secrecy, because there wasn't anybody Henry or the other apprentices could find who would tell them about it.
Reaching one of the largest workrooms in the building, Master Rylan pushed open the door and gestured for Henry to precede him across the threshold. There were five people already in the room, and Henry recognized Cedric immediately. He opened his mouth to protest the journeyman's presence, knowing as he did that Cedric was biased against this test being successful, but then Henry thought better of the idea. It would be just desserts indeed when Cedric witnessed his victory, when Henry joined the ranks of the journeymen mages and would be considered Cedric's equal.
The other person Henry recognized was his master's wife, Melynda. He knew that she was a Spirit mage, as he knew that Cedric was an Earth mage like he was. The staves of the other three mages in the room indicated that they filled out the collection of elemental powers, representing Fire, Water and Air.
"Henry, you are here before us today to take your journeyman's test, correct?" Melynda asked. Henry nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
"You are aware that magic is a dangerous tool," the master mage continued, "and you have studied hard to reach this point. You only get to attempt this test once, and there is no shame in turning away now to study further, as there is no shame in refusing the test altogether. You could remain at your current level of power until the end of your days."
Henry shook his head this time. "No," he said. "I am ready to take the test."
Melynda nodded as if she had expected this answer.
"The test does not come without a price," she informed him. "Upon its completion, pass or fail, you will be forever changed. If you pass, you will be granted the rank of journeyman and your studies will continue. If you fail, you may die or you may have your magic burned from you, leaving you unable to cast any spell at all. Do you understand?"
"I understand."
"And do you still wish to proceed?"
"I do."
Henry felt as if an entire colony of butterflies was inside his stomach trying to escape. He was sure that someone had explained the risks of this test at some point - probably Cedric, trying to scare him - but it was so much more real when Melynda spoke the words. He could die! But he knew that he had to push ahead, knew that his parents expected this of him, and he expected this of himself. He stepped forward into the circle of mages, and Rylan moved to the side of the room. As Henry's master, he was here only to observe.
Melynda began to chant, the others joining in after a few moments. The fact that it was the Spirit mage who seemed to be running the test struck Henry as important, but before he could figure out why, the room around him went dark.