by Dakota Krout
“It’s just… Luke, let me be frank.” Andre turned to his friend with a dark look.
“Hi, Frank,” Luke responded flippantly.
“Really, man? Feh. Listen. I really like her.”
“So do I. Hence the ‘I’m glad she didn’t get snooty’.”
Andre took a deep breath and tried again. “No, man, I like her. And… I think she likes me, too. She touches me a lot.”
“Oh. I think the touching may be because you ‘bruise like a peach and blush like a sunset’.” Luke waxed poetic, making Andre grimace in disgust. “C’mon, I know that she pokes hard; you don’t actually bruise that easy.”
“Luke, man. I mean that-” A low sound came from Andre, though he suddenly stopped moping as Taylor returned with fried meat skewers.
Looking past them as she handed over the skewers, Taylor pointed to the other side of the crowd and gasped. “Is that Zed?”
Both young men turned to get a better view, noticing that it was indeed their missing friend. The townspeople began rumbling as they saw Zed being manhandled, but a group of spearmen stepped forward and blocked anyone from approaching.
“Let me go! I’ve done nothing wrong!” Zed raged and thrashed, half dragged between two overly-muscled members of the Legion.
They did let him go, but not in a polite and friendly manner. Instead, they threw him down at the feet of the tester. “Caught this one trying to run through the forest, Lord Mage.”
The one on the right spoke up, his voice reminiscent of a duck gargling sewage. “Thought you may want a crack at ‘im.”
Chapter Four
“Right you were, gentlemen! Why so nervous, young man? You may not even have any power! If you do, it isn’t like you become a slave! You get paid well, live in luxury… so many benefits, just for serving the Hollow Kingdom!” Zed just shook his head and took deep, panicked breaths, eyes darting around in an attempt to find a way to escape from the situation. “Well, if you are that nervous, might as well get this over with. Then you can get locked away in prison for draft dodging, or sent to the front lines by tomorrow! Come here, young man.”
The Mage motioned Zed closer. Expressing a look of utter defeat, Zed trudged forward and slowly reached for the proffered orb. As he lay his fingers on it, touching it as minimally as possible… nothing happened. A look of relief crossed his face nanoseconds before a deep chime emitted from the orb, akin to a bell being hit by a hammer. Swirls of golden color shone within the orb, vibrant bursts of illusionary light that reminded those watching of either fond memories or horrific scenes from their past.
“Bind him!” screamed the tester, eyes wide and shocked. His voice spurred the nearby Ascenders to stand forward, releasing energy into the air with a *whoosh*. In moments, Zed was nearly obscured behind several different shimmering fields; his face crumpled into abject terror as the restraints obscured him from view. The tester looked at the guards with wide eyes. “I never thought that those wards on your armor would see use!”
The guards that had dragged Zed in chuckled nervously, shaking their heads in agreement. The audience stood dumbfounded, horrified by this unexpected turn of events, as well as the testers’ cavalier attitudes. A few citizens started shouting angrily, ready to rush the stage in spite of the Legion and Mage Corps being in the way, all to save the well-loved child of the village. The tester’s face darkened, and he shouted over the crowd, clearly hoping the scene would not dissolve into a mob. “Please! I’m sorry that happened! No! Listen, good people of Woodswright, let me explain!”
“You better speak right quick!” came a voice from the rumbling crowd.
“Thank you! Please understand, this man is an untrained, unbound… True Bard!”
A few people of high standing among the crowd gasped… but the majority stood by, anger rising at the minimalistic explanation. “So?”
“So? Do you not understand what this means?” The man stared about the crowd incredulously. Getting mostly blank looks in return, he shook his head and muttered ‘stupid backwater’ before launching into his explanation.
“A Bard is a mind Mage. They are one of the few types of Ascender which can access their power without training. It spills out of them, causing people to trust without reason, allowing the Bard to manipulate others with a mere whim. If he is unbound and powerful enough, the king himself would happily hand over his throne, thinking the Bard more suited to the task of ruling. Let me give you an example,” the Mage continued, speaking ever faster as the looks of anger started to turn to something more fearful. “Where does this boy live? How long has he been here?”
“He’s been here forever,” Called a matronly woman.
“The boy showed up last year,” A stablehand barked out at nearly the same time. They looked at each other in confusion as similar assertions were called out around them.
“Exactly!” The tester announced, “Who actually knows? Hmm? I can tell you the answer right now! You have known him exactly as long as it took for you to trust him, and I would bet my last coin that he has asked favors from all of you, promising payment or some such in the future. Favors that you never really… questioned?”
As the nods slowly increased, he spoke again, “Hopefully you now understand. You all know that there is a binding oath involved with becoming an Ascender, yes? Normally, this oath is optional. If they say no, we block their magic and send them on their way. A True Bard, by their very nature, cannot be blocked in the same manner. If he refuses the magically binding oath… he will be put to death on the spot, for the protection of the realm.”
With this pronouncement, he turned to the shimmering cocoon surrounding Zed. The crowd seemed to be struggling with the news, but the Mage moved faster than they could make up their minds.
“Release his head. Boy,” he softly spoke to Zed, “if you say anything but ‘I hereby swear’ as your next words, you will die. I… I am sorry. There is no other choice. Nod if you understand.”
Zed nodded solemnly, tears streaming down his face as he tried to come to terms with his upcoming life of forced servitude. “Do you swear upon your magic, and your life, to serve the Hollow Kingdom, the King, and your direct superior in all things relating to your training, your service, and your magic, until such a time as you are released from this oath by King Alexander or his heir?”
Shaking with uncontrolled emotion, Zed replied brokenly, “I… hereby swear.”
With a *crack* and a deep chime similar to the one that had announced his magic to the world, the Sigil of the Kingdom appeared upon Zed’s sweat-soaked forehead.
“Release him.” A Mage in grand robes emerged from a nearby tent and sent the original tester away. “You all have nothing to fear from him now. Given the circumstances, I will take over this ceremony from this point forward. Boy, what is your name?”
“Zed.”
“Zed, although this is a poor start to a relationship… I hope you understand why this was needed, and that you will work with us to discover and enhance the mastery of your magic. Please call me by my rank and name, ‘Master Mage Donec Arriperent’. You can call me ‘Master’ or ‘Master Don’. I will be the one who determines your path forward from here.”
“I do. Thank you, Master Don. This is… a lot to take in,” Zed looked up at the many faces in the crowd, many of whom were wearing conflicted expressions, “I apologize to you all. I didn’t realize the extent to which I was influencing you. I truly thought everyone here was just really… friendly.”
“You owe me money, freak!” shouted a stable boy. The crowd started rumbling, some shouting for recompense, some trying to shout the angry voices down.
“Calm yourselves,” Don growled, his voice layered with power. As the mob was forcefully influenced toward calm, he continued speaking, “Anyone with a legitimate claim against Zed may bring it to the scribes. As a forced Initiate, he is granted immunity from the crimes he may have committed as an untrained individual. As for the rest of you, the testing continues. Line
up.”
The festival air ruined, most of the people not invested in the testing ceremony started to disperse. Soon only the people to be tested, their families, and disappointed food vendors remained in the area.
“Well, that was intense and horrible.” Taylor garnered droll looks from her friends. She started again, glancing around nervously and leaning in toward them. “Look, you guys… if you are found to have power, don’t refuse the oath. Promise me.”
“Why?” Andre appraised her serious demeanor. “Look what they did to Zed! Why would you want us to be a part of that?”
“I… I can’t tell you.” At their skeptical looks, she sighed, “I physically can’t. I’m under oath. But, remember how they say it is up to you to accept or not? Just think about that.”
“If you refuse, you are stripped of all power, so you can’t learn some other way.” Luke shrugged and scoffed, “That’s common knowledge, Tay. He announced it, even.”
“Yes,” she desperately ground out, “but have you ever heard of…”
She doubled over in pain, suddenly and violently vomiting onto her shoes.
“Celestial feces!” Andre instantly moved to help her.
She waved him off, looking around to make sure no one outside of their group had seen her lose her breakfast. “I’m fine. Just being punished.”
“You’re under a geas? Not just an oath?” Luke gasped and recoiled. “Andre, stop asking her questions. She could die if she pushes too hard.”
“Who the abyss did this to you?” An infuriated Andre clenched his fists and looked around.
“Easy, big guy,” Luke responded, attempting to calm down the highly muscular smith. “A geas can only be entered willingly.”
Andre whirled on Luke, fists clenched. “Like Zed just entered service ‘willingly’?”
“He…” Luke couldn’t find a response. “A fair point.”
“I was actually willing to enter mine. I wanted information, and this was the only way to get it.” Taylor wiped her mouth. “I need something to drink; I should have chewed that meat better. Got chunks of it stuck in my throat.”
“Nasty.” Luke recoiled from both the smell and the words.
“Well?” Tay threw her hands into the air in exasperation. Giving up their positions in line, they approached a vendor and got some cider. Taylor swished it around in her mouth before drinking deeply. They turned to watch other people getting tested, the majority failing. Though a few were discovered with talents, none made the ball swirl or chime so powerfully as Zed.
“So… what is that ball actually doing?” Andre wondered aloud.
“It tests the inborn power of each person. None of us are trained, so they can’t exactly ‘see what we can do’, ya know? The color is what type of Ascender you are; the more intense the swirl, I think, means they have more inborn mana, so they can cast more or longer from the start. That natural ability allows for more rapid mastery of spells. I think the sound indicates how powerful of a spell they can cast. So, loud and lots of swirling? Big, powerful spells from the start.” Luke looked at Taylor for confirmation, and she nodded reluctantly.
“More to it than that,” she contended, see-sawing her hand back and forth.
“So that’s it? A ball determines my future?” Andre grumpily eyed the orb.
“Well, that’s only the natural starting point. Everyone with the ability to Ascend can increase their power with training and practice. I think the current Archmage holds the record for the smallest starting mana pool.”
That made Andre pause. “Oh. Why isn’t everyone at his level, then?”
“I’m not sure. I think learning spells is harder than it sounds… not many people seem to survive the training.” Luke considered the small collection of Mages doubtfully, then glanced over at the huge and still-growing crowd of volunteers for the regular army. “I wonder why?”
“It’s because they…” Taylor doubled over again, clutching her stomach.
“Sheesh! Looks like even the training is a secret.” Andre pulled Taylor in close for a half-hug until she could move again.
Taylor nodded, looking miserable. “We’d better get in line. Looks like most people are through.”
They began walking toward the stage. Their families saw them pulling away from the remaining crowd and began cheering for them, making Luke blush and Andre wave. Taylor kept her eyes forward and ignored the fact that she was alone. Approaching the foot of the stage, she moved to the front of the group and started climbing the stairs.
“Well, hello, young lady! Ready to learn about your future?” Master Don asked her, grinning and holding up the orb like a fortune teller.
“Try and stop me!” She was grinning right back, their open friendliness indicating that they were already familiar with each other. Reaching out, she firmly grasped the orb. A riot of purple colors and deep swirls overtook the stage, and a low tone rang out, deep and sorrowful.
“Well, that’s even more than I was led to believe by your father!” Master Don cheerfully exclaimed. “This town is full of surprises! Two wondrously powerful people! Well, my dear, state your name for the scribe.”
“Taylor Woodswright.”
“Well, Taylor, if you aren’t a Namer, I’ll eat my spell book. If you would like… I’ll take you as my personal apprentice.” As Master Don made the offer, gasps of shock and outrage rose from the staff surrounding him. If Taylor had been undecided, the involuntary astonished responses from his entourage were enough of a push to make her agree.
“That would be most kind… Master?” she half-questioned, taking his hand and shaking it.
“Correct!” he jovially agreed. “All that remains is your oath.”
Becoming serious again, as he had with every applicant thus far, he repeated the now-familiar words. “Do you swear upon your magic, and your life, to serve the Hollow Kingdom, the King, and your direct superior in all things relating to your training, your service, and your magic, until such a time as you are released from this oath by King Alexander or his heir?”
“I hereby swear,” she solemnly supplied her portion of the ritual. As with the others, the Sigil of the Kingdom appeared on her forehead with a chime before quickly vanishing from sight.
“A round of applause for the Hollow Kingdom’s newest Mage Namer!” Master Don shouted as the remaining crowd broke out in cheering, though the other Mages were staring at her in horror. With a grin, Taylor motioned her friends forward to complete their own testing. Andre leapt forward, hoping that he could get in on the applause. Waving at the crowd, he strode boldly over to the Master.
“Humph. Make ‘em big here, don’t they? All right, mountain man, you ready?” Andre’s only response was to push his hand forward, waiting for the orb. The Master acquiesced, dropping the orb into his hand. With an explosion of power, light, and sound, the orb shattered with a flash of green light and a concussive boom that echoed across the instantly-silent crowd.
“Yup. Lots and lots of capacity,” Master Don wryly stated as a shield vanished from around the duo. Shards of crystal rained to the floor as the captured fragments were released. “Certainly too much for this weak testing orb.”
“King Alexander’s wrinkly balls, Andre, what the abyss was that?” Taylor shouted with a shocked look.
“Language, young lady! Words hold much power,” Don scolded her with a dark look. “This happens every once in a while. Rare, but it does happen. A smith?”
At Andre’s nod, Don continued speaking loudly so everyone could hear, “I bet your work is somehow too good, and your master has been taking credit for it?”
Another nod and a sheepish cough from the smith, who had attended the ceremony. “Well, the green shows us right where your talents lie, hmm? First things first; do you swear upon your magic and your life to serve the Hollow Kingdom, the King, and your direct superior in all things relating to your training, your service, and your magic, until such a time as you are released from this oath by King Alexander or h
is heir?”
“I hereby… swear.” Andre agreed after a long look at Taylor, still seeming a bit shell-shocked.
Master Don pulled him in for a hug, something he hadn't done even with his own new apprentice. “Excellent! Thank you! Thank you, lad! Good people, welcome our Kingdom's very first… Druid! The chosen one has been found!”
The crowd froze, then burst into amazed cheering. Don quietly spoke to Andre before pushing him gently toward a tent. “You have a hard road ahead, but we need to get you trained quickly. You will likely have a huge bounty placed on your head by many different factions.”
Luke felt uncomfortable under Master Don’s scrutinizing gaze as he moved forward. He was confused about what to do now that there was no orb. Although he was happy for his friends, he still felt distinctly apprehensive about his own future.
“A bit of advice,” The Master spoke quietly to Luke, “guard your emotions better than you are currently. Don’t take this as an insult; you just are quite easy to read, and therefore manipulate. You seem like a good kid, but others will happily pull you into their schemes if you let them. Ah, I get ahead of myself! My apologies. I am a teacher at heart; I cannot stop myself. And, voila!”
Don pulled a new orb seemingly from the empty air and held it forward. Luke, nonplussed by the sudden lecture, tentatively grasped the proffered orb. No change came over the orb, and Don nodded almost in relief. “That was a tough act to follow. Sorry about that, lad. Well, don’t be sad. The world certainly needs soldiers-”
He stopped, finally noticing that Luke was entranced by the orb in his hand. It was slowly shifting colors, bleeding from clear to a bright blue; the color spreading from his palm like mercury poured into water. The gradual stain continued until the orb was a solid blue, and then the color simply continued to deepen until it was as dark as midnight. The entire process took nearly five minutes.
“That’s… new.” Don looked at Luke, a question in his eyes. “Well, there is no question that you have power, even if I am unsure what it is. Name?”
