by Simon Archer
“Thank you for your kind words, Leo Hayden,” she said. “I look forward to journeying with and serving beside you, as well.”
6
The next morning, I awoke to Bernsten knocking on my door.
“Arise, Leo Hayden,” his voice boomed through the double doors. “It is time for us to prepare for our journey.”
I had to admit, Bernsten’s voice and demeanor were a bit more pleasant in the early morning than his sister’s, especially given the massive hangover it became quickly apparent I’d earned from the previous night’s pre-quest celebrations.
“Coming, coming,” I called as I clambered out of bed and pulled on my robes. I hadn’t even woken up in time to eat the elaborate breakfast spread some of the servant elves had placed at the foot of my bed.
I scanned the shiny golden trays for some coffee, which was one thing I had yet to find in this world. There wasn’t any, so I downed some orange juice, grabbed a handful of crispy bacon, and rushed out to meet my new companion.
“Is there any coffee here?” I asked as we walked briskly back towards the armory.
“What is this ‘coffee’?” Bernsten asked, his thin brows furrowed in confusion.
“It’s a dark brown drink, made from beans,” I prompted, trying to jog his memory. “Makes you wake up in the morning, especially when you’re hungover?”
“I do not know of such a liquid, but I can have a servant fetch you some stina root,” he said as we turned a corner.
“Stina root?” I asked, confused.
“Indeed,” he said, his voice echoing out through the corridor. “It is a succulent plant that stirs your bones and cures your head pain.”
“That sounds great,” I said.
Bernsten waved his hand, and seemingly out of nowhere, an elf in dark servant’s robes appeared next to us. “Fetch our honored guest some stina root and bring it to meet us in the armory.”
“Yes, Sir Bernsten, as you command,” the elf said and scurried off towards the servants’ quarters, where I assumed the kitchens must be located.
“You drank well last night, Leo Hayden, to be in need of our stina root.” Bernsten grinned and slapped me on the back between my shoulders.
“That’s one way to put it,” I said, rubbing my temples and groaning audibly.
“Ha!” Bernsten laughed. “You drink like a man. This is a sign that our quest will go very well, indeed.”
“If you say so.” I wondered how feeling ill at the beginning of a quest could be a good omen, but held my tongue.
When we entered the armory, Nadeine and Marinka were waiting for us. Like Bernsten, they were already suited up in their armor.
“Good morning, Leo,” Marinka said, smiling brightly at the sight of me.
“Good morning, Marinka,” I said and returned the smile. She held my gaze for a moment and then averted her eyes, her cheeks growing rosy again. Against my wishes, I felt my own face flush as well.
Nadeine looked from Marinka to me and back again and rolled her eyes. “How are you feeling?” she asked me.
“Not great,” I muttered.
“This is a good omen,” Bernsten reminded his sister.
“Only so long as it doesn’t impede our progress,” Nadeine said, an eyebrow arched in skepticism.
“Ah, he will be well again after some stina root,” Bernsten noted. “A servant is bringing some for us.”
As if on cue, a servant hurried through the armory doors, holding a green plant that looked kind of like a cactus without any thorns. I took some at Bernsten’s prompting and bit into it.
“What is your impression of the stina root, Leo Hayden?” Bernsten asked. I’d have to remember to ask him to stop using my full name. It weirded me out a bit.
“It’s… interesting,” I said between exaggerated chews. The plant tasted fine, kind of like cucumber-flavored water. But it was very hard, and when I bit into it, it just became more difficult to chew, like a large wad of gum.
“An antidote to match the disease,” Bernsten laughed as he slapped me between the shoulder blades again.
“I guess,” I said, watching as Bernsten, Nadeine, and Marinka all accepted wedges of the strange plant from the servant elf and began to bite into it themselves.
As I ate the stina root, I began to feel a bit better as my ear-splitting headache melted away with haste. I also felt as if a jolt of electricity had been sent through my entire body, and my heart began to thump uncomfortably, racing in my chest.
“Am I supposed to feel like I’ve been electrocuted?” I asked, putting a hand over my chest where my heart was pounding.
“I do not understand the term ‘electrocuted,’” Nadeine said as she moved to place a firm hand on my shoulder. “But if what you are describing is the excited feeling in your blood, that is normal. It will pass, but it will also give you great energy.”
“Sounds fun,” I said grumpily. “Like drinking twelve cups of coffee.”
“Then it has worked as you desired,” Bernsten said, sounding excited to have pleased me.
“I guess,” I acquiesced, “But twelve is definitely a lot.”
“Even better, then.” Bernsten clearly missed the sarcasm in my voice, still grinning from ear to ear.
“Sure,” I said, bemused by his reaction.
After finishing our wedges of stina root, Bernsten took me into the little room off to the side of the armory where we had met with Baldo the previous day. The shriveled old elf was waiting for us, and he beamed at me the second I entered the room.
“I have finished the modifications to your mage robes, Leo Hayden,” he said, holding the mass of brilliant blue and gold fabric out to me. “I hope it is to your liking.”
“I’m sure it will be great Baldo, thank you.” I took the robe from his outstretched veiny hands. When I moved to pull the robe on over my t-shirt and jeans, Bernsten reached out and grabbed my wrist.
“No, Leo, no,” he said with a chuckle. “You must remove your other garments first.
“Oh.” Weird, but if this was how it was done, I certainly didn’t know better. I looked at him and Baldo expectantly, but they didn’t move to leave. “Alright, then.”
I averted my eyes, avoiding the elves’ gazes as I took off my clothes and quickly pulled the robe on over my head. Baldo and Bernsten both clapped at the finished product.
“Here, Leo Hayden, look at yourself,” Bernsten said and pulled a long mirror out from behind Baldo’s desk.
“You know, you can really just call me Leo,” I noted.
“As you wish, Leo Hayden, as you wish,” Bernsten said, failing to catch himself calling me by my full name again. Oh, well, I supposed there were worse things.
That’s when I looked into the mirror and sort of understood why the elves were so excited by my appearance. Like the kingdom’s environment, the colors in the fabric were some of the brightest I’d ever seen, and the brilliant royal blue really did bring out the color of my eyes. The robes were layered, creating a thick, luscious look, but were somehow still cool to the touch. They were plane-colored, with long strips of golden tint lining each side.
“You truly look like a great mage now, Leo Hayden,” Bernsten said with a grin in his voice.
“Oh, yes, you do indeed. A truly great mage,” Baldo said. I turned to him then, and I was surprised and a bit uncomfortable to see that the old elf’s eyes were brimming with tears. “We have waited so long for this day. So long.”
I brushed the front of the robe down uncomfortably with my hands and looked away from him. “Thank you for the robe, Baldo. It’s perfect.”
“Oh, you’re welcome, Leo Hayden. It was my pleasure.”
I was unsettled to find that my words had only made the old elf even more emotional and exited quickly with Bernsten after offering my thanks. When Bernsten and I walked back out into the main area of the armory, Nadeine and Marinka both clapped at the sight of me as well.
“You are very handsome, Leo,” Marinka said bashfully
, lowering her voice so that Nadeine and Bernsten could not hear.
“Um, thank you.” My whole face and neck grew hot.
From the armory, we went to the front of the castle where Nadeine and I had first tumbled through the portal. Waiting for us there were four golden-maned miniature horses covered in leather packs full of food and other supplies, as well as Dalibor and Magdalina, the elves from the council with whom I had spoken previously. Their faces lit up when they saw us.
“A true mage,” Magdalina said as she strode forward and took my hands. “We chose well when we selected you to help us, Leo. Thank you for taking on this great task.”
“Well, uh, thank you for finding me,” I said, thinking back to how boring and dismal my life had been just a few days ago. Magdalina gave me a broad, gleaming smile in response to my words.
“Yes, we owe you our eternal thanks, Leo Hayden,” Dalibor said. “We wish you great success in your journey.” He turned and gestured to the miniature horses. “These animals will accompany you on your quest. Are you at all familiar with them?”
“Yes,” I said. “I mean, I’ve never ridden one before, but we have them in my world.”
“Excellent.” Dalibor walked over to the leftmost horse. “The largest will be yours, though I fear that it may still be too small for your comfort. Unfortunately, we have no other mounts to offer you.”
“I’m sure it will be fine.” I followed him and then stroked the horse on its long nose. It nuzzled me in response, and I laughed. “What’s his name?”
“Whatever you like,” Dalibor said.
“Um, okay. How about… Bill? Sure, why not?” I asked the miniature horse. It seemed to nod in assent, and I grinned. “Alright, then, Bill it is. At least someone else will have a normal name around here, then.”
Bill seemed to like that.
“I’m afraid now we must leave you to your quest,” Dalibor said. “You will travel through the western portion of our kingdom for the first leg of your journey. By now, our people are well aware of your presence and the purpose of your journey. You will be welcomed with open arms in all corners of our kingdom. This part of your journey should be safe and comfortable. I would urge you to continue to practice and hone your new skills during this time.”
“How can I practice outside of the library?” I asked curiously. “Do I need to pack some scrolls or something?”
“No need. There will be smaller libraries and training grounds everywhere you journey in our kingdom,” Magdalina said kindly. “Additionally, we have ensured that many scrolls for a wide range of spells have been included in your luggage so that you may study them while you ride.” She gestured to a long pack hanging off of either side of my new horse.
True to her words, I spotted the tops of dozens of scrolls protruding out of both sides of the bag.
“Nadeine will continue to help you hone your skills as she has these past several days,” Dalibor continued. “I regret that I will not be able to accompany you myself, but I am unfit for such a journey at this phase of my life.” The wise old elf cast his eyes downwards as if in shame. “Nonetheless, each of your companions will be well up to the task of helping you decipher the scrolls, though you have proven that you need little help with that given your already advanced skill set.” Dalibor glanced at a circular object I assumed to be some kind of Eviorahn pocket watch and turned to Magdalina.
“We cannot linger any longer, sadly,” he said. “The council is assembling to discuss all that has transpired in recent days. We thank you again for your great service to our people, Leo Hayden, and we wish you good tidings for your journey. We will send a messenger to get in touch with you should we gain more information in service of your mission while you remain within our kingdom’s walls, but once you leave the city, I am afraid you will be on your own.”
“Thank you,” I said and shook each of the council members’ hands along with the rest of my team. Then, Dalibor and Magdalina reentered the castle and left us to our journey.
“How long will we still be in the kingdom?” I asked as we mounted our miniature horses.
“A couple of weeks,” Nadeine said, beating the rest of us to mount her horse. “We will ride each day and stop each night to rest and practice in the city. We will know no such luxury when we leave the city, so it will serve us well to be comfortable on this leg of our journey.”
“Yes, I will have many opportunities to beat you further at wazo, Leo Hayden,” Bernsten said as he rode his horse up beside mine and clapped me on the shoulder.
“We’ll just have to see about that.” I grinned and returned the gesture.
The kingdom was just as beautiful further out from the castle, its buildings shining with trims of gold. Everywhere we went, passing elves stared at us expectantly, and called out their thanks to us. Some, especially children, even went so far as to come up to me and ask to touch my robes.
“Um, sure,” I would say, and their little hands would entwine themselves in the silky fabric as they oohed and awed.
“You do not understand how important it is for them to see a mage,” Marinka said after the first time this happened. “Most of us have never seen one before. We’ve only heard of them in ancient stories. The older ones who do remember find the sight of you even more inspiring, reminding them of the better times when they were children. You are a symbol of hope for our entire kingdom, Leo.” She reached out and brushed her hand against mine, and I smiled at her.
We journeyed the rest of the day on our miniature horses, and for the first few hours, I studied several scrolls intently, still buzzing from the stina root, though the thumping in my chest had calmed down a bit. I memorized three more spells for fighting at Nadeine’s direction, all of which created shields like the ones from the other spells, just of varying shapes, sizes, and locations.
“We will need those the most when we enter the forest,” she had said.
“Do you expect a lot of enemies to fight or something?” I asked.
“We do not know what to expect, so we must prepare for the worst,” she said, staring out into the distance ahead of us.
In the mid-afternoon, I crashed under the heat of the sun, coming down off of the adrenaline rush from the stina root. I slept awkwardly sprawled across Bill’s back. Dalibor had been right that, even though he was the largest of the four miniature horses, he wasn’t quite big enough to fit me for optimal comfort. It was good enough, though, and Bill didn’t seem to buckle at all under my weight. It helped that he was carrying the least amount of luggage among the horses.
When I awoke, we were arriving in the stables of a medium-sized castle, not nearly as large as the main one I had stayed in at the center of the kingdom, but larger than the ones we had passed on our journey throughout the day.
“Where are we?” I yawned and stretched my arms out.
“This is a mid-sized city within the kingdom,” Nadeine replied as she dismounted. “We will stay here tonight.”
“Do none of these little places have names?” I asked.
“No, this is all the kingdom of Eviroah.” Nadeine looked confused. “Should they have names?”
“I guess not.” I shrugged. “I’m just used to everywhere having names.”
“This is the kingdom of Eviorah,” Nadeine said again, and that was the end of that.
We were greeted at the entrance to the castle by a comparatively short male elf who looked to be about middle-aged wearing long robes like the council members, though his were darker in color, almost a forest green.
“Welcome, welcome,” he said, bowing slightly. “We are so glad to have you here, Leo Hayden, Princess Marinka, and their companions. So glad. I am Marinus. Anything you need, anything at all, just let me know, and your wish is my command.”
“Thank you for your kindness, Marinus,” Bernsten said.
We followed the little elf into the castle and to a dining hall, smaller than the one I had eaten in at the royal castle, but almost as grand. The walls of th
e dining hall were adorned with paintings of elves in robes similar to mine. The tables were long and made of amber wood, and yellow candles in golden candlesticks were spread across them. The castle itself was plainer than the other ones I’d seen, with less external ornamentation, but it was still beautiful in its simplicity.
“Are those mages?” I asked Marinka, pointing to one of the portraits and leaning in so she could hear me over the chatter of the surrounding elves in the dining hall.
“Yes, they are,” she said. “The cities and towns within the larger kingdom pride themselves on the famous mages from their number who have gone on grand quests. They look forward to the day when they are able to contribute magi to advance our kingdom’s interests once again.”
We were served a meal rich in hard cheeses and little ovals that seemed to be some kind of tart olive. It tasted almost as wonderful as the food served at the royal castle.
After dinner, Nadeine took me to practice the spells I had learned on our journey that morning in a small library in the castle’s lowest level. Smaller versions of the portraits of the same mages I had seen adorning the walls of the dining hall were spread throughout the library. The shelves of scrolls had the same bubbles around them that they had in the library at the royal castle, and there were mage’s circles etched across the floor.
“Alright, Leo,” Nadeine said. “Let us attempt the spells you learned on our journey today.”
I nodded and watched as Nadeine positioned herself across from me in one of the circles, and I began to hum one of the spells, a complicated variation on an A major scale. Nadeine unsheathed her sword and jumped and attempted to strike me from above, but flashes of golden light emanated from around me and twisted themselves around the sword, yanking it from Nadeine’s grasp and launching her back down to the floor.
“Good. Very good,” Nadeine said, panting and wiping her brow as she rose. “Your skills continue to impress me.”
