by Gage Lee
The Broken Blades' lodge house was crammed in between the far western wall of the Academy and its interior wall. To get to class, Taun and his lodge mates had to circle around half the school's perimeter, then hustle across the open ground at its heart to reach the classroom towers. Even though the lodge had eaten their gruel so quickly Taun knew he'd have indigestion for the rest of the day, and Kam knew the way to the classroom, they still missed the starting bell by several minutes.
Do not apologize to the professor, Axaranth commanded. Make it known that you are an important person and have no time for the school's arbitrary rules.
While Taun would very much have liked any of that to be true, he knew better than to push a teacher's limits. Sage Lantan had beaten his knuckles for being late more than once. The punishment was always worse if he talked back instead of accepting the price for his wrongdoing. “Let me do the talking,” he said to the others.
The knight pushed the classroom's door open before his lodge members could protest. The professor halted in mid-sentence, his eyes narrowed into angry red slits as he tilted his head to face Taun. He was the most powerfully built dragon that Taun had seen so far, and his entire body was covered in heavy, bronze scales.
“Well,” the heavyset dragon said, “look who stumbled into my class. Are you sure you belong here? Because this class begins precisely on the hour, not five past. Explain yourself, and perhaps I will take pity on you and allow you to partake of my instruction today.”
Taun bowed his head, and fixed his eyes on the floor. He wasn't sure about dragon etiquette, but Sage Lantan had always preferred Taun avert his eyes when he'd made a mistake. “My apologies, Professor—”
“Professor Lors,” the dragon said in a thunderous voice. Smoke curled from the corners of his mouth, thick and black as stormclouds.
“My apologies, Professor Lors,” Taun said. “Our lodge is on the far side of the campus, and this is our first day of classes. We misjudged the distance and time it would take to reach the classroom. I would very much like to learn from you, today and every day, and humbly offer my promise we will not be late again.”
The professor turned back to his lectern. The big dragon leaned on it until the wood creaked as if crying for mercy. “My rule is that late students do not attend class that day,” he said. “But, I must admit the novelty of a human in my class is intriguing. Find seats, all of you, and pay attention. I accept your promise that you will never be late to my class again. Do not break it.”
“Thank you, Professor Lors,” Taun said, honestly grateful for the chance. He needed this training, and couldn't afford to miss even a single day's worth. Grades were one of the few ways they could climb the ladder of the Glory Chase, and his team had to take advantage of that. The five of them found empty seats scattered around the room and settled into them while the rest of the class watched them, snickering. Taun felt his ears burning, but ignored his embarrassment. He didn't care what anyone else thought about him.
All that mattered was gaining the strength to heal the fractured soul scale and learning the solutions to Ruby Blade Keep's problems.
“As I was saying,” Professor Lors grumbled, “in order to grow in strength and advance along a chosen path, all dragons must gather a hoard of gold, gems, items of power, and other objects. I'm not sure about humans, unfortunately.”
The rest of the class laughed at that, but Taun raised his hand. When Professor Lors inclined his head toward the knight, he offered him a grin, and said, “Humans need shiny things to advance our power, too. Or at least that's what my father's master of treasury always said.”
For a moment, the rest of the class watched to see what would happen. Professor Lors stared holes in the young knight, and said nothing. The silence stretched out between them like a taut wire until Taun wanted to fidget in his seat. Finally, the professor let his lips curl up into a grin, and he wagged a finger at Taun. “Clever boy,” he said. “Pay attention, and you may actually learn something in this class.”
Professor Lors went on to explain the dragons were blessed with something that set them apart from all of the other mortal races. Their cores could harness pneuma, the magical winds that blew unseen and unfelt throughout the world. By gathering that power within themselves, they were able to perform astounding feats that defied all natural laws.
“But,” Lors continued, “there are limits to how far your core can stretch. It is not an infinite vessel capable of holding as much pneuma as you would like. To surpass those limits, you must draw upon the strength of your hoard. Throughout your training, throughout your life, your hoard will grow, and then shrink as you absorb the power it contains to fuel your growth. The treasure you gather is bound to you, and its strength is yours to harvest when you see fit.”
Taun sat rigid in his seat, hoping he would remember all of this. The rest of the students seemed bored by what must've been old hat to them, but Taun had never heard any of this. He'd always assumed the dragons were powerful as part of their birthright, and had never given any thought as to how they got that way. Knowing that their strength came from treasure explained a lot about how they acted. Now that Taun knew he could grow stronger by sitting on a pile of gold, he'd do everything in his power to amass a hoard, too. He imagined several ways he could use the skills he'd learned from Sage Lantan and the keep's smith to grow the value of his hoard. It wouldn't be easy, but if he invested the Glory he'd earned so far into materials...
“Of course,” Lors went on, “not just any treasure is suitable for your hoard. To work in your favor, the treasures must be aligned to your element. At this point in your training, this means the hoard is also attuned to your path, be that warrior, scout, shaman, occultist, or servant.”
Taun looked around the room as Lors named each of the five paths. Judging by the reactions of the students as each one was called, it seemed a lot of the students were warriors, fewer were scouts, and shamans and occultists were quite rare. Servants, though, were by far the most common. The knight tried to imagine how it must feel to be on that path. Despite what Lors had said, how could servants be as valuable to their society as a warrior? Back at the Ruby Blade Keep, knights were at the top of the pecking order while servants were very near the bottom. Even Sage Lantan, a very specialized kind of servant, only dared to raise a hand to punish Taun because Kaul had given the learned man permission to do so.
“Where'd you end up?” the young silver Dragon who'd sat on the grass with Taun the day before whispered to him. “I'm a shaman. Kind of unusual, but not much of a surprise. Most of the women in my family follow the same path. They say it's not hereditary, but...I guess that doesn't really apply to you?”
The young knight blushed a little at Karsi's words. Of course hereditary wouldn't apply to him; his parents didn't have a path. No human did.
More lies from my descendants. Dragons are not as special as they want you to believe. We are, of course, superior to humans in every way, but that is a result of better breeding and natural gifts. It is not because we are the only ones who have a path. You should find out what yours is.
“Let's see,” Taun said to Karsi. He raised his hand and waited for Professor Lors to call on him.
“Yes, Taun?” the professor asked with a slightly exasperated tone. “Is there something else you'd like to ask before I get down to the business of teaching?”
Taun blushed a little at that, but he didn't back down. His question was important to him. “I was indisposed during path assignments—”
“Knocked on his tail, he means,” Auris called from the back of the room where he sat with the rest of the golds. “Didn't learn from it, either. He's making the same mistake today that he did yesterday. You ready for another challenge, boy?”
The rest of the class tittered at that, except for Karsi. The young silver scowled up at the golds and stabbed a finger at Auris. “You tricked him, and you know it.”
“All's fair on the battlefield, m'lady,” Auris responded. “So
mething I'll be happy to teach the human whelp as soon as this class is over.”
Taun's cheeks reddened and his fists clenched on the desk in front of him. He wasn't used to being spoken to this way. His family were dragon knights, honored servants of their liege. But Auris had proven he was Taun's physical superior yesterday. Rising to the bait and getting himself into another duel was not a wise course of action. Taun stared straight ahead and held his tongue.
“This is a classroom, Auris, not a sparring ring,” Professor Lors said dryly, “and it will remain that way unless you wish to challenge me to a duel.”
While the young gold was tall and muscled, Professor Lors was clearly a much more advanced dragon. His deep, bronze scales covered every bit of his body that Taun could see. In addition, he sported a pair of impressive wings that flared out now that he was agitated. They stretched across the front of the room, blocking the exit and hiding the blackboard entirely. Professor Lors seemed to grow as he stared at the gold dragon, his eyes burning, his potbellied bulk transforming into a towering, thickly muscled figure.
The students in the classroom went quiet, and the professor slowly shrank back into his less formidable appearance. “And that is what you all can accomplish if you follow your path and groom your hoard appropriately. Now, what was your question, Taun?”
“I wasn't assigned to a path yesterday,” the young man said. “And I didn't have one before I got here. If you could tell me where I belong, I would be eternally grateful.”
Professor Lors raised one scaled brow and turned his attention to a book on the lectern before him. He flicked through its pages, licking his finger between each one, before he stopped and looked at Taun. “It says here that you commanded both metal and water in your initial challenge yesterday. Is that correct?”
Taun wasn't sure why the professor seemed so uncertain, but he nodded. “Yes, I did.”
They will not admit it to you, but that was an impressive feat you accomplished yesterday. I know it took a lot out of you, but in my time only a handful of dragons could command more than one element at even such a rudimentary level. Though your strength is lacking, that will grow given time.
Professor Lors nodded, his lips curling into an approving smile. “That is a very unusual achievement. You'll be pleased to know that you were assigned a path yesterday.”
In the short pause that followed the professor's statement, Taun felt pride swelling inside him. Maybe he'd become a warrior and show those golds how to fight. Maybe an occultist, like Kam, or a shaman like Moglan. And Karsi. Taun wouldn't mind spending more time in the classroom with her. It would give them a chance to talk in a setting where the knight wouldn't have to worry about being challenged to a duel for speaking to a princess.
“You are one of the servants,” Lors said. “An honorable path, and one that will afford you an opportunity to learn a wide variety of subjects during your time here at the academy.”
“Thank you, sir,” Taun said, struggling to keep his voice even. A servant. No matter what he'd been told, Taun did not believe for a moment that all of the paths were equal. Dragons prized martial strength and occult knowledge above all else. They'd have little use for someone who swept floors or prepared meals. The assignment to the servants was a clear punishment.
They will pay for this affront, Axaranth confirmed. When we have regained my power, the suffering of these fools will be legendary.
“Very well then,” Professor Lors said. “As I was saying, the most important thing about growing your hoard is to be selective. Valuable items are important, but adding them willy-nilly to your vault does not guarantee strength. A finely worked wooden staff is worth more to a scout than an enchanted blade, because the former is tied to wood elements and the latter to metal. While it is true that this means that some paths have an easier time finding items for their hoards, it also means that it will require more of those common treasures to reach the highest levels of advancement.”
The professor switched subjects and began teaching students how to identify items that were attuned to them. He passed around objects from each of the elements, letting the class familiarize themselves with the feel of the elements. Taun struggled to pay attention during this instruction, though he knew it would become critical to his success here at the school. How could he go home to his family and tell them he was a mere servant amongst the dragons? Not even Keelie would be able to fake support for leaving his home to become a scullery maid.
“It'll be all right,” Karsi insisted, favoring him with a warm smile that did little to blunt the edge of Taun's disappointment. “Servants and shamans share classes, so at least we can hang out and help each other with our studies.”
That was indeed something to look forward to. Maybe there'd be some group projects for the two of them to work on, away from Auris and his lackeys. Taun was about to thank Karsi for her words, when a dragon to his right, red scales running down his nose, slammed a tray loaded with ceramic bowls down in front of him. Taun jumped in surprise, and the red-striped dragon smirked.
Focus on what's important. Women are temporary. Power is forever. There is something strange about your talents, and this is a chance for us to learn exactly what that is. You used water and metal yesterday. Start by identifying those.
Taun looked down at the tray of small containers on his desk. Their colors were the same as the elements he'd seen at the challenge yesterday, so there were no surprises there. He reached out one hand to lift the container filled with blue light, only to be stopped by Axaranth's command.
Feel the element with your mind, not your flesh. See how cool it is? Bracing, yes? Good. You can concentrate when you put your mind to it. Now the metal, cold and sturdy. The ability to feel more than one element is rare among dragons. Auris, for all his pride, is a warrior. He can only feel the element of earth, and is blind to the others.
The old dragon's words lifted Taun's spirits, at least a little. When he reached out for another element, wood, a zing of vital energy sprang up in the center of his being. He felt, somehow, far more alive than ever before. Giddy with this new power, Taun experimented. He split his attention, guiding the presence of the wood element to the back of his thoughts and focusing the rest of his mind on the red glow of fire in the next container. He fully expected the warmth of the new element to replace the living power of the wood.
But that didn't happen. The fire's warmth wrapped around the fountain of life within Taun, subtly changing it. Both elements felt fainter, dimmer somehow, than when he concentrated on a single type of energy, but neither vanished.
Well, well, well. That is something I did not expect. I suppose there is something to that old proverb. Innocence and ignorance do enable the impossible.
“Let's skip the insults,” Taun muttered. “Be quiet, I need to concentrate.”
If he could hold two elements in his thoughts, Taun wondered if he could handle three. He imagined the wheel of elements that Sage Lantan had taught him. Wood fed fire and fire fed earth. With that in mind, the knight reached out to the yellow element. A sturdy, supportive power flowed into his center. The third power was not as strong as the first two had been, and both fire and wood diminished to match the new element's strength. If Taun had to guess, he would say that the total strength of all the elements he held within him was about equal to the strength of any single element he'd embraced.
He wanted to try for the next element in the wheel, metal, but the ache behind his solar plexus had intensified and a tightness seized his chest. If he kept pushing, Taun knew he'd hurt himself or further damage the scale. He released his grip on the elements, letting out a deep sigh at the same time. He hadn't realized he'd been holding his breath while he worked.
Blessed spirits, boy. Never in all my days have I seen such a thing. Three elements at once is unheard of. That is an achievement tha—
“That's enough contemplating for one day,” the professor called out with a wide grin, interrupting Axaranth's thoughts. “L
et's do something more exciting. You all seem to have competitive spirits that needs exercising. Taun, Auris, let's see how you and your lodges handle the Vault Raid Challenge.”
Taun felt his mouth go dry. He'd used up more energy than expected on the element exercise and did not want to cross swords with the gold while he was feeling weak. He needed to be stronger, more skilled, before they went toe to toe again.
“And when will the challenge take place?” Taun asked, hoping they'd have some time to rest up before Vault Raid, whatever that was.
Professor Lors smiled widely, showing all of his teeth.
“Immediately,” he said.
Chapter 9
PROFESSOR LORS LED his students out of the classroom and down a long hallway to a set of stairs that wound their way deep into the earth. “Come along,” he called, “find your lodge members and follow me.”
“What is this?” Taun asked as Kam caught up to him descending the spiral staircase. “Please tell me we don't have to fight.”
The occultist grinned and held up one short, sharp talon. “Every moment of your life is a battle,” Kam said, “and each one can be your last. Prepare yourself to face it, and you'll never be surprised when death finally comes for you.”
“Very nice, Kam,” Sutari said from behind them. “But if you're going to quote Sage Ciccatris, be sure you don't cut his words short. The last sentence of that proverb is, 'But only a fool seeks the end that awaits us all.'“
The professor had vanished around a bend in the spiral staircase, and the light he'd summoned went with him. The deep shadows that danced ahead of the encroaching darkness sent a shiver down Taun's spine. There was something alien about the way they stretched and spread across the stones that surrounded the students. Their unnatural shapes reminded him of the way the eldwyr moved, seeming to shift position far more quickly than should be possible. “You think the Vault Raid is that dangerous?” the knight asked Sutari in an attempt to distract himself from memories of the Wyld creatures.
