by Kyle West
“Seeker Haris,” Isaru said, “we were told to come to you for our lessons by Seeker Garin.”
“Is that so?” Haris looked displeased. “Very well. Perhaps we can make this go quickly.”
We looked at each other uncertainly, but already Seeker Haris had walked out of the office while Apprentice Aelor watched. We followed Haris out just in time for him to snap at one of the scriveners.
“Tarman. Show the initiates your project.”
Tarman, the same apprentice who had pointed us to Aelor, blinked, looking for a moment as if he might argue. But at a sterner look from Seeker Haris, Tarman nodded. “Very well, Seeker Haris”
Haris looked at us all. “Can all of you write?”
Three of us nodded, but Samal shook his head, his face reddening.
“Better than I expected,” Seeker Haris said. “You’re going to learn to write in English. Tarman, you can teach them the English alphabet in an hour?”
“The entire thing?”
“That’s what I said, or are you deaf? Also, punctuation and simple words, if you have time. The kind you’d teach a child or a dense person. I’ll return shortly to check on your progress.”
And with that, Seeker Haris stalked out of the library, leaving us all in dumfounded silence.
“Is he always like that?” Isaru asked.
Apprentice Tarman said nothing, as if he didn’t even dare to speak ill of Seeker Haris, even in his absence. He had short, curly brown hair, and was quite tall. “Sit down. We don’t have a lot of time, and you have a lot to learn...”
In an hour, all of us, even Samal, could say the English alphabet forwards and backwards. It had fewer letters than the Espan alphabet, but for some reason, it seemed more difficult.
“Well, we still have some time,” Tarman said. “Might as well let you practice some words...”
Tarman gave us each a piece of parchment, and instructed us all in writing of our letters. It was easy for me, but Samal was having a more difficult time. Isaru never had to be corrected, not even once. Such were the privileges, I supposed, of being the king’s son. He must have had years of formal education under his belt. I noticed Ret was the same way, though his letters weren’t nearly as sharp as Isaru’s.
Seeker Haris returned to the library, and he looked to be in an even fouler mood than when he left. Upon seeing us working at the table, he stopped in his tracks, his face going white. We stared at him, Tarman included, not sure what we had done wrong.
“You gave the initiates four pieces of parchment?”
Tarman’s face blanched. “I thought I’d teach them to write as well.”
“Did I say you could?” Haris asked. “Do you think parchment grows on trees?”
“It does come from trees,” Ret said.
Haris’s baleful gaze homed in on Ret, rendering him completely silent. Haris continued to stare, even as the bell tolled four times. I wanted to ask if we were free to go, but I knew, with Haris’s stare, that it would be a foolish question.
“Go,” Haris said, coldly.
We left, and it wasn’t until we had reached the Great Hall that we spoke.
“I’m not going back there,” Samal said. “What’s Haris’s deal, anyway?”
A couple of apprentices passed us by, their ears pricking at Haris’s name. A knowing smile spread across the face of one.
“He’s infamous around here,” I said.
“Where do we go, then?” Ret asked. “Martin never gave us our schedules, and I’m not seeing him around here.”
“If we asked Haris, he’d probably send us the wrong way, if only to spite us,” Isaru said.
“I can’t believe he’s actually a Seeker,” Samal said. “He acts more like a child. Aelor seems nice enough.”
“Seekers are just people,” I said. “For good or bad.”
“It shouldn’t be that way,” Isaru said. “Samal was right. Aelor seems like a kind man. Why would he be an apprentice at such an old age? Who cares if he isn’t able to manifest? That shouldn’t count for everything.”
It was then that a voice interrupted us from behind.
“Are your lessons going well?”
We turned to see Elder Isandru. I wondered how much of our conversation he had overheard.
“Yes, Elder Prophet,” Isaru said, making a formal bow. Ret and Samal hastily imitated the gesture. I followed their direction, not wanting to offend the Elder.
But Isandru merely smiled. “I see someone has put the fear of the gods into you.” As we looked at each other uncomfortably, Isandru went on. “It’s near lunchtime, anyway. I’m sure you are looking forward to your lesson with Seeker Grenwold, with the Augurs?”
Isaru nodded. “Yes, very much so. I find politics to be interesting.”
“Indeed?” He gave a single nod. “I should be on my way. Best of luck with your studies.”
Isandru continued to walk, and as he did so, Ret made kissing sounds.
“Shut up,” Isaru said.
“Let’s eat,” Samal said. “I’m starving.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
WE ATE OUR BEEF STEW and crusty bread quickly, bussing our dishes before heading to our next lesson. Isaru said the Augurs had offices in the west wing, so that was where we headed.
Up until now, I hadn’t seen this area of the Sanctum. As we walked, it was obvious that the complex had been designed to hold far more people than it did now. Many of the offices were empty, and probably had been for years. They were always clean, without a thing out of place, but for some reason, it was still easy to tell those offices had been empty for decades.
The corridor curved, and on our right was a wide archway that opened into a vast chamber – the dome of the western wing. When we walked inside, it was to the sight of three rings of stone seats circling the chamber and facing in. The rings were broken by six equidistant lanes of stone steps leading down to the chamber floor, empty save for six stone seats, arranged in the shape of a semicircle, that all faced a single high seat. The seven seats were probably for the Elders, while the highest was reserved for the Chief Elder. Six high arches led into the chamber from the outer, circular corridor. I noticed that the lanes split the seats into seven separate sections, one for each of the Seven Sects.
I looked up to see that, similar to the library, a grand mural had been painted across the interior of the dome, the most breathtaking I had ever seen. Glittering dragons of both Askaleen and Radaska varieties swirled in a fierce red sky billowing with clouds over a vast desert. A long line of soldiers in strange armor fortified the top of an incline, at the bottom of which thousands upon thousands of monsters writhed, as if readying for a charge.
“What is it?” I asked.
“The Final Battle of the Ragnarok War,” Isaru said.
I sat down in one of the nearby stone seats. “Are we supposed to meet Seeker Grenwold here?”
“He might be somewhere else,” Ret said. “This doesn’t look like a place to hold a lesson.”
The boys sat in the nearby seats. High up in the dome, I noticed, there was a balcony that made up a second floor. I hadn’t noticed it at first because I was so transfixed by the mural.
In time, other Seekers and Apprentices filtered into the chamber, using it as a hub to reach other places.
“Maybe we should check around,” Isaru said.
We stood and followed a group of apprentices through the chamber, coming out in the corridor on the other side. I stopped a passing apprentice.
“Excuse me, do you know where Augur Grenwold is?”
The Apprentice pointed down the corridor. “That office with the fully opened door.”
The others followed me there. I felt a bit nervous, especially after meeting Seeker Haris. What if Grenwold was just as harsh? Then again, Champion Garin hadn’t been bad at all.
I turned into the doorway to find someone I didn’t quite expect. First of all, Seeker Grenwold was a woman. She was about fifty years of age, lean with high cheek
bones and gray hair set in a bun, which seemed to be the most common way for Seeker women to wear their hair. The wrinkles of her face told me she had spent a lot of time outside.
“Please, sit,” she said. “And shut the door behind you.”
Samal got the door while the rest of us took up the wooden chairs. There were two in front of the desk, which Isaru and I took. Samal and Ret took the two chairs along the wall beside the door.
“I’m Seeker Grenwold, as you probably know. And you are Isaru, Shanti, Ret, and Samal.” As she spoke, her eyes went to each of us in turn. Somehow, she had already learned all of our names. “Our time is short, so I’ll get started immediately.
“We Augurs represent the interests of the Seekers to the outside world. From Nova to the Barren, from the Eastern Kingdoms to the Sunset Lands, not to mention the Red Wild, we have spoken for the Seekers ever since the founding of our Order.” She paused a moment before continuing. “Over the next few weeks, you will learn the basics of the art of diplomacy and of rhetoric, along with the history of our Order and the nations with whom we have contact. You will learn of far-off cultures, their customs, their beliefs, and their values – and how the Seekers of Annara fit into it all. And lastly, you will learn how we Augurs cement our influence on all states, both near and far. Should you prove worthy and should you take an interest...you will continue to train with the Augurs as an apprentice.”
Though all of us were quiet, I thought I could hear Samal softly groan. When Seeker Grenwold’s eyes went to him, I knew I hadn’t just imagined it.
“Samal, is it?” Grenwold said. “Tell me what you know of the Sunset Lands.”
I heard the legs of his wooden chair scrape against the stone floor. “Er...it’s where the sun sets, so...that’s why they call it that, I suppose.”
From the look on Seeker Grenwold’s face, it was as if she was trying to decide which of Samal’s mistakes to fix first. “They are called the Sunset Lands improperly...the sun does not truly set there. In times of old, it was called California.”
“That’s what it’s still called in Colonia,” I said.
Seeker Grenwold nodded. “Indeed, that is true. However, there are many places where such basic facts have been lost.” She let the silence collect for a moment before proceeding. “The disciplines of the Scholars and Augurs often cross, but it’s chiefly political realities and history that interest the Augurs. During our time together, we will learn in depth the history of the Elekai people as a whole. We will study in detail each of the Four Centuries and the chief events that marked each age, and how that relates to the current political climate.” Grenwold paused. “I imagine our first lessons will be a bit dull...mostly reading and examining historical facts written by Scholars, Augurs, and Judges long dead. Actual fieldwork of entering political circles doesn’t happen until one’s apprenticeship. Until then, it will suffice to learn of our world and the Seekers’ place in it. And should your appetite be whetted, there is always more to learn.”
Grenwold reached under her desk, retrieving a worn roll of parchment. When she spread it out, I saw that it was a map. Suddenly, everyone was standing and crowding around the table. This map was like none I had ever seen. For one, it was perhaps three-fourths water.
“What is it?” Ret asked.
“This is the world in its entirety,” Grenwold said.
No one said anything for a moment.
“It’s almost all water...” I said.
Grenwold nodded. “About seventy percent of Earth is ocean. And here...” Grenwold pointed to a small part of the map, a continent on the northwestern part. “This is where we are.”
“I didn’t realize we were so close to the ocean,” Ret said.
“Our world is large,” Grenwold said. “I could cover Colonia, Haven, the Sanctum, and Brevia with just three fingers.”
As if to prove her point, she did just that.
“Although,” Grenwold said, “the further you go from Haven, the less that is labeled. The majority of this map is based off Precursor records. None of the countries from that time still exist, and if they do, they are so vastly different so as not to be considered the same.” She pointed to a spot halfway across the world, where one large landmass joined to another at a sort of land hub. “It’s been over five decades since any Augur has been to Europe, the Middle East, or Africa.” She sighed. “And what we do know is tenuous and horribly out of date. These days, we can barely keep an eye on our own backyard.”
“How would one get there?” I asked.
“Dragons are the only way,” Grenwold said. “And it is a long, tiring journey for them. There are xen colonies overseas, but not like here. How they ever got there, no one knows. Some theorize the dragons themselves planted them long ago, during the First Century.” We stared at the map a little longer before Grenwold rolled it up. “Perhaps we should start with something smaller.”
A moment later, she had a new map out, only this one depicted a smaller area, though it was large in its own right. It ranged from California all the way to the Atlantic. Names were written over most of the areas, but my eyes first went to where we were in the western half of the landmass. To my surprise, there were cities labeled further north from us, along the Colorado River all the way up to Ragnarok Crater.
“This is an old map as well,” Grenwold said. “It was drawn seventy years ago by a Scholar long deceased. That’s why the lands of the Samalites are still shown, but I wanted to show an older map to illustrate a point.” She paused a moment before continuing. “If this map were to be redrawn today, most of these northern settlements and cities would be gone. The Samalites are greatly reduced in number, and what few of them have survived in the north struggle as the land turns against them.”
“My parents moved to Haven before I was born,” Samal said. “They are of the north.”
Seeker Grenwold nodded. “Many Samalites name their children Samal, after the god who was the beginning of their line.” She smiled grimly. “There are places in the Red Wild, spots of darkness, where it is dangerous to go. I’m sure you’ve heard of reversions; though most people would say they know what they are, they seemed to be greatly confused on what causes them. Indeed, it confuses trained Seekers as well. What we do know is that they are caused by a weakening in the Xenofold, which manifests itself in parts of the Wild going dark. This phenomenon is mainly confined to the north, and is what makes it so dangerous.”
My memory returned to the monster – the crawler, as Isaru had called it – we had seen floating in the river. Had that come from the north?
“It seems every year or two,” Grenwold said, “we receive news of another abandoned settlement. Where there are reversions, it becomes impossible to grow crops in the xen, or when these crops do grow, they are blighted.”
“Is there anything the Seekers can do about it?” Ret asked.
“The Sages are the Sect that channel the power of the Xenofold into growing things, using the Gift of Agronomy. They will save a village, if they can, but often it is too late.”
There was no denying the fact that we had all seen that thing in the river. Yes, it was dead, but if there was one of them, there could be more. It hadn’t only scared the dragons...it had made the Elders nervous as well.
I looked at Isaru. Of all of us, he seemed to be thinking the most deeply.
“I didn’t mean to talk about this so much,” Grenwold said, almost apologetically. “Although it is important to understand current events. The Red Wild has always been a dangerous place. The change over time has been so gradual as to almost be imperceptible. But if you look at the Wild fifty years ago to where it is today...the difference is clear.”
“How do we stop the reversions?” Isaru asked.
“That is the great question of our time,” Grenwold said. “Elder Sage Aurelius, along with the other Sages, are working tirelessly to discover a solution.”
Isaru nodded, but it didn’t appear as if he was satisfied with that answe
r. The lesson continued with Grenwold giving a brief overview of the First Century and the Elekai’s Great Dawn, when the gods had ruled in Colonia. I was so enraptured by the lesson that I was hardly aware of the bell tolling, signaling its end.
“That should suffice for today,” Grenwold said. “On Wednesday, we’ll learn more of the political realities of the Elekai settlements and the Wild Tribes. It’s best to start local before moving on to the bigger picture. And next time, we’ll do our best to stay on topic.”
“Where do we go now?” I asked.
Grenwold looked at me. “You are finished for the day, at least with formal lessons, but never should one be idle. Your training is as much in your hands as it is in ours, if not more so. There are initiates who take advantage of their free time by lounging about and generally getting nothing done. These initiates never last long. I suggest you use your freedom to investigate subjects of interest to you. This will become clearer in the coming weeks, once you’ve had a chance to learn from all of the Sects.” Grenwold paused. “I will also warn you: if you do not fill your free time yourselves, someone will fill it for you. And most times, that can’t be avoided.” A flash of realization came across Grenwold’s face. “Ah. That reminds me. At the beginning of every week, you are to receive your work assignments. Apprentice Martin will see that you are delivered to the right place at the right time.”
“So, we’re free to go?” Samal asked.
“Yes,” Grenwold said. “Take this time to have a look around, and perhaps to review what you’ve learned today. Walk the Grove, visit the museum. It’s in the Hall of Elders, accessible from the Great Hall. The Sanctum is a very remarkable place; within its halls, entire worlds are opened.”
With that, we left Grenwold’s office and headed out into the corridor. We just stood there for a moment, not really sure what to do or where to go.
“What now?” Ret asked
“I’m going to have a look around,” Samal said. He shrugged. “Maybe catch the Champions in their training.”
“That sounds good to me,” Ret said. He looked at Isaru and me. “What about you guys?”
