The Great Hearts II: A Game of Gods

by David Oliver

  “And if we had died before reaching the fort?” Rikol asked, expression wary.

  “Then they wouldn’t have known you were there and I would have enacted another plan to support them…or taken advantage of the Hrudan threat,” the Emperor replied casually. “These are the decisions that someone in my position must make, so hopefully you do not feel too badly wronged by the callous nature of it. At some point in the future I will likely have to ask one or all of you to die for this empire and I make no excuses for that. It is why I reward where possible.”

  His frankness was simultaneously calming and disturbing. That he could speak so easily of using us as expendable tools and yet go to the trouble of providing a feast that would be quite literally fit for a king was a strange combination and yet I think all of us felt reassured by just how frank he was about what may or may not be asked of us. If you were going to be used by someone better to have it known throughout rather than only find out at the end.

  Scythe raised a hand and the Emperor nodded at him. “Time for the last question I think. What have you got to ask Scythe?”

  Scythe visibly took a deep breath to steady his nerves. “The torture sir. It felt so real…more real than a lot of this to be honest. Was it truly necessary and how was it done?”

  The silk clad giant paused for a moment, his intelligent eyes considering. “Necessary? Perhaps, perhaps not. Useful? Absolutely. Some say that you only really know who you are when faced with your own mortality. Over a long, long life I can safely say that I disagree. You only really know who you are when you are faced with the mortality of your friends. Do you place their safety above your own? Do you leave them to suffer to minimise the damage to you? An individual can often find it in themselves to bravely meet the end or give a last-minute desperate surge of action when threatened with impending death. That same individual might be rendered immobile at the thought of a colleague, family member or friend being killed in their place. From that perspective I believe that the Academy now knows much more about each of you and how you will perform under such intense pressure. There is an inherent risk in such an approach of course, however I firmly believe that the benefits outweigh the risks. It gives you an insight into how you may perform in a similar scenario, a benefit when capture and interrogation is not particularly uncommon for those in your line of work. Naturally there are downsides and mental damage is key amongst them.” He gave a sad smile. “Such things are unavoidable when subjecting my best and brightest to such measures. Thankfully it is still relatively rare. Those chosen to attend the Academy are often robust both physically and mentally. As for how it was done it was a relatively straight forward illusion performed by Korthan who is particularly skilled in mental focused seraph techniques. It was a good test of his skills to perform it on all of you at once. I believe he was most pleased with how it went.”

  Korthan. It was hard to reconcile that the kindly old bastard had the stomach to inflict the mental agonies he had put us through. That said, he was an Imperator first and foremost and if the Academy commanded such a thing of him I had little doubt that he would do it. It was moments like this that made me wonder just how well I knew those closest to me. Whilst I might have guessed Korthan had the capacity to do it, after all an Imperator always has a dark edge, before the exam I wouldn’t have thought that he would do it to me. In that capacity I could certainly say that I learnt something thanks to the fourth-year exam and that is not to trust blindly.

  The Emperor gave a beatific smile. “Now, I think that is all the time we have for discussion. If you follow me we will go and dine.” He stood up and the desk audibly heaved a sigh of relief. With an almost imperceptible nod at Kane the Emperor opened the office door and strode out, not waiting for further comments.

  We paused for a moment, still digesting the information he had divulged and only broke into motion when Kane shook off a slightly perturbed expression and waved his hand.

  “Hurry up everyone, go and enjoy your food. The Emperor is not one to be kept waiting. Unless he says otherwise your day is your own and the rest of the week is yours too. Relax and enjoy yourselves.”

  Free time! Life at the Academy seemed so relaxing compared to the constant battle for survival we had experienced until fairly recently. Even when recuperating in the fort the bone-shredding ice winds meant that any trip outside to the toilet was a hardship that no one should have to face. I had no doubt that come the next day we would be thrown back into the structured rigor of the Academy’s training programmes but to have a whole day free to ourselves whilst at the Academy…that was a rare treat indeed.

  It wasn’t far to the mess hall and the Emperor strode ahead of us, his strides effortlessly eating the ground and requiring us all to half jog to keep up. He opened the doors and we immediately had our nostrils scintillated by sumptuous scents that had our mouths drooling. The inside of the mess hall looked much the same with the roaring fires still in place to push back the morning chill of spring. There were no other students inside - breakfast at the Academy was an early morning affair and one that was immediately followed by lessons or more exercise. This leisurely mid-morning meal was a treat unknown to myself and the others, although I had heard a rumour that the more well to do within the city were doing this more and more often, a meal that took the place of breakfast and lunch but was simultaneously both and neither. As far as I could tell ‘brunch’ seemed to be an excuse to drink early in the morning without any stigma. One can always rely on nobility to find new ways to justify alcoholism.

  As we sat down the kitchen doors opened and row after row of serving staff emerged holding plate after plate of food. They poured out, their arms shaking with the weight of the trays that they carried, yet somehow managing to delicately place each silver plate along the trestle tables. And still it came, as though they had been planning on feeding the entire Academy rather than just our group. Having eaten the fort’s winter stock of boiled grains, salted meats and roasted chicken during our stay at the fort - tasty enough fare but soon relatively dull - the vast array of cuisine laid out before us was a ridiculous and welcome sight.

  Once the food had been brought, out came the drinks - mugs filled with the sweet, brown nectar that was coffee and our glasses with some kind of sweet wine. Satisfied, the Emperor gave an affirmative nod to the staff who disappeared as though they had never been. Gently clasping the tiny flute between his behemoth fingers he nodded to us all and raised the glass.

  “To you, my young friends. Congratulations on passing your fourth-year exam. Here is to the future.” With a clink of glasses we toasted and drank. The sweet wine tasted like blackcurrants and plum and sent a pleasant warmth winding throughout our bodies.

  The Emperor murmured appreciatively and licked his lips. “A Rinevan dessert wine. They haven’t been in the market particularly long but have been making waves with their flavour. It is good to see that the plaudits they have been receiving are well deserved.”

  We nodded in agreement as though we knew exactly what he was talking about and, not sure of the decorum for an Emperor held feast, we waited until he made the first move, the sense of anticipation building until we could barely contain ourselves. After what seemed like an eternity he stopped admiring the wine and turned to us, his eyes surprised as though he didn’t know why we weren’t eating.

  “Ah,” he said in a voice laden with amusement. “My apologies, please do not wait for me. Eat.”

  And with those glorious words we launched ourselves into battle.

  I pride myself on being able to eat. Even without the vast number of calories that an Imp burns on an average day my bond with Seya meant that my ability to eat outshone anyone I had come across within the Academy and was a source of much disgust and fascination by many of my fellow classmates. Regardless, this was a fight I was doomed to lose. There were sixteen different types of bread, one so light and fluffy as to be akin to eating air, another so sweet and dense to be near full in one mouthful. Arrayed around the
mountain of bread were platters of meats; hams, bacon and even a full glazed gammon. Surrounding that were trays of eggs cooked in nine different ways. I didn’t even know that eggs could be cooked in that many methods but each version was gloriously tasty. Not to be left out were the sweeter items to counter that of the savoury. Cakes, biscuits, cereals, honeys, jams, marmalades - you name it, it was there. And as much as I tried to sample everything...in that epic task I failed. After nearly two hours of eating, the pace slowing to picking just for the sake of gluttony, we finally came to a stop, the Emperor chuckling as we rolled ourselves away from the table for fresh air.

  “It was a good effort,” he rumbled. “Rarely have I seen a finer attempt but I am afraid that my chefs see it as a challenge when they come to the Academy to make sure that the Imperators and Imps cannot finish everything on the table. So do not feel too disheartened.”

  Together we walked out into the Academy grounds and stood enjoying the fresh spring air. Around us Imps and Imperators walked, moving from class to class. When each saw the Emperor he or she stood a little straighter and ambles turned to purposeful strides. No one wanted the Emperor to think that they were anything but dedicated. Eventually he walked us to the gates of the Academy and turned, looking at each of us in turn before nodding in approval at what he saw.

  “I am afraid that this is all I have time for today young ones,” he said with a wide smile. “I hope that the feast provided to you goes some way to repaying a debt and clearing the sorrow of the last few months. I suggest that you enjoy the rest of your week, for soon I believe you will be back at your duties.”

  As he turned to go I spoke up, “Sir, if I may?”

  He turned back and cocked his head, “Yes Calidan?”

  “What happens now?”

  “Now?” he asked, bemused.

  “As in, if I’m not being too bold, we managed something extraordinary - do we just go back to training as normal?”

  A slow smile spread across his face, lingering as though he found what I had said deeply amusing. “I do not deny that what you and your friends achieved was, as you say, extraordinary. Or at least I would not deny it if you were common folk. However you are in the Imperator Academy and here the extraordinary is, in fact, commonplace. So though you might expect me to instantly grant you the title of Imperator and send you off to work for me across the globe, no...no not yet. Not for some time young Calidan, though I do like the optimism. Once you have got back into some semblance of normality with your training Kane will see to it that you will be moved up to the fourth year and then your real training will begin. It will make the training you were receiving up to now look like child’s play. So do your best.” He winked and turned to leave. “You’re all cards on the board now so I’ll be keeping close tabs on you,” he called over his shoulder as he walked through the gates.

  “Don’t let me down.”

  Chapter 23

  Serathine

  Once we finished our mandatory stay at the Decompression Chambers we were back to our regular training for the rest of the spring. Whilst we were all eager to be officially made fourth years, Kane reasoned that a period of normality following such an intense experience was the best approach and we took to the comforting familiarity with will. Adronicus was much the same, his swiftness, speed and power still startling despite having fought people who were of similar build. The weapon master had no compunction about throwing us back into everyday training, his devilish grin only getting wider the closer we got to being able to land hits on him. He showed interest in the ice spiders that we had fought, the eager glittering of his eyes suggesting that he would have relished the challenge. As for the Hrudan he was purely interested in their fighting style, weapons and martial quality. I had no doubt that he was already aware of the Hrudan but he just couldn’t pass up the chance to learn more about a different culture and their fighting styles.

  It was Asp however that truly blew his mind.

  Cassius had kept Asp safely wrapped whilst we had been travelling in order to hide it from prying eyes. Now that we were at the Academy I had suggested that he take the time to learn how to use its abilities and there was no better person for him to learn from than Adronicus. When he first revealed the gleaming blade Adronicus’s eyes glistened so much that I could have sworn he was tearing up. Soon Cassius was receiving dedicated one-to-one sessions with Adronicus on top of the rest of his training where they practised to unlock the abilities of the sword, or at least from what Cassius fed back he practiced to unlock the abilities of the sword whilst Adronicus alternated between shouting encouragement, abuse, and hitting him with blunt weapons.

  Seya had started spending more and more time outside of the Academy. Whilst she didn’t show any outward signs of discomfort or injury from her presumed drugging, she seemed much more wary of being back in the Academy buildings - something that I could not blame her for. From the Academy’s perspective what had happened to Seya was straightforward. Simply put, she provided me with too much of a benefit to be allowed to participate with the fourth-year exam. In the Academy’s eyes it was either Seya be removed from the equation or I forever stayed a third year. The annoying thing was that they didn’t just ask. I could understand the reasoning - if Seya had refused to stay put there was little that could be done to stop her. Afterall, cats have minds of their own and their strange and inexplicable ability to flow like water meant that keeping them in one place was more difficult than it sounded. If I’d been hurt I don’t really know what Seya would have done. She might have used it as a training experience for me or she might have been off like an arrow, unable to stop herself from running to my side. As the Academy hates uncertainty I could see why they went down the route they did but I couldn’t forgive them for it. It was just another black mark in a small book that soon became a thick ledger.

  It was midsummer when we became fourth years. We had all made the mistake of assuming that being promoted to the fourth-year grade was a matter of course post the fourth-year exam and that was an unwise assumption to make. The promotion to the fourth-year grade was unlike the other ceremonial moments we had partaken in up to this point all because of one reason.

  Seraph.

  Kane invited us all to his office and even included Seya who curled up outside his open window. On his desk were six vials, each glowing a deep emerald green.

  “Come in and find somewhere to perch,” he said gruffly as we entered. “And don’t touch!” he barked as Rikol leant in close. “At least, not yet.”

  “What is that?” Scythe asked.

  Serathine, Seya murmured, I can smell it from here.

  What is that? I replied, curious.

  A substance that was developed a long, long time ago. I hear it tastes foul and has a few unpleasant side effects but one very interesting one. Enjoy yourselves.

  “-it’s known as emeran,” Kane was saying and I fought hard to suppress a smile as Seya berated the Andurran language in my mind. “It’s used to awaken your seraph.”

  Stunned silence.

  “...When you say ‘awaken’, what do you mean?” asked Ella softly. “From what we heard of seraph from Ash she said that only a few of the group have it and I’m fairly sure it’s not alive.”

  “Alive!” Kane barked with a throaty chuckle. “I think not. But if the Imperator Academy has learned anything over the last decades it is that largely everyone has some basic level of seraph ability. Whether it is because the only people who survived the Cataclysm were, at least according to Ash, seraph users I’m not sure, but it is fairly rare that what I am going to ask you to do next doesn’t reveal a pool within you, regardless of size. My best guess as to Ash detecting seraph within Cassius and Calidan was due to the injury that Rya gave them. Cassius was subjected to large amounts of black seraph and managed to survive. Calidan was also exposed to it but I suspect Seya’s seraph to largely be of the so-called Green type and she flooded Calidan with that during his healing, hence the designations that Ash
gave. It is a guess, but the best one that I have.” He shrugged wistfully. “A mystery to solve another time. Anyway, if I asked you now to reach within you and find your seraph pools, could you do it? Try.”

  He gave us a few seconds as we awkwardly tried to find something within ourselves that we weren’t sure existed. “No one manage it? Didn’t think so. You know when your seraph is accessible. You know it like you know that your arm is moveable and that you can bend your knee. You don’t really know how you know...you just know. Make sense?” he finished with an infuriating grin.

  “That analogy makes an annoying amount of sense,” Sophia grumbled. “So how does this emeran-”

  Serathine

  “-drink work?”

  “The ins and outs of it are beyond me and pointless to this discussion,” Kane replied. “There are a relatively small number of people who are born with the ability to access seraph or who manage to access it during an exceptionally taxing moment in their lives. As you’re aware, from what Ash told us people before the Cataclysm were starting to be born with it more and more frequently and it is true that with the testing we have done practically everyone has been able to have their seraph awakened.” He paused for a moment, considering his next words.

  “I’m not going to lie, it’s an unpleasant drink – both in taste and in aftereffects. I suggest you take your vial and go and find yourself somewhere comfortable to convulse. Because you’ll be doing that for some time.”