by B. T. Narro
“I’m Jon,” I forced out suddenly, like a fool.
“I’m Ali,” she said.
“Come on, Aliana!” Leon yelled from down the hall. “You can gawk at each other later.”
“Oh god,” she muttered to herself as she turned and ran after him.
I couldn’t help but watch her go. She made it all the way to the end of the hall, but she did turn there to look at me one more time.
I felt embarrassed and disappointed at remembering how I’d practically burped out my name like it was stuck in my throat.
By the time I made it out of the great hall I remembered that there were other, more serious problems I had to deal with now. Six young men and women stared at me, the courtyard destitute of any sound.
I had heard them talking just before I saw them, but now it seemed like they were all waiting for me to speak. They had formed a messy circle that opened as everyone turned toward me.
“What happened up there?” asked the dark-haired young man. Like Reuben and me, he was on the taller side, but the shape of his body was closer to Reuben’s than mine. He was a healthy weight and probably decently strong, but he surely hadn’t spent the same amount of time and effort with a sword as I had.
I suddenly remembered that this was the person who had shown offense and confusion when Leon had picked on him. Leon had called him by name, “Michael.” He and I had shared a look when Leon turned away. He had a warm smile and friendly eyes. His mouth was scrunched in a half-grin as if he was holding in a joke.
“We heard Leon screaming,” he said. “And it took a long time, I mean a really long time…like much longer than it should have to take for anyone to have their range checked. Then you come out looking as if you just sprinted a mile.” He held the silence for a long while. “Did Leon abuse you?”
A few people chuckled.
“Not exactly,” I said, glad for the humor as I felt the tension break.
“I’m Michael, by the way,” he said. We shook hands. “We got your name earlier, Jon. But we’ve been here talking a while and learned each other’s names.” He glanced at the crowd. “It’s only fair you get to know ours as well.”
I greatly appreciated Michael welcoming me. I was usually good with names and faces, but my mind was clouded with worries, so I really made myself focus as they introduced themselves one by one. There were three other boys besides myself and three other girls besides Aliana. I felt that all the people here had a certain charm to their appearance, in one way or another, except Reuben, who I disliked too much to find anything notable.
It seemed a bit odd to me for us all to be similar in age, and for there to be an equal number of boys and girls, but I shrugged it off as coincidence.
Reuben was the last one. He folded his arms and said, “We already met.”
“All right…” Michael said dismissively. Perhaps he was used to Reuben’s seemingly permanent haughty mood. “Will you tell us what happened now, Jon?”
Although I felt welcomed, I still didn’t know anyone here well enough to want to divulge my disheartening and somewhat confusing experience with the vibmtaer. But I wasn’t about to tell them nothing, either. That would make me look more snobbish than Reuben.
Before I figured out how to begin, however, Aliana came out of the great hall. Our gazes caught for a moment.
She found someone in the crowd. “Charlie, you’re next.” There was more confidence to her voice now.
“I want to hear from Jon first,” Charlie said.
Charlie was of average height, the shortest of the men here. He looked a little younger as well, not that I could be sure of this fact. It was his hair that was his most notable feature. It was a messy mop of dark blond curls and waves that covered his forehead. His blue eyes were somewhat gray, but they were sharp as they looked at me. His gaze did not falter. It was as if the crowd did not exist to him as he awaited my answer.
My experience seemed to be of great importance to him, so much so that he didn’t realize that making Leon and the rest of us wait could never be worth the information I could provide to him. He was eerily calm as everyone shifted uncomfortably around him.
“Charlie!” Michael complained. “Get up there before Leon makes all of us suffer.”
“All right,” he said with some confusion. He ran into the great hall without looking back.
“What is wrong with him?” Reuben asked. His gaze drifted around the crowd but eventually settled on the one woman with blonde hair. Her name, Kataleya, was memorable because she had spoken it with the same lilt of nobility as Reuben. I was glad to see that she chose to shrug rather than make fun of Charlie with Reuben.
“Well,” I said to break the silence. I put my hand across the back of my neck as my nerves got the better of me. “I’m not good at speaking in front of people,” I warned them. “But if all of you want to know what happened, I could try to explain it.” I chose to address Michael mostly, as I felt the most welcomed by him, but I also took sweeping glances across the crowd here and there.
“I had never even heard of mana before now,” I admitted. Many people were audibly shocked.
“How did you end up here, then?” Michael asked.
“I didn’t know that I had actually been using mana for years now. No one in Bhode knows anything about sorcery, which is why I traveled to Tryn. I had a feeling that this thing, which turned out to be mana, could be something substantial. I was in Tryn trying to find someone who could explain sorcery to me when Barrett Edgar showed up. He explained a little, but not much, and convinced me to come here with him.”
I pointed up at the great hall. “In there, however, you’re going to find out the same thing as I did. There’s a time constraint on whatever we are here to do. A few months, apparently. They didn’t tell me what it was exactly. The rest of the time was spent discussing my range of mana.”
We heard the footsteps of someone running through the great hall. Charlie emerged, out of breath. “Eden Ledell, you’re next,” he said as he pointed at her.
Eden was short, with dark hair that was almost black. It was stylishly combed mostly to one side, her flair for fashion quite evident. She had a cute, youthful face. Under her thin eyebrows were deep-set eyes, large and brown, with long lashes. With a button nose and a small but round chin, her pixie face was a contrast to the confidence that emanated from her. She was cute, any man would agree.
She smiled as if excited, then ran into the building nearby without a word.
“Aliana or Charlie,” Michael said while mostly looking at Aliana. “Did they tell you what we would be doing here like they did with Jon?”
Charlie answered first. “I wasn’t told anything about that. They tested my range. Then I left.”
“I wasn’t told anything, either,” Aliana said. She gazed at me with a question in her eyes.
Reuben asked me, “Why did you take so long? You must have had a problem.”
Unfortunately, it was true.
“Apparently my mana has too wide a range for me to specialize in what I want.”
“What’s your range?” Michael asked.
“lC to uuD.”
There was a wide range of reactions. Most everyone seemed to be surprised, but Reuben appeared angry.
“Here you are lying again.”
“Wait, I don’t think he said it right,” Michael said to quiet the crowd. “He just admitted he knew nothing about mana until now.”
“That is true,” I agreed. “I knew nothing about mana, but I do remember exactly what happened. They tested my upper range first and told me I could specialize in dvinia. I reached uuD, I’m certain of it. It was because of their excitement that I was eager to learn dvinia, even though I know nothing about it. But then they tested my lowest frequency, lC. I took a while after because I argued with them. They want me to pick an essence and learn from that, and I don’t even know what that really means yet. But I know it didn’t excite them as much as dvinia.”
Murmurs broke
out. Aliana looked as if she wanted to ask me something.
“You really knew nothing about mana?” she asked when the noise died down.
“I hadn’t even heard the word before.”
Her expression was as if she didn’t believe me.
I was beginning to understand that everyone here probably knew a lot about mana and sorcery in general. I had to make sure of it, though. It was one thing to think you knew less than everyone, and something much worse to confirm it.
“All of you have been training with mana before coming here?”
There were nods all around. My heart dropped.
“Can someone tell me what dvinia can do?”
The blonde woman with the noble lilt, Kataleya, spoke up. “There isn’t much known about dvinia. I’ve only heard that the energy made by wizards is a strong force.”
That sounded pretty good to me. Working with a strong force gave me options, as opposed to controlling fire or water.
Eden returned with a proud smile. “Michael, you’re up.”
He walked into the great hall.
“Did I hear dvinia?” Eden asked excitedly.
“It’s within Jon’s range,” Kataleya explained.
“What? You?” She gaped at me as if I were about to transform into a mythical creature before her eyes. She put up her hands. “I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just that…you’re a man, and dvinia requires a very, very high frequency.”
“He can reach Lower C as well,” Aliana said.
Eden’s mouth dropped open. “I thought you knew nothing about mana.”
“I didn’t.”
I had been the subject of everyone’s focus for far too long. As much as I had many questions about myself that needed answering, they could wait.
“Enough about me. What about the others who have been tested?”
Eden practically sang, “I’m going to be…an enchanter!” She performed a little twirl.
Congratulations poured out, and I quickly learned to join in even though I wasn’t sure exactly what that meant for her. I had heard only a little about enchantments, all of it rumors.
Eden said, “Yeah, I have a low range for a girl.”
“So, ordia and mtalia?” Charlie asked, but continued before she could answer. “That’s my specialty. Mtalia. I already knew before testing. I was a blacksmith’s apprentice. I like to build with metal.”
He didn’t use a cadence as if he was done speaking, so it took everyone a moment to start congratulating him as well.
“I’m in the low range as well,” Aliana said. “And my range is very narrow. They say I’ll probably be a ranger.”
“Well you certainly have the name for it,” Eden teased.
Aliana and a few others laughed. “That’s true.”
I didn’t understand the joke, but Eden noticed my confused expression and told me, “Her surname is Forrester.”
“Ah.”
“I have already been tested many times,” Reuben broke in. “I have a normal, low range, which I have been specializing in for years. I will be a sorcerer of order. One day I will be able to enchant as well, Eden, but gems not metal.” He spoke as if this was somehow better. “I also hope to learn to be a harbinger.”
“What is that?” I asked, ignoring his snooty attitude. “Barrett said he is one.”
“Of course he is,” Reuben replied with a roll of his eyes. “He is councilman to the king, as I imagine I will be groomed to be as well.” He looked at Kataleya as if this should impress her, but she glanced away from him.
I imagined that Reuben was someone who had been given everything he’d ever asked for, except a woman’s heart, and now he had no idea how to win one on his own. I didn’t know much about women myself, but I did know one thing about Reuben. His personality wasn’t doing him any favors.
“I know my range as well,” Kataleya told mostly the other girls and without the same enthusiasm as Reuben. “Erto is my specialty, specifically water. In fact, just recently I found out I can cast without an essence.”
“That’s incredible,” Eden said, and Aliana agreed.
There was one person who hadn’t spoken yet except to give her name earlier. She looked shy and possibly even felt that she didn’t belong, as she stood on the outskirts of the circle. But I was sure she belonged here as much, if not more, than I did.
Eden probably noticed the same thing because she looked at this young woman and said, “What about you, Remi? Do you know your range already?”
Remi looked down and spoke to the ground. “Um, I’ve never been tested with the vibmtaer, but I have a very narrow range.”
“Many of us do,” Aliana said to comfort her. “I can barely get my mana above llB, so I’m pretty limited to earth as much as I’d like to at least reach ice. What about you?”
Was I understanding this right? llB was lower than I could reach, but I thought women were supposed to have a higher natural frequency than men. Eden also said she had a low range, so I was beginning to wonder just how true that stereotype was.
“Fire,” Remi said meekly.
I was surprised. I would’ve figured anything besides fire if I had to guess from looking at her. Her pale cheeks blushed red, matching the crimson color of her lips. Remi had light brown hair that was thin and yet somehow still a little wild. It curled and frayed as it tried to stay together in a tail down her back. Her eyes were on the smaller side, dark green, almost brown. There was a twinkle to them as she looked up again. I felt as though they held a secret.
Michael returned. “They are telling me to specialize in wind! Wind!” He sounded upset. “What am I going to do with more wind?”
“More?” Kataleya asked.
“Yeah, I already make plenty of wind without sorcery!”
Eden and I were the only ones who laughed.
“You are disgusting,” Reuben complained.
Michael swiped his hand down in Reuben’s direction, then promptly ignored him. “What did I miss?” he asked the crowd.
Our conversation continued on like that until all had finished their test. Everyone’s company made it easy for me to forget my issue with mana. I had feared that many of these people would turn out to be like Reuben, but I was pleasantly mistaken.
When Leon returned with the last person to be tested, Reuben, there was a quick change to the mood. Everyone quickly closed their mouths and stood with purpose. Leon paced back and forth in front of us. He was shaking his head as if extremely disappointed. It was so exaggerated that I started to wonder if it was an act. But I realized how wrong I was when he opened his mouth.
“I kept hoping, dreaming, that one of you would show me some real skill. Kataleya and Reuben are the only ones who were close.” He pointed at the rich young man. “You’d better stop smiling right now, Reuben. Ordia? What am I supposed to do with a sorcerer of ordia, hmm?”
“I—”
“At least Kataleya can do something useful with her mana.”
Reuben looked to be grinding his teeth as he glanced down.
“And the rest of you.” Leon waved his hand dismissively in Aliana and Eden’s direction. “I got a female ranger and a female enchanter. You two and Jon had your cords crossed at birth or something. And you!” He threw both hands out at Charlie. “Mtalia, and that’s it? You—I have absolutely no idea what I’m going to do with you.”
Many of my peers hung their heads, but anger kept mine up. I wanted to say something, but everything I thought of would’ve just made it worse. This was one of those moments where the faster it was over, the better.
“I’m a good builder,” Charlie said. “I can—ow!”
Michael nudged him firmly with his elbow, then Michael put his finger over his lips.
“I’m impressed,” Leon said sarcastically in response to Charlie. “I’m actually impressed at how dumb you are.”
Charlie joined many others in looking at the ground. I felt like I really had to say something now, but I shouldn’t.
> “None of you have earned enough trust to be told more about what we’re doing,” Leon continued. “None of you are even close. You all still need to prove to me that you can actually do some good. If you aren’t prepared to work hard to improve yourself, then you might as well leave right now and save us the trouble of putting up with you. Go ahead.” He pointed toward the portcullis on the other side of the courtyard. “Go! What are you waiting for?”
No one moved.
“Really, none of you? Not even you, Charlie?”
Michael put his hand on Charlie’s shoulder. “He’s staying.”
Charlie smiled up at Michael, who nodded at him.
“Fine,” Leon said. “If none of you are leaving by choice, then I will decide who deserves to stay.”
The air held still. I could just about feel everyone’s fear of even breathing in Leon’s direction.
“I will decide in three days,” Leon added, and we collectively let out a sigh of relief.
Did he enjoy scaring us, or was he just a terrible instructor?
I was beginning to realize that he wasn’t an instructor at all, so we were not students, either. Whatever was happening here, there was something Leon needed to accomplish, and he needed us to help him.
Why was it that no one was leaving? I knew my reason. I had to at least learn more about sorcery and mana, and then I could make an informed decision about my future. But why did it seem that no one else even pondered the idea of walking out of the castle now?
Perhaps they all felt what I was starting to feel. The king needed Leon, and Leon needed us. It was the only explanation for his crotchety, ill-tempered mood. We were the best he was going to get, and he knew it. We still weren’t nearly good enough, but we could damn well try to be better.
CHAPTER SEVEN
As I rushed out of the castle, I had a feeling that everything was going to happen quickly now. It was as if all of us had been introduced to a dance and would soon be expected to show it off, only everyone else had been practicing the dance for years.
