“Shed?” Selenia asks, looking at Kevin.
“Nothing,” Kevin assures her as he refills his pipe. “She was pulling a seduction prank on the boy. I already had some words with Luke and Kira about it. She has been very apologetic and keeps asking if Luke was still mad at her. That’s not our business, though. My point is that it was nothing more than a prank. I’ll explain more later, Selenia. Remember to prioritize.”
“Excuse us, boys. We have to privately discuss everything that Luke has told us,” Selenia says, her temper barely restrained. “I don’t want you to eavesdrop. Take a seat, Karwyn. This might take a few minutes.”
Aedyn takes a seat in a plush chair while Selenia and Kevin start talking by using sign language. Luke stays near the window as the veterans fluidly speak with their hands. He gives up attempting to decipher their conversation and tries to find something to keep himself occupied. He turns to Aedyn who only shrugs and continues writing on a scroll. Luke can hear him softly chanting and decides not to disturb him. Minutes pass before Selenia clears her throat, turning to Luke and Aedyn.
“I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t angry about your deception, but it does clear up why you are here,” Selenia begrudgingly admits. She locks stares with Luke who shivers at her cold expression. “As I told Fizzle, something about you didn’t make sense until now. Your level of skill alone made it hard to understand why you were willing to remain in my academy. I would expect someone like you to get bored and leave after a day or two. I was assuming that your pride and ego were forcing you to remain. I wish this was the case because you have put me in a hard position, Luke. As the headmistress and founder, I swore an oath to do whatever it takes to keep my students safe. On those grounds, I should take control of your operation from you. Yet, I understand what it is like when you get your first adventure. It is a learning experience that classes cannot begin to compare to. So, I will allow you to continue without my physical interference until I feel it has become too much for you to handle. Like the Lich, I will be watching you closely.”
Aedyn hands the scroll he was working on to Selenia before silently bowing and heading toward the trapdoor. He puts a hand on Luke’s shoulder as he passes, but he still doesn’t say anything. The priest carefully opens the trapdoor, awkwardly climbing down the ladder. Luke turns back to Selenia and notices that Kevin is gone. He hears the click of another trapdoor closing from behind the desk.
“I still don’t understand how the Lich found out about me. I was so cautious and careful when I was in Visindor,” Luke claims, feeling relief at being able to talk freely. “All I can think of is the timing of my arrival.”
“According to Fizzle, the Lich and his demon are concerned about you being in the area. The Lich discovered you were a Callindor, which isn’t hard to find out if you think about it. The Hellfire Elf was probably disguised on academy grounds and overheard your name. Those things can disguise themselves so well that even magic can’t sense them,” Selenia explains while reading Aedyn’s scroll. She abruptly looks up at Luke, fixing him with another gaze. “Watch out for yourself. The Lich sees you as a threat big enough to risk a confrontation with me, so there is something special about you. Even Aedyn thinks you might be more than any of us realize. Aedyn’s magic sight spell blinded him for a second when he looked at you in the cavern. He claims your aura was intense, but immature. I’m sending his report to an old friend in order to get a more experienced opinion.”
“I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about,” Luke says, walking to the trapdoor and opening it. “Right now, I have an heir to protect. I trust you’ll stay out of my way when the time comes.”
“As much as I hate to stand by and watch, I promise to stay out of your hair,” Selenia calmly swears. She goes to sit down behind her desk, making sure to buff the new scratch out of her trophy. “Always remember that I will be watching and I will get involved if I have to. My oath to protect my students includes protecting you. Even heroes need help and you’re not a hero yet.”
Luke doesn’t say another word and quickly drops down the trapdoor. Selenia remains in her office, going back to reading the scroll. Looking at the ceiling with a tired smile, she seals the scroll with blue wax and puts it in the Sword Dragon’s open mouth. A twist of the left fang makes the scroll disappear in a flash of light.
“May Uli’s strength be with you, Luke. You’re going to need it,” Selenia mutters under her breath.
*****
“I take it things did not go well,” Aedyn guesses as he approaches the large tree in which Luke is gloomily perched. The forest tracker is lying along a thick lower branch, his right leg dangling in the air. He mindlessly kicks at the small archery targets that hang from the branch.
Luke remains staring at the sky as he half-heartedly requests, “Leave me alone.”
“Very well, but I brought someone to cheer you up,” the priest claims with a friendly smile that seems out of place on his face. Aedyn gently whistles and Stiletto comes bounding around a building. The noble shepherd whines when it notices its best friend is staying in the tree. Luke tries hard not to look down at the happy dog. Stiletto finally gets frustrated, leaping up to where the half-elf’s leg is lazily hanging. The dog misses the first time, giving Luke time to realize what his four-legged friend is trying to do.
“Wait. Don’t do tha-” starts Luke before Stiletto catches him by his pant leg. The full weight of the dog easily yanks Luke from the tree. He falls in front of Stiletto where the dog greedily licks at his hands and face.
“Feeling better?” Aedyn asks with a chuckle.
“I didn’t take you as a man with a sense of humor, Aedyn,” Luke mentions as he sits up.
“I keep my emotions to myself in order to be taken seriously. It does not mean that I am uncaring toward my allies,” the priest says matter-of-factly. He takes a seat on the grass a few feet away from Luke and Stiletto. “You were pretty upset in Selenia’s office, even after Selenia promised to leave you alone. I am sure the pressure to succeed is growing with all of these eyes watching you. Anyway, they say that forest trackers are happiest when surrounded by nature or with a trusted animal. So, I assumed Stiletto would be better than any healing magic that I could muster. It is what an ally would do, I guess.”
Luke cautiously eyes the priest. “Do you mean ally or friend?”
“Is there a difference?” Aedyn counters.
“Of course there is. An ally is one who helps you in combat and quests. A friend is there in any situation,” Luke explains while he scratches Stiletto behind the ears. The noble shepherd pants gleefully before flopping onto its side. “To be honest, I tend to think of friends as allies and allies as friends. There is a stronger bond between friends in combat because an ally sounds too much like a resource. It is a cold word when you think about it. Guess I don’t see any difference between the two.”
“You defeated your own argument,” Aedyn points out, an amused smile on his face.
“I was hoping you wouldn’t notice that,” Luke admits with a grin. “Though, I will admit that some people can be considered more ally than friend.”
“You mean people like Selenia,” Aedyn politely interjects. “I can understand that. She is not the type to be friends with her students.”
“A better word for her could be mentor. It’s a type of ally, only you admit to their superiority,” Luke states.
“You almost sound smart and insightful,” Aedyn teasingly says.
Luke shrugs silently while he scratches Stiletto’s belly. The noble shepherd happily pants and growls as he kicks his paws in the air, forcing Aedyn to crack a smile. An evil grin crosses Luke’s face as he leans over and whispers in Stiletto’s ear. Without warning, Stiletto scrambles to his feet and charges the priest. Aedyn is barely able to get his hands up in time to stop Stiletto, but the weight of the large dog knocks him on his back. A series of yelps and mild, gurgled curses erupt from the priest as his face is covered in dog slobber.
/> “You are a mean and sadistic jerk!” Aedyn exclaims, managing to push Stiletto’s face away.
“This coming from a holier-than-though jerk that uses backhand compliments when cheering someone up,” Luke retorts, smirking at Aedyn’s angry scowl. “Besides, I just wanted to see something. Apparently, Stiletto likes you. He doesn’t take to strangers very quickly unless they have food with them. At first, I thought it was because you had some of my scent on you, but it wouldn’t be potent enough to get his attention at this point. Do you have experience with animals, Aedyn?” Luke snaps his fingers to get Stiletto to hop off Aedyn. The dog sits next to the priest with his wagging tail batting the tall grass behind him.
“You ever meet a person who is trusted by everyone?” Aedyn asks, his scowl fading back into a smile. The more the priest smiles, the more natural it looks to Luke. “You don’t know why, but something about this person puts you at ease. What am I saying? Of course, you know what I am talking about.”
“I know what you’re talking about, but I don’t see how I should know so easily,” the forest tracker admits, his curiosity growing in his eyes.
Aedyn’s face changes to a stern glare. “I guess that was not an act in Selenia’s office. You are entirely ignorant of your own abilities and power. Even Stiletto seems to know more about your talents and potential than you do.”
“Great. A lecture about my potential from a holy prodigy,” Luke grumbles.
“A holy prodigy?” Aedyn asks in confusion.
“You’re a year younger than me and you are already a field agent of a temple. That position typically takes ten years to achieve unless a person is born with great potential,” Luke contends, flicking a stone over Aedyn’s head. “Also, your power must be great if the threat of a Lich doesn’t cause you to wet yourself. I’m betting you took to your temple training like a dragon takes to the sky.”
Aedyn holds back a laugh of derision as he calmly says, “You are the last person to talk to me about being a prodigy, Callindor.”
“My last name doesn’t define me!” Luke snaps. The two half-elves get to their feet while Stiletto cocks his head, staring at the foolish boys.
“People are defined by every aspect of their lives, which includes the family they were born into. The fact that you do not want to accept the fame that comes with your heritage does not erase it from your life,” Aedyn lectures in a burst of frustration. “In regards to my previous comment, you cannot deny that the gods bless you and your kin. Every generation of Callindor has the spirit of a warrior, taking to combat like, as you put it, a dragon takes to the sky. Those who do not become warriors become masters of something else like storytelling and blacksmithing.”
Luke rolls his eyes and crosses his arms. “I don’t deny what you’re saying. All I’m saying is that I don’t want my last name to be all that defines me. Do you know what it is like to be treated like a hero before you can walk? People toasted to my legacy even though I had never held a sword. Nobody should ever be satisfied with that kind of fame.”
“You ramble and whine a lot, but I get your point,” Aedyn says, settling back down on the grass. “Is it safe to assume that you feel like people have always expected great things from you without asking what you wanted?”
“Sounds about right,” the forest tracker admits, gracefully dropping into a crossed legged position. Stiletto trots over to put his head in Luke’s lap and close his eyes.
Aedyn watches the pair for a few minutes before speaking again. “I think you’re far too passionate about earning your fame, Luke. It’s getting to the point where you get yourself frustrated just talking about it.”
“Can you blame me? I lost count of the amount of amateur jobs I was denied because people thought a Callindor was too good for them,” Luke explains, choking down his brewing rage. “Then, there are the fake friends who spent time with me hoping that they would be seen as important. The world is filled with too many people who define you by your heritage and how that heritage can help them. That’s why I left home. I was sick of it all and I couldn’t stand it for a minute longer. All I needed was Stiletto, my sabers, a satchel of food, the clothes on my back, and the open road. That’s all a real forest tracker needs.” Stiletto looks up at him and whimpers. “Except for Stiletto. He is unique to me. No offense, boy. Not meant that not every forest tracker has a loyal friend like you to travel with, even though it should be a necessity.”
Aedyn begins to mutter under his breath and a soft glow envelopes his entire body. Luke listens as the priest’s voice grows louder with the sound of his praying. At the shrill height of his prayer, a beam of sunlight rises into the sky and splits a passing cloud. The small show of holy power is over within a minute and the priest takes a deep, cleansing breath. He clears his throat as he gently places his hands on his knees.
“What was that for?” Luke asks, staring at the sky.
“It was a simple prayer asking Durag to give you insight into yourself and discover your true path,” Aedyn answers with a sheepish grin. “You can be the one to choose if such a prayer helps you or if whatever happens is by your own hand. Personally, I feel better knowing that I did my best to aid you in your time of confusion. I will admit that the light beam was for show and entirely unrelated to the actual prayer.”
“I didn’t ask for that,” Luke mentions, unsure if he should be angry or thankful.
“If a priest waited to be asked for help by those without physical injuries or diseases then we would die waiting,” Aedyn states with a friendly chuckle. “I have come to realize that prayers for future success, clearness of mind, or luck are never in demand. It is always healing injuries, curing diseases, and destroying the undead. It is similar to your life where everyone expects certain things from you because you are a Callindor, but they ignore the things that Luke can do.”
“I have to remember that one. People have expectations because I’m a Callindor, but they ignore the path that I walk as Luke. I like it,” the young warrior says with a grin. “Thanks for that insight and for bringing Stiletto to me. You are a good ally even though I seem to get you into trouble.”
“You are welcome,” Aedyn politely responds.
“So, what did you mean by me being ignorant of my own potential?” Luke asks while he massages Stiletto’s neck.
Aedyn takes a minute to think before answering the question. “You only concentrate on how well you can fight and not your other skills. The use of a weapon is necessary for a warrior, but it is obvious that you do not want to be a simple warrior. If you wish to earn, or even surpass, the fame that comes from being a Callindor then you need to be more than a swordsman.”
“Like what?” Luke inquires. A yelp catches his attention when he accidentally grabs Stiletto’s neck too hard. The noble shepherd growls at him, turning around and knocking Luke over with a powerful kick from its hind leg.
“That is not for me to point out, Luke. It would not be right for me to tell you what your potential is,” Aedyn claims, a friendly smile on his face. “Besides, the current Luke Callindor should be man enough to find his path to becoming the legendary Luke Callindor without the help of a simple priest.”
“Nobody said I wanted to be legendary.”
“If you are going to prove yourself then you should want to go all the way.”
“That goes without saying.”
“Then, why make me say it?”
“You didn’t have to.”
Aedyn laughs heartily, wiping a tear from his eye. “I noticed that you refused to deny my comment about me being a simple priest.”
“You are further along your path than I am, so you know you’re more than a simple priest,” Luke replies. He reaches out to scratch Stiletto on the nose, gently moving his hand as the dog licks his fingers. “Besides, I already called you a holy prodigy. I should think that Durag would not want you to get a swelled head from me complimenting you too much.” The half-elves share a friendly laugh before they get to their feet.
<
br /> “You never answered my question about my potential, Aedyn,” the warrior points out.
“I believe I did, but it was before you asked the question. Think back with your bards’ memory and you will see what I mean,” Aedyn says, ignoring Luke’s exasperated look. “Now, I have some duties to attend to. Please take care of yourself and do not take your confrontation with Selenia as a bad omen. You proved your strength and courage against the snake fiends. Then, you stood up to Selenia and she let you keep your mission. Be happy with those victories and prepare for your next battle.” Aedyn extends his hand toward Luke who takes the hand and begins to shake when the priest pulls him into a brief hug.
“Ally, hunh?” Luke teases.
“You, Nimby, and Fritz are the first true friends that I have had since I began my training with the temple,” Aedyn admits with a shrug. “Here is some parting advice, Luke. You are not the only one in this world whose reputation is determined by lineage. Open your eyes and you will see how common your plight of identity is. Now, try to stay out of trouble for the rest of the day.”
“I make no promises,” Luke declares, flashing a smile. Aedyn smiles back and bows to Stiletto who awkwardly tries to mimic the priest. A curious look crosses Aedyn’s face as he turns away and wanders back toward the teacher dorms.
“We’ve definitely made some interesting friends around here, Stiletto,” Luke whispers. He picks up a stick from the ground and tosses it. Stiletto stays where he is, looking up at him with his head cocked to the side. The half-elf sighs as he goes off to get the stick, bringing it back to simply hand it over to the proud dog.
“All these years and you still don’t play fetch,” Luke jokingly complains. “Well, time to give you a run around the inside fence and then back to the stable. Don’t look at me like that. I’d keep you out longer if I didn’t have things to do . . . and if you wanted to play fetch.”
Stiletto growls and snorts his disdain for the suggestion. Luke rolls his eye and begins jogging along the wall. “It’s a simple game that all dogs play. You have no reason to hate it. Don’t give me any barking about splinters.”
Beginning of a Hero (Legends of Windemere) Page 24
