“Good afternoon,” the man said. “I am Olma, the king’s head steward. We are moving you to your new quarters as part of the army recruits. You may want to grab your cloaks, we will be walking outside for a bit and it is getting chilly as autumn approaches.”
The four of us shared a look before going to our bedrooms one last time. I grabbed my purple cloak off my bed and tied it around my shoulders. I paused at the door and took one more look around the room. I doubted I would be staying anywhere as nice after this. As we all followed Olma out in the hall and down the staircase, I noticed the cloak I had on was not the one the lady in the woods had given me. It was the same color purple, but the material was softer and thicker. Around the edges there was fine silver embroidery. I stuck my hands in the pocket and felt a piece of parchment. I pulled it out and swiftly read the note.
Lydia,
When I first met you, I was struck by how pretty you looked with your red hair and purple cloak. This cloak is spelled against tears and dirt. I hope it will serve you well.
The note wasn’t signed, but I had a feeling I knew who it was from. I carefully folded the piece of parchment and stuck it back in my pocket for now. I wasn’t ready to think about what it might mean.
Olma led us out of the castle and around the grounds, past the stables, toward the old village with the stone houses we were able to partially see as we came into the city the first time. As we drew closer, I could see there were almost 300 little stone houses that rounded the side of the mountains. All the houses faced the sea. There were also long buildings on either side of the stone houses. Olma led us down the rows of houses until he found the ones he was looking for. I couldn’t understand how he knew exactly where he was going. The houses all looked identical and they didn’t have any identifying features that I could see. The houses faced each other down each street. The steward finally stopped at the end of one of the rows. He pointed at two houses on either side of the street.
“The young men will take one house, the young ladies the other,” he said. He directed all of us to the appropriate house. Each house had two doors. We both walked in the separate doors Olma sent us to. I was greeted by a single room. It had a bed, a desk, a chair, and room divider in the corner. Someone had placed my chest at the foot of the bed. My dress box sat in the corner. To my right was another door, I opened it to see Erin doing the same on the opposite side of a small washroom.
“A little sparse compared to our last room, huh?” Erin said. I nodded. I could hear Olma talking outside so Erin and I both shut the door to the washroom and walked back outside to the street. John and Murphy were back out there as well.
“You can still hear the bells from the castle chime. Dinner is served at six bells in the evening. The mess hall is straight ahead, in the large building to your left. Tomorrow, you will report to the mess hall at the second bell after dawn. I will take my leave of you now. The king wished me to relay the message that your service to the kingdom is appreciated and he is anxious to see how you excel in training.” With that Olma gave a small bow and strode off back down the street and to the castle.
30
At the second bell the next morning we all dutifully reported to the mess hall. We were all dressed alike in brown pants, white long-sleeved tops, and leather boots that laced up to our calves. With everything in me, I was dreading what came next. I had visions in my head of the Army recruiter who had visited our high school and showed us a video of basic training. Even though his goal had supposedly been to recruit us to join the army, the video of basic training had thoroughly removed any inclination I had to even think about signing up. I was just imagining that was training we were getting ready to go through, only the medieval version which, in my mind, could only be worse without cell phones or the invention of indoor plumbing.
I was surprised by the amount of people in the mess hall. I remembered the king say there would be a company of soldiers training, but it wasn’t until I saw the 150 people all gathered together in the mess hall that I realized just how big a company of the army was. Erin glanced back at me as we entered. Clearly, she hadn’t realized how many were going to be here either. We followed the boys through the crowd and got in line to grab some breakfast. I kept glancing over my shoulder at all the people sitting and eating breakfast.
“I don’t recognize anyone from the trip to the castle, do you?” I asked Erin.
“No, but they were already part of the army, weren’t they?” She said. “so they wouldn’t be here to train?”
“I guess you’re right. You know being around more people sounded like a good way to get information yesterday. Now that I’m seeing all these people, I’m second guessing myself, though. I’m feeling very self-conscious. We don’t know what we’re doing here.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean. Never thought I’d be joining an army. What if we do something really silly and someone suspects we’re not from here?” Erin shook her head and went quiet for a moment, thinking. Finally, she shrugged her shoulders and looked back at me.
“Oh well, we will just have to do our best. If we get into any trouble, I can always turn on the charm.” She winked at me as we made our way to a table in the middle. I just shook my head at her. Erin never stayed worried about anything for long.
I glanced around the room as we ate the eggs, potatoes, fruit, and dark bread they were serving for breakfast. Clearly everyone was around the same age we were. Everyone was also dressed in the exact same clothes. For the most part everyone looked like normal teenagers. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting. Everyone we had come across so far just seemed like normal humans, but things feeling so normal here kept throwing me off when I knew we were stuck in a completely different world.
As everyone was finishing up breakfast, the doors to the mess hall were thrown open and five people walked in. There was a scraping of benches and chairs as everyone tried to jump to their feet when we realized the king and the prince were two of the people who had walked in. As they walked to the front of the room, I realized Nadine and Reynard were two of the other people. The fifth was a tall broad-shouldered man almost as large as the king. He had bright red hair like mine and a long red beard. When they arrived at the front of the room, the five turned to face us and the king stepped forward. Everyone in the room bowed. I started to curtsy but changed my mind about halfway through and attempted to bow instead since I was a soldier now. The change in action caused me to stumble into Murphy. He caught me and held my arm until I caught my balance. I heard someone behind me suppress a chuckle and heat rose in my cheeks. I could tell I was already making a great impression with my fellow soldiers.
“Welcome my soldiers to the beginning of your training,” King Bleddyn said, sweeping his arms open towards the room in greeting. “Please sit.” King Bleddyn waited for us to obey before he continued, “It is my joy to welcome you here today. You who have all come voluntarily from your homes and your families to help me usher in the new age of the Kingdom of Thavell.”
Someone behind me yelled in agreement, other started clapping. The king smiled and waved at them, waiting for them to be quiet before continuing.
“The history books will make note of your sacrifice, loyalty, and determination. Do not think of the next twelve weeks of training as difficult. Think of them as the start of your talents and the evolution of your heroism. I will leave you in the capable hands of your trainers. I wish you well and look forward to hearing of your progress.”
There was tumultuous applause as the king quit talking and exited the room. I looked around in a bit of amazement but joined in the clapping. I could see from the faces of those around the people of Thavell genuinely loved their king. Having so much pride in a monarch was a foreign concept to me, but the more I was in the presence of King Bleddyn, the more I understood why people loved him so much. Once the king left and everyone quieted down the prince stepped forward.
“As most of you know, I am Prince Aidric. Upon the crowned prince or princes
s’s nineteenth birthday, they become the Commander of the Army of Thavell. This duty was bestowed on me this past year so I will be intimately involved in training you first recruits for army service.
“These people before you will handle most of your day-to-day training. Today and tomorrow we will be testing your strengths and areas of weakness so starting in two days we can group you with people of your same skill levels and make the most of the next twelve weeks of training.
“Here we have Reynard, Captain of the Palace Guard, the king’s personal guards. He will be handling teaching you about sword and hand-to-hand fighting. We also have Nadine, Captain of the Calvary. She will be teaching you the art of fighting on horseback and, more importantly, how to care for your mounts properly so they will be good partners is travel and battle. And finally, we have Weston. He is the Training Master and your Commanding Officer until you receive your final placements. He is here to make sure you all become suitable soldiers in this army. Soldiers we can all rely on and be proud of. As far as you’re concerned, his word is law.
“I will be with you all today and tomorrow. Today we will see how you all do with various weapons and physical exercises. Now, clean up your breakfast and report to the large sparring area next door.”
Everyone again clapped as Aidric and the three others filed out the door. There was a pause as everyone looked after them and then a rumble as everyone stood, cleaned up their areas, and filed out to start the day.
31
I tossed and turned in my bed that night as the moonlight drifted in through the open window. I couldn’t sleep. My body ached from the day we’d had. The people in charge had tried us on every weapon imaginable. I had been terrible with anything close combat. I’d had decent aim with the bow and arrow but wasn’t strong enough to throw a spear far enough to matter. After lunch, I had done great on horseback and even after everything still put in a decent time for running. Since I’d been running track and cross-country for my school teams since the sixth grade, I wasn’t too surprised. So if all the army needed me to do was run and ride a horse, I was set.
John, Erin, and Murphy had all done better than me. Erin was matched for my talent on horseback and she had surprised herself by being a decent hand with the bow and the sword. John, as usual, excelled at everything the Training Masters threw his way. Murphy had also done well. He was stronger than most of the other male recruits and Weston had commended him and told him he thought he would eventually be a good fit for a battle axe as his main weapon.
Even with all the physical activity of the day, I still couldn’t find any rest. Aidric had watched all of training today. He hadn’t made eye contact or talked to me once. It bothered me. He hadn’t said anything to any of us outside of his father’s presence since the ball. And then, after dinner he had announced the Grand Wizard from the Scholars was going to come tomorrow and test all the new recruits for magical abilities.
I grabbed the silver necklace hidden underneath my night shirt. As far as I could tell it always worked, no one seemed to suspect I was a Magic Wielder. I hadn’t attempted any magic since Aidric had helped me the night of the ball, but I could feel it burning inside me all the time. What was the worst that could happen if I revealed my powers tomorrow? But even as I thought about it, I knew I couldn’t. I still hadn’t told my friends about my abilities and revealing them would open up questions I wasn’t prepared to answer. How could I reveal to them I was the reason we were stuck here when I hadn’t found a way for us to get home yet?
As the full moon hit the highest point in the sky, I gave up on sleep for the time being. Something had been casting about at the edge of my driving me to figure some things out. Aidric had mentioned the library held tons and tons of knowledge about the land of Adylra and magic. I already knew I could read everything. Now, if I could just get inside, maybe I could find something that would tell me how to get us home.
Feeling crazy for even attempting something like this, I pulled on my pants and shirt and threw my cloak around my shoulders. I was very thankful for the deep purple color just now, it would blend into the night very nicely. I opened the door and peeked out into the street. No one. With a deep breath I raised the hood of my cloak and stepped out into the night.
The cool night air and the sound of the waves of the harbor lapping against the shore calmed my nerves as I stepped quickly down the street between the houses. I remembered Olma from yesterday saying that autumn was on its way. The seasons seemed to be in line with the ones back home, although it was already much cooler here than it would be if we were still in Tennessee. I continued to think of weather patterns and what the differences could mean to keep myself calm as I crossed the open field that led to the castle walls. I arrived next to the walls with no problems.
They kept the portcullis of the inner castle gate open at night and the lone watchman had fallen asleep so I was able to sneak in. It was a good thing Thavell didn’t seem to have any major threats. I was starting to understand what King Bleddyn meant when he kept talking about building up the armies. For now, I would use the lax security to my advantage. Aidric had mentioned the library was for noble use only, so I didn’t think they’d appreciate me trying to get inside it in the middle of the night.
Once I was through the portcullis, I couldn’t figure out how to get through the main doors without waking anyone. They were large wooden doors with huge metal rings in the middle and I had heard them scraping as they swung in each morning when the servants opened them. Going through the front was not going to work. I crept around the side, hoping I wouldn’t run into an eager rat terrier or wolfhound roaming the castle at night. Luck was on my side, no dogs were about to sound the alarm and there was a window by the kitchen I was just able to wiggle through. As I hopped down from the ledge, I knocked a pot that was drying with my hip. I saw it start to fall and I reached out wildly and managed to grab it inches from the floor.
I breathed a sigh of relief and gently put it back on the counter. I had to pause for a moment and lean against a wall. My heart was pounding so hard I was sure it could be seen through my shirt and cloak. I couldn’t handle any more excitement. Thankfully, nothing else impeded me on my journey up to the fourth floor to the library. I was able to remember how to get there thanks to Aidric’s tour. I pushed the library door open as quietly as I could and shut it behind me. I leaned back against the doors and gazed at all the shelves. For a moment, I quietly rejoiced in my victory before readying myself for the next task.
32
The library was dark. I tried looking through a couple of shelves but even with the moon shining through the window I couldn’t make out anything. For the first time on my own, I closed my eyes and reached inside myself and called for the magic inside of me. Just like the night of the ball, I called a little flame into the palm of my hand. I could feel the gentle heat of the flames and see the light in front of my closed eyes and I knew it had worked. I opened my eyes and started toward the closest shelf, careful to keep my hand with the flame far enough away it wouldn’t catch anything on fire.
I walked up and down the shelves, searching for anything that might help me. The books weren’t labeled as nicely as my local library. Many of them were extremely old and were falling apart. Some were about advanced theory of magic, but it wasn’t anything I could understand. I noticed a pile of loose parchment on one of the shelves and walked over. I pulled them down and laid them on the table. They were letters all signed by a guy named Lord Barwick, Grand Wizard of the House of Scholars. I cocked an eyebrow at the title but continued to look through the letters. The words history of magic caught my eye and made me pause. The flickering of the flames across the parchment made it hard to read the loopy script writing. I moved over to the window and try to get some moonlight on the page as well. I was just able to make it out.
Dear Daughter,
In your last letter you asked me about the history of magic here in Adylra. It’s a long and fraught history, one we are just start
ing to understand with the discovery of ancient texts within the castle. I will try to summarize the major points for you as best as I can.
Long ago, the six realms of Adylra lived in peace. The animals, the people, and the land all respected each other and lived in harmony. The Kingdom of Thavell was but a small kingdom within the human realm at this time. About a thousand years ago, King Alec was crowned the monarch of Thavell over his older brother, Neiryn. Neiryn had been disowned by his father and disinherited because of his penchant for necromancy, which is reanimating the dead. It was also rumored Neiryn could control other’s minds. Necromancy had long been considered a dark magic and forbidden by all the Realms. When Neiryn refused to renounce his magic, his father crowned Alec over him.
Neiryn fled to Eidoran, the realm of the Phantoms. There, he quietly amassed power and allies. Eventually, with his army of the dead, he took Eidoran from the Phantoms themselves. By the time Thavell became aware of the danger, Alec knew Neiryn had become too powerful to beat. With his own allies from Thavell and the other human kingdoms and even allies from Ziaria the realm of the Elves, and Abrexar, the realm of the Dragons, he created a plan to close off Eidoran from the other realms for safety.
However, Alec believed that all magic was too easily used for dark purposes for it to be allowed to go unchecked. Somehow, he managed to get a few of the most powerful Magic Wielders of the time to agree with him. When they closed off Eidoran, they locked all magic behind the gate. This had a catastrophic effect across all of the six realms. The other races of the other realms are magic in their very essence and cannot survive without it. Just in time, they were able to use Alec’s spell to create gates between all the realms. The creation of the gates and the disappearance of magic from the human realm threw all of Adylra, including the Kingdom of Thavell, into a Dark Age.
Gatebreaker: Book One Page 13
