by Reiter
“His eyes don’t work as yours and mine do,” Vaiyorl emphatically returned. “... but that man has never been blind! But I digress, and our time grows short.
“It would be so easy for me to tell you who to choose, Valian,” Vaiyorl projected as telepathy was faster than spoken conversation. The boy was not versed in the discipline, but the physical contact made it easy for the Duke to read his ward’s thoughts.
“Is that not the province of a parent, my lord?” Valian thought.
Vaiyorl kept from physically registering the implication of what the boy had thought, but the grip on the boy’s shoulder tightened. “If that is your position, perhaps...”
“It would be an honor to call you father... Father. And I understand that would have to be a conditional matter.”
“In that case, son... I have only a measure of advice to give you for your choice. And in your case, I am not sure it is advice so much as it might be a reminder. You’ve been very good in walking your own path, Valian. Do not allow the pomp and circumstance to cloud your vision or cause you to hesitate.”
“Thank you, Father,” Valian said aloud before stepping forward. There were many who had heard the boy speak, as he had not spoken in a hushed tone.
“And apparently he has established the conditions for this matter!”
You always have two choices: your commitment versus your fear.
Sammy Davis, Jr.
(Rims Time: XI-4305.30)
Valian approached and stood beside the Duchess who looked very happy to see him. She looked down on the boy and was surprised when he turned to face Yorlson and bowed deeply.
“Salutations, Champion,” Valian said in a proud tone, his teenage voice nearly shouting.
“The Champion’s Embrace,” Guysorla thought, hardly remembering the custom herself. “He’s following the old ways.”
“I commend you on your victory, Young Master Yorlson,” Valian continued, slowly coming stand up straight. “The banner of Jhormynn flies higher in its moment of pride. It shines brighter, receiving your light which will guide it through the days to come.”
Guysorla then turned to face her son and she too bowed, which was the custom after the embrace was spoken. Roughly a third of the people gathered initially bowed with her, but all soon took her lead and made the same gesture.
When everyone stood up, Valian turned to face H’Tanvor. Surprising everyone, Valian bowed to the boy before he bowed to Kethgeegan and Annodia. “And to my brothers of the breach... well... brothers and sister of the breach... we ran a great race today,” he shouted. It came as no surprise that Kethgeegan and Annodia shouted their response, lifting their fists in the air. Yorlson gave a confused, half-hearted shout, and H’Tanvor looked around thoroughly confused. “None of us know what we will become, but we will forever know how we began. The Test Tower was the initiation and now, the good Duke of the House Jhormynn has assembled the finest Finishing Masters to oversee the end of the beginning. You all have made fine choices. You have my hope, my pride...” Valian paused for a moment, silently admitting something to himself. “... and my envy.” He smiled as laughter and applause was the response.
Stepping up to the platform where the masters waited, Valian pointed at three. “Gentlemen, I would ask you three to remain while we wait for the others to step down. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your attendance and your immeasurable consideration.” There was a swell of conversation as most of the remaining field of Praeceptors started off the platform. One Finishing Master in particular walked to the edge of the platform and looked down on Valian and glared.
“Who do you think you are to dismiss me?!”
“I am Valian Styrke, ward of the House of Jhormynn,” he said calmly and confidently. “... and I would rather not have a Finishing Master who has forgotten the Champion’s Embrace, especially when my Lord’s own son is that Champion. If you wish to press your issue further, sir, I–”
“He does not wish to!” several voices spoke at the same time... one even coming from the remaining three masters, but it was Seranos who stepped forward and removed his cape from over his right shoulder; it was a sign that he was ready to engage with the man if necessary. For those who knew Seranos, they knew it was not a gesture he often made... which meant there was little chance he would hesitate to follow through on the implication. “Thank you for attending, Praeceptor. Goodnight.”
Without another word the man stepped down off the platform and walked away. Three people in the crowd moved to depart with him, and Valian did his best to mark each person to his memory.
“Not just their faces,” the slender hooded figure spoke, taking a step forward. “But the way they move... and more importantly... how it makes you feel to see them.”
Valian had not looked away when the man spoke. His eyes remained fixed on the four until they were out of sight. Then his eyes closed and his head lowered.
“Not a bad beginning.”
Valian looked up at the man. Between his tattered cloak and his large hat, the man’s face could not be seen. But such things clearly did not matter to the boy. “Sir, will you consent to being my Finishing Master?”
“You won’t like it,” the man responded. “I have serious doubts that you will like me.”
“I suppose then it’s a good thing that I am not asking you to be my friend,” Valian replied. “Though I have to admit, I already like you.”
“There are two questions you must answer first,” the man stated as he turned to join the other chosen Finishing Masters. He stood beside the man that Annodia had chosen and turned to face Valian. “First, am I in the right position?”
“Yes you are.”
“And what is your position, then?”
Valian thought for a moment and then walked over to the man. All of the Phyti stood beside their Praeceptors. Valian walked over and stood in front of his. He then went down to his right knee and the slender man removed his hat and the hood of his cloak.
“Thy faith, most Sacred Empress, is justified,” the man said softly. A soft, cool breeze swept over the area, swirling around the man as his burlap cloak became embroidered silk. Thick, wavy black hair fell around his shoulders, save for the solid stripe of silver that actually started on his skin. His nose and left eye seemed to be made of silver, running up to his hairline and into the stripe of hair.
He was still slender in frame, though taller than he had originally appeared. His dark brown skin seemed to glisten, even though it was not wet. The hat became a cane for which the handle was well under the extended top. It was made of a rich, dark mahogany and capped by a sunstone that floated freely at the top.
“Jorkethian!” someone whispered the name of the living legend as others gasped at seeing the ancient figure in the flesh.
The man’s sapphire blue eyes swept over the crowd, stopping once they arrived at the Lord of the Estate. “Duke Vaiyorl, I believe Master Seranos and I have need to speak with you on an urgent matter.”
Valian stood with his back in the corner across the large corridor from the Duke’s study. His arms were folded as he leaned into the corner, watching Yorlson pace in front of the double doors of the study.
Looking mostly at the floor as his mind went over the events of the Test Tower yet again, Yorlson walked with his hands on his hips.
“You do know that you’re too skinny... and too young to make that work, right?” Valian asked.
“To make what work?”
“That pose you’re using... for the first time.”
“This isn’t the first time I’ve had my hands on my hips!” Yorlson argued.
“First time I’ve seen it,” Valian remarked. “And trust me, the way it looks, there’s no way I would have let you walk around like that in front of someone outside the House. I know I would have said something!”
“No one is listening to you,” Yorlson declared.
“Now I know you can’t make that pose work for you,” Valian concluded.
�
��Young Master,” Yorlson added. “To you I am Young Master Yorlson.”
“To me you are brother,” Valian returned. “... and I suppose we’re both sad at that. You’re sad for all the things that happened before today... me for what happened a few hours ago.”
The doors to the study opened and Duke Vaiyorl emerged from inside and then looked at both boys. The tension was apparent, but it was drawing close to dinner and the House Jhormynn had two incredibly distinguished guests under its roof.
“Yorlson, I am engaged in a pressing matter at the moment,” Vaiyorl said plainly as Seranos and Jorkethian stepped out and turned down the corridor.
“Your Grace, if you would excuse us for a moment,” Seranos requested. “I am in need of some air.”
“Of course,” Vaiyorl replied with a nod of his head. “I will come to find you in the garden the moment I am able.”
“Excellent!” Seranos said with a bow. His eyes drifted over to Yorlson for a moment and he lost his smile before turning to walk away.
“Perhaps I should attend to our guests,” Yorlson said quietly, looking at his Praeceptor.
“I wouldn’t,” Valian replied, keeping his voice low as well.
“And who asked you anything?!” Yorlson snapped, still keeping his voice down.
“They were being polite, Brother,” Valian said, standing up straight and unfolding his arms. “There’s a balcony attached to Father’s study. You think either of those men, if they truly just wanted only air, would have missed that balcony?”
Yorlson took a moment of recollection. Valian was right. The size of balcony was a little over a third of the study. Surely two men could have found plenty of fresh air there. He looked down at the floor, caught between confusion and rage.
“What is it that I can do for you, son?” Vaiyorl said warmly, moving to touch his son. Yorlson stepped back before cutting his eyes over at Valian.
“Perhaps you should see to your son!” Yorlson said before turning on his heels and storming away.
Vaiyorl and Valian looked after the boy as he stormed off for his room. Both of them wanted things to be different and they nearly mirrored one another, drawing in cleansing breaths to set their minds to other matters. Vaiyorl noticed Valian doing it and he smiled.
“Is that something I do so often?”
“Not so often you should worry,” Valian answered with an embarrassed smile. “I used to think it only applied to things related to New Eden Technologies... but... over time...”
“Indeed... over time,” Vaiyorl looked down at Valian and did what he could to suspend the antics of his first-born child. “Well, these things aren’t going to clear themselves, are they? We have people waiting in my study. After you, son.”
“As you wish it, Father,” Valian said, walking across the corridor to enter into the room. He frowned at the sight of Annodia and Kethgeegan standing near the Duke’s desk. They smiled at him and then looked at each other, reveling in the fact that they had surprised him.
“It would seem that these two young people have been taking the matter of the Test Tower to heart,” Vaiyorl said, walking in behind Valian. He waved his hand over the sensor in the doorframe and the doors closed, locked and erected a sound shield. This was to be a very private matter. “They have been talking to one another... and a few of our distinguished guests... and they have decided to approach you for permissio.”
“Permissio?” Valian repeated, nearly choking. “But I can’t... I’m not... Fa-”
Vaiyorl stood there, reveling in the moment. He knew there would be few times when Valian would be tongue-tied, and as cruel as it might have been... he was going to enjoy the moment.
Valian continued to stammer, taking a step back, and Annodia came forward to put him out of his misery.
“We wish to be your retainers, Valian,” she said, immediately losing the fire of her perspective the moment she heard the words aloud. “That is... if you will have us.”
“Have you?!” Valian barked. “I don’t... I’m not...” Valian closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, holding it for a moment.
“Oh well. There goes my fun,” Vaiyorl thought, turning to sit behind his desk.
“I’m just a boy,” Valian finally spoke clearly. “I don’t own property... I don’t have any station.”
“No, that is where you would be wrong,” Vaiyorl, adding another facet of this meeting he would enjoy for as long as he would be allowed. “You forget that I am a Duke.”
“But I am only your ward!” Valian snapped, surprising everyone in the room with how loudly he had spoken. He covered his mouth as Vaiyorl’s eyebrows lifted.
“That you are, boy. But in legal matters, that means you are my protégé, and your station cannot be any less than two plateaus beneath mine.”
“And what does that make me?” Valian asked in an airy whisper.
Vaiyorl lifted his hand and slowly counted. “One station would make you a True Lord. Two stations would make you a Lower Lord... but ‘lower’ is not a word we engage too often, so the appropriate level is often just called Lord. You are... and have been for some time... Lord Valian Styrke.
“And don’t bother,” the Duke quickly added, cutting off Valian’s response. “You cannot renounce your position unless I renounce mine. Do you wish me to renounce my position?”
Valian stood still for a moment with his eyebrows locked in lifted position. The world had been made to spin around him and it was a confusing thing to see. He stammered before he nervously said, “No?”
“And that brings us back to now. It is a most somber situation, the offers that have been made... and Valian is going to hold them in abeyance.”
“I am?” Valian thought.
“While both bold and gracious, I see nothing but children before me. And what can a child truly offer my ward? So... we will have to address that point first. You are children! A fact that is inescapable and unchallenged at this point in time.
“I have already been in counsel with your mother, Annodia,” Vaiyorl continued, getting up from his seat. “... as well as your Mistress at the orphanage, Kethgeegan. They have both agreed that in order for you to be honestly considered, you will need to complete your education with your Finishing Masters. Thusly, it has been decided that the two of you will take residence on this property while you are in training. Once you have completed your individual strides as Phytos, we will revisit these offerings.” Walking around his desk and to the doors of the study, Vaiyorl made it a point not to look at Valian. “I will give you all this room to discuss amongst yourselves. Dinner will be in forty-seven minutes... try not to be late.”
** b *** t *** o *** r **
(Rims Time: XI-4804.14)
Seated in his study chair once more, Vaiyorl could see the image of himself, nearly five years past, walking through those same doors, leaving Valian to contend with the repercussions of his actions. It had been a most interesting season for the Jhormynn House.
“Who could’ve expected to see a KnighT of his caliber unveil himself at our Test Tower,” Vaiyorl thought, recalling what it had felt like to see Ulreejun Jorkethian standing behind his ward. “They don’t teach the skills one would have to engage to remain unaffected by that.
“And, of course, with him came the will of the Throne. How many times have people told me that I have the favor of our Empress? They told me such things then... they tell me the same now. But despite their claims it is apparent that I do not have the full measure of trust of her majesty. Neither she nor her most noted servant has elected to explain to me why Ulreejun Jorkethian presented himself to be a Praeceptor. And my wife wonders why I would have preferred to remain a True Lord.”
Vaiyorl activated the virtual monitor and it appeared above his desk. He leaned back in his chair and the monitor elevated itself to remain in the perfect eye line.
“Activate optics,” he commanded.
“Specify please,” the computer replied.
“Valian’s training
... Praeceptor-marked entries only.”
A three-dimensional image of a thirteen year-old Valian was created, clothed in the black garments of the Choosing Ceremony.
“Of course,” Vaiyorl thought, “where else would they begin?”
Ulreejun could be seen walking around his Phytos. He was speaking and Valian listened as intently as he knew how to. Whatever was said, the equipment on the KnighT’s person kept his voice from reaching the receptors. Theirs was a very private conversation, the first of countless others.
The image changed to the two of them running side-by-side; Valian was now clothed in gleaming white clothes and Jorkethian wore his armour and weapons. Vaiyorl smiled at the look of the white clothing, which had been charmed to grow with the boy. Valian had never been allowed to clean those clothes, merely treat them with a powdered herb that would contain the smell of them. With the passing days, and incredibly arduous lessons, the white clothes lost their glow, slowly turning gray before they turned black.
Three days of the thirty of each month were given to Valian as a respite. In the beginning, the Duke’s ward counted the minutes to his day off. It was only eight months after the training had begun that Valian had actually opted not to take one of his days. That had been the day that Jorkethian had broken the boy’s jaw. Valian had opted not to take the next day as well.
Vaiyorl watched, seeing his ward go through the paces of learning how to run, skate, ski, surf, bike, drive, and ride. No form of ground transportation was missed, and Vaiyorl could then read the writing on the wall. The Duke might not have known the specifics of the instruction to be taught, but he had a notion and he acted in a manner he had thought was appropriate. A large domed facility had been built so that Valian could train in assured privacy. The intensity of the lessons had only increased after the introduction of the dome, and a mixture of acrobatics and gymnastics was included.
The images also showed the strides of academia the Praeceptor put the boy through. So many subjects were covered; ranging from History to Art, Civics, Finance, Basic Mathematics, Algebra, Geometry, Literature, Foreign Languages, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Ethics. Jorkethian did not act as if he had a child for a student, and the initial grades were poor. Vaiyorl had been ready to speak to the Praeceptor on the behalf of his ward, but Valian never complained. Even when he had cried alone in his room, he would give no foul word of his teacher or the demands that had been made of him.
