by Peri Akman
Asim nodded nonchalantly again. “That tends to be what happens when a warlock shows up for a testing, yeah?”
The response was excited murmurs, and Quinn would have been part of it if he'd been in the mood to raise his voice again. This was huge: a real-life celebrity. Anyone who trained under Asim was bound for greatness, and fame and fortune and…
And a lot of stuff.
Quinn quietly sighed under his breath. He desperately wanted it to be him. He had read about Asim of Trell in his books, and here he was!
The server came to their table.
“What can I get you lovely folks?” she asked sweetly, her attention wholly devoted to Asim.
“Whiskey for me, if you please.” Asim's voice practically dripped with smoothness. “And get the rest whatever they ask for—as long as it’s not alcohol. The tykes have to get up early tomorrow, and Head Vodyk will kill me if I send them in with hangovers.”
Hogarth gave a whimper of disappointment, but the disappointment quickly withered away when the concept of new and untried food occurred to him.
It was weird how Asim didn’t seem to care how they were breaking the law. But at the same time, it was… cool. He was not only protecting them, but he was buying them food.
Quinn looked down at his utensils, desperately trying to keep his focus. There were several containers with long bread in them, as well as copious amounts of butter and jam. The others were already shouting out orders from the food that was suggested along the walls. Steaks, salads, casseroles, meatloaves, soups and so much more were available to him.
Quinn settled on asking for braised lamb shanks. He wasn’t really sure what braising meant, but it sounded good. He also reached for a loaf of bread, and bit into it experimentally. For all the talk of Academy food being terrible and the outside world having such better food, the oily, crunchy breadstick didn’t exactly blow him away.
His one day out to live and he had no idea what to eat, what he was getting, or what he was supposed to be enjoying, exactly. He just wanted Asim to pay attention to him. He could eat at the Academy.
One by one, the meals were delivered to the wards, some to their delight, others to their outright shock. Lakinn, a rather tiny girl, had somehow managed to order a turkey that looked like it could swallow her whole.
Quinn’s own meal was a bit less surprising. It was meat on bone, a sauce, some greenery, and mashed potatoes. He had eaten exactly this at the Academy. In fact, he was a bit disappointed. He’d been hoping for something more… adventurous, he supposed?
He had to admit though, it definitely didn’t taste like anything in the Academy, unlike the bread. It seemed too… sweet? Was that the right word? Quinn tried to wrap his head around the words to properly inform his brain of what he was experiencing.
Once the drinks and meals were served Asim slouched towards them slightly, as if ready to converse. “Now, you clearly all know who I am. Why don’t you tell me a bit about yourselves? Age, a unique fact, that sort of thing.” he asked, his smile warm and inviting.
“Kay.” She spoke first. “I’m seventeen.” She briefly touched her own tattoo, a swirl that took up her entire face. “The teachers say I have some of the highest marks they’ve ever seen.”
Kay was probably exaggerating, but she did do immensely well in school. Whether that mattered or not, Quinn wasn’t entirely sure. She was easily the oldest ward in the school; there was only so much they could test her on before they ran out of material.
Asim nodded. “Interesting. So what’s stopping you from being tested? Sounds like you could have gone earlier.”
Kay frowned. “They said I hadn’t finished maturing. That I needed more time. It’s stupid. So they—”
She stopped abruptly and said nothing else.
Asim’s eyes glinted strangely.
Quinn wasn’t exactly sure what standards girls were held to. Guys were mostly judged on the amount of body hair they grew, as well as their growth spurts. Once all of that was at least in progress, or near the end, they were deemed fit to leave.
Girls, apparently, had a less complicated process, but Quinn had never been informed of it.
Whatever it was, Kay had apparently consistently failed it and it was rather a sore point for her. Not that Quinn could blame her, the girls at the Academy were almost always the first out. Of their year, the first one to be deemed mature and fit to learn magic had been eleven. So more than an extra half-decade of being trapped in the academy had to be painful. Quinn himself had taken a while to fully mature, and it was only with a final limping growth spurt that his doctors had deemed him ready.
Of course, it didn’t matter, the teachers said. All apprentices would become warlocks at the same time, they assured, once you grew to be an actual adult. So it didn’t matter if you spent ten years or two years as an apprentice, you’d still become a warlock. That’s what they said anyway, but it certainly felt like it mattered.
“I already said my name.” Mackie grinned cheekily. “I’m fifteen, and I'm really good at gardening and I’ve read every book in the library.”
One by one, they all went.
“Hogarth. Fourteen. I actually already know my inclination! They tested me and it has something to do with fish! I don’t know what that means yet, though.”
“Jeffern. Fifteen. I dunno. I like running, I guess.”
“Kosloski. Sixteen. I’ve actually been testing for a while now, but they delayed it because I got into a fight with some of the kids here.”
“Lakinn. Thirteen. I have drunk alcohol before, you know, so I’m just saying it’s okay if I order some.”
“Sordidhe. Fourteen. I was put into the academy only five years ago when I accidentally exploded a granary.”
And then they all stared at Quinn expectantly.
Quinn swallowed dryly.
“I… I’m Quinn. I’m… fifteen.” He looked down, wanting to disappear. “And I really don’t want to be here, but I think you’re really cool and I can’t wait to test tomorrow.”
The words spilled out of his mouth before he even realized what he was saying. The others stared at him as if he had just vomited up a slug.
Asim laughed, his voice deep and grand. “Well, aren’t you just an interesting lot. Are there any who didn’t partake in this grand sneaking out adventure?”
Kay nodded. “There are four others.”
Asim stroked his chin before taking a sip of his whiskey. “Interesting, that’s quite the large group. When I was chosen, there were only three others with me. Of course, I was almost twelve at the time, so I was a bit of an early bloomer.”
“What was that like?” Mackie asked, eyes wide like saucers.
Asim sighed and rubbed his head. “Oh, that was easily twenty years ago. All right, let me see… well, there were a lot fewer warlocks back then, so often you’d go through five or six testings before finding someone who was willing to teach you. I was picked right off the bat, but I was a near prodigy. I got lucky.”
“So you matured young and you were a prodigy?” Hogarth yelped. “That’s not fair at all," he grumbled.
Asim shrugged. “It meant I learned a lot, and learned quickly, true, but believe me, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.” He grinned, and his branded eye twitched ever so slightly. “This job has a way of tearing you up from the inside.”
It was such a dark sentence, and none of the wards were expecting it. They had been fed nothing but hopes and dreams for about a decade. No one had ever spoken badly about being a full-fledged warlock.
Quinn shivered. For a second, Asim’s lilac eyes seemed to pierce right through him. For the first time in his life, Quinn began to doubt his life choices.
“So… uh… what was your tattoo like when you were a ward?” one of the others asked, attempting to shift the mood to something less existential.
Asim laughed. “I believe…” He traced his hands idly on his face. “My Academy wasn’t as wealthy as yours. Not enough government fun
ding back then. All of our tattoos were black. And mine…”
Asim trailed off, looking distant, as if the phantom tattoo was still there, pulsating. Finally, he spoke in a quiet whisper. “About eight or so horizontal lines. It was rather boring compared to my friends. I think… I think it was supposed to symbolize the hardening air, but it’s also possible that it just happened to pool where my acne was.”
“So is it true you got that brand to protest the entire Warlock Program?” Mackie asked.
Asim’s mouth quirked slightly downwards. “That has a very long, complicated answer. One that I’m not interested in really talking about. And also, for future reference, a rather rude question.”
Mackie paled and visibly slumped. He clearly was not expecting to be shot down like that.
“How’d you figure out your inclination?” Kay asked abruptly.
Asim’s face immediately shifted back into the warm welcoming expression it was before. If Quinn hadn't been intimidated before, he definitely was now. No way was he asking Asim a question. What if he just annoyed him like Mackie had?
“Ah, inclination, that was an annoying one. For a long time everyone thought I had telekinesis. So of course they had big plans for me. Any of the ‘tele’ folk always get attention, and a prodigy telekinetic? Hoo boy, I’d be the most dangerous man in all the land!” Asim gave a rather dark, bitter chuckle. “But they quickly noticed that my telekinesis only seemed to work on things that were buoyant in air. From there it didn’t take long to realize my affinity was the wind. My master was rather pissed that day. Didn’t spend all that time and effort to raise some sort of farmhand warlock."
There was a silence as the wards exchanged awkward glances.
“Of course, he was full of crap. If I had ended up helping agriculture, so what? I would have done amazing things, and I guarantee you that I would have been just as helpful as I am now. Void, probably moreso,” Asim quickly amended upon seeing the faces of the wards. “There is nothing wrong with not being some sort of fighting trailblazer. The best warlocks I know are the ones who perfected their trade and made the world a better place because of it.”
The wards nodded at this, but they did not seem too convinced. No one ever wrote books about the warlock with the thread affinity who solved a clothing crisis. It was always the ones who turned to battle and defeated the terrible monsters.
In their hearts, they knew that not all of them could be heroes, but secretly, they all wished they would be the exception.
At least, that was what Quinn suspected. The way that Kay shifted, the way that Mackie’s eyes glazed over… they wanted the magic that could make things explode.
Asim downed the last of his whiskey, wiped his mouth, swept his bangs out of his face, and stood up. “It’s getting late, kids. You should probably head back home soon.”
There was a collective groan from the brightly lit wards.
“Can’t you show us your powers first?” someone shot out. The sentiment was met with resounding agreement.
Asim sighed and smiled slightly. “All right, come on you lot.” He absentmindedly dropped some more coins on the table and headed out the door.
The wards got up immediately, tripping over themselves to follow. Quinn stayed hesitantly in the back. This was strikingly unreal.
Out under the dark sky, Asim’s silver hair seemed to naturally glow. He looked like some sort of faerie or spirit, Quinn decided, although he wasn’t exactly sure how either of those actually looked.
He extended his hand. “Who wants to go first?” he asked, his smile taking a near devilish quirk to it.
There was a silence as the reality sunk in. He was asking them… to go flying?
“I’ll go!” Quinn blurted out, surprising himself. This was his chance to impress Asim, by pretending he was brave, and not actually terrified of falling to his long and painful death.
Quinn grasped Asim’s hand with his, and Asim gripped back tightly, pulling Quinn in, against his sweater-clad torso.
“Stay close, kid, this is gonna be fun.”
At first Quinn didn’t feel anything, when suddenly he started rising. He nearly jumped in surprise. His feet were on the hard solid… air.
“So long as you keep holding my hand, you’ll be fine, all right?” Asim spoke, smirking as the wind began to whip around them. They were rising past the town now. The wards were staring up at him in awe, while most of the still-awake townsfolk didn’t even bother to look, although one stargazer on a roof seemed to have taken a notice. Since they weren’t screaming or pointing, Quinn’s anxiety was quieted, allowing him to focus on the view before him.
Quinn could see for miles, further than he ever had before. Sparkling in the distance was the Academy as if it was a well-lit doll set. Further still, he could see the rest of Haldon, all interconnected with roads, Star Spires lighting the way, and farms taking up large swathes of darkness.
Below him were the other wards, small floating faces, looking at him in wonder. Quinn laughed despite himself. It was sheerly breathtaking. His feet vaguely tingled, as if they were afraid he would suddenly drop.
Asim seemed slightly less impressed, but to him, this was probably just a parlor trick. “Want me to drop you?”
Quinn nearly yelped in shock. “What? No!”
“Aw, relax, I’ll slow you down at the end. Completely safe. Just have to promise not to scream bloody murder. It’s pretty fun,” Asim explained, yawning.
Quinn swallowed dryly. He didn’t want to, but he wanted to impress Asim. He nodded. “I… okay. Yes.”
Asim grinned. “Excellent. Don’t look down. Or do. Whichever you want.”
And just like that, Asim let go, and Quinn fell. The air whipped around him, and adrenaline coursed through him. At some point he did, in fact, start screaming bloody murder. Quinn clapped his hand over his mouth to stop himself from yelling.
Though it felt like an eternity, Quinn descended for only a few seconds before the wind burst around him, slowing his fall.
Quinn landed on his feet more gently than expected, and he wobbled, nearly stumbling, before righting himself. The wards broke out into rapturous cheers.
Asim gently stepped off the air, as if he had walked down a staircase. He shushed the wards. “Guys, guys, can’t take you up in the air if you wake up the sleeping people. Then they put in complaints to the government, and I get my license revoked, and they’re not too kind if that happens a fourth time.”
The wards quieted, and Quinn trying to stop his heart from beating out of his chest. Kay was next to volunteer, and Asim once again ascended into the air, effortlessly. Having had enough excitement for a while, Quinn moved to the back of the group. One by one, the other wards took a turn up in the sky, some agreeing to fall, some preferring to just levitate back down.
Quinn bit his lip slightly. As wondrous and special as this was, he knew it wouldn’t last.
Tomorrow a whole new world was going to open up for him, and nothing was going to stay the same. Maybe… just maybe… maybe he wasn’t so sure that he was ready.
Chapter Two
Quinn awoke to the sound of the old bell in the courtyard. For a second he was sure he had dreamt the outing with his fellow schoolmates, but as his brain made connections and leaps, it seemed to confirm that it had in fact happened.
Quinn took a deep breath and rubbed his face. He shared his room with three others, two girls and a boy. They were all a great deal younger than him, though, and none of them were testing.
All of his past roommates had slowly left, as they matured and he did not. It was… rather depressingly lonely.
At least Quinn got to be the Senior Roommate, which gave him certain perks. For instance, Yane was only eight years old. If push came to shove, Quinn had a pretty good chance of winning a fight for the shower against an eight year old. It had never come to that, but it was always a present worry.
Of course, Yane had a very strong kick. She might be able to push him and get the jump
on him. On second thought, Quinn was probably second-strongest in the room.
Quinn quietly stood up, but the floorboards creaked. The other girl, Wanda, saw fit to grab her second pillow and chuck it at Quinn, grumbling in pain.
“Sorry Wanda!” Quinn whispered hoarsely.
“Good luck, Quinn,” Wanda muttered, before turning over and quickly going back to sleep.
Quinn smiled faintly and hastily left the room.
At the doorway, he put on his sandals and ran his fingers through his ratty hair. He wanted to look good. It was an impossible challenge, but he could at least try. He was incapable of growing a beard—one of the many reasons he had been held back as long as he was—but in this case, it was a good thing. It meant he didn’t have to shave.
Quinn walked the hallways for what could possibly be the last time. They were adorned with pictures and plaques of the former great warlocks, and the great graduates of the Academy. Asim of Trell had a picture, but as he was not a graduate, it was not some special picture, but rather one that had been replicated en masse and spread far and wide. Quinn was not sure of the technology behind it, but he had heard it could be done without magic.
On his way to the mess hall, he ran into several of his fellow test-takers, all heading in the same direction.
The mess hall was decorated and different from normal. Usually all the tables were in rows, with wards and teachers convening to eat and occasionally have meetings. Now, the tables were up against the walls, replaced by twelve chairs in a semicircle in the center of the room. One for each of the test-takers.
At the center was one table with maybe thirty chairs, with some of the teachers taking up the spots along the edges, talking and muttering to themselves. Head Vodyk was standing, but if there was a day she stopped standing, Quinn would be very surprised. If none of those chairs were for her, then, according to Quinn’s quick counting, at least twenty-five people in total would be judging them.
What a terrifying number.
After everyone filed in and sat down, Quinn found himself next to two girls—Kay and Lakinn. Kay was chewing on her braid while Lakinn shuffled her feet rapidly back and forth. Kay and Quinn exchanged nervous glances, their slight jealousy toward Lakinn apparent. She was the youngest here; it was easy to feel a tad bitter.
