I reached out and took some of the power from the light in the room and slowly funneled it into a jet, pushing me up. I was soon being lifted into the air. As I approached the table I slowed down and tried to maneuver myself into the chair. It took several tries to get it right, but eventually I succeeded.
“Much better,” he said; then he snapped his fingers and the table and chair were gone. I had been resting on the chair so I began falling towards the floor. This time I knew what to do and got the jet of energy flowing again just in time to slow my fall and allow me to land gently.
“Now come up here. We have work to do,” he said. I guessed he did not intend me to take the stairs, so I flew up to him.
The rest of the day involved working in his various labs, doing different odd jobs such as organizing his books and cleaning his test equipment. I was not sure what any of this had to do with my training, but after the years I had put in as a prospect I knew better than to argue.
That was the pattern every day for the rest of the summer. I would show up, and he would have some kind of puzzle for me to solve. At first I would attempt to solve it by clever thinking, but he never allowed me to think around the rules. Each puzzle had one answer that he had in mind, and it became a problem of trying to guess what it was he wanted me to see. After solving the puzzle, I was put to work in his labs cleaning, organizing, and repairing whatever was needed.
He had several labs, all identical. Each day he would use a different one while I worked on reordering the lab he had used the previous day. He also had several great libraries that he would take books out of and leave lying around for me to find and return. I figured there was a lesson somewhere in all this work, so I dutifully did as he asked.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Back in the stone room the seven magi gathered around the great bowl. They stood in complete silence as they watched starships of all kinds moving back and forth through space. Occasionally the view would stop on a ship, follow it for a while and then move on.
The magi seemed completely engrossed as starships moved to and fro through space. They showed special interest whenever pirates would strike.
“Things are developing without us,” said one of the magi.
The scene in the bowl shifted to a view of a planet. It was a green world, flowing with water and beautiful forests. The image in the bowl seemed to fly over the land as if hunting for something. The scan drifted for a period of time and then stopped at an image of six figures gathered around a round table. In the center of the table, a crystal ball glowed brightly.
The figures seemed to be arguing over something. Whatever it was they were disputing, it must have been important. In contrast to those watching, these magi were very animated; they were shouting at each other, waving their hands, and getting in each other’s faces.
“They will tear each other apart before they become a problem,” said a different magus.
“No, they merely lack leadership,” said another.
“Be that as it may, they are not a concern for us at present,” said the red-hooded magus.
The image in the bowl shifted back into space. Soon there was another battle scene displayed, and then another. “They are too busy to be of concern,” said the first magus.
They watched in silence for a long while as ships moved through space, sometimes fighting, sometimes not. There seemed to be no pattern to what they watched.
“The time is fast approaching when we must make our move,” said one of the magi.
“Patience. Many things have yet to fall into place, and we still have not found her,” said the red-hooded magus.
“She will turn up in her own time,” said another.
“Yes, but will she turn up before we have to tip our hand?” asked the first magus.
“Maybe, but we cannot let that interfere with our plans. When the time is right we will have to make our move, regardless of risk,” said the red-hooded magus.
“Then perhaps we should stir the pot a little,” said the first speaker.
“Soon, perhaps,” replied the red-hooded magus.
Chapter Thirty-Five
As the semester dragged on I continued to meet Shadow for breakfast in the mess hall. We would talk for a while before he’d leave me to rush off to his new class. I missed him sorely and desperately wanted the days back when we were in the same class. Classes were a major drag now, and I didn’t know how I was going to advance enough in my skills while the teachers were going at this snail’s pace. This was a real problem, because without improving my skills I would never persuade anyone to let us see my parents again.
I sighed and gathered up my books for class. I had read them all ages ago, but the teachers would not release anything more advanced for me to study. I joined my classmates in the halls and made my way to class, alone in the crowd.
Once seated, I opened my books and tried to focus on the lecture, but I already knew everything he was about to cover, and the pace he was moving at was agonizingly slow. As the lecture droned on, my mind began to wander through some of the stories I had read about the great pyromancers of Mantis’ realm.
There was one story in particular that came to mind. It was about a wizard who was being hunted by a group of sorcerers through some rugged terrain. He couldn’t outpace them and there were too many to fight directly, so he created a bunch of fire elementals and sent them running in all directions. This confused his trail with criss-crossing burn marks. In addition, he used his powers of illusion to create a meadow.
The story didn’t go into details about the meadow, but I knew one back home, a secret one. It was beautiful beyond measure and, most of all, private. No one ever found me when I hid there. I always imagined that was the meadow he went to, and that it was never found. In the real story, he created the meadow to disguise a massive pit, and one by one the sorcerers ran in after him and fell to their deaths.
Slowly, as I pictured that meadow in my mind my fingers began to move. I could feel power flowing through them, and it was intoxicating. It made my whole body tingle, and I slowly began to twist the power around my hands. I wasn’t sure what I was doing, but whatever it was, it was fun. The power rolled through my fingers like sand, and I was able to mold it into small balls.
Once I had small balls I was able to toss them back and forth between my hands, but before long I felt a lash of power strike my hands and suddenly the balls were gone. I looked up and saw the teacher glaring at me, obviously very displeased.
“That is quite enough, Flame Dancer,” he said.
“Yes, Professor,” I said.
He went back to lecturing, and I turned to doodling until the class was finally over. I was packing up my stuff to leave when I saw the professor gesture to me to stay. “Great, another lecture about paying attention in class,” I mumbled under my breath and slumped down in my chair.
Once the room had emptied he walked over to my desk, sat down nearby, and said, “Flame, we have to do something about this situation. You are disrupting the class and making it harder on the rest of the students.”
“I’m sorry, Professor,” I said, and I really meant it. I knew the others needed more time than me, but it was hard to just sit there learning nothing.
“We have had this conversation more than once, and the situation has not improved. It is obvious that you do not want to be here, so do not feel it necessary to come back tomorrow,” he stated.
“But … ” I began.
“No ‘buts.’ You are finished with my class. Go and see the headmaster; he will be expecting you,” he said, then rose and left.
I don’t know how long I sat there in shock. Eventually I found my way to Headmaster Rannor’s office, but he was not there. I didn’t know what else to do, so I sat and waited. Eventually he came in, looking as joyful as ever.
“Hello, Flame. It seems that your teacher is not happy with you,” he said.
“No, Headmaster,” I said.
<
br /> “Tell me what happened in your own words,” he said.
“Well, there’s nothing much to explain, really. He’s just going so slowly, so painfully slowly. I tried to pay attention, really I did; but these books - I finished them ages ago. How am I ever gonna improve at this rate? It’s impossible.” I just sat there looking at the floor, all the energy and power drained from me. I felt a warm hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Headmaster Rannor crouching in front of me.
“Flame, I understand, really I do,” he said. There was a kindness in his tone and face that made the whole thing seem a little better somehow.
“Headmaster, he kicked me out of his class. What am I going to do now?” I asked.
“Well, that is probably for the best in the long run. If you are willing, we will try a new curriculum for you. If it works, then other students like you can use it in the future. I will pull you out of all your classes for the rest of the semester and find you more advanced books. Work through those books as if you were in a class, and we will have someone test you from time to time to see how you are getting on. How does that sound?”
I can’t begin to describe the relief and joy that flowed through me at that moment when he said those simple words. “You mean I can move at my own pace?”
“Yes; but as I said, someone will be testing you to make sure you are on track in all areas with the rest of your classmates. You are welcome to go above and beyond that, but you will only be required to know what your classmates know.”
“Oh, that’ll be easy. I already know more than they do! Thank you so much, Headmaster! This is wonderful!”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Throughout the summer, I met with Flame once a week for a couple of hours in the practice chambers. Because of my school schedule this ended up being on our rest day, but neither of us minded.
As it did every fall, the new semester brought in a fresh batch of one thousand prospects. There was something different about this group, but I could not pinpoint what. I concluded that it was just my imagination and tried unsuccessfully to forget it. It became like a shadow that followed me around, a bone-chilling shadow.
The new semester also brought a new class for me. I would be taking Scrolls and Scribing. This would be my first lesson with my old classmates in a while and I was looking forward to seeing them again. I was not sure how everything would work out, though, since the class was scheduled for the first session following the lunch hour, and at that time I was normally with Master Mathorn.
After checking in with the school to make sure my registration was in order, I went to Master Mathorn’s office. Entering his front room, I saw him at his usual place on the balcony atop the pointless stairs. It was customary for him to present the morning’s challenge or lesson as soon as I arrived. Before he had a chance to do so I said, “Master, forgive me, but there is a minor matter I need to address before we can start. I am scheduled to take a class called Scrolls and Scribing … ”
Before I could finish he interrupted me. “Why, that is ridiculous! I will handle that right away. Wait here.” And then he was gone. I am not sure how long I waited, but as I was starting to think about actually walking up those stairs, he returned.
“It is dealt with. You will not be taking that class or any other besides mine,” he said.
“Master, thank you for handling that, but I was actually looking forward to it,” I said.
“Of course you were; you are a wizard, and to a wizard knowledge is power. Do not worry, I will teach you how to scribe and anything else that you want. You see, Shadow, that is why you are here: to learn from me,” he replied.
“Yes, Master,” I said, feeling a little depressed.
“Shadow, you are a spellweaver. You are in a category of your own. If you were to take that class, you would fail, because you cannot make scrolls in the ordinary way wizards do. That is one of the lessons I have been trying to teach you. Everything you do may look similar to what the others do, but that is as far as it goes. Only another spellweaver can teach you how to use your powers. Indeed, the day will come when you can teach yourself new powers without the aid of books or teachers, but that day is far off yet so you are still stuck with me,” he explained.
“Master, I am sorry. I did not mean to sound ungrateful,” I apologized.
“Shadow, I was once in your position; granted, that was centuries ago, but I remember it well enough. You are just now starting to feel the disadvantages of the lonely path of a spellweaver. I wish I could tell you that it gets better, but as you grow in power and responsibility you will find it just as lonely at the top,” he said.
“Do you have any friends?” I asked. Our relationship had grown to the point where I felt I could ask that kind of question.
“Yes, of course I do. A man, wizard or not, cannot stand alone; but my friends are few and the periods between seeing them are long. Unless you wish to count yourself among that group?” he said with a smile.
“That would be quite an honor, Master,” I replied.
“Now then, we need to get on with today’s lesson,” he said and snapped his fingers. I didn’t know why he liked that gesture so much, but he seemed to use it whenever he could. With that, a cage instantly surrounded me. “Shadow, you probably know the rules by now. Your goal is to escape the cage without damaging it.”
I could have simply teleported out, but I knew that was likely to be against his ever-adapting rules. He wanted me to refrain from using anything but my spellweaving powers during these sessions. I reached out and grabbed the bars and saw him begin to speak, so I beat him to the punch. “Yes, Master, I know. Stop thinking in the physical and start acting like a spellweaver!” He just smiled at that, but I did not cease my physical investigation of the bars.
I could unweave the magic he used to make them and then reweave them back together, but that might violate his rule about not causing damage to the cage. This was a tough one. I needed to figure out a way to pass through the bars. The bars and I were both solid matter, so that would not be easy. What else in nature did I know of that could do that? Gases and liquids could, but the idea of liquefying myself was not currently on the top of my agenda.
After thinking for a time, it occurred to me that spacecraft do this sort of thing all the time. They use a bubble of energy and a large gravity well to slip into jump space; once there they can pass through small amounts of matter without issue.
I looked across the room and placed an invisible marker of pure energy. Next I wove a door in front of me to take me to jump space and then passed through it.
Standing there in jump space, I noticed something I had not observed before: the ever-shifting, azure energy that was around me was also passing through me. I could move freely but it was as if I was part of the space around me and had no need to move. I could clearly sense the pillar of energy I had left behind, as well as many other energy markers all over. I even sensed ships and messages passing by or through me. It was getting difficult to tell the difference between myself and the space around me.
I began to get worried that I would lose myself there, so quickly I wove another door, connected it to my marker and passed through it back into normal space outside the cage.
“Excellent work, Shadow! There were two answers to that puzzle, and you found the far more advanced one. I am very impressed at your progress,” he said.
“Thank you, Master,” I replied.
“Now come, we have much work to do,” he said, floating back up to his balcony.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
“Bill, Red Wing ready,” came the call over my comm system. One by one all my wings called in that they were ready. I was still uncomfortable with my new role as a fleet commander, but the Navy needed me and I wouldn’t let Aleeryon fall due to lack of leadership experience.
It sickened me to admit it even though it had been my suggestion, but the retreat throughout the region was a success. Our navy had less space
to cover and this allowed our fleets to be larger, large enough to keep the pirates out of our strongholds. They still had a large technological advantage but soon, hopefully, that would change.
We were able to negotiate some technology from our neighbors, but lacked the raw materials to build them. In order to make our region small enough to police we had had to give up most of our mining systems to the pirates, which hurt us badly.
This would be the day that we changed that; thanks to a recent influx of capital into our nation from a new trade partner, we planned to take back one of our lost systems. Our new trade partner had nothing to fear from the pirates, plenty of money and almost no natural resources of their own. This made them the perfect trade partner for us. A single order just the other week had not only rescued my uncle’s shop from inevitable bankruptcy, but allowed him to pay much of his debts, which in turn freed up his creditors to do more business. It was a huge shot in the arm for our economy. Yes, things were looking up for us now.
I was leading one of three fleets to take this system back. It was the closest system to our protected space which had the raw materials we needed, but the pirates had moved in there and set up a base. It is likely they guessed we would need it and hoped to block it from us.
“Okay, everyone, look sharp. In a few moments we will do a zero point jump in there under full auto scatter fire. We’ve done this a thousand times in simulation. Just follow the plan and we can’t help but win,” I said. I didn’t have any good pep talks, like my commanders always gave in this kind of situation. Instead I said, “Let’s kick these pirates in the teeth repeatedly until their teeth are sticking out of the backs of their heads! Five minutes till jump.”
My pilot triggered the automatic systems and I settled into my chair on the bridge of my cruiser class capital ship. We would be jumping right into shooting range of the pirate base. The first thirty to forty-five seconds of the fight would be fought completely by the computers while we recovered from the post-jump hangover. During that time the computers would fly the ships in well-synchronized, random patterns, shooting at anything that did not appear to be friendly. In our early simulated testing of this plan we killed more of our own ships than the simulated pirates did, but we were reasonably confident that we had the bugs worked out.
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