The Archon's Apprentice

by Neil Breault

  “Hello again, Mikol. Something I can help you find?”

  Mikol flinched. He sighed and looked up at Omoni. Mikol waved his hand at the maps.

  “What have you found about this cache? Where in Ternia is it?”

  “Who said it was in Ternia?”

  “Why would it not be in Ternia? Wouldn’t it be easier to retrieve the weapons if the king had wanted?”

  “Yes, it would be easier now, but you forget Valefort has not always been the capitol city, and Ternia itself is but a fraction of what it once covered. During the time of King Ioyan, Ternia covered the known world. There was no Casparan, or Sibilova, or the Savage Kingdoms.”

  “OK, fine. So, if it’s not in Ternia, where is the cache? We must save my brothers.”

  “You can search through my tomes all you like, but you will not find anything, because I haven’t found anything.”

  Mikol looked to the tome Omoni still carried. It was the same one he had had before. Something about the tome seemed familiar, but Mikol could not place it. He started to dismiss the feeling until he remembered where he had seen the tome before.

  “That’s the Archon’s personal writings. Why do you have it?”

  “Voletain must have left it in my study one day.”

  “We both know you are lying. Voletain never lets that tome out of his office. He hasn’t even let me look at it yet. Why do you have it?”

  Omoni glared at Mikol for a moment. “I thought it might contain some hint to the location of the cache. Or maybe even the exact location, if I’m lucky.”

  “Well, does it?”

  Omoni walked around the side of his desk and cleared the other tomes away. He set the tome down and opened to a page he had marked. It was almost at the beginning of the book. Omoni pointed to a passage halfway down the page.

  “This entry here is from the time of Archon Gorthon, the first Archon after the great war. It mentions some obelisk and discusses securing runic magic.”

  Mikol read that passage and the next few. He became increasingly frustrated by how short and vague each passage had been written. He found no mention of where this obelisk had been located or what securing the magic meant. He continued to read Gorthon’s journal entries. The next couple of entries were surprisingly more vague and talked about keeping them, whatever they were, away from the people.

  “How could this man have been Archon? The Archon has to be precise about using runes. I don’t understand what Gorthon is writing about. What does he mean, them? What people?”

  “That troubled me as well, but I believe he meant the runic weapons. Unfortunately, it seems the Archon only wrote this down as an afterthought. Maybe he planned on expanding on it later. It may even be in another book somewhere, perhaps at the Sanctuary. I don’t know and haven’t found out anything else about it. That time was very chaotic, and there is little written directly after the great war.”

  Mikol had to read the next line several times. Many of the words had been rendered completely illegible. The page felt greasy. Something had been spilled on the page long ago. He could make out only a couple of words.

  ...Important ... keep ... pendant ........ magic ..... war

  “What does that mean?” asked Mikol.

  “I don’t know. I have read that line many times.” Mikol noticed Omoni fidgeting with something underneath his cloak. “I have tried many workings and runic rituals to clean up the words, but it seems this book is protected from runic interference. I almost asked Voletain for assistance but realized he would know I had the book.”

  “Do you know where to find this pendant it speaks of? Maybe we can figure out what it does if we could study it.”

  “No. I haven’t found any pendant. But with such a cryptic passage about magical war, it may be for the best.”

  Mikol closed the book gently and carefully picked it up. He walked around to the front of the desk and faced Omoni.

  “I hope when I become Archon you will not lie to me.”

  “What? I have not lied to you.”

  “Then give me the pendant.” Mikol held out his hand.

  Omoni looked surprised. His eyes darted between Mikol’s face and hand. After a long moment Omoni sighed, withdrew his hand from his cloak, and placed the pendant into Mikol’s hand. The small pendant reflected light off many concentric circles around a onyx central circle. Each circle had runes engraved around the edge. He knew individually what each rune represented, but in their current order they did not make sense. The entire pendant appeared to be made of silver, but the runes appeared to be made of gold.

  “Have you been able to understand the pendant at all?” asked Mikol.

  “I have run many workings on it as well and all have come up empty. I can tell it is a runic device and it holds power, but I haven’t been able to unlock it.” Omoni sighed again and cracked his neck. “I did not mean to lie to you, Mikol. As the Preceptor of the Wardens I have to keep many secrets of the outside world so as not to cause hysteria and chaos at home. I hope you will help Voletain to understand I have only tried to help Ternia.”

  “Voletain?”

  “Yes. I am sure he knows I took these items. I didn’t have the courage to give them back. Once you give them back he may be lenient if he hears it from you.”

  Mikol nodded and really looked at Omoni. For the first time Mikol saw the old man in front of him. As far back as Mikol could remember, Omoni had used a cane for the injury he had suffered. Mikol now wondered if the cane helped to hold up the weight of the office too. Mikol stood a moment, deciding if he should pity or laud Omoni. Neither option seemed to fit, and it did not matter now. He shook his head slowly and walked away.

  He would have to figure out a way to deal with Omoni later. Being Preceptor of the Wardens, Omoni had considerable knowledge of the world. He could be quite useful. But Mikol did not know if he could trust the man. Voletain had never spoken of the process of replacing a preceptor. Ussan’s and Eocara’s Preceptorships still were empty. Voletain had taken direct control of both groups until he could decide who would replace them.

  Mikol had not planned on going to Voletain’s quarters but found himself for the second time that day standing in front of the study. The door had not been closed still and he walked in. Mikol stood inside the entrance and looked around. He was always in awe of the varied treasures this room held. Every time he entered he saw something new he had never seen before. He wondered if Voletain knew of all it contained. He maneuvered carefully around several piles of books and other various items. Nothing appeared to be mistreated, but it seemed to Mikol more care should be provided to the items in this room. He made his way to the bookshelf at the back of the room. It took up the entire wall. Mikol had only been able to read a few of the books on the wall. He thought with a few hundred years he might be able to read through a small fraction of them. There was a certain amount of organization on the bookshelf, though Mikol could not grasp it fully. He found no space for the tome he held.

  Mikol turned to the enormous desk that accompanied the wall and found many of the drawers locked, though none of them looked like they would fit the tome in them either. The only drawer in which the book would fit housed a wide array of relics too delicate to be next to the large tome, especially since he would have to set the tome on its end to fit it inside. He sat down at the desk and placed the tome on the table. He had not planned on telling Voletain about Omoni taking the tome soon, but it seemed he would not be able to explain the misplaced tome so easily. He sighed and slumped back in the chair. Reaching in his pocket he withdrew the pendant to look at it again.

  He twirled the chain between his fingers, watching the circles spin. The runes reflected the light from the remaining sconces in the room. He saw a red light reflected along with the soft white light from the sconces. Remembering what Raythrael had done to the sconce runes in the office earlier, Mikol looked around to see if Voletain had changed the lighting in the room. When he did not see any source of red light an
ywhere in the room he looked closely at the pendant. The onyx central circle was no longer blank. A faint red arrow glowed in the center. He sat up straight in the chair and placed the pendant in his hand. The arrow continued to point in the same direction. He moved his hand around, watching the center. The arrow moved and maintained the same orientation no matter how he moved. Looking closer at the arrow itself, he saw it was actually suspended above the center circle. He turned the pendant upside down and shook it, but the arrow continued to point in the same direction and floated above the center.

  Mikol stood up and walked around the room while watching the pendant. It stayed true to its direction still. He looked around and wondered if it was the Archon’s room that had activated the pendant. He bolted out of the room and down hallways at random. The arrow continued to orient itself east. He pocketed the pendant and rushed to the nearest castle tower. He carefully avoided anyone he saw and made it to the top without speaking to anyone.

  Mikol could not remember when he had last been up one of the towers. He instantly regretted all the times he had not gone to the top of a tower. The landscape below took his breath away, and he took a moment to let it all in. To the north he could make out the edge of the Crystal Sea. To the east the flowing plains of Ternia stretched out towards Sibilova and the Dagger Peak Mountains. To the west he could see the mountains that housed the Sanctuary. He thought he could make out the lights. He remembered why he came up the tower. He withdrew the pendant and confirmed what he had expected: The arrow pointed into Sibilova, most likely to the Dagger Peaks.

  His first thought was to rush back to Omoni, but he stopped before he took a step. Omoni had had the pendant and surely would have seen what it could do. What had changed? Mikol looked at the pendant again and found the runes on the outer rings had reoriented themselves. The inscription itself still did not make sense to Mikol as he read it. He also saw new runes that he was certain had not been on the pendant previously. The only part of the inscription that Mikol could understand translated to The path of the Archon. Seeing those words, Mikol knew the pendant would only work for an Archon. Somehow it knew he had been chosen to succeed Voletain. With the arrow pointing directly into the heart of the Savage Kingdoms, Mikol knew his path was laid out before him. He had to find the cache and this mysterious obelisk and save his kingdom.

  Chapter 8

  Feisty Wench

  For the next two weeks Mikol avoided everyone he could to prepare for his journey. Omoni was the easiest to avoid, as Mikol simply stayed away from that that side of the castle. He did not think Omoni would seek him out until after Voletain returned and the pendant and tome had been handed over. It had always been rare for the king to request to see Mikol so Mikol simply stayed away from his father without incident. He was not able to avoid everyone, as the halls became crowded with the nobles and high-ranking officials visiting while an army ravaged the lands outside Valefort. Being only the apprentice Archon and the fourth son of the king, he had been able to keep his interactions short.

  He continued to train and practice every day to keep up appearances. The futility of training for a tournament that would not happen grew more and more unbearable. Bayle had shown up to spar with him on some of the days. Mikol found an excuse every time to dismiss him. Only when Mikol was alone did he take out the pendant. He stared at the arrow for as long as he dared before hiding it again. When he had woken up the morning after he acquired the pendant, he rushed to its hiding spot. He had taken it out and breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the arrow still pointing. He kept the pendant on him at all times afterward.

  Mikol had decided he needed to be the one to find and retrieve the cache. Since then, he had spent his time searching for items he would need on his trip. He received some strange looks from the servants as he carried odd items back to his room. He tried to find as many maps as he could to chart his trip. The only maps he could find without going to Omoni did not include Sibilova. He was still not ready to risk a confrontation with Omoni yet.

  After retrieving another map that he hoped would include Sibilova, he found Bayle waiting for him. They exchanged their customary greetings before Mikol asked Bayle to check on the progress of the Wardens for him. Bayle agreed happily. Mikol rolled out the map on his desk. It included the border of Sibilova but nothing inside the Savage Kingdoms. He frowned at the map. If he had been given the attunement rune, like his brothers had, he would be able to work a spell on the pendant to have it show him its destination on the map. He shook his head in disgust and flipped the map over. He jumped when he heard Bayle’s voice coming from the door.

  “So, are we going to discuss what you are doing here?”

  “Bayle! I thought I told you to see if the Wardens had anything new on the movements of the Sibilovan army.”

  “You did. And since no Wardens have returned today there was not much that I could gather. Now,” Bayle indicated the maps and assorted items in Mikol’s room. Rapping his knuckles on the side of a large pot on the floor, he asked, “What are you doing?”

  “Nothing that concerns you. Please leave.”

  “No. I am not leaving until you tell me where you got that pendant.”

  Mikol looked at the table. He had left the pendant next to the map. He snatched it up.

  “It’s nothing.”

  “I doubt that. You wouldn’t be looking at it every waking moment if it was nothing.”

  Mikol’s mouth opened and closed quickly but he made no sound. Bayle laughed at him.

  “You’re not as sneaky as you think.”

  “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “You’ve been moody and I thought you needed some privacy. Besides, I thought you would eventually talk to me. Finally decided I needed to say something to you because you were avoiding me.”

  “Well, this doesn’t concern you. So, there is nothing to say.”

  “I don’t know what you’re keeping from me, but we have been friends for as long as I can remember, and we have never kept anything from each other. I don’t see why you should start now.”

  “I am not keeping anything from you. There is a lot at stake and I am the only one that is able to put a stop to all of this.”

  “You?”

  “Yes!”

  “I can only assume you mean the army roaming around the countryside. I don’t see how you can be the only one able to put a stop to that. There are plenty of soldiers and Wardens that should be able to do a better job than you alone. What’s that pretty little necklace for anyway?”

  Seeing no other way out that would still preserve their friendship, Mikol sighed and resolved to let Bayle know what he knew. He held up the pendant clearly.

  “Do you see this arrow?” Bayle nodded.

  “Take a closer look. Tell me what it is pointing to.” Mikol dropped the pendant into Bayle’s hands. Bayle examined the pendant closely. He rubbed his fingers over the runes and traced the circles. He turned the pendant over a few times before looking up at Mikol.

  “How do you turn it on?”

  Mikol held out his hand and motioned for Bayle to give it back. Bayle’s brow furrowed slightly but he placed the pendant back in Mikol’s palm. The arrow immediately came to life.

  “The pendant only recognizes an Archon.”

  Bayle whistled.

  “That’s a neat trick, but I don’t see how that will stop anything.”

  “This is not what is going to stop anything. But what it points to will.”

  “Well, what does it point to?” Bayle asked as he looked around the room with a smile.

  “It’s showing me the way to an ancient cache of runic weapons.”

  “Uh huh. Like your sword?”

  “Yes, but even better than the sword. Weapons forged during the great war.”

  “That sounds great, but isn’t this something that Voletain should be doing, especially since it only works for an Archon?”

  “He’s not here. He is still at Sanctuary dealing with the afterm
ath of that Death Hellion. Trying to figure out who sent it and what they were really after. That is more of an immediate threat if another should be sent. Plus ... the cache may not exist. Or maybe not anymore.”

  “And you would still go?”

  “It is the only thing I can do right now. Until I am Archon I can’t use runic magic. I am not the General of the army.” Mikol sighed again. “Or what’s left of our army. I have no control over anything right now. This is the only thing I can do that will help.”

  “All right, if that is what you believe. Where is this cache?”

  “I don’t know exactly. The pendant will show me the way. But to hazard a guess, it is in Sibilova.”

  “What? The Savage Kingdoms! Where?”

  “Again, I don’t know where, but from the look of the arrow, I would say somewhere in the Dagger Peak Mountains.”

  “What are you going to do when you find the cache? Even if it is a bunch of swords like yours, you can only hold so many.”

  “Well, yeah, I don’t expect to bring it back all by myself. I intend to bring a beacon and send the Wardens to the beacon. Hopefully there is something small enough, maybe another sword, to bring back and convince them to head to the beacon. That, or I have to convince Voletain.”

  Bayle cracked his neck and looked around.

  “Well, I guess that is a plan. When do we leave?”

  “I am going alone, Bayle.”

  “Really?” Bayle walked across the room and picked up a large pot. His arms encircled the metal pot and barely touched on the far side.

  “And you think you will need this pot, or this meat here? It’s not even salted. It will spoil before we leave the castle.”

  Mikol crossed his arms. He did not like being wrong, but realized he had never done anything like this by himself. Looking at the pot still in Bayle’s arms, he smirked and wondered how he thought it would be something he would need on the trip.

  “OK, I guess I don’t know what I am doing. I don’t even know how far we need to go. These maps have not been helpful so far.”