by Dante King
“Ten years after. Fiona knew some of the Librarians in Astros. She got me a position as an apprentice in the Great Library a few years ago. I was 15 when I entered, having spent some years learning in school before then. I’ve been studying there for five years since then.”
“Sounds like you’ve spent a lot of time reading books.” I understood her desire to read. All the knowledge I’d gathered was either from experience or learning from people who were more highly skilled than me. The idea of increasing my learning and understanding of the world on my own, through the reading of books, was an attractive but unattainable dream.
“Well, yes,” Amelia said, “but there’s more to it than that. School isn’t just reading books. There are teachers there whose minds contain more knowledge than a hundred books.”
“I’ve had teachers like that,” I said. “My foster-father, Gregory, for one. A fellow named Jacques. And Katlyn.”
“Oh, really? What did they teach you?”
“Gregory taught me how to work the farm. Keeping animals, tending to our meager crops, repairing things. A little hunting and swordplay, too. Jacques showed me how not to stand out in Aranor. He isn’t exactly a lawful man, and I learned a bit about such things from him. He liked to call himself the Rogue of Aranor.”
“And Katlyn?”
“Uh, well, she helped me learn how to be a good lovemaker.”
Amelia giggled. “Is that right? It sounds like you’ve had very good teachers then.”
“And what did your teachers teach you?”
“Nothing quite as practical or hands-on as your teachers.” Amelia smiled at me. “They were teaching me many things which I hoped to memorize for the scholar’s examination. I would have liked to have become a Librarian, but those positions are filled only be Mages. Instead, I desired to become a scholar. Once I become a fully qualified scholar, I can work in the library and continue to preserve the collection of books there, or I could go out and research magic, monsters and other things like that in far regions of the Kingdom.”
“Looks like you’ve started that a bit early.”
Amelia chuckled. “Yes, it is quite early. All the other able-bodied scholars were already engaged elsewhere. They had no one else to send.”
“They must have a lot of confidence in you,” I said.
Amelia smiled and nodded. “I’ve always been a voracious learner. I read anything I could get my hands on in the library, including many books I shouldn’t have.”
The way Amelia spoke about books and learning was almost like Jacques spoke about picking pockets or brawling in back alleys. She certainly had a passion for it.
“I never learned to read,” I said.
Amelia turned to look at me, her eyes wide. “But reading is such a wonderful skill. You can learn so much about our world and discover wholly different worlds in your imagination...” She broke off. “Oh right. I suppose you couldn’t learn to read. You haven’t told me anything about where you came from. How did you end up here?”
“There isn’t an awful lot to tell,” I said. “I was owned as a slave by my foster-father, Gregory.”
Amelia flushed as I said this. “How awful! When you mentioned him earlier, I assumed he was a kind man. But it seems I misjudged him.”
I raised my hand. “No, you didn’t. He was a kind man. Like a father to me. He protected me from the other villagers. My parents died when I was too young to remember them. My Gregory always said that the other villagers would sell me if they knew I had Elemental Sensitivity. Looks like they were right, ’cause they sold me after he died, and here I am.”
“I see,” Amelia said. “Your story sounds even more sad than mine.”
I smiled. “It’s a bit hard to compare tragic stories sometimes. At least you learned a lot of useful skills in your upbringing.”
“Seems to me like you learned a lot too,” Amelia said. “I’ve never heard of a Mage being able to take down several monsters and slavers on their first day of training.”
“Just did what I had to do, I guess.”
“And it was amazing. Who knows what you might be able to do to fight for justice in this world if you keep training?”
I looked up at Amelia’s face. “Thanks. It was all worth the effort today to be able to share this evening with you.”
Amelia smiled at me. “Thinking about your worldly experiences, I very much envy you, you know.”
“I’m grateful for what my foster-father and my friends taught me,” I said. “I would love to have learned to read though.”
Amelia started at that. “Would you like me to teach you?”
My mouth moved but no words came out. Why would this beautiful noblewoman want to teach me how to read? What did she have to gain from it? Then I recalled that Amelia wasn’t like the other nobles; she seemed to do things out of the goodness of her heart rather than what she might gain in return.
“You’d do that for me?” I asked when I could speak again.
“I wouldn’t be much of a scholar if I couldn’t pass on all this learning to other people, would I?”
I chuckled. “I suppose not.”
Amelia turned and picked up the book sitting by her side. She held it out to me.
I stared at it in wonder. “I’ve never even held a book like this before.”
“Well, go on then, this is your first chance.”
When I took the book reverently in both hands, I noticed that it was heavy. I laid it on my lap and put my hand on the stiff leather cover.
A quiver of excitement ran through me, and I looked at Amelia.
She nodded. “Open it up.”
I opened the book and laid the cover against my left knee, the rest of the dense codex resting against my right knee.
The first page was blank. That seemed strange. What were you meant to do at a blank page? I stared at it for a moment.
“You need to turn that first page over as well,” Amelia said gently.
I felt heat rise to my cheeks. “Right, that makes sense.”
I reached out and took the first page between my fingers. It was about the thickness of most tree leaves. The surface was a little rough and had a faint texture of browns mixed in with the lighter shades of cream and white. Near the top of the page were slightly darker gray markings. They almost resembled letters, like what I’d seen in the rest of the book.
As I watched, they grew darker. The stark black outlines of ink letters started to appear on the page.
“What’s happening?” I asked.
Amelia stared, her eyes wide and her hand to her mouth. “I don’t know. This has never happened before.”
I took my hand away, and the half letters started to fade again.
“Pick it up again,” Amelia said. “I think your hand is doing something to it.”
I took the page between my fingers again, and in the flickering light of the fire, we watched the letters continue to grow darker.
My hands trembled slightly as I clutched the book. “Why is this happening?” I asked, my voice quavering.
“I have no idea,” Amelia said.
“What does it say?” I asked. The letters stretched across the whole page at this point, reaching from top to bottom, and had almost finished darkening.
“Keep holding the page in your hand,” Amelia said. “I don’t know why, but it seems like your hand needs to be touching the page. I’ll read it aloud.”
I grasped the edge of the page between my trembling fingers as Amelia began to read.
“My end grows near. Ink Mage, in the hour of my final desperation, I leave this message here for you. Ink Mage, if by your touch you reveal this message, know beyond all doubt what you are, and what you must do. You are the only one who can save us from the folly of the High Order of Arcanists. Ink Mage, I have seen this. The greed of the High Order has grown great, and it will grow still greater in the years to come. The High Order of Arcanists will unleash a terrible evil upon the Kingdom. Only an Ink Mage has the power to confront thi
s evil. I hope that even for you it will not prove too strong. You must prepare yourself with practice, and equip yourself with loyal allies and faithful companions.
You will face a formidable challenge sooner than you might wish.”
Chapter Six
“That’s everything?” I asked when Amelia had stopped reading.
“That’s all that was written,” Amelia replied.
We waited in silence for a moment. When I lifted my hand, the letters faded from the page in front of me.
The fire had died down a little, and I closed the book and handed it to Amelia before reaching over to chuck a handful of dry sticks and a few bigger logs onto the embers.
“What does it mean?” I asked as the flames licked up the fresh fuel.
“I can’t say for sure,” she replied. “In all the books I’ve ever read, I’ve never heard of a magic like this. But the message was left there for an Ink Mage, and it leaves me in no doubt that there’s more to this than chance.”
“I didn’t like the sound of that ancient evil which the Order of Arcanists will stir up.”
“Me neither, but that’s an odd thing, too; I’ve never heard of such an organization. There is the Council of Arcanists, and the Librarian’s Assembly—both of those organizations advise the King—but the High Order of Arcanists? That’s new to me.”
“Could be some secret group of elite Arcanists that doesn’t want to be generally known?”
She was nodding. “It’s not hard to believe. The Arcanists are already an elitist group, and they always try to take every opportunity for power.”
“If that was the case, then maybe they are doing some kind of secret magic, something they shouldn’t be doing?”
“Well, I suppose if I can read forbidden books, then so can others.”
“And perhaps there are other forbidden books, ones that you haven’t seen. Could that be possible?”
“Oh, yes, the Great Library as Astros is an immense building, almost a city within a city, and there are countless secret towers and forgotten wings to the complex. It would be easy for a group of powerful Arcanists to hide anything they wished to there. The Librarians aren’t allowed to access many of the collections, and even they do not have the full run of the place. Nobody questions the authority of the senior Arcanists. I don’t think there’s anyone who really knows the whole building and all its secrets, but if there is, then it’s the Arcanists.”
“The High Council,” I mused. “They sound like a powerful group, whoever they are. Have you ever heard anything else about Ink Mages which might tell us something more?”
“Sorry, William, I can’t think of anything. As I said, the references are few and far between. I always thought Ink Mages were just a legend. Now…”
The enormity of the task in front of me was almost unbelievable.
“Who could have written this?” I asked, helplessly.
“I can’t say, but it’s clear that fate has chosen you for some great destiny. What are the odds that I should pick the one spellbook in the library that would just happen to have a prophetic message for an Ink Mage written in invisible magic on the flyleaf? There’s more at work here than random chance, William. You have something big to do, and I think it’s my destiny to help you do it. The prophecy said you need faithful companions after all.”
I looked into her beautiful face in the flaring orange light of the campfire. A moment ago, I had felt overwhelmed, but her commitment to helping me drove that feeling away as fast as it had come.
“I have to get strong,” I said, rising to my feet. “I need to get more Beast Cores, make more tattoos, and learn more runes.”
Amelia got to her feet also, laying her book down carefully. “For that, you will have to fight more monsters. We will have to train a lot in the coming days. Strange events are afoot. We have to be ready.”
“You’re right about that,” I said. Suddenly, I yawned like a cavern. It took me by surprise, and I apologized as I covered my mouth. “Sorry! It’s been a long day, and I’m ready to sleep.”
“Me too, but I think I’ll go down to the water’s edge and wash first.” Amelia said. There was a new note in her voice, which I didn’t think I’d heard before. It was pleasant, slightly teasing. I glanced at her face. She was smiling shyly at me. “You can come to join me if you want,” she said hesitantly.
I raised my eyebrows at her inviting tone.
“That sounds good to me,” I said. There was a sheep’s wool blanket in the plunder from the wagon, and I grabbed it and put it over my shoulder. Amelia stepped out of her boots and walked barefoot across the short expanse of grassy sward to the water’s edge. I took my own boots off and followed her down to the water. There had been no mistaking the invitation in her voice. This was a new side to Amelia’s character. I liked it.
At the water’s edge, Amelia turned and fixed her eyes on me. Slowly, deliberately, she began to undress. It was clear that she wanted me to see this, and I did not look away. Instead, I made short work of getting out of my own clothes. Her garments were rich and of good make, much better than my tattered farmer’s tunic and trousers. When my clothes were off, however, I felt no shame about the hard, well-formed body that my years of farming had given me.
We stood naked, looking at each other in the moonlight. She was slim around the shoulders and waist, but her hips and breasts were round and full, and she had long, muscular legs. The tuft of blonde hair between her legs was bright in the moonlight. The tattoo I’d given her stood out dark on the pale skin of her slender arm.
“You like what you see?” I asked her playfully, as I saw her eyes running appreciatively up and down my body.
“Very much,” she replied quietly. “No wonder you were able to fight those monsters. You’re very strong.”
I felt the heat rushing to my crotch under her frank gaze. “Alright, enough dallying,” I said, a bit hastily.
The stream was slow and wide here, and a deep pool glinted invitingly just where we stood. The water was very clear in the moonlight. I took two steps toward the edge, then, to my great surprise, Amelia lunged forward and shoved my shoulder, pushing me into the water with a splash.
I gasped as the cold water rushed over my face and body. I quickly found the streambed with my feet and pushed myself upright. The water rose to my waist and lapped against my body. I’d been dragged a couple of yards downstream. I spluttered and brushed the water out of my face with my hands.
“What was that for?” I asked.
“Just needed to properly test the water.” Amelia laughed.
I strode against the stream back to where she stood.
“Let me help you with that.” I took a handful of the water and splashed her. She yelped and stumbled backward.
“Let’s see how you like it!” she called, then sprinted toward the stream and leaped into it, water splashing all over me.
We both plunged under the water and came up gasping, rubbing the water through our hair. Then we stood, facing each other, our bodies covered to our navels. The moonlight gleamed off Amelia’s bright blonde hair as droplets dripped down from it onto her shoulders and down between her full, round breasts.
As I stood in the stream, I undid the binding on my failed Cold tattoo. I was pleased to see that it had stopped bleeding. Carefully, I washed dried blood from it with cold water.
“Is it alright?” Amelia asked. I held it out for her to look at.
“Fine,” I said. “It’s healed up well in the few hours since I did it.”
“Good,” she said, and began to rub the dirt from her own skin, scooping water into her hands to do so. Her tattoo had healed completely as soon as it had been finished, since she had the Cold affinity.
“Here, try using some sand to clean yourself.” I scooped some up from the stream floor.
Amelia raised an eyebrow. “Using dirt to clean away dirt?”
“It works, trust me.” I rubbed the sand between my fingers. “See, it’s totally clean
, there’s nothing but fine grains of sand. They will do a much better job of scraping the dirt from your skin.”
I gave Amelia a handful of the sand and scooped some up myself.
“I’ve never had to do this,” Amelia said as she stooped to clean the dirt from her legs.
I was a bit surprised that she’d never washed herself in a stream before. I couldn’t count how many times I’d bathed in the river that bordered my foster-father’s farm.
“You always got to use the baths in Astros?” I asked.
Amelia nodded. “I like this though. It feels a bit more natural than the paved and tiled bath houses that I’m used to.”
“I’ve always enjoyed it better when I could get to a good stream and wash. Better than having to tip a bucket of water over your head.”
Amelia laughed, her voice clear like a bell in the forest. She turned around. “I can’t reach my back very well. Can you get it for me?”
“It would be my pleasure,” I said. I took a handful of the soft sand and rubbed it against her shining white shoulder blades. Her shoulders were rounder and more delicate than mine.
I continued rubbing the skin as I moved lower, cleaning the dirt away and massaging the muscles.
Amelia groaned softly as I did so. “That feels good; keep going. I didn’t realize how sore my back was after being tied up against the side of that wagon.”
I worked my hands into the small of her back, massaging the knots away. I moved my hands a bit lower still, rubbing the skin clean where her back curved into the perfect swell of her buttocks.
Amelia laughed. “I didn’t say I needed an ass massage.”
“No, but I knew you wanted one anyway.” I kissed her shoulder where her wet hair stopped and turned her around to face me.
She shied away my gaze. “William, I. . .”
I interrupted her. “Help me wash my back and then we can get out of here.”
I turned around, and Amelia started to massage my back. The muscles were sore, and I could tell there would be bruises where my back had been pressed up against the side of the wagon for days, bumping up and down the stony road.
