Emblems of Power

by C L Patterson

  Kosai looked down at the sand and examined the Circle of Power. He began to trace the circle again. As his finger reached the top of the circle, he dragged his fingers down, breaking the Circle of Power, stood up, and punched Zenith in the gut. Zenith doubled over, trying to catch his breath.

  “And that is one of its weaknesses,” Zenith said weakly.

  “The Circles of Power, do they have to be drawn on ground, or walls? Would it work if I drew one on the inside of my hand or arm for example?”

  “No, that wouldn’t work. The Circles channel energy from the earth, where the most Faye resides. If you were to draw one on yourself, it would sap you of your strength immediately. These are of the best use when you are setting a trap, or wanting to conceal something.” Zenith finally stood and arched backwards, stretching his stomach.”

  “What about offense?” Kosai asked.

  Zenith looked around and walked into the woods. There were two loud snaps, and then he returned with two sticks. He gave them to Kosai, placing one in each hand.

  “At this point, there isn’t much I can teach you that would be of any worth to you. Even something as simple as incapacitating force, like the ones the boys used when they tried to kill you, would take everything, if not most, out of you. Instead, light these sticks.”

  Kosai closed his eyes, held both sticks with his left hand, and placed his right on Zenith’s shoulder. The Faye pulsed through his body like a churning river. Each vein in his body seemed to vibrate with new blood. He removed his hand from Zenith’s shoulder and placed it above the sticks. He thought back to his training with Mearto, imagining the sensations of fire, burning, smoke, heat, and tender skin. He imagined the orange, red and blue colors of a flickering flame. He imagined this fire brewing inside of him, burning brighter until it became a white hot essence. With his mind, he pushed this essence out of his body, through his arm, and onto the two sticks. They smoldered for a moment and then burst into flame like a struck sulfur match. When he heard the wood popping, he opened his eyes and held a stick in each hand. Kosai breathed heavily.

  “Good,” Zenith said. “See how exhausted you feel?” Kosai nodded. “The fire that you have created is not the same fire I could create by a sulfur match, or flint and steel. Your fire is of the Faye, and knowing this, you can control it however you wish.

  “In the Barracks, you were taught that any weapon was an extension of your body and you had to learn to control that weapon as you would a hand or finger or leg. This is the same principle. As long as you stay mentally connected to this fire, it cannot harm you no matter where it goes or what you do with it.”

  “How do I attack with it?” Kosai asked.

  “The same way you punch someone, the same way you walk, the same way you do anything.”

  Kosai looked at each flame burning on his two sticks. The fire was halfway down the two sticks. He could still feel the fire burning within him and as he thought of making the fire grow, the flames on the sticks grew and burned faster. He thought about dimming the fire, and the flame lessened.

  “Now pull the flame onto your hands,” Zenith said. “Remember, it cannot hurt you.”

  Kosai looked at both flames that came closer and closer to his hand. He felt for the connection to the flame, and like a child clumsily putting on a pair of gloves, the fire crawled and ebbed onto his fingers, inched up the back of his hand and halfway up his forearms. Once the fire stilled and left the sticks, Kosai dropped them in the sand and looked at his arms. There was a soothing warmness that covered his body, though it wasn’t from the fire.

  He closed his eyes and focused on the feeling. It was like a warm jet of air being blown into the center of his chest. The feeling suddenly split into and flowed into each arm.

  “That is the meaning of being a conduit,” Zenith said. “That flow of constant energy will grow as you practice and will allow you to defeat the Dark One. Until then, use what you have learned here and combine it with the fighting arts you have learned from the Guard and you should be able to hold your own against the Seer… I hope.”

  [][][]

  Someone placed a hand on his shoulder and he woke from his meditation. He looked down at his arms, expecting to find the flame but there was nothing. Mearto stood at his side with a calm, but concerned look.

  “We need to talk.” She removed her hand and walked east on the perimeter of the Oasis. Kosai was silent and kept pace with Mearto, waiting for her to speak.

  “I was called into a meeting while I was in the middle of your next lesson plan. I don’t know why he would do this,” she whispered. “It’s never been done in the entire history of this school. I have no idea what he is thinking, or even how it was approved. There was some dissension and definite division but the ruling still stands.”

  “What are you talking about?” Kosai whispered back.

  “Head Teacher Daius has chosen you to be his next Assistant.”

  “But the next assistant is supposed to be one of the teachers.”

  “Yes it is. I was against it, as were the Teachers who were in favor with your arrival. The Seer, Xidan and Isaac were for it.”

  “I suppose the Seer and the Head Teacher want me as close to them as possible before the uprising. Are you still going to be teaching me?” Kosai asked.

  “No. Today will be the last day that you and I have together as pupil and mentor. I want you to get some lunch, and then meet me in the arena. You have a half hour.”

  “Yes ma’am,” Kosai said militaristically though he didn’t salute.

  Kosai ran ahead to the West Stair and cautiously skipped stairs by two on his way down. He walked briskly towards the mess hall, but stopped and looked at the Teachers’ offices. He tapped his pocket again, making sure that the key was still there. The Book was tucked away in his shirt as well. He would only need to be in the room for a moment. He listened and waited to see if anyone would pass by. Comfortable that he would be undisturbed, he quietly walked to Theo’s office, put in the key, turned the knob, walked in and closed the door behind him.

  Papers were everywhere. Stacks were strung on his desk, on the floor, in his chair and some were nailed to the door. There were two simple wooden stools in front of the desk with a high backed, velvet padded, dark wood chair behind. The office was much like Mearto’s in structure, but not at all in décor. Papers and more papers filled the bookshelf that was behind the chair. For a moment, the room reminded him of the syndicate office, with their papers strewn about with quills and oil wells, but as he stepped towards the bookshelf, he noticed a system.

  Each paper was dated and each shelf represented a month. Papers on the bottom were earliest in the month while those closer to the top were later. Kosai quickly counted the shelves and cases. All in all, there were thirty-five shelves, holding almost three years of information, not including the other papers in the desk and elsewhere.

  Quickly and cautiously, he opened the book that wrote itself to the sixth page, licked his thumb, and pressed it into the book. Words quickly appeared.

  I have everything, the book wrote, understanding Kosai’s intent. Kosai closed the book, tucked into his shirt and crouched next to the door, listening again for anyone walking in the hall. Hearing nothing, he exited the office and locked the door behind him.

  Lunch consisted of sliced pears in a honey and garlic dipping sauce with two boiled eggs on the side. Kosai inhaled the meal, wincing slightly at the garlic taste and then rushed back to his bunk. He wagered he had twenty minutes or so to find out what he could about Theo and those that sided with him. He opened again to the sixth page.

  I can tell we are short on time. I can also tell what you are searching for. Still, remember your first lesson…

  “Patience,” Kosai said. He calmed himself by breathing steady streams of air. The words from Theo’s journal began to appear.

  If you are reading this, there are two things that are for certain. One: I have been cursed as N
ameless by the Head Teacher. He and the Seer have betrayed me. Isaac and Xidan probably helped me out of the room. Two: the uprising of the people against the government is about to occur. I, and my former companions, worked hard under the direction of Jaiken, as ordered by the Council, to destroy the syndicate as much as possible. Their cooperation in the matter, knowing that the Council is trying to start an uprising, could not be trusted. Without proof of the contract, they had nothing. The Three Brothers were foolish to have but one contract made and it played to our favor.

  The plan was the Seer’s to begin with. When people are fed, they are content, he claimed. It was up to us to ensure that it stayed that way. The people needed to trust us, needed to believe that we are on their side. Commerce was destined to fail. The only money that flows into this city is tuition. The craftsman and graduates of the various schools leave to other cities. There is no revenue to be taxed. Beyond education, there is no money here. Noiknaer has no resources like Linnouse. No point of trade like Port Rasmú, no thriving business like Anteperil.

  Part of the blame is with the Three Brothers. They have too much power over the people, over the trade, and horde away their excess so they can charge higher prices. I have seen their grain stores and reported my findings to the Seer. Once the Syndicate is destroyed, those stores will be ours to distribute to the people. But our strike against them had to wait until the opportune moment.

  We have been listening to the people. We know they are preparing a revolt to raid against the capital and tear down the oppressors. The fire in the Tangle and at the syndicate school was just the right size of chaos to start the revolt. After the Guard suppresses the people, the Council will open the grain stores that belonged to the syndicate. The people will appreciate our great efforts. This should incentivize craftsman and artists to stay, as we would be feeding them, and people would have to come to Noiknaer for their fine wares. It would be the rebirth of a great city again.

  I was expecting my own betrayal and set a plan in motion so that, even though I would have no memory of this school, my revenge would still take effect. Chances are that you, the one reading this, are Kosai, Wolf of the Capital Barracks. I purposely left a key on my desk and left momentarily, expecting Shàn or one of his friends to take it. I knew that if the Teachers betrayed me, I would become Nameless and I would have no direction to aid you.

  Daius, Viktor, Xidan and Isaac are all with the Seer in the betrayal of the caravan routes to the nomads, though I am unsure why. They have worked closely with the Council in their dealings and betrayal, but all my due diligence has led me to this. Let Emalee, Jacqueline, Wysen, Faeris, Chaerell, and Alkine know what you now know and let them help you exact my revenge. Lastly, know that Mearto will stand against you in the end, no matter what she has told you. Train hard and destroy the Seer.

  Kosai shut the book and tucked it away in his shirt. The Head Teacher and the Seer were against him, as he suspected, but it bothered him that Theo would accuse Mearto of betrayal in the end.

  “Only if I fail,” Kosai whispered. Mearto was his mentor. Though Kosai suspected her in the beginning, he knew now that she protected him during those long hours in her office. She watched out for him, taught him, and even healed him after his first encounter with the Dark One. She aided Kosai and the Captain to discover the betrayer of the routes, and together, they were able to make a case against the Council. Kosai promised himself that he would kill the Seer and free her from whatever hold he had on her, it would be the least he could do in return for her work and effort.

  CHAPTER 22

  Mearto was already in the arena when Kosai arrived. She was barefoot, wearing a white shirt and brown trousers. Kosai looked down at his own uniform, concerned that he forgot to change.

  “Was I supposed to wear some sparring clothes?” he asked.

  “No, you will need all the protection that uniform can provide.”

  “I thought you would have understood by now,” he said as he took off his shirt and tossed it into a nearby chair in the viewing area, “I learn best by jumping in with both feet.”

  “You will wear your uniform when the time comes.” Kosai nodded. “Good. First, make a connection with the Faye.”

  Kosai closed his eyes and was on the beach again. Zenith was standing on the beach looking out into the storm. It was much closer since the last time he meditated. He walked up to Zenith and placed his hand on his shoulder. He opened his eyes, feeling the small stream of power flowing into his body.

  “Good,” Mearto said. “Now let that feeling grow, focus on it until you can feel that channel not just in your chest, but every part of your body.”

  Kosai closed his eyes again and focused on the small stream of power that was flowing into his body. To him, the source felt like a small pinprick close to his heart. He focused on the opening and it expanded. More and more of the Faye flowed through his body. As he concentrated, the opening grew until he felt his skin tingle slightly. His mind was empty of thought. His vision blurred, but Mearto’s appearance was clear to him. His breathing was calm, his body relaxed, and with each heartbeat he could feel the Faye filling him with power.

  “Very good,” Mearto said. “This is how it feels to be a conduit. Each time you commune with the Faye, this feeling will grow and at the same time, become less intense as you become use to the Faye flowing in you. The power that you feel inside you will obey you and manifest in any way you will it to. Remember, strong will, strong manifestation. I will begin attacking you. I want you to take the Faye within you and will up a wall to defend my attacks.”

  Kosai nodded. Mearto attacked.

  She threw her hands forward. Two lightning bolts shot out. Kosai dove out of the way, dragging his feet in the dirt. Mearto took advantage of the opportunity and shot at him again. Kosai somersaulted backwards and then towards Mearto. She shot again. Kosai breathed and cast his hands in front of him, thinking and willing up a wall. The lightning bolt struck the invisible wall and spread like a spider web. Kosai began to circle Mearto, fending off her bolts with his newly learned defense.

  “I’m impressed,” she said. Kosai continued to circle her. “Now I want you to deflect my attack, and create one of your own. It is the same way with the wall. Only this time, you need to focus on a type of attack. I focus on lightning.” She shot out another bolt, Kosai spun out of the way and towards her. She shot another and Kosai created another wall. “It is easy for me to picture in my mind.”

  Kosai thought back to his training on the beach and seeing his arms engulfed in flames. He thought of those same feelings and pushed the Faye into his hands. His knuckles ignited and the fire spread over his fists and forearms.

  “I’ve been practicing,” he said. He fell into a left-forward fighting stance, left foot forward, arms and hands at eye level, bent at a ninety degree angle, as if he were training at the Barracks again.

  “I’m very impressed,” Mearto said, shooting another bolt. Kosai dodged left, turning away from Mearto. He slid his feet in the dirt, almost dancing as he circled her a second time. “Now take that fire and direct it at me.”

  “I thought you would never ask,” Kosai said. The words from Zenith echoed in his mind. The same way you punch somebody. Kosai concentrated on the fire and struck out at Mearto in a closed fist. A fire ball launched from his fist and went straight for her left leg. She moved back and to her right. Kosai did this again, shooting at her legs, moving her with his fire and blocking her bolts with his walls.

  “Come on Kosai! Hit me!” she yelled. Kosai continued to strike at her legs, moving her left, right, back, left again, and turning her with his fire. They moved like two dance partners who stood across the room from each other. Kosai stopped moving, lowered his hands and smiled. Mearto struck at him with another bolt. The bolt stopped an inch from his face and spread around him like a cocoon, but did no harm. She launched at him again and again but Kosai stood unaffected. She stopped and looked down at the ground, bac
k tracking all of her steps and saw what Kosai had done. Guiding her with his attacks, and carefully dodging hers, he created a large Circle of Power that defended him from her attacks.

  “You have been practicing,” she said. Kosai dug his foot deep into the ground and dragged it across one of the lines, breaking the Circle.

  “They are useful, but fickle. Let’s get back to training.”

  Each minute that passed became more intense than the last. More than once, Kosai’s barrier broke and the lightning zapped his arms and legs, locking the muscles in place. When a bolt struck at his chest, he fell over and clutched at his heart. Mearto ran over and placed her hand on his chest, healing the wounds. After a half hour, Kosai was exhausted. He held up his hands in defeat and leaned against the wall, close to where his shirt was.

  “You have lasted much longer than I anticipated. Let’s break for fifteen minutes and then start again.” Kosai agreed and wiped the sweat from his face and chest with his shirt.

  “Tomorrow is the day,” Kosai said. “Daius, Viktor, Xidan and Isaac are all with the Seer in the betrayal. That leaves Alkine, Chaerell, Faeris, Emalee, Jacqueline and Wysen either on our side or unaware. I was thinking that tomorrow morning we could have a special training session with them, both to prepare and to let them into our confidence.”

  “How were you able to figure who’s with who?” Kosai reached into his pocket and pulled out the key to Theo’s office.

  “A group of boys wanted to get even,” Kosai smiled and twirled the key in his hand. “And Theo was expecting his own betrayal from the Seer.” He slid the key back into his pocket. “Tell me one thing. It was obvious to the Captain and me that what the Seer and you said was a lie. What really happened?”

  “The Seer actually told him what to do and how to do it. I, because of my… situation with the Seer, had to support him. I wasn’t proud of what I did and had I called the Seer out, I probably wouldn’t be teaching you, and you and your Captain would probably be dead. It is extremely fortunate that you were able to compile a list of potential allies. You and I will not be able to defeat the Seer and those with him on our own.”