Dark Wolf's Awakening

by Ryan Evans

  The colonel made direct eye contact, demanding that I focus on him alone. “Sergeant Iglias, I question your intelligence with that attempt to test the young man,” he said while still looking me in the eye.

  “Valian and I are going to have a talk. We’ll be in the officers’ barracks if I’m needed,” he said, not breaking eye contact. The colonel’s knowledge of my name didn’t escape my notice.

  “Yes sir, I’ll inform the others.” I heard from behind and below the Colonel, but the colonel blocked my sight of the kneeling man.

  “Come, we have much to discuss,” Colonel Karsam said calmly as he gestured with a hand to where I knew one of the arena exits to be. It was on the side away from the activities, and meant avoiding most everyone. I found myself calmer and nodded as I waited for him to lead the way.

  A part of me refused to show my back to someone that may be a potential threat. After a tense couple of seconds, he broke eye contact and walked to the exit. His nonchalant attitude kept my focus from returning to Sergeant Iglias. I followed the colonel without saying a word.

  We stayed silent as we exited the arena and headed towards the officers’ barracks. My confusion of what had just happened clouded my mind, and I made a point to try to ignore everything around me. It seemed impossible. My brain was on overdrive, noticing movements, sounds and scents; It catalogued every possible threat; and thought of effective strategies to neutralize them. The last thing I needed was to lose control again by being caught off-guard.

  Colonel Karsam didn’t speak as we walked. He seemed to understand some part of the puzzle that I didn’t. Even though I wanted answers, I didn’t want to be the first to break the silence. I followed him silently through the academy grounds towards an area I’d only ever seen at a distance.

  The officers’ barracks building was larger than the trainee barracks buildings. It stood next to the administration building, so unless we were in trouble for something serious, we never came near it. Visits by officers rarely occurred, and only small numbers arrived at the same time, so a single building was more than enough for their needs at the battle academy.

  We’d run all over the grounds many times over the years, so I’d seen the building at a distance. We just were never allowed near it. It stood out as an imposing building despite its simple appearance just from the knowledge of who stayed there. Up close, it was even more intimidating.

  As we got closer, it got harder to appreciate the building as I noticed the attention we received. I spotted several roving patrols that didn’t belong to the training staff. These were regular house troops, not the training sergeants I saw regularly. Most appeared to be near my age, but I could see older sergeants mix in with them as well.

  Approaching the main entrance, two guards flanked the double doors. While they remained professional and didn’t openly look my way, I still caught side glances out of the corners of their eyes as they opened the elaborately carved doors for the colonel and myself. Their glances didn’t help me stay calm, and only the details of the inner hallway distracted me from my anger.

  As we stepped into the building, I first noticed a cool breeze blowing gently through the hallway. I then realized that it wasn’t dark even though I couldn’t see any torches on the walls. Elaborate, sloping beams decorated the twelve-foot ceiling, and long horizontal windows ran along the wall’s upper most edge.

  With the warm spring weather, the windows allowed a cool breeze to work its way through the building. The windows were narrow enough and high enough to prevent any intruders from using them, but on a sunny day like today, they allowed light and air to enter freely. There appeared to be a cover on the ceiling that blocked the windows when needed.

  The hallway stretched most of the length of the building and led to a T branch. At the intersection, an elaborate set of double doors stood closed. Along the hallway we walked, closed doors occupied both sides. Large tapestries hung in the spaces between the doors, sporting the Silvanti crest and colors.

  “This building is rather simple, but I like its design. The entrance we came through is the only way into the building. The doors we’ve passed are rooms assigned to our guards. To get to an officer, one has to pass their entire security detail,” he said with mirth in his voice

  “Down either branch of the hall are suites for visiting officers and their attendants. Last but not least, the large double doors at the intersection open to the common room,” he finished explaining.

  The colonel had seemed to read my thoughts and answered my curiosity. At least he’d broken the silence. Besides, I reasoned that if he’d been bringing me somewhere to punish me, he wouldn’t be explaining my surroundings. “Yes sir,” was all I could think to say back to him.

  Just before we got to the double doors leading to the lounge, a stranger stepped in front of us. His fine clothes with the Silvanti crest marked him as a servant, but most interesting was the fact he was an elf. He was taller than me with graceful features and a wiry yet strong build. His controlled and graceful movements alerted me to his skill as a fighter.

  The elf standing before us had the Soltaran slave symbol of two chain links tattooed on his neck with the broken spear above it, marking him as a slave captured in battle. The two links signified first the dominance of the empire and second the dominance of the owner. The appearance of an elven battle slave surprised me; elves were fierce fighters, and their warriors rarely let themselves be taken prisoner. Most of the time they chose instead to fight to the death when cornered.

  The elven slaves that were most often taken were noncombatants from sacked villages or raids. Slaves taken in such a manner lacked the broken spear above their slave mark. All of this was second hand knowledge since, being on the eastern border of the empire, any elves were a rarity. The elven homeland occupied the empire’s western border, so few of their kind made it this far east.

  “Milord, I didn’t expect you to be back so soon. Is everything all right?” The elf asked in a polite, crystal clear voice. I caught his glance my way at the last part.

  “Yes Lathian, everything is fine. Young Valian and I just needed to have a chat in private to verify a suspicion I have. Would you be so kind as to see if you can find us some sort of roast or other cut of meat and bring it to us?” Colonel Karsam said casually.

  Lathian gave a slight bow, opened one of the double doors for us and then waited for us to pass him. I noticed that he kept his head down until we both passed, then closed the door behind us. I heard his light footsteps right after and assumed he left to fulfill the colonel’s request.

  The room we entered was huge and appeared to fill many roles. On one side, a dining table with sixteen chairs filled the space. A large, multi-tiered silver candle holder stood as the center piece.

  On the other side of the room, various cushioned leather chairs, a bar and several small tables created separate lounging areas. Gaming tables with chess boards set up on them dotted the space, while couches with short, side tables formed independent spaces to sit and talk. Several large bookshelves filled with a large selection of books stood against the wall, completing the scene of wealth and privilege.

  We had studied from several books during our training, but they ordered us to be careful with them as books represented a luxury item among beast-kind. It took time and energy for a scribe to produce a book, and we weren’t the types to sit around and copy old tomes for hours on end. Most scribe positions belonged to slaves captured from other races, such as elves or humans, who already had an education and a talent for writing. Stories said the emperor kept an entire room full of scribe slaves working at all times for his personal libraries.

  Colonel Karsam led us over to one of the sitting areas and indicated for me to take a seat as he started to fix three drinks at a nearby bar. I waited, without saying a word, as he fixed the drinks. I was curious where this was going. A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts.

  “Come in,” the colonel said and the elf named Lathian entered carryin
g a platter of meats, cheeses and bread slices he placed on a table in front of me.

  “I was fortunate in that the cooks have decided to always have something available for the Umbras’ demanding natures.” The elf said with levity in his voice.

  The colonel laughed at Lathian’s comment. “They are easily offended aren’t they,” he said as much to himself as to Lathian.

  “Lathian, this is Valian. He’s been a trainee here at our military academy these last six years. He has been a touch more volatile than usual since this morning’s formation.” Colonel Karsam said without taking his eyes off of the drinks he was making.

  Lathian picked up on something I was missing with the last part of the statement. He straitened his back and gave a courtly bow. “It is an honor to meet you young Valian. As you already know my name, I’ll introduce myself as Colonel Karsam’s chief servant and aide.”

  I didn’t know how I was supposed to act in such a situation. I returned his greeting with a bow of my own after standing from my chair, trying to mimic his as best as possible. As a trainee, I’d been taught to show respect to my betters, but commoners spoke plainly to one another. As a slave, Lathian was technically beneath me in station, though his bearing didn’t show it. In that moment I decided to show as much respect to Lathian as he’d shown me.

  “It is an honor to meet you, Lathian,” I said as I finished my bow. He smiled at my response.

  “I already like him more than the other young ones,” Lathian said to the colonel who chuckled then grunted in the affirmative as I took my seat.

  “Let none of the others hear you say that or we’ll both be in trouble,” Colonel Karsam said. At his words, Lathian looked at me and shrugged.

  They had a relationship beyond the normal owner-slave dynamic. The few slaves I’d seen before coming to the battle academy had been hostile or subservient and broken. These two appeared to be friends.

  “You’re wondering about the way we act towards each other,” Lathian said, able to read the question on my face. “While I am a slave, I owe Karsam a life debt so it works out rather well,” he said as he sat down in one of the chairs across from me.

  The colonel, finished making the drinks, brought them to us. As he took a seat next to Lathian, he handed a drink to both of us and kept one for himself. “While it’s an interesting story to be sure, we’re not here to talk about that right now. Valian, that’s an interesting name for a commoner, and rare for the east. It’s more common in the central and western regions of the empire. What made your parents choose it?”

  The question and abrupt changing of gears in the conversation disturbed me. I was immediately on edge. I didn’t want to discuss my family or past experiences. Before the academy, my name, situation, and slightly different appearance had been a source of taunting from the other young beast-kind in the orphanage and surrounding neighborhood.

  Those that ran the orphanage weren’t warm people, and though they kept me and others like me from starving, they had done little in the way of emotional support. They’d made it clear we’d either make it into a battle academy or join the imperial army, but we’d be on our own after we turned fifteen either way.

  My life was flawed before the academy, but it kept me from living on the streets as a beggar. I took a sip of my drink to calm my nerves and nearly choked on the fire that ran down my throat and into my stomach. I’d had watered ale before, but it hadn’t prepared me for this beverage. Colonel Karsam’s grinned, but he said nothing to derail my answer to his question.

  “I don’t know who either of my biological parents were, sir,” I said looking down at my hands and the slight tremble they had in them. “The story that the orphanage operators told me was that my mother came into the city when she was close to delivering me. She was a beautiful woman, but looked to have had a rough journey. She’d shown up at the orphanage already in labor. They pitied her and agreed to allow her to stay until she could travel again. During her stay, she refused to tell anyone her name or my father’s identity. The only thing she’d share was that she was from the capital city of Soltar. She gave me my name at my birth, but never stopped bleeding and passed a day later. No one ever came looking for her or me, and the orphanage raised me until my fifteenth birthday.”

  Telling my story out loud caused a knot to form in my chest at the base of my throat, but it also comforted me on some level to share it. Warm tears at the corners of my eyes threatened to slide down my cheeks as I finished my story. We sat in silence for a moment as I collected myself before I took another drink of fire in a glass. It brought a steadiness to my trembling hands and didn’t burn as bad as it had on the first sip.

  “Sir, do you mind telling me what this is about? I apologize for my behavior. I’m not sure what happened,” I asked, waiting to be yelled at for questioning a noble and superior officer. When I looked up though, he didn’t seem upset.

  “Valian, you’re not being reprimanded,” Colonel Karsam assured me as he took bread and meat from the center tray. “In fact, what has been going on today, while not common, is easy to explain. It happens from time to time across the empire at various battle academies. I can say this is the first time it has happened here though.”

  Lathian seemed to be amused by Colonel Karsam’s explanation and let out a chuckle. I looked back and forth between the two of them. They were clearly in on the same joke. I hadn’t gotten it yet.

  The colonel coughed and cut his eyes at Lathian before continuing. “As you know, most nobles only ever marry other nobles. Part of this is because of their station, but the other side of it is that two noble parents guarantees that their children will also be nobles. Children from a noble and commoner are usually just ordinary commoners. Maybe one in five hundred offspring from a mixed pair inherit the strength of the noble’s bloodline,” he explained.

  “Where a child has inherited power from a noble bloodline but isn’t raised in a noble household, their power doesn’t fully awaken until they come into proximity of other nobles. The things you’re experiencing today are because of our decision to come and see the graduation activities. What I’m saying is that you’re nobility, Valian.”

  Chapter 3

  His words had a weight to them that slammed into me harder than a training sword in the sparring ring. I sat there thinking about what he’d just said. How could this be? Who were my parents? From which noble house did I descend? All these questions rolled around in my head.

  “What does this mean for me, sir?” I asked, uttering the only words that stood out in my scattered thoughts. My voice came out as little more than a whisper. My shock silenced even my inner beast.

  “First, it means you can just call me Karsam outside of public or official business,” Karsam said amicably. I nodded at his words as I noticed the smirk on Lathian’s face.

  Instead of looking surprised or interested, the elf just sat there eating a sandwich made from the tray he’d brought in, content to watch the show. At my obvious loss of what to say, Lathian motioned for me to take the food before me. I did as he prompted me, making a sandwich and biting into it mechanically. Karsam’s words still replayed themselves in my head. I ate my food as Karsam continued explaining what my future held.

  “Each house’s battle academy does things a bit differently in such situations, but all act along the same lines. Here in Silvanti House, you may opt to join our ranks as any landless or orphan noble would. We’ve trained you these last six years and know you aren’t a spy or rival house’s agent. Your station within the house would be as low as it gets among the nobility, but you’ll have the opportunity to lead troops and advance in rank and standing. You’ll also be paid per month and potentially be awarded land or city holdings for your service. Besides our offer, you may also opt to be released from Silvanti House and search for another noble house to join. An unknown landless noble is looked at with suspicion, and you may find it hard to find a house that will take you. Whether you serve us or another house is really the only
choice for one such as yourself. Those of common blood will recognize your aura, but without belonging to a house, you’ll be an outcast among your peers in the empire. So, now is your time to choose. Will you join us?”

  I thought about everything Karsam had just told me. For every piece of information he gave me, three more questions seemed to pop into my head. While I processed what I’d been told, I finished my sandwich and washed it down with more of the liquid fire. It went down much smoother than it had before, and the flavor was much more complex on my tongue.

  “Sir, apologies; Karsam, I’d be honored to stay among Silvanti House, but I have several questions,” I said, trying to hide the tremble in my voice. Karsam seemed to expect this and gestured for me to continue speaking. “First, is there any chance of ever figuring out the identities of my parents or my bloodline?” I asked.

  He didn’t immediately answer me. “Valian, based on the story of your birth, it would be almost impossible to know for sure unless someone came looking for you. The only criteria they’d have to search with would be your mother’s description, and that wouldn’t mean much twenty-one years later. That her beauty was memorable would even make it harder to find out. She might have been a noble suppressing her aura or a commoner a noble fancied. Either way, I doubt we’ll ever know. I can tell you by scent and instinct you aren’t from the Silvanti bloodline. You also needn’t worry about accidentally marrying a relative. Our instincts make it so we find no attraction in those whose blood is too close to our own line.”

  Part of me was saddened by the news I would never find out about my parents, but another part felt relief that I didn’t have to worry about it. I nodded and asked my next question, “As a landless member of the Silvanti House, what is the highest rank I can attain?”