by Clark Bolton
Sterncast was silent for a moment then he turned to stare at Autbek as he considered how to reply. “I don’t think the Lord Councilor, will agree to that. Can’t we find a larger room or perhaps move in some better furnishings for him?”
“There are no larger rooms in this wing, also protocol demands that a lord be housed separately from the gentry and the common folk.” Roystance answered, putting particular accent on the word “common,” as if to put Sterncast in his place.
A somewhat controlled argument ensued between members of the staff and between Sterncast and the staff. Eventually Sterncast asked for time to consult his master and so excused himself and walked off, obviously in a huff.
Autbek found himself unescorted and so took the opportunity to browse about the place which had rooms filled with the familiar items of the “craft” and with some he had not seen before. Scrolls and books in particular he found himself attracted to and so began opening some at random while trying not to attract attention. However, he did not find one of note before Sterncast returned with a summons for him and some of the others to attend the Mage-Councilor.
The Mage-Councilor’s office was not far and soon Autbek found himself in a very large room that reminded him of his uncle Geotry’s office, the squire of Runeholden. The place had fine carpets, tapestries, even several plush couches as well as a massive writing table behind which the mage stood as people were ushered in. Tenric had his own scribe who immediately began conferring with the other scribe in hushed tones as Roystance bowed low to the mage and waited for permission to speak.
“Our quarters are not satisfactory are they?” Tenric ask in an impatient tone. He was mainly eyeing Roystance but also looked to Autbek.
“Ah, no Lord Councilor, that is to say they don’t befit his rank and protocol demands he reside in one of the lords wings.” Roystance answered keeping his eyes down. “We can of course find him quarters that are near this wing my lord, but not here.”
The mage took a deep breath and then turned to Autbek. “Are the quarters not to your liking … My LORD?” He gave great emphasis on the “lord” part.
“No my lord, they are quite fine. I can be comfortable there while I stay in the palace.” Autbek tried to convey the sense that it was a short stay he was planning and not to actually reside in the palace for any length of time.
“Hmm, I sense the gravity of the situation has not dawned upon you yet young LORD. The Earl requires your service which will be service through this office. The sooner you accept that the sooner we can dispense with this ‘lord’ thing and get you settled in my service.” The mage sat down in his chair and began to fiddle with one of his writing quills as he continued. “You have a lot of talent and some considerable training I’m told.” He glanced at Sterncast as he spoke. “As such you will be entering my service as an apprentice … and as such your title is of no consequence while you serve this office.” Leaning forward and staring intently at Autbek he concluded with a “Is that clear!”
Shivers ran up Autbek’s spine at the intense focus from the mage. He suddenly had the desire to pee and very much wished not to be here. “Yes my lord,” he responded feeling he had no choice but to say yes even if he did not mean it.
“Now, I think we can all live with the lord’s decision to stay in the quarters we have provided, can’t we?” He stated as if it was a matter of fact now.
Roystance inhaled deeply and stood to his full height as he formed his response. “Please your Lord Councilor, understand that I cannot comply as it would be directly against the policy set down by his lordship the Earl.”
The man got no further as a strong breeze shot through the room causing loose parchments to fly about and some of the candles in the chandeliers to extinguish. The effect was stunning upon Roystance and some of the other palace staff in the room. Roystance shut his eyes tightly and began to tremble noticeably.
Autbek squinted as air rushed by his face for a couple of seconds and then when it stopped he looked around to catch Sterncast with a most satisfied smile on his face. Looking to the Lord Councilor he saw a deadly stare focused on Roystance. Wondering now if it was Sterncast or the Mage-Councilor himself who had caused the whirlwind, he decided it was the Councilor.
“Please!” Roystance whispered as he continued to quake. All the other staff had their heads bowed and were staring at the floor.
All were silent now except for the little whines and snorts coming from Roystance as Tenric stared at him for nearly a minute longer, seemingly contemplating what to do next. As he finally relaxed in his chair he relented with an exhale. “Very well … get him something close that he can crawl off to after his chores but leave his current quarters ready as he will likely soon need them.”
With that he dismissed them causing a rush for the door by the staff. Roystance opened his eyes for the first time and required assistance from the scribes to find the exit. Autbek followed the crowd hoping Tenric was done with him. However, he did not get far before Sterncast caught up to him.
“Hold on, our master requires your presence. Now wait here until he calls for you.” Sterncast was in an obvious jovial mood as he sat Autbek down in a chair outside the Councilor's office. He clearly enjoyed the staff’s fright.
Some time passed before the Councilor opened his office door and signaled for Autbek to enter. Returning to his chair Tenric instructed Autbek to sit and then politely smiled at him while he settled into a chair.
“Shall we dispense with titles now?” He asked as he gestured openly with his hands. “They would be awkward between you and me I think.
“Yes Lord Councilor, that would be fine. I never use my title nor does my family. It’s only here in Astrum that it comes up and so I would-”
“Well that’s settled then.” the mage interrupted. “For today use what protocol demands for addressing me, after your oath is sworn you will address me appropriately as master. That way all remains clear and indeed traditional, after all apprenticeships are perhaps the most ancient of traditions.”
Autbek was taken aback by the directness for a moment. “Yes, Lord Councilor.” Again he found himself waffling between elation at the thought of openly working magic as was done here and between his duties to his family. Maybe he could stay for a short time, a few weeks, or a month or two but not more than that. He was going to suggest it just as soon as he found the right moment.
“Good, now Sterncast tells me you are fluent in arcane-script and have been since a very young age. Is that correct?”
“Um, yes it is sir. I’ve studied it for crafting purposes.” He forced himself to stop talking at that point feeling once again he was going to give away tightly kept family secrets.
“Crafting then? Please go on I’m most curious to hear of your training.”
Squirming in his chair for moment Autbek thought he best not say more. “I can’t sir, my family does not allow it … I mean it would be untrue to them to discuss it.”
Tenric met his reply with a tight smile. “You need not give secrets at this point Autbek, I only asked for an accounting of your skills and how you obtained them.”
Looking for a pleasant way out and seeing none Autbek replied, “I am sorry my lord, but I really can’t. My father and my uncle the squire have forbidden me from discussing anything to do with my family’s business. Please understand I have no choice.”
After several more unsuccessful attempts at getting the information Tenric tried another more technical line of questioning. “You can cast minor spells.”
Autbek didn’t think this was a question. He could feel the blood rising to his face again as he frantically searched his mind for an acceptable answer.
“Come now, you think I have not noticed your face? You are the only one of four who managed to get the dye off their skin to date.”
It was pretty much inevitable now Autbek figured, as the mage was no idiot. “Yes, sir.”
“Ah, cantrips then?” Tenric asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes, sir.”
“There are other spells, beyond cantrips that is … that you can perform?” The mage waited for a reply but got none. “I see. Why don’t you retire to your quarters and we will pick up on this subject in days to come.”
Relieved at being dismissed Autbek found Sterncast waiting outside the Councilor’s office and so asked if he could be shown to his new quarters as the Councilor suggested. He was turned over to a member of the serving staff who proceeded to lead him through a maze of corridors and across a large courtyard to where he was reunited with Roystance.The man was not happy to see him but was happy to send him on his way to be led by a maid to his new quarters.
The suite turned out to be quite nice; it had a furnished waiting room and a single bedroom with a large soft bed. The maid indicated they would set a meal in the waiting room for him, and he found that most inviting since his stomach was now growling. He was also exhausted and hoped he could keep his eyes open long enough to eat.
Chapter 3
The next morning Autbek awakened early and a bit surprised that he had slept so well. The remains of the meal the evening before were gone from the waiting room and apparently it was still too early for the servants to have brought breakfast, though he was not sure they would bring it anyway. He found himself sitting on a chair staring at the floor and wondering what he should do first this morning.
He needed to find Berdtom he figured, his friend would have answers and there was so much he wanted to tell him. Thinking about it though he wondered if he should return to the Mage-Councilor’s offices where he could surely find Sterncast. The fellow might be able to tell him if he had any obligations at the moment though perhaps it was best not to shake that tree yet. His family would have to be consulted first before he knew what it was it should do.
Stepping out into the corridor he politely ask a passing servant where he might get something to eat and so found himself promptly escorted to the nearest dining room. It turned out the palace had five of them. There he was seated at a long table and introduced to several other palace visitors who also had come to eat. He kept mostly silent though and nobody spoke to him much which was fine as far as he was concerned as he had a lot to think about.
Halfway through his breakfast he was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Berdtom who, accompanied by a friend of his, had been seeking him out. “Greetings, Autbek! I want you to meet my good friend Valice; he has kindly agreed to assist us in determining what needs to be done to extract you from the grip of the Mage-Councilor.”
Autbek greeted him politely but before getting to much more than a hello, Berdtom insisted that they find a more private place to talk. Autbek suggested his sitting room, which seemed to go over well with Berdtom, so they found their way quickly to his suite.
Closing the door behind them Berdtom pulled up a chair and proceeded to inform Autbek of things. “Now feel free to speak in front of Valice here, he is an old acquaintance and we’ve done many a business deals with your family together. He has graciously come with me at short notice and I would have no one else assist with palace politics.”
“I see, well then is there something we can do so I can leave. I really do wish to attend the Summer Festival.” The phrase came out easy and he really did want to see the festival but just walking away from all the Mage-Councilor had to offer was very much weighing on him.
Both men smiled at him. “Well now we’ll see what can be accomplished their young lord.” Valice began. The man was not young but looked quite fit and extraordinarily well dressed and exuded confidence as he spoke. “It is clear for now that you are to maintain constant contact with the Lord Councilor's office, so wandering off to the festival is not wise without at least a nod from the Councilor.”
Berdtom frowned as he added. “Yes it’s clear you are to remain in the palace for now, but we have some good news there as we’ve secured a private audience with the Earl we think.” He glanced at Valice for support who simply nodded. “I had to pull in all my favors with some very influential people here to get it done O’t, so you must tread carefully. We don’t want to upset his lordship and bring disfavor on the Runeholdens while on the other hand we don’t want your family to have to overreact when they get word of what the Mage-Councilor has planned for you.”
Thinking for movement Autbek asked, “What does the Mage-Councilor really want with me?”
“His plans are extensive, Autbek. He truly wants to establish a school here and attract the best and most talented students. And right now you’re student number one.”
“He never mentioned a school that I recall.”
Valice cut in at this point. “You’ve had an audience with the Councilor then?”
Autbek proceeded to fill in the two men as best as he could recall the events of yesterday that occurred after he was separated from Berdtom. He smiled as he portrayed the events involving the palace staff and the Mage-Councilor though he could tell by the end of his tale that the two men had not found it so humorous. If they were mages they would have laughed he thought.
“Wow, quite a day, O’t.” Berdtom commented. “I hope now you realize what the blue dye was all about or did they not mention that?”
“No, they did not. They did of course provide help in getting it off my skin, so I think they were familiar with it.”
“They were indeed, for you have them to blame for it my boy. They control the bird or the blue-bird as the townsfolk call it.” Berdtom crossed his arms as he related what he knew. “Apparently this bird targets only young people with mage talent or so it’s suspected.” He turned to Valice for support who nodded deeply in response.
“They did that! I should have figured that out.”
“Yep, and you're not the first, there are at least three young women who suffered the same fate.”
Valice added what he knew. “Yes, they think to recruit only the capable rather than simply those who have the momentary means or have influence to gain entrance to this new academy. It’s a massive endeavor on the Earl’s part as well as the Mage-Councilor. In fact it’s the Councilor’s primary reason for his presence here in Astrum.” Valice stood and began to pace the room as he spoke. “Lord Tenric has taken on a monumental task and so requires a monumental mentor.”
Berdtom added, “Yes, it seems only the Earl can afford such aspirations as Tenric has and that’s why we must get our audience with him. Don’t fear though Autbek, the Runeholden name runs deep in the business community here and favors have come due that will not be denied.”
With the end of the conversation Berdtom and Valice escorted Autbek to a far corner of the place where he was to be kept in secret at least for the rest of the day or until Valice received word of an audience with the Earl. Valice had many contacts and friends it seemed within the palace and was greeted by name often as they traversed the halls to the offices of one of his friends. There Berdtom and Autbek waited until Early afternoon when Valice returned with the good news. The Earl would see them in his private office.
Both Autbek and Berdtom had to endure a rush of servants who were let in to prepare them for the audience. After a quick brush up, shave and various clothing adjustments Valice declared them ready and so they were shown to the Earl’s office.
The massive waiting room seemed overkill to Autbek who was under the assumption that this was supposed to be for rare private meetings. Trying to admire the furnishings and the bustle of the staff about them was he hoped keeping his mind off the audience. The attempt worked a little for him as he tried best to remember what Berdtom and Valice had coached him on. It sounded anyway like he was not to say much but rather let them do the talking. Funny how that never seemed to work, he reminded himself.
When the double doors leading from the waiting room to the Earl’s office finally opened and a scribe formally announced their presence Autbek’s heart raced as Berdtom quickly laid a hand on his back and forcefully moved him through the doors.
“Your lordshi
p.” Valice said to the Earl as he bowed deeply.
“Master Valice, always a pleasure.” An older man replied who was sitting sharply in a small chair beside a large table that contained a number of documents laid out upon it. Estok Rizzorclat Astrum, The Earl of Astrum, a semi-autonomous Earldom in the kingdom of Bene Aimont, was a man of middle height and thin build who looked every bit the part. He carried an air of authority easily about him and had eyes that pierced the men before him.
“May I present Autbek Lairestor Runeholden, the fourth squire of Runeholden.” Motioning Autbek forward Valice stepped to the side.
“An honor your lordship.” Autbek said as he gave his best bow.
“Greetings, young sir, I don’t believe we met before have we?”
Wondering if the Earl would have remembered even if they had met Autbek replied. “No my lord, I don’t think we have.”
Smiling a little with thin lips the Earl continued. “Now, do tell me why you are so intent on resisting the Mage-Councilor's advances and why this office should be concerned about it.” Raising his eyebrows the Earl looked down his nose at Autbek. “It’s not every day that the barons of the docks expend favors upon me.”
He was not sure who the barons were that he referred to nor how to respond but he figured Berdtom did. Fortunately Valice just then decided to introduce him.
“If we may your lordship, my colleague, master Berdtom and I would like to clarify this delicate issue.” He motioned Berdtom forward who seemed quite at ease alongside Valice.
“Your lordship.” Berdtom said as he bowed in perfect form.
The Earl quickly jumped in to control the conversation. “Delicate issue, really what’s so delicate. The Councilor is acting on my directives in a manner consistent with his warrants and the fact that this young man is of noble birth has no barring that I see.”
Hoping to get recognized and thus have permission to speak Berdtom slowly spread his hands apart. The gesture worked and so the Earl turned his attention to him.