by Bill Albert
“You believe in Tebiet, the dwarven god of nature and animals. That is quite remarkable,” Alek said and turned to Anamita. “And good morning to you, too, Anamita. I hope your god is with you today.”
“The gods can keep to themselves,” Anamita said plainly as she looked at her cup and continued eating. She had never spoken about it either way but many at the school believed she was a suntaker and did not believe in the gods.
Gallif took a healthy bite of bread and looked at Luvin. “Staying out of trouble today?”
“Yes,” he smiled and winked as he smothered a piece of bread with strawberry jelly. “Of course, it’s still early.”
As she smiled someone entering the room caught their attention. Pate was a tall man, larger than most people, and carried himself as if he were the most important man in the world. His bearing and overconfidence were so strong that some of the other students who had been in line stepped back to allow him to come through. Despite the early hour and that most students were still dressed in their bed clothes; he already wore full leather armor with a sword by his side. It wasn’t just that he was fully dressed that caught everyone’s attention. The armor had a definite tint of redness about it. Pate knew that they were looking at him and was enjoying every second of it. With a flourish he filled his plates and then sat down at the longest table nearest the kitchen.
Gallif and the rest of the students went back to their meals. She looked at her half-finished meal and was relieved that her back was to Pate. Anamita had been the only one who hadn’t been staring at him.
“That’s magically cast armor,” Gallif whispered in shock. “How did he get that?”
“He gets packages every once in a while,” Luvin said and Gallif and Alek looked at him in shock. No one other than a few staff ever got anything delivered from anywhere.
“I think his family is very rich,” Alek speculated.
Gallif dropped a fork back onto her plate and Luvin nearly coughed on hot tea. Anamita looked up at Alek, then Gallif, then quickly away.
“No one else has anything to do with their families,” Gallif said. “Most don’t even have families,” she whispered quietly.
She started eating again and they soon made small talk about the festival in Atrexia. Since it was Festival Day there were no lessons. Luvin asked again if he could go with Gallif and she told him it would depend on what Finella had to speak to her about.
When Alek asked Anamita if she planned to attend, she just shook her head and looked at her notebook. She was even less sociable to Alek than Gallif.
While taking the last drink of her tea Gallif glanced up the table. Luvin was no longer next to her but had carefully and quietly slid up the table to where Anton was sitting. Anton was eating and talking heartily and looking away from Luvin at the dark-skinned woman, Rosario, who studied medicine and healing, on the other side of him. Gallif carefully but quickly took her empty cup and tapped it against the table.
Luvin looked at her and she signaled for him to come back by looking from him to his plate. He flicked his palm quickly and she saw a flash of the silver necklace that Luvin had shown her before. Her eyes opened wide and she looked hard at him, then again at his plate. He shook his head and slid just a bit closer to Anton.
Gallif concentrated on the rest of her breakfast and ate it quickly hoping things wouldn’t turn ugly this early in the day. She had just swallowed the last eggs when there was a crash from up the table.
Everyone looked to see Pate standing, his sword drawn in one hand and Luvin’s collar held with the other. Several saw what was coming, finished their meals and left. A few ignored the scene and kept eating.
“You rotten little bandit,” Pate cried. “Students don’t steal from students! It’s dishonorable to the school.”
“I... I... wa... was just practicing,” Luvin cried with a stutter.
“Did you give him permission?” Pate asked Anton.
“No,” Anton said sadly. Even if he and Luvin had been friends he wouldn’t have lied to protect him.
The staff started to advance towards the pair but Rayjen held them back and signaled for them to sit down. He alone stood but did not move to intervene.
“What else have you taken?” Pate asked.
“Nothing! Nothing at all,” Luvin said desperately as he looked for help. “I have nothing else,” he said honestly.
“Maybe we should cut you open to find out,” Pate howled and moved the point of his sword to touch Luvin’s chest.
“No,” Gallif shouted. As all eyes turned to her she slowly stood and walked up to join them. Without armor or weapons she was no match for him yet she stood directly between Luvin and Pate and glared at him.
Finella again started to rise but Rayjen waved him back.
“He’s done nothing malicious.”
“Students do not steal from students,” Pate roared in anger. “It’s against the rules and a dishonor to Rayjen.”
“Rayjen’s honor isn’t harmed by Luvin’s actions or he wouldn’t be a student here and we’ve all had to make do with little lifting in our lives. In the land we live in it’s just as important as handling a sword,” Gallif matched his voice. “I’ve done it and I bet you have too. Besides, he wasn’t stealing he was putting it back. I found it on the grounds last evening and he was returning it to Anton at my request.” Pate’s right hand was still on Luvin, but his left guided the sword ever so slightly to Gallif. “He is only guilty of an error in judgment by not openly returning it,” Gallif continued.
“I had money disappear from my room a few days ago,” Pate informed her not stepping down. “Did you take them?” he asked Luvin.
“No,” Luvin said. Though he was being honest there was still more than a little fear in his voice.
“I believe it is within my rights to search him,” Pate said and shook his sword.
Gallif glanced briefly at Pate’s stance to determine the move he, or she, could take first if it went to combat. As with all armor in the land the left arm was kept bare as a mark of respect for the Giant Lords. It was open to attack, but she doubted that she could take advantage of it with his sword also in his left hand. She glanced at the way he had rested his weight on his right leg and caught sight of stretched, almost torn, fabric by his knee. She relaxed and held her ground.
“Yes,” Gallif admitted, “it is. It is also in my rights to stop you.”
“You think you could stop me?”
“Probably not,” she said as she opened her arms wide and exposed herself to him. “I’m still wearing bed clothes and you have a weapon and armor on,” she stressed his apparent advantage over her. “However, if you want a real test, I will take the challenge.”
He looked at her in anger and took a deep breath. “Yes, you will.”
She nodded and Pate slowly sheathed his sword and went back to his meal. As those still in the cafeteria returned to their breakfast Gallif walked out and headed back to her room.
The only person watching her leave was Anamita.
***
Once in her room Gallif cleaned and started to dress in her own leather armor. She slipped into her tight leather trousers carefully. There had been some wear on the left knee over the past few weeks of forest training and she was careful not to damage them any further. They had been treated to make them more flexible and tanned to a lighter brown. She added a dark, hard leather skirt made up of studded straps before a shirt that went up to her neck but left her shoulders and arms bare. She extended her legs and slid them into thick knee-high boots, a small dagger was stashed in the left boot, and was pulling the straps tight when there was a tap at the door.
“Come in, Luvin,” she said without looking up. The door opened slowly and when she looked up she realized she had guessed wrong. Finella entered and smiled to her as she quickly stood up.
“Not exactly your young friend, but I assume I am welcome.”
“Of course, sir, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. You may finish with your
preparations, of course.”
She nodded and sat down to finish the boot. The leather straps and metal buckles were very complicated to tighten properly. She looked at the cloth shoes that Finella was wearing and said, “I mistook the lighter footstep of your shoes as his smaller steps.”
“Yes, easily done,” he said as he closed the door behind him. “Plus, you could assume he was here to thank you for protecting him. It was very polite of you to have taken him into your protection.”
“He’s only fifteen,” she explained. “Still young and sometimes foolish. I was that way when I was his age.”
“No,” Finella disagreed. “You were his age when you arrived here two years ago but, even then, you were more mature than he is now.”
Gallif stood and strapped a sheathed knife to her right thigh. “I had to be,” she said without looking at him.
“Yes,” Finella agreed. “You are also smart enough now to leave.” She ignored the comment and straightened the straps on her boots again. “You opened yourself to Pate even though there was no way you could defeat him in combat,” he agreed.
“He was faking it with his armor,” Gallif told him and Finella nodded with approval. “There were some wear marks by his knee just like mine,” she pointed to the damage. “If it were truly magical armor it would have repaired itself for protection. Whatever kind of casting he has used on it is not combat. Illusion casting, maybe, but not combat.”
“Very good,” Finella patted her on the shoulder. “You didn’t have to fight him because you already defeated him using your mind.”
“Some would say, with Pate, that doesn’t take much.” She smiled for a brief moment then looked at him without expression on her face. “You think I am ready?”
“I know you are.” He approached her and put his hands on her shoulders. “I’ve noticed you in classes these past few weeks. You’ve been getting bored with training because you are so much better. I’ve spoken with Rayjen about this at length and this morning you proved our beliefs. We can’t teach you anymore.”
“I have felt like I was ready,” she admitted. “But sometimes I thought I was just being overly confident.”
Finella gave a hearty laugh and stood back. “You will need to be confident. Dealing with nature and the forest arts requires confidence.”
Gallif went to a small closet and pulled her belt and sheath from a hook inside. She tightened it around her waist and added her short sword before turning back. “When will the final test be?”
“Tomorrow. Rayjen, myself, and some of the others will prepare a few tests in the forest for you.”
“Does anyone else know?”
“No,” he shook his head. “I think you should tell them. You will have to tell Luvin.”
Gallif’s heart sank as she realized that he would be hurt by her departure. She pulled a long leather glove over her right arm and up to her shoulder then adjusted it to make sure the fit was tight before speaking. “I’ll take him to Atrexia today and tell him there in private.”
“Of course,” Finella said and opened the door.
Gallif opened the top drawer on the dresser next to the bed and pulled out a black leather pouch which she hooked to her belt. She then retrieved a red velvet pouch; the one Luvin had tried to steal the night before and slipped under the leather skirt of the armor. She joined Finella at the door.
“Would you like me to bring you something from the festival?”
“Well,” he giggled and patted her on the back. “I do love the little chocolate drops with the strawberries in them.”
She gave a hearty laugh and promised him a box when they left the room and locked the door.
THREE:
SNOW
No matter how many times anyone saw the mountain it was still an inspiring sight. Even sitting five miles south of the mountain its sheer vertical rock face and massive height was something no one ever got used to. Upon seeing it again every morning there was always that moment of pleasure that followed. Like seeing an old friend that you’d known all your life and knew would be there until your last day.
The three main buildings of the school were almost completely alike in construction with each being three stories high. Each of them had doors on the east and west sides but the middle building had doors on all four. This was the main building where common areas like classrooms, training and the cafeteria were held. The east building was the student dorm and the west building was where instructors and staff stayed along with the library and supplies. Directly north of the three buildings was an open area for training and sport and on the opposite side were the barn and four one story buildings used on special occasions. Surrounding the area was a thick growth of trees with only a few gaps to enter or exit the grounds. From inside it seemed like quite a large area, but it was minuscule compared to the mountain just a few miles to the north.
After leaving the main building Gallif looked up and smiled comfortably at the mountain. She was walking across the combat ground to the barn when she heard her name being called. At the far end of the open field a small man wearing a multi-colored robe three sizes too big for him waved her over. He was standing next to someone in full plate metal armor and danced excitedly as she approached.
“I’ve got it! I’ve got it this time,” he proclaimed proudly as he reached out to shake her hands wildly.
“Are you sure?” she asked warily.
“Yes, yes, yes, I have it perfectly,” he cheered. He held up a small ceramic mixing bowl with a glass spoon in it and showed it to her with a flourish. “See this powder? It’s been hanging near the bee’s nest for three weeks now and it’s prime. Want to see it work?”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course! I know the last time we evacuated because of the smell but I’m pretty sure I figured out how that happened.” He went to the armored figure and tapped the metal lightly. “You’ll be the first to see.”
“Well, not the first,” she said as she leaned toward the figure. She brushed away her bright red hair from her face and tried to peek inside. “You okay in there?”
The little man giggled and lifted the faceplate up to show that there was no one inside. She hid her relief upon finding the armor empty and was glad he hadn’t noticed her concern.
Over the shoulder of the armor she saw Rosario and Miki leave the dorm and head for the combat field. They stopped when they saw what was going on and quickly back tracked to the building before the little man saw them. Gallif cursed them under her breath, even though she knew she would have done the same and made a mental note to return the favor sometime in the near future.
“I’ll powder the neck and shoulders first and then you can hack at it with your sword.”
“Um, er,” she blurted as she took a step back. “You want me to use my sword?”
“Yes, yes, yes,” the little man said. He was speaking so fast he almost tripped over the words.
“Well, you know a sword might not give it the full effect or provide enough proof. Traditionally something like, er, that axe could do more damage to armor!”
“Of course, of course, of course! How foolish of me,” he said and picked up the axe and offered it to her. Out of reflex she grabbed the axe and then immediately regretted it. The little man pulled a brush from one of his many pockets and gently started to paint the powder onto the neck and shoulders of the empty armor.
Gallif watched him and admitted that his excitement was contagious. No one had ever been successful at casting on metal armor before, though many had tried. It had long been a common practice to use combat magic on weapons but for unknown reasons the metal armors were resistant. As long as he had been at the school, he had been working on that goal but, so far, achieved only disastrous results. While he was distracted, she very quietly and calmly took a few steps back.
“All right, all right, all right,” the little man said as he stepped away. “Take a swing.”
“Oh, no, no, no,” she declined modestly and han
ded him the axe. “I couldn’t.”
“But I don’t have your strength.”
“Yes, well,” she stumbled. “Still, not only will you be the first person to create cast metal armor but the first person to strike it. You should have the honor.”
He gasped at the thought that she was correct. Like a chef he had made a perfect recipe, and, like a chef, it was only fair that he be the first to taste it. He smiled and took the axe in both hands. Gallif nodded and took a few more short steps back.
The little man took the axe in both hands and made a few practice swings in the air. Gallif took another step and shifted her weight to one side in case she had to run.
With all his strength the little man pulled the axe back and made a mad dash at the armor. He shouted as he made a mighty swing that connected hard on the neck of the mannequin.
There was a flash of light, but no noise, that temporarily blinded Gallif. She blinked several times and cleared her vision to see what the full result of the experiment was. The little man was still there and unchanged. What had been a nicely crafted suit of plate armor wasn’t so nicely crafted anymore. The metal was rippling as the rust swept over it like a sharp wave. To Gallif it appeared to be just a bit smaller.
The little man looked at the axe and watched as the metal of the blade rusted to powder, then shook his head sadly. He would have to pay for replacement armor, but the possible benefits were worth it.
Gallif went up and put an arm around him to cheer him up.
He looked up at her and scratched his chin. “Almost,” he said.
She nodded a few times and walked away as fast as she could.
Inside the barn Gallif went to the storage area and gave her saddle a close inspection. In the week since she had ridden, Marin, the boy who took care of the barn, had replaced one of the older copper buckles on a girth strap with a new steel one. She was impressed at the craftsmanship and tossed a few human coins in a bucket near the door to thank him. The least costly coin was the goblin faced coin and, in multiples of thirteen the coinage went up to human faced coins, to dwarf, and finally giant coins. She didn’t need to pay but she knew he would spend the money to care for more horses. He had also polished the cantle to rid it of a few scratches. The scratches were still visible, but she couldn’t blame him for that. She had polished it herself several times and had finally been forced to accept them as permanent. She liked Marin a great deal. He cared for the saddle almost as much as she did.