The Changeling

by Whiskey Flowers

  “Go to the pit,” the red haired growled. “Just because you walk around with your nose planted firmly in their ass doesn’t mean the rest of us will.”

  “Do you care to back those words up?” the smaller brown haired boy said, sticking out his chest.

  “Just go away Bill,” another boy directed. This one looked almost petite. He had a short blond haircut. “They are just first years and you have been practicing ever since you found out you have magic. I bet you wouldn’t face him in a straight up fist fight.”

  “Why would I face a dumb peasant using brute force?” Bill said. “He started it and if he knows what is good for him, he will shut up and mind his business, just like you should Thurman.”

  “Who do you think you are talking to?” the blond boy named Thurman demanded as he squared up with Bill. “I am not one of these first years. I know more than enough magic to put you in your place.”

  “I am talking to you,” Bill said. “Don’t you forget I rule this place.”

  “You are just lucky, bootlicker, that your mother was a whore who serviced one of your master’s friends,” the red haired boy said. “I was told all about you. Sure you have been studying magic. But that doesn’t make you any better than any of us. They still see you as an idiot commoner no matter how you deny it. The idea of you ruling this place or any of us is ridiculous.”

  “I am marrying a noble,” Bill replied. “And my mother did what she had to for our family to get ahead in this kingdom. If you idiots would just learn and accept your place, you could leave here with more money than you have ever seen. And if you say another word to me Thurman then maybe I will not let you benefit from my connections.”

  “What connections are you talking about fancy pants?” the red haired boy asked.

  “My name is Bill Angus, not fancy pants,” Bill groused. “It is a shame that they stuck all of you with me to train.”

  “Well I want to know what you are talking about as well,” Jonathan said. “This is the first time I have been around other mages before.”

  “When did you get in?” Thurman asked. “All of the new commoner mages were to meet in Vashing so I could show you the way here.”

  “My parents know the way and brought me” Jonathan said.

  “Well of course this is your first time being around other mages,” Bill said. “How would a commoner even meet a mage? Among everyone in this room I am the most knowledgeable.”

  “He is a servant with his nose in the air,” the red haired boy said. “I don’t need whatever you have.”

  “Shut up Red,” Thurman said. “Bill is a perfect ass but he has things we need.”

  “Things like what?” Jonathan asked.

  “Bill knows a lot of nobles. His family works on a noble’s estate as servants. Once it was found out that Bill had magic, his master made plans for him. Bill is going to marry a noble girl that he has known for a long time, his master’s daughter. The girl does not have any magic so his master pulled out all the stops and not only approved of the relationship but had him trained by any mage that was willing.”

  “Must you tell my entire life story to any commoner you come across?” Bill asked. “But yes, I know plenty of nobles and if you wish to meet them as well, you will shut up and respect me as your better.”

  “I was told we were going to meet nobles anyway,” Jonathan said.

  “You are going to meet noble mages,” Bill said. “Why scrape at the bottom of the barrel when you could get a richer woman who has no magic.”

  “What happens if you can't have a mage child?” Jonathan asked.

  “I have a one in five chance for that,” Bill said. “Females have a four in five chance of bearing a mage if they marry a mundane. But that doesn’t matter now does it? You can walk around like the rest of these fools or you can learn your place and live around the noble mages.”

  “I ain't no bootlicker” Red said. “Once I get good in my magic, I will show you and the rest.”

  “No you won’t,” Bill said. “I am the only one in this room who knows exactly how I got my gift, other than Thurman. I would trounce you easily.”

  “You come from mages?” Red asked Thurman. “You never said that.”

  “My mother doesn’t have magic but her father, my grandfather, does,” Thurman said. “My father also doesn’t have any magic but my grandmother does. My father is her only child with no magic. When they married, I was born with gift. It manifested later though, so I did not get the same training Bill has had.”

  “You should all be listening to me, whether or not you can beat me,” Bill said. “The noble mages hate everyone in this room, me included. You will never be able to compete with them. And you will never be accepted by them. They will go out of their way to make your life harder. You can forget trying to vie for any of the young ladies' attention as well. The best you can do is smile and follow my lead.”

  “You mean become a bootlicker?” Red asked. “I bet with a little training I could take em.”

  “No you can’t,” Thurman said. “Everyone in this room has little magic compared to them. No matter how hard you try you wouldn't have a prayer. I have sparred a lot of them. Although I have won a few, for the most part I lose. As much as I hate to say it, Bill is better trained than I am. And he loses more matches than he wins as well. We cannot compete with them.”

  “Best thing to do is take any insult thrown at you and ignore it,” Bill replied. “If you are lucky, you will meet one of my beloved’s friends and you will practically never have to deal with anyone here again. Well unless you get lucky enough to get a job teaching here. Even with the pay raise I do not think it would be worth it.”

  “I don’t want to fight any mage,” said a skittish thin boy with a face full of freckles. “They can roast you alive. They say I am a mage, but I ain't never did no magic.”

  “Stop being a coward Edgar,” Red said. “I have never done magic either. But that is what we are here to learn.”

  “I still don’t want to fight anyone,” Edgar said. “I was cutting purses just last month. I was about to get my hand cut off until they found out I had magic. I don’t want any trouble. I just want to enjoy not being a street rat anymore.”

  “You should all listen to this one,” Bill said. “Know your place among the nobles. If you spot any coattails you can ride, then do so. You will end up with more opportunity to further yourself. If not, then at least you will make your time here easier. Listening to Thurman will get you punished, beaten up and sent to the front lines whenever Downey decides to attack. There is a rumor they have men who ride dragons.”

  “Dragons?” Jonathan asked. “They are real?”

  “Of course they are real,” Bill said. “My master does business with Raelin and their citizens have claimed to have seen one.”

  “I heard the Raelinians are evil,” Red said. “They commune with the dead.”

  “They are called Blood Priests. And their magic is no more vile than they believe ours to be,” Bill said.

  “I don’t want any trouble but I am not backing down from any nobles,” Jonathan said.

  “You should let your work and study habits speak for you. Be seen and not heard,” Bill said. “All of you lowborn idiots can do things your own way. I will be gone from here in a year and the lot of you will be wishing I had introduced you to some of my connections.”

  Jonathan watched everyone get settled in. He was happy they had almost twice the number of beds than they needed. He thought about what he had heard. Most of the people in the room did not know how to access their magic at all. They probably didn’t even know they were mages until recently. Finding a mage was easy using mage-sight, it was a spell that allowed a mage to see magical energy in a person or object. Most commoner mages did not come into their power until after the age of ten compared to one or two years of age for most nobles. As a consequence, nobles were brought up learning how to focus on their magical well and how to tap into it. They could take
that power and use their mind to shape the magic the way they wanted it. Jonathan didn’t remember a time when he could not tap into his magic. He used it almost every day doing simple things like making mage light or floating something over towards him. Bill, despite being a suck up and a knobber, began giving a little class on how to access their magic and what to do around nobles. The rest of the day was spent with Bill and Thurman snapping at each other about how to carry yourself around the nobles in order to not embarrass yourself.

  The next day was the first day of class. Johnathan could see that in addition to the ten commoner male mages, there were four female commoners as well. He thought there had to be at least thirty noble male mages and a slightly smaller number of female noble mages. Bill had said that both classes were unusually big. He said that including him and Thurman, there were only nine other second and third years in the tower.

  Jonathan formed up with the other commoners and sat in the rear of the great hall assembly. The noble student mages ignored them. Instructors regarded them with a look that was a combination between a sneer and pity. The meeting informed everyone about the new school year and what to expect. Jonathan picked up a few things about the personnel who would be studying with him and got caught up in the excitement of beginning his first year of mage education.

  Prince Xalen, the Crown Prince of Kirby was attending the school. The next Duke of Golad, Russell, would also be attending along with his sister Farrah. The way people constantly fawned over them Jonathan thought not only were they a big deal in the kingdom but they also had to be great mages. Jonathan looked at Bill and could tell he was impressed by the Prince and the Golads. Jonathan had second thoughts about trying to stick out here. Making an enemy of the boy who would be King and a future Duke was something that was best avoided. After all of the staff was introduced, Jonathan officially heard how the school year was going to begin. A simple written test would be given to everyone. It would consist of five questions and was to determine if the student could read. Pass that test then it was on to the magelight test.

  Magelight was a simple spell and not very power intensive. If someone could cast it, that meant they were already in touch with their magic. After that they would be given tests that assessed how much power they had and how many spells they could control. From there the students would be put into classes that had increasing levels of difficulty.

  “The man speaking is the Tower Mage,” Thurman said. “His name is Quevin Wilson. He is believed to be the second most powerful mage in Kirby after the Archmage, his brother Kevin. He is going to hate you on sight, so try to stay out of his way. If a noble gives you problems, even if they were acting a complete knobber he will blame it on you. Do not even think of complaining. He can literally cause you any amount of grief. He hates all commoners except for servants. He has said many times that all commoners belong at the feet of noble mages and should be grateful to be there in payment for being well protected.”

  “He can sod off,” Red said. “He don’t look like anyone special to me.”

  “Well he is,” Thurman corrected. “You first years should learn all you can about reading and don’t try to cheat. A lot of people who come through here don’t know how to read and it is a good skill to have. That and the magelight class is going to be the only class you will have where everyone will be a commoner. Reading will take most of you three to four months to at least be somewhat passable at. Don’t worry about the magelight. I will help you out at night. And I am sure once Bill stops bowing and scraping he will join in and help as well. Just get learning to read out of the way as soon as possible. It is the biggest issue most commoners have.”

  “I know how to read,” Jonathan said. “I don’t mind helping anyone that doesn’t. My family has a little money and made sure I knew the skill.”

  “Well that means nothing here,” Bill said. “Me and Thurman have to get to our studies. Follow the female mage in the brown robe to where your written test is going to be.”

  “Mage Lisa is one of the nicest mages here,” Thurman said. “She will treat you with some dignity while you are all learning to read.”

  Jonathan watched the second years go and stood alongside of others in his group. They lined up behind the nobles, whom Jonathan could hear remarking on the commoners by saying they stunk and other such insults. Jonathan ignored them even as they got louder. It seemed to him that they were trying to outdo each other by saying a nastier insult each time. Jonathan was happy the room they were led to only sat twenty people. The rest had to wait in the hallway while the twenty completed their test. Fortunately, the test seemed like it was completed in a few heartbeats. The future King and Duke were in the first group. Both remarked and laughed with each other at the thought of anyone failing the reading test. Jonathan felt this was pretty rude.

  The next group were all nobles just like the first. Their test finished just as quickly. The last group was a mixture but the majority were commoners. The nobles were as rude as Jonathan had ever heard anyone be. They openly discussed whether commoners had sex with sheep and other such vulgarities.

  The written test was simple. The first question was to write your name on a line. The second question was to put a line through your name and the third question was to draw a circle around it. The fourth question dealt with drawing a crude dog and the final question was to bring the test up to the instructor while holding the paper aloft in a fully raised left hand. Only two commoner mages made it out of the test other than Jonathan. Both of them were females. The mostly noble group that had passed was then taken next door where they were made to stand in a line. Jonathan looked up and observed Farrah Golad was standing in front of him.

  “That is a shame, only three commoners out of that whole lot back there could read Monica,” Farrah Golad said to another girl, which caused them both to laugh.

  “Well what do you expect, most of them look like they haven’t met a good comb or brush before” Monica replied.

  “Well at least they are not all pathetic,” a feminine looking man said, joining the conversation. “Three of them have made it this far. Of course they will all die at their first battle so they shouldn’t get a big head about it.”

  “Leave them alone Gerald,” Farrah said laughing. “They have made it this far. At least let them bask in their achievement before this next test brings them down to reality.”

  “Casting magelight is easy,” Monica said and looked right at Jonathan. “Don’t you wish you could do this?” Monica cast magelight and let it play in her hand.

  “Me?” Jonathan asked.

  “Monica you are scaring him,” Farrah said laughing. “Just look at the expression on his face, he probably has never seen real magic before.”

  “Pity,” Monica said. “So who are you? Some peasant that found out you have magic and got lucky.”

  “He is not poor,” Farrah said, as she looked down at Jonathan’s hands. “And he doesn’t work out in the fields or with his hands. We have plenty of hard working men in the Duchy and they all have rough looking hands.”

  “Look how skinny he is,” Monica said. “Maybe he is a messenger or something. Is that it?”

  “No,” Jonathan said.

  “He has a country accent,” Farrah said. “What job did you have prior to coming here?”

  “None really,” Jonathan said.

  “Well you had to do something to eat,” Farrah said.

  “I helped my grandfather with his horses sometimes,” Jonathan said.

  “So that’s it,” Farrah said. “Your parents are servants or something and your grandfather is a stablemaster for someone. Probably someone wealthy and he was able to get someone to teach you to read.”

  “My grandfather isn’t a stablemaster,” Jonathan clarified. “He has a couple of stablemasters, but he owns the business.”

  “Your grandfather has a bit of money,” Monica said. “No wonder you can read. For a commoner I guess you have been blessed twice.”

&nbs
p; “Stop flirting with that person,” Russell Golad said, as he walked over.

  Jonathan looked up at the big noble who gave him a sneer. Jonathan was considered tall for a man, but this noble was something else altogether. Jonathan had heard the people close to the mountain were tall. Russell’s sister Farrah was almost Jonathan’s height. Russell though, had him by a head and looked to be at least twice Jonathan’s weight. Russell was blond and had the beginnings of a beard coming through. Jonathan didn’t believe himself to be a coward, but this noble was definitely one person he didn’t want to get into a fight with.

  “We are not flirting,” Monica said. “You have nothing you have to worry about Russell. We were just wondering how this commoner learned to read.”

  “Does it really matter?” Russell said. “He is a commoner mage and probably thinks he is someone special.”

  “His family has a little bit of money,” Farrah said. “They raise horses.”

  “So what,” Russell said. “Shoveling shit is nothing to be proud of. Why don’t the both of you leave this boy alone.”

  “Who are you calling a boy?” Jonathan said finding his voice. “You can’t be that much older than I am.”

  “Watch who you are talking to” Russell said as he pushed Jonathan down. Jonathan looked up at him in surprise. Jonathan had never been shoved like that before and knew this noble could break him in half if he wanted to. He backed away and climbed to his feet. If he was going to lose a fight he wasn’t going to lose it curled up into a ball.

  “Russell leave him alone,” Monica said playfully. “He is just a commoner and you are probably going to be the King’s next champion or his Archmage.”

  “I hate it when commoners think they are something special and always cry about things,” Russell said. “Commoner mages are the biggest crying cowards in the kingdom. They're always crying about what is happening to them or what someone owes them.”

  “I don’t want any trouble with you,” Jonathan said, looking at the huge blond. If this man had magic as powerful as he was physically there would be no way Jonathan could compete with him. And this person was going to be a Duke. Even without magic he could crush someone like Jonathan without any trouble.