The Changeling

by Whiskey Flowers

  “What do you mean he wants me?” Jonathan asked.

  “You know what I mean Thunder,” Bill said. “I told you all to bow and scrape but you refused. You and Red both refused and me and Edgar have had to pay for it. Now get up while we go over our plan.”

  “What plan?” Jonathan asked.

  “Gerald ain't nothing special,” Thurman said. “I thought it would be me fighting him next so me and Bill have been talking about what works against him and what doesn't work. Gerald is worried about his face, we can use that.”

  “I think I am stronger than Gerald is,” Jonathan said, letting a little of his secret get out. “I have more raw aura than he does, I have been holding back a little.”

  “Now is not the time to lie Thunder,” Thurman said. “I am trying to help you out.”

  “I am not lying,” Jonathan said as his anger started getting to him. “Maybe this fight with Gerald is exactly what I need. What is your plan?”

  “Don't talk that way,” Red said. “He is better than you think and he doesn't play fair.”

  Jonathan could see the fear in Red’s face, along with the scars all around his neck. Gerald had been going for Red’s manhood to see if he could burn it off when Jonathan finally ignored Thurman and ended the duel. The thought made Jonathan angrier as he put on his robes. Jonathan looked outside and could see it was dark and wondered if Gerald was nervous. If he wasn't, then he should be.

  “What is your plan?” Jonathan asked.

  “He always starts with either fire or his mage bolt,” Bill said. “You need a shield and to get close to him. Any magic you toss at him should be aimed for his face. Gerald has good wind magic and can hold someone in place. You saw what he did to Red while he slowly burned him.”

  “Your first move should be with a shield,” Thurman said. “Make a big shield and run towards him. If you can get a spell off make sure to aim it at his face. Gerald almost went insane when Bill caught him and was ready to end the duel despite Bill being almost out of magic.”

  “If you run out of magic you better do anything except stand around” Bill said. “Gerald is smaller than you are, if you have to use this.” Bill finished as he handed Jonathan a weapon.

  “Is that the mace from our testing?” Jonathan asked in shock. He held the heavy weapon and wondered how the boy that helped with the initial testing swung it around. As Jonathan looked closer he thought it was the exact same weapon, how Bill got it was unknown.

  “Mage Erlanger acts as if he is ignorant of our situation but is a friend,” Bill said. “Gerald did not survive the shield hits. If you find yourself close to him then you may be able to use this.”

  Jonathan nodded and left along with every other commoner in his dormitory. Jonathan was the greatest among them and they all knew it. They were excited to have Jonathan face Gerald. Jonathan didn't have to win but they all wanted him to at least put on a good showing. He stepped into the clearing and saw that all of the noble mage students were there as well, normally it was only a handful. But even the second year nobles hated Jonathan for not knowing his place and for daring to be born with more talent than they possessed, he was tired of it. He was tired of hearing them tell each other every five minutes of how Red smelled when he wet himself fighting Gerald. He was tired of hearing how Edgar begged Gerald to spare him, along with reenactments of the whole thing. Tonight that would all change.

  “I am amazed you showed up for this commoner,” Xalen said. “It is about time you were put in your place.”

  “I am going to take you apart slowly Thunder,” Gerald teased. “You have tried to overstep your place in life. Many of the girls here think you are something special. Your height cannot save you from my magic. While you were trying to flaunt your little power, I have been out here sparring with the instructors and anyone else I can. You will find this a very hard lesson. I will leave you with a permanent smile like that other idiot. I am going to make sure no one has to worry about you running off with some commoner either. You interrupted my fun with the red haired one. I am going to finish the job with you. You will have no children.”

  Jonathan’s shield popped in place as he ran forward. Gerald was surprised at the move. He was a second or two slower than he normally was at casting. A powerful mage bolt slammed against Jonathan’s shield causing Jonathan to smile. Gerald was good at fighting, no one could argue that. Gerald though was not good at using pure aura and always used more than he intended to. The spell was strong but Jonathan’s shield held. Jonathan thought his ability with the shield was probably the most underappreciated part of his magic.

  Another mage bolt slammed into his shield followed quickly by fire, Jonathan was right on top of Gerald when he pulled out the mace and swung it hard at Gerald’s thigh. The hit was solid and Gerald went down, Jonathan dropped his shield and mace immediately and followed the smaller mage down. Jonathan threw the hardest punch he could and caught Morningstar right in the mouth. The mage continued to cry out in pain from the mace hit which had clearly broken his knee. Gerald’s teeth hurt Jonathan’s fist but Jonathan knew he couldn’t let up on him. He hadn’t really punched anyone before and didn’t have any technique to his blow, but he just punched as fast as he could and as hard as he could aiming for the eyes, nose and mouth. Jonathan could hear screaming behind him but ignored it and hoped the pain he was causing would scramble Gerald just enough so that he could not get off a spell.

  Something hit Jonathan hard from the side and tossed him off Gerald. Jonathan landed and flicked his shield in place in the direction of the spell and jumped right back on Gerald like nothing happened. Gerald ate five more punches before someone was able to break through Jonathan’s shield as send him flying again. Jonathan righted himself while he was in the air. He flew up until he was twenty feet off the ground. He was about to fly back towards Morningstar when he saw Russell had a cast magelight and was hovering in the air in front of him.

  “Stand down commoner,” Russell growled. “Or don’t and see what will happen.”

  “I am in the middle of a mage duel, get out of my way,” Jonathan screamed.

  “You already beat him,” Russell snarled. “You just wanted to embarrass him in front of all these commoners. You have no honor.”

  “Gerald never called the match,” Jonathan said confused.

  “Because he was unconscious and you continued pounding on him,” Russell said angrily.

  “Well fuck him,” Jonathan screamed. “That piece of shit tortured Red and cut Terriel from ear to ear. Get out of my way so I can pound his face in some more.”

  “Why don’t you go through me commoner?” Russell asked.

  “Are you his protector now?” Jonathan replied angrily. “Tomorrow I am going to challenge him again! Except this time I am going to cut him from ear to ear or roast his male parts. There won’t be anything you could do about that but watch.”

  “You watch yourself Thunder,” Russell demanded loudly.

  “You all walk around here like we aren’t apart of the same kingdom,” Jonathan growled. “Other than you, your sister and Monica Manchin, none of the mages here impress me. I want that little love tap I gave Gerald to stay with him for all time.”

  “I can challenge you and beat your ass right here commoner,” Russell yelled as he flew within two inches of Jonathan.

  “And once I lose that fight I will start challenging every noble mage here,” Jonathan replied. “I would win and do so brutally. Tell your people to leave mine alone and I will leave Morningstar alone. Or go ahead and try to be a big man. I’ll smash the pit out of one noble mage a night until I either graduate or they all go home crying in fear. I wonder how it would look if I challenged the future king of Kirby to a duel and he backed away.”

  Jonathan smiled as Russell put out the mage light and flew back down. Jonathan’s heart beat rapidly. He could see a lot of mage lights surrounding Gerald. The mage students were no doubt pumping him full of healing magic. Now that the thrill of battle
started wearing off, flashes of it came back to Jonathan. His first punch had busted something in Gerald’s mouth and caused him to bleed. His second and third punches caught Morningstar flush in the face and had opened up Gerald’s nose. Gerald had to be a mess down there. Jonathan did not feel sorry for him at all. Jonathan should have challenged Gerald right after he fought with Red. That could have saved many of his friends from pain and humiliation. He landed among the commoners who were already walking back to their room. Jonathan fell in step with them and didn’t say anything until they were inside with the door closed.

  “Did you see that tosser’s face?” Red asked, excitedly. “It looked like a bunch of chopped meat after Thunder got through with him. He couldn’t even cry out a surrender. Thunder kept punching him in his stupid face over and over again.”

  “I was worried about him, but not anymore,” Thurman said. “A good shield and I have to get close. I don’t have a lot of power but I thought defense was the way to go.”

  “We should all up our training,” Terriel said. Jonathan could tell it still hurt the boy to talk, despite all the healing Jonathan had tried to give him. Healing magic was difficult to do and casting it took someone with good aura control and the ability to manipulate multiple spells.

  “You need some more healing?” Jonathan asked.

  “You just gave me all the healing I need” Terriel replied. “I just need to practice in case I ever find myself in a fight again. This horrible scar will teach me to never rest until I have reached my limit.”

  “I am going to train harder as well,” Edgar said. “I can't wait to get away from this place.”

  The night passed by easily. Bill stayed silent for the most part but everyone else was so excited it was hard for anyone to get to sleep. The next day Jonathan was still sleepy as he went into the tower. To Jonathan’s surprise the Tower Mage, whom he had rarely seen, was shaking with anger as he stood alongside of Prince Xalen and Russell Golad.

  “Get to my office, now!” the Tower Mage growled in a low, sneering voice.

  Jonathan had not dealt with Quevin Wilson before. Quevin was widely considered to be the second best mage in Kirby. Most of the students thought he could beat the current King’s Champion in a fight if it were ever to happen. Jonathan was sure the man heard about his fight with Gerald. He was also sure the man knew what happened to Red, Terriel and Edgar and ignored it as a 'teaching moment'. Well Gerald Morningstar had gotten his own 'teaching moment' and Jonathan hoped he would remember it for all time. Jonathan floated through the stairway with the rest until they reached the top floor. The Tower Mage had his office and residence on this floor where students were normally not allowed.

  “I should kick you out of here and throw you in the dungeon for what you did,” Quevin said angrily. “You attacked and tried to kill a student here.”

  “It was a teaching moment,” Jonathan said meeting his gaze. “Gerald Morningstar has done much worse to people here and no one cared.”

  “Shut up when I am talking!” Quevin yelled. “You have no honor commoner. I should let Lord Golad take you apart.”

  “And when he is finished, I will take apart every other mage here,” Jonathan replied. “Gerald Morningstar is a fool. I enjoyed bashing that idiot’s face in. He mewed like baby pig as I crushed him. When things happened to the commoners, you couldn’t be bothered. Why now are you ready to fight?”

  “Commoner you will stay silent in my presence,” Xalen said.

  “Or you will do what, Your Highness?” Jonathan asked. “You are here as a student. You are not here as the Prince. You stood by and let one of your subjects get mistreated and now you want special treatment for yourself.”

  “Who are you talking to like that?” Xalen yelled as he got into Jonathan’s face.

  “I am talking to you like that,” Jonathan replied. “I know the rules of this school. Unless you plan on meeting me out in the dueling area, get out of my face.”

  “I will take that challenge,” Russell said as he stuck out one of his big arms to move Xalen out of the way.

  “I am not challenging you though,” Jonathan said. “And I would refuse to fight you. I am not worried about the rest of the sheep you hang out with. Only your sister and Monica can best me and let’s face it, Farrah wants another kind of battle with me. The kind that takes place in the sheets!”

  Jonathan wasn’t sure who or what hit him. One minute he was staring down Russell Golad and the next minute he woke up alone on the floor with a big knot on the side of his head. Jonathan used his healing magic to get rid of the worst of it. He was still dizzy afterwards and knew he had to rest and wait for the effects to go away. It was mid afternoon Jonathan thought as he finally looked out of the window. Whoever knocked him out gave him time to catch up on his sleep so he was grateful in a way. Jonathan decided whatever class that was happening could go on without him, he needed to lay down. Jonathan laid down in his bed and was there for a few hours before the rest of them started pouring in.

  “Jonathan Thunder, lesser men wish they had the set of stones you do!” Red asserted as he sat down on Jonathan’s bed.

  “Thunder please tell me that you did not threaten a man who is arguably the strongest mage in Kirby,” Bill demanded.

  “What do you mean threaten?” Jonathan asked as he continued to wake up.

  “Did you tell Russell Golad that you were going to bed his sister?” Bill asked.

  “Well I didn’t say it like that,” Jonathan said, as he looked around and saw everyone around him wanted to hear the story.

  “I heard you threatened the Crown Prince, the future Duke and the Tower Mage himself before Russell knocked the shit out of you,” Red laughed.

  “Thunder you have to stay out of their way. You are making things just that much more difficult,” Bill said. “We are seen, not heard. What are you going to do when we get to Vashing? Many mages normally make the trek to see us show off our power. We are going to do the exact same tests we did for our assessment into the Tower. There are going to be plenty of people there scheming to make matches. Only mages or those from mage families are invited to watch. You will all be expected to be on your best behavior and to agree to almost any match put before you. If you would have listened to me, the people there would have thought you were much too meek to become a husband and would have left you alone. The real fun comes back at the inn where we all will be in the slums. Despite what I say to the nobles, my beloved will be in the area, along with some other influential people.”

  “Are all of them nobles?” Jonathan asked.

  “Most of them are,” Bill replied. “Have you been paying attention to how everyone in this room has been treated? Call me a kiss ass, a bootlicker or whatever you want. Is this the life you want your children to go through? Trust me when I say that among the noble mages, not all of them have parents who are both mages. My children will be noble. I am even going to change my family name since I have my mother’s.”

  “She never named the father?” Thurman asked. “Why didn’t you just take his family name. Things could have been easier for you.”

  “She refused to name him,” Bill said. “To you it may seem like she was just some loose servant girl, but my mother had a plan. If this mage was going around and didn’t care who he was sticking it to why should my mother ruin his fun? The way we both see it is that a great service was done. My mother never had to work again once it was found that I had magic and she was not against me being with her employer’s daughter. In fact she astutely saw it as an excellent match. Mages typically do not sleep around like other nobles. Just being here you have seen that is true. My future father in law plans to adopt me as well. Hardly anyone will know that I was a commoner. And my children, if they are found to be gifted, will never know this horrid existence. I bow and scrape so my children will never have to. If you idiots ever thought about the big picture instead of the here and now you would be on the same path. You can still be on that path and have a lot o
f money without being looked down upon. I just need a few more months and then I am out of here permanently. I plan on getting married immediately after graduation. But you go ahead and do things your way. See how far it gets you.”

  “Minnie has been giving me eyes though,” Jonathan said.

  “Do not trust her,” Bill said, shaking his head. “It doesn’t matter how strong you are. You can be a hundred times stronger than Lord Golad, at the end of the day, you are just a commoner. She can be with a noble, why would she want to put her future children through this? The nobles have probably been scheming to try to get her and every other female mage around here, despite pretending they are not. There are many older mages who have no wife that would love one of them. You have no chance. And you would be better off finding someone else.”

  “Did you really say you wanted to plow into Farrah Golad?” Thurman asked. “You can’t say things like that and expect any other girl to be okay with it.”

  “I’m not plowing into anyone,” Jonathan said. “I just let my mouth run away from me and got dropped somehow.”

  “That big lout Russell hit you,” Red said.

  CHAPTER 4

  Jonathan thought it would be best if he did not show any affection for or hang around with any of the commoner mages from his room. In the weeks following the fight with Gerald, most of the nobles laughed that he had gotten knocked out by Russell. After Jonathan invited them to try they largely left him alone. Jonathan spent most of his time alone practicing hard on various spells.

  It became obvious to Jonathan and everyone around him that there was a clear divide among mages at the tower when it came to their ability. Russell was far above everyone followed by his sister Farrah. In terms of power they were not close though. Jonathan thought Russell had around twenty-five percent more aura at his disposal. Farrah was above Monica by the same percentage. Farrah had decent magic and in the months they had been there, talk began of her possibly becoming the next Tower Mage or the King’s Champion in a few decades. Jonathan thought he was better than Monica, now that he had seen her full skillset. Jonathan still held back a bit in order to keep some of the potential jealousy off him. Showing off would lead to a duel with either Russell or Farrah and he wanted to avoid that.