Plus Ultimate

by Simon Archer

  “You did more than just that,” Nadeine noted with a huff.

  “I am afraid I must agree with Nadeine, cousin,” Marinka said gingerly.

  “If that is your opinion, so be it,” Godfried said, not looking at her, “but I said what needed to be said.

  “What happened?” I whispered, leaning into Bernsten. I knew everyone else could hear, but I didn’t want to signal that it was appropriate for any of the more heated parties involved to answer.

  “Godfried decided to express his concern with the new training program to the director in a rather combative manner,” Bernsten said, making a laughable attempt at keeping his usually booming voice low.

  “I said what needed to be said,” Godfried repeated.

  Marinka sucked in a breath and tried to make her expression as diplomatic as possible. “It is not what you said, cousin, but rather the way in which you said it.”

  I looked around the table and noticed that Godfried and I were the only ones that were eating, so I reluctantly set down my fork. “What did he say?” I asked Bernsten, still whispering.

  Nadeine answered before her brother had a chance to respond, her voice pure ice. “He accused the director, the most senior and the most respected member of our kingdom’s military, who has dedicated his entire life and livelihood in service of our people and our young friend’s own family, of needlessly endangering the realm and neglecting our own defense.”

  “Yikes,” was all I could manage to say before deciding to pick my fork back up and resume eating. It was my best effort to avoid getting in the middle of the argument as much as possible.

  “I was forceful,” Godfried admitted, “but in my opinion, the situation warrants such language.”

  “It is not only with our actions that we lead, cousin, but with our words,” Marinka reminded him. “The kingdom’s military may be bound to serve you in letter, given your status in our family, but it is with your attitude and your ability to inspire that you will compel them to serve you in spirit as well. And I believe you will find that that is the far more important measure of loyalty.”

  Godfried had no response to this, bowing his head and continuing to eat in silence. However, after several moments, he found his words.

  “I will apologize to him tomorrow,” he said, his tone far softer than his usual bombast.

  “That is good,” Marinka said, “though it is not only him to whom you owe an apology.”

  “I apologize, cousin, for embarrassing you and bringing shame on our family,” Godfried muttered.

  “Not me,” Marinka said, a hint of annoyance in her previously patient tone now. “The entire military. You, a virtual child, denigrated their leader in front of them, and accused them of neglecting our people and our realm.”

  “You are correct, of course,” Godfried relented, still not meeting Marinka’s eyes. “I will make a statement during training tomorrow morning.

  “Good.” Marinka nodded curtly, then looked around the table at the rest of us, “Let that be the end of it, then.” I sighed in relief.

  “How was your morning?” Bernsten asked me to change the subject.

  “Good,” I said, nodding and covering my mouth so I could swallow a large bite of lasagna. “A bunch of the kids was able to use their magic to interact with objects today.”

  “This is excellent news,” Nadeine said, her eyes wide. “They are progressing far more quickly than our records indicate they should.”

  “Yeah, it helps that they’ve been able to learn the music theory behind the spells,” I explained. “I expect they’ll progress even more quickly now.”

  “Perhaps they should be going on this quest if they are so talented,” Godfried muttered, not raising his eyes from his meal.

  “That is absurd,” Marinka gasped as she stared at her cousin. “They are children.”

  “As am I, according to you and your father,” Godfried shot back petulantly.

  After dinner, I pulled Marinka aside as our companions departed the dining hall.

  “Are you okay?” I asked her. “I know Godfried said some things…” But she cut me off,

  placing a soft hand on the crook of my arm.

  “I am fine, Leo,” she said, giving me a small smile. “I am well acquainted with my cousin’s attitude. There is more to him than this, I promise.”

  “I know,” I said, thinking yet again of the pressure that Godfried’s father put on him. “But I just wanted to check on you.”

  “I appreciate your support, Leo, thank you,” she said, and together, arm in arm, we followed our friends out.

  6

  Marinka didn’t have a response to that, and we spent the remainder of our meal in silence before heading back to the training room for the adult session. Siara and Anil, who had eaten lunch with the kids, were there waiting for us, as were the military personnel who my companions had trained with in the morning.

  “Hey everyone, how have you been?” I asked as I waved at my students. There were many familiar faces in the large audience, so large that nearly every mage’s circle in the football-field-sized room would be used, but there were also many new faces, as well as the absence of some students that I had taught previously. The adults, even more so than the children, came and went as their jobs allowed. While most of the students were military personnel, there were also a few bakers, innkeepers, scholars, and blacksmiths from the nearby forges in the audience, here to learn how to use magic to better their crafts.

  My students nodded, bowed their heads, and called out greetings in response.

  “This group has been working on their basic spells in your absence,” Siara explained. “Though, of course, as you can see, we have had some turnover, and everyone is moving at his or her own pace.”

  “We were hoping that you would be able to teach us some combat spells,” an outspoken young soldier named Zephyr said.

  “We were hoping that as well, given our upcoming journey,” Nadeine said, nodding solemnly.

  I mulled it over for a moment before nodding. “Alright, we can try it. These spells are more difficult, though, so don’t get discouraged if you can’t get the hang of it right away. You’ll get it, eventually.” I clapped my hands. “We’ll start with defensive spells. You’ve been memorizing some, I take it?”

  They all nodded in assent. It took the older kingdom elves far longer to learn the spells than it did for me since I had the background musical knowledge to recognize the patterns and remember them quickly. I had tried to teach the older kingdom elves some music theory, and it had helped some, but it was easier for the kids to retain the information. The older elves were also a bit too eager to get their magic working for them to take the time to slow down and learn the basic mechanics first. The kingdom elves took their positions on the edge of their mage’s circles.

  “Okay,” I called out when the last stragglers had found their way into position. “Let’s try this one.” I pulled a scroll out of my robes and handed it to Siara, who read the description for me.

  The elves nodded in recognition and began to hum. Bursts of golden light appeared throughout the room, creating a spectacular display since there were so many people performing the magic at once. Some of the elves, the ones who performed the spell perfectly, caused the light to form into a large shield between the fronts of their bodies and the other sides of their mage’s circles. Far more of the students created thinner shields, shields that flickered in and out of existence, or even no shields at all. Even so, it was a good start.

  As for my companions, Nadeine and Godfried performed the spell perfectly, while Bernsten’s shield disappeared far too soon. Marinka’s was a bit too thin, so it probably wouldn’t have stood up well against a powerful weapon.

  “Good job, everyone,” I said. “You’re doing really well, even if you didn’t perform the spell as perfectly as you would have liked. Let’s try it again.”

  We tried it three more times, actually, and by the last one, most of the elves had been
able to create a stable shield for a sustained period of time, including all of my companions.

  “Well done,” I said heartily after the final run-through was complete, pleased with their progress. “That was really good. Let’s try another.”

  We ran through several defensive combat spells throughout the session until most of my students had mastered at least three to five of them. Throughout the afternoon, the energy levels in the room had risen considerably, as the elves grew more and more excited with their progress.

  “Alright,” I said after the last spell was finished. I looked around at the elves, panting and dripping with sweat from the strength of their efforts. “You’ve all done great, and I know you’re probably tired. Hell, I’m tired just watching you. But I have one more thing I’d like you to try if you’re ready.” I gestured to each elf as I named them off. “Nadeine, Godfried, and Gunnar, how about you try to face off against Bernsten, Marinka, and Zephyr?”

  “Face off?” Gunnar, a broad-shouldered young military elf in green mage’s robes, asked.

  “Yeah, it’s one thing to create the shields, and another to actually use them,” I explained. “So, let’s try to use them. Do you three have your swords?” I looked at Bernsten, Marinka, and Zephyr. They all nodded and retrieved their weapons from the pile the elves had formed at the side of the room before beginning practice.

  “Alright, let’s try it,” I said with a grin.

  With that, Nadeine, Godfried, and Gunnar, the elves who had created the best shields throughout the afternoon, positioned themselves on the edge of three mage’s circles. Bernsten, Marinka, and Zephyr positioned themselves on the opposite side of each of them, respectively.

  “Whenever you’re ready, swordsmen attack, and magi respond,” I instructed. “Make sure your attacks are varied and try not to give away where you’ll be striking next. I want this exercise to feel as real as possible.”

  Without missing a beat, Bernsten, Marinka, and Zephyr launched themselves at their opponents, swinging their swords. The magi were quick to respond, though, and music quickly filled the training room, accompanied by the golden sparkles of their shields. The magi worked fast, switching nimbly between the spells to anticipate their opponents’ next moves and create more shields to combat them. My guess was that while they were new to magic and music still, the kingdom elves had trained hard for war, so they made up for their magical inexperience with knowledge of swordplay.

  So, they lasted longer than I expected, until Zephyr faked out Gunnar and made him think he was going for his left side when he actually lunged at his right. The swordsman landed a weak blow and drew a trickle of blood from a newly formed gash in Gunnar’s mage’s robes. Nadeine and Godfried, hearing Gunnar cry out, broke their own concentration and let their shields fall.

  “Nice job,” I said with a grin. “That was even better than I expected. Next time, just make sure not to let what’s happening elsewhere affect your own concentration. In battle, there will be all kinds of things going on around you that you can’t control. Focus on your own battle and help your companions only when you’re able. You’re no good to anyone defeated.”

  Nadeine and Godfried nodded as everyone else began to pack up. As they did so, I walked over to Siara and Anil.

  “Have you all been learning offensive spells, too, while I’ve been gone?” I asked.

  “Indeed,” Siara said. “These are the spells that many soldiers have been most looking forward to learning.”

  “Awesome,” I said to her, then turned to call out so the whole room could hear me, “Tomorrow, we’ll work on offensive combat spells. Sound like a plan?”

  I was answered with whoops and fist pumps. I figured that would be a popular idea.

  “Do you think we will be well-versed in the spells enough to fight our battles on this quest using magic?” Nadeine asked as she and my other companions made their way over to Siara, Anil, and me.

  “I hope so.” I gestured to her and Godfried/ “Given how well you two did today, I’m more confident now than I was.”

  “Indeed!” Bernsten nodded. “You have been holding out on us, Godfried. You are quite talented at magic, for all of you talk about sticking with your sword instead.”

  “Thank you.” Godfried averted his eyes at the praise. “But, still, I am more comfortable with my sword. Performing the magic is… awkward. It is a language I do not yet fully understand.”

  “Leo can help you,” Marinka offered, and I shifted uncomfortably on my feet at the thought of spending even more time with Godfried. “He understands our magic system better than anyone ever has.”

  “I will… have to take you up on that,” Godfried said, meeting my eyes.

  “Sure, no problem,” I said, smiling weakly. If it made Marinka happy, I would do it.

  “This is good, Godfried.” Nadeine placed a hand on his shoulder. “You may be more comfortable with your sword, as am I, but you are more powerful with your magic.”

  “Plus, you’ll get a magical sword now,” I offered as we turned to leave. “And a mace, and a spear, and daggers, and pretty much anything else you can think of.”

  “That does sound preferable to only one weapon,” Godfried reasoned as he shrugged.

  We all laughed at that, but the moment was interrupted by a voice calling from behind us.

  “Leo Hayden!”

  I turned to face an old friend of mine, Edan, who worked in the forges. He had crafted a new sword for Nadeine when I had broken her original one before our last quest.

  “Edan,” I said as I clasped his shoulder. “Good to see you again. You did well today.”

  “Thank you,” Edan said, bowing his head and returning my gesture. He had done well during practice, creating a perfect shield by the end. “Soon, my profession will be rendered useless, I am afraid.” He chuckled, not at all distressed by this new fact of life.

  “We will always have a need for swords,” Godfried said stubbornly as he placed a hand instinctively on the hilt of his own weapon.

  “I do not have your confidence.” Edan shrugged. “It will be a good thing should we have no need for our weapons, however. There will be other metals to smith for various purposes.”

  “Don’t forget, the forest elves still have a need for weapons,” I offered, remembering the crudely crafted weapons the other Eviorahn race had used both for and against me on our last quest.

  “Indeed, they do,” Edan said, smiling. “I had a similar thought, in fact. I have been speaking with a few of the forest elves that have passed through the training grounds in recent weeks, and I was wondering if you would be able to pass on a message for us in the forest?”

  “Of course,” I said, surprised. Cooperation between the kingdom and forest elves was certainly taking off faster than I’d expected, especially given the deep-seated prejudices they had had against each other mere weeks before. A lot had changed.

  “Excellent, thank you, my friend,” Edan said. “I hope to continue making weapons in the forges after we have made the permanent transition back to our magic, but now for the forest elves. I am aware that they have their own techniques for creating their weapons, and I wish to respect that. But we have resources here that they do not in the forest, and as we will not be using them as much, it is only fair that we share them.” He smiled broadly. “I hope that some forest elves will join us here in the forges and help us to achieve this goal. While I have already expressed this desire to the forest elves, I was hoping that your influence with them would be helpful to our cause.”

  “No problem, Edan, I think that’s a great idea,” I said. “I’ll pass it along.”

  “Thank you, Leo Hayden!” He grinned. “Your support is much appreciated.”

  “No problem,” I said, and Edan left us in the direction of the forges while the rest of us made our way to the dining hall for dinner. I loaded my plate with a kind of smoked spinach salad, steak, and chocolate cake, and sat down next to Bernsten.

  “What are yo
u planning to do tonight, my friend?” Bernsten asked when I was seated.

  “I was hoping to get to work on some of my own stuff,” I said, and he nodded appreciatively.

  “What does this mean?” Godfried interjected, his brows furrowed in confusion. At that moment, I noticed that he and Marinka really did look alike.

  “Well, now that I’m an ultimate mage, I can create my own spells,” I explained. “Eventually, I hope to be able to create them on the spot, performing spells as the need for them arises, but for now, I’m working on them one at a time and writing them down. Plus, this way, other people can use the spells I invent if they want to.”

  “Ah,” Godfried nodded in understanding, “I see. This sounds like a very useful skill. What have you created thus far?”

  “Before going back to the royal castle to meet with the council, I made a few spells to help them in the forges,” I said between bites of the salad as I cut up my steak. “There were none for creating weapons before since when you guys could use magic, you didn’t make any. So, Edan asked me to help make some spells for them. From what I hear, it’s been going well.”

  “That is excellent news,” Godfried said, and he really did look impressed for once. “I am glad that magic is helping our military more directly so soon.”

  “So, what are you working on now?” Nadeine asked me, her eyebrow arched curiously.

  “I’d like to create some spells to help the forest elves,” I said after taking a sip of water. “They could use some help, I think. Freyja sent me a message a few weeks ago asking as much. They’re rebuilding everything in the forest, especially on Viktor’s side. I’d like to make spells for creating treehouses, hollowing out trees, setting traps, and things like that so that magi can help out when they’re in the forest.”

  “These all sound like excellent ideas,” Marinka said with a soft smile. “Perhaps you can perform some of the spells when we are in the forest.”

  “That’s the plan,” I agreed and started in on my steak. “A lot more forest elves than before want to create permanent residences in the trees. This should help them build the infrastructure for that more quickly.”