by Dante King
“Is there a fire-slinging sword in there?” I asked. “Maybe one who calls herself Nydarth?” I chuckled under my breath.
Tolin stopped and turned to look at me. “What do you know of that sword?” he asked, a little too eagerly.
“Nothing,” I said. I didn’t want to share more of myself until I had more proof I could trust him. “I just thought I saw a shelf at the back, somewhere a weapon used to be.”
“Hm.” Tolin looked unconvinced. “Let me show you the weapons you can have.”
He led me through another door and up a flight of stairs. At the top was a wide room with mats on the floor, like the dojo of a martial arts school. Weapons sat on racks around the walls: swords, clubs, spears, bows, and others I didn’t recognize. It was strange to find such a fine collection of well-cared for weapons in a busted-up temple, but Tolin seemed full of surprises.
“Choose wisely,” he said.
I walked around the room and looked at each weapon in turn. There were long-bladed spears with edges gleaming in the light that came through the open window; vast clubs with rounded heads of stone and bronze; samurai-style swords, each with a single sharpened edge and a handle wrapped in intricately patterned silk. As I picked up each one, I started to get a feel for their uses—the way they were weighted, the movements needed to swing them in battle, how they would cut or crush.
I found myself drawn to one in particular. I unsheathed a simple, double-edged sword of shining steel, its narrow blade nearly four feet long and with a blue tassel hanging from the pommel. The weapon was light enough that I could wield it with one hand, but the handle was long enough to let me use both for extra strength.
I slid it back into its sheath. “This one.”
“An excellent choice.” I hadn’t heard Tolin approach, but he was standing next to me, holding a set of gray robes trimmed in a blue that matched the tassel. Had he known which blade I would pick?
“What will I say if people ask why I’m carrying a weapon?” I asked. “After all, I’m meant to be a lowly caretaker’s assistant.”
“No one would ask such a foolish question.” Tolin handed me the robes. “We live on the outskirts of the Danibo Forest. You must be ready if the monsters come out at night.”
“Monsters?” I asked. Orcs were one thing, but what other creatures was I going to have to face here?
“Oh, yes,” Tolin grinned. “There are so very many monsters.”
Chapter Four
For the next month, my life was divided between training and maintaining the temple.
Tolin seemed to fit the all-knowing sensei type, and I was his pupil. There were no cars to constantly wax, but there was a temple.
Half my time was spent on the duties of a caretaker’s assistant. There was a lot that needed doing around the place to make it more than a dilapidated ruin. There was woodwork to be stripped, sanded down, and repainted. Walls to be rebuilt, using a crude cement of ash, rock, and lime. Tiles to be nailed back into place as I balanced precariously on rooftops, a hammer in one hand and a bunch of nails held between my teeth. Even when it rained outside, Tolin found uses for me, dusting out neglected rooms, repairing broken furniture, and patching together worn and faded rugs.
But the most important part of my days, the part for which I eagerly got out of bed each morning, was the training.
We started with theory.
“The process of harnessing magic is called Augmentation,” Tolin explained as we sat on the veranda, Master Softpaw begging us for attention. “It is expressed in two forms—the arcane arts and the martial techniques. Every group of Augmenters works with a specific element, which determines the arts and techniques available to its practitioners. But whatever element you work with, you will have access to both the martial and the arcane.”
“Can someone wield multiple elements?” I asked.
Tolin nodded. “They are called elementalists. Those who can use two elements are rare, but those who can master three are exceedingly rare.”
“Can anyone master them all?”
“Those number so few, that I could name them.”
I waited for Tolin to start listing the people who’d mastered all elements, but he stayed silent. He had a habit of answering my questions only when he wanted, and he’d often give insufficient explanations.
“You might be one of them,” Tolin said with a conspiratorial smile. “It will be difficult, but the Immortal Swordslinger can manage.”
He called me by that title quite frequently, and I was starting to wonder whether it was some kind of wish-fulfilment on his part. I still didn’t know what it entailed, but I was happy to go along with it while he fed me both food and knowledge.
“Where does the magic come from?” I asked on another occasion. “Surely, the energy doesn’t just appear out of nowhere.”
Even as I said it, I started to doubt myself. Conservation of energy was an important rule in my world. I remembered that much from high school science. But my world didn’t have guilds of Augmenters or forests full of orcs. For all I knew, the laws of physics didn’t apply here.
“The energy expended in magic comes from vigor,” Tolin said. “It is the vital force that exists in all things, the living thread that runs through the whole of creation.”
“You’re saying that there’s already Vigor in you and me?” I asked. I recalled the talking sword, Nydarth, and how she’d said my Vigor was low. I didn’t know where she was now, but, at least, the old man could provide me with a little education.
“That’s right.”
“And even in Master Softpaw?” I shot a skeptical look at the cat perched over the caretaker’s shoulder.
“Of course, in Master Softpaw. But also in the wood of these steps, the stones of the temple, the dirt of the yard. Even in the air around us.”
“I thought you said it was a living force.”
“And it is. In some ways, the whole world is living. Some of it just lives more brightly than the rest.”
At times like that, I started to wonder if this would ever entirely make sense to me. But I wasn’t going to give up. I didn’t need to believe in Tolin’s philosophy, didn’t even need to get all the rules of how it was meant to work. As long as I could master the techniques, that would do.
Though the theory came first, it was practice that filled most of the time. Every day, I practiced channeling Vigor.As I had done with the pebble on the first day, I opened up pathways within myself and let the energy flow through. By the end of a month, I felt like I knew what I was doing. I had felt the flow of Vigor through me hundreds of times, the dizzying rush as it energized my body. But I hadn’t yet cast a single spell.
“When will you show me how to use my Augmenting?” I asked Tolin as we sat beneath a tree outside the temple one sunny afternoon. “To actually use the arcane arts and martial techniques?”
Tolin poured two cups of rice wine, handed one to me and took a sip from the other. A smile spread across his face.
“Soon enough,” he said. “These things can only be rushed so much. The children of this world practice for years, and you hope to accomplish it in a month!”
“But you said we had to do it quickly—that the world needs the Swordslinger!” I tried to appeal to the caretaker’s need, if only so I could increase my power. Sure, it was a little selfish, but I wanted to wield more magic, like I’d done with the talking sword.
“And it does,” he replied. “But the Swordslinger must be ready to face the world.”
Someone emerged from the rock-lined path up the hillside and walked toward us. It was a slender woman in flowing robes that swept back to reveal shapely legs. She walked barefoot across the rough ground. Brown hair that flowed down to her waist was held back from her face by an intricate circlet of twining gold threads, revealing pointed ears. A large satchel hung from her shoulder, and she carried a carved staff as tall as she was.
“Is that an elf?” I asked Tolin, awed by her beauty.
“Don’t they have anything but humans in your world?” he asked. “How tedious.”
The elf approached with a smile.
“Tolin, you never told me you had a friend!” she exclaimed. “And such an exotic-looking one, as well.”
“Faryn, this is Ethan, my new pupil. Ethan, this is Faryn, of the Radiant Dragon Guild.”
I stood in time to shake Faryn’s hand. Her fingers lingered over mine, and her eyes dwelt on my face, as if she was examining the details of a painting. I was more than happy to be observed by her. She looked to be somewhere in her 30s, with a beauty made all the more striking by her maturity. Her emerald eyes glinted as if filled with the joy of life.
I’d been so distracted by Faryn’s presence, it took me a moment to fully register Tolin’s introduction. Until now, any time someone visited the temple, he had introduced me as his assistant or his dogsbody, taking delight in emphasizing my menial position. But to Faryn, he had introduced me as his pupil. Apparently, this was someone we could trust.
“What brings you back up here?” Tolin asked.
“I’m on my way into the forest,” Faryn replied. “To harvest beasts for potions.”
“Are you a physician?” I asked.
“Faryn is another Augmenter,” Tolin said. “She specializes in wood magic.”
“I can talk for myself, old man.” She rolled her eyes.
“Less with the old, or I’ll tell him how many years you’ve got under your belt.”
“It’s not age that matters,” I said. “It’s how you wear it.”
Faryn smiled at me. “At last, someone up here with a little charm.”
Tolin poured her a cup of wine, and we all sat, looking out across the city below.
“Are you going deeper into the woods this time?” Tolin asked.
Faryn frowned. “Not yet. I still can’t bring myself to stray far from the guild house. One day, I hope…” Her voice trailed off.
“Bah,” Tolin said. “There I go again, an insensitive old man. Why don’t you two go for a walk while I have my nap? Ethan can show you the work we’ve done on the temple, and you can both avoid my snoring.”
“That sounds delightful.” Faryn smiled at me. “This old place could do with a tender touch to bring it back to life.”
“Then, let me show you what we’ve been doing,” I said as I led her away.
“You have fun getting to know one another,” Tolin called after us, his voice light with mischief. Then, he lay back on the grass with Master Softpaw curled up beside him and closed his eyes.
Together, Faryn and I walked through the temple gates and around the courtyard. I showed her the re-painted beams, the work we’d done rebuilding the walls, even pointed out the straightened and replaced tiles. But I was pleased to see that her eyes were never really on our surroundings but instead returned over and over again to me.
At last, we stood in the doorway of the main temple chamber. Over the past month, I’d had plenty of time to explore the place. The walls were carved just like the ones back in the Himalayas. There was the same pedestal in the center of the room and the same shelf in a recess at the back. But there was no sign of the orb or the sword that had been there in my world, and Tolin shrugged off any questions leading that way. I was tempted to ask Faryn what she knew about it, but she seemed more interested in me than anything in the room.
“I’ve never seen anyone like you.” She leaned in close to me. “Such blue eyes. And your hair…”
She ran a hand through my hair. It had been growing out for the past month but was still shorter than that of anyone else I’d met in this world. Faryn’s touch was a gentle stroke that stirred my heart, making my pulse pound faster.
“Where are you from?” she asked quietly. “What brought you here?”
I leaned in toward her, and she drew closer to hear. For the first time, I truly saw the green of her eyes—not just an emerald green but a swirling, fractal pattern, like coalescing leaves.
“I’m not sure I should tell you.” I reached out to touch her cheek. “Not until we know each other better…”
We were so close that I could feel her breath against my face. She tilted her head and leaned toward me. Our lips touched, and a rush ran through me as electrifying as all the Vigor I had ever channeled. Her arms were around me and mine around her. I gathered her close as we kissed.
Then, she broke off and pulled free of my embrace as she touched a hand touched her lips.
“What have I done?” she said. “You’re below my station. I shouldn’t have—”
“I won’t tell anyone if you don’t,” I replied. The kiss had left me aroused, desperate for more of her. But if that wasn’t what she wanted, I could at least enjoy the memory of the kiss and take the moment to learn more about this world. “Is it because I’m a human and you’re an elf?”
“Partly, yes. But not just that. I’m a tutor at the Radiant Dragon Guild. If you plan to join us at some point—”
“No need to worry about that,” I said. “I’m learning all I need to up here. I don’t need a guild.”
“Actually, you do,” Tolin said, appearing around the corner of the veranda. My hopes of greater intimacy with Faryn wilted. Nothing would ruin the mood like a snarky old man.
“I thought I was your pupil,” I said, “not theirs.”
“I also said that you would need to learn from many tutors,” Tolin answered. “But that isn’t why the guilds matter to you. You’ll need them to find your way home.”
“His way home?” Faryn looked confused. “Where are you really from, Ethan?”
Now, Tolin had all of my attention. What had he been holding back, to keep me here as his pupil? Could he have sent me home a month ago, just by contacting these guilds? I could feel my face glowing red with fury.
“Oh, calm down.” Tolin shook his head at me. “I would have told you soon enough. To get home, you will need access to the most powerful artifacts there are, such as the elemental orbs.”
My heart leaped with hope as I turned to Faryn. “Your guild, the Radiant Dragon. Do they have these artifacts?”
She shook her head. “I wish that we did.”
“Such items are scattered across the continent,” Tolin said. “To get them, you’ll need to travel far beyond the city. And to do that, you’ll need the training and protection of a guild.”
“Huh.” As the hope of a quick solution faded, the tension also flowed out of me. “I guess I should behave around guild staff then.” I shot Faryn a smile, and her cheeks blossomed with a hint of red.
“And learn from them,” Tolin said. “Faryn has much to teach you that could help you along the path. I was hoping that she would take you with her into the woods, for just that purpose.”
“I would be happy to take him,” Faryn said. “And to teach him everything I can.”
I swallowed as those beautiful eyes focused on me once more.
“Off you go, then.” Tolin handed me my sword. “Learn everything you can. And Faryn?”
“Yes, Tolin?”
“Try not to break my assistant.”
As we headed out of the temple, I looked at Faryn. The confidence with which she carried herself added to her beauty. In that moment, there was nothing I wanted more than to run my hands over her again, to feel the curves of her body and press my lips against hers.
“Sounds like I’ll have to do my best to keep my hands off you,” I said.
She looked at me with a sensuous smile. “I can’t promise that I’ll do the same. There’s something about you, Ethan Murphy. A thrill of the exotic that’s hard to resist.”
I cleared my throat and quickened my pace.
“Let’s concentrate on training, shall we?” I said.
She led me along the ridge line and into the trees beyond the temple, heading away from the city. This way led us into the Danibo Foret, where Tolin had told me that monsters lived. I laid my hand on the pommel of my sword, ready for trouble.
The
woods were alive with the rustling of leaves and the singing of birds. In the distance, a deer looked up from grazing, stared at us, and then bolted away. The shadows of leaves dappled our bodies, making us seem to be at one with the wild.
“I’m a wood Augmenter,” Faryn said as we walked. “Normally, I wouldn’t be in a fire guild like the Radiant Dragon, but my own guild was wiped out by cultists when I was young. The Radiant Dragon opened its doors when I needed shelter, and Guild Master Xilarion has protected me ever since. In return, I tutor members of the guild.”
“You teach them wood techniques?” I asked.
“Oh, no.” Faryn shook her head. “I teach the fundamentals of Augmenting and botany classes. Members of a fire guild learn fire arts, not those of other elements.” She looked at me with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. “That’s why training you in wood will give you an extra edge.”
“You’re breaking the rules for me?” I asked. “I must really be special.”
“Tolin thinks so, and who am I to argue with a grumpy old caretaker?”
We both laughed. The idea that Tolin might be only a caretaker was absurd to anyone who had spent time with him. With his pride, his knowledge, and his cutting remarks, it was clear that he was something far more powerful. How he maintained the illusion to the people of the city, I had no idea. It must take all of his willpower not to give the game away.
“Sad to say, it’s not just about giving you an advantage,” Faryn said. “It’s about overcoming the serious disadvantage you’re going in with.”
“What disadvantage?” I asked. “I’m healthy. I’m smart. I’ve been learning about Augmenting under Tolin for weeks now.”
“Exactly. You’ve been learning for weeks. The other initiates have been preparing to learn fire techniques their whole lives. Teaching you wood techniques breaks the rules of the guilds, but you’ll need them to balance that experience. Tolin says it’s imperative that you don’t just get into the guild but that you excel there. He had grand dreams for you.”
“I’m happy to learn Augmenting,” I said. “But as for the old man’s schemes? We’ll see how well they fit with my own plans.”