by Laura R Cole
*
“…as such, you may call me ‘Master’.”
“Yes, Master,” answered Jonathan without hesitation. He fell into step behind the man as his new master led the way back through the rows of hooded people. They filed out behind them as they passed each in turn. Master led him to a small room, near the entrance to the main temple, and motioned for him to take a seat. The two men sat in silence for a long moment before Master finally spoke.
“It is essential that the goals of the Order be achieved for the good of all mankind,” he started.
Jonathan nodded his agreement emphatically. The man paused, and Jonathan waited patiently for him to continue.
“As you may know, the magic in Gelendan has grown weaker in past centuries. The great mages of old have become few and far between. The more time that passes, the more reclusive they become, and the less of them there are to start with. It is the hope of the Order to strengthen all of humanity by rekindling the talents to prepare for the return of our god, Nuko.”
Jonathan braved a question. “How, Master?”
The man did not seem annoyed at the interruption, and, to Jonathan's relief, he answered. “Through the efforts of people who have proven themselves worthy countless times, such as yourself, we are working to identify all those with talent so that we may better assess the situation. The Priesthood and the Order are well intertwined, and we have contacts for you inside the temple who can provide you with a list of names. As you know, it is the law that all those finding that they possess significant talent must reveal themselves to the priests. Then, they must either be enrolled into the training program – paying the gods for the gift monetarily – or, if they are unable to pay the training fee, enter into the priesthood themselves – paying back this gift by a life of servitude. Therefore, they should have records of most of the talented, and much of your task will simply be organizing this list and double checking its accuracy. But you must also,” Master emphasized, “make sure that you systematically check for signs of talent other places as well, and do not assume that all those who have it have come forward on their own. Despite the threat of death as a consequence for not doing so, there are bound to be those who won’t.”
“And what should I do if I find someone who has not come forward?”
“It is not your job to report any violators to the authorities, just to identify them to us with the note that they are rogue. We are merely doing an inventory at this point.” He handed Jonathan an envelope. “Detailed instructions are enclosed, along with the names of the contacts I mentioned. I don't need to tell you to dispose of this after committing them to memory.” Jonathan nodded as he rose to leave, reading it as a dismissal. As Jonathan reached for the doorknob, Master added, “If you happen to see this,” gesturing to a peculiar symbol painted onto a parchment on the wall, “make sure that you tell us. Perhaps soon I will be able to tell you why. There are plans that have been set in motion, and the completion of those plans is imperative to the success of our operations.”
Jonathan nodded his understanding and continued towards the door. He opened it and headed back out to the streets and to his regular life.