“The boy made an impression on me. I wanted to see if he could do the same with others,” Vaust admitted with a shrug. “I had to make a report anyway.”
“So you went to speak to Nauru?” The scholar nodded as he clasped his hands behind his back. “And how is she? It’s been a while since she’s left her chambers.”
The mori gestured to where the combatants were in conversation. “You can ask her when she’s done.”
“Hmm?” Zier and Jazai returned to the rails and their eyes widened as a figure in flowing blue, white, and silver robes walked into the arena.
“You all right there, Devol?” Wulfsun asked and proffered a hand to help him up.
The boy nodded a little wearily as he accepted the aid, and the Templar hoisted him to his feet. “That was a good match.”
“Hopefully, we can have a few more!” he responded and clapped him cheerfully on the back with sufficient force to almost upend him again.
“You should ask him that after he has properly rested, Commander Wulfsun,” a soothing, airy voice replied. The giant looked toward its source and his eye widened. Devol glanced at what had surprised him and his gaze settled on a feminine figure dressed in elegant robes, but her features caught his attention more than anything else.
Her skin was like the smooth texture of a leaf, the color a light, gleaming blue with streaks and patches of pink around her neck and arms. When she looked from the Templar to the new Magi, her eyes danced with teal-colored embers. She did not seem to have normal lips. Instead, the area around her mouth slanted and protruded from the rest of her face when she spoke, but when she was silent, they flattened to give her face an almost mask-like appearance. Her hair—a dark-blue that changed to a brighter pink at the tips—was like vines twisted together into a large bundle that reached her lower back.
“Grand Mistress Nauru!” Wulfsun stated and bowed his head slightly. “It’s good to see ya after so long.”
Nauru chuckled and her eyes glowed brighter with real mirth. “I need to make rounds more regularly. You act as if I’ve been away on a mission.” She glanced at Devol for a moment before she returned her focus to the giant. “I’ve told you to not be so formal, Commander. I think you’re worrying our new guest.”
He raised his head to fix her with a small frown. “You’re gonna call me by my title, but it’s unnecessary to call you by yours?” he grumbled and shook his head “Right, well, I should at least be civil, I suppose, as befits the Templars.”
“Oh, certainly.” She nodded, focused on the boy, and smiled. “You should have begun by introducing this young Magi.”
“Of course.” He placed his hand on the youngster’s shoulder. “This is Devol…uh…” He darted a glance at the newcomer, who mouthed his last name. “Alouest, right! Devol Alouest. Devol, this is Nauru, the thirty-second leader of the Templars.” He spoke heartily before he patted him on the shoulder, shook him a little, and moved his hand away. “He seeks training with our order.”
“Devol?” Nauru asked and extended a hand. “A pleasure to meet you, young Magi.”
The boy looked into the warm glow of her eyes and took her hand. “It’s an honor, Grand Mistress,” he replied.
She chuckled again. “No need for that as I just reminded the captain.” She squeezed his hand for a moment before she released it and her hands vanished into the folds of her long robes. “Devol—that sounds like ‘devil,’” she stated and her gaze darted to the side as she considered the idea. “I thought humans considered devils to be dark creatures or of ill omen.”
“Uh, that’s normally right,” Wulfsun agreed and ran a hand through his shaggy mane. “I didn’t question it much. He’s from Monleans and they have different interpretations of—”
“It’s ‘loved’ backward,” Devol interjected. “My father said before I was born that any child of his would probably be a little devil—like, rambunctious and all. My mother said she did not think it was funny but when she made the connection, she liked the name and it stuck. I haven’t had too many problems with it.”
“I see.” Nauru’s eyes flickered briefly. “That is an adorable story.”
“Madame Nauru, may I ask a question?” he ventured.
“What is it?” she responded,
He pointed to her. “Are you a fleuri?”
She smiled sweetly again. “That I am indeed. Is this your first time seeing one?”
“Kind of—certainly my first time meeting one,” he admitted. “I thought I saw one a few years ago in the Emerald Forest outside Monleans during the fall. He was purple—that means he was born in the wintertime, right?”
“Indeed, although we use the term ‘bloomed’ instead of born,” Nauru explained and shifted her gaze to the sky as she continued. “The colors of green, white, and pink are for spring, the summer shades are red, tan, and gold, autumn’s are orange, yellow, and brown and, of course, winter is blues, silver, and purple. I bloomed on the cusp of winter and spring and so inherited the colors of both about one-hundred and forty-one years ago.”
“Wow, you’re so pretty,” he marveled before he caught himself and slapped his cheeks in irritation. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s all right, child,” she said with a giggle. “I’m glad you think so. I am also glad that we can learn a little about each other so soon.”
Devol grinned, relieved that she hadn’t been offended. “Me too. Feel free to ask me anything you like. I did come to your order, after all.”
“Very kind of you,” Nauru responded. “I do have a question if you have the time.”
“Certainly. We’ve finished the tests—right, Wulfsun?” he asked the Templar captain, who nodded.
“I caught the end of the sparring match, and you certainly gave it your all,” she remarked with amusement. “You seem gifted, Devol, but tell me, what caused you to search us out?”
“Let me show you.” He stretched toward his backpack where it had been dropped at the entrance of the arena. It elevated and he pulled it toward him. However, it appeared that his fight with the giant had drained him of much of his Mana so the bag floated only a few feet before it stopped. When he overcompensated with a heave of his Mana, it streaked into his chest and knocked him off his feet and away from the two Templars.
“Ow.” He coughed as he sat and patted the dust out of his hair before he retrieved the map.
“It’s all right, boy. I’ll fill her in,” Wulfsun stated with a thumbs-up. “Leave the map and go catch up with the others. I’m sure they want to congratulate you.”
Devol nodded and managed to muster sufficient strength to scramble to his feet and approach Nauru. He bowed to her, gave the man the map, and retrieved his majestic before he hurried to the stairs.
Jazai was the first to greet him and held his hand up for him to slap. “Nice work out there!” he congratulated him as they slapped each other’s palm. “You got your majestic working for you now, huh?”
“I guess so,” he said, although his tone was hesitant. “I’m still not entirely sure what it does but it helped me to get through Wulfsun’s shield, at least.”
“Certainly more than merely a flashlight, isn’t it?” Vaust asked.
“Mr. Lebatt!” He recognized the mori and approached him quickly. “Did you see the match too?”
“I came in with the grand mistress,” he stated. “I did see you push through Wulfsun’s barrier. I’m sure he gave you the spiel about it being impenetrable and all that?”
“Yeah, he said no one ever made it through before,” Devol recalled.
Vaust chuckled and leaned back, his expression amused. “He likes to do a little grandstanding but he is not wrong. The few times I have been with him when he has used it in combat, nothing ever made it through. Assaults certainly knocked him around somewhat and cracked it, but nothing ever broke it. You’ve accomplished a first and been here for only one day.”
“It is a fascinating development,” Zier said, his curious gaze on the
majestic. “And that was on its own. We should probably see if Macha can hammer something together for him quickly.”
“It is a tad early to be thinking of modifications. Besides, Wulfsun will probably need to see her first,” the mori reminded him. “But we are getting ahead of ourselves, Zier. That is something for those who are in the order and Devol has not made his mind up on that so we shouldn’t rush it.” He turned to the boy and raised an eyebrow. “Unless something has changed since I last saw you?”
The young Magi considered the question. Everything that had happened had been very different than he had expected. He had seen the recruits train with the guardsman. In fact, they did not even start sparring until after a few weeks of basic swordsmanship training, and that was usually still instruction.
Here, everyone seemed so nice and they treated him as a comrade. Of course, Wulfsun and the other elders referred to him as “boy” or something akin to that, but it seemed friendly rather than demeaning. He looked at the majestic in his hand. While he did plan to have a life of adventure and protecting people, this seemed like a huge step to take on a whim, even a positive one.
He looked into the arena, where Wulfsun and Nauru were deep in conversation as they studied the map. “Can I ask the grand mistress something first?” he inquired.
Vaust looked at Zier and both shrugged. “I’m sure she would have no objection to that. Go ahead,” the mori replied.
The boy hurried down the stairs with Jazai on his heels. The two Templars watched them, their expressions thoughtful. “If he stays, that will make three young recruits,” the scholar noted. “The most we’ve had for quite some time.”
“That’s certainly true. It is usually older Magi following tales of better times, seeking redemption, or merely trying to find a new home,” his comrade replied and smiled as the boys approached Nauru without hesitation. “Like you were at one point.”
The dryad turned away. “As I recall, so were you.”
“Also true,” Vaust said without rancor, “but I’ve been here for quite a while now.” He chuckled as he lost himself briefly in memories. “This is my only home, truly.”
“Hey, Miss Nauru,” Devol called. The grand mistress and Wulfsun turned to look at him. “Sorry to interrupt, but I have another question if you don’t mind.”
“And what is that, young Magi?” she asked.
He took a moment to put the words together. “I originally wanted to come here only for training, but I like everyone I’ve met so far and I think I can gain more than originally thought by studying with you.”
“I believe the same,” she agreed and glanced at the templar beside her. “And from what the commander has said, he believes so as well.”
The giant placed a fist against his chest. “Aye, and we have to have another match after that last one!”
“Right, so I thought…” He paused to take a breath. “I…may want to join the order someday. But I can’t say right now.”
Nauru nodded reassuringly. “That is perfectly all right. It is a difficult decision for one so young.”
“But I want to help,” the boy declared. “I met Mr. Lebatt on a mission he was finishing. If there is anything like that I can do, let me know. I want to be able to help while I stay here and train. Maybe that way, I’ll gain understanding of what the Templars do and it will make the decision easier.”
Both Nauru and Wulfsun seemed slightly taken aback by this, but they were certainly more interested than perplexed. She pressed her fingers together, closed her eyes, and lowered her head in thought. “It is very gracious of you, Devol. I see how that could benefit both of us.” She opened her eyes and looked at both boys. “As it happens, I think there could be a little errand you two could run together.”
“Both of us?” Jazai asked and his head jerked to look at his companion before he returned his gaze to meet hers. “Me too?”
“Yes. I think you have something to gain from this as well, Jazai,” she stated with a grin.
The apprentice tilted his head to the side before he shrugged. “It has been a while since I’ve been out of the castle. But if Zier throws a fit, I’ll send him to you, madame.”
“Noted.” She chuckled and looked toward the arena’s entrance. “Perhaps…I think it would be best if the three of you went.”
The boys looked at one another in confusion and in unison asked, “Three of us?”
Chapter Seventeen
Devol and Jazai sat in the middle of the forest arena in the larger training area, brought here by Nauru before she stepped away to talk to some of the other Templars. She did not leave them unattended, however. They were joined by a third member, the wildkin girl Devol had noticed earlier and who had previously been identified to him as Asla. She stared intently at them despite sitting a good few yards away.
“She seems…” Devol began and peeked quickly at her. She narrowed her eyes when she saw his glance. “Studious.”
“It’s a polite way to put that, yeah.” The apprentice leaned back on his hands as he fixed her with an unconcerned look. “Asla, you wanna introduce yourself or should I have the pleasure?”
Her eyes widened before she shifted her focus from him to the newcomer, then away. In silence, she stared into the trees.
“I guess that answers that.” Jazai sighed. “Her name is Asla Baghira. She is a cat wildkin who came to the order more than a year ago, although she has only recently started training with us. I was here with my pops when she first arrived,” he explained while she continued to avert her gaze from them. “It isn’t my place to go into too much detail about her arrival, although I must confess—even if I am a jerk—that I don’t know much. But I can say she is another promising student in the order and she’s a few moons younger than you are.”
“I see.” Devol nodded, stood, and approached her slowly before he stopped a few feet away and extended a hand. “Hi, Asla, my name is Devol and—”
“You smell like fish,” she told him, her head still turned away although she cast him a sideways glance.
“Huh?” He pulled his shirt to his nose to smell it. While most of the fishy odor seemed to have been filtered by the smoke from the den and sweat from his fight, very faint traces lingered from the fish they had eaten previously. “Oh, I guess so. Sorry about that.”
“It’s all right.” She shrugged and looked away again. “I like fish.”
“Oh, that’s good,” he said with a smile as he placed his hands casually behind his back. “When we go out on the mission, maybe I can catch you some.”
“So we are going on a mission then?” Asla asked and now turned her full attention to them.
“It seems that way,” Jazai responded where he still leaned back casually. “I’m not sure what it is yet, but the grand mistress took Devol up on his offer to help and somehow, we were roped into it.”
“So who will watch over us?” she questioned and studied the newcomer again.
Devol shrugged. “I don’t know anything about the mission yet. But you think we’ll go with someone?”
“That’s how it is usually done,” the apprentice explained. “I have been on a couple of missions, as has she, but we mostly shadow a real Templar or deal with the smaller objectives. For us, it’s another way to train.”
“Really?” The young Magi sounded dejected. “I hoped they would let us take care of it ourselves.”
“Even if they did,” Asla began, brought her knees up to her chest, and looked at the grass, “it would mean the mission isn’t all that important.”
“But it’s a mission for the Templars,” Devol pointed out. “Doesn’t that make it important by default?”
Jazai snickered and shrugged in an offhand way. “Technically, I guess so, but she did call it an ‘errand’ so it shouldn’t be all that big a deal.”
“You should take after your friend more, Jazai,” Nauru said from behind them as she, Wulfsun, Zier, Vaust, and the wolf wildkin man who had been training Asla before walked clos
er. “If you do not wish to participate in the mission, I’m sure your instructor would be more than happy to find chores for you to do to pass the time until they return.”
The apprentice pushed hastily to his feet and waved his hands frantically. “No, no! Nothing like that, madame! I’m merely saying that I don’t think this will be anything like a hunting mission or something that would require supervision.”
She nodded. “I see. You are right in a way. This is a retrieval mission, but that does not make it something to take lightly.” She looked at Devol as she ushered the wolf wildkin forward. “First, a quick introduction. Devol, this is Freki Remus, Asla’s mentor in the order.”
The boy hurried closer and extended his hand. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Remus!” he said enthusiastically.
Freki nodded with a small smile. “Pleasure, little pup. It is good to see another young Magi interested in the order.”
“It has been fun so far,” he replied and looked at Jazai and Asla, then at Zier and Freki. “So you both have mentors, huh?”
“Most recruits have high-ranking Templars to show them the ropes for a while,” Wulfsun explained. “Not for too long as most come to us with at least decent experience. But Asla’s and Jazai’s circumstances are unique.”
“I’m sure we can find you one, should you request it,” Nauru offered. “But for now, I would like the three of you to take a few days to get well-acquainted. The others and I will go over the specifics of the mission, and we will fill you in soon. But it is important to begin building a rapport with one another as you will rely on each other’s skills and mutual trust for success.”
“So we will be going alone?” Asla asked and almost spooked Devol when she stepped beside him, having reached his side without a sound.
The grand mistress glanced at Vaust and Wulfsun before she turned to the youngsters and nodded. “Yes, we believe it will benefit the mission and allow you to have your first taste of responsibility within the order.”
“I guess you got thrown into the deep end early, Devol,” Jazai remarked as he elbowed him in the shoulder.
A New Light (The Astral Wanderer Book 1) Page 13