by NAK Baldron
"You're dismissed, and there will be no lesson tomorrow. Be prepared for the day after, when I will evaluate each of you individually."
Blessed Maduenu.
Adaku was filled with gratitude for being able to get out of the cold winds. Two years back, they'd gone on a hunting trip with their father which took them high into the mountains of the north, on the border between the Emerald and Ruby Nations. Being out in the courtyard reminded her of those nights, when they'd camp outside under the night sky, with only the light of their fire between them and total darkness of the void. It got so cold during the night, that their father's men who were left to keep watch developed ice in their beards while standing guard. She feared that kind of cold, knowing it could easily kill.
The warmth of the Apprentices' Wing was a welcomed relief. She didn't want to think about the hunting trip any longer.
"Library?" Goban asked.
"Are you two coming?" Ren asked. The three of them were already halfway down the hall toward the stairs.
"Yes—"
"No," Abaze cut her off.
"We have to work as a team," Adaku said.
I'll not lower myself to their level.
You're a fool brother. Here in the Amethyst Nation you're no better than they are. We're all sorcerers and our titles are meaningless. Have you not figured that out?
A cold murderous rage filled Abaze. Adaku could see it in his eyes, and when she reached out to his mind, she felt the heat rolling off of him like that of the giant stove in the palace kitchen.
Adaku walked away from her brother, leaving him standing alone for the first time in his life. Loneliness wasn't a feeling he knew, and it took him by such surprise that he didn't move until they'd climbed the stairs to the library.
Being left alone in the great hall forced him to confront a hard truth—his sister was the stronger leader, and he was only a follower. He feared that without her support he was nothing, but as that fear sunk deeper into his gut another voice sounded in his mind. His father's voice reminded him to hold his head with pride, for he was the prince of Zaria, and his was the blood of nobles, going back hundreds of years. The opinions of peasants mattered not to princes.
Determined to live up to his father's expectations of him, Abaze climbed the stairs, passing the library floor, and making his way to his room. Alone with his thoughts, he placed mental blocks the way their court sorcerer had taught, to ensure Adaku couldn't interfere, and he began to plot his vengeance.
Abaze was a prince, and princes were never wrong!
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE FOUR OF THEM SAT at the largest table they'd found in the library, which could comfortably seat ten. None of them could be sure they'd explored the entire library, though Ren had likely spent the most time in it. He was grateful they'd each begun to master the library's secrets, it made finding multiple copies of a book easier.
"I'm telling you, they enchant this place," Goban said hastily. "I've tried to map it out. Something I learned back home. It doesn't make sense."
"Meaning?" Adaku asked.
"When you count your steps from the door to the far back wall, it's nearly twice as deep as the dining hall."
None of them said anything.
"That means it has to be enchanted," Goban said. "We're directly above the dining hall, and the hallway outside is the same width as the one downstairs. There's no way this room should be larger."
"Except for magic," Adaku said.
"Exactly," Goban said.
"Maybe you counted wrong?" Shaya suggested.
Ren had to agree with her sentiment, it seemed highly improbable that an entire floor could be enchanted to allow a larger space than was physically possible. If it were true, the ramifications would be extraordinary. He could instantly see a way to turn that into a profitable venture in the Pearl Nation, and pay off his debts to the Belfry family.
Freedom.
That's what Ren could buy himself if they proved it possible to expand a physical space with magic.
"No," Goban shook his head, "I counted right. I counted it twice to be sure."
"This is easy enough to test," Adaku said. "We each can count our steps downstairs and then count them in here."
Goban stood as if to leave at that very moment.
"We should do our reading first," Shaya said.
Goban sat back down, and the four of them opened their copies of Team Dynamics: Multiparticipant Channeling. Ren's eyes began to glaze over the moment he read the first page. He wouldn't have thought it possible, but this book proved even less interesting than the one before it.
"Chapter three is informative," Goban said. "I think it's explaining how the chronicler could talk to us."
They all flipped ahead.
"Oh, yes," Adaku said. "Our court sorcerer taught my brother and I how to use these very principles."
"You mean you're telepathic?" Shaya asked.
"Yes."
"I think all the sorcerers here are," Goban said.
"When I was in the Pearl Nation the Amethyst diplomats spoke to me through thought," Ren said.
Goban pointed to the book, "It says here that a team of sorcerers can express thoughts with one another so quickly, that they can plan out a defense together, after the magical attack against them has already been cast."
They all looked at Adaku waiting to see if she would confirm this.
"We've never been attacked by magic, but yes we were able to share thoughts faster than those around us could speak." Adaku laughed to herself, "It proved helpful any time we were in trouble with our father."
She let out a heavy sigh and looked down at the book.
"This must be the lesson then," Goban said. "They want us to learn telepathy so we can work together as one unit."
"I won't allow you all in my mind," Shaya said.
"It's not like that," Adaku said, not looking up from her book. "You have to really know someone to get into their mind, but you can sort of send your thoughts to them. They can hear what you're thinking if you push it toward them, but you can't listen in to their thoughts."
"How?" Ren asked.
"Yeah, how?" Goban was skimming through the book, no doubt looking for that exact answer.
"It's about intent, and clarity of mind," Adaku said in a deeper voice than usual. "We should get out of here. We can go to the courtyard and I'll teach you how I was taught."
They all agreed, but Ren was the most eager, thankful for any reason not to read.
"What about your brother?" Shaya asked.
"He's on his own," Adaku said. "Just the way he wants it."
The island had floated toward the source-light, which now hung directly overhead above the courtyard. The heat would have been unbearable if not for the constant icy breeze coming from the north. Ren thought of standing next to a bonfire in the middle of the ice plains, and how it would feel much the same. One moment Ren was sweating, the next he was shivering as the cold wind dried the sweat upon his face.
"Maybe we should go back inside?" Goban suggested. "No one else is outside."
"It'll be easier for you to clear your mind outside than cooped up in the library," Adaku said.
"And it's always best to practice where you'll be tested," Shaya said.
Adaku smiled from the support. "Okay. Form a circle. It's easiest if you can see everyone."
They all circled up, leaving a full arms span between one another. The grass was wet, and Goban slid as he sprinted to his spot—a little too eager to start. Ren suppressed a laugh, not wanting to make Goban feel any worse—his cheeks were flush.
"To start, I want you each to try to send a thought towards me," Adaku said.
"What sort of thought?" Goban asked, "Like a number?"
"While a simple thought, like a number, will make it easier to focus, it's best if you think of something important. Something you really want to tell me. The emotional desire will help guide your intent."
Ren didn't have anything impo
rtant to tell Adaku, but he did have something important to tell Shaya. That desire to tell Shaya something important through thought, would be his fuel to guide his intent.
I want to master this, so I can speak to Shaya.
"Try looking directly at me," Adaku said. "It's easier to send thoughts to someone if you can see them."
Ren opened his eyes and stared directly at Adaku, with such intensity that his temples began to pulsate.
I want to master this, so I can speak to Shaya.
That's an excellent goal, Adaku transmitted back.
"Wow," Ren said.
When Ren spoke with the diplomats, they read his mind, but maybe part of that was because of his magical powers.
Can anyone with magic do this?
If trained to clear their mind, Adaku transmitted.
"Well done Ren," Adaku said. "Goban, I think you need to focus on clearing your mind. Try to hold only one thought at a time, and then will that thought toward me."
Goban brought his hands together, where each fingertip of the right hand lined up with its corresponding fingertip on the left hand, turning his hands into a hollow ball before him. Instead of looking at Adaku, he stared down into the empty space between his fingers.
Suddenly he looked up, locking eyes with Adaku.
"Great job!" Adaku said. "You'll want to practice transmitting your thoughts more, but I think you have the basics down. You each managed to ignore the cold, but when we're being tested, there will be far more distractions around us. You'll need to develop razor sharp focus, to cut through the noise and guide your intent."
They nodded along with her as she spoke. The outsider had become their instructor, and Ren wondered why Abaze was such an arrogant bully, when his sister was so nice. Regardless, he was relieved to be done with the lesson for the day, and avoiding the necessary reading.
"We should head back," Shaya said. "It's getting colder."
The wind blew in tiny snowflakes, that began to build up upon the grass. If it kept up, they'd become snowed in. Ren was use to snow banks taller than people, but he knew the other apprentices weren't prepared for the constant cold and damp, or how the snow managed to wiggle its way into your clothes, and cling to your skin. The cold numbing effect sinking all the way down to your bones. Then spending an hour before a fire, just to thaw out enough to move your joints without pain.
As they walked back to the apprentices' wing, Goban slipped next to Ren behind everyone else. "Would you be willing to practice with me? I don't think I have a real handle on this."
"Of course," Ren said.
"When we get back?"
"Let's eat first, but sure, after that."
Goban smiled so wide, it looked like his lips would tear, and Ren could see his front teeth had a gap between them. Something he hadn't noticed previously. It gave Goban a childish charm, and Ren had to remind himself that he was a child—several years younger than the rest of them. Ren had felt young when he was with Shaya and Akio, and he realized that Goban must feel the same way.
CHAPTER NINE
THE REST OF THE WEEK wasn't quite as cold, but Adaku made sure to bundle herself up all the same. She wouldn't have her brother to help keep her warm. He'd made it clear he was on his own, and she was a traitor as far as he was concerned. Going as far as to block her out of his mind, something he hadn't done since they were young children. He always did throw the largest fits when he didn't get his way, and it would appear he intended to continue that tradition even as an adult.
The four of them ate together. When they saw she wasn't eating with her brother, Shaya invited her over. Ren gulped down his fifth mug of coffee—not that it looked to be helping—his eyes were sunken and glazed over. More coffee wasn't the answer, he needed sleep, but with them expected in the courtyard any minute there was no way for him to catch some. Obviously, he'd stayed up late, and Adaku guessed correctly that it was to study, but that only made her more curious since he'd shown so little progress since they arrived.
Abaze glared at them as they walked out of the dining hall—he continued to hold on to his perceived grudge, which was really his own making. It was hard for her to turn her back on him—it went against everything their mother taught—family was supposed to stick together at all costs, but when her brother refused to cooperate and insisted on making her choose between him and her chance to become an Amethyst Sorcerer, there was no choice.
Magic came first.
As a sorcerer, she'd be able to keep her father's kingdom intact and ensure Zaria remained the most influential city state within the Emerald Nation. The threat to the south—the Onyx Nation—and their secret alliance with the cities to the far east, meant her father's trading alliances were in question. Without the wealth which came from trading between the Sapphire Nation and the continent, her father wouldn't be able to keep the plebs appeased. Abaze was too thick to consider such ramifications and possibilities, so the pressure of ruling justly fell upon her alone.
Adaku feared that one day Abaze would force her into a position to choose between the fate of their kingdom and him—because she'd choose their kingdom without hesitation. Did that make her a bad sister?
The double doors to the outside opened to reveal Nadia, who waited at the bottom of the stone steps.
Shaya's hand rest upon her shoulder, "We have to go."
Adaku looked up, "Oh, yes." She'd been lost in the thought.
From the time they could walk, their mother drilled into them the importance of family. Whenever their father would be cruel or negligent, their mother would always be there to remind them of their obligations to family. Their father taught them their only obligation was to the kingdom. Who was right? Would her father actually approve of her actions, if she explained it was for the future of the kingdom?
The four of them walked together toward Nadia, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw her brother approaching. For a moment her heart lightened. Abaze kicked his leg out, just as Goban passed, and the little boy went sprawling along the floor.
Ren stepped forward to confront Abaze, but Adaku stepped between the two before they came to blows again.
"Shameful," she said. "Father would call you a coward for what you did. Picking on a little boy, just because you're angry. You chose to be an ass and not work together as a team. So go, and be an ass by yourself!"
Abaze's fists were raised in fighting stance, anger burning in his eyes, and for a moment she thought he'd hit her, but then anger gave way to embarrassment. Tears began to build up in his eyes as he pushed his way past her and marched out to meet Nadia.
"Thank you," Goban said, as Shaya lifted him off the ground.
"Thank you," he said again, to Adaku.
"Don't," she held her hand up. "I should have said that to him a long time ago. I'm sorry I defended his actions. I don't know why—"
"It's okay," Shaya said.
"Yeah," Ren said. "You're not responsible for your brother's actions."
Their forgiveness and understanding broke apart the guilt and pain she felt inside her gut. There had been a knot she hadn't realized, but now she felt limber, and for the first time unafraid.
* * *
ABAZE KEPT TO HIMSELF, and Nadia didn't say a word about what happened. As they practiced, the source-light began to sink, but the field warmed. Adaku wasn't sure she would ever get use to the erratic weather of the Amethyst Nation. As far as she could tell there was no pattern, but Nadia always seemed to be prepared, dressed appropriately with the right number of layers to add or remove. Meaning the sorcerers could predict the weather patterns, even if there appeared to be none.
Nadia wanted them to construct a wall of light, which required them all to work together. By each combining their magic, they would create a solid pillar of light. Or at least, that's how Nadia explained it.
The four of them worked together, telepathically sharing their focus and intent, but it didn't work. Ren didn't contribute enough focused magic to summon the wall,
and Abaze refused to aid them—instead, keeping to himself, practiced blending combat forms with magic. The result was a dance of green light—which burst forth from his feet and hands—as he struck an imaginary enemy.
Part of her was impressed by her brother's progress, their father would be proud that he found a practical use for magic. He considered magic a tool, best used through a court sorcerer, not an invaluable power best wielded by a ruler.
"Focus!" Adaku snapped.
Ren dropped his hands and stared at her.
"I'm sorry," she said.
Please focus, she transmitted to the whole group, something the others hadn't learned to do yet. It's important that we get this right, and you're holding us back Ren.
I know, Ren transmitted. I'm doing my best, but there's something about this place which holds me back. I was able to use my magic back in Shinzo.
"Maybe we should take a break," Goban said.
What about Nadia? Adaku transmitted to the group. She hasn't said we can leave.
"Nadia," Shaya called. "We're done for right now. We're going to take a break and come back out to practice later."
"Make it sooner than later," Nadia said. "The temperature will drop soon."
"Thank you," Shaya said.
That was easy enough, Shaya transmitted to her.
As they walked back, she overheard Goban and Ren.
"I can help you find the right book," Goban said.
"Thank you, but I can find the book myself."
Ren passed Adaku on his way to their wing, taking long strides to put as much distance between himself and Goban. Goban locked in step next to her and didn't say anything, but she could see the hurt on his face.
The boy had only been trying to help.
CHAPTER TEN
THEY WERE DISAPPOINTED IN HIM. Ren knew it, but he didn't know how to make it right. For three weeks he'd held them back, and managed to annoy Nadia when he barely passed his individual test while everyone else passed with top marks.