The Year of the Lumin

by Andrew Ryan Henke

  The merchant’s voice called from behind, “Pleasure doing business with you.”

  Once Noir and Ratt caught up with the others and had started on their way again, Noir asked, “What was all that about back there, Ratt?”

  “Shh. Keep it down. Mister beardy pants would probably throw me to the straghs if he knew what just happened.”

  Noir stepped in closer to Ratt and said, “What are you talking about?”

  Ratt hunched his shoulders and talked quietly. “Like I said, that igniter isn’t even worth 20 tali. So I made up the difference with this.” He lifted up his sleeve and presented a gold armlet with a metal worked design that climbed up his forearm.

  “What? Where did you get that?”

  “Sleight of hand, my friend.” Ratt made a fancy gesture with his hand then pulled his sleeve back down.

  “We have to take that back, Ratt. It could jeopardize the journey.”

  “Journey?” Ratt made a mocking sound. “You sound like you’re on some great quest. Relax. That merchant is long gone by now anyway. Don’t you want to know what it does?”

  Ratt got him there. Noir was very curious, but he still protested, “But it’s stealing.”

  “Look. The igniter is worth 15 tali at most, and this is probably worth 20, so we’re even. Now let’s find out what it does.”

  Ratt checked on the two men leading horses in front of them. Neither was paying their younger companions any attention, so Ratt pulled up his sleeve again. He studied it for a moment, then took his other hand and touched a symbol that jutted out in a silver color. They watched it for a moment and nothing happened. Ratt tried it again to the same effect.

  Noir said, “Here, let me try.” Noir reached out and touched the design as well. On his touch, Noir could feel the enchant drain a small amount of his chakra. Then it glowed yellow with lux and the air around it solidified and tightened around Ratt’s arm. It stopped Ratt in his tracks, his arm held in the air in the spot where it was activated. Ratt could not stop a startled yelp.

  Grandel and Telfa stopped and turned around. They looked in confusion at Ratt’s odd pose. They pulled the horse’s reins and approached the other two.

  Telfa smiled and said, “Looks like we caught a rat.” Noir tried to hide his smile.

  “Hey, not funny,” Ratt said.

  Grandel said as he approached, “Why did you buy a prisoner’s gauntlet? Obviously you had no idea what it was, so why did you buy it?”

  Ratt avoided the large man’s eyes and stammered, “It, uh. The merchant told me what it did. I just wanted to try it out.”

  “So you stole it,” Grandel said.

  Ratt’s jaw dropped. “What? How would you know?”

  “You don’t go for years leading a military without learning how to catch a lie. Now, I’ll be taking that.” Grandel stepped forward, grabbed the armlet, and touched the silver symbol. Ratt’s arm dropped out of the device which left it in Grandel’s hands. Grandel turned and walked back to the horses. He took off one of the bags from one of the horses and placed the enchant inside. He put the bag on his shoulder, then took the rest of the bags off of the horses and walked back to Ratt.

  “I think the horses could use a break, don’t you think, Ratt?” Grandel did not smile, but a glimmer of amusement shone in his eyes.

  Ratt’s posture shrank as Grandel laid the heavy bags over the younger man’s shoulders. He took the bag containing the armlet with him. “Now, shall we continue?”

  ~~~

  Before the small party reached Hess’erabi, they came across a group of three straghs in the wilderness. They easily put the monsters down, but Grandel and Telfa both said it was odd to see them in the wild like that. This seemed to trouble Grandel greatly. Noir and Ratt were glad when they were away from the disturbing beasts.

  Chapter 26

  Hess`erabi

  Tall tan buildings rose into the sky. Their ornate carvings and tall steeples offered a stark contrast to the dirty hovels between them. They had passed into Hess'erabi before the sun had fallen down behind the horizon.

  Ratt looked up with Noir and said, “Wow. Chiron certainly puts more effort into its cities than Tier does.”

  “Hush, boy,” Grandel snapped. “If they hear that you’re a Tierian, you’ll be captured and made a slave in an instant.”

  Most people that they passed looked dirty and hard worked. Those who were clean usually had at least one person following behind them who wore the same odd silver band around their neck that the man with the merchant had worn. An occasional nobleman could be seen with an escort of bodyguards, all with silver bands, pushing their way through the crowds. The nobles wore brightly colored robes and ignored the loud people around them.

  Noir’s eyes followed the buildings up into the evening sky. None were more than a few stories high which offered little comparison to the skyscrapers that Noir was used to. But they were still impressive in their structure and style.

  Grandel had said earlier as they approached Hess’erabi that he had not passed through it in many years. Grandel’s inquisitive looks said that much had changed since he last saw it.

  The streets were mostly dusty with merchant stands lining both sides. Street vendors called out to the crowds, every one claiming to have better prices and selection than the other. Telfa stopped at one stand to ask where the nearest inn was. After receiving directions, he placed a small glowing tali on the wooden counter.

  The inn was called the Bark and Baugh, and it came highly recommended by the merchant. With a right-hand turn off of the town’s main road, they came to it. The inn was a large square structure with tall walls. It had three clay and stone-worked stories. The sign displayed the inn’s name and featured a carved picture of a soldier resting beneath a large oak tree. A young girl took their two remaining horses around to the back of the inn after receiving a tali.

  Grandel motioned for Telfa to take the lead. As Telfa opened the door, Grandel looked at the ground and hunched his shoulders, trying to draw as few eyes as possible.

  The front lobby was more elaborate than the Kuli inn. Many decorative objects hung on the walls. Where the Chauffeur’s Inn in Kuli had oil lamps to light its inside, the Bark and Baugh lobby had expensive glow spheres hung in its corners, casting pale white light around the large room. Occasionally someone would reach up and touch a dimming glow sphere causing it to glow brightly once again.

  The lobby was abuzz with chatter and drinking. Beside some of the patrons, there sat or stood a person with a silver collar. All of them stared blankly into space.

  While Telfa approached the bartender to book a room, Noir finally asked Ratt about the collars.

  “They are Chiron slaves, I think,” Ratt answered. “I have never seen one before, but I have heard the stories. The silver collars are sye enchants. It makes it so they cannot think on their own; they can only follow orders.” Ratt leaned in close and quietly said, “Despicable things if you ask me or any Tierian.”

  The Chiron slaves…. Noir’s heart sank. He couldn’t help but clench a fist. Noir remembered his history classes from school. He remembered the struggles that his world had with slavery and also the atrocities that had to occur in order to abolish it.

  While Noir studied the slaves, he overheard their owners talking. One man was dressed in nicer clothes than most of the others, though they were slightly dirty. He said to a man sitting across from him, “Did you hear about the most recent skirmish with the Tierians?”

  A second man who wore tight-fitting clothes on his thin body said, “Yeah. Sixty-one dead, right?”

  “Yeah, but I heard they lost ninety-something.”

  “If those blasted Tierians would stay away from our lands, we wouldn’t have to slaughter them.”

  “Have you heard about the roaming straghs?”

  “Indeed. It worrys me. Something is happening around here.”

  Noir looked back at Telfa who was talking with the innkeeper. He seemed to be negotiating the p
rice of their stay, so Noir returned his attention to the crowd again.

  Three people sat at another table deep in a conversation. “I saw it with my own eyes. I swear!”

  “Impossible,” a woman sitting next to him said.

  “The man’s arm grew back right before my eyes, no lie.”

  The third person at the table said, “They say he can work miracles.”

  Noir was intrigued. It sounded like they were talking about a very powerful Luxin, though Noir was pretty sure it was impossible to regenerate appendages with lux.

  Telfa was given a key and the other three started toward the staircase that would lead to their room. Noir grabbed Ratt’s shoulder and said, “I think I am going to stay down here a while. Tell Grandel I won’t be long.” Ratt gave him a questioning look but nodded.

  Noir approached the two men and one woman who were engaged in the conversation. They looked up at Noir as he approached.

  Noir hated the undercover name that Grandel had assigned him, but he used it anyway, along with the false story. “Hi, I’m Nile.” He put his thumb up over his shoulder pointing toward the stairs. “My companions and I are traveling from Kuli to buy supplies to start a mining operation near our town.”

  The woman spoke first. She was wearing a dress, but her mannerisms were not very feminine. “You seem a bit young to enjoy a tavern, boy.”

  The man sitting next to her said, “There are laws for that, you know.”

  The three looked plainly at Noir expecting a response. He thought, “They’re serious.”

  Noir said, “I’m not planning on drinking anything. I just wanted to hear more of whatever you were just talking about.”

  The man who was originally telling the story about the regenerating arm said, “Ah, you mean the Lumin.”

  Noir was taken back. “The Lumin? What do you mean?”

  The woman laughed, “See, Gotalor! He doesn’t believe it either.”

  The other man who was sitting on the side of the table by himself scooted over and said, “As long as you don’t drink, have a seat.”

  Noir sat on the end of the long bench and asked the one they called Gotalor, “So you mean the Lumin is real? He’s… here?”

  Gotalor hesitated and looked at the other two. The man next to Noir answered for him. “Well, someone claims to be the Lumin. And he can do some pretty amazing things, we’ve been told.” He shot a mocking look at Gotalor.

  Gotalor spoke defiantly, “Hey. I’ve never seen a normal Luxin heal a whole arm before.”

  The woman turned to Gotalor and asked, “And have you seen him use all three vigors? That’s what’s prophesied.”

  “Well, no, but they say he can.” The man shook his head and said, “Look, I don’t know. I just know what I saw. I think there might be some truth to him.”

  Noir was about to ask where the supposed Lumin was when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Noir looked up to see Grandel with a forced smile on his face.

  “Excuse me, gentlemen and lady. I need my companion for an important task. If you’ll excuse us.” Grandel’s fingers dug in under Noir’s collar bone and pulled slowly up. Noir had no choice but to rise and follow the larger man.

  Gotalor said behind Noir, “All right. Nice meeting you, Nile.”

  Noir followed Grandel up the stairs and to the room. After the door closed, Noir asked, “Why did you do that? I remembered to use my safe name and the story.”

  Grandel walked to the side of a bed and, keeping his back to Noir said, “You may be gifted with lux, but you are still a boy capable of blowing our cover.”

  Noir was offended. “I was fine. They didn’t ask anything about myself or the story. I'm not a little kid.”

  Grandel sat on the side of the bed with a sigh and said, “It was still foolish. Avoid contact when possible. Remember that?”

  Noir did not feel like talking to Grandel, so he turned to Ratt who was laying face down on another bed with one hand massaging a sore shoulder. “So they’ve found the Lumin.”

  Ratt’s squeezing motions on his shoulder stopped. Telfa and Grandel both looked at Noir. Ratt pushed himself up into a sitting position and said, “Do what?”

  “They were talking about it down there. They said someone who claims to be the Lumin is performing miracles.”

  Grandel suddenly came forward with great interest. There was an intensity on his face that startled Noir. “The Lumin? Did they say where?”

  Noir replied plainly, “No. Someone pulled me away before I could ask.”

  Grandel looked at Noir for another moment, and then turned toward the door. “I have to go somewhere for a while.”

  As he grabbed the handle, Telfa said, “What about people recognizing you?”

  Grandel hesitated a moment and looked over his shoulder. He said, “I’ll be fine,” and then he was gone.

  “What was that about?” Ratt asked.

  Telfa replied, “He’s always been oddly interested in the Lumin prophecies. That is why they were at the Lumin shrine when they found you. He wanted to investigate the shrine since it is the year of the Lumin.”

  Ratt hopped up from the bed. He walked toward the bag that Grandel had been carrying. “Well, since he’s gone, he won’t notice if I take back my spoils of war.” He was grinning and wiggling his fingers comically as he went for the bag. Telfa sighed but didn’t object.

  Ratt knelt next to Grandel’s bed and rummaged around inside the bag. He pulled out the decorative armlet and studied it again. “So what makes it work? Is it lux, Noir?”

  Noir had approached and sat on Grandel’s bed. “Yeah. It’s odd, though. I don’t think the person who wears it can activate and deactivate it.”

  Noir put his hand out and asked, “Would you mind if I studied it for a while?”

  Ratt looked up at Noir. “Sure, I guess. I don’t have any use for it. I just wanted it back because it’s mine.”

  Noir raised an eyebrow and said, “Well, it's not exactly yours...,” as Ratt placed the enchant in Noir’s hand.

  He opened his bag and pulled out his copy of The Three Vigors and flipped to the section on enchants. Then he took the enchant to the only table and chair in the room and began to study.

  After Telfa had taken off his armor and gone downstairs, Ratt laid on his bed and watched his friend read and study for a long while.

  Eventually, Noir turned in his chair and said, “Hey Ratt. Would you come here and activate this thing? I want to see it work again.”

  Ratt got up and walked to Noir. He had the golden device on his arm and was holding it out to Ratt. Noir focused on it very intently as Ratt touched the silver colored symbol. The device glowed yellow and solidified the air around Noir’s hand and arm. The yellow lux was familiar, yet different somehow. Noir looked closer. The lux seemed to be bound to the metal of the device in intricate pathways. It was almost like empty lux casing curved and weaved through the device hundreds of times, just waiting for someone to funnel chakra into it.

  “Amazing,” was all Noir could say as he admired it. He thought he was beginning to understand how it worked. “Okay, Ratt. Disable it.”

  Ratt gave an impish smile. “What if I don’t want to? What if I want to go over here and mess with Mr. Noir’s stuff?” He did a goofy walk over to Noir’s bag and opened it up. Noir was about to tell him not to, but he couldn’t help from smiling.

  Ratt pulled out the breastplate for Noir’s Luxin armor and put it to his chest. Then he reached down and took out the folded Luxin cloak and put the hood on his head. “Look at me, I’m a Luxin.” He did a ridiculous dance that didn’t resemble anything to do with a Luxin. The sheer idiocy of it made Noir laugh.

  Ratt put the breastplate back and turned his back to Noir. He said, “I can create light!” He turned around holding the oil lamp that had rested on the night stand next to Noir’s bed. He raised and lowered the metal cover on it making the light go on and off and whispered, “Ooh. Ahh.”

  Noir laughed and shook his h
ead. Part of him couldn’t believe he was laughing at something so foolish. He realized how good it felt with all that had happened recently. He figured that was probably how Telfa felt too being downstairs.

  Noir said through a smile, “You forget that I can still use lux.” He embraced the lux inside him and hardened the air around his cloak on Ratt’s head. He lifted it up and off, then he made a separate flow of air around Ratt’s wrist. Then he pulled it toward him making Ratt follow.

  Ratt let out a yelp and said, “All right, all right. I’m coming.” He smiled too. “You’re no fun. No fun at all.”

  Ratt put the lamp down on the table and touched the silver symbol on the enchant. Noir’s arm fell to the table and he took it off. Then Ratt went and laid down on his bed again.

  The book said that it takes someone very strong in chakra and skilled with their vigor to even begin to make an enchant. Also, extensive knowledge of the craft is necessary along with perfectly pure materials to bind the vigor to. If the substance was not pure, the enchant could malfunction in bizarre ways. Also, any object that was enchanted became nearly indestructible. On a whim, Noir put his finger in the page he had been on, closed the book, and slammed it down on the delicate-looking metal device on the table. Sure enough, the device did not bend or break in any way despite how thin the metal was. He then went and got the small stone “igniter,” as the merchant had called it. When Noir activated it, he could see nothing unlike with the lux-fueled prisoner's gauntlet.

  Noir read the book for quite a while longer. Ratt was already snoring, and Telfa had returned and crashed on his bed, obviously having enjoyed himself downstairs.

  Noir’s eyes drooped, forcing him to put aside his studying. Grandel had finally come back, but he went straight to bed without saying a word.

  Noir followed suit and crawled into his own small, lumpy bed. He thought about the enchant as he stared at the ceiling. He figured he would have to put off seriously studying it until he got to the Chiron capitol and searched for Uncle Steven.

  He fell asleep remembering lighthearted games of chess with Steven in his living room last spring before that boulder and cave had changed his life so drastically.