Nevertheless, Evisar had spoken and Valihorn had sworn to obey. Valihorn was aware of the conflicting views of despising leadership yet swearing to obey a leader such as Evisar. He supposed the difference lay in whether the leader was worthy of his support or not. Evisar had proven time and again to be intelligent, caring, honest, and forceful when the situation called for it. Valihorn respected Evisar’s leadership, so he nodded in Evisar’s direction and walked cautiously into the sunbathed street.
What he saw impressed him in a way he did not think was possible. They had to be in Jewlian, capital city of the Kingdom of Kentar. There was no other explanation for what he saw. Where Wessex had been a town and Locus a genuine city, Jewlian was a metropolis. The buildings were tall and made of brick or stone. Even the roofs were made of slate. The street was expertly constructed and ran in a straight line. There was no garbage to be seen or sewage running through the gutters. Where the streets of Locus had been made of cobblestones and the forum and open spaces paved with smooth slate tablets, the streets of Jewlian were made of uniform stone pavers fitted together with concrete, while the forums were paved with marble. Where the buildings of Locus had leaned over the streets oppressively, the streets of Jewlian were wide open with buildings that were sturdy and proud.
And the people. Everywhere Valihorn looked there were crowds of peaceful, content humans going on about their lives. Children played in the streets, businessmen rode in their horse-drawn carts, and everyone smiled to each other as they passed. Locus had seemed on the verge of revolution, whereas the citizens of Jewlian were obviously proud of where they lived and eager to please.
Valihorn looked to the right and saw an enormous castle a block down the road. He had read somewhere that the Sorcerers Academy was right next to Jewlian Castle. With nothing else to go on, Valihorn began walking toward the castle in the distance. The castle had multiple towers reaching toward the sky that were entirely surrounded by a tall, thick, stone wall. He could see the open castle gate up ahead, standing thirty feet high and ten feet thick.
Valihorn walked on the right side of the road behind a cart full of corn. The street was wide enough to accommodate three wagons side by side. The companions spoke very little as they walked down the road, looking at the fascinating sites, not wanting their accent to give them away. Evisar and Mestel seemed particularly out of place, perhaps because they had been raised in Bethel, the capital city of the elves. Valihorn had not been to Armena personally, but he had heard stories of how the city blended into the surrounding forest, with roads that curved and twisted around ancient trees that towered above the city. By contrast, Jewlian did not blend into anything, and the roads were as straight as anything Valihorn had ever seen.
He stayed carefully behind the cart in front of him, not wanting to stray too far to either side for fear of being trampled by all the traffic on the road. Several businessmen and families wished the companions well as they passed by going the other direction.
Valihorn finally chanced to look around the cart he was walking behind and saw the castle gate not far ahead. He looked to the right and saw more brick buildings and shops, but when he looked to the left he was surprised to see a huge grassy park that seemed completely out of place with the urban surroundings of the capital city. The grass was well-kept with the occasional tall tree scattered throughout. Well back from the road was a series of large brick buildings set among the trees. As Valihorn lead the companions on, he noticed a winding sidewalk with grass on either side leading into the park. The immaculately kept grounds continued right up to the outer walls of Jewlian Castle, leading Valihorn to the only logical conclusion. They had found the Sorcerers Academy.
Valihorn moved off to the right side of the road and stopped to look at the Academy. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He never imagined a place of learning could look so grand and be held in such high esteem. As he looked across the street he saw as many as twenty wizard towers rising five or six stories into the air with a number of smaller towers and buildings besides. The grassland that marked the Academy grounds stretched for a block in either direction. On the left, the Sorcerers Academy bumped up against the tall, brick buildings of Jewlian. On the right, the Academy went right up to the Jewlian Castle wall. The sidewalk on the other side of the street marked the only civilized way into the Academy.
Evisar came up behind him and said, “Is that the Sorcerers Academy?”
Valihorn nodded his head and whispered, “Is it not the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?”
“It certainly is much more attractive than the rest of Jewlian, but it doesn’t seem that special to me.”
“It was founded almost a thousand years ago. It contains the greatest concentration of thinkers in all of Tellus.”
Evisar said, “The towers are impressive, I’ll grant you that. Maybe I would be more enchanted if I was a wizard like you. I’m sure if I came across the greatest military academy on Tellus that I would be equally enthralled.”
Mestel came up and said, “That must be the Academy. Let’s cross the street and get on with it. The sooner we get rid of the cursed ring on your finger, the sooner we can continue on with our real mission to recover the First Heir.”
After making his pronouncement, Mestel walked out into the street and began navigating his way to the other side. Valihorn shook his head. A few moons ago he and Jefon had been fast friends, but ever since Jefon became Mestel, he had become more and more irritating.
Evisar said, “My brother is an excellent marksman with the bow these days, but I’m not sure how much longer I can stand to be around him.”
“When I first met the two of you, you were not just brothers, you were best friends. Now it seems the two of you can barely tolerate each other.”
Evisar continued, “What’s most irritating is that he’s right most of the time. I’ve never liked arrogant bastards, particularly when they act like they have all the answers.” Evisar looked behind him and motioned for Xander and Nero to come closer.
Nero was as silent and imposing as ever, but Xander could not help but say something. “I see Mestel is off on his own again, expecting us to follow.”
Valihorn shook his head and said, “I do not think he expects or cares whether we follow him or not. Mestel has his own agenda that he is determined to see through to the end. In his mind, he is willing to put up with us because we are helping him accomplish his goals, but he is more than happy to continue on his own.”
Valihorn looked at his friends, wondering what to do next. Evisar motioned with his arms and said, “Lead on, Valihorn. Let’s see if we can get that ring off your finger.”
Valihorn stepped off the curb and navigated his way carefully across the street. He stopped in front of the walkway that led to the Sorcerers Academy and marveled at what lay in front of him. It was amazing to him that the citizens of Jewlian walked past the Academy day in and day out without paying it any special mind. The more Valihorn thought about what he was seeing, the more convinced he became that the peasants were purposely avoiding the Academy. The citizens of Jewlian were walking quickly by without even looking in the direction of the beautiful park area. They all averted their eyes as though they were hoping not to be noticed and not to give offense. All of them, to a person, acted as though they were scared of the Academy and what it contained.
He supposed that made sense. To Valihorn this was as close to a place of worship as he had ever seen, but to ordinary peasants, it was a mystical place where things occurred that they did not understand. Regardless of what he had seen this last half year, in anyplace else on Tellus magic was so rare that it was a thing of legend. Peasant folk used stories of good and evil wizards fighting each other to put their kids to bed at night. Healing magic was slightly more common, but even divine healing was viewed as a miracle out in the country side. In large cities it was not unheard of for the lame to be healed and the blind to receive sight, but these events were stories that always seemed to be to
ld second- or third-hand.
It was not that Valihorn thought of the people of Tellus as idiots, it’s just that they were ignorant. Most people resided in a single town their entire lives, never traveling more than twenty miles away from their birthplace. They were born, worked, married, had children to carry on their names, and died – all within twenty miles of each other. This gave most people a very narrow view of the world.
This was not the countryside, and Valihorn was not a peasant. This was the Sorcerers Academy of Kentar, and he was a wizard in his own right. He mentally prepared himself for what lay in front of him, then he walked down the path that led into the Academy. At first, they did not see anything moving except for a rabbit and a few squirrels. As the companions walked along, the green grass gave way to the occasional tree that provided shade from the afternoon sun. The walkway wound gently through the trees and the companions slowly closed in on the buildings up ahead. Valihorn continued down the stone path and walked underneath an archway that spanned a dormitory on the left and a six-story tower on the right. Once inside the campus the stone pathway diverged in three separate directions. One continued straight while the other two went to the right and left at right angles. There were several humans in view. Most wore robes covered in purple, but one lady they passed had sections of white around the collar and lining. Valihorn was not a great judge of human ages, but it seemed to him that every person he saw was a young adult between the ages of ten and twenty.
The companions stood on the divergent path, not knowing where to go next. Some of the students who passed by looked at them oddly, but other than that no one paid them any mind. It was not long before an older man wearing a half purple and half white robe came down the center path. He could have been sent to see what was going on with the strangers, but it seemed to Valihorn like the man was on his way to somewhere else when he spotted the companions and changed his course to investigate. As the man walked closer, he looked each of the companions up and down in turn and eventually focused his attention on Valihorn, presumably because he was out in front and assumed to be the leader.
The man said, “Good day to you. Is there something I can help you with?”
Valihorn looked around uncertainly before answering. “Yes, we have a critical matter to discuss with the leaders of the Sorcerers Academy. Can you possibly tell us where they might be found?”
The man looked them over again before deciding to be helpful rather than lead them back out to the street. “Yes, I would be happy to show you to the Administration Building.” The man escorted them to one of the many three-storied office buildings on the other side of the main quad. On the way, the man said, “My name is Bristol, and I am a professor here at the Academy.” The companions introduced themselves in turn. After the introductions were finished, Bristol said, “I am a wizard of moderate power, nothing compared to the best we have to offer at the Academy. Still, based on a simple spell that I cast as I approached your group, I was able to discern that Valihorn, Xander, and Faye are the only members of your group who are not dead inside. Is that correct?”
Without meaning to, Valihorn actually laughed outloud. “What? What do you mean, dead inside?”
“I am sorry. I am so used to talking with other Sorcerers that I sometimes forget the ignorance that exists outside the Academy. I meant no offense to the rest of your group. I simply meant that the three of you are the only ones in your group with any sort of magical potential.”
Valihorn said, “Well, that is true. I study the arcane arts, while Xander is a priest. We have been told that Faye has a good deal of magic potential, but she has never received any sort of training.”
Bristol nodded and said, “Xander, I see by the rainbow on the breast of your armor that you follow Fortuna, Goddess of Luck.”
“That is correct.”
Bristol said, “You will find at the Academy that we respect divine magic, but that is as far as our hospitality extends. It is well known at the Academy that casting divine spells is trivial compared to the years of learning required to cast the easiest of arcane spells. It is also not lost on the Academy that arcane spells are far more powerful than their divine counterparts.”
Valihorn looked behind him to see how Xander would react after being insulted to his face. It was plainly obvious that Bristol was oblivious to the offense he was giving, but Xander was not known for holding his tongue.
To his relief, Xander smiled broadly and said, “I’ll try to keep your advice in mind. It’s comforting just knowing that I am a member of the club.”
“I would think so,” Bristol said as he reached the front door of the building and held it open for the companions to pass through.
Bristol sat with them patiently in a waiting room until one of the Administrators of the Academy became available. The companions were eventually led into an Administrator’s office, where they were treated politely and asked to tell the story of the ring to the middle-aged man who sat across from them. Valihorn was asked to tell his story a second time to a woman, and then a third time to a Sorcerer named Kyle. The bureaucracy continued into mid-afternoon. Each time Valihorn repeated his story, it was to an Administrator with more and more white in his or her robes, and less and less purple. The professor they had met in the open quad had worn a robe that was half white and half purple. The woman’s robe had been three quarters white. The third time Valihorn recited the story, Kyle had been wearing a white robe with purple trim around the collar, sleeves, and down the front.
Kyle cast two spells on the ring and seemed rather shocked by the results. He hurried out of the room after telling the companions to stay there until he returned. Shortly after he left the building, a squad of five knights backed by two mid-ranking Sorcerers walked up to the man’s office and stood guard outside. Each knight wore a breast plate with the sigil of a palm up, open hand with red and orange flames spewing forth. It was difficult to see, but the pummel of each sword also had the sigil of a wizard hand with flames emerging on it. The squad did not say anything and stayed a respectful distance away. Valihorn surmised that they were there to hold the companions in place, in case they decided to slip away.
Kyle eventually returned with Bristol in tow. Kyle said, “We are convening an emergency session of the Sorcerers leadership in order to discuss the ring and decide its fate. Unfortunately, it will take some time to assemble all of the Administrators in the Great Hall.” He stopped talking and looked at Bristol.
The Professor cleared his throat. “Therefore, it would honor us if you would join me and the rest of the students for our evening meal in the dining hall. Would you mind accompanying me to Viscom Hall and partaking of our excellent food while my colleague gathers the leadership in the Great Hall?”
Valihorn looked at Evisar; it was clear that neither of them wanted to eat a meal while their fate hung in the balance, but obviously they did not have a choice. Valihorn needed to get the cursed ring taken off of his finger and stored in a safe place before the Plane of Chaos collided with Tellus – and the only ones who could help were the Sorcerers. So, until the ring was off his finger, Valihorn would reluctantly do whatever was asked. And if they were forced to wait while the leadership gathered, then there was no better way to pass the time than by eating a good meal.
Valihorn said, “The honor would be ours.”
Sometime later, as the meal progressed, Valihorn become more and more agitated. He understood the reasons behind the delay, but the uncertainty was killing him. He wanted to know one way or the other what was going to happen to him and the ring. How could he have been so stupid as to come into the dragon’s service? How could he have been so stupid as to put the cursed ring on his finger in the first place? He knew he had not really had a choice in either case, but that did not solve the problem at hand or make him feel any better. Professor Bristol pointed out the artwork in the room and gave the history of Viscom Hall, but mostly they passed the time with meaningless small talk. Valihorn found out the knights tha
t stood watch over the companions earlier were from the Knights of the Order, soldiers who served as the elite security force on Academy grounds. The meal finally drew to a close and then it was time. A page came up beside the Professor and whispered something in his ear. The Professor nodded and continued eating his dessert as if nothing was amiss.
Perhaps the Sorcerers were trying to drive him mad. If so, their plan was working brilliantly. When were they going to get on with it?
Finally, Professor Bristol said, “If you are finished with your meal, the Administrators are ready for us in the Great Hall.”
Valihorn jumped out of his seat and nearly bolted for the door, but somehow managed to restrain himself. The Professor led them out of Viscom Hall and walked to another side of the square-shaped quad. The building they approached was made almost entirely of marble, with white marble columns out front and an odd-looking stone tower that rose five stories off to one side. Having the stone tower attached to such a magnificent building was odd enough, but the oddest thing was the large circle that hung above the door. The circle had two long arrows attached at its center with a series of hashmarks on the outer edge. Valihorn could not take his eyes off the immense circle, even though the larger marble building should have held his attention.
The Professor talked as he walked. “The Sorcerers Academy was originally founded by Viscom the Clear nearly a thousand years ago. The Academy and the Kingdom of Kentar grew up together. The two entities serve each other faithfully, as one cannot exist without the other. The King grants us this land and provides us food and money to live on so that we may pursue our studies. In exchange, we aid the Army of Kentar when they call for assistance, keep the great Library of Jewlian, add a certain mystique which our enemies fear, and advise the King and his court on the wisdom of their decisions.”
Do the Gods Give Us Hope? Page 30