by Sigrid Kraft
A happy dullness filled Eryn’s brain and set his mind at peace.
Two days had passed since they had set out on their way and now as it grew dark, they set up camp for the night. Xeres used magic to send Eryn into a deep sleep.
With the help of the intoxicating herb he has almost no will of his own. Which makes keeping control of him so much easier. The savage seems to have no idea of his true magical skills. Even worse: It seems he has no knowledge of the civilized world at all. He has obviously spent his whole life nowhere else but in the mountains, and those people stubbornly reject magic. Well, it’s none of my business in the end. I have found this incredibly talented man and will take him to the Masters. Let them rack their brains trying to teach him something.
Xeres fumbled out the seal and again attempted to make contact. He had already tried unsuccessfully several times before. Again he stared at the seal and suddenly the voice of the first mage sounded back at him: “Greetings, Master Xeres. What matter brings you to contact me?”
The seeker was a little startled at first but composed himself quickly:
“Master Elderon, I have found a gifted one.” Master Xeres had intended to announce the matter with more pathos but it was only these banal words that crossed his lips.
With a soft voice Master Elderon replied: “Well isn’t it your job to find the gifted?”
The seeker cleared his throat: “True, but this one is very special. He has all twelve circles.”
Silence. I have actually managed to impress the first mage!
Xeres waited until Master Elderon showed just how impressed he was: “That is incredible. Take the child directly to Aleroth. I’ll be back in three days and I look forward to seeing this miracle with my own eyes.”
Xeres cleared his throat again: “Erm, I wouldn’t call him a ‘child’ any more. I estimate the young man’s age to be around twenty.”
“How can it be that no one has noticed such an incredible talent before?” said the first mage in disbelief.
“Well, Master Elderon, he is one of those Fenn, a tribe settled in the mountains. The man’s name is Eryn, and his warrior name is Bloodhand – sounds really savage. As I discovered, he was part of a group of outlaws for several years. Another really odd thing about him is that he seems to know nothing of his own powers. Even worse – he rejects all kinds of magic as blasphemy.”
Master Elderon had listened in silence and now sounded doubtful: “This story is very peculiar indeed. Are you sure?”
“Absolutely!”
“And that man follows you now of his own free will?”
Yet again Xeres cleared his throat, as was his habit. “Well... not exactly. I snatched him right away from execution in Ardeen. In a town far in the north called Falgars Vale, he was sentenced to death for a number of crimes. The noose was already round his neck. But I took him anyway, even though he looks dangerous and somehow unpredictable. I drugged him to keep him better under my control.”
“Well, when will you be in Aleroth?” Elderon asked pensively.
“Tomorrow noon I will reach Ragagate.” The only way to travel magically was with the use of artifacts – the so-called gates. Half a century before, it had been possible for some mages who had the Circle of Gold to travel by creating gates of their own, but when the Nimrod spell was cast, all the golden essence had disappeared from the world. Without the Circle of Gold, traveling was only possible with the help of a gate. Ragagate was located in a valley between the mountains of Ardeen and the neighboring country, Loreney.
“Well, Master Xeres, take him to Aleroth, then. I will inform Master Talasin of your arrival. Farewell for now, seeker.” The connection was cut off.
The next day, they arrived at Ragagate without further delay. Right beside the gate, the mages had established an inn with a stable built at the back. Xeres ordered Eryn to wait while he tended to the horses. The young man stared dumbly at the ground and was lost in his cloudy and confused thoughts. When Xeres came back, he took his precious find to the gate.
First there was nothing more than two columns of weather-beaten stone. But then a flickering wall appeared between them. Xeres needed all his powers of persuasion to get Eryn to even approach the magical wall. The young man, who was completely drugged, moaned aloud about how the lights were wrong, calling it witchcraft, devil’s work, impure, treacherous sorcery and all sorts of other things.
Xeres had to lure him forward as if he were a shy horse. The moment they were finally close enough, the seeker used the simplest instrument of persuasion. He grabbed Eryn from behind and gave him a hefty shove. Both men fell through the gate. The Fenn started to struggle wildly and Xeres had to use all his strength not to let him go.
Walking through a gate without a practiced guide was extremely dangerous for an inexperienced person. If you got lost, you could reappear anywhere – or in the worst case, vanish forever. Fortunately, the dangerous moment soon passed and they emerged at the gateroom at Aleroth, where Master Talasin already awaited them. Eryn still was lashing about crazily and tore loose of Xeres’ grip. Or rather, Xeres let him go before the young man could harm him accidentally. Then Master Talasin immediately worked his magic and Eryn slumped into a deep sleep.
As the right hand of Master Elderon, Talasin was in charge of all matters of administration and organization here in Aleroth. Now, in the absence of Master Elderon, he had to deal with everything concerning the Tower and the Great Academy. He was a rather gifted mage, but he could not keep up at all with Master Elderon’s skills. Nonetheless, he was able to handle the savage without a problem, and Xeres was rather glad to hand over his interesting discovery.
“Thanks, Master Talasin. You are already informed?”
Master Talasin nodded and gave the sleeping man on the floor a long stare: “So he is the one. You drugged him with intoxicating herbs?” It was more a statement than a question.
“For safety reasons – his and mine. He was already standing on the gallows. In Ardeen he is an outlaw.”
“A faithful subject of the Black Prince,” Talasin remarked sarcastically. “And he knows nothing of his gift?”
Xeres shook his head: “As far as I could make sense of his words – not at all.”
The mage’s glance was transfigured briefly. Although Xeres couldn’t do that kind of magic himself, he knew that Master Talasin was now reading Eryn’s thoughts.
“Only nonsense,” Talasin whispered, shaking his head. “First I will sober him up and then I’ll have a word with him. Twelve Circles – an impressive discovery, Master Xeres. But I fear that man will mean great trouble. Why couldn’t it have been a child from a good family? Although... if I think of the highborn Towerlord of Naganor – in that case, coming from a good family didn’t help at all.” He looked down again at Eryn and said: “We shall see.”
Then Master Talasin turned to a desk in the corner of the small room and took a well-filled pouch, which he held out to Xeres.
“Nevertheless, here for your effort, a payment worthy of your discovery. Or at least I hope so. Time will tell.”
At this moment, an appreciable sum changed hands. When Xeres felt the weight of the pouch in his palm, he thanked Master Talasin effusively.
Before Master Talasin discovers more negative sides to Eryn and claims his money back, I had better take my leave.
They exchanged a few more words of farewell before Xeres disappeared back through the gate.
5. Aleroth – The White Tower
When Eryn first awoke, it was with the most hellish headache.
What happened? Everything in my memory is so blurred. We fought the Lowlanders and lost. Afterward, they were about to hang me when this man Xeres showed up and freed me.
He tried to piece together what had happened next, but the large blanks in his mind remained empty.The very bad headache didn’t exactly help him to concentrate either, so he soon gave up and with a deep sigh, sank back on to the bed, closed his eyes and tried to relax.
Wherever I might be now, it is not the worst accommodation and I am still alive. They’re obviously going to do me no harm so I might as well rest a while till this pounding headache is gone.
Someone entered the room and this time, Eryn was woken up by the sound of the door opening. He still felt dizzy, but the worst of the hammering in his head had fortunately stopped. He sat upright and examined the man who had walked in. His black hair was sprinkled with the first streaks of gray, he had a nose that was conspicuously large and hooked, and light brown eyes.
A bit on the skinny side and not very muscular. The man doesn’t look like a well-trained fighter. He’s also not carrying any weapons. That white robe and the richly decorated belt are more fitting of a priest.
The man introduced himself with a deep, melodious voice:
“I am Talasin. You are sure to have many questions, but first you should drink this. It will clear your head.” Talasin handed Eryn a small bottle.
Suspiciously, the Fenn took it and Talasin smiled in amusement before explaining in a decidedly friendly manner:
“It’s a potion of herbs. You can trust me. If we wished to harm you, we wouldn’t have gone to all the trouble of bringing you here. Has your rest helped you to recover a little?”
That makes sense. Eryn drained the bottle in a single gulp. Tastes disgustingly bitter.
The positive effects were immediate, however, and Eryn’s mind cleared again.
“Thanks, Talasin. But where am I?”
“You are in Aleroth, the White Tower. It is also the seat of the Great Academy of the Brotherhood.”
Doesn’t mean anything to me. White Tower? And what kind of Brotherhood? Dimly, Eryn remembered that Xeres had announced himself as ‘seeker of the Brotherhood’. “What is this Brotherhood?”
Master Talasin raised an eyebrow in astonishment: “You have never heard of us? Well then, the Brotherhood is the alliance of mages all around the world, and here in Aleroth is the headquarters where the first mage, Master Elderon, lives. In addition to the Tower, there is the Great Academy – the largest institution there is for educating mages and carrying out research.”
Hell, what on earth have I got drawn into? This man talks about magic as if it is the most natural thing in the world. But wasn’t magic condemned by the Gods and wiped from the face of the earth when the Nimrod came into existence?
“And you are a mage?”
“Exactly, I am a mage of the eighth grade.”
Whatever the eighth grade means...? How many grades are there, anyway? Eight seems a pretty high number so I ought to be wary of this man. I suppose he is only being so friendly because he wants to manipulate me. “What do you really want of me?” Eryn asked gruffly.
Talasin remained calm: “One of our seekers found you. Apparently, you understand nothing of our world, so I will explain it all to you. Seekers travel throughout the land in search of persons with great magical abilities. All living beings have magic inside them, even the smallest and most inconspicuous. But in most men, the magical powers are so weak that it isn’t worth undertaking the long and difficult education to become a mage. You should know that it is a great honor to be allowed to study in Aleroth.”
Everything he said was the complete opposite of the Fenn’s view of the world.
“And that means... I have magical powers, too?” concluded Eryn.
Talasin confirmed this: “Indeed. To be specific, your talent is extraordinary.”
That’s codswallop! I have no magic – never did.
Talasin answered as if he had heard these thoughts: “You have great powers. That is a fact. You can’t use them yet, but you will learn to.
He decides about my life as if I had no say in it at all.
“Am I a prisoner now?” Eryn asked brusquely.
Talasin brushed the question aside: “A guest. Think of all the possibilities we are offering you here. What a great chance to leave your old life behind. No one here will ask you about your past or about the burden of guilt you have weighing on your shoulders. You start anew – looking into a bright future. Very seldom is someone given such a second chance in his life.”
How dare the mage talk about guilt! He makes it sound almost like ‘crime’. Exactly like the Lowlanders’ talk on the day of my execution.
“I will never forget my past, or my parents and how they were murdered by the Lowlanders. I respect deeply the teaching about the true Gods and the rules of nature. The customs and the honor of the Fenn were what we fought for after we were robbed of our land. The Lowlanders call us outlaws and criminals but they are the true criminals!” Eryn had spoken heatedly and there was accusation in his tone, which he regretted a little. After all, Talasin had done him no harm.
I don’t want to be discourteous. The man has treated me kindly. But I want to make the decisions about my life of my own free will. And I certainly have no intention of learning the dark art of magic.
Eryn’s lack of self-control did not appear to affect Master Talasin. On the contrary, it almost seemed to amuse the mage.
“We are not Lowlanders, as you call the subjects of Ardeen. Mages come from everywhere, from every country of the world and we are not involved in the childish squabbles of individual nations. Such behavior is beneath the dignity of men like us.” A glimmer of disgust flickered over his face, and then he asked: “And what is it you want to do now, Eryn, if you could choose freely?”
I have not mentioned my name. Though he has probably spoken with Xeres about me. “I want to leave, to hold my fate in my own hands and choose any path that pleases me.” Now he will detain me or at least try to persuade me to stay.
Talasin’s words came as a surprise: “Then go wherever you please. If you wish to return, you will always be welcome here.”
Eryn rose apprehensively. He feared that the mage was up to something – but nothing happened. Talasin even began to describe the path he should take:
“When you walk out of the house, follow the street to the south and you will soon leave Aleroth behind you. I won’t hold you back – go now if you like, and farewell.”
“Thanks,” Eryn said abashed. He walked over to the door and opened it.
Free. I can’t believe it.
The corridor ended in a small vestibule with a door that led outside. Eryn strode through the door and jumped down the few steps to the road. Then he looked back over his shoulder. Behind him an enormous tower extended into the sky.
I have never seen such a building. Is it really built completely out of white marble? It seems as if its upper levels were touching the clouds.
He held his breath in admiration. Perhaps up there you can walk out of a door and step right on to a cloud. And when you walk over the carpet of clouds, might you find the Gods? And even talk to them? Eryn bent his head as far back as he could and still he couldn’t see the top of the tower.
This building is a great miracle – or just profane magic.
That possibility deflated his amazement. Quickly, he turned away and followed the road south as Talasin had described. He passed by other people, but they didn’t pay much interest to him. They were all preoccupied and seemed rather happy men and women, who laughed and joked as they went about their work.
Eryn walked through an archway and passed a few stone houses to the left and right. To him the buildings were all enormous. Already in Falgars Vale he had been impressed by the big houses but what he saw now was beyond his wildest imagination.
Perhaps I really should go back and make a new start here. Everything seems to be so free from care.
This was Eryn’s common sense talking, but his heart told him to leave. No, I have made the right decision. I don’t belong in this place. The mages are trying to lead me astray. Perhaps all this temptation is a test of the Gods. The rules and traditions of the Fenn are holy to me. I have grown up as a Fenn, I will live as a Fenn and when the time comes, die as a Fenn. I vow as the proud warrior I am, never to betray the Fenn’s ways.
The road led almost directly to the south, and before long, Eryn had left the Academy behind. Here he met no more people. The land he walked through was completely unknown to him. A range of mountains sprawled against the skyline a good distance away to the northwest, and Eryn gazed at them long and hard in search of a familiar landmark.
They aren’t the mountains of my homeland. I have known every nook and cranny of those since I was a young child. So where am I?
And where shall I go anyway? Should I try to go back to the places of my past, where death and destruction extinguished everything that was of any meaning to me? Or shall I trust the words of the prophecy and embark on a completely new life? I am free to go wherever I want.
He had not got over his surprise that Talasin had let him go just like that.
No endless discussions to persuade me, no threats. That is the behavior of a really great man. Talasin is an honest man, even if he practices evil magic. Perhaps magic isn’t so wrong after all. It certainly did an amazingly quick job of healing my leg – which would have taken months to cure otherwise.
On a whim, Eryn left the road and turned cross-country. The day was bright and barely a cloud marred the perfect blue of the sky. A fresh breeze ensured a comfortable and moderate temperature, and the scent of flowering meadows and large forests filled the air. At this point, a small river crossed his path.
He lingered there for a while, collecting a few sharp-edged stones which he could use as a knife and arrowheads. Naturally, iron would be better, but he had to make do with what he could lay his hands on. From a nearby bush he broke off a branch and fashioned it into a harpoon for fishing in the slow flowing water of the river. Plenty of fish swam around there, and for a survival expert, it was not difficult to land a good catch. Soon fish sizzled over a fire and filled the air with a mouth-watering smell. To make the food even more exquisite, Eryn had gathered some berries. When it was finished, the superb meal left nothing to be desired.