“I am very disappointed in you boys,” he began in a stern tone. “This is an academy of learning, not an alley. When you are within these walls, I expect you to act like gentlemen. If you must act like animals, do it somewhere else!” He then looked directly at Rudy. “Rudyard, I know that your father would not be pleased if he heard of this incident. If you and your friends promise that this will never happen again, I will not inform him of it. Nonetheless, you four will spend your free day tomorrow in your rooms thinking of how this kind of a thing can be avoided. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Headmaster Brock,” they muttered in unison.
“Good! You may now head down to your rooms. You four have already had enough excitement for one night.”
All four of them grumbled quietly under their breath as they walked past Traven and out of the office. Traven then found himself standing before the headmaster’s desk alone. Headmaster Brock shook his head before going on.
“Your name is Traven. Am I correct?”
“Yes, sir,” Traven replied.
“You just got here today. You should be glad you made it today instead of tomorrow. If you had not made it today, you would not be attending here. As it is, you made it barely in time so you are a student. Our problem now is that not only are you a peasant and showed up late, you also got into a fight immediately upon arriving.”
“I am sorry, sir, but I can explain about-”
“There is nothing for you to explain,” the headmaster said, cutting Traven off. “I really could care less as to why you were late or how you came to be involved in that brawl. What I do care about is that you understand that we do not like trouble makers here. I allowed you to be enrolled here because this year we have a small group of students. Usually I would have refused your kind. I run a very respectable school. Many of the wealthiest merchants and nobles send their sons to this academy. That young man that you apparently punched in the eye is of noble blood and is the son of one of the wealthiest traders in all of Kalia. You on the other hand are no one.
“I do not know how your family got the money to send you here, but they did. Now I do not like to kick anyone out of the academy once they have paid, but if you are involved in any other problems I will be forced to. Out of all the students there were no fights all week until you arrived. I do not want you blemishing my academy. If you are involved in any other problems or even think of causing problems, I will not hesitate to throw you out. So, Traven, do you understand what I am saying?”
“Yes, sir,” Traven answered quietly with downcast eyes.
“Then make sure you are on your best behavior, and we should not have any more problems. You will also spend your free day tomorrow in your room and be thankful that that is all. I will hopefully not be seeing you in my office again, young man. Now head down to bed.”
“Yes, Headmaster Brock.”
Traven walked out of the room and headed for the stairs. He could not believe the way the headmaster had talked to him! He hadn’t thought he would be treated any worse by the headmaster than anyone else. Mr. Kiscin had warned him about the prejudices, but he hadn’t fully believed him until now. He was mostly upset at the fact that the headmaster hadn’t cared about what had really happened. He didn’t care who started fights, he just cared that there weren’t any more. Traven knew that he’d better be extra careful if he wanted to stay at the school. He decided to do his best and steer clear of the four troublemakers. He would show Headmaster Brock that he was as well behaved and just as intelligent as any of the richer students. As soon as he got to his room, he got ready for bed and went to sleep. He hoped that today’s events weren’t an indicator of how the term was going to be.
Traven woke early the next morning. He was used to getting up to do his exercises and wondered if it would violate the headmaster’s commands if he left his room to exercise. He seriously thought about risking it but decided that it was not worth it. He did not want to take the chance of getting kicked out of the academy. Instead of going outside to practice, he just practiced stationary sword patterns in his room. When he was done, he washed up with the water in the wash basin and got dressed in his black clothes once again. He had planned on washing his riding clothes, but he wouldn’t be able to if he was stuck in his room all day. He sat down on his bed and waited for the breakfast bell to ring. Traven waited for what seemed like forever, listening to his stomach growl. At last the breakfast bell finally rang.
He waited a while before leaving his room, being careful to avoid anyone that might be a problem. When he came out, the hall was empty except for Thad who appeared to be waiting for him. Traven shut his door and walked over to Thad. They then headed towards the dining hall. They arrived there at the end of the line as they had the previous evening. After getting bowls full of a steaming porridge, they slapped butter on the top and some sugar before sitting down at the end of the table. They ate mostly in silence with only a few comments about the food. When they were done, they headed back up to Traven’s room.
“So what happened up in Headmaster Brock’s office,” Thad asked as soon as the door was shut. “I have heard that Rudy and his friends are quite upset.”
“Brock just revoked our free day. We have to stay in our rooms for the whole day. I guess that really isn’t all that bad. I also got warned that if it happened again, I’d be kicked out of the school.”
“What about the rest of them?”
“They were just asked not to do it again. Oh well, I guess it doesn’t really matter anyway.” Traven shrugged and sat down on his bed.
“I am sorry about everything,” Thad said after a minute. “I never got a chance to thank you. Rudy has been bothering me and some of the other students since the beginning of school, but none of us was brave enough to stand up to him. Thank you.” Thad patted Traven’s shoulder before turning to leave. As he was going out the door he turned back around. “I have a book you could borrow if you want so that you are not just sitting here doing nothing.”
“That would be nice,” Traven answered with a smile.
Thad came back a few minutes later with the book. He left it with Traven and headed out to go and buy some things he needed. Traven read the book for a little while but eventually had to put it down. It was a book on philosophy. It seemed like it might be interesting if you understood what you were reading, but most of the ideas mentioned left him confused. He decided to just lie down on his bed and rest. He spent the remainder of the day sleeping, trying to read Thad’s book, and practicing some of his exercises. The day dragged out forever, but at last it came to an end. When Traven went to sleep for the night, he was anxious for the morning to come and to finally be able to get his schooling underway.
He woke up early as usual and went down to the backyard of the school. It was empty since it was so early in the morning, and there was plenty of room for Traven to do his exercises. When he was done, he headed back up to his room. He passed a few teachers in the halls as they were heading down for breakfast. They all gave him strange looks as he passed. He figured they were not used to seeing any of the students get up to exercise early in the morning. He knew that he would never have done it before he met Blaize. Ever since he had started, however, if he missed practicing in the morning for more than a day or two he began to feel sluggish and lazy. By the time he had cooled off, the breakfast bell rang. He waited outside Thad’s door for him, and then they went down to the mess hall.
When they were done eating, Traven didn’t know what to expect. He still didn’t know what his schedule was or what classes he would be taking. Thad told him that all of the students in their hall followed the same schedule and to just follow him. Traven got up and followed Thad back to his room. After Thad retrieved some books and papers, Traven followed him up to the third floor and into a classroom. The class was filled with large, wooden desks all facing the front of the room where there was a blackboard. The room was devoid of people except for the instructor. Traven was happy to find that the in
structor was actually Mr. Kiscin. Mr. Kiscin greeted Thad and Traven. He then got the books and paper out that Traven would need. After receiving his supplies, he pulled out a chair and sat down next to Thad in one of the front desks. Pulling out the drawer under the desk, he found several extra quill pens for the bottle of ink that was already in the upper right hand corner of his desk and some extra paper. After pulling out one of the quill pens, he leaned back in his chair and waited for class to start.
Soon other students began to slowly file into the room in small clumps of threes and fours. When the bell rang for the second time that morning, almost all of the desks were occupied by sleepy eyed students. Traven, however, was wide awake and ready to go. The lesson was an overview of different products to trade in different seasons. They then went over the biggest trade routes in Kalia, Balthus, Selba, and Cydus, including sea routes. After Mr. Kiscin was done teaching the class, they all moved down the hall into another classroom. This class consisted of arithmetic and penmanship while the rest throughout the day focused mainly on the value of products, including how to purchase them at low prices and sell them at high prices for a profit. By the end of the first day, Traven’s head was swimming with newfound knowledge.
The second day of school was much the same as the first. He was happy to find, however, that his classes were different and that there was even a physical fitness class. Many of the other students didn’t seem to enjoy it, but Traven was grateful for the physical activity after the long hours spent sitting in class. The third day was like the first and the fourth like the second. Traven learned everything from the names of spices and herbs to the qualities and value of different types of fabric. He began to learn why certain things were worth so much while others could be bought for next to nothing. As the weeks went by he soon had a firm grip on what being a merchant was all about. It really didn’t seem all that difficult to him.
Traven worked hard at his classes and behaved well. Rudy and his friends continued to jeer at him and do small things when no one was watching. He shrugged off the annoyance and concentrated on his studies. He was learning many new things, but the classes got to a point where they were almost all exactly the same. The concepts were repeated with slightly different details and examples. Traven kept up with his work and grades, but the confined academy slowly began to get to him. He felt that he needed some kind of change.
At first the classes had been new and interesting, but as the days went by he found himself more and more often daydreaming during the lessons. He still found the knowledge interesting, but he felt the need to be out actually doing something. Spending all day listening to lectures and completing assignments at nights was too boring and dull. Traven began to spend much of his time dreaming of adventures or of becoming a wealthy merchant instead of paying attention in class and to his work. He was still able to pass all of his exams with relative ease, but he was beginning to get extremely restless. He began practicing his exercises both in the mornings and in the evenings, but even that could not quell his need for action. After his days with Blaize, the merchant academy just seemed dull.
Winter came with its freezing winds and snowstorms. Traven found himself more and more often cooped up inside the school. The merchant academy was not as fun as he had at first thought it would be. He kept himself going, however, with the hope of a good job when the two years of schooling were over and with his adventurous daydreams. After a week of a particularly harsh blizzard, the clouds lifted and the air was crisp and clear. There was a cheerfulness in the air that Traven could not help but feel. It was their free day, and he convinced Thad to roam around the city with him. Maybe out in the city he would find something to satisfy his hunger for action. Nothing exciting, however, happened during their trip into the city. Thad showed Traven the royal library of Kalia and some of the interesting sculptures in the plazas. It was still nice to have a change of scenery. Traven returned back to the academy in the evening feeling slightly refreshed and dived back into his studies.
21
“I think I see one,” Kalista exclaimed quietly as she pointed at a large snowdrift in the distance. The High King brought his hand up to shield his eyes from the glare of the sun as he peered where his daughter was pointing.
“I do not know if I can see anything over there dear,” he said apologetically. “It is about time we head back to the palace anyway.”
“No, father, I am certain I saw something move. Please keep watching for a little longer.”
The other men in the hunting party joined in staring at the far off snowdrift. The glare of the sun off of the freshly fallen snow made Kalista’s eyes water as she continued to stare. She was sure she had seen movement earlier. She was sure of it. Just when she began to question if maybe her mind had been playing tricks on her, a gust of wind blew into their faces and the hunter dogs began to get excited as they sniffed the air. She suddenly saw another burst of movement in front of the large snowdrift. Looking around she smiled, seeing that several of the other men in the party had also seen the movement.
“I told you.”
“Yes you did, dear. Well I waited did I not? Now let us go and bag our first snow lion of the year!” he said excitedly.
The hunting party quickly moved to surround the beast. Three men rode far to the left of the large snowdrift while three others rode to the right. Another man made a wide circle around the snowdrift to the back, bringing all three hunting dogs with him. Kalista, the High King, and his two personal bodyguards stayed in front of the drift. She joined in with the rest of the men as they strung their bows and all began to move slowly towards the drift, tightening their noose around the snow lion. After they had gotten a little closer to the drift, the man with the hunting dogs released them.
The three dogs immediately began to bellow as they ran for the snow drift. As the hunting dogs got closer, Kalista waited anxiously for the lion to try to make its escape. Suddenly a gray blur erupted from the edge of the snow drift, flying in her general direction. The hounds began to run faster as their prey was now in sight. Kalista stared in awe as the large cat bounded over the snow away from the hounds on its large, padded feet. The magnificent creature’s pure white coat blended in with the white snow while its black mane created a sharp contrast. The creature’s escape from the hunting dogs, however, only brought it within the range of the hunters’ bows. Kalista raised her bow and locked on to the swiftly moving target. When she was sure it was close enough for her to hit, she let her arrow fly. The pure whiteness of the snow-covered grasslands suddenly burst with bright red, but the snow lion barely flinched as it let out a snarl. It changed directions effortlessly even with her arrow sprouting from its chest.
Kalista strung another arrow as she watched the creature head for the gap between her and the three men on her left. Several arrows from the other men struck the powdery snow behind the bounding lion before one of the men’s arrows found its mark. The animal kept up its speed, however, as she once again hit the target. She did not think that the arrows were having any effect on the beast, but then realized that the hunting dogs were beginning to close the gap. One more arrow from the hunters hit the noble creature before it was through the large gap and charging out into the white plains away from them. Behind the snow lion the pureness of the snow was stained with an ever lengthening trail of scarlet.
Kalista watched with excitement as the hunting dogs broke the gap and began closing the distance between them and their prey faster and faster. She saw them catch the snow lion far in the distance. She booted her mare to join in with the men as they hurried to get closer to the struggle taking place in the distance. Kalista stared in amazement at the scene before her as she got closer. The hunting dogs had the beast surrounded, but it would not surrender. Even in its weakened state, the snow lion sent a careless hunting dog sprawling backwards with a swipe of its massive paw. It let out a ferocious growl as it tried to watch all three dogs at the same time. The three dogs continued to circle the creatur
e, taking turns at jumping forward to damage their prey. Anytime one of them was too careless, it was sent sprawling backwards by the snow lion. Kalista watched as the snow lion’s blood continued to stain the snow around it. The loss of blood was slowly beginning to take effect as the snow lion became more and more sluggish. He began to miss the hunting dogs with his swipes and to waiver on his feet. The dogs sensed his weakness and began to step up their attacks. They were soon attacking the creature incessantly. The magnificent beast finally let out one more snarl of defiance before crashing to the trampled red snow beneath its feet.
The hunting dogs were immediately upon the defeated animal. The hunters quickly dismounted and hurried to pull their dogs away from the dying creature. As soon as the dogs were under control, one of the men carefully approached the snow lion and ended its lamentable wheezing. The creature then lay silent and still in the soft snow now stained with its blood. Kalista almost felt sad for the noble creature as she sat watching the men gather its lifeless body. Her father had taken her hunting since she was little, so she was used to it, but she had never quite been able to get past the sadness that she always felt when she watched an animal die. This was the first time, however, that her father had allowed her to go snow lion hunting with him. He had always said that it was too dangerous. Kalista glanced at the creature that was now not even dangerous enough to disturb a newborn. She shook off her feelings of sadness and smiled as her father approached her with a congratulating grin.
“Your shooting was superb,” he announced as he reached her side. “I have never seen better. If not for you, I believe the snow lion would have gotten away. I should have brought you snow lion hunting a long time ago.”
Kalista smiled as she watched her father’s beaming face. The High King gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder before he walked off and proceeded to brag about her marksmanship to the rest of the hunters. She shook her head but could not help from feeling proud of her shooting. She watched as the large creature was slowly pulled onto a sled by several of the hunters. She noticed how big the snow lion actually was upon seeing several strong men all struggling just to drag the creature onto the sled. Kalista realized she still had her bow out and quickly put it back where it belonged. She then donned her hood and pulled her velvet cloak lined with warm fur tighter around her body as the wind picked up. It was going to be a very cold winter. She watched from inside her hood as her father remounted and came trotting towards her with his guards following closely behind.
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