Mercury Mind (The Downfall Saga Book 1)

by Chris Mccready

  “I thought that I didn’t specialize until the third year.”

  “You can never get started too early. Admittance occurs at the end of the second year, but we will have to select the proper classes for your second year, which I’ll get you prepared for over the summer.”

  “That makes sense, I guess,” said Ravyn, cleaning the end of her pen with an old rag, before carefully straightening the stack of blank paper on the desk. “What if I want to stay in the general program?”

  “We’ll make sure that does not happen. Once I help you select one, I expect you to put all of your efforts towards achieving admittance.”

  “Then it’s a good thing that I already know what I want to be ... a War Wizard.”

  “Get that rubbish out of your head. You are not living in those fantastic books you waste your time reading. This is the real world. You’ll become a Healer or an Artificer, they are always in demand. Still, you will talk to the person in charge of every program. I’ll write a letter to the Headmaster asking if I can interview all of them once the year is over.”

  “Mother, may I be excused so that I can finish packing. I’d hate for any of my clothes to become wrinkled.” Her mother nodded and she fled up to her room.

  Her room was neat and organized. A mahogany dresser, and mirror stood against the far wall, both freshly polished. A simple bed sat in the middle of the wall, and a shelf sat beside the window, displaying a series of misshaping dolls. The only decorations in the room were the ones she’d made herself. Simple navy blue curtains hung by the windows, a lace skirt surrounded her bed and the dolls on the shelf. The dolls had improved over the years, the latest one only had a couple of lumps in its stuffing and was nearly symmetrical.

  A trunk sat open at the end of the bed. She had already filled most of it with her books and other school supplies, but hadn’t started packing her clothing. Walking over to the row of dolls, she straightened the littlest one on the end which had slumped onto its side.

  “I’m going to miss you,” she said to her dolls, “but Mother won’t let me take you with me. Don’t cry, I’ll be back next summer, and I’ll have real friends, not that I don’t appreciate the friendship that all of you have shown me.” She wiped the eyes of the doll with her thumb.

  Leaving the dolls behind, she focused on her packing. She read the titles off the spines of the books in the trunk to make sure that she hadn’t missed anything. There were a couple of books on advanced cursive techniques, a variety of poetry, an introductory history book, and several of her favorite stories.

  Her Mother had been teaching her since she was a little girl. With both of her parents being scribes, there had been a definite focus of teaching her how to read and write the common tongue used throughout most of the world. More recently they’d branched out into history, poetry and, of course, needlework.

  She knew that her Mother’s teachings had her well prepared for the first year at Haven, though she was fearing Arithmetic and Martial training, mostly because she had never studied them before and didn’t know if some of the other students would be better than her. Her Mother would never accept it if another student did better than her.

  Opening the bottom drawer of the dresser, she pulled out a stack of blouses and laid them on her bed. All were very drab colors, with long sleeves and high neck lines. She spread the rest of her clothes out on her bed and began making a pile of what she was going to bring with her. Heading back to the dresser, she withdrew her sewing kit from the top drawer. While she didn’t have much to work with, she hoped that she could at least alter some of her clothes to make them more comfortable.

  A quiet knock came from the door. “Come in,” she said.

  Her father came in, holding a small box in his hand. Her father was a very ordinary man, someone who wouldn’t stand out from a crowd, except for his pale skin from spending too many hours indoors. “How’s the packing going?” he said.

  “I’m almost done,” she said, beginning to stack clothes on top of her books.

  “Careful there,” he said walking over beside her and looking in her trunk, “you have to be able to move it on your own.”

  “I’ll manage,” she said, continuing to pack clothes.

  “Are you sure you need all of these books? You do know that you’ll have access to many books once you get to Haven.”

  “You never know what you may need.”

  “Speaking of things you need, I have a present for you.” He handed her the small box.

  “You shouldn’t have,” she said, rapidly opening the box. She pulled out a locket on a golden chain. The locket was heart shaped, with feathery wings engraved on its face. The wings split down the center, hinged at the sides so that they folded out to form angel wings, revealing a picture of Ravyn and her parents in the center. “It’s beautiful.”

  “Not as beautiful as my little angel,” he said, giving her a loving hug. They stayed in each other’s arms, neither wanting to end the embrace. “We have an early morning ahead of us. I’ll let you finish your packing.” Kissing her on the forehead, he left her for the night.

  Ravyn woke before the sun had risen the next morning. Dressing quickly, and putting on the locket that her father had given her, she headed down the stairs and saw her parents waiting at the kitchen table.

  “I’ll go get your trunk,” said her father, heading up the stairs.

  “Come here, Ravyn,” said her Mother, standing up and spreading her arms. Ravyn hurried over to her mother and gave her a tight hug. “You’ll do great, dear. You have nothing to worry about.”

  “I’m going to miss you,” said Ravyn.

  “What’s this?” asked her Mother, holding the locket in her hand.

  “Father gave it to me. Look, it has a picture of us on the inside.”

  “Very nice, dear. What did you do to get this?”

  “Nothing. It was a gift,” said Ravyn. She could hear her father dragging the trunk down the stairs behind her.

  “A gift. A GIFT!” Her Mother yanked on the locket, cutting the back of Ravyn’s neck before the chain snapped. Ravyn tried to grab it back but her Mother pulled away and turned to face her Father. “What do you think you are doing?” She brandished the locket at him.

  “Our daughter is going away for almost a year,” he said. “I wanted her to have something to remind her of us.”

  “I forbid it,” said her Mother icily. “Rewards are earned, never given. The next thing you know, she’ll start expecting gifts just for surviving until her next birthday.”

  “Mother.”

  The look that her Mother gave her stopped her from saying more.

  “Come on, Ravyn,” said her Father, “Help me load the trunk on the carriage.”

  They each grabbed an end and hauled the trunk out the front door to the carriage they’d hired to take Ravyn to Kendra. The driver hopped off and helped her father lift the trunk onto the roof of the carriage. Without looking back at the house, Ravyn climbed into the carriage while her Father and the driver tied down the trunk.

  Her Father climbed into the carriage and turned to wave back at their house. “Aren’t you going to wave goodbye to your Mother?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “You’re going to miss her and wish that you’d said goodbye.” Ravyn stared at the carriage wall.

  “Let’s go, driver,” he said, and the carriage jostled into motion.

  Ravyn hugged her knees to her chest and continued to glare at the wall. It was several minutes later before she glanced out the window.

  “This isn’t the way out of the city,” she said.

  “No, it isn’t,” he said, relaxing on the padded bench in the carriage.

  “Where are we going?”

  “It’s a surprise,” he said with a wink.

  Seeing a smile ignite on her face, one slowly spread across his face.

  “You’ll need to be careful,” he said, grabbing his seat as the carriage took a hard left turn. “We won’t be there wi
th you. You’ll be responsible for scheduling your own day.”

  “I’ll be fine,” she said, staring out the window at the houses as they passed by. “The classes will have a schedule and I’ll spend the rest of my time studying with the other students.”

  “The other kids will be different. They won’t be nearly as focused as you are.”

  “Don’t worry, they won’t corrupt me.”

  “A little bit of corruption won’t kill you. Just don’t tell your mother or she’ll kill the both of us,” he said, nudging her in the ribs. “Schedule yourself some time to make friends.”

  “I’m going to miss both of you,” she said, leaning over to rest her head on his shoulder.

  “We will too,” he said, resting his head against hers. “Do your best and I’ll always be proud of you.”

  “So where are we going?” she asked with a mischievous smile.

  Leaning his head towards the window, he said “You’ll find out in a couple minutes.”

  Both of them watched out the window until the driver stop the carriage in front of a small sweets shop.

  “We’ve got a couple days journey ahead of us and I thought that you could use a snack.”

  Chapter 4

  “Close, but you’re still not shutting everything out,” said Jerel, house wizard and tutor to Prince Caddaric and his two brothers.

  “That would be easier to do if it wasn’t for this rain,” said Prince Caddaric.

  “Find a solution, not an excuse,” said Jerel.

  The two of them stood in the courtyard of the keep. The keep sat on top of a large hill near the center of Kendra, the capital city of Rourke. Prince Caddaric Kelvin, the youngest member of the royal family, was heading off to Haven in a couple days to begin his training in the magical arts. Jerel had been his tutor since birth and had attended Haven when he was younger to become a War Wizard. The two had been spending more and more of their time together as the day for Caddaric’s departure drew nearer. Today, Caddaric was firing arrows at a straw target across the courtyard.

  Prince Caddaric was tall, with powerful shoulders, an honest face, and a cleft chin. His movements were fluid, even graceful for someone his size. His long, dark hair fell below his shoulders. The rain had plastered it onto his back, stilling its natural smoky movements.

  Selecting another arrow, Caddaric drew it back. Controlling his breathing, he aimed and let it fly. It struck the target to the right of center.

  “Your aim is good, but not great,” said Jerel, with a measured look at the target. “Both of your brothers were better at your age.”

  “I know you’re trying to motivate me, but I’ve heard that a few too many times for it to have any meaning.”

  “No matter what’s going on, they are able to shut out the entire world, and focus on the task at hand. You are too much a prince, concentrating on the big picture instead of eliminating the immediate threats around you. There is only you and the target, no rain, no me, and no Haven.”

  Caddaric spent several minutes studying arrows, pretending to check them for straightness, but his mind was on the future. His father was still young and healthy, and his oldest brother Worrell, who would soon take command of their armies, was being groomed as the successor to the throne. David, the middle brother, was prepared as a contingency in case something happened to the older family members. It was highly unlikely that Caddaric would ever take over in any official capacity, instead he’d be married off to strengthen relations with one of the provinces. Everything changed when he found out that he possessed the Gift. He would now study at Haven for several years, having a say in his future for the first time. He knew it wouldn’t last forever, but was going to take full advantage while he could.

  Selecting an arrow at random, he drew back and released it without pause. There was a small splash of water when it hit the straw target, in the center of the target.

  “You may become a War Wizard yet,” said Jerel, clapping him on the back.

  “There’s no doubt in my mind. I will become a War Wizard. Once I’ve finished my training at Haven, I’m going to the Cleft to ply my trade.”

  “There’s no better place to learn how little they taught you in school than at the Cleft. I was proud when your brother decided to do a tour there before taking command of the army.”

  The Cleft lay at the southern edge of the continent, where the land narrowed into an isthmus between the two oceans. The oceans there were the most dangerous in the world, rife with reefs and other hidden dangers, home to many serpents of the sea and other creatures of the deep. Few risked passage through there, whether foolhardy or desperate, and fewer still made it through. An escarpment ran the width of the isthmus, its origin remains in question, whether created through magic in ancient time or as the result of a supreme seismic event. There is but one way through the isthmus, a valley which runs through its center, the walls shear and floor steep. A series of fortifications were built long ago in the valley and are manned by the men and women of the Cleft, always watching, even vigilant.

  To the south lay a wasteland, which the Shem call home. A powerful people, an affiliation of many hardy races. They were a patient, mysterious people, who preferred to be left alone. On the rare occasions that they marched forth in force, they managed to forever break the world, before the rest of the races united and drove them back to their home. The world was never the same after their passing, but even the combined might of the north never dared to trespass far into Shem lands. Little had been seen of the Shem for the last thousand years, many hoped that they had died out, most feared that they were growing stronger.

  “If that doesn’t prepare him, then nothing short of a real war will,” said Caddaric.

  “Come, we should get out of this rain,” said Jerel. “You don’t want to be sick for the start of your classes.”

  “Alright,” said Caddaric, heading over to the target to collect the arrows. “So I’ll finally get to meet Sarlic Severn. What’s he like?”

  “You’ll want to call him Professor Severn, or by whatever title he tells you to,” said Jerel, with a laugh. “He is well suited to his role. I wouldn’t want him in a real army, but he does a fine job teaching discipline to the riffraff. Just know this, he uses a firm hand with his class and you need to decide whether to shake it or feel its sting.”

  “I’ll make you proud,” said Caddaric, ducking under an awning to get out of the rain. Unstringing the bow, he began to wipe it down with an oily rag. “I guarantee that I’ll be the best in the class, thanks to your instruction.”

  “Confidence is good, but overconfidence will kill you. You won’t be training with a sword, bow, nor lance. Most of the students are farmers and laborers, strong and hardworking, but they’ll never use a sword in their daily lives. You’ll be taught discipline and how to work as part of a group. Your weapon will be a staff or spear, something that anyone can make themselves. Your father considers these the weapons of the common folk and did not want me wasting my time teaching them to you. Despite their upbringing, the students there will test you.”

  “I welcome the test. I’m tired of being the precious baby boy.”

  “Haven doesn’t care who you are or where you came from. Some of the students and professors might, but the institution as a whole won’t care. You’ll eat what everybody else eats, sleep in a dorm with many other students, take the same classes, and be evaluated the same as everybody else.”

  The two of them headed for a door into the keep. Pausing by the stairs leading up to his room, Jerel gave him a firm handshake, and whispered in his ear. “Some of the people there may resent your birthright. Make a few friends who you can trust to watch your back in case somebody starts making trouble.”

  “Don’t say anything like that to the Queen or she’ll never let me go.”

  Jerel disappeared down the hallway, as Caddaric climbed the stairs to his quarters. Shutting the door behind him, he dropped his gear in the center of the room and began removi
ng his wet clothes. He had a moments warning to dive behind the privacy screen as his mother came into the room without knocking.

  “Really, Mother. Would it kill you to knock?”

  “Queens do not knock,” she said in a haughty voice. “I had the servants bring up another outfit for you. Ah, there it is.” She retrieved the outfit and stepped behind the screen to give it to Caddaric.

  “Mother!” Caddaric did his best to cover his nakedness with the towel that he’d been using to dry himself.

  “Really, dear. It’s nothing that I haven’t seen many times before.” She stood there looking at him for a moment, before draping the outfit over the screen and retreating to the other side. “All right, have it your way. Now put it on. I want to see how it looks on you.”

  The outfit was mauve in color, with plenty of lace at the sleeves and neck of the doublet. “You shouldn’t have,” said Caddaric. “You do realize that I’ll be attending classes in a building high up in the mountains. I’ll be wearing a warm cloak more often than I’ll be attending balls.”

  “Yes, dear. Just try it on for your mother.” She walked around the room, examining the knickknacks that she’d bought him over the years. “I’m going to miss you. I still can’t believe that you’re going away.”

  “It’s only a few hours,” came his muffled voice, as he was bending over and putting on his pants.

  “But they won’t let me visit you there. Can you believe it? They won’t even let the Queen visit her precious son.”

  Caddaric made a face behind the screen, before standing up and pulling on his shirt. “You’re the one who always told me to be brave. Now you need to be brave for me. Even in my wildest dreams I didn’t think that this opportunity would come along.”

  “Yes, yes. It’s the finest magic school in the world and you’ll finally not have to compete with your brothers. You will say hi to Headmaster Marrok for me? Of course you will.”

  Fully dressed in the new outfit, he came out from behind the screen. He did a couple of twirls so his mother could see it from all angles. After much groping on the outfit, she declared it a suitable fit.