His question was greeted by complete and total silence. I am sure many knew the answer but were afraid to speak to such a great one. I had served under him long enough to know he was expecting an answer and would not be happy if no one attempted to reply, so I raised my hand.
“Go ahead, James,” he said.
“Grandmaster, I cannot be certain, but I suspect that the answer lies in the true nature of magic. It is a form of energy that is part of nature, in the same way as light or gravity. Therefore to wield it well we must understand the nature on which it is based, and since we live so isolated from the natural world in our society our school here forces us back to the natural roots of the power,” I said.
“Excellent answer, but not quite complete. Can someone else speak up and finish the explanation?” he replied.
“Grandmaster, is it because wizards shape the magical energy into other things, and we cannot shape it into things if we do not truly understand how they work?” came a peppy voice from the back that I recognized as belonging to the fearless redhead, Patty.
“That is it exactly, Patty. Well done,” he said. “You will come to understand that at its very core the universe is nothing but energy.” He stood as he spoke, and with a wave of his hand the room was gone and we were floating in space. All sense of surroundings had vanished. I could not even be sure if I was sitting or standing, as my mind was overwhelmed with the vastness of the universe around me.
“We were once told that the Emperor was a god and that all creation came from him. Thankfully we no longer accept that foolishness. Look around you. If you were to take all the power from all the wizards in every realm and combine it with all the power from all the sorcerers in every realm, it would be so insignificant next to creation that it would not be noticed against the background of the universe.”
He paused then, and I looked around the universe that was on display for us. I had lived my entire adult life in space and had never stopped to admire the scenery. It was magnificent on a scale so grand that it could not be put into words.
“Today they are trying to tell us that nothing created this, that it would take too much power for anyone to create so it must be self-created. Let me take you on a journey back in time.” As he said this, the universe around us began to fly apart as everything got younger and younger. “Behold what came before the universe,” and suddenly everything was gone. I was never so afraid in all my life. I could not even find my own body, and there was nothing anywhere: no light, no sound, not even a hint of air. It was complete and total emptiness. Intellectually I knew it was not real, not even Grandmaster Vydor could wipe out reality, but the emptiness around me defied my logic. There was no sense of time, so I do not know how long he left us like that, but suddenly his voice boomed out saying, “Let there be light!” and a globe of light appeared far off in the distance. I was desperately trying to reach it when I saw the universe begin to form around me. As I watched, amazed, it was built piece by piece around us. When the light spread through the newly-formed universe my fear subsided.
“Never forget how you felt in that emptiness before time. That is what the forces of darkness will bring back if they have their way. It is only through the spreading of light that we can keep them forever at bay. While it is true that the Emperor is just a man, and a mundane man at that, that does not eliminate the need for a creator; and when you think of the awesome power needed for creation, you can begin to get a glimpse of the nature of God.”
Suddenly we were back in the fortress, and he was sitting on the stage as if nothing had happened. He allowed no time for anyone to recover before moving on. “Will the team led by James please stand? James, you and your team have excelled in all your tasks, setting many new records for this school. Can someone who is not standing please tell me: what was so special about this team that allowed them to do so well?”
To my surprise David raised his hand, and at Vydor’s gesture he stood and said, “Grandmaster, the core of their team has been together the longest, and at first I thought their success was luck combined with the length of time they had worked together. However, as I watched them, I learned that each of them was not only depending on the others to do their part but also pushing one another to improve. Once I realized that, I set out to build my team in the same way and over time my team also began to excel, proving that the sum of a team is always greater than its parts.”
“Excellent answer, David. Now, as I recall you had a somewhat difficult start here during your first week; a problem with your loyalty, correct?” asked Grandmaster Vydor.
“Yes, Grandmaster, but I assure you that has been resolved, and I am completely and totally loyal to you and the Council of Wizards,” he stuttered in a shocked tone.
Vydor then reached into his robe and pulled out a wand, which he tossed to David. “David, that wand is enchanted with a very powerful spell. If you merely point it at a person and chant the command word which you see written on it, that person will be instantly and painlessly killed. You say you are completely loyal to me, and I want you to prove it. Kill James with the wand.”
David looked long and hard at the wand and then at me. I caught myself holding my breath. I was unsure what might happen next, but surely Vydor did not really want David to kill me! After what seemed an eon, David tossed the wand back to Vydor and said, “No, I can’t.”
“Why not?” asked Grandmaster Vydor.
“Because killing James for no reason would make me as dark as the sorcerers we have sworn to fight,” David said.
“So then you are not truly loyal to me?” Grandmaster Vydor asked.
“I wish to be, but this task you ask of me is one I can’t perform. If that means I can’t be a wizard, then I accept my lot in life,” was David’s reply.
“No, in fact it means the exact opposite; it means you are an excellent candidate to be a wizard. Everyone can sit down now. Think hard on the lesson that David has just demonstrated for you all. Each of you has an internal sense of what is right and wrong. Learn to nurture that sense and follow the path of light with it as your guide, and you will do well. Now, Master Gafar will be here soon to do the scan I mentioned, and I must be off. I hope to see you all again; if not before, then at your promotion to apprentice wizard.”
With that, he turned the podium upright and left. We all sat in stunned silence for a while, trying to get our minds around recent events. I think my blood pressure was finally returning to normal when Master Gafar entered the room. He did not say a word as he set about his work. As I watched, I observed two beams of pale orange light leave his eyes and pass over all of us one by one. When the lights touched me I felt him say, “Congratulations, Student James, Spellweaver!”
Chapter Eight
When he was finished, he left without a word. As soon as he had gone, one of our professors came and led us to the mess hall where a large banquet was laid out in our honor. We all took our customary seats at the tables and ate for a while in silence, trying to digest what had just happened.
“David, thanks for not killing me,” I said, finally breaking the silence of the room.
“Hey, no problem. The way I see it, you’re going to go far and I’ll be able to call in a favor later,” he said with a big grin. “You know, I expected that to be an ordinary graduation ceremony, but instead it was more like the deepest and most thought-provoking lecture we have ever heard.”
I started to reply but, before I could finish my thought, Student Rannor came over and asked if he could join us. When he was seated I asked, “Rannor, since you were the first, did you have to go through the prospect stage like the rest of us?” Since we were beyond that stage, I could safely ask him about it.
“Yes and no: I went through it, yes, but not like you did. You see, my years as a doctor had already taught me many of the lessons that this stage of the school was set up to teach you. I only spent a short time in the program, and that was mostly as a test run before the first rea
l prospects came along. I did, however, sit through the very first promotion ceremony that Grandmaster Vydor held, and from what he tells me it is almost completely unchanged since then.” He looked at me and smiled, then continued, “As I recall, it is about time for your booster shot to treat your food allergy.”
“It is due around now, but how do you know that?” I asked.
“James, I remember the first day you came aboard the Dragon Claw and every visit you ever made to the medical wing. I took that job very seriously and have not forgotten a single one of my patients,” was his reply.
“Is that possible? The amount of information you would have to retain is, well … immense,” I said.
“Would you like me to recite your medical records from memory in front of all your friends here?” he asked with a sly grin.
“Um, no, thanks. I believe you. Do you just happen to have a booster injection on you?” I asked.
“No, but I do not need one.” He reached out, and as he placed his hand on my shoulder I felt an odd sense of warmth leave his hand and pass through me. “There, you will never need a booster again.”
“A healer? I thought Master Kellyn was the only one,” I said.
“She was until I came along. However, my power is extremely limited and no match yet for what she can do,” he replied.
I remember the lesson that we had been taught on the various powers known to exist. Our professor told us that Master Kellyn’s healing power was the first of its kind. They had never before seen a wizard who could use healing magic in the way she could.
“So, have you given any thought to your new names?” asked Rannor.
“New names?” repeated David.
“Yes; on your first day back from vacation you will each be expected to pick a new name to represent your transition from mundane to wizard,” Rannor replied.
“No one has mentioned that to us yet. How does one pick a name?” I asked.
“Most students seem to favor names that fit the powers they were told they have. You all listened when Master Gafar told them to you, didn’t you?” Rannor asked.
“Yeah, of course. He told me I am a Pyromancer,” responded David.
“Then the traditional thing to do would be to pick a name that has some connection to fire and your personality or history. Phoenix would be a good one for you, as it captures your near-failure and renewal while keeping the fire theme,” was Rannor’s response.
Multiple conversations broke out at once as everyone discussed their powers and what names would be best. I kept quiet. I knew how special my power was, and I did not want to draw any attention to it. When they finally noticed that I was not sharing in their fun and turned their attention to me, I diverted the topic with a question. “Rannor, you are still very friendly with Grandmaster Vydor, I believe. Can you tell me if he remembers me at all?”
“Yes, James, he does. He told me not to mention it to any of your teachers, since he did not want you to get any special treatment, but he has not forgotten you or the role you played in The Great War,” was his reply.
“What was that? You fought in The Great War with Grandmaster Vydor?” asked David.
“Yes, he did. He was actually the one who first discovered the sorcerers had faked the first probe’s transmission back to the Dragon Claw, and he was a critical part of all the data analysis at the time,” responded Rannor.
“James, over all this time you mentioned nothing about this to us. Why?” demanded David.
“I did not want any special treatment. I wanted to prove that I could succeed without having to depend on name-dropping. That was the only way I could know if I was really good enough.” I was thankful that Rannor did not mention the part I played in the final battle.
“And that you did, with flying colors I might add. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a few others I would like to visit before you all ship out on vacation,” he said as he left.
Most of the rest of the meal was taken up with talk about where each of us was going for our week off. It was the first real block of time we had been given since joining the school over a decade ago, and most would be using it to visit family or close friends.
Chapter Nine
On my way back to my room after our special dinner, I was stopped by my teammate Patty. “Hey, James, you never said what your plans are for the vacation. Going to see your folks?”
“No, they are too far; it would take over a year just to travel to them. I will probably go hiking in the mountains for some peace and quiet,” I replied.
“You should come with me, then, to visit my homeworld. My parents would love to meet you, and there are plenty of woods and undeveloped terrain for you to hike if you want.”
Her parents? Why would they want to meet me? My mind reeled with a thousand questions I should have asked, but instead I just said, “Sure, it could be a nice change from this rocky world. When does the shuttle leave?”
“In one hour. I’ll meet you at the terminal in, say, forty-five minutes.” And with that comment she was off. She never stayed put for long.
I rushed to my room, quickly packed what I thought I might need for a week on a jungle planet and sprinted to the terminal. Normally I planned to be at the terminal at least an hour ahead of any flight in order to have time to resolve any problems that might arise. This time I barely made it with thirty minutes to spare. Since I still had to buy a ticket, I was worried that there would not be enough time. When it was finally my turn at the ticket booth I realized I did not know what flight Patty was booked on.
“Hello, how may I help you?” asked the young man working at the ticket counter. His name tag identified him as Josh.
“I am trying to catch a shuttle that will take me to Aleeryon, and I know that it leaves in about twenty-five minutes. But I do not know much more,” I replied.
“Well, I’m afraid there are no shuttles that can take you there. There is one leaving at that time, but … ” he began.
“Hi, Josh! He’s flying with me,” interrupted Patty who had just arrived.
“Oh, okay; then your ticket is ready. Let me just scan your ID to check you in,” he replied. After he had done that he said, “You might want to take a small carry-on bag with you. Your luggage will probably be delayed with so many shuttle changes.”
Once that was taken care of, we headed over to the line to board and just made it onto the shuttle. “Patty, you have some explaining to do,” I said.
“What do you mean?” she asked innocently.
“Well, how did you book me a ticket? And how did you know you would need it?” For security reasons no one should have been able to buy a ticket using someone else’s ID, yet she had a ticket waiting for me under my name.
“Oh, well, Josh has a big crush on me so he pretty much does whatever I ask, and I was fairly confident you would come,” she said.
I just shook my head and said, “You do realize that if he got caught doing that he would lose his job, and you could be kicked out of the school?”
“Oh, James, don’t worry. It’s not like I do this all the time,” she said. “Now, we have about forty minutes till we jump, but there isn’t much time from when we reach the station till we have to catch our connection; so when we land, stick close to me.”
“How much time will we have?” I asked.
“One minute and thirty-seven seconds, but that’s okay. I timed it last time I came through, and we can make it in eighty-seven seconds if we hustle. From there we … ”
“Um, just a second: did you say one minute and thirty-seven seconds?” I interrupted.
“Yes, so you’ll have to stick close to me. Don’t worry, I travel these hubs every chance I get, and I know the system well,” she replied.
“And what if we miss it?” I asked.
“Oh, we won’t, but if we did we’d be stuck at that station for about two days, waiting for the next connection,” she said.
“Patty, this does
not sound like a very well thought-out plan,” I started.
“Oh, James, just relax and enjoy the ride,” she said, then proceeded to tell me about the other connections we would have to make. It seemed that we would be doing nothing but sprinting from shuttle to shuttle for the better part of the day. I was having a pretty bad feeling about this trip, and we had not even left orbit yet.
Once we reached the first stop, she threw off her safety harness and took off. It was all I could do just to keep up with the twists and turns she took. She ran with a grace and speed that displayed her strong gymnastics background. At one point we came to a closed door, and she stopped short; I heard her counting down from five, and on two she sprinted towards the door at full speed. I figured she had something in mind and followed. Just as we reached the door it opened to allow someone to push a cart through. She skillfully slipped around him and kept going; I followed, thinking I really should have found out more about this trip before agreeing to it. We reached the shuttle just in time to board before they closed the doors.
The Academy Page 4