Thad hadn’t spent his time idly. He had found a way to absorb magical energy. It had not be an easy task, but like most things the answer was simple once he understood what he was really doing. It didn’t require him to destroy magic, just simply break it down at the smallest parts. It still had its weak points. Just like the white swords, it couldn’t affect attacks that used magic indirectly, but he hoped that it would take the scion mages more than a few moments to understand how the sword worked and if he was lucky, they wouldn’t figure it out at all.
Once the city came into sight, the small group moved back and camped out of view of those below. From a distance, there was still a chance of a scion coming across them and rising some kind of alarm, but it was a risk they would have to take. They needed information and the only way they could get it was to send down one of the scions to enter the city to see what they could learn.
The main question was which scion would enter the city. Belaroan was quick to offer Jindra, the scion that had been shadowing her. It didn’t seem as if one would be better than the others, so no one complained, but Thad felt a tingle of pity for the scion.
By the time their camp was set up, it was too dark for Jindra to go into the city with any hope of finding out anything of use, so it was decided that it would be best to wait until morning. The fewer times that she went into the city the less chance that she or they would be discovered.
Thad found a place that, while hidden, still looked down at the city. For a city of scion, there was much more movement below than one would have expected. From his spot, Thad couldn’t make out the creatures below, but something seemed off. The longer he watched and the sun set completely, everything clicked in his mind. The houses below had lights burning. Scions had no need of light. Something was different and he wanted to know what and he didn’t want to wait for it, but he knew going down there himself would endanger the others as well as himself.
Knowing nothing would be settled that night, Thad moved back to the camp and found his bedroll. The vision of the city ran through his mind and each viewing left him more perturbed than the last. As he drifted off to sleep, Thad was more unnerved than he had been hours before when he was sitting on the small hill overlooking the city.
As Thad dreamed, he felt the dark pull and this time there was no mistaking that it was his wife that was trying to contact him. He didn’t fight the coming darkness, but he didn’t embrace it either. As the darkness cleared around him, Thad’s mind whirled with what he would tell Maria about their son.
When the darkness receded, Thad found himself standing before the Farlan throne. The look on his wife’s face told him that she already knew the bad news and she was far from happy. “Dear,” Thad said putting on the best smile he could muster. “It is good to see you.”
“Don’t even try,” Maria barked, her eyes boring into him. “Sandrea told me what Bren had to say. What are you thinking, letting our son agree to be left behind? You promised me that you would bring him home.” Maria raised her voice again, though her eyes had tears teasing at their edges.
“Maria,” Thad said, edging closer to where she sat. “It wasn’t my choice to make. I didn’t want this for him and it is tearing me up inside as much as it is you.”
“No it isn’t,” Maria yelled, her voice breaking for the first time. “You weren’t there to watch him grow up. You were gone, and now my baby is gone, and it’s your fault.”
“That isn’t fare” Thad said, though his voice held very little strength to it. “I didn’t want him to come, hell I didn’t want to come, but I had to. Keeping him safe was all that mattered, but he has grown up and we can’t make choices for him,” Thad’s voice gained strength with each word until he was nearly screaming.
Maria didn’t reply, instead she broke into loud sobs. Thad rushed up to his wife and wrapped his arms around her. He had no words of comfort, all he could do was hold her until the darkness claimed him and brought him back to his own world and that was what he intended to do.
As the sun rose and Thad stirred from his troubled slumber, the events of the night still haunted him. It didn’t help that the first sight he saw was his son sitting in the distance talking to one of the scions. He knew that somewhere deep down Maria understood that there was nothing that he could do about their son’s choice to stay, but that didn’t mean that this wouldn’t hang over his head for the rest of his life.
When Thad woke, he found that Jindra had already left for the city and the rest were simply waiting for her return. With little to do, Thad took a seat on the rise of a small hill that overlooked the city below.
From where he sat, it looked like thousands of scions moved around below. The longer he waited the odder the actions of the creatures below bothered him. The few scions they had met, besides the ones they traveled with, moved with a singular purpose that had been given to them by whoever controlled them, yet the creatures below moved through the city in a way that reminded Thad of any city back home. Thad had to fight off the urge to go down to the city and find out the truth for himself.
Jindra returned shortly before midday. Thad had seen her approach long before she arrived and had returned to the camp in order to welcome her back and to hear what she had learned from her trip.
The tale Jindra came back with was far different than anything that they could have imagined. The city was not full of scions, but of normal humans. The few scions that Jindra had seen worked like guards and seemed to keep the peace. “The people of the city kept their distance and the few that would talk to me kept their eyes lowered and trembled as if they were afraid that I might hurt them if their answers displeased me.”
“How are there humans living there?” Thad asked confused. “Wouldn’t the thick concentration of magical energy kill them?”
“There was just enough magical energy to keep a scion from dying,” Jindra replied. “The only place in the city with a large concentration of energy was near the center where their scion lord has taken up residence.”
“What did you learn about their lord?” Humanius asked, looking off toward the city.
“Little,” Jindra replied. “The people of the city see little of him. I don’t understand it, honestly. We can’t eat or sleep so what do they want with the other worlds, and why bring them here?”
“That is easy enough to answer,” Belaroan said with a smirk. “What use is power if you have no one to lord it over?”
“Seems reasonable,” Thad said as he thought it over. “Eternal life with only a few people to converse with would be torture. My real question is how are they blocking off the ether so that the humans can live there without dying or turning to scions?”
“I can’t answer for certain, but with the level of magical energy it would take centuries for a normal human to turn to a scion,” Jindra replied. “I am sure there are some health problems, but for most it would take years for any of them to show any real problems and even then it would be hard to tell if it was of natural causes or not.”
“Is it safe for us to go into the city?” Bren asked casually.
“It should be, but most of you would stand out. Master Thaddeus, on the other hand, would draw little attention and being human, he might be able to learn more than I could.”
“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Thad said, jumping at the chance to be in an area that would keep him from turning to crystal as fast. He also wanted to see with his own eyes what was going on within the walls of the city.
Thad wasted no time and left before anyone could raise an objection. Thad did his best to approach the city without anyone seeing him, though it wasn’t hard as few people came near the edge of the city. There was no obvious sign of where the magic began to weaken, but Thad felt it as soon as he crossed the invisible line. It was almost as if a large weight had been lifted from his chest. It wasn’t clear to him how sluggish he had felt until the moment he crossed over, but now he felt as refreshed as if he had just woken from a long slumber.
&nb
sp; Thad found the city much the same as any other. Vendors lined the main street selling their goods. Thad made his way to a blacksmith shop that was located near the edge of what he surmised was the market district of the city. Inside, Thad found it much different than he had expected. Back home, blacksmiths hung armor in the windows and swords and shields lined the walls of most shops, but Thad couldn’t spot a single weapon in sight.
“What can I do for you?” A young boy, barely able to see over the counter, asked.
“I was looking for a new sword,” Thad said, as his eyes moved over the shops wares.
“Sword sir,” the young boy said, his voice slightly wavering. “You know that any weapon is banned within the colony unless you are an arena fighter.”
“No, I was unaware of that,” Thad replied, trying to think. “I have just arrived and it was not mentioned when I passed over.”
“You are new?” The boy asked. “What is the homeland like? My father talks about it all the time.”
“Jake, who are you talking to?” a deep voice bellowed from the back of the shop.
“A new comer father,” the boy replied in a high tenor.
A large man with short cropped hair wearing a thick leather apron walked through the door. “Newcomer eh?” the man said as he moved around the counter to stand in front of Thad. After looking over Thad for a few moments, his eyes lingering on the sword that hung on his belt. “Mind coming with me sir? I think there are a few things we should talk about.”
The large man led Thad through a large door that led outside, where Thad felt the heat of the forge. As the heat washed over him it, brought with it forgotten memories of the time he had spent with the dwarves. Shortly after the door had closed, the large blacksmith rounded on Thad. “My boy might not know people from his own world, but I lived there for nearly twenty years before I was forced to come here.”
“How were you forced to come here?” Thad asked, not even paying attention to the fact that the blacksmith towered over him with arms as big as Thad’s legs.
“First, why don’t tell me where you came from and how you got here,” the blacksmith said, looking down at Thad like a piece of metal that needed shaping.
“A doorway between my world and this one opened up,” Thad explained. “We came through to figure out how to close it and got roped into trying to close the others as well.” The explanation was short, but Thad was sure that it covered enough to make the other man happy.
“Didn’t know there was a new one,” the blacksmith said with a frown. “Don’t know how long ago, but some weird crystal men came into our world. At first they only lived for a few hours before crumbling, but somehow they learned how to live in our world, but still we outnumbered them greatly and when fighting was proving fruitless they turned to trade. In ten years’ time they had their own kingdom and started forcing us to come to their land.”
“Why?” Thad asked.
“Don’t rightly know, but I wish I could see my home once again,” the blacksmith said. “The creatures don’t ask much from us, but they don’t give us much either. Most of us eek by a living, but a few fight in the arena.”
“Arena,” Thad said. Back in the school there had been an arena. It was a place for the slaves to show off their skills and hopefully raise their ranks and privileges.
“Yes, the lord allows any who wish to try their hand in the area and is often bringing over new fighters and animals over from our world. The best he sends to fight against the other lords. The best arena fighters are allowed whatever they want and often treat the rest of us as their slaves. My son sees them as heroes, but soon he will learn that most of them are as bad as the lord they serve.”
“Does the lord watch the arena battles?” Thad asked, as an idea began to bloom in his mind.
“He watches some matches, but only if the fighter is believed to be good enough to fight against the other lords.”
You’re not thinking about what I think you are. It has been ages since you last fought in a real battle. One of these younger men will beat you around like an old man.
“It has only been a few years,” Thad replied. “Time didn’t flow the same inside the void. I am sure that I am god enough to get the scion lords attention.”
What would you do then? Try to reach him and fight against him on your own.
“No, I am not crazy,” Thad replied. “But right now it doesn’t matter. I have learned what I needed. I will go back to the others and see what they think of my plan.”
Thad found the others waiting on him when he returned. They didn’t even give him time to rest before drowning him in question. Thad explained what he had found and learned, then he let them in on the plan he had devised.
“So your plan is to join in these fights until the lord comes to watch you fight and then we will attack him?” Humanius asked.
“Yes,” Thad replied. “From what I learned, the fights are held in the city proper where the magic is still thin. I believe it is done that way to keep it from hindering the fighters. While there, the scion mage’s power will be limited making it easier for us to fight him closer to our own level.”
“And what are we supposed to be doing while you are fighting?” Belaroan asked snidely. “Are we supposed to just sit here and wait and hope that we are not found?”
“I haven’t figured that part out yet,” Thad admitted. “The only other option that we have is to try and rush the palace and fight him head on and I don’t think that will work too well.”
“My father is right Belaroan,” Bren said after a few tense moments. “Unless we can come up with another plan this is our best choice and it will also give us some time to learn as much as we can about our enemies.”
“I think it is foolish, but if it goes wrong then maybe will be rid of him,” Belaroan said looking at Thad with contempt.
Thad knew that Belaroan didn’t want him coming along and no matter how useful he proved he was sure that she would never change her mind, because if she did, it would prove that she was wrong.
CHAPTER XVII
The next day, Thad made his way to the arena where a line of people awaited their chance to fight. Thad got in line with the others. While he waited his hand kept drifting to his side where his sword was now missing. He didn’t want to chance having a sword causing trouble. He had also left Thuraman behind, though even without it near he knew that he could simply call it to his side if he needed it.
It didn’t take long for Thad to reach the front of the line where a young woman sat with a bored expression on her face. “Name?” She asked without ever looking up from the piece of parchment in front of her.
“Thad,” He replied a slight bit of nervousness in his voice.
“You are number forty-two,” She said, handing him a wood plaque with the number on it. “Go through the door on your right and talk to the weapon master.”
Thad took the wooden plate and placed it on his tunic before walking through the door. As he entered the noise on the other side hit him hard. The sound of metal on metal and the aroma of oil leather. It was a smell that brought numerous memories to his mind.
“Pick out a weapon,” an older man said as Thad looked at the large assortment of weapons. Thad picked out a bastard sword that fit well in his hand and a quarter staff that was about the same length as Thuraman. “A bit old to start in the arena. Get yourself in a bit of debt and trying to get rich quick? Well, wish the best for you. Hopefully you will live long enough to learn your folly,” the older man said with a shake of his head.
After strapping on his sword, Thad moved further in and found many different people sparing. Most of them looked as if they had never held a weapon before. After a few seconds, Thad noticed another gentleman walking among the different fighters, carrying a long scroll making notes. Every so often the man would stop and talk to a few of the combatants. Unsure of what he was supposed to do, Thad found an empty sparing circle and started practicing his forms. It didn’t take long for Tha
d to agree that Thuraman was right; he was out of practice, but after about a half hour the sword in his hand started to feel more natural to him.
“You don’t move like a new fighter,” a voice said from behind him. Turning around, Thad found the man who had been walking among the other fighters earlier. “Where did you learn to fight? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“From my father,” Thad replied quickly. “He didn’t much like the rules of the lord so he never joined in the arena himself.”
“Then why have you chosen to come to the arena now?” the man asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Didn’t have much choice,” Thad replied. They had expected there to be some questions and had figured out some answers so that he wouldn’t be grasping for answers. “Been living on the streets since my father passed and he left me in more than a little debt.”
“Not the first time I heard a story like that. It seems that a lot of the first generation colonist still harbor some grudge against the great lord,” the man replied with a causal disdain in his voice. “Well you have too much skill to be with the trainees. I think third rank would be best place to test your current skill.”
“I am sorry sir,” Thad said flinching slightly. “I never cared much for the arena before and as I said my father disdained anything that had to do with the lord, so I don’t know how the arena works.”
“Ah, yes,” the man said, looking back down at the long sheet of parchment in his hands. “The arena is set up in different levels. You start out in the training area. That is where we are now. There is no pay for trainees, nor privileges. Once I flag them, they move up to the first rank. There they receive a small amount of gold, enough to provide for themselves. From there, they move up rank by rank until they reach rank five. There they receive enough gold to live like kings and are given great privileges. From there, you pass on to be a champion. As a Champion, the only beings with more power are the scions and our great lord.”
Crystal Throne (Book 1) Page 13