by Aaron Thomas
The day was relatively cool outside the castle with a small breeze for a spring day. Inside the castle the temperature was stifling. King Atmos had already removed several pieces of armor and loosened the front of his jacket in order to stay cool. He had retreated to one of the tallest towers to escape the heat and opened the wooden shutters to the windows to let the breeze flow through. Even here in the observatory tower he felt the heat coming out of the holes used to heat the castle in the winter. The tower also provided a great view of the castle grounds, which he had watched for most of the day. Wizard Brandon also sat with him in the tower, being the earth wizard councilmen he provided wisdom and his opinions. The king had spent most of his day watching over Gortus and his new student, the weapon bearer, or “double bladed sword” that Brent had referred to him as in the coded letter.
The king viewed the boy as dangerous, as a threat to the nation that he had built. Time would only tell how long his sister would need to train before he gained a third element on his blade. He knew he had to take the blade to keep him from gaining the third mark. “Brandon, if the boy doesn’t meet my requirements of being a scout do I keep his sword, or does it belong to Wizard Calvin?” Brandon tapped his pipe with his finger as he drew deeply on the tobacco.
“I believe the terms you set stated that you would gain ownership. The blade doesn’t belong to the wizard, just the service of the user. If the weapon bearer doesn’t meet his wizard’s requirements then it’s the wizard’s job to dispatch him.”
“So Wizard Calvin would have to remove Kilen if he tries to defy me or my laws?”
Brandon stood, still drawing on his pipe let the smoke roll from his mouth as he spoke, “For him particularly. If he doesn’t pass the requirements the sword becomes yours. Normally, it would belong to a wizard, but he is a second generation bearer. His father completed the service to the wizard, and that makes Kilen the owner of the sword whether or not he serves you.” He took another draw on the pipe. “Although, the requirements of your agreement would make you the owner of the blade if he does not pass your tests. If he does pass your requirements, as soon as he is finished in your service he keeps the blade. My lord, if I am not speaking out of turn, if Kilen passes your requirements, he could become a very dangerous player in the world. It would only take…”
The king cut him off before he could finish his sentence, “I know very well what it means, Brandon. Which is why I have set the bar very high for the boy. What I didn’t expect was for him to gain such allies in my own service. He poses to be a very great problem if he is able to keep up with Gortus’s training.” A loud pounding at the door brought the King’s attention. “Enter!” he shouted at the door. A guard entered the room bowed with spear in hand.
“Captain Lorusk and a recruit have arrived, my lord.”
“See them in, corporal,” The king went back to peer out the window. He intently watched Kilen dragging himself in a blood soaked circle wondering what training Gortus could be performing. Captain Lorusk and a large boy entered the room and Lorusk assumed a kneeling position behind the king. The boy followed but did not bow his head when he kneeled. The king turned and approached the pair looking them over before dismissing the guard. “Stand,” he commanded them. The boy did, but slowly as not in any rush to comply with the king’s commands. “Captain Lorusk, please wait over there, and make yourself comfortable. Have some wine and some of my tabac if you wish.” The captain did just that, while seating himself in one of the chairs near the wall. The boy stood as tall as but wider than the King or the captain. The king walked circles around him as the boy met his eyes whenever he crossed in front. He was arrogant and overconfident, the King knew he could use that. “Chit, is it?” The boy nodded, still meeting the king’s eyes. “I hear that you are from the township of Humbridge in the Water Realm correct?”
“Yes,” he said defiantly.
Captain Lorusk spoke up around his small pipe, “Mind your manners, boy. Don’t forget who you talk to.”
Chit looked back at the captain and saw the seriousness in his face. “Yes, my king,” he corrected himself.
“What can you tell me of the weapon bearer Kilen Everheart?” Chit’s face was a look of confusion as he looked at each person in the room to see if it was the truth.
“Kilen is a weapon bearer?” he said.
“One more disrespectful word out of your mouth, boy and I’ll beat the defiance out of you.” The captain’s voice was lined with a venomous tone.
The king held up a hand to the captain to silence him. “Kilen is a weapon bearer twice over, and an armor bearer twice over. Now answer my questions.”
“I did not know that he was a wielder. He has always been quiet, playing a self-righteous pain. My father always compared me to his behavior in public. His family is rich, but they squander their money refusing to help the towns economy my father says. Instead they send Kilen to lend a hand instead of providing money to help the families there.”
“You sound as if you don’t like Kilen. Why is that Chit?” Chit took a moment to consider the question before answering. He was bending the truth already, but he could lie and it would take a long time for the King to find the truth even if he did send someone to check his story.
“The sword he carries was given to me by his mother. He attacked me and took it after his sister tried to kill me.” The wizard stood and walked over, hearing Chit’s reason for hating Kilen.
“The boy’s mother had no right to give you the blade. If you still possessed it, the council would order it be returned to him. A weapon bearer’s blade must either be taken in battle or be passed from father to son. The blade was never truly yours. You can give up the misplaced hate, Chit. Besides I see that you have a blade.”
“Kilen gave me this after I arrived, it’s another ploy to keep me out of his way. He will probably act self-righteous here as well.” Chit growled, trying to keep the composure of having been so close to having an elemental blade.
The king returned to the window and said nothing. He watched Kilen dragging himself along the ground in the fading evening light. Finally he spoke to everyone in the room but no one in particular. “I have a request of all of you, but first I must bring you into the picture. I will ask that no one will speak of what I tell you here today. I ask you give the oath before I speak a word.” He turned and met each of their eyes. Lorusk knelt before the king.
“I give my word and oath by my life that I will not speak of what is discussed in this room today.” He clasped his hand to his chest and the King nodded in acceptance. The wizard and a reluctant Chit followed his example.
“Good, I have spoken with Wizard Brandon here and we are in agreement that Kilen poses a threat to my kingdom. If Kilen completes his training he will become a full weapon bearer and come to the employment of a wizard to pay for his sister’s training. If this happens, eventually his sister will be trained and allowed to leave her confines, giving her the opportunity to imbue his sword with a third element. That act would give Kilen the right to claim either the wind or water kingdoms as his own, and cause confusion and a rebellion in that kingdom. We, as men in this room, cannot allow that to happen, so I have devised a plan to stop him from completing his training.” He stood in front of Chit, looking into his eyes, “You will meet him on the training grounds in battle at the end of the training period. I will see to it that you are given the best instruction in earth magic and in the sword so that you will be able to defeat him in a one on one fight. When Kilen loses to you in battle, he will be unworthy to keep the blade he possesses, eliminating the threat to this kingdom.”
Chit spoke before the others and without permission, “What do I get if I do this thing that you asked?”
“For starters you get to keep your insolent tongue,” finally Chit lowered his eyes as he had crossed the line too many times. “Wizard Brandon will receive my blessing to become my personal adviser for training Chit in earth magic using the rings I provide him. Captain Lorusk,
I would ask you to personally train him in the combat with the sword and other weapons. You will be rewarded with the blade that Kilen now carries. Chit if you can beat him in the arena you will be rewarded with a promotion to sergeant and given one of the earth rings you use to defeat him. You will become an armor bearer. Do any of you have any problems with these assignments?” The men remained silent, except for Chit who began to hum a battle song and smile a devious smile. “Captain, you can use my private training room for his training in the sword. Chit, you will be excused from all the classes that would normally be needed to complete such as cooking or bandaging, so that you can focus on the skills needed to beat him. Do not miss a minute of training. Go and start now.” Lorusk bowed to the king and Chit finally followed his lead in bowing, only slower and not as deep of a bow. They left and closed the door behind them leaving Brandon and the King to talk. “Brandon, I know that you are to train the new weapon bearers. I ask only that you prolong teaching Kilen any skills that he doesn’t already know. Leave him to discover the magic on his own if he can.”
“I will delay him if at all possible my lord. I do have one worry, sire”
“Well, speak your mind wizard and advise me if you can,” the King added as to bait the wizard into believing he was already his new wizard advisor.
“My lord, I see one flaw in your plan. If Kilen is able to summon an elemental in the battle with Chit they will be on unequal ground. Twilix tells Mary that he exceeds all expectations and should be summoning an elemental by the end of the month. My lord, I believe her. He fought Mary’s elemental and won. Chit will not be an even match in magic.”
The king was starting to turn red with anger as the wizard spoke, “Well, what then do you suggest we do, give the brute an elemental weapon also?”
“No, my lord, I would suggest that if he does summon an elemental. You would allow me to summon one for Chit and fight him on equal ground.”
The king smiled and the anger faded from his face, “You are already learning to advise me. Train him well. He must be able to meet Kilen on the battle ground with equal footing.”
***
Kilen woke slowly as Leroy and Ted brought buckets of water, whiskey, food, and new bandages into the room. He found that the strength had returned to his limbs, but that every time he moved he felt scabs under the dressings break open, starting the bleeding and pain to bloom once again. The others managed to help him to a seated position and began applying new bandages and feeding Kilen a kind of gruel. Leroy and Ted worked in silence and only spoke to coax Kilen into taking another bite. The wounds were not deep but they were too numerous to count, blending in with one another. Leroy worked a salve into the wounds that alleviated some of the pain, allowing Kilen to move and test his arms. The bandages contained the bleeding and provided the pressure they needed to clot. While they worked to put Kilen’s clothes and armor on, he found the ribbon hanging from his blade and remembered why he must endure this pain. The color blue became a sort of focal point as he rose and left the two men to clean the room of bloody bandages and water.
He found Gortus kneeling on the same sword arena that they he had bled all over the day before. His sword lay on the ground in front of him. Kilen approached the arena and once again felt the ability to use magic leave his body. The effect made him stop to keep himself upright. Slowly he moved to kneel beside Gortus breaking open more wounds and flaring pain. He felt a steadying of his mind, and he felt more focused. I am here, together we can complete this. Max’s voice had never been more determined or comforting to Kilen. Joahna seemed to be nervous and very cautious. Kilen pulled his sword free of the sheath and laid it on the ground in front of him, watching the ribbon flutter in the morning wind. Gortus once again said a prayer but remained kneeling with Kilen on the ground.
“Before we begin today, you may ask me whatever questions you want. You might not get the answers you need, but I will answer truthfully.”
Kilen thought for a moment treasuring a moment before pain begin anew slithering on the ground. “Why do I lose my ability to use magic every time I am near you?”
Gortus chuckled before answering, “You really are new to this magic world aren’t you. We Kapal are said to be born of anti-magic. Everyone’s ability to use magic dies near us. The ability makes us very powerful fighting against wizards and assassinating kings. We are feared because of this trait born into us, but it also makes us weak. The Kapal people lack the ability to use magic also. Your sword in my hands is nothing but a normal sword. When I fight soldiers, I fight them on equal ground. When I fight a wielder it gives me an advantage, because they lose the abilities they rely on to keep them alive. After I train you, I think you will be the biggest threat to the Kapal nation.” Kilen thought on what he had just heard. Max and Joahna chastised themselves for not thinking to inform him themselves.
“Why do you train me then? If I am a threat to your nation.”
“You are my destiny,” Gortus put a hand under Kilen’s arm to help him to stand. When they did, Jace and Twilix were approaching the arena. They said nothing, but instead put down stools to sit on as they watched over Kilen and Gortus. “My presence around Twilix makes her uncomfortable. She lacks the power to fight me like a wizard fights. Her presence here should speak of her feelings for you. You should trust her.” Without a moment to spare Gortus pointed at the ground on the outside of the ring. “Continue my child.” Kilen reassumed his position, carefully lying flat on his stomach, and slowly reached forward to begin the day of misery again. The wounds reopened and began to throb more with every pull forward, he continued to move forward in his endless circle of torment. Max held back what pain he could, allowing Kilen to continue to move.
When Kilen had made five complete circles, he found Gortus’s black boots standing in his path. He stopped only for a moment, but he knew that he would have to go inside the circle over the smooth ground, or choose to move outside the circle crawling over large stones. Joahna finally spoke up, It’s a test, take the path less chosen. Kilen heeded his words and started to move to his left crawling over the large rocks baring his way. They scraped under the weight of his chest on his breastplate, and snagged and ripped off bandages on his legs.
When he made his way back into the circle on the other side of Gortus he heard the command he had been waiting for, “Stop.” Gortus came to squat in front of Kilen, and whispered to him. “You have grown this day, Stand for a moment.” When Kilen had risen to his feet he saw the profuse bleeding on his clothing from the broken bandages underneath. Gortus walked away and spoke with his back turned, “You only have a moment Twilix. You may heal him.” She sprang to her feet and moved quicker than Kilen had seen her before and landed a hand on his unsteady head. Magic flowed into his body as flesh reknit pulling wounds closed in a flash. The bleeding stopped, but Kilen felt only the searing flow of cold water magic flowing through his body. The healing seemed to last hours and it was more painful than he had imagined it could be. When she finished Kilen was relieved but shivered from the cold magic that had flowed through him. Joahna and Max seemed to shiver also.
Never I have ever seen anyone heal so many wounds so quickly, Joahna seemed astonished and afraid of Twilix. She removed her hand from Kilen’s head and slumped against his metal covered chest. Jace was at her side in a moment, taking her weight from Kilen. Jace helped Twilix walk back towards the castle.
“I’ll help her to her room, Kilen. Concentrate on the training, I will look after Twilix.” Now knowing she was being taken care of, Kilen tested his freshly healed unbroken skin and smiled. He felt the numerous scabs break away and sloth off his skin underneath his armor. Gortus approached and the magic vanished from Kilen, making his armor heavy.
Gortus stood in front of Kilen and clasped him on the shoulder, “Welcome to a new age. You have become a crawler. This age doesn’t last nearly as long, nor does it take as long to master. You will now crawl the path that you were doing, this time on hands and knees.” K
ilen opened his mouth to ask why he was doing this, or why it would help him learn to fight. He felt like he was wasting his time, but Gortus held up a hand to silence him. “You, however, haven’t reached an age where you can speak. Start crawling. You will understand soon enough.” He assumed his squatting position, as Kilen slowly moved back to the edge of the arena. He got down on all fours and started crawling, the laps went faster and there was a lot less pain involved with each circuit. Before Kilen knew it he had forgot he was crawling around the circle. He was listening Max and Joahna talk about their training experiences, mischief they had gotten into, and their worst enemies. Kilen heard Max mention that he was a personal friend of the Fire Realm’s king. They had grown up together, practiced, and learned to fight together. They were as close as men could become without being inside another man’s head. Kilen chuckled at the thought and Gortus looked at him questioningly. He wondered if he would stop the training if he knew the truth, or what Kilen thought was the truth of his own sanity.
Leroy arrived with the noon meal and gave Gortus a plate of steaks, small potatoes, and beans. Kilen received a bowl of the same gruel he had choked down before bed and again in the morning. Leroy apologized for not having something more suitable now that Kilen could manage eating properly. “I assure you, Leroy, that Kilen should be able to eat whatever you serve from now on. He has progressed from his spoon feeding age.” Gortus said, chuckling as he savored the thinly cut seasoned meat. Kilen finished quickly and started to crawl without command. His knees and hands were beginning to get a little sore, but nothing like the pain he had endured before. Kilen tried to count how many times he had been within moments of losing his life since he had left Humbridge. His thoughts were cut short as Gortus rose and performed a devious act. He reached his gray hands into a pouch at his belt, pulling small jagged rocks from inside and began sprinkling them in Kilen’s path.