by Aaron Thomas
Kilen started to move towards Brandon as Chit stood to see what was going on. Kilen saw in his water vision two more piles of rocks start to take the form of ovens, then three. As each one finished another would start up. Kilen stood still until Max was complete with forming every pile of rock into an oven. Everyone in the area was now watching silently as what seemed to be Kilen’s elemental came and stood beside him. The rock pile took on Kilen’s appearance in every detail and then stood perfectly still. Kilen felt the concussion of Max re-entering his mind which was followed promptly by his speaking, That ought to advance your classes a bit. Brandon left the table. Chit was surprised and raised to follow. The two very quickly disappeared into the castle through the nearest kitchen door. Kilen looked at his statue as Master Harvel was saying something to him. Kilen ignored it as he left for the second time today, his likeness standing for all to see.
The day was moving too quickly for Kilen’s liking. He had alienated the one wizard that wanted to spend time with him. He had let Max show more skill than he possessed at manipulating earth magic, and he humiliated Master Harvel by making him do manual labor. He needed somewhere quiet to relax, somewhere he could sit and think quietly to himself. He usually did his best thinking when he was at the schoolhouse, so that’s where he thought he would go. Sitting in on a boring lecture would be good for his mind, or so he thought.
Nearly the whole building was empty, except for a couple classrooms. He was happy to find a large classroom with no one inside. Kilen walked in a found and chair near the back corner so that he could see though the film covered window. He didn’t want to speak to Joahna, but he knew that he would be listening to everything he said. “Max, if Brandon doesn’t teach me I think it would be best if you did. You seem to know a great deal about how to use earth magic.”
Earth magic is the only other type of magic that the Fire Realm possesses in bounty. I had four pieces before I was chosen to receive a piece of fire armor. I am well versed in how to use earth magic. I can try and teach you if that is what you want. Kilen didn’t answer. He thought that his answer was already voiced and he didn’t feel like talking to anyone today. Soon a man in a fine tunic walked into the room and set some maps on the table at the front. He sat down in a chair towards the front of the room and finally noticed Kilen sitting in the back.
“Excuse me, I didn’t notice anyone was here or I would have started earlier,” the man said. He smiled as he moved closer to Kilen, “Most people tend to take the more exciting exams during the first weeks of their training. You know sword fighting, jousting, archery, and if they are able magic classes. I don’t usually get anyone in this class so soon.”
“I’m sorry I just needed a quiet place to think, sir.” Kilen rose to leave the man in peace, “I should have just joined one of the other classes.”
“It’s not that my class is boring, but most don’t need it unless they plan on being a scout or commander.” Kilen’s curiosity peaked and for the first time since the incident he wasn’t thinking about Twilix.
“Sir, what class is this?” The man moved back to the large desk at the front of the room and unrolled the scrolls to reveal maps.
“Map reading and navigation, my boy. I can teach you now if you want?”
Kilen thought for a moment, it would be nice to get his mind off of what had transpired, and he would need the class anyway. He nodded to the man, who seemed to beam at the chance to teach the class. “My name is Lieutenant McClanahan. You can call me Bill or lieutenant while we are in this class. Have you any skill in map reading?”
“I have received some instruction in it in my schooling, lieutenant.”
Bill patted Kilen on the back as he unrolled a very large map on the desk’s top. “What can you tell me from this map then?” Kilen looked the map over with much scrutiny as he tried to find as much detail as he could. The map was of a town and surrounding area. There was a river and trees drawn with measurements of depth and width. Points of interest such as inns, marketplaces, mayors home, were all detailed on the town. Kilen knew that it must have been a map of a small town to be giving such detail of the city. It was much like Humbridge in set up. The town’s road was set up to run to and from a nearby river. Supply routes from other towns went through the main streets and farmland surrounded the outskirts of the town.
“It’s a small town, and very detailed. Here is the market, mayor’s house, and the river. This here is the main route through the city.” Kilen didn’t know what the Lieutenant wanted for him to describe about the map.
“Good, very good. Some new recruits tell me that it’s the inside of a city and not the whole city. All this is just basic map reading. Now let’s look at some that are more advanced.” Bill rolled out the same map, only this one had a lot of circles, numbers, symbols, and scales. “I will ask you to answer a few questions about this map. Just answer as best you know how.” Kilen nodded and waited for him to start asking questions. “Are there any hills on this map? If there are can you point them out to me?” Kilen searched the map and found the symbol for hills and pointed it out. “How about the best place to have horses cross the river?” Kilen found the smallest width on the map but the drawings were not to scale as the measurements were different at different locations. Just because it looked like the widest and shallowest place on the map didn’t mean it was the shallowest. He traced his finger across the map and found the shallow place in the river, and pointed it out. The lieutenant smiled, “Where would be the best place to find a thief?” The question took Kilen by surprise and he thought for a moment where a thief would make the most out of a small town.
“That would be the marketplace here, sir,” he said pointing at the place in the map.
Without letting Kilen know whether he was right or wrong he continued on the line of questioning. “If we were attacking the town what would be the best way to come at it?” Kilen studied the map. He wasn’t sure what this question or the last had to do with map reading.
“If I was in charge of the approaching army I would approach from the east,” Kilen said, trying to sound confident.
“Why would you do that?” The lieutenant’s question caused Kilen’s mind to race. He was looking for a good reason to attack from that direction that he could put to words.
“The town is small and it couldn’t contain a very large force. They might be intimidated by seeing a large army approaching. The open fields would allow the town to see the larger numbers of the attacking army. It might intimidate them into giving up.”
“That sounds like it could work in your favor. Fear is sometimes a good emotion to exploit. Let’s change it around for a moment. If you were the leader of the township here how would you defend against this larger attacking force?” Bill stood with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face, as Kilen started to see the game Bill was playing. He was trying to play his own mind against himself to get Kilen to back into a corner where he would lose a battle, but he still didn’t know what this had to do with reading maps.
Kilen answered the best way he knew how, “I wouldn’t defend. I would leave the town.”
“Where would you go?”
Kilen found the hill on the far side of the town. The river crossed fairly close and there was heavily wooded area on the other side. “Here, I would make a camp at the top of this hill to defend myself.”
“Why?” The lieutenant’s questions were starting to frustrate Kilen. He wanted to give a stupid answer to be at the end of it. He felt Max become more and more anxious in his mind. He obviously would have answered the questions differently.
“I can hunt in this forest for food, find fish and water on the other side. If the attacking army tried to cut us off from supplies I would be able to shoot them with arrows from higher on the hill. The hill would provide a hindrance in any attacking cavalry, or archers range on the attack. The trees here would provide for defenses and arrows. If the town didn’t win the battle they wouldn’t go down without a fight.”
Bill clapped him on the back, “Good good. Let’s switch it again shall we. Let’s say you are supposed to attack the town’s people that have started to defend from this hilltop using the strategies you named.” The tables were turned again and now Kilen was attacking the town. He knew that eventually he would be put in a losing situation.
“I am not allowed to withdrawal from the battle?” Bill looked disappointed when Kilen asked this question, but he shook his head and answered anyway.
“If you do, you would be named a traitor, and your family and house would be stripped of land and title while you were hung in public. You have no choice, but to bring this township of rebellious traitors to justice.” Kilen supposed that he was trying to give him a reason to want to lose lives in his mission. He took a deep breath and answered.
“I would come through the wooded area here to press up close to the hill with archers and infantry. It would give them the most cover from arrows, and allow them to close the distance for their weapons to return volleys’. Once I had the archers in range I would run the cavalry in from the town to give them the most unobstructed approach while the camp at the top was under attack from arrows. The cavalry would push into the middle of the camp while the foot infantry pushed up the hill and attack from outside in.” Kilen hoped he had covered everything and still stared at the map hoping a better solution would reveal itself.
While still watching the map Bill reached up to scratch his chin. “Have you studied battle strategy before, Kilen?”
“I have read a couple books while in school, Water Realm Battle History by Glen Roddan and Perseverance by J. D. Ropt.”
“Well it shows you study well, although I see a few flaws in your attack. Unless you were attacking a strategist you would have done well. So I am actually sad to say you have passed both of the classes I teach. I shall mark your name down so I know I have passed you, what is it then?” He pulled out a book and charcoal stick.
“Kilen Everheart, sir.” The man’s hand and fingers didn’t move at the revealing of his name, but stood stock still.
“You’re the weapon bearer that they have been talking about?”
“I don’t know if they have been talking about me, but yes I am a weapon bearer, second generation.”
“Second generation or not, most weapon bearers usually rely on a strategist to prepare an attack plan that you just laid out. I think the King is gaining an important ally with you. A weapon bearer that knows the in and outs of battle is a great advantage. He can maneuver troops or adjust attacks, and others will follow.” He took two tokens from a pouch on his belt and handed them to Kilen. Here is your token. You have passed my class. I shall report your passing to Captain Lorusk if you can prove your identity.” He held up a hand before Kilen could object to having to prove his identity, “Some weapon bearers will pay for others to take tests like these in their place. I have seen it time and time again. Now then can you prove yourself?”
Kilen pulled back the cloak to reveal his blade and slid is slightly out of the sheath to reveal its elemental marks. Bill frowned, “Where is your chainger?”
“What is a chainger?” Kilen asked, confused by the question.
“A chainger is a link between a weapon bearer and their weapon, so they may use the magic from it even without holding it.” He revealed a dagger with one earth elemental mark on its blade to Kilen from the back of his belt. “You see my dagger is behind my back in its sheath, but I can still use earth magic because while in the sheath it’s connected to me by a chainger.” He turned to show a tiny chain leading from inside his belt line to the sheaths opening. A small metal sliver was connected to the chain and slid into the sheath where the blade would rest. “You see if I had a marked bracer, let’s say it was padded with leather so that my skin was not in direct contact with it, I would not be able to use its magic. But if the bracer is linked to my armguards or gauntlets that were touching my skin then I would be able to.” Kilen pulled up his chain necklace to reveal the two rings dangling from it. “Ahh see you have a chainger for your rings. You need to get one for your blade. I think the barracks keepers have a small supply if you need them.” The man finally wrote in his ledger Kilen’s name, “It’s disappointing that I will not be having you in class. Some of these men think a battle is won or lost by the strength in their arms, and not the strength in their minds.” He said nothing more as he rolled up his maps and turned to leave the room. They both knew that no more students would be coming today.
Finally feeling that the first thing had gone right for the day, Kilen left to find Ted and get a chainger for his sword. Kilen made his way out of the training facility and started across the training fields. He reached the sword arenas and found that his usual arena was empty except for the blood red ring along the inside of the rock ring. He started to walk across the ring as it was the quickest way to his barracks. A soldier waiting for his turn in a nearby ring ran over quickly, “Hey, big feet! You had best get out of there before someone sees you.”
Confused by the statement, Kilen simply replied, “Why?”
“There is a Kapal that lives on the grounds and that is his practice ring. If he see’s you in it, you will be his next practice partner. That is blood on the ground. Apparently one of his victims wouldn’t stand up to fight him so he cut his clothes off of him and drug him around the circle for days.”
Kilen didn’t know what to say or even if he should set the story straight. He decided to let the story stand. If they wanted to believe it and it would keep them away from Gortus’s arena it was probably better. “Thank you very much for the information.” He quickly backed out the way he had come and made his way around the arena’s perimeter. The change in direction made him look up in a different direction. There were troops lined along the castle walls on horses and hitching carts, wagons, and filling saddle bags. He wondered if he was always this oblivious when he was concentrating on one thing. He made a mental note to look around more and be more observant of his surroundings. Kilen noticed smoke coming from each and every one of the cookers Max had built and Leroy was moving among them quickly. He decided not to bother him and to continue on to the barracks. When he arrived, Ted was in a frenzy helping wielders to load their horses and fetching things for their travel. “Ted, when you get a moment I need your help in finding a chainger.”
Ted looked up only a moment before continuing his work tightening straps on horse’s saddles. “My lord, I am too busy to help anytime soon. If you wish there are some that might fit you on the shelves in my office. Take what you need. They are for your use anyways.” He moved on, quickly gathering more supplies and shouting to servants. Kilen quickly followed after, talking to Ted as he continued his work.
“What is going on Ted? Where is everyone going?” Ted laughed before he spoke still working to pack saddle bags and feed bags full of supplies.
“They are going back to their stations. Now that the wizards have all returned they have cities and townships to guard.” Kilen looked around and finally saw that almost every soldier was readying horses and checking their weapons. The presence in the castle was the largest force anyone would probably ever see assembled. Kilen counted the ranks and columns of men standing in the wizard training fields as they assembled. He counted over one hundred and fifty thousand men and still growing as they completed their formations. He knew that somewhere in that mass of men would be four guards sent to set order in Humbridge. They would see his friends and guard their street. He wished he knew which ones so that he could send them with a letter, apologizing to his mother. Kilen was wasting time before his training with Jace, so he went inside and found the shelf with all the chaingers on it. He sifted through them to find one that would slip into his sword sheath. There were some with loops and some with small clasps. He had no idea what kind of weapon or armor they would be used for so he pushed them to the side. Finally he found one that fit perfectly into his sword sheath with a smooth thin metal plate that would slide down
inside his trousers against his hip. He attached it and let go of the hilt. He still felt the power of the sword still coursing through him. He smiled as he left the barracks to make sure and get to Leroy and his food before it was all gone. He felt much different being able to use both hands while walking around the training grounds. No one paid him much attention as he walked around. To them he was another recruit wandering around a vast training grounds. He caught Leroy’s eye as he approached his cooker.