The Orphans' Promise

by Pierre Grimbert

  His mind closed itself off to everything but the queen moon. He lost his sense of taste first, and his tongue was heavy behind his lips. Then smell. He forgot the wild smells of the Lorelien forest, the sweet odors of the lush grass and the moist soil, and the musky odor from the decaying leaves. His awareness of the world outside himself gradually faded. He forgot about his own body, ignoring the weight of his legs on the ground, the heaviness of his waist, and the strain his elevated torso put on his elbows. He lost touch.

  The cracking of branches, birdsongs, the song of thousands of limbs and wings moving every which way, the noises of his own breath, and the beating of his heart fused together into a soft buzz, which got quieter and quieter until it completely disappeared. He forgot sound.

  The horizon blurred, the trees were erased, the grass was no longer anything but an imprint of color, which faded into a forgotten forest and sky. Yan no longer saw, he no longer felt or smelled, he no longer heard anything except for the small blue shell. Soon it disappeared too. Now, Yan only focused on the idea of the queen moon. Its essence. Its spirit.

  The hardest part was next. The young man was overjoyed to have made it this far on his first try, without losing his concentration and having to start over. Now he had to act on the shell with nothing but his Will.

  This was the true magic.

  He drew the necessary strength from within himself, and he gathered this power around an image of Léti once again.

  This was the stage where the heart would beat faster. Breathing became heavier. Hands shook. His body warmed, tensed, and then lost all control.

  Yan didn’t feel any of it. He was anticipating it. He knew it was coming, and that he wouldn’t experience it physically until after unleashing his Will, when the rest of the world would impose itself on him again. And even then, after he came back out of the dark, it would only be a memory. What his body knew right at that moment, Yan didn’t feel, for it didn’t exist anymore.

  He finally unleashed his Will and maintained enough control of the emotions that flooded over him to regain awareness of his eyes first. The queen moon quivered, and then toppled over before being lifted by an invisible current that tossed it a foot farther away from him.

  Yan then embraced reality’s wholeness, but too soon. Swept up in a wave of joy, he awoke to his surroundings all at once: Taste, smell, touch, and sound all came back to him in one painful moment during which all of his senses were amplified. His mind recalibrated them before he let out a cry of pain. Then it was his body’s turn to bear the torture as it swung from a fevered state to a horrible languor. If he had complete power and control the moment before, he now found himself exceptionally weak and felt a frozen cold creep down into his bones, his body no longer able to hold any more energy.

  He had felt this way before, on the edge of the cliff on Ji. And also after the first time he accomplished the feat. He knew that he had to just wait for his mind to regain control and for his heart to bring order to the chaos. If he were to stand up, make the slightest abrupt movement, his head would spin and he would vomit, there was no doubt about it.

  Once he had warmed back up a little, he sat upright and leaned against the nearest tree trunk. It wasn’t until then that he remembered Corenn.

  The Mother looked grave. She held his wrist to check the beating of his heart. “Everything’s going to be fine.”

  Yan smiled in agreement. He was feeling better. Better and better, actually. He gauged himself strong enough to talk. “Actually, that depends,” he said, out of breath. “Do I get my diploma, or not?”

  “You are officially an apprentice-magician! That is, if you want to be, of course…”

  “Yes. I do want that. Can we tell Léti now?”

  “Right away!” She helped him up, and they made their way back to Raji’s farm in a slow walk.

  “How long did it take? I don’t remember,” Yan asked

  “A few centidays at most. Not three days, anyhow!”

  Yan nodded and thought. While he had been so focused on the task, he had also lost any perception of time. If Corenn had claimed that a deciday had gone by, he would have believed her without the slightest doubt.

  “Umm… what am I supposed to call you now: Master or something?”

  “No, of course not! Just address me as you normally would!”

  “Okay. Um… Lady Corenn, I don’t mean to offend you or anything, but… what are you going to teach me exactly? I mean, I know how to use my Will, don’t I?”

  The Mother let a big smile flower across her face. Yan was smart and talented, but he would forever keep his naiveté, which wasn’t a bad thing.

  “Many, many things, my young friend. What you know about magic is only a drop of water in the sea. I’m going to make you drink so many cups that some of them will taste like the sand at the bottom!”

  Yan didn’t ask any more questions. If Corenn’s goal was to impress him, she had succeeded.

  “No! No, Bowbaq! What kind of move was that? It’s like you’re afraid of breaking your staff!”

  Now that he had many students, Grigán was taking his role as master-at-arms very seriously. While Léti was still motivated and driven, Bowbaq needed to be goaded, encouraged, and sometimes scolded. The giant followed the rules of the exercise without any vigor, and he clearly had a hard time handling weapons, despite his great strength. He was using a heavy hardwood log like it was a sleeping snake that shouldn’t be woken.

  “I’m scared I will hurt you, my friend,” he confessed, combing through his large beard with his clumsy, fat fingers. “What if you can’t block one of my blows in time?”

  The warrior shook his head, discouraged. The staff was the first weapon that he had learned to use, like all Ramgriths, since Griteh’s laws forbid a child under the age of ten to use a blade. It was highly unlikely that Bowbaq could catch him off guard, but this argument wasn’t enough to convince the giant.

  “Too bad then! It would be my fault, not yours! In fact, I would be proud of you.”

  “Maybe he could train with a mannequin?” Rey, who was watching the scene, suggested.

  “I’ve never seen anyone get attacked by a scarecrow. I doubt that he could learn anything from a sack of straw. Except for how to whack away at an opponent like a brute.”

  “It’s a good way to blow off steam. We could dress it up in my Zü tunic. That would surely motivate Bowbaq,” the actor concluded cheerfully.

  Léti, who had been waiting her turn, continued, “He would be scared to hurt the straw!”

  “I can see that this is my day to really hear it from you,” the giant remarked, without any real anger at the innocent teasing.

  Rey added, “I wonder what you could see in a mannequin’s mind. Certainly some frustration about not being able to fight back.”

  They all laughed at Rey’s joke, except for Grigán, who was anxious to start up the lesson again. But he never had the chance; Yan and Corenn’s arrival caused a new interruption. The Mother gathered the group around.

  “I have something really important to say. It’s good news.”

  “You’re going to take Yan in Union!” Rey proposed.

  “No. I am going to take him on as my apprentice.”

  “In what discipline?” Rey asked.

  “Magic.”

  “Oh! All right.” She was joking. Rey gave Bowbaq a thump on the shoulder and left the group to return to his pile of straw. The others didn’t follow him.

  “I was wondering about that, actually. The broken crossbow on the island; it was you!” Grigán said.

  “Yes.”

  The giant asked, “Is it true? You’re a magician?”

  “Yes… well, that’s a strong word. Let’s just say I’m familiar with most of the principles and that I only use my power but rarely.”

  The heirs had seen so many strange things the past few days that they accepted the news fairly easily. Most Ramgriths didn’t believe in magic, but Grigán had met several people with the
talent throughout his travels. He had acknowledged the existence of magicians for a long time. The fact that Corenn was one of them and that she was teaching Yan was only a happy coincidence that could prove to be helpful.

  For Bowbaq, magic was among those things that his people judged to be impolite. Different. Dangerous. They never doubted its existence, but they feared and respected the power as much as gods, demons, and sacred animals. However, the giant had been forced to change his convictions many times in the past few days. Maybe the Arques were also wrong about magic. If Corenn used it, it couldn’t be that bad of a thing.

  Rey was incredulous and joked, “Bowbaq reads minds; Corenn is a magician. I have an announcement for all of you. I have a great talent myself. I can touch my nose with my tongue.”

  “Do you think this is funny?” Grigán asked.

  “Corenn,” Rey continued, “I have met so many fakers that I will need to have proof. If you can do a demonstration, I promise I won’t say anything more… at least until the end of the day.”

  The Mother gave him a small smile, took his hand, and placed a coin in his open palm. A moment later, the little metal disk floated in the air.

  “I need to find myself a gag,” Rey finally said, unflustered.

  My Will is awakening, Corenn thought to herself. Her power had been sleeping for far too long, and even the slightest use had tired her enormously. However, the display for Rey was the third time in as many days that she had used it, and she already felt stronger. The magic was flowing through her more easily now, and she promised herself to put to practice the same advice she gave Yan. She would exercise her Will with him.

  She had kept this secret for so long, for the good of the Matriarchy, that to finally reveal it provided her with a great sense of relief. The heirs were now more united than ever. They had all opened up to one another. Now they shared everything, and they always would.

  Yan had not spoken since Corenn’s announcement, and Léti had been silent as well. They furtively glanced at each other, like two strangers who had just met.

  Since everyone was waiting for the young woman’s reaction, she forced herself to say something.

  “I am happy for you, Yan. Very happy.”

  Her expression said the opposite. Léti had always known about her aunt’s powers. She didn’t have anything against magic, besides the fact that it always had to be kept secret and no one could talk about it. But Yan, whom she had reconnected with yesterday, was again going to change. He would begin to think differently. Evolve. He would drift away from her, little by little with each sunset. No, she wasn’t happy that he was going to learn magic. Where had they gone, those happy days in Eza?

  “Let’s get back to work,” she said to Grigán, closing the conversation.

  Her voice was strong, but she looked troubled. The heirs dispersed.

  Despite his protests, Raji went to meet the man whom Corenn had spoken to. He was a Goranese merchant interested in peddling centenarian’s liquor without having to pay Lorelien freight taxes. The two men came to an agreement, and the deal looked to be a good one for the little smuggler.

  To the heirs’ great surprise, Raji invited them to down a few goblets to celebrate the occasion. Even though his guests had caused him a lot of trouble, he also acknowledged the fact that he owed them something in return. Rey wasn’t wrong about him. Raji was an honest man, albeit in his own way.

  “Some brothers showed up at the Rominian Pig to question Bellec,” he announced while they were gathered under the porch of his little farm. “The only reason he didn’t say anything was to protect the tunnel. I thought I should warn you…”

  “The Guild,” Grigán muttered. “To be expected. They’ll scour the whole city.”

  The smuggler didn’t look worried. He lived several miles outside of Lorelia and never had had reason to worry, not about the Guild or about the royal tax collectors. The heirs were safe… for now.

  “Raji, would you mind doing us a favor?” the warrior continued. “Could you find us a boat for the Small Kingdoms? For the seventh day of the next dékade. Discreetly, of course.”

  The little man accepted without protest, as he was happy about his recent deal and even happier about his guests’ imminent departure. Having done business with a few unscrupulous captains in the past, he knew of several leads.

  The adventure was under way. The heirs hoped they had made the right decision.

  The few days that stood between them and another meeting with the Züu flew by. Among other chores, the heirs took advantage of this forced rest to take inventory of their supplies and equipment.

  Grigán, Corenn, Yan, and Léti had already pooled their savings. They decided to make it official and asked the others to join in, which Bowbaq and Rey did without hesitation. Their interests already being aligned, it was easier to combine their funds, and they could always redistribute the money in case of some unforeseen end to their friendship.

  It went without saying that Corenn would be treasurer; it was obvious to everyone that she was the best equipped to handle the job. Her first action was to precisely count how much each person was contributing to their communal fund, preventing any future disagreements. The Mother declared that her own investment was a donation given to the community of heirs, and that she gave up any and all claims to the money. Since her savings were the largest, everyone welcomed her gesture and made the same promise. Rey was the last to make up his mind, still struggling to turn in his sense of individualism.

  Once this awkward problem was resolved, the heirs worked on filling out their equipment. They had no idea where this adventure would take them, but what they had lived through up until now encouraged them to plan for anything. They took flasks, foodstuffs, sturdy bags, reinforced shoes, rope, blankets, lamps, and all sorts of tools. They traded Raji their horses for all the merchandise.

  The group already had most of these necessities, but the stores were limited in number or in a damaged state. The smuggler’s items were of the highest quality, coming from towns, provinces, or countries that specialized in making the goods. Each one was an artisan’s masterpiece, solid and well built. Grigán, himself, replaced a few pieces of his equipment with the wondrous products in the warehouse.

  Rey spent a long time bartering with Raji, getting back at him for the exorbitant fee he had charged the heirs for their stay. He finally succeeded in obtaining a few advantageous concessions. The heirs picked up additional objects—an enormous mace that Grigán forced into Bowbaq’s hands, and a finely crafted Goranese broadsword for Léti. From then on, despite Corenn’s protests, they never saw the young woman without the cured leather scabbard swinging at her side.

  All said and done, once the heirs paid for their entrance to the Small Palace, the advance for the boat that Raji had reserved for them, and the necessary cost for Grigán’s secret project, they just barely had enough money left to get to Junine. They would have to find some way to refill their purses. Corenn worried to herself. As if we didn’t already have enough to worry about, she thought.

  They also took advantage of the short extra dékade to train the apprentices. Grigán was content to practice a few exercises in various attacks, parries, and counterattacks, spending more time correcting Léti and Bowbaq’s errors than really teaching them anything. He wanted them to be familiar with their new weapons; the rest would come later.

  Rey asked to watch Yan’s lessons, but the long moments of concentration bored him quickly, and he soon left to work with Grigán on a skill that he could actually use. Besides, it was more fun to mock the warrior than to disturb the overly serious Yan and Corenn.

  In addition to being dull, the first courses in magic didn’t appear to be going too well. Yan avoided them for three days, pretending that he had a headache. He finally ceded to the Mother’s insistence that he continue and dedicated himself to the experience, which again ended in failure. He quit trying after he failed again the next day.

  “Yan, what happened to you
?” Corenn finally asked him. “It seems like you aren’t interested anymore. Do you still want to learn?” She had asked the question with all the tenderness she could, knowing that the slightest terse word could push Yan to make a reckless decision.

  “I don’t know,” he responded. “I don’t know if it will ever be useful.”

  The Mother announced the end of the lesson, and didn’t add anything else. They needed to discuss it some other time.

  That night Corenn had a long conversation with her niece. Yan never knew exactly what they said, but Léti found him soon afterward, when he was alone, contemplating the stars. She sat next to him, and they stayed like that, no words passing between them, for a long time.

  “I hope you are really applying yourself to your lessons,” she said abruptly. “I can’t wait for you to show me some of your tricks.”

  The young man stared at her without bothering to hide his surprise. Léti was sincere.

  “Your aunt yells a lot less than Grigán,” he told her, smiling. “And she never asks me to hit her.”

  They laughed nervously, which seemed to ease the tension that had built up between them over the past few days. They spoke for a long time under the stars. They confessed their fears, their impressions, and their thoughts about the coming days, all the while avoiding talking about the feelings they had for each other. They pretended like they were in love. Like before, in Eza.

  The next day, Yan succeeded brilliantly at his exercises. He learned everything that Corenn wanted to teach him. His education had begun once again, this time in earnest.

  But Corenn didn’t have the chance to take advantage of her pupil’s newfound motivation. That day was the sixth of the dékade. The Small Palace market was tomorrow.