by Rick Field
The people looked subdued, and Liane gave them a small smile. “It's of no consequence, it's why I did this experiment. Thank you all for your assistance.” She turned to the tavern girl, and handed her two gold pieces. “Please, give everyone a round of drinks for their help.”
By the time she sat down at her table, the tavern's patrons were discussing loudly what Liane had asked of them, turning the experiment into a game of who could compose the most outlandish rule and see who could wreck the country the best.
She looked smugly at Steve. “And that,” she said, “is why ordinary people shouldn't be involved in government. They'll vote for what's good for them, not what's good for the country.”
Steve looked affronted, but somehow managed to keep his tone down. “Stop being insulting,” he said, watching her straighten her back. “I'm not saying democracy is perfect, far from it, but it's the only fair system out there, and there are plenty of people who do it for the right reasons! It's not because you've got magic that you're a good ruler!”
“It's a system that begs to be manipulated and abused,” Liane returned. “And I admit there would be Commoners who would be good rulers and see the big picture and wish to make sure their country does well. However, without magic, they can't be relied upon to fulfill their oaths of office.”
“So, now we're not just stupid, we're unreliable as well!?” Steve snapped, raising his tone enough to cause the entire tavern to turn silent.
Liane simply glared at him, a glare he eagerly returned. “I would thank you for not twisting my words,” she said. “And it would do you well to mind yours.” It felt as if the walls were closing in and light was petering out. A thrum of something vibrated his midriff, forcing a shot of fearful adrenaline through his system. His legs pricked with its icy cold, the hair on his arms stood upright. He was prey and she was the predator; he froze like he'd never frozen before.
“S-sorry,” he muttered, unaccustomed to the panicked sensation that froze him.
The sensation ceased abruptly. “Had I been any other Noble, you would have died for taking such a tone,” Liane informed him. “Be grateful that I am more tolerant than most.”
Anger started to replace the memories of frozen terror. “And yet, you called us stupid and untrustworthy.”
“And once more, you chose to twist my words. I called you neither stupid nor untrustworthy. Commoners are not educated to govern the country, and as such, they cannot be depended upon to make the correct decision for the country as a whole. There is a reason why the Kirian Academy of Magic is structured as it is – it teaches its students to govern themselves, as a miniature country, and gain the necessary knowledge and skills to rule and govern wisely. Without such education, it is most unwise to allow a Commoner any say in the government.”
Steve opened his mouth, ready to retort, but Liane cut him off. “As to untrustworthiness – Commoners are just as trustworthy as any Noble. There is, after all, a reason why we enforce the taking of oaths and vows of office. A Noble can be depended upon because magic will enforce it. We cannot be so sure of a Commoner. Any human being in a position of power will abuse that position. Using vows and oaths, we can rely on the fact that a Noble will be restrained. Without the backing of magic, we cannot be assured of a Commoner's restraint.”
He scowled at her, and she could see him ready another reply. She waved. “Enough, let us table this discussion. Both of us are from opposing views and cultures. You do not have magic, and cannot build a similar system to what we have in Kiria. I suppose that, in the face of magic's absence, having a popularity contest would be the best way to ensure that no person remained in power too long.”
Steve grumbled slightly at her for cutting off the argument, and grudgingly stood up to follow her when she paid and left the tavern.
They left the small town behind in no time, taking a large primary road toward the local city. The primary road was double the width of the secondary roads Steve had seen up until now, and sloped gently down to either side, with a gutter on both sides. He still didn't know what the runes meant, but he did see them on both sides, and guessed that they indicated distance between the cities.
For close to an hour, they walked in silence, both lost in their own thoughts. Liane thought it was quite nice, walking back in peace. She didn't mind explaining things, she'd always enjoyed teaching. What she didn't like was the presumption of the foreigner to judge Kiria, her Kiria, negatively.
It was Steve who broke the silence first. “So, where are we going next?” he asked. She saw the question for what it was, an effort to break the ice and resume some form of casual and respectful conversation.
“We are going toward Eunan, the local city. After that, we'll take the road toward the coast, circumnavigate Sina, and make our way toward the capital city,” Liane explained.
“I'm sorry? Sina?” the pilot asked.
Liane pointed toward the extinct volcano in the far distance. “Mount Sina dominates the center of the island. Do you see the line where the green seems to intensify?”
He nodded. “Yup, sure do.”
“That is the home of the druids of Kiria. They turn storms, prevent floods, and break natural disasters; the top of that mountain is sacred and it is not for those such as us to violate it. Thus, we go around it,” she told him. For a moment, she wondered if Arch Druid Xard had returned yet. She didn't know why he was there when she needed him, and she doubted she ever would. Druids were mysterious and secretive, and from what she had seen from the Arch Druid's abilities, they were right to do so.
Once more, he was rendered speechless. “So, you're telling me that you're in the center of the Bermuda Triangle, but you haven't had a single flood or hurricane because the druids break them?”
She nodded. “Exactly. Such phenomena are known only to us Nobles. If you talked about floods or hurricanes to any Commoner in Kiria, they wouldn't understand the term. The only reason the Nobles know of them is because of our studies in elemental magic.”
He opened his mouth, but closed it before saying anything. Curious, she glanced at him. “You were about to say something,” she stated.
“Forget about it, I don't want another argument,” he replied, shaking his head.
She hated to admit it, but he had raised her curiosity. Milor knew how to keep a secret, and she knew better than to try with him. But Steve seemed like he enjoyed talking. Maybe she'd be able to get him to satisfy at least her immediate curiosity. “I shall promise not to be offended,” she offered.
He frowned. “I was going to say that you made this place sound like a paradise, if only it weren't for the dictatorship,” he admitted, taking a subconscious step away from her.
“It is what it is,” she replied. “We are a dictatorship,” she added with a shrug. “It works for us, and has been for over six hundred years.”
The foreign pilot didn't seem to know how to respond to that, and so remained silent as they walked. Again, they walked quietly for a while, Liane enjoying the peace and Steve digesting what he had heard. The city of Eunan was starting to loom in the distance when he turned back to his guide. Liane braced herself for his next question.
“You mentioned the Academy of Magic,” he said. “Can you tell me some more about it?”
Liane dipped her head, not really sure what he would find interesting and what not. The explanation that Mariam had given her when she was a mere eight years old spooked through her mind, and for a moment Liane felt regret over having to interview her old mentor and friend.
“The Kirian Academy of Magic consists of four levels,” she explained. “A child is known as an Adept before he or she comes to the Academy. At age ten, an Adept enters the Academy, and under the Rules of Equality, is expected to be separated completely from their family for the duration of their training. All ties are severed to prevent the ties of family to intervene with the education – all students at the Academy are equal. They are given a new name, and expected to work for themselves with
out the assistance of their family.”
Steve looked aghast, and looked as if he really wanted to comment on it. Liane kept going, preventing him from doing so. “This is a kindness, it prevents Nobles from resting upon the achievements or the influence of their parents, and teaches them to be reliant upon themselves first and foremost. When an Adept enters the Academy, they become Initiates. First, they are taught the absolute basics of magic, all Initiates together. After a month of study, the Initiates take a test of aptitude. This test is, in actuality, a very intricate piece of magic that will probe the student's interests, aptitudes, abilities, and talents.”
Her hands making animated motions, she continued, “It will determine by itself which questions it will ask, trying to gauge the depth of the students' abilities. It's this test that will make the first cut in the enrolling students. It will judge whether a Noble continues on with regular magic, or whether the student becomes a Necromancer, a Druid, or a Priest. Those found with such aptitudes are apprenticed directly to a Master of the craft.”
The pilot just nodded, his mind awhirl with questions, but remaining silent to allow her to continue her story. “Most Nobles remain with the regular magical curriculum. They are then judged by the Arbitrator of Elements, which will determine the student's most compatible element. This element then becomes their new name. My best friend is called Lord Milor of the Thunderstorms. He was granted a special title because of his excellent control over the element of lightning. When we went to the Academy together, he was Lord Milor Lightningworker.”
“So, you get a new name when you enter the Academy? Not the name of your parents?” Steve asked, sounding as if he didn't know whether that was a good or a bad thing.
“As I explained, to prevent influence of the parents to interfere with education, all family names are removed upon entry into the Academy,” Liane explained. “After the Arbitrator assigns a person a name, they are then faced with a choice. They can become either a Warlock or a Mage. Usually, this is split across gender boundaries – females become Mages, Males become Warlocks. However, exceptions are possible and happen rarely, but they do happen. Before you ask, a Warlock is geared toward military applications and combat, while a Mage is geared toward elemental manipulation, research, and general applications.”
The foreign pilot nodded in appreciation for the added explanation. “After a Noble choses their curriculum, they need to go through either three or four stadia in education. The first three years are the Initiate stage. A student learns the basics of magic. A student who fails to graduate can become an assistant to a Master, able to perform small tasks of magic with sufficient supervision. The next two years are the assistant years. The student is taught to think for themselves, not merely copy the Doctorii or the books. Those who fail to graduate can become apprentices to a Master, and can be tasked with more complex tasks without the necessary supervision. The two years after that are the apprentice level, where a student learns to become an accredited mage or warlock. Students are taught to investigate and think deeper than ever before. Failure to graduate at this stage is an affront, and those that fail to do so become mere apprentices to a Master, just like those who failed two years before. The last year is optional, and is the Master level. A student is given unprecedented freedom, and is expected to create a masterpiece, a new and before unseen piece of magic that shows their ability to understand and build new magic.”
Steve nodded along as she spoke. “How about what you said before? About teaching politics and government to the students? Is it a course being taught?”
Liane shook her head. “The Doctorii and the Lord Master of the Academy only provide lessons. Matters of discipline, order, and regulation, are in the hands of the students. The Student Council is basically the ruling body of the Academy of Magic when it comes to all student matters. Those that wish to do so may apply for membership to the council, and become part of the student government.”
He was gaping at her again, and she found she didn't like it. “So basically, the patients are in charge of the asylum? How does that work? Surely the students will side with the students, and not enforce things!?”
The Pillar remained quiet during his outburst. “I don't know how students are in your home country, but those entering the council here are dedicated and hard-working. No student council member would ever allow for lax discipline, it would be a breach of honor and trust, a failure that would chase them for the rest of their lives.”
“Honor and duty again,” Steve replied. “It seems Kiria still takes those seriously. I have to admit to my shame that not a lot of people still do in my country. It's something I dearly miss.” He sighed, then focused on her again. “How about those without magic? How are they educated?”
“Commoners can go to the regular schools for two years to learn the basics that Nobles are usually taught by their parents. Those schools teach reading, writing, mathematics, basic history, and so on. It's enough to teach Common children how to function in society and to have sufficient basis for a future employer to teach them a trade. Those that go into public service or work as clerks and other secretarial workers are taught by their employers. Those that go for a specific trade such as butchers, bakers, leatherworkers, blacksmiths, and so on, can be apprenticed to a Master who will teach them the trade until the Master is satisfied with their work.”
He nodded, and seemed to think that over. Liane was about to ask a question of her own, when Steve surprised her. “You told me that Warlocks, usually the men, all train in warfare and fighting? So half of your Nobility is basically your military?”
The Pillar shelved her own question, and said, “Warlocks are trained for combat and battle, yes. They are also learned in the ways of war. However, they can chose to take other subjects in addition to their fighting arts lessons. The Lord Master of the Academy is a Warlock, for example. He is the most brilliant magic user I know. Along the same lines, quite a few of my Doctorii at the Academy are Warlocks as well. Being a Warlock does not mean that one goes into the military, but it does mean that one is ready to fulfill such a role should it be necessary.”
Steve seemed thoughtful, when he said, “So, in essence, half the Nobility is dangerous, and ready to fight?”
He seemed surprised when Liane actually laughed. It wasn't a long laugh, and seemed to surprise her as much as it did him. “All of Nobility is dangerous. A Warlock can break armies. A Mage can summon armies of their own. While Warlocks may lead war and conduct operations, Mages will build their weapons, craft their spells, enchant their equipment, and reload their tools. Every Noble is capable of taking life. Magic makes it easy. Too easy. That is the reason why all of Nobility is held to the code of Decorum, where one learns to fight with words, rather than magic. Those that fail to adhere are reprimanded – should they not be challenged to mortal combat, first.”
He swallowed deeply. “So a duel to the death still exists here?”
“Frequently and painfully,” Liane said, dipping her head. “It is unfortunate, but some Nobles do not learn.”
“But... you just told me that Warlocks train for battle. If a Warlock upsets a Mage, isn't that... well, unfair?” he asked, tentatively, as if not wanting to upset her.
“A Mage can be as dangerous as any Warlock,” Liane replied, calmly. “As I have proven multiple times. It is true that Mages are at a disadvantage; that is why there is always a legal option, where one asks the government to protect a person's honor when that person either is incapable of doing it themselves, or feels that they are incapable of doing so. To do so is a sign of weakness, yet at the same time it sometimes is the only solution to save one's honor after a grievous insult.”
“Like going to the teacher in school,” Steve remarked. Liane frowned, and looked at him, not understanding.
“I wanted to ask about education in your country,” she said. “This provides me with an excellent opportunity. Can you tell me about schools in your country? And perhaps explain your remark abo
ut going to a teacher?”
For a moment, the pilot seemed perplexed at her question, then shrugged. “Sure. I'll explain the school system second, the remark is the easiest to explain. In school, our schools, it's the teachers who enforce discipline and ensure the students are kept in line. When one student sees something against the rules, or has something against the rules done to them, most will keep quiet or try to solve it themselves. Going to the teacher will get a student the reputation of a 'tattletale', basically a teacher's pet. The other students will not have anything to do with students that are known to go to the teacher with their problems rather than fix it themselves or keep their mouths shut.”
“I can see why,” Liane said. “Depending on the situation, of course. I can definitely see the resemblance in this occasion.”
The pilot nodded. “Looks like people will be people, regardless of where they live. Nobody likes people who rats out another.”