Jaunten (Advent Mage Cycle)

by Honor Raconteur

  There was no condemnation in the colt's face, just sadness and confusion. He lowered his head, putting it against my chest. I raised both hands to his neck, my head bowing over his. What more could I have done?

  There was a scuffle of human feet in the doorway. I looked up, blinking past tears, to see a large man standing there with a lantern in one hand. He took in the room with widening eyes. "Boy, what's going on here?"

  I couldn't dredge up the necessary focus to try and soften the blow. "She's dead. Died giving birth."

  A grimace of pain flashed over his face, eerie in the lamplight. When had night fallen? I hadn't even noticed. "And the baby?"

  At the last second, I remembered her cautionary words about telling the true name of the child. I answered carefully, "Her voice was very weak. She didn't say much."

  "Come out of there," he ordered. The look on his face was hard from grief, or suspicion; I couldn’t tell. I carefully climbed to my feet, encouraging the colt to come with me. It didn't take much. He seemed determined to stay with me.

  Together we left the stall. I was close enough to the man at that point to recognize the emblem on his shirt pocket of a green tree rimmed in fire. It made him the head of the stables. I wanted to yell at him for showing up now instead of a half hour ago! There was some realistic part of me that said it probably wouldn't have made a difference.

  I was still mad at him though.

  Actually, I was just mad. It was better than being depressed.

  He led us without a word down four stalls and inside a clean stall that had obviously not been used in a while. I heard him shout at someone, but I didn't pay attention. I just sat in the clean straw with a tired thump. What a day!

  The colt was standing next to me, obviously not interested in lying down just quite yet. In the warm night air, his coat was beginning to dry, and it was only now that I really saw him. He wasn't white like his mother, but a dark chestnut that gleamed in the golden light of the lanterns. The only inheritance his mother had left was his eyes, and the white hair on his mane and tail. When he is full grown, this is going to be one very gorgeous stallion.

  While I was looking at my Nreesce, more people arrived. It was so odd to think of him as mine, but that was the simple truth of the matter. Among the new arrivals was Professor O'danne, looking as rumpled as usual, but without the gentle smile I'd grown accustomed to seeing. Professor Bryer appeared looking as neat as a pin, and miserably unhappy.

  I stood as they entered, forcing myself to meet their eyes. "Professors."

  "What's happened, Garth?"

  Professor O'danne's voice was so gentle and understanding, it almost broke me, but I swallowed the urge to cry and rant, and answered with only a slight roughness to my voice. "Advent Eve asked me earlier today to come and talk with her this evening. When I arrived she was already in labor. I did my best to help her, sir, but…it wasn't enough."

  He sighed, and patted me on the shoulder. "I think I understand, my boy. It was a difficult situation, and we are grateful for what you tried to do. Did she say anything?"

  "Yes sir." I looked up, saw the stable master still standing there listening, and frowned slightly. Advent Eve hadn't said anything about trusting the stable master. "She left one message, but it was to be told to only you and Professor Bryer."

  The two professors shared a quick glance, then Professor Bryer shooed the scowling stable master out, closed the door, and pulled out his wand. I have no idea what spell he used, but I could feel a slight bubble of magic come over the room.

  "Silencing spell," he explained simply. "No one can hear us now. What did she say, Garth?"

  "The colt's name is Trivoxor," I started. As it turned out, nothing else needed to be said. Instant understanding dawned on their faces. They looked down at the colt standing next to me with such awe that it was nearly fanatical. Carefully I ventured, "Why is that important?"

  Professor Bryer shook himself, looking calm and neutral once more. "I can only explain that to his Rider, Garth. If he ever chooses a Rider."

  I have this feeling that I'm going to open a can of worms if I say this, but it had to be said sooner or later. "I am his Rider."

  They both looked at me as if my eyebrows had suddenly gone fluorescent green, and fairies were holding a formal ball on my eyelids.

  "It was the last thing she told me," I added in near protest to those twin incredulous looks. "That he had chosen me to be his Rider. Then she said to take care of him because he would surely take care of me."

  The colt leaned his head against my hip, tail flicking. I think that, more than anything, convinced them. Professor O'danne started chuckling in genuine amusement. "You do know how to land into interesting situations, my boy. Very well, if you are his Rider then it would be wise of you to know. Are you aware of who Advent Eve was?"

  "A Nreesce is all I know, sir."

  "She was not only a Nreesce, Garth." Bryer was still watching the colt as if he was trying to convince himself this whole situation was a dream; just a bad dream and he'd wake up at any moment. "She was the mother of the Nreesce Race. The first Nreesce ever born."

  It took a moment for the full impact of that explanation to sink in. Trivoxor was the direct descendant of the mother of the Nreesce race? By all magic…no wonder the colt was so special and important.

  "There's more," O'danne added cheerfully. I think that gentle smile hides a truly sadistic sense of humor because he was enjoying all of this way too much. "There is a prophecy about that colt. If you come up to my office during lunch tomorrow, I'll let you read it."

  "That might be wise," I agreed in a daze. Prophecy? Why did that one word make me want to run for the hills?

  There was an insistent tugging at my shirt. My Nreesce was looking up at me in silent demand. For a moment I stared down at him, completely clueless as to what he wanted. "What?"

  "Hungry."

  I nearly jumped out of my skin as that insistent voice resounded in my head.

  "Garth?" Bryer was looking at me as if he felt I was going to fall apart at the seams. And that was a tempting prospect, so he was probably right to worry.

  "H-he said he's hungry," I choked out.

  "Ah! Well, he was just born, that's to be expected. I'll have a bottle made up so you can feed him. I think the rest of our questions can wait until tomorrow morning."

  I nodded numbly. Were newborn Nreesce supposed to be able to talk like this? Neither of the professors in front of me was particularly surprised by Trivoxor's demand, so I guess so.

  I sat back down in the hay waiting for the bottle to arrive.

  "I have a book on Nreesce that you can borrow," Professor O'danne offered cordially. "I think it will help you take care of your Nreesce."

  "Much appreciated sir," I answered faintly. With Trivoxor, I had a feeling that I would need all the help I could get.

  ~*~

  In case you've ever wondered, hay is not comfortable to sleep on. For one thing, it's sharp and it pokes you whenever you move. For another, it flattens easily and is nowhere near as comfortable as a feather mattress. Why do I know this?

  Nreesce, according to Professor Bryer, grow very fast. Within a year they are considered to be a juvenile adult, and within two they are at full maturity. What that equated to in the short term was that Trivoxor was constantly hungry. I had to feed him every two hours. Ever tried ignoring a hungry colt? Sleeping is not an option, let me tell you. I spent the entire night in that stable, getting up every two hours to make another bottle for Trivoxor, feeding him, and then going back to sleep.

  How do mothers do this on a regular basis?

  I was gaining a whole new respect for every mother on the planet; my own especially. Not only had she done this with me, but with both of my older brothers and my younger sister as well. I was awed by her patience and astounded at her generosity. After an entire night in a barn with a pesky colt, I was feeling many things, but being patient and generous weren't on the list. Tired, irritable, h
ungry, yes; in the mood to coddle a colt? Not really.

  I was roused that morning by an insistent tugging at my sleeve. A colt isn't born with teeth, at least a Nreesce colt isn't. Being bitten by them isn't painless, however. He didn't actually bite me on purpose, but sometimes he was a little enthusiastic about waking me up and caught some skin in the process. In sheer self-preservation, I was sleeping lightly enough to surface, fully alert, at the first tug.

  "Hungry."

  Of course he was. With a long suffering sigh I got up, went to the small kitchen area in the stables, and started putting another bottle together. Trivoxor was right on my heels, practically prancing with impatience. I'd barely poured the milk into the bottle before he was sucking at the nipple and emptying the contents with great efficiency.

  As I stood there bleary eyed, watching him eat, the city clock started donging out the time. Absently, I counted the chimes…nine o'clock.

  Nine o'clock?!

  Rotting wormbread! I'd missed the first two classes completely. Bloody magic, but this wasn't good. I was already behind; it wasn't wise to miss any classes whatsoever.

  I was standing there worrying when it occurred to me that there was someone watching me. Looking up, I was faced with Chatta's expression of absolute astonishment.

  "Garth? I'd heard from Professor Bryer that you were down here, but…why are you feeding the colt?"

  "Apparently he didn't tell you everything," I noted wryly.

  She was staring at the hungry colt in front of me. "Apparently not."

  It's hard to think fast when you haven't gotten a full night's sleep, but I had to quickly decide how much I could tell her. I liked Chatta, but I wasn't sure how much to say at this point. For the time being, it was probably wise to play this close to my chest. "I was here last night when Advent Eve gave birth to him. I don't know why, but they chose me as his Rider."

  For a split second Chatta was staring at me incredulously. Then she started laughing, mirth spilling out of her mouth and shining in her eyes. "Only you," she gasped in between spurts of laughter. "Only you would be actually chosen by a Nreesce. And on your first day of school, no less!"

  The irony of the situation wasn't lost on me, but I didn't appreciate her laughter either. I scowled at her, distinctly unhappy.

  The colt was finally finished eating and was looking at Chatta with curiosity, tail flicking. "Friend?"

  Casually tossing the bottle back into the sink I answered, "Yes, she is a friend. This is Chatta."

  "Chatta," he repeated.

  Chatta was watching us in growing amazement. "He can talk already?"

  "If you consider one word sentences talking. He's only said two words to me so far and that was 'friend' and 'hungry'."

  She hummed thoughtfully and dropped down to where she was eye level with the colt. "Hello. I'm Chatta."

  He touched his nose against her hand, making her smile with that peculiar delight that all women have when they're around a cute baby. She looked back up at me, still petting the colt (which attention he loved). "What is his name?"

  Trivoxor, but that wasn't a name I could call him. Even a shortened version of it might be a bad idea. "I haven't thought of one for him yet," I answered truthfully. "Except maybe 'Nightmare'," I added with a dark scowl. "I got practically no sleep last night because I was up so often feeding him."

  The little bottomless pit came back to me and rubbed his face against my chest, looking up at me with adoring eyes. Color me cynical, but I just knew that I was being manipulated.

  Chatta wasn't helping the situation with her snickering. I waited for her to get control of herself before asking, "Did you come looking for me for a reason?"

  "Yes, both Professor Bryer and Professor O'danne wanted to talk to you. They said they had more information for you."

  "Ah." More information sounded really good at this point. I'd just fed him, so I had about two hours to talk with the professors. Hopefully I could work out something with my class schedule so I could take care of a hungry baby. Then I needed to get back here to prepare a bottle. I should be able to manage that. Dropping down to his level I told my Nreesce, "I have to go talk to the professors. Stay here and take a nap, all right?"

  "No."

  Look, a new word! I wish it had been a different one, though. Sighing I repeated, "I need to go talk to them. They have more information for me. I won't be gone for very long." In a flash of inspiration I promised, "I'll be back before you're hungry again."

  "No."

  Busted buckets! I pondered the problem for a moment before inspiration hit. "What if Chatta stays with you?"

  He hesitated at that.

  Chatta, jewel that she is, smiled warmly at him and offered, "I can give you a bath and brush you out so your coat gleams. It'll be fun."

  If I've learned anything in the past twelve hours, it's that my Nreesce loves personal attention. He still looked a bit torn, but said, "Yes."

  I carefully didn't breathe a sigh of relief. "Right. I'll leave you to it."

  ~*~

  Professor O'danne took one look at me and smirked. "You look like you spent a night in a barn, my boy."

  "In this case, appearances are not deceiving," I drawled back. "Good morning to you too, sir."

  The man had the absolute audacity to laugh at me. Professor Bryer even looked a little amused, and I didn't think he had a particularly well developed sense of humor.

  I was in Professor Bryer's office and was not surprised to find it completely neat and organized. It was decorated in dark woods, and books seemed to cover the walls, like invasive vines. The room was a little too dark, but a comfortable place nonetheless. They motioned me to sit down, so I took a cushy chair in front of the desk. Oh yes, so much better than hay.

  "I understand you skipped your first two classes," Professor O'danne commented with that little smirk still hovering over his mouth.

  "Slept right through them," I admitted with a heavy sigh. "Did you know a newborn Nreesce eats every two hours?"

  The old man's lips twitched, and I could swear he was silently laughing. "Really."

  I was not amused, and my look at him relayed as much.

  Professor Bryer decided to interrupt the moment and handed me a book. "This is everything we know about Nreesce. Advent Eve helped write most of it, so it should be very accurate."

  I took the book with reverence, still feeling a pang of guilt and sadness at her name. "Thank you."

  "I'll go back down with you, and we'll work out a feeding schedule so you can get some sleep and go to your classes," Professor Bryer continued with a slight smile. "You'll still need to feed and care for the colt a majority of the time, but you won't have to carry the entire burden alone."

  I nodded in relief. Things were looking up already.

  Bryer turned and picked up another book from his desk, opening it to a marked section. "Read this top paragraph."

  Giving him a curious glance, I turned the book a bit more so I could read it easier. "The Mother shall give birth, and her son will be named Trivoxor. Blood shall be mixed with his coming; strangers shall seek him. A Rider shall be chosen. Great power shall be his, and all shall know his name. The son will be named Trivoxor and blood will be mixed with his coming."

  I swallowed hard. That had to be the prophecy they had mentioned the night before. The first sentence was clear enough. Advent Eve had not only been a mother, but also the mother of the Nreesce race, and she had born a son and called him Trivoxor. I didn't completely understand the second sentence. "Blood shall be mixed" could mean war, but I didn't know for sure. The ''strangers shall seek him'' just sounded ominous. The third sentence I knew was about me. I was the Rider chosen. I didn't particularly care for the promise that ''great power shall be his, and all shall know his name.'' It was probably the promise of power and fame that would make people seek Trivoxor, in desire of becoming his Rider.

  What I found odd was that Trivoxor's name and the part about the blood being mixed was
repeated. Often things that were truly important in magic were repeated at least once—but why were those two things so very crucial? I looked up, silently asking for an explanation.

  "Before last night, we truly didn't understand much about this prophecy," O'danne admitted quietly. "We knew it pertained to Advent Eve, which was why she was moved here before the birth. She knew that if she had a son, according to tradition his name would be Trivoxor, after the Mage that had first created her. We had no idea that a Rider would be chosen this quickly."

  I spread my hands in a helpless shrug. "I don't understand why they chose me."

  Bryer's eyes snapped to my hand and, before I could react, caught my wrist. "Boy, when did you scratch yourself?"

  I looked at him sharply, then at the shallow cut on my palm. When had I done that…? I opened my mouth to say I didn't know, but suddenly I did know. A memory of last night flashed through my mind, and I remembered falling back onto my hands. There was a flash of pain in my palm, and then I went back to helping with the birth. "Last night," I answered slowly.

  "During or after the birth?" Bryer demanded urgently.

  I had a feeling that I had just gotten myself into trouble but I couldn't figure out how. "During."

  "By all that's magic!" he swore in disbelief. "Do you realize that you've quite likely made Trivoxor a Jaunten?"

  …what?! "Th-that's not possible," I denied shakily. "I was the only one cut; there was no direct contact of blood—”

  "Advent Eve was bleeding heavily," O'danne reminded me gently. "And Trivoxor was still attached to her, was he not?"

  Yes, at that point he had been.

  My face must have done something, because O'danne acted like I had answered the question. "Then they were both likely contaminated, my boy." He grinned wryly. "I've puzzled often over that phrase, 'blood shall be mixed.' I thought it meant warfare or something of that sort, but I suppose it's rather obvious now."