by Kris Hiatt
Brental looked amused at Drevic’s apparent discomfort.
“I believe faith is something both we and the Church share,” Drevic began. Brental snorted and Nimbril silenced him with a look. “The Church has faith that Kaden watches over our world now much like he did when he was still alive. We have faith that our emotional strength, and control over it, will work when we need it. Faith is believing in something you can’t see and can’t prove or disprove. Archbishop Vrindel has faith that he is right, and all of us have faith that we are right. Is the source of both faiths God? Is it Kaden, his chosen? I simply don’t know.”
“A well thought out and honest answer, thank you Brother Drevic,” the Archmagister said.
Drevic looked around the room to see many heads nod in agreement with the Archmagister.
“But, there is something else I would like to tell you,” Nimbril stated. “The barons are getting annoyed with one another and some of the trade between the two areas is suffering for it. I would like to stay out of governmental affairs, but I would also like to know their plans. I would like to know just how much of Liernin’s ear Archbishop Vrindel has and what the Havenites think of the College. I would also like to know how the people of Kadenton view us, Baron Shamir, and the Church.”
Drevic knew Baron Shamir was the baron of Kadenton and had been for many years. He had heard rumors that the barons were unhappy with each other over the current state of trade between the two cities. They were simple constables several years ago, but as the leaders of the two largest cities in Onneron, they wanted to distinguish themselves from the rest of the constables. After a meeting with all the constables from various cities in Onneron, the idea that the two men would be of higher rank than the rest was put to vote and passed. They were given the title of baron and the control of every other constable in the areas in which both men agreed to split. Baron Liernin controlled the north and Baron Shamir controlled the south.
“Who among you are from either Haven or Kadenton?” the Archmagister asked.
“I am from Kadenton,” said Magister Kelvrin.
“As am I” said Magister Sentin.
“Magister Brental, you are from Kadenton, are you not?”
Brental must have taken Nimbril’s earlier threat as very real, because he didn’t speak, he simply nodded his head.
“I’m from Haven,” Nimbril said. “Anyone else?”
“Me,” said Magister Edas.
“I am,” Drevic said. “If you were including me.”
“Of course I am,” the Archmagster said.
“What does where we come from have to do with anything?” Kelvrin asked.
“I’m formulating a plan, that’s all,” said the Archmagister.
Nimbril got up and paced the room for a short time. Everyone else was absorbed in thought and remained silent. He stopped pacing and faced the room.
“I will solidify my plan tonight and everyone in this room will meet back here tomorrow at noon. You are dismissed.”
#
Everyone was in the Meeting Chamber well before noon and Drevic guessed that after yesterday’s festivities, no one wanted to chance being on the bad side of the Archmagister. The group had waited outside for Nimbril to arrive, even Brental. It was disrespectful to be in the Meeting Chamber without the Archmagister, so they all had gathered outside and waited until he entered the room first. Once everyone was seated, the Archmagister didn’t waste any time.
“I have selected two of you to travel to each major city; one to Kadenton and one to Haven. You will leave next week and return before the cold takes us in too tight a grip. You are to be the ambassador for our cause. I will write a letter to each faction’s leader for you to deliver. I would like to know the truth of these rumors. My letter should get you an audience with each baron.”
“What is it you hope to accomplish?” asked Sentin.
“I wish to establish a relationship between our order and the barons of our two largest cities. If we have good rapport with them, they may be more apt to discuss things that don’t concern us; such as trade policies and their stance on the Church.”
“So we are to become friends of the State to better find the truth of the Church?” Edas asked.
“Partially correct, yes. I wish us to have a better relationship so that I don’t have to rely on letters from former brothers who have left our order as my only source of information. I would rather hear the truth rather than rumors. To accomplish that, we need to build a relationship.”
“Our order has always prized our ability to stay out of the affairs of Church and State,” Ferral said. “Now you want to change that?”
“No, Ferral, not change it. I don’t want us to be involved, only aware.”
The magisters all looked at each other and nodded heads in agreement with the Archmagister’s words. It did make sense to Drevic.
Nimbril nodded then turned to Brental.
“I was too harsh with you yesterday, my old friend, and I apologize. These events, and our newest applicants, have been weighing heavily on my mind.”
Brental didn’t say anything but responded with a nod.
“That’s why I want you to go to Kadenton and be my ambassador.”
Brental raised his hand.
“You may speak freely again, my friend,” the Archmagister said.
“With all respect, Archmagister, why pick me over Kelvrin or Sentin? They are both from Kadenton as well. Is it to punish me?” Brental asked.
Drevic thought the magister did a good job at masking his anger.
“No, never a punishment! But thank you for asking a difficult question. I need Kelvrin here to teach Path of The Calm to this year’s newest eligible group. Likewise, I need Sentin to teach Path of Warding. Path of Fire does not have any new students, only ones needing to perfect it. Magister Ferral will assist those students. You, no doubt, have many connections to utilize in Kadenton. With the idea there may be many trips in the coming months, you are the wise choice for this most important mission.”
Brental simply nodded as if he understood and agreed with the logic. Drevic thought it helped that Nimbril picked Ferral, who was probably the only person in the College that would call Brental a friend, to take his students.
“Brother Drevic, you will continue to go to Haven.” Nimbril said, shocking Drevic and everyone else by the looks on their faces.
“Archmagister, once again, all respect intended, but College rules clearly state that a brother can only serve as an ambassador if he is either an adept or magister. Brother Drevic is neither. Besides, Magister Edas is from Haven and clearly a better choice.”
Drevic knew that Brental was correct, and he wasn’t certain if he should be happy or not. He didn’t like the idea of leaving his studies to go on diplomatic missions, but it was a great honor the Archmagister was attempting to place upon him.
“Brother Drevic has already left as an ambassador. In place of you, and at your behest. Surely you don’t mean to stop him from going now?”
“It was his punishment. But this time, it is not punishment we are doling out, it is trust that we need and Brother Drevic is not yet an Adept. The rules should not be broken,” Brental said, a smug smile on his face after he finished.
Archmagister Nimbril paced for a few more steps before turning his eye, and a smile, upon Magister Sentin.
“Magister Sentin, can Brother Drevic successfully manifest a ward?” the Archmagister asked.
“Uh, why yes, he can,” Sentin stammered. “But I doubt he can be called a master of the Path.”
“Would you say putting him on the spot here and now would be considered stressful?” Nimbril asked the group. Many heads nodded.
“So, if under extreme stress and being put on the spot with no preparation, if Brother Drevic can bring forth a protective barrier, I would say he has mastered it,” he finished, looking at Drevic. Several magisters sucked in their breath.
Drevic was lost. Yesterday he was asked to join the Arch
magister in the Meeting Chamber, something that no one under the rank of magister has ever been allowed to do up until that point. A bit ago the Archmagister had selected him to perform an important mission for the brotherhood. Now he wanted him to enter The Calm and walk the Path of Warding to bring forth a protective barrier in front of everyone. Drevic knew the risk of attempting to do so. Trying to use a magic you haven’t mastered, and while in a stressful environment was thought to be a good way to stone-face yourself. He thought he might throw up.
“You can do it,” said Nimbril.
Drevic concentrated and fell into the Path of The Calm. He sifted through his emotions, turning away anger and love alike. He found the fear the welled from within; the fear of losing a loved one. He focused on it and embraced it, rather than mentally running from it, he embraced it with all his heart. He felt the power of the magical barrier thrum from within. It coalesced through and around him before settling just over his skin.
He let go of the magic and opened his eyes a short time later with everyone in the room clapping, except Brental. Drevic was glad he felt the smile on his face and the elation in his heart; he knew he didn’t stone-face himself.
“Well done!” the Archmagister said. The man was right in front of him. Drevic wasn’t sure how long it took him to bring forth the barrier, but it was at least long enough for the Archmagister to walk to him.
“I knew you could do it,” said Sentin, reversing his earlier claim, which Drevic caught.
“I now confer upon you the rank of Adept,” said Nimbril. Then looking at Brental, he said, “Which is well within my power to do.”
Brental rolled his eyes and said, “Magister Edas?”
“Is needed to teach Path of Heart, something many of our students are working on. I should not use him for this, regardless of its importance, when I have a suitable person to go in his stead.”
Brental waved away any further comments and sat quietly. Drevic could see the red in his face.
“Any other questions?” asked the Archmagister.
Silence filled the room.
“Magister Brental, for your outburst yesterday and today, you will be the first brother to greet our new applicants at the registration table when they arrive in the morning,” Archmagister Nimbril said.
Brental’s face got red once again, but he said not a word. It was hard for Drevic not to smile.
“Brother Drevic, since you caused this, even inadvertently, you will relieve him. And it will give both of you a chance to work on your smiles.”
Drevic didn’t feel like smiling at that point in time. The registration table was not something most brothers wanted to be a part of. You met every prospective brother, and even though you knew less than ten percent of them would make it in, you had to bear witness to all of their families crying and wishing them well. The job wasn’t difficult because of the work; it was difficult because of the state of mind it put you in. You saw happiness that you knew would turn to failure. And you couldn’t help but look back on the days you took your exams and be thankful you were one of the lucky ones. Drevic guessed that’s the point that Nimbril was trying to make.
“You are dismissed,” said the Archmagister.
Chapter 10
He hoped he had done well enough to get in. The written exam was harder than he thought, but Treace still thought he did fairly well. The oral portion of the exam was brutally difficult, but he answered honestly and figured he only got half of the questions right. There were three brothers, one of them the Archmagister, asking him questions and he had a short amount of time to answer. The part that worried him was that he knew the outcome of each exam was totaled and combined to form one score. If it were only based on his written exam, he thought he would get in. If it was based on just the oral portion, he figured he would just go home. But it was based off of both and he really wasn’t sure about the outcome. His mother remained very positive, however, and kept encouraging him throughout the night last night. He found himself hugging her many times throughout the night. He knew in a few hours he wouldn’t be going home with her. He’d have to tell her the truth should he fail, but he figured he’d cross that bridge if he came to it.
Fall would soon give way to winter and it was cool in the morning. A storm had moved in and a slow but steady rain had fallen all night and had only just broken with the sun’s morning rays. It took its time warming the air and everyone gathered had huddled together against the wind waiting, mostly impatiently, for the results. Even though the results wouldn’t be available until noon, most everyone was there a few hours after daybreak. There were fewer people today compared to the first day and Treace figured that either some were staying out of the weather or had simply left after knowing they didn’t do very well on the exams.
It was nearly noon and the breeze calmed as the remnants of the storm were finally gone and the sun was warm on Treace’s face. The gathering no longer huddled together to stay warm, he knew they were gathered tightly together in front of the main gate in anticipation of the results. There were four brothers standing in the entranceway preventing anyone from actually entering the College grounds. A single brother came out through them and walked into the crowd.
“Family members of the applicants, please step to this side. Applicants, please form a line on this side,” a brother repeatedly called out while walking through the middle of the throng. He was indicating his right side for family members and his left for applicants.
Treace thought the crowd performed this relatively well, given the situation. There was a bit of jostling to get close to the front of the line, but it didn’t take too long to form a long line. He looked to his left and to his right and guessed he was in the front third of the line. The brother kept walking up and down the line repeating his announcement, which had just changed.
“Applicants, keep your paper visible to us at all times. I will lead the line, if selected, move out of the line. If not, thank you for applying, but keep walking back to your family and you are free to leave.”
Treace knew he was referring to the application paper each applicant was handed on the first day. They were told to keep those with them at all times. His heart began to beat faster. He looked into the crowd of family members, searching for his mother. He couldn’t find her. The crowd of family began their own jostling and formed their own line so they were across from their sons. After the second pass of the announcing brother, Treace saw his mother across from him; she had found him. She smiled softly and he returned it.
“Once I reach the front of the line, we will move,” the announcement brother kept saying as he passed Treace on his way to the front of the line.
The line began to move forward and Treace shuffled his feet and peered out of the line to see what was happening. He wasn’t the shortest of the applicants, but he was far from the tallest. He couldn’t see much so he looked at the back of the person in front of him and moved forward.
When he neared the gate, the first of the unsuccessful applicants exited the gate with his head down and tears in his eyes. He walked past Treace and toward his family. He was glad he wasn’t at the front of the line, not only did you have to deal with the possibility of not getting accepted, but if you did not, you were the first to face the stares of the waiting families.
“Thank you for applying,” the announcement brother said quietly to each applicant that exited the gate toward the group of parents. He had made his full circuit of the courtyard and was now standing at the exit.
“Welcome to the Path of Choosing,” a brother in the back of the courtyard called out every so often. “This is the first Path you must walk, perhaps one of many.”
Treace could see that a handful of brothers were evenly spaced around the garden and they carried small pieces of paper and referred to them often. He guessed they were a list that contained the names of the accepted applicants. They were standing next to the line and were reading the names of the applicants where it was printed on their paper.
The line formed a ‘U’ as it entered the garden and wound its way to the back of the courtyard and led back to exit through the same location they entered.
He moved forward in line and entered the courtyard. A few days ago he thought it was beautiful, but today he didn’t even bother to look at it. He was focused on the brothers with the lists.
He neared the center part of the line and had passed two of the brothers with lists already. He figured he didn’t make it since he wasn’t selected by either of the first two brothers. They all had to be referring to the same list.
He could see a handful of applicants already standing outside of the line in the back center of the courtyard. There was a brother in front of them facing the ring. The third brother with a list tapped an applicant on the shoulder and nudged him out of the ring and pointed to the group of applicants in the back.
“Welcome to the Path of Choosing,” the brother in the back center said. Treace ignored him.
He was thinking hard. There were five brothers holding lists and the first two brothers that Treace had passed didn’t tap the latest accepted applicant on the shoulder. He realized each of the five brothers around the ring must have their own list. He still had a chance.
He passed the third brother, the one in the middle, closest to the accepted applicants, and started his turn toward the exit. He realized then that everyone was silent, not even a murmur went through the line. He was not surprised by it, given how nervous he was. He guessed everyone else felt the same.
The fourth list brother was right in front of him. He looked at the name of the applicant in line directly in front of Treace and tapped him on the shoulder. “Yes!” Treace heard the applicant whisper before moving to the side.
What were the odds that out of what Treace guessed were five hundred applicants, two of the thirty that would be accepted were standing next to each other in line? He looked at the exit, no more than ten paces away and came to know the truth; he wouldn’t be selected. The odds were not in his favor. He knew he didn’t do well enough on his exams. He was lying to himself about the combined score. He performed miserably on the oral exam and he knew it. He didn’t deserve to be accepted. He was a failure. All the time and effort Jensen and his mother put into helping him and traveling with him was for nothing. He failed them and now he’d be living without them. Not that he wouldn’t be even if he made it, but it wasn’t the same. He had settled his mind on living in Haven. He’d have to live off the street, but he hoped after time he could find work as a smith.