The Channeler

by William Kline

  The rest of the test was almost identical to the previous test, except that, at every gate and barrier, there was etched into the stone a series of markings that instructed Tommy on the spell that was to be cast to open the gate. One of them was a spell that pushed on the stone and opened the gate, another one made a loud clapping noise that startled Tommy even as it opened the passage, and another one shot, much to Tommy’s surprise, a small arc of electricity that struck the stone and allowed the gate to open. That last one, Tommy reflected, might be useful someday, and he spent a little bit of time studying and memorizing the glyphs and the spell they formed, until he was sure he could reproduce it at will.

  As he reached the end of the hallway, he came to the flat stone wall as before. Etched onto the wall were instructions for four different spells, and Tommy found it very tricky indeed to cast and maintain four different spells at once, but he managed it without too much difficulty, and the wall faded away and opened once again on the large open chamber that looked like a throne room. As with before, seated at the head of the room, lounging in an oversized throne, was Micah.

  Chapter Thirty

  Tommy!” Micah exclaimed, sitting up slightly in his chair so that he was in a more alert, less relaxed looking position.

  Tommy approached, crossing the room while being sure to give wide berth to the open well with its endless sky and clouds below, which, Tommy noted to himself, Micah had apologized for before, but hadn’t changed, either.

  “Tommy!” Micah said, surprise and pleasure evident in his voice. “You made it! I didn’t expect you so soon, given what you went through yesterday.”

  Tommy wanted to ask a question, but didn’t want to risk offending his mentor – the one person who seemed genuinely concerned for his welfare. He paused and bit his lip for a moment.

  Micah noticed his obvious hesitation. “What is it, Tommy? You can tell me anything, you know that.”

  Taking a deep breath and steeling himself, Tommy asked, “Did you do it on purpose?”

  Micah blinked confusedly for a moment before understanding dawned. Then, he laughed and said, “You mean, did I deliberately schedule you for the test first thing in the morning the day after you had an exhausting trial?”

  Tommy could only nod; maybe he should have kept his mouth shut.

  “Of course I did it on purpose. I’ve been watching your progress, along with the rest of your classmates, every single day now. I knew you could pass the test, but I wanted to see how difficult it would be for you if you weren’t in an ideal frame of mine. Now, my question back to you – did YOU know you could pass the test while tired?”

  Tommy thought about that for a moment. “No,” he said finally, “I was really scared when they called me first. I don’t want to fail. But it was actually fairly easy.”

  Micah nodded knowingly and shifted in his chair. “You have a great deal of talent, Tommy. I hope to someday be able to teach you just how much. In the meantime, consider this a lesson – you can do far more than you think you can, if only you put your mind to it. If your will is sufficient, there is no barrier you cannot overcome. And not just due to your talent, either, although that does certainly make it easier. Any person on this earth, with enough willpower, can achieve whatever they want to.”

  Tommy frowned in thought. “Not anything. I mean, I couldn’t… say, move a mountain, no matter how much I wanted to.”

  “Couldn’t you?” asked Micah. “If you had enough willpower, I bet you could. You could earn money to hire people and trucks to move it for you. Or you could just spend your entire life moving it one shovel at a time. Sure, you wouldn’t be able to do anything else with your life, but that’s not the question. The question is willpower. The only reason you can’t move a mountain is you lack enough willpower to do it.”

  Tommy felt himself bristling slightly with umbrage. It wasn’t very comfortable to hear that he lacked the willpower to do something. No matter what Micah said, Tommy felt, some things were impossible. Like… like flying to the moon. Although, Tommy thought, that was a bad example, because if he really wanted to, he could probably find some way to become an astronaut. But… well, surely there were impossible things out there. Tommy just couldn’t think of any right now. In any case, what did it matter? He didn’t WANT to move a mountain, anyway.

  Perhaps Micah sensed Tommy’s thoughts, or perhaps it was just that the silence had stretched between them for several moments, but the older man continued with a non-sequitur.

  “So, how was your time in Lord Nence’s school, other than terrifying? Do you think it was valuable?”

  Tommy shook his head vigorously. “I must have demonstrated the spell a hundred times. Two hundred. The students watched me out of obligation, I think, but they seemed more interested in talking about how sad it was that I had to go to such a terrible and difficult school.” Micah was chuckling as Tommy continued. “When I did the demonstration for the instructors, they all seemed to want to scold me for doing it wrong, or almost demand that I stop breaking tradition. None of them seemed to want to learn. What’s so funny?” Tommy concluded as Micah’s laughter intensified.

  “I could have told you all of that,” Micah replied, still chuckling. “You see, Tommy, you don’t get that level of control and governance without a corresponding level of rigidity. Like I told you yesterday, Nence doesn’t encourage independent thought. Anything that is new or different is a threat to his established order. Why, I would guess that in a month or two, most of the students and faculty there will have forgotten that you were ever even there… and those that haven’t will be trying to figure out how to do what you did by using the same techniques they’ve always used. And, of course, they will fail. You can’t bake a cake using a pie recipe, after all.”

  “But... then why do it? Why make the trade? Why put me through all that? Was it all just another test?”

  “Certainly not! Nence never would have parted with the knowledge of his discovery without feeling he was gaining an equal trade.” Micah grinned, and there was a sparkle in his eyes. “But you know me. You know I would never make an even trade. We gave Nence something he will never use. He gave us something we will absolutely use. So, we come out ahead, you got some valuable experience, and I got to spend a day drinking coffee. Everyone wins!”

  Something occurred to Tommy. “Hey, do I get to learn the spell we traded for?”

  Micah studied Tommy for a second, as if evaluating him in some fashion. “Of course you get to learn it,” he finally said. “But not now, I think. It’s a difficult spell and it is a bit outside of your capabilities right now. Besides,” he continued with a grin, “You are going to have your hands full for the next couple weeks.”

  “Why?” Tommy asked. “What’s next?”

  “Combat training, Tommy,” Micah replied with a smile. “Introduction to combat training.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Tommy practically skipped back to his room, full of nervous excitement. Combat training! He’d been wondering what it entailed since Mae and Stephen said they were learning so long ago. He was also pleased to be advancing so quickly. Stephen had been at the school for a long time before Tommy came – he’d had well over a year head start on Tommy, and here Tommy was, less than a full year into his stay and already beginning combat training. Plus, Mae and Stephen had moved rooms and dining facilities, so that Tommy hardly ever saw them anymore. He was looking forward to moving up himself, so he could have meals with Mae again. He missed her desperately.

  When he got back to his room, no one else was there. Ryan and James must both have gone off to their tests, as well. Tommy hoped they were both doing well. Although he’d originally been at odds with Ryan, and had felt a companionship with James (despite his wearing that stupid “Canadian bacon” T-shirt that Tommy hated so), recently things had shifted. James had become sullen and withdrawn, and had a bit of a tendency to lash out at his roommates, where Ryan had become more relaxed and friendly. Sure, Ryan still had
a bit of an acerbic wit from time to time, but these days he was just as likely to use self deprecating humor as he was to make a joke at someone else’s expense.

  What was in the room, when Tommy returned, was a fresh tray of hot foot, covered with a large towel to keep it warm. The smell coming from underneath the towel was wonderful, and as Tommy felt his mouth salivating and his stomach growling, he was reminded that he’d skipped dinner the night before and had only had an orange for breakfast. Pulling back the cover, Tommy found slices of roast beef in gravy. It was leftovers from last night’s dinner, but it smelled divine. To go with the roast beef was a massive bowl of fried peas. Tommy had never enjoyed eating peas – he found the taste and consistency difficult to choke down. However, the kitchen here took the peas, and, instead of boiling them, they fried them in a little bit of butter until they were just a tiny bit crispy. The results was extremely toothsome and downright tasty with a little bit of salt, and Tommy spooned himself up a generous portion, along with a couple slices of the beef.

  He had just finished wolfing down his food and was settling back on his bed to relax when the door opened, and Sam entered the room. The younger boy looked a little tired and pinched around the eyes, but he had a huge grin on his face.

  “I did it! I passed!” he cried to Tommy as he entered the room.

  “Way to go! I knew you could do it.” Tommy replied, and gave him a high five. It was clear the younger boy had struggled with the test, and Tommy wanted to give him all the encouragement that he could.

  “Oooh, is that fried peas? I’m starving,” Sam said, moving over to inspect the tray, and leaving Tommy to settle back on his bed and wait. He wished Micah had shown him the enchantment spell that they’d traded his stone-working spell for; he would have liked to sit and practice it. He briefly considered practicing the electricity arc spell that he’d learned during the test, but with Sam there, he didn’t dare; they were strictly forbidden from sharing information about the tests, and Tommy was sure that teaching someone a spell they would need to cast would fall under information sharing. Besides, he’d already almost committed that faux pas once today, he didn’t want to chance it again.

  A few minutes later, Ryan returned to the room, a triumphant smile on his face. “Easy as pie!” he exclaimed as he sat down on his bunk.

  For the next several hours, Tommy and Ryan sat and talked about combat training, and what they thought they’d learn in the coming days. Both boys were rather excited about the prospect. It was quite some time later that James came in and plunked face-first onto his bed. Ryan and Tommy shared a worried look.

  “James...?” Ryan ventured.

  When James didn’t respond, Tommy tried. “James… Did you pass?”

  Several moments passed by, and Tommy shared another look with Ryan and was about to ask again when James finally spoke.

  “Passed it. Took everything I had.”

  “Alright!” cried Tommy, pleased that his friend hadn’t failed like he feared. “That means we all get to move on to combat training!”

  “Combat training.” James muttered into his pillow. “All I need. Lemme sleep, I’m tired,” and with that he rolled over and pulled the covers up over his face.

  Tommy looked at Ryan, who gave an exaggerated shrug, rolled his eyes, and then pantomimed a grumpy face. Tommy and Sam snickered at his display, but Ryan’s antics were interrupted as an older student stuck his head in the room and told them that the testing was over, and they were once again free to move about the school. Immediately the three boys set off for the dining hall; they’d just eaten a few hours ago, but food already sounded like a good idea.

  The dining hall was a diverse mix of celebration and commiseration. Several students sat alone, heads down, and barely picked at their foods. Watching them, Tommy reflected that they must have failed their tests. He knew that he wouldn’t want company if he’d just failed; he would want to be alone with his misery for just a little while. As they sat down, Mary bounced up to the table. “I did it,” she grinned at Tommy. “I passed the test this time! I’ll be joining your class, now, Tommy!”

  Tommy was about to congratulate her when Ryan scoffed. “Pfffft. I don’t even know how you could fail that test even once. It was, like, the easiest test ever. You’d have to be stupid not to be able to pass it.”

  Mary cast a dark glare at Ryan. “It wasn’t easy for me,” she retorted. “That last part. Doing…” she gave a significant look to Sam before continuing “Doing all those things at once. I just couldn’t keep track of them all, the first time. It felt like trying to juggle a half dozen balls. Nothing had prepared me for that.”

  “Bah,” replied Ryan, “I still think that…”

  “No, the problem is that you DON’T think at all, RYAN,” Mary broke in, putting considerable acid on the pronunciation of the name. In a much nicer, almost sweet tone, she continued, “See you later, Tommy, Sam.” With that, she turned and flounced out of the room.

  Tommy watched her go for a moment, then turned to Ryan, shaking his head. “Man, you give me grief and say I’m flirting with them, but you will NEVER get a girlfriend like that.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Of all the things Tommy expected when he’d heard they were to begin Combat Training class, what he didn’t expect was an extremely long and boring lecture from Micah on the dangers of trying spells out on one’s fellow students, even willingly. Of course Tommy would never try to actually harm his friends, that was just ridiculous. But then, he wondered, how they would actually get to practice the spells they’d be learning.

  “We will give you ample time to practice the spells you will be learning in a facility in the school designed for just that purpose, once I decide that you are ready.” Micah concluded.

  “Oh,” thought Tommy. “I guess that answers that question.”

  “Before you can learn how to attack, however,” Micah continued, perking Tommy’s interest. “You must learn how to defend yourself, and there are two ways to defend yourself. The first, and best, of these ways is to counter an opponent’s spell before it even gets cast, or before it takes effect on you. You can do this several ways – either by casting the exact same spell as your opponent, but in reverse – Replace fire magic with water, earth with air, and so on, and when the two spells meet, the energies will cancel one another out. Another good way to stop an opponent’s spell is to simply block it. Create a barrier of some sort between you that the spell will impact upon instead of yourself. Yet another way is to disrupt your opponent’s concentration while he is casting the spell; even a small injury, a tickling or itching sensation, some dust in the eyes or in the nose, or a noise in your enemy’s ears can cause him to lose focus and either delay the casting of his spell, or cause him to fumble it completely.” Here, Micah paused significantly, as he often did, and looked around the room for a long moment before continuing.

  “But let’s assume for the moment that all that is past us, it is now too late to disrupt your opponent. A bullet, a knife, or a deadly spell is already on its way to you, and you no longer have the time to cast any sort of spell to stop it. What do you do, then? The answer to this is a structured sheath of magical energy that stops or deflects attacks away from your body. Other schools will call it a barrier, or a protective field, or any other number of names. Here, we simply call it a shield. At first, you will likely find it very difficult to maintain a shield. You will have to keep it well away from your body, or you might run into it yourself – last year, we had a student who jumped into the air, hit his head on his own shield, and knocked himself unconscious,” Micah said with a grin, and the entire class laughed.

  After the laughter died down, he continued. “But with time, you’ll be able to bring the shield closer to your own body, so that it moves with you. You’ll also be able to keep the shield up all the time, with hardly any thought for it at all. This is extremely important. Extremely important. Because in our line of work, being what we are and who we are, you nev
er know when shocking things are going to happen unexpectedly.”

  No sooner had Micah finished speaking than Tommy caught a flicker of motion out of the corner of his eye. A scruffy man with an unkempt beard and filthy, ragged clothes had stepped through the door to the room. His eyes wild, the scruffy man drew a pistol from his pocket and began to raise it, aiming it at Micah.

  “No!” Tommy shouted, standing up. Some of his classmates had their eye on the scruffy man, but those who hadn’t noticed the man yet had turned to look at Tommy due to his outburst.

  Tommy began channeling magical energy as fast as he could. Remembering the electrical bolt spell from the testing the previous day, Tommy hurriedly tried to pull it together… And, in his haste and panic, completely fumbled the thing, causing it to fall apart without effect. He was too slow anyway, though, because before he could complete the spell, there was the tremendous clap of a large handgun firing indoors. Several of the students either hit the floor or fell out of their chairs in surprise – Tommy couldn’t tell which – and it sounded like he wasn’t the only one shouting.

  Then, all at once, Tommy realized that Micah was still standing in front of the room, wearing his usual small smile, and not laying on the floor bleeding. The bullet that had struck him had encountered a barrier – his shield – and fallen useless to the table in front of him. Turning his gaze back to the filthy man with the gun, Tommy saw the man’s image shift and flow for a moment, and there, instead of the scruffy, ragged man, Chancellor Duvey stood, still holding the handgun. Tommy rubbed his eyes in confusion for a moment.

  “Ok, ok, calm down. Calm down everyone, it was just a demonstration. Chancellor Duvey, thank you for your assistance,” Micah said in a soothing voice, and the chancellor bowed deeply at the waist before departing without a word.