‘And I presume Lord Avenal rescued you the next day?’ Eribus asked.
‘Yes, my lord.’
‘I have a few questions,’ the Grandmaster began, his eyes boring into Gulliver, as if reaching for his innermost thoughts. Gulliver briefly wondered if anything else was being called into question. ‘You mentioned a ship. You believe the boy named Kairos came here on a ship?’
Gulliver blinked. He did not expect this, either. Knowing that he wasn’t in trouble, he relaxed enough to gingerly lift the glass of water from the desk and drink. ‘Yes, my lord. He mentioned that Malus’s army attacked his people at sea.’
‘Did he say anything about his people?’
‘No, my lord.’ Gulliver looked elsewhere as he tried to remember. ‘Come to think of it, the boy didn’t say much. He was a quiet sort of lad.’
‘How was his magic?’ Eribus asked in a carefree tone, but his eyes showed intent focus.
Gulliver shrugged, then caught himself in the midst of the informal gesture. ‘That was rude of me! Forgive me, my lord.’ Upon seeing Eribus’s casual wave, he bowed and continued, ‘I never saw him cast a spell. He attacked an elf with a dagger, which I thought was strange. It worked, though.’
‘Some people have very low levels of mana, and some never train in battle magic,’ Eribus said offhandedly. ‘Some rural citizens are ignorant of many spells and revert back to the primal methods of survival in lieu of magic.’
‘Yes, milord,’ Gulliver answered. ‘The thought had crossed my mind, but there was something else...’
‘Go on.’
‘The boy was not only surprised, but seemed rather–’ The young knight paused in recollection of the memory, ’rather perturbed when I cast a mere windcutter spell. You should have seen the look on his face, milord. It was as if he had never seen magic in his entire life.’
‘Did he say anything?’
‘No, milord,’ said Gulliver. ‘It was a mere observation of mine. Forgive me for speaking out on such a trivial matter.’
Eribus nodded and bared his teeth, which the young knight realised was supposed to be a warm, friendly smile, but looked more like a cunning grin. ‘Quite the contrary, Sir Swift. You have done quite well, in fact.’
‘I have, my lord?’ It was on the tip of Gulliver’s tongue to ask the Grandmaster about his fascination with Kairos: why the unknown boy was of interest to someone as important as the highest ranking knight in existence. The voice of stern reasoning stopped the words in his throat. It was not his place to ask such questions, and his natural curiosity had also got him in trouble many times before. He decided to keep his mouth shut on the matter. As far as he knew, the Grandmaster was supposed to know everything that went on around him – even if it was about a lost boy from the middle of nowhere. He was the Grandmaster, after all.
‘You fulfilled your duty at Cape Caipora to the best of your abilities and you displayed true courage and helped rescue a boy from the evil clutches of Malus. Now this very boy is seeking to become a Mana Knight, himself. If everything goes as planned, our ranks will welcome another exceptional member. This is all due to your perseverance and bravery.’
‘I seek your pardon, my lord,’ Gulliver said, forgetting himself again. The praise horrified him, and he felt the need to let the truth out. ‘I was only trying to survive with the boy. I had no honour or bravery in any of this. I was sent to Cape Caipora because I fought with an archduke’s son. Then I let the lighthouse fall into the enemy’s hands.’
Eribus waved his hand for silence again. ‘I’ve heard. You self-remonstrate too much, Sir Gulliver. If you had not fled Cape Caipora, you and that boy would be dead. No, you saved him and fulfilled your mission. You succeeded where Tanton had failed.’ Eribus’s expression darkened for a brief moment – so quick that Gulliver had almost missed it– ‘And for that, I am offering you a promotion to Lion Knight, with your own quarters here in Gala Fortress. You will reside here in Syphax and answer directly to me.’
Now Gulliver was quite sure he was dreaming. He came here thinking he was going to the chopping block, and instead, he was getting rewarded! And a promotion on top of that! He became so dazed with jubilance he didn’t notice that Eribus was still talking to him.
‘Did you hear my terms? I ask that you keep this matter of Cape Caipora and Kairos between us.’
‘Oh, sorry,’ Gulliver said, bowing apologetically. ‘My lips are sealed, my lord,’ he said emphatically, and meant it.
‘Do you accept this offer?’
Gulliver hesitated. He hadn’t exactly received the warmest of welcomes in Syphax, and he wasn’t quite sure how the locals would accept him over time. Even with a promotion, his prospects of happiness seemed slim. But he dared not refuse the offer. The thought of offending the Grandmaster seemed the most terrifying of all, and what other choice did he have? His career as a Mana Knight, before coming to Numidia, had seemed bleak; it was only a matter of time before the Knighthood sent him to another whipping post like Cape Caipora.
‘In case you were concerned about your status as an outsider, you will be accepted by the citizens of Numidia and treated with the utmost respect,’ Eribus said, as if reading Gulliver’s mind. ‘The public ceremony of your promotion will ensure that. And as long as you’re near me, that archduke will have no influence over you here. I will personally see to that.’
The young knight quickly thought the situation over. He didn’t have much to consider. Less than a year ago, he was sleeping on a straw mattress in an old cottage at Cape Caipora, now he would have his own sumptuous quarters in the mecca of the Mana Knights – and near Grandmaster Eribus, of all people! Not to mention the image of the dark-skinned Numidian girl giggling coyly, which sent a shiver of excitement running through him. Perhaps he would enjoy it here; it was worth losing a few fingers for all of this.
‘I accept,’ he said graciously.
‘Splendid,’ Eribus responded. ‘I shall make arrangements. Now if you’ll go down and see Sir Vasteras, he’ll show you to your new quarters. You are dismissed.’
Gulliver made a deep bow to the Grandmaster, a bow that was full of humility, gratitude, and sincerity, for his fortunes had suddenly changed for the better.
Eribus made no response or acknowledgement, but went back to the stack of parchments on his desk. His business with his guest was concluded.
Gulliver did not mind.
The now ecstatic knight walked (almost joyfully skipped) from the Grandmaster’s quarters and shortly met with Sir Vasteras, who seemed equally surprised at the news of the promotion. However, if he had an opinion on the matter, he kept it to himself, and showed Gulliver to his new quarters, which were located in the north tower, and had a large bed with silk sheets and carpeted floors!
Only when Sir Vasteras had departed and shut the door behind him, Gulliver danced with joy, prancing around the room and whooping in delight. He planned to write to his family immediately. They would be proud; his friends would be surprised, and his rivals jealous.
Throughout the mixture of relief and joy that flooded Gulliver, he had one nagging thought at the edge of his mind. Why was Kairos so important to Eribus and Malus?
He quickly forgot the question when he walked into the washroom and realised that he also had his own bath tub.
Part four
Knight’s test
Chapter ten
Star-apple Orchard
Hobs love to attack unsuspecting travellers and raid hardworking farmers. They attack in large numbers and kill for fun. But you always know when they’re about to ambush you, because you can smell them from a league away.
Ellie’s Journal’, Ellie the Adventurer
W
hen he thought no one was looking, Kairos bit into a star-apple.
The star-apple trees grew exclusively in Ordonia and were harvested during the height of spring. The Ordonians, particularly the farmers of Vadost, exported the star-apples to neighbouring nations each year, thus the fruit was an i
mportant source of income for the economy. Kairos had learnt this during their briefing, but all of it bored him to the verge of sleep. The only thing that interested him about star-apples was the taste, which he was currently savouring in secret. Or so he thought.
‘You’re not supposed to be eating that!’ Althea whispered.
‘I’m hungry,’ Kairos complained.
‘You’re always hungry,’ she replied. ‘If you get caught, that’s considered stealing. They explicitly told us not to eat any star-apples found around the orchard because they belong to the farmers.’
‘I won’t get caught unless you keep it up,’ he muttered, but he tucked the partially eaten star-apple into one of the pouches suspended from his belt. ‘Besides, it was already on the ground.’
Kairos, Althea, and the rest of the squires gathered around Sir Flain near the star-apple orchard farm on the outskirts of Vadost. The sun had begun its descent, its light shining down upon the squires, their weapons gleaming in the rays. Most of them carried mana lances and wore leather cuirasses, though they did not bear the rank insignia found on knights; they were not knights, yet.
Only two squires did not carry the lances.
Shah proudly wore his wooden boomerang at his side. Sir Flain barred him from carrying a mana lance, deciding that anything with a sharp or pointy edge would be a safety hazard to Shah and everyone else in the class. The wooden boomerang was not lethal, Flain had determined. It had a blunt edge that might not even kill, or so the rest of the recruits hoped.
Kairos, on the other hand, demonstrated enough proficiency towards dismembering straw dummies, that Sir Flain allowed him to carry the sword on the expedition in lieu of the mana lance. Kairos grasped the hilt of the blade for reassurance. He could not stop shaking at the prospect of battle, not knowing whether it was fear or excitement. Unlike straw dummies, hobs dodged attacks and fought back.
Now Sir Flain stood in front of the squires, glowering at them with his cold blue eyes. The squires ignored him, focusing curiously on the three other knights standing behind him. Flain introduced them as Lady Beatrice, Sir Angevine, and Sir Sigfried. The three knights said nothing and regarded the class coolly. Sir Sigfried, the oldest-looking of the three, appeared bored and about to fall asleep.
‘Listen up,’ Flain yelled, jolting the squires' focus back towards him. ‘As I have previously explained, we’re here to kill hobs today. They’ve been terrorising the farmers each year, and they multiply like rats. The Knighthood is overburdened with tasks by the local populace already, so they somehow passed this task onto you sots. First order at task – Squire Shah! What are you reading?’
Shah looked up from a letter he was holding and saw that everyone had turned and was staring at him. He attempted to covertly tuck the letter away, but Flain waded through the mass of squires and appeared in front of him in an instant.
‘You have a letter, eh?’ He snatched the parchment away, much to the pudgy squire's horror. ‘Why, it must be a really important letter for you to ignore my briefing. Let's see who it's from… Oh, it's from your mother.’
‘Sir Flain, please,’ Shah pleaded.
Flain cleared his throat. ‘To my dearest Honeybear,’ he read.
The other squires began to laugh. Even the three knights smiled. Kairos tried to suppress a grin, but failed.
‘No laughing!’ Flain yelled, his angry gaze burning into the squires. The laughter ceased, though several of them covered their mouths with their hands. Flain continued reading, ‘How is my little strong knight doing? I am so proud of you! Have you been eating your peas and carrots like Mummy told you? Don’t forget to brush your teeth before bedtime, and check under your pillow for those vicious spriggans that like to bite you while you sleep. Everyone at home is doing well, except for your Uncle Debias. He cut down another tree that fell on top of him and trapped him. This time we did not find him for three days. Your cousin, Tarey, went to Vadost and caught the itch from a girl at the Pinch & Tickle. His wife is not happy about it, because he also spent all of his money there.’
The squires’ cheeks bulged with stifled mirth. Sir Angevine and Lady Beatrice shook their heads in disbelief. A trickle of laughter escaped Kairos’s mouth, and he instantly felt bad upon seeing Shah hang his head in shame. When Sir Flain finished the letter, he handed it back to Shah with a look of disgust, and marched back in front of everyone
‘Enough of this,’ Flain said. ‘We will patrol the star-apple orchards in divided groups. These ugly bastards can't see too well at night, and they're too cowardly to skulk about in broad daylight, so they usually come out just before sundown.
‘We will divide the class into four expedition groups of three to four squires,’ Flain continued. ‘Each group will be led by a senior knight – as you can see behind me – to provide you with direction and assist you should the situation get out of hand. Just remember,’ Flain said, seeing several worried faces in the group. ‘It’s okay to be afraid and scared, but it’s panic that will kill you, not fear. Any questions?’
A few hands shot up.
Flain pointed. ‘Yes, Claudius?’
‘Can we choose our teammates?’ he asked, looking pointedly at Althea, which for some reason irritated Kairos. Althea did not notice. She seemed too absorbed in her own misery.
‘No. For the sake of balance, we will choose your team for you.’
There were some whispers of disappointment. Kairos was hoping to partner with Althea, watch over her. Maybe luck would pair them together.
‘Any other questions?’
Kairos raised his hand.
‘What is it, Squire Azel?’ Flain demanded.
‘Can the hobs use magic, sir?’ Kairos was genuinely curious because he had never seen a hob before.
A few squires laughed, presumably at the ignorance of the question. Sir Flain slammed the butt of his mana lance into the ground. ‘Silence! This is no laughing matter. No, they cannot use magic, but that doesn’t mean you let your guard down. Now are there any more questions? No? Good. Now, fall in. We'll divide you into groups. From there, we separate and take our positions.’
The other three knights stepped forward to assist Flain in creating the groups. They began announcing the first team, which would be led by Sir Flain. Almost every squire cast furtive glances at Shah. Kairos knew what they were thinking. He was thinking the same. No one wanted to group with Shah. Kairos felt badly for him, but he knew that the bumbling squire was a liability. As Flain said, Shah seemed to excel at creativity in stupidity.
‘The first team led by me,’ Flain announced, ‘will be Squires Akkitos, Azel, Urzen, and Shah.’
Vaughn silently worded a string of swear words, and Urzen looked to the sky dejectedly. The rest of the class breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that their chances of success had vastly improved.
Shah beamed with pleasure and sidled next to Kairos. ‘H-hey Kairos, looks like we’re on the same team. That’s good, but I really didn’t want to be under Sir Flain. He’s really mean to me... He didn't have to read my letter to everyone, you know.’
‘Yes, that was quite mean of him, Shah,’ Kairos agreed, noticing that Althea was watching the knights and not him. He pulled the partially eaten star-apple out from his pouch and took a big bite.
Flain paced in front of the ranks, calling out more teams. Kairos tried to listen, but Shah continued mumbling. He looked quite nervous, scared even.
‘What’s wrong?’ Kairos asked him.
Shah looked around to make sure the other squires were out of earshot. ‘D-do you think we could die today?’ he asked in a low voice. ‘Those hobs have weapons and what not.’
Kairos shrugged. ‘It’s a possibility.’
Shah paled. ‘I-in that case, I’m glad to be on your team.’
‘Why?’ Kairos asked in surprise.
‘Because you’re the only one in class who isn’t mean to me. Well, you and Althea, that is. But I get too nervous around her, so I’ll just stick close to you.�
�
Kairos thought of the potential outcomes with Shah by his side and gave a long, deep sigh. He finished the star-apple without even tasting it and tossed the core onto the ground.
If any of the gods had survived the Celestial War, they were surely laughing at him.
* * *
‘Keep it quiet,’ Flain hissed. ‘You lot make more noise than the damn hobs!’
Flain could barely control his anger. He constantly harangued Kairos’s group from the start, griping about everything from their appearance down to their behaviour. Kairos assumed that Shah’s presence put the knight in a foul mood, but Flain had enough irritation left over to yell at everyone else.
They sat on a hill in a copse of trees, waiting for the sun to dip behind the western mountains, bathing the landscape in a warm, orange hue that contrasted with the cold wind. The star-apple orchard looked peaceful and inviting now, perfect for a picnic, but as the dusk came, the trees cast long shadows that promised a more foreboding scene at night. Hobs would soon come out in numbers, looking to loot, maybe even murder.
The group was an odd combination, yet Kairos felt a swell of pride in their presence. At that moment, he felt a kinship closer than anything he had ever had with his fellow Einar. They had suffered through many trials together in the Academy, and now they would face danger together, maybe even die.
Vaughn nodded to Kairos when they took their position, but kept his distance. The friction from their fight still created an invisible boundary between them that neither dared cross. This was the closest contact Kairos had with Vaughn since their fight during the festival.
Squire Urzen said very little. His quiet demeanour made him blend into the background, and Kairos knew very little about him; his previous attempts at conversation with Urzen had resulted in one-worded answers or awkward grunts.
Shah made up for the lack of conversation with incessant prattling of his own, much to the consternation of Flain, who grabbed his neck and told him that he would crush it if he didn’t learn how to quiet himself. Kairos paid little heed to them. Self-doubt clouded his mind. Could he contribute to the upcoming fight without mana? Or would he be useless? He traced his fingers on the triggering mechanics of his staff, remembering how helpless he was against the elves. He felt like a fraud, deceiving his team with his so-called fake magic.
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