by R D Wolfe
“Both of you, put those swords away and come with me! You’re going to Master Whyn. I’m surprised at you Darien, particularly after your conversation with Master Whyn today. I knew we had overstepped.”
Darien felt a stone drop in his stomach. Did she mean the opportunity to stay at The Academy? What else could she be talking about? Maybe if he could just explain what was happening…
“Master Akira I–”
“Silence, Mr. Glade. Nothing excuses fighting in the hallways, and with a sharpened sword no less!”
Lia smirked past Darien as they followed Master Akira to where he had been only that morning, feeling as though the chance he had always wanted slipped further away with each step.
Chapter 2: The Transition
Darien kept his gaze steady as the three walked into Master Whyn’s office, not wanting to show any sign that he had done anything wrong. It was this or beg for mercy. He thought there was a better chance that Whyn would agree with Darien that he had taken the correct course of action.
He was wrong.
After Master Whyn gave Lia a stern and loud dressing down, sentencing her to several extra days of physical training as punishment, he dismissed her and turned to Darien, leaning against the edge of his desk.
“Why?”
The question was so simple and calmly spoken that Darien wasn’t even sure he had heard it.
“I’m sorry, sir?” Darien replied, unsure of what was being asked of him.
“Of all the stupid things to do, particularly after this morning, why, oh why would you draw your sword—your sharpened sword, no less—on another student in front of a second year?”
“Lia was—” Darien began his defense, but Master Whyn cut him off.
“I don’t care what Lia was doing, has done, or will ever do.” He wasn’t yelling, but that made it almost worse. “Nothing justifies pulling a sword in the hallways. Nothing. You know that, Darien.” Whyn sighed, placing his hand to his brow. “I don’t know what will happen now. Master Akira had significant reservations about allowing you to join the staff. You don’t know the amount of pleading and favors I had to offer on your behalf to convince her to relent. Now, it may have been in vain.”
Darien hung his head as shame crashed through him. Master Whyn had offered Darien a chance at the career he had always wanted. He wasn’t even sure he wanted it before, but now that there was a chance to lose it, there was nothing more that he wanted in the entire world.
“Sir, isn’t there anything I can do?”
“There may be,” Master Whyn looked at him seriously. “But I need to know if you’re committed. I left the offer open before, but I am not going to try to undo the damage you’ve done without knowing for sure that this is what you want.”
Darien hesitated. He needed to talk with Kara. This was what he wanted more than anything else, sure, but if he made this decision without talking to her, she would never forgive him.
“Sir, can I let you know after the match tomorrow? I have to talk to someone first,” asked Darien, hoping he wasn’t being too presumptuous.
Master Whyn paused, expressionless, before giving Darien a knowing smile like before.
“Tell Miss Knight that I wish you both the best of luck tomorrow.”
Darien felt his cheeks go red with embarrassment; he hadn’t realized that word of his relationship with Kara had reached the staff.
“Yes, sir.”
Darien left, heading in the direction of his room, his mind racing as he tried to decide. After reaching his dorm he walked to the showers he and Philip shared with the rest of the tenth-year students. Darien cleaned himself up and put on some comfortable clothes—battle gear always made him feel like a fight was just around the next corner—before he and Philip made their way to the school’s dining hall.
As they walked, Darien finally filled his friend in on the conversation with Master Whyn, having made the decision to finally reveal the subject of his earlier meeting. Philip was shocked at the offer to stay on, and relieved that Darien wasn't in more trouble. Being the friend he was, Philip didn’t ask what Darien’s plans were. He knew there was someone else Darien needed to talk to first and kept his peace.
After filling their plates, they made their way to a table. Each one was large, seating about fifty people. The hall itself was so massive, it could fit ten of these tables, enough seating for the entire student body. Finding a spot that was a little less crowded, the two boys sat down and dug into their meal. Darien ate fervently after the day’s activities, talking with Philip about their plans for the match the next day. They caught sight of another member of their team, Trey. They waved, inviting him to join in their feast, but Trey just glowered at them, sitting by himself at the end of a table across the room.
“Think he’ll ever stop being so grumpy?” Philip asked through a mouthful of potatoes.
Darien just shrugged, letting the subject drop. Trey was the newest member of their team, and he hadn’t quite found a way to fit in with the tight-knit group yet.
After they finished, the pair started towards their dorms again before Darien stopped at an intersection and let Philip walk a little further without him. Realizing Darien wasn’t walking with him, Philip turned and called, “Hey, you coming or what?”
“You go ahead, I’ll be there later.”
Philip nodded with a smirk, and turned away, leaving Darien alone in the corridor. Darien turned away from the living area of the school and towards the arena.
Darien pulled on the unlocked double doors and entered, as he had so many times before. The area was empty, just as he’d hoped. Darien walked forward, reliving his many triumphs as he looked around the arena. He could still see the proof of today’s match etched into the dust on the floor of the room. He studied the footprints for a while, replaying what he could of the match from what he could make out in the dust. After a moment’s pause, he stepped forward and saw the trees, grass, gravel, dirt, and boulders he was so familiar with, glowing in the moonlight. The arena was built with the idea of combat in mind. Different areas of the oval-fenced battleground were used for practice in all different kinds of terrain. Darien turned towards the boulders, climbing up the ten or so feet toward the smooth, plateaued top—the highest point in the arena, aside from the tops of the trees.
As his head reached above the rim he almost fell back and off the rocks in surprise. Kara was waiting for him, her long blonde hair pulled back, and her slender body sitting comfortably with legs crossed as she stared at him with her soft green eyes.
“Took you long enough,” she said quietly, flashing him a coy smile as he finished climbing the rest of the way up.
“I got… slowed down,” Darien apologized. “I didn’t see you in the dining hall. How long have been waiting here for me?”
“There are some things you just don’t get to know.” From the tone of her voice he could tell she was smiling. Darien sat down next to her and lay back, looking up at the stars. The walls and stands of the arena blocked out the light from the rest of the school, giving an incredible view of the sky at night, the best anyone could hope for without sneaking out into the forests surrounding the grounds.
They stayed there together in silence for several minutes. Darien lying down, fixated on the sky, Kara sitting next to him, looking around at the stands that had been full of cheering students earlier that day.
“Are you ready for tomorrow?” she asked quietly, almost whispering.
“Yeah,” Darien looked over at her. “We’ll win, just like I said we would last time.”
“Yeah, you were right again.” She turned and layback, positioning her head on his chest making an uppercase T at the top of the boulder. Darien sighed, happy to be here with her.
“I heard you had an interesting day,” she turned her face in his direction before looking back out at the open air of the sky above.
“I did,” he replied, telling her what had happened, beginning with his offer from Master Whyn, his e
ncounter with Lia, and then his second conversation after being caught by Master Akira.
“I don’t know how you can learn from her. She’s so… rigid,” Darien said of the archery master Kara studied under.
“You get used to it,” Kara said softly. “So, what are you gonna do?”
Sighing, Darien stood up. Kara moved to lean against a rock facing him as he paced on the narrow plateau overlooking the stadium.
“I don’t know. There’s so much to think about. This is all I’ve ever wanted to do, teach at the academy, like Whyn, but then I met you and everything that’s happened this year with… us.”
“It’s been nice hasn’t it?” Kara smiled. “The last six months?”
Darien nodded and stopped his pacing, something in the tone of her voice making him look at her. Tears were slowly running down her face.
“What’s wrong?” Darien asked, confused.
“Darien, you know what you have to do. I won’t let you throw your whole life away just for a chance to have a life together after this.”
“But what about all the places we wanted to go and see? What about all the—”
“Darien, stop.” Kara interrupted. “Can you honestly tell me that when Whyn offered you the job, the first thing you thought about was where we wouldn’t be able to go?”
Kicking at the dirt in front of him on the ground, Darien shrugged, trying to avoid looking directly into her eyes.
“That’s what I thought, and it’s okay,” Kara quickly stood and came over to him, sliding her arms through his and squeezing tightly. Darien wrapped his arms around her.
“I didn’t want to just say yes before I talked to you,” he said quietly.
Kara looked up at him before she stood on the tips of her toes and he felt her soft lips press against his. Darien kissed her back, enjoying the moment before pulling away.
“Can we still have our time here?”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she smiled, pulling him in again. “Just promise, if you ever decide to abandon your dreams and explore the world, you’ll come find me.” Darien smiled. “I promise.”
The two of them stayed in the Arena, watching the stars pass overhead. They shared stories of their day, distracting themselves from thinking of a time when they might be apart. When the moon had moved directly overhead, they made their way out of the arena. Darien stuck his head out the door to make sure the way was clear before they could leave. The two embraced before parting ways.
“Get to bed ‘captain.’ We can’t have our illustrious leader falling asleep in his last regular season match. Especially not against Lia.”
Darien smiled. She always knew what to say. Darien went to bed that night, strangely at peace. He was looking forward to taking the position at The Academy, and especially thankful that Kara was insistent that he take the job. There would, of course, be the sad day when their last year was over, but Darien refused to think about that, choosing instead to remind himself of the time that he had left with her. For now, he would just enjoy the fact that everything seemed to be falling into place.
When Darien got up the next day, Philip was putting his battle gear on and testing his sparring axe to make sure it functioned properly. All the weapons were specially made so that no permanent injury would be dealt if a blow landed unprotected. Darien wasn’t quite sure how they worked, but there had been several occasions where he was glad that they had. When Philip realized Darien was awake, he smiled, standing up and sliding the handle of his axe into a loop in his belt.
“Morning,” Darien yawned as he stretched his arms out, loosening his muscles.
“Morning. How’d you sleep?” Philip asked.
“Great. Ready to take on Lia, again. In the arena, this time.”
He began to put on his battle gear: leather boots, bracers, loose brown shirt, and cargo pants, which he strapped his sword belt onto. He thought about putting on his hauberk for this fight, but decided against it, opting to stay as light as possible into this particular contest. When they were ready, the two left the room, locked the door behind them, and made their way to the dining hall. They ate a quick but filling meal before heading to the arena. Their match was the first scheduled for the day, and it was sure to attract every student who could find a reason to be there. Halfway to the arena Darien cursed to himself under his breath. He hadn’t swapped out his real sword for his sparring one after his practice session last night.
“What is it?” Philip asked, concerned.
“I gotta go back to the room,” Darien showed Philip the problem. “If I hurry, I’ll make it back in time, no problem.”
“Go then! I’ll let everyone know where you are.”
Darien ran back through the hallways, and finding his key, he rushed into the room. Digging frantically through the jumble of belongings, he fished out his sparring blade and turned back to the door. Removing his sword belt and tossing it on his bed, he fumbled towards the door, pulling his sparring belt around his waist.
Darien stopped. Something was wrong. Out of place. He paused in the doorway, scanning the room with his eyes. He could hear a strange sucking sound coming from his bed.
Darien moved back into the room and inspected the source of the noise. Flicking the light switch on and looking at the jumble of sheets, the sword belt he had just tossed there moments ago had disappeared. Darien looked under his bed, around on the floor, even checking Philip’s bed, but with no luck. Maybe it had gotten hidden in between the blankets? He ripped the sheets off his bed, but the sword wasn’t there. Then, Darien gasped.
Floating above his bed was a sphere, swirling and pulsing in various shades of blue, casting strange shadows across the room. A quiet rhythm filled the room, and Darien could feel it thumping lightly in his chest. Curiosity rising, he moved forward, looking carefully at the sphere which spun slowly in a circle above his bed. Darien waved his hand in front of it. Nothing happened. He waved his hand behind it. Nothing.
Darien cautiously reached to touch the strange orb with an outstretched finger. About half an inch away from the sphere, he felt a jolt of electricity, and felt his body go completely rigid. The sensation changed, as he felt like he was ripped from the ground, his whole body was being compressed simultaneously. The sucking sound grew louder, and the same rhythmic noise he had heard when looking at the sphere returned as the blue ball expanded around him.
Darien tried to scream but no sound came out of his mouth. He was being pulled along, almost like he was being sucked through a straw. Everything around him was pitch black. He tried to move his arms, but they were pinned to his sides. For what felt like ten minutes, Darien felt the sensation of movement, but saw nothing. Suddenly, a light appeared ahead and quickly rushed towards him. As it approached, the sensation began to slow down. Finally, the light grew so bright that he couldn’t see anything and, fearing it would hurt them, shut his eyes. He felt weightless, then falling, and then, THUD.
Darien found himself lying face first in a grass field, a distinct heat beating down on his back. Lifting his head, he felt a wave of dizziness come over him. Crawling to his knees, he began to feel sick and lost his breakfast. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, crawling away from where he had landed before collapsing back into the grass. Darien felt a regular pounding in his head coming from the ground. It sounded different than the blue orb, but with a similar rhythm. A set of horse legs came into view, and his world went black.
Chapter 3: The Story
Darien’s eyes fluttered open, pain pounding in his head. Taking several deep breaths, Darien swung his legs over the edge of the bed he found himself sitting on, which he realized was little more than a raised platform of straw coated with animal hide. A small, metal cup, filled with a clear liquid, sat on the table next to the bed. Hopeful, he took a small, slow sip and, realizing it was water, drained the cup quickly. The throbbing, which had focused itself behind his left eye, began to subside. Taking one more deep breath he raised his head to look
around the room.
Where am I?
Nothing looked familiar. The room smelled earthy and natural. The walls were made of thick wooden planks, and the floor wasn’t much more than densely packed clay with a light covering of straw. Standing slowly, he moved towards a window on the opposite side of the room. He stopped after just two steps—the window was nearly six feet off the ground. Confused, Darien began looking around for something to stand on. He began to slide a small table towards the far wall when he heard hooves from just beyond a curtain separating this room from its neighbor. Darien quickly pushed the table back into place and sat on the bed, grabbing the now empty cup, pretending to drink casually. His eyes remained fixated on the curtain, as he waited for the rider to dismount and enter.
The curtain was pulled aside, and Darien stared. Standing before him was neither horse nor rider, but the body of a brown horse attached to the torso of a tanned, muscular, middle-aged man. Darien froze, forgetting in his surprise that the cup was still raised to his mouth.
“Oh, good, you’re awake! I thought I heard you moving in here.”
Darien stared, slowly lowering the empty vessel into his lap, searching for words that would not come. He wasn’t even sure what to ask; so many had rushed their way through his brain that it was nearly impossible to decide which to begin with.
“Are you well?” the creature asked. His voice was pleasant and friendly, with an odd accent that Darien couldn’t quite place. His mind slowly recalled his studies of myth and legend, reminding him that the creature was a centaur.
Darien stared dumbly for a few more seconds before simply nodding and then just as slowly, shaking his head. “Where am I? Who are you?” Darien asked, his words slightly slurred from the pain still pulsing in his head.
“Yes, of course. You wouldn’t know exactly where you are, would you?” the centaur noted. “You are in the village of Taitron, in the land of Altruis. This is the home of the centaur people. As for your second question I am Chorrun, healer and teacher in this village.”