by Brian Keller
Skran had reached a point of indecision. Every group of kids was different, but usually this far along it was time to introduce weapons training. Skran was thinking that unless he were to further divide the class to allow the Advanced students to start training with weapons, waiting much longer would be holding those boys back. He had considered speaking with Master Worthan about holding two separate classes. They had done it before a few years ago. Skran had plenty of available time during his day to hold two classes but didn’t like doing it since it made it more complicated for students to promote into the Advanced group. If he did hold two classes, he’d need to drop Boyd down to Adequate. That boy just couldn’t be trusted with weapons yet, plus the boy was still restricted to working with a dummy for the next couple days or so. Camilla’s orders. He’d also need promote Aden and Loryn to the Advanced group. Then again, maybe he was becoming too critical. Perhaps he should just start them off with weapons and see. They might do just fine as long as he introduced it all properly. Another day or two to consider wouldn’t matter much. He disliked bringing something like this to Master Worthan unless he had a solid plan ready to be acted upon. Skran supposed he’d have the rest of the day to think about it. It was time to send the students to the classroom.
Cooper had been copying pages for an hour or so and he raised his hand. Master Worthan came to his desk and leaned over it, “What is it, Mister Cooper?”. Cooper turned over the most recent page of his text for Master Worthan’s review and said, “I have only a couple pages still to copy. I expect to have it complete in a couple days, maybe three depending on the number of messages I get called upon to deliver. I have been wondering what I would be doing in the classroom after I’ve finished…?”. Master Worthan looked over the pages. It wasn’t unheard of that a student completed a book before he’d taught the material, but it was unusual. Master Worthan asked, “How much of it do you understand? The parts you’ve copied but we haven’t covered yet in class?”. Cooper replied, “All of it, I think, sir. Of course you always have more to add in class than the textbook has written in it.”. Master Worthan was thinking, ‘How long has Cooper been here? Seven months? Eight? Too soon for him to take his written tests, I think, but exceptions can always be made. Perhaps I should provide some advanced material for him to copy. I shall speak to Miss Camilla about any basic manuals she may have from her Beginning Apothecary class.’. He simply told Cooper, “Well, I have a couple days to sort something out for you then, don’t I? I am glad that you’ve brought your progress to my attention.”.
Master Worthan moved away to walk amongst the rows of desks and Cooper resumed copying his text. The door to the shop opened and a scribe poked his head in. Cooper had seen the hand signal enough to know that a message had come in. He figured since Master Worthan now knew that he was nearly finished copying that he’d be likely be selected to deliver messages more frequently… he was right.
The recipient for this message was a Marquis Dasson LeHauvre. He lived in The Grid, almost in The Heights. Cooper had been past his estate several times but had never been on his grounds. He’d noted the vast differences between the estates of the Marquis and that of the Lord General Arkady. Both estates were extremely impressive in their own way. The estate of the Lord General, was imposing but purely functional; built for defense and security. The estate of Marquis LeHauvre was designed as a display of status and wealth. The outer walls were constructed of stone and iron. The top of the stone was about shoulder high on Cooper, so about waist high for a grown man. The widely spaced iron poles and crossbars served little purpose but to provide points of connection for a myriad of flower-covered vines growing up and through. The grounds around the house had many flowered bushes and several hedges. There were at least a dozen statues; some of people, some of animals and a mythical beast or two for good measure. As he approached the house, he was thinking that guards patrolling the grounds at night could come within three steps of him and never see him. The same could almost even be true in the daylight. The house looked to be of stone that was then framed over and sided with exotic wood of a deep reddish brown color. Each window on the side of the house, even on the ground floor, was actually a set of glass doors that opened onto a small balcony. There were baskets brimming with multi-colored flowers hanging from each of the balconies. The entry to the house was large enough to allow a carriage to pass through and the double doors looked to be about four inches thick and of some wood that seemed hard as metal, or at least sounded almost like metal when he lowered the knocker to strike the wood. He assumed these doors had been installed because the wood was likely exceptionally expensive, and was more of a display of wealth than a security measure.
One of the doors pulled open. An older, dignified man in a servant’s suit looked at Cooper with disdain. Cooper presented the rolled message which the man accepted from him. “The Marquis cannot be troubled to receive his message at this time. I will see that he gets it when he is not… indisposed.”. The man withdrew behind the door and Cooper waited, thinking the man was coming back with the customary tip. This proved incorrect as the doors closed and bolts could be heard clacking into place. As he left the property he was again assaulted with the fabulous, wasteful displays of wealth and caught himself wondering how it could be that he hadn’t been paid his two copper coins.
Wondering whether he’d be held accountable for the copper coin that went to the Guild led him to be reminded that he had an account held by the Master of Coin. He had been looking for an opportunity to stop and find out about it. He followed the instructions as described to him by Master Loril, walked to the correct door and gave the correct knock. In less than a minute, the door opened but whoever opened it remained concealed behind it. Cooper entered but instead of entering straight in, he stepped just inside and then stepped to the left and half turned so he’d be facing whoever it was that was operating the door as they closed it. The man was thin, quite thin in fact, and wearing a gray cloak as an outer layer over his house clothes. He had thinning, shoulder length, grey hair combed straight back. He had brown eyes, a long nose and a wide mouth. His pointed chin protruded almost as far as his nose. The man nodded at Cooper and without saying a word gestured for him to proceed into the house. Cooper hesitated and the man spoke in a nasal voice, “Down the hall, first door to the right. He’ll see you once his visitor has gone. I predict that should be only a few minutes longer.”. Cooper entered the room that the man had indicated and saw that the Master of Coin must greatly enjoy life’s pleasures. These obviously included a variety of wines, having several crystal decanters placed all around the room on any available flat surface. Upholstered chairs were arranged around the fireplace and the divans and settees that were positioned seemingly at random around the room appeared to have tassels of gold thread attached all over them. At least a dozen rugs covered the floors from wall to wall. Cooper had seen rugs before made of scraps of cloth woven together. These were not at all like those. The curtains, which looked to be made of velvet or something similar, were thick enough that no light at all was visible from outside. The room was lit by the many candelabras around the room, surely those couldn’t all be silver or gold, but they looked like it. A captain’s chair upholstered in fine leather sat behind a desk of some fine-grained reddish brown wood. Cooper had barely entered the room and hadn’t even had time to sit before he was joined by a man in his mid- to late thirties. He had thick, brown hair that was oiled and gathered behind his head. His sideburns tapered as they reached his jaw forming a thin line of beard. The skin of his face was sallow and pockmarked. His eyebrows dark and fine, arched above dark eyes that seemed to take in the entire room at once. When he saw Cooper he smiled. Cooper thought, ‘That’s how a cat would smile if it came upon an open bird cage.’.
The man moved further into the room, his eyes never leaving him. The smile left the man’s mouth. Cooper thought that just as well since the smile never made it to any other part of his face. The man raised an eyebrow, “Cooper, i
sn’t it? I believe my memory still serves me.”. As Cooper nodded the man bowed slightly forward at the waist and said, “My name is Jarell. I am Master of Coin. What is it you want of me?”. Cooper replied, “Sir, I had come to ask the amount you held for me on account. But now I am almost more curious as to how you know my name.”. The Master of Coin appeared to consider before he replied, “As to how I know you’re name, it is not the first time you have visited the street in front of my home, is it?” His eyebrows arched again. He moved to his desk and opened a book before he continued, “however, I trust you won’t leave my home as heavily weighted as you were when you left my neighbor’s…?”. Cooper tried to keep his expression blank but his mind was racing, “He knows I robbed the Duke. Did Felis tell him about it when he came here to deposit the gems? Or was it Jarell that told Felis that I’d been here casing the Duke’s home?”. Questions. Ultimately he decided that it didn’t really matter. He didn’t see how it would pose a problem. This man was a Master, after all. Why shouldn’t he know?
The Master of Coin enjoyed watching the gamut of expressions cross the boy’s face. He seemed to savor every moment of Cooper’s discomfort but rather than prolonging the visit he read from the ledger on his desk, “The value of your account is thirty-seven gold crowns and eight silver.”. The man closed the book, “So, unless you have more to ask, that should conclude your visit.”. Cooper couldn’t stop his eyes from getting big, he couldn’t stop his jaw from dropping, but he managed not to sputter or make a sound except snapping his mouth shut. He was rich! Cooper tried to gulp but his mouth had gone dry. Master of Coin woke him from his shock, “Do you wish to draw from your account today?”. Cooper managed to choke out an answer, “N-no, sir. That was all I have come for. I should probably be getting back. Thank you, sir.”, then thought to ask, “Should I leave through the same door I entered?”. “Please do.”, was the Master of Coin’s reply.
Upon Cooper’s return to the Scrivener’s shop he learned there was such a thing as a “Declaration of Non-payment”. It was fairly specific as to the Date, Time, Location, Recipient’s Name, and then Circumstances. The Circumstances portion had a generous amount of space. Cooper simply stated that a servant (then described him briefly) explained the Marquis was indisposed, then took the message, stated he would complete the delivery later and closed the door.
By the time the students were called to lunch, Cooper had only two lines left on the page in his textbook he’d started earlier in the morning.
Chapter 17
After lunch, he went to the Training Room and students gathered in their groups. Mister Skran was nowhere to be seen. Most of the students began stretching. Mister Skran entered a few minutes later carrying a bundle on his back. He dropped the bundle on the floor in the center of the room and announced, “I have decided for and against this a dozen times since yesterday.”. He opened the bundle, and continued, “Everyone come and claim a stick before I change my mind again. Today we will begin weapons training.”. The next moment was chaos as the students scrambled from wherever they were to the center of the room to claim a weapon. Mister Skran attempted to speak over the noise and clatter, and mostly succeeded, “The same rules that have applied, still apply. The main concern that I have is that with a weapon, it is more likely that one of you may hurt another faster than I can intervene. All of you have already experienced bumps and bruises. With a weapon those injuries will occur even more often and if students are careless, broken bones could become commonplace.”.
Cooper picked up the first stick he touched and began examining it. It had been smoothed and polished. There was a metal disc above the grip and a lanyard tied through the pommel. Mister Skran told the class, “At the end of each session, you will deposit your weapon on the table before you leave. At the beginning of each class you will claim a weapon, maybe the same one but most likely not. Do not form an attachment with a weapon. A weapon is nothing but a tool.”. He paused, “In case someone was not paying attention, I’ll say it again. You will not take these weapons with you when you leave the room.”.
“Today I will teach you various ways to strike with your sticks. You will treat them as short swords. Your stances and movements will change more than you think, in order to properly use your weapons. Learn how it feels to swing, strike, block and feint. We will do these drills for rest of the day. We will not form partners today. We will begin partnered drills when I feel you are ready. If you have not adequately displayed proper technique then the drills will continue until you do. You will advance or be delayed as a group. It is possible for the Adequate group to begin partnered drills before the Advanced group, for instance. Which brings me to my next point. Mister Boyd, join your new peers in the Adequate group. I expect that you will improve and reclaim a position in the Advanced group, but that is up to you. Mister Aden, Miss Loryn, as of this moment you have been promoted to the Advanced group. I expect you will not disappoint.”. Mister Skran paused while the students moved to join their new groups, and then he continued, “We will progress slowly over the next several days. We are starting weapons training at this time even though many of you are not ready for it yet. I hope none of you give me reason to regret it.”.
Mister Skran told the students to line up. As the students did so, Mister Skran continued to speak, “These are the weapons that you will use throughout the remainder of my class. In order to pass my class you will fight against me. To get a passing grade you must score a lethal blow against my armor. You can advance in the Guild without passing my class, but certain specialties will be closed to you. In order to keep the grading fair, I do not use Manifested speed during this evaluation, unless the student has Manifested for speed as well. If they have, then I still strive to be fair. Just to be clear, when Master Loril and I fought in the demonstration on the first day of class, neither of us used Manifested speed until very near the end of our demonstration. Now before you believe the task to be hopeless: If you are a good enough fighter and you deserve to pass, you will pass.”.
The session was six hours of drills. Strikes from overhead, underhand, backhand, straight jabs, and then jabs from all the previous oblique angles, over and over again. Mister Skran moved through the class constantly, stopping only to make corrections or give the rare, very rare word of encouragement. Mister Skran told the class, “We will continue these techniques for a few days. Once your movements appear skilled enough, we will add reversed grip strikes. Once I am satisfied with your progress in all these movements, we will resume partnered instruction.”.
Cooper had thought they would be going back to the classroom later today. It was obvious Mister Skran had managed to get their schedule adjusted. It was monotonous, but Cooper practiced his techniques and attempted to maintain his focus. His mind had wandered a few times. His encounter with the Master of Coin still vexed him. He’d gone there with a single question, gotten the answer but had left with several more questions, all unanswered. He put that out of his mind, he needed to focus on the lesson if he hoped to excel.
When it was time to stop for dinner, Cooper’s forearms and shoulder were growing stiff with fatigue. Somehow, he figured, it was going to get harder, not easier. While seated in the dining hall, eating, Miss Camilla entered, got her meal and sat in a vacant space near Cooper. She seemed to contemplate her meal for a few seconds then she picked up her utensils. As she began arranging food on her plate, she looked over at Cooper and said, “Master Worthan has told me that he wishes to see both of us after our meal.”. She returned her attention to her meal without waiting for a reply or saying another word.
Cooper had finished and waited a few minutes for Camilla and then they walked to the classroom. Camilla still hadn’t spoken again. Cooper broke the silence, “Miss, may I ask you a question?”. She replied, “I do not know why Master Worthan has summoned us. I will learn this at the same time you do.”. Cooper replied immediately, “Thank you, miss, but that wasn’t my question.”. Her expression now showed a mild interest, “Re
ally? Then what is your question?”. He selected his words, “As pleased as I am that you’re a Guild member, I would’ve thought that healers would be associated with the college instead.”. She smiled faintly, “I’m sure there’s a question in there somewhere.”, and she continued, “I am not a healer. Well, I am quite good at healing, but that is not my specialty.”. He thought about that, ‘Her answer leaves me with even more questions than I started with. I guess that’s just how today is going to go for me.’. As they entered the classroom, Camilla’s face still had a hint of a smile.
Upon their arrival, Master Worthan stood to greet them, “Ah, Miss Camilla, Mister Cooper, so good of you to come.”. Both students bowed their heads slightly. Master Worthan continued, “I’m sure you’re both wondering why I have asked you here.”. Camilla nodded again as he paused, “Young mister Cooper here has nearly completed copying his textbook but it is not yet time for him to take his written testing to advance to the second year curriculum. That is what brings me to you, Camilla.”. It was now Miss Camilla’s turn to look confused. Cooper was glad to know that, for once, he wasn’t the only one. Master Worthan continued to speak, “Camilla, I feel certain that there is at least one basic volume you have that you’d like to have copied, and Mister Cooper would gain additional knowledge by making that copy for you.” The old man smiled, he seemed to be quite pleased with himself. Miss Camilla replied, “Sir, there are a number of basic books that fit that description. I wish you had spoken to me first, sir. I must ask, which type of text would you like him to copy? The plant identification books require many illustrations. Some of the others require even more.”. She turned to Cooper, “Are you artistic? Can you draw?”. Cooper had no idea. He’d drawn maps and floorplans but that didn’t seem to be what she was asking. After thinking for a second, he answered, “I think I could do that. I wouldn’t be so much drawing as copying, anyway.”. She turned back to their teacher, “Sir, if I have him copy a plant encyclopedia, should I show him how to mix the colors? Or wait until he’s finished and color them myself later?”. The old man smiled, “I think he would benefit from learning to mix the paints, but if this is inconvenient or impractical for you, then I suppose it would still benefit both him and you to simply make an unpainted copy. I shall leave that decision to you.”.