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Chapter 18
Their company had every reason to enjoy a good night’s rest. They may have been on the road, but it was one they now shared with a caravan of pleasant people. Even the weather found no reason to protest their easygoing pace. Dani had been the first to sleep and so her spirits were far more lifted than they had been the previous day. Warmth shone on her face and eagerness glistened in her eyes. As for Leland, only a handful of light hours were needed for him to attain good sleep. Although, it may have been his routine to make up for lost rest when back in the confines of the city. Regardless, he seemed quite fine at the reins.
A good story was always the best way to see Ezabel peacefully through the night. While she had not read one specifically, her conversation with Jiro had done more than enough to spark her imagination. It ran wild with thoughts of the wider world. Having now met a saffire, it only meant that her journey would bring even more encounters with all that she had read about. All of it was more than enough to lull her into a pleasant slumber.
That is, until a vision came racing her way in the middle of the night. It was like a dream she had long forgotten. It returned now, vivid and true. Again, she was surrounded in a bed of wheat. Angoulet laid in the distance and the visage of the hulking monster bore down upon her. But, a burning power ignited in her hand. It raged to life as a blinding, white fire. It was the last piece of that memory to return. The fire surged like no other, hotter than any flame ever known. Yet, it was cold as steel in her hand. - The inferno spun the silhouette of a longsword. It fell between her fingers and weighed them down with a strength she could not fathom.
The beast screamed down and engulfed her. All fell away like water from a glass. The light of her dream vanished in the distance, chased away by a curtain of black. She was weightless in the abyss, with no power over her own form. Yet, all around her, she felt the golden gaze of a faraway watcher. Every part of her wanted to call out, but her lungs would not work. Her arms would not reach and her head would not turn. She could only listen to the ceaseless echo of its deep, absolute voice.
Go. Back.
°°
“Go back, Ezabel”, Dani repeated. “Um, hello?”
All at once, life returned around Ezabel. The cloth cover of their wagon weaved overhead and the sounds of the highlands came rushing underneath. The songbirds chirped a pleasant tune. Leaves rustled where their carts brushed against stretching foliage. When their wheels came upon a divot in the path, the wagon shook her senses alive. She held Dani’s spell tome upright in her hands. Across from her, Dani leaned forward and squinted at the pages with distinct focus.
“Go back to the last page, I didn’t give my answer yet!”
“Oops, sorry. I wasn’t paying attention..”, Ezabel replied.
The selection trials were on the horizon and Dani had been spurred into a studious frenzy. The better part of the afternoon had been dedicated to helping her memorize every spell circle described in her tome. And, while they had no reason to believe that the trials were going to address such a subject, Dani chose to be productive rather than not. - Ezabel turned back a page and flipped the book around for her to see. She had covered the block of text on the page and waited for Dani to guess the purpose of the spell circle beside it.
“Judging from the arrangement of the runes..”, Dani thumbed her chin. “..that is the ‘Ripple’ spell, from ‘Sanya’s Collection of Water’.”
“Wow, Dani. I don’t think you’ve made one mistake so far.”
“Yeup, it’s what I do!”, she smiled.
“Hey, Leland!”, Ezabel leaned over the driver’s seat with a smug grin. “Isn’t she great? I bet you’re so proud to have sponsored her.”
“I wouldn’t get too full of myself right now.”, he answered. “That book is full of nothing but the basics. Just a buncha’ low level spells made for sealstones and magitech. - Like this stupid thing.”
He had been fiddling with the pipe in his hands. Smoke had long since abandoned the piece. The sealstone at the base of its chamber had run dry and the spell circle etched along its side was no longer active. It was more of a stick now than anything else. He regretted his decision to travel light. If he had only been patient enough to pack another sealstone.
“I’ll be just as good when I get a look at more complicated spells.”, Dani established. “I promise that I won’t waste this chance!”
Dani’s drive was an encouraging sight to Ezabel. Leland however, was on the brink of tossing his pipe onto the side of the road.
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“I don’t suppose either of you two have a spare sealstone, do you?”, Leland asked lazily.
“Nope, none here.” Dani shook her head.
“Why don’t you use your knightstone to power it?”, Ezabel asked innocently.
“Would you trim your nails with an axe?”, he asked.
“Huh?”
While leaning deep into his seat, Leland glanced at Ezabel over his shoulder. With two fingers, he held the pipe high into the air and activated the knightstone on his wrist. A white shroud of magic coated his eyes at once and charged the spell circle on the side of the chamber. When Ezabel lifted her attention to the pipe, it immediately shattered. Save for a few splinters, no part of it remained. It had gone up in a puff of black smoke like a crackling coal. - Ezabel and Dani reeled back in their seats.
“A knightstone’s magic is too potent for something as simple as that. It can break bones if you’re not strong enough. A flimsy spell circle won’t fare any better. - In other words, everything in that book of yours is useless to an Attendant.”
“Okay.”, Dani sat up. “Then let me borrow your knightstone and I’ll start practicing the advanced stuff!”
“W-what-?”
Without warning, Dani leaned far over the edge of the driver’s seat and reached for his wrist. Nevermind the fact that she had failed every attempt to wield a knightstone thus far. She was determined to continue trying with every opportunity she got. Even if she had to make one for herself.
“H-hey, get off!”, Leland flailed.
“Please! Let me try it real quick!”, she shouted.
“No! You’re not ready yet!”
“Sure I am! I promise!”
“Sit back down!”
“Pleeeeeeease!?”
“Wait, look!”, Ezabel shouted.
The front of their wagon began to lean forward. They were practically grappling one another in a wild wrestling match when the trees parted. The path winded downward and the carts ahead of them began to descend. It was not until that moment that Ezabel realized Graycliffe’s peak rose behind them. The valley opened wide and poured a torrent of woodland down into a flat, verdant sea. They could follow the Windroad as it meandered down into the plains. In certain places, small hills could be seen wearing circlets of stone which spilled lazily into the fields.
It was a sight that heralded their arrival in Melle. Plumes of chimney smoke lifted from modest townships that stippled the lasting horizon. They were not yet in the Gracewind, but it was clear to see that civilization was far more alive here. Every building they could see from their height represented the capital’s reach. Even the Windroad shifted in appearance when it met the base of the mountain. Dirt became paved stone and lanterns followed its every curve. - At long last, Ezabel was on the other side of the mountain. She stood within the wagon and held tight against the cover. Her eyes would not part with the view for a second. It was as if Melle was born brighter than Vostia, a twin with more love and far fewer blemishes.
Dani had paused mid-struggle and pulled herself away. Between her and Ezabel came a binding sense of commitment. They had come to the place where their futures could finally unfold.
“Alright, will you sit down now? You’re gonna’ scare our horses off the damn slope!”
Leland pleaded as he fixed his headband. He knew well and true that his responsibilities were now far beyond that which he initially expected. Not only did he return with two candidates, they both had a long way to go. - The thought was tiring and he groaned in his seat. His gaze looked past the trot of their horses and glided quietly into the view beyond. When it settled, he smiled in admittance to its charm. The sun reigned high with a warmth that stretched to every corner of the sky. If only he could kick his legs up onto something.
“I guess I’ll keep studying my useless spells then.”, Dani mumbled aloud.
“I’ll help!”, Ezabel whispered.
°°
Hard-pressed or not, it was never easy to find someone who could describe the feeling that embraced the capital this time of year; when ribbons of white and gold hung from roof to roof. It was a celebration of peace and a tribute to legends. A festival announced by the blooming of sword bells upon every corner, down to the last shrub. It was not a simple carnival, nor was it a holiday soon forgotten. This was Gracewind at the peak of prosperity. It was joy.
Joy. Happiness. Comfort. They were all one and the same. It was the emotion that lifted every child out of bed. It willed them into the cobblestone streets, where they ran and filled their baskets to the brim with the petals of sword bells. They raced and they played. And, even if they lost, there was no anguish. For the petals were a gift they were allowed to bestow upon soon-to-be heroes. A tradition embedded in the very culture of the people, no less important than their need to eat.
“C’mon, c’mon! They’re here!”
“Make way, everyone! Make way!”
From the streetside to the lush, overhead balconies, crowds lined the road. Anticipation, excitement, even anxiety; they were all given towards the end of the street. It was there that the grand, southern gate of the city casted a cool shadow upon all those below. Its doors were closed tight and gave no view of the outside. And, until they opened, more souls would squeeze their way into places where they could claim even the slightest view. Shoulders were tight against one another and children did their best to trace their way to the edge of the street, less they wished to be trapped in a forest of feet. Yet, no matter the circumstance, the smiles of the people were bright.
Hubert Thornewell rode steadily at the front of the retinue. How he came to be there was still anyone’s guess. He had come far and Gracewind was only a few more steps away. He was told that this was a moment to be proud of. But, it was not pride that consumed him now. It was dizziness. The southern gate neared. There was no time for a breather. There was no time for second thoughts. And, most certainly, there was no time for him to turn his horse around and gallop away. He could only ride forward.
If he was anything, it was awkward, down to the way he looked. He may have matched those around him in height, but his timid nature always saw that his neck hunched over. It bore a head of short, flaxen hair that curled away from his tall forehead. Nevermind the fact that he was always taught to stand upright, he did not even have the courage to speak now that he had arrived. Being on the younger side of the group did not strike any hope of confidence either.
He could feel the judging eyes of those that rode behind. Each was a successful candidate, just as he, albeit more honored and more purposed. They came from the testing grounds in Ystere. Among their peers from Angoulet, Arkney, and Hadeax, they were the last batch of hopefuls to arrive in the capital for the selection trials.
“Okay, Hubert. You’re here now..”, he mumbled to himself. “..there’s no use in getting nervous. Nerves just get in the way. Let’s try not to look like a fool..”
From the interior of the gate came the energetic sounds of the lively crowd. It was like a haze of noise that he could not comprehend. All it meant to him was that an immeasurable amount of attention was about to come his way. - He gulped a heap of air which struggled to get down his dry throat. What a time to start choking.
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