2:061 on the 91st day of Winter
I was sipping wine in a fine black suit at one of the many parties taking place across Cinder. The Aegis manner ballroom was yet again packed with the movers and shakers of the city. Everyone was celebrating the Winter Festival but also a return to normalcy after the long siege. There was however, a major problem, at least for me. Word had gotten around how I had conscripted a bunch of refugees and shopkeepers, gave them magic weapons, and beheaded the enemy army. After the story started getting embellished a bit, it came off looking like I defeated the entire army singlehandedly in the open field. Mage family matriarchs, business titans, and cinderlords alike wanted to talk with the city's savior. Defeating an army of demons did nothing for my social anxiety so things were not going very well.
"Would you be willing to share your design of the dragon's eye?" asked Detlev Miller, the head of the largest supplier of magic items in Cinder. "We could offer you very generous licensing terms." I could only stare at him blankly.
"The what now?" I asked.
"The dragon's eye." he said. "The legendary weapons you used to defeat the loathsome demons."
That's a much better name than laser cannon.
"Not yet." I said, trying and probably failing to mask my annoyance. "But if I do decide to sell it, you will be at the top of my list."
I managed to extricate myself before he could lock me into anything more than that. I wandered around for a while as if I had somewhere to go as a tactic for avoiding conversation. I really didn't like parties in normal times but now I was at the center of attention.
"Brother!" came a happy voice from behind me. I turned to find Mistila standing there in a formal red suit with Jaku on her arm.
“Hello sister.” I said. “And it's nice to see you again, Jaku. These are much better circumstances than when we last met.” I scratched the back of my head thinking of when I had almost permanently blinded my sister. Why did I have to bring that up at a party?
“Indeed, and it is good to see you again too.” they said.
“I meant to ask you,” I said. “And feel free to not answer if it's too personal. But I'm curious what aspect of nature you are named after?” They had a bemused look at my question. Then their expression shifted to sad nostalgia.
“I am named after a river.” they said. “It runs from a lake near my former home all the way to the sea. I would swim in it as a child so my parents thought of teaching me all of its lessons by giving me its name.” Well now I felt like a heel.
“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up painful memories.” I said.
“So, where is your date?” my sister said, cutting in with a change of subject.
“She hasn't arrived yet,” I said. “She told me that she had an important meeting just before this and wanted to meet me here.”
“That's too bad,” said Mistila. “If I see her I will send her your way.”
Then the music changed to one of the formal dance melodies. Jaku turned to Mistila and gave a short bow.
“Love, would you like to dance?” they asked.
“Yes!” she said, then turned back to me. “Good luck with Arin.” And then they were off and dancing. They were cute together. Absolutely absorbed in each other's gazes. Good for them. It was another ten measures and a refill on wine before someone tapped me on the shoulder.
"Theod?" she said. I turned to find Arin in a long black dress. Her new prosthetic was much more comfortable to walk with but she still held an elegant black cane just in case. She was absolutely stunning with soft pinks and blues mixing in her hair and brightly glowing purple eyes and lips.
"Arin." I said dumbly. She smiled and everyone else at the party faded into the background.
"It's good to see you." I said.
"You too." she said. “Thanks for waiting.” She seemed to be nervous and a bit distracted.
“I’d have waited all evening.” I said easily. I had never been very suave, in either life. Instead I’ve found that politeness and earnestness are almost as good. Add a bit of humor in there every once in a while and I did okay. She smiled at my remark and refocused on the moment.
“You seem to be the life of the party. I've heard your name three times in as much time as it took me to find you.” she said. I rolled my eyes at that.
“Don't remind me.” I said. “I've heard your name several times this evening too, you know.”
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“Really?” she asked. “What are people saying about me?”
“I have had two separate people try to get me to tell them how I convinced you to teach me the sunblade spell.” I said. She chuckled at that as she took a glass of wine from a passing waiter.
The night was much more fun after that. Arin and I spent a lot of time together talking and laughing. She had a way of interacting with people that quickly had all eyes on her. Someone would start a grim conversation about demons or the siege and Arin would smoothly pivot to lighter and lighter topics until she was telling a story of her and her brothers that had everyone laughing. She was the life of the party.
Then I saw my father climb the stairs to the stage. The band and the room quieted to hear what he had to say.
"Honored guests, it is my great pleasure to celebrate with you this evening." he said. "I will be brief in my remarks so you may all return to your dancing. First, I want to acknowledge the bravery and strength of the iron skin legion. Without them the city would have been lost a dozen times." Everyone in the hall pounded the tables and stomped the floors.
"Next I want to acknowledge and thank the iron blood mages. Many of whom join us here tonight." he said. More pounding and stomping. "There is one such mage that deserves special recognition. Arin of no house, please join me on the stage."
Arin stiffened next to me. She gripped my arm tightly and wore a determined look. She wasn't surprised by the invitation and strode confidently to the stage. My father meanwhile retrieved a small flat box from an attendant. Once Arin was on stage and facing the audience he continued.
"As a young girl, Arin trained in the blade under swordmaster Henrik." he said. "Then she awoke as a light mage. Most in her situation would be happy with support magic and would perhaps rely on the blade when all else failed. Instead, Arin wields light itself as a blade. In the battles to drive off the demon army Arin led both her squad and a century of soldiers that had lost their commander to retake portions of the city lost to us. She was injured protecting the earth mages that collapsed a tunnel dug beneath the walls. Even after that, she fought in the final battle to retake and hold the northern bastian."
I stomped loudly along with the whole rest of the hall. My mind raced. This must have been what her important meeting was about.
"It is with these deeds in mind that she is being called the Sunblade all across the city." my father said. "As the king's representative in Cinder. It is my great pleasure to award Arin of no house with the gold medallion of service." He withdrew a large gold disk engraved with the symbols of the kingdom and gently placed its ribbon over Arin's head. The room erupted once more but he wasn't done. The medallion was an honor but his offhand comment about her title was what really struck me. That meant he intended to give formal weight to the title. My heart started to race with joy as I realized what was coming next.
"By your deeds and honor I recognized you as possessing a noble heart.” he said. “In this kingdom, those with noble hearts are elevated. As the king's representative, I welcome you to the rank, responsibilities, and privileges of the nobility. May you henceforth be known as Arin of house Sunblade!" The room erupted in pounding and stomping. Arin looked pale but happy. The noise of jubilant applause threatened to bring the roof down. It went on for a full minute but eventually died out. Arin almost made to leave the stage but then my father cleared his throat.
"Lastly, I would like to take a moment of your time to celebrate the awakening of my son Theod." he said, gesturing for me to join him on the stage. Oh great. I nodded to Arin as I made my way up.
"Theod is technically still a reservist in the iron skin legion." he said with some pride. I managed to keep myself from wincing at that. "He only just awakened to his unique form of light magic earlier this season." I could hear murmuring of surprise ripple through the audience.
"He has the ability to forge light magic into items which enabled him to make the legendary dragon's eye." he said, which was followed by a brief round of pounding and stomping. He held up a hand and the audience quieted.
"I have no award or title to offer you son. My position bars me from doing so, though I suspect that your neck will grow heavy with what the Cinderloards will provide." he said facing me directly though speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. "Rather than awards or titles. I wanted to offer you my thanks and the thanks of a grateful city." He clasped my hand and shook it for several marks before pulling me into a hug.
"I am proud of you." he said, just loud enough for me to hear over renewed applause. Then he let me go and I stepped back to join Arin. Unexpectedly, she also gave me a hug as soon as I came near. She was warm and soft and I was grateful just to be there with her. Then my father spoke again.
"Well son," he said. "many here are curious how two of the most talented light mages in a generation just so happened to appear at the same time." He was looking back and forth between Arin and I with a broad knowing smile. For her part Arin just looked bemused.
"Imagine my surprise to discover that the two of you already knew each other." he said with just a hint of sarcasm. Many in the crowd laughed at that.
"But I will leave that mystery for another time." he said. "Instead, I am hoping that each of you can each offer us a brief demonstration of your unique magics."
Arin, not one to miss a beat, pointed at the wall opposite the stage and in a flash of darkness the king's crest was burned into a wooden support. There was a moment of stunned silence followed by uproarious pounding and stomping. Then all eyes turned to me. Well what should I make?
I looked around for inspiration and eventually locked eyes on Arin. I smiled and put my palms together. Focusing through the nerves of being on stage, and two glasses of wine, I forged a basic light crystal. My control slipped for just a moment before I refocused and continued. I shaped the air into a glass rose with pink and blue LEDs powered by a micro core. I handed the finished sculpture of light to Arin, noticing out of the corner of my eye that a bracelet on my father's wrist had emitted a bright green light which was only now fading. Arin was smiling but my father looked stricken.
"Thank you Theod," said Arin. "I will treasure it always." Her tone rode the line between joking and sincere but she was clearly pleased. My father was looking at his bracelet with a hard expression out of place at a party. Was that anger or grief? Oh no, that was one of the death magic detectors the cinderlords commissioned. Then I saw that the audience was silent and still. I looked around and saw that many had bracelets like my father.
"It's not what you think it is, father" I said, trying frantically to think of something.
Then he looked at me. His eyes were filled with determination.
He knew. They all knew.
I was going to die today.
Probably.