When the door of the inn slammed open, the rambunctious crowd failed to react. This was typical for this mining town when the door was slammed far more often then it was gently opened. When the large man filled the door, it caused more than a few of the miners gathered in the taproom to stare. Newcomers were few and far between when travel in the kingdom was heavily regulated. Keeping an eye on a new face was a good idea. Either to avoid a well-connected individual or in the chance at a few coins when a political officer comes asking questions.

When the thin man with the long dark hair followed the larger man through the door, the inn dropped into silence.

Long dark hair, narrow face, thin athletic build, and clothed in silk and cotton; the well-appointed man was different than everyone else in the inn save one. More then a couple looks strayed to the boy sitting in the corner. His head ducked as he watched the crowd through his black hair. His was the only other dark locks in the room.

Turning to the large man behind the bar, he raised two fingers and broke the silence of the room, “A glass of red.”

Walking across the room, the thin man pulled a silk handkerchief from his chest pocket and wiped down the corner chair and table which had emptied as he approached. While the thin man ignored the crowd, the crowd slunk from the bar.

“Eric! Get the glass,” said the barkeep as he gestured his son off his stool and into the kitchen.

Turning from the room, the broad barkeep yanked up the trap door behind the bar and descended into the cellar. His exit was short-lived as a large barrel covered in dust and cobwebs rose through the trap door with the man hunkered under it. The steps of the wine cellar were narrow, the opening through the trap door built for a smaller man. Turning sideways, the barkeep was capable of squeezing his way through the gap, the large barrel held in his massive arms over his head as he climbed the wooden steps. Reaching the ground floor, the barkeep perfunctorily kicked closed the trap door and rested the barrel on the bartop, then dusted himself and the barrel with a damp rag.

While the boy and his barkeep father scrambled for his drink, Lord EarthScorn sat in his chair and ignored the room. The large man who had preceded him sat at a nearby table and watched everything, his eyes never resting. Head down, the boy approached the table and set the empty glass down and moved to return to his stool.

“Wait, boy.”

The command was couched in the tone of a casual request, but it was an iron-clad command as surely as if the Lord had used his magic to control young Eric’s limbs.

Bowing, Eric tried not to tremble, “My Lord?”

Ignoring the boy, the Lord gestured to the barkeep to approach with the barrel. Hoisting the cask onto his shoulder, the barkeep stomped over to the corner seat and carefully arranged the glass under the tap of the keg. While the position was awkward, the barkeep had practiced the maneuver more than once so that he wouldn’t fail his Lord. His concern was about his survival and less about correctly performing his duties. But, then, that was the same for most within the kingdom.

Once the glass was filled, and the cask tipped away, Lord Earthscorn flicked his fingers to indicate the barkeep should withdraw. There was only a moment of hesitance as the barkeep stared at his son standing in waiting. Eventually, he turned and carried the barrel back to the bar.

With a steady gaze, the Lord stared at the young man, his blue eyes seeking out the matching pair of blue orbs hiding behind black bangs.

“What is your name, boy, and how many summers?” asked EarthScorn as he reached for his glass of red wine, a shimmer of magic playing over the glass a moment before he grasped it.

“My name is Eric, my Lord, and…um…fourteen summers, my Lord.”

After sipping the glass of red wine, then scowling for a moment, he placed the glass back on the table and leaned closer to the young man before responding.

“Hmm, very well, and have you shown a Knack? Yes?”

As he asked, he glanced at the barkeep, who nodded at the question.

“Yes. I can, well, I can see in the cellar without light,” the young man started but trailed off at the end in an embarrassed voice.

Rubbing the small trimmed beard, the Lord muttered to himself, “Darksight or wizard sight, probably not life vision? Hmm, not the most interesting Knack, but it counts.”

Turning back to the barkeep’s son, as if he had forgotten him, he continued, “Good. Are you prepared for your trip?”

While the young man nodded his head, he also wrung his hands together before he took a step closer, “My Lord? I…do I have to go? I don’t want to be a wizard. I want to stay here with my father. I want to be a barkeep!”

The large man stood at the outburst and approached with knuckles clenched, but the Lord waved him away. At the approach of the large man, young Eric retreated, but his voice rose at the end, trying to convey his wants.

In a calm and collected voice, the Lord responded, “You are an investment of the Kingdom young man. You were born to be a wizard, and you will be one. After your first hundred years of service, you will be raised into the nobility. A low noble, but still the gentry. Your service will protect our great kingdom from the evils of the outer world. If you manage to distinguish yourself as I have, then you may raise even higher yet.”

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Lord EarthScorn took a sip of his red wine as if to emphasize his point, though it was slightly marred by his look of distaste as he put the glass back. Rising from his seat, he walked to the stairs leading to the rooms above. Stepping up a few of the risers, he then hesitated and looked to the barkeep.

“Mary is…” he asked while gesturing above.

“Yes, my Lord,” Eric’s father said as he looked away.

Turning away from the barkeep, the Lord ascended while the large man who had accompanied him, gave a crude smile and ordered an ale. The large man walked to the bar. He flopped onto a stool where his workman clothes scratched across the barstool as he shifted, the wood creaking under his considerable bulk. Eric looked to his father for guidance, but when his father avoided his eyes, he trudged back to his seat in the corner.

There were occasionally noises from above, but the three pretended not to hear them. After half an hour, Lord EarthScorn walked down the stairs as he arranged his jacket. Finding his half-consumed glass of wine, he sipped from it as he lowered himself into his seat once more, the silent bar bringing a smile to his face.

“We leave early in the morning, have your gear ready to go. Do not make us wait, or it will go badly for you,” the aristocratic voice cut through the silence, forcing Eric to start and then nod.

“Barkeep, I’ll need something to eat and then a key to a room. My man will sleep on the wagon tonight and won’t need a key,” he continued as he stared at the glass of red wine.

“Yes, my Lord,” the barman said as he started around the bar then turned to his son, “Eric, come with me.”

Stepping into the back room, the large barkeep reached up above the lintel of the backroom and pulled down a key hanging from the hooks there and handed it to his son.

“Now, give this to Lord EarthScorn and then head up to your bed, you need to be up and ready when they are to leave, you hear me?” he said as he held his son by his shoulder, his large hands wrapping around the thin boy’s upper arms.

“Da, I don’t want to go. I don’t want to be a wizard,” Eric said in a whisper.

Shaking his son lightly, the barkeep shook his head, “No, listen to me. Somethings we can’t change, all we can do is endure them,” at this the large man looked upwards for a moment then back at his son, “This is a chance that none of the other boys here have. You can become rich and famous, magic can help you live for centuries, EarthScorn out there made his name back in my grand Da’s time. You will go to that school and learn, yes?”

Nodding, Eric frowned but accepted his father’s instructions. Taking the key from his father, he walked through the door. Eric dodged away from the huge looming man who had been standing behind the closed door. Looking up into the man’s face, he cringed backward as his Knack showed the ugly smile on the man through the darkness, his rotting teeth showing through the blackened gums.

Stepping aside, the large man followed Eric through the hallway and into the main room of the inn, only turning back to the barstool as Eric crossed the room to Lord EarthScorn. Pausing a step away from the table, he held out the key.

“Your key, My Lord? Room three, the best we have. I…uh…will see you in the morning then,” Eric said as he inched away after handing over the key.

Quickly running up the stairs, Eric crossed the main hall and turned to the last door on the left, his parent’s room. Knocking gently, he called through the door.

“Ma, I’m heading to bed now. They said we are leaving early in the morning,” he said as he leaned up against his parent’s door, “so if I don’t see you. I…I love you mom,”

Eric turned from the door and entered his room across from his parents. The small room had only a dresser and a bed, but it had been his. After tonight, he wouldn’t have this little space as his own. He knew that his mother wouldn’t see him in the morning to see him off. She always spent days in her room after EarthScorn visited the inn, but he understood. It was like his dad said, what could not be changed had to be endured, and he didn’t begrudge his mom what she needed to survive.

EarthScorn had earned his name, his mastery of earth magic was legendary. With his magic, he could cause the stones to swallow up the village without standing from his glass of wine. As long as he paid his tithe to the council, no one would care what he did.

One of his oaths to the council was that he would correctly chastise any serf in his lordship. If that came through torture or wanton slaughter was immaterial to them. As long as they did not rebel, the council did not care.

Hugging his pillow to his chest, Eric rolled over to face the wall and tried to get to sleep.