Chapter 5

The next morning, Oliver stepped out of the castle’s main gate and sucked in a breath of the cool morning air. He was to meet his mentors by the inner wall gate, just down the path. Gretchen wouldn’t answer the door last night, but Oliver decided that it might be best to leave her alone. He was sure she’d forgive him by the time he returned, anyway. She ran hot and cold, most of the time she forgot the reason she was angry within an hour.

Still, it stung that Oliver would be leaving her in such a state. Oliver shook his head and clapped his hands to his cheeks so it stung. He focused on the pain for a moment, then stepped forward to meet his mentors.

Wizard Fen and Sir Henry were by the inner wall gate, along with Tina. She was wiping her eyes with her sleeves when she saw Oliver approaching. She quickly gathered herself up and smiled. Oliver was about to call out and wave when he noticed something strange.

Numerous guardsmen lined the castle walls and gate in full-armor. Some stood still as they watched the horizon. Others readied and double-checked mounted ballistae while some shuttled extra bolts.

Sir Henry was in his full armor. Designed for maximum protection and mobility, it was brilliantly polished and bluish steel, the edges were trimmed in gold, and a calf-length royal blue cloak fluttered gently in the morning breeze. Wizard Fen, surprisingly, was also dressed up in his Sage’s Garb; a maroon woolen cloak interweaved with silver over a pale cream shirt.

The fact Oliver’s mentors were dressed for the occasion wasn’t all too surprising, though Wizard Fen wasn’t known for his fanciful tastes. What surprised Oliver were the guardsmen lining the walls and gate. Drills were only held on the first and third week of the month and even then the guards practiced in shifts. Today, it seemed as if the castle was on full-alert.

“What’s going on?” Oliver asked as he approached his mentors and Tina.

Wizard Fen cocked his head, “Did you hit your head? You remember the part about the dragon?”

Oliver pointed to the guards dressed in their chest plate and chain. Each wore a green hood and helmet and wielded spears, shields, and a longsword on their belt. Sir Henry cleared his throat,

“Just another drill. I believe Fen is anxious for your mission, he’s taking his stress out on the guards.”

Sir Henry was a terrible liar. Oliver sensed his mentor was holding something back and it irritated him. Weren’t they about to send him on his last mission as their pupil? Did they not trust him?

Tina broke the tension, “Oh, I am so proud of you!”

Tina rushed over and tried to wrap her short arms around Oliver in a tight hug. Oliver’s lightweight leather armor poked her side as she squeezed, but she couldn’t have cared less. The boy she’d watched over for so long was about to become a man.

Taking hold of Tina’s distraction, Sir Henry nodded to Wizard Fen. The two stood side-by-side as Wizard Fen raised his hands. The guardsmen nearby took a rigged formation lining each side of the path and stood at attention.

Wizard Fen raised his right hand and a series of five crimson arcane circles appeared and rotated around his palm. The edges of the circles crackled and sparked like lightning as they turned around like opposing clocks. Tina let go of Oliver and stepped to the side. Oliver watched the circles of magic with fascination. Even though he’d seen them so many times in his training, Oliver couldn’t help but feel excited when his master performed magic. He was grateful to have such a powerful mentor.

The Fifth-Ring Wizard spoke, his voice amplified slightly by his magic, “Oliver Castle, Second-Ring Enchanter and Bowman of Northcry; son of Stephen and Claire Castle, Fourth-Ring Sorcerer and Mistress of the Hunt; I, Fifth-Ring Wizard Fen, hereby declare you to be a Guardian of Northcry on the completion of your final mission.”

Five vibrant red ribbons stretched out from Wizard Fen’s fingers and wrapped around Oliver’s right wrist. A burning pain pulsed underneath Oliver’s skin, but he resisted the urge to back away. The ribbons shattered into sparks and where the burning sensation was an outline of Northcry’s emblem – a Stormcrow.

Wizard Fen lowered his hand, dismissing the magic rings. Sir Henry stepped up to Oliver and took the boy’s wrist, pressing a thumb inside the mark.

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“This is the mark of a Guardian,” Sir Henry explained, “It will be complete when your mission is fulfilled. As soon as we believe you’ve succeeded, we will grant you the powers and rank of a Guardian.”

Oliver nodded; his face lit with reverence. Sir Henry smiled, then his eyes glowed blue. Oliver understood his master was tapping into his powers. Sir Henry’s feature sharpened, making him look twenty years younger. The Knight held three fingers and touched them to Oliver’s forehead.

“I, Knight and Paladin Henry Allaster of Northcry, hereby promise you the focus and strength required of a Guardian, should you fulfill your quest.”

With that, Sir Henry stepped back. His eyes returned to their silvery blue and the marks of his age presented themselves once again. Wizard Fen stepped up as he held a hand up once more. The guardsman struck their spears to the ground and shouted, “Hail Guardian!”

The sound echoed along the walls until it sounded like a thousand men. Oliver’s heartbeat quickened and he felt tears rise. It’d look bad if he cried, so he resisted, fighting the excitement that boiled within himself from the many years he’d spent fighting for this chance.

Tina grabbed Oliver’s hand. He turned to look at her and nearly lost control of his tears when he saw Tina’s tears streaming down her face.

“Your parents would be proud,” Tina said slowly.

Wizard Fen shuffled his feet. It was getting too emotional around here. Even Sir Henry was getting caught up in the excitement. The perfectly composed Knight’s cheeks were tight with joy. Wizard Fen had known Sir Henry long enough to know the knight had a fondness for ceremonies, especially weddings where Sir Henry often felt just as stricken as the bride’s father.

“Now then,” Wizard Fen clapped his hands loudly and the guards stood at attention once again, “Time to get a move on. The Hail Guardian was just a formality, you’ll get another when you return. The longer you’re here, the longer you’ll have to wait.”

Oliver nodded, also eager to begin his last journey before achieving his goal. He decided the fuss about all the guards could wait. The mission shouldn’t take longer than a month, he’d figured out. Two days to reach the Thicket, another two weeks to search the ancient forest, then a week to return.

After goodbyes, Oliver left the inner gate and moved down the path through the village towards the outer gate. Some of the villagers had heard the news and congratulated Oliver as he walked. Around the village square, the marketplace paused to cheer when Oliver passed. The bakery owners waved from outside their shop.

Gretchen was waiting for Oliver at the outer gate, dressed in a light blue dress. Her blond hair was tied up in a curly bun and she held her hand to block the sun as she spotted Oliver approaching.

Gretchen twisted and untwisted the strap of a white purse she carried, “Well it’s about time! Tina kept you, didn’t she?”

Oliver just nodded, the excitement of the day fading. A pang of guilt crept up and Oliver opened his mouth to apologize for yesterday, but Gretchen stopped him,

“Don’t. I think we both know things between us haven’t been the best, recently,” Gretchen stopped fiddling with her purse strap and grasped it tightly, her knuckles turned white.

“I want to apologize. I know you’ve been training hard for this, I guess I was jealous we weren’t spending time together. We used to be so close…”

Oliver stepped forward; he didn’t like seeing Gretchen like this, “It’s my fault, too. I’ve been harsh on you. I guess it’s because, every time I see you, you have some plot or scheme.”

“Maybe I do,” Gretchen grinned, “You know, when you get back, you’ll have to settle down here.”

“What does that mean?” Oliver smiled back, he knew where she was going. Since they were kids, people around them joked they’d end up married. Northcry was small enough the word spread quickly. It annoyed Oliver, most of the time, but even he knew that becoming a Guardian meant he’d live the rest of his life here.

Gretchen retrieved a pair of vials from her purse. One contained a dirty emerald green liquid and the other was paler. She held them out for Oliver.

“What are these?” Oliver examined them in the sunlight.

“You can’t kill a dragon with a bow,” Gretchen chastised, “so I borrowed these.”

Oliver nearly dropped the vial in surprise, “You can’t mean…”

“Yes, it’s twilight blossom. The lighter one is the antidote, in case you screw something up. You have to drink it immediately, though, or the poison will have already eaten through your insides.”

“Right,” Oliver carefully tucked them in his pack, “Though I don’t have to kill the dragon, even if there is one.”

Gretchen shrugged, “True, but I don’t trust you to know when you have to run.”

Oliver bit his lip, “You know, Master Henry and Wizard Fen both believe I can pull this off.”

Gretchen rolled her eyes and set her hands on her hips, “And that’s supposed to make me feel better? I don’t care what they think.”

Gretchen stepped close, Oliver could smell jasmine tea, “Their praise means nothing if you don’t convince me you believe it too.”

With that, Gretchen snuck a kiss on Oliver’s cheek, “Though, lucky for you, I already believe you can do it. At least, now that I’ve given you that poison.”

Before Oliver could say a word, Gretchen quickly walked away. She desperately wanted to hide her blushing. It felt like she had a fever. It felt weird leaving things like this, so she called back to Oliver once more, not turning around to see if he could hear her,

“Don’t die! If you don’t come back and marry me, my mother will kill you. And I’ll help her do it!”

Oliver considered chasing after Gretchen, try to clear up that his going along with her jokes didn't mean he promised to marry her, but Oliver couldn’t think of a single thing to say. Instead, he watched Gretchen disappear in the village square. A mixture of emotions swirled through his mind. Marrying Gretchen would be an adventure in of itself, let alone the fact his mother-in-law would be Lady Everdain. A shiver ran through his spine; could they even live in Northcry peacefully in that situation?

Oliver put it out of his mind. For now, he had to focus.