ILIAS PAYNE

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A week or so after it was decided that I should start learning jynx at an earlier age, a response letter from Camaro’s friend arrived.

The colonel brought it with him when he and Jaime came to pick me up (she started to accompany Camaro early in the morning).

He read the message aloud.

Hello, Chariot

Your request seems intriguing. Luckily for you, Gilead is along the path I plan on taking. I will be there in a fortnight or so and I will drop by to see if this boy is someone I want to teach.

I hope this child won’t be like the others.

Sincerely yours, Silver

That was a short letter. It was all business and no emotion. Every word was straight to the point.

The lessons continued as they were, with Camaro teaching Jaime and I general education in the morning. On some afternoons when he wasn’t busy, Camaro would take us to the field behind the library and train us in the sword.

Jaime struggled to keep up when we were learning in the library, but she was beyond captivated when the same thing was happening with a sword in her hand.

She was more proficient at answering than I was and I think Camaro thought I was uninterested in the sword as Jaime was in reading and writing. That wasn’t the case. The difference was that I was bored because I already knew the things he was teaching.

“If you pull out a sword without making it known that you are no harm, you will get hurt.”

“Think of the sword as a part of your arm. An extension of your body. Each strike must be filled with harmony.”

“Can you drop a part of your arm? No? Then you mustn’t drop your sword as well. Have a steady grip, but allow it to move fluidly as well.”

These were lessons that were drilled into me way back then and they didn’t need to be drilled into me now.

It was the opposite for Jaime. Even if Camaro taught sword theory for three hours and we only got actual sword practice for three minutes, she would give all of her attention to the colonel.

She reminds me of Valentine. Except Valentine was easier to control.

I was proud of knowing the sword, but the colonel and Mother wanted me to focus more on jynx which I agree to. However, something in me didn’t want to be a so-called jynxist.

I didn’t know why. Maybe it was some psychological thing because my mind and body were completely different. But even though I wanted to learn jynx, I was scared to lose my connection to the sword.

My mind says I should be a swordsman and my body says I should be a jynxist.

I knew what I had to pick. I knew the right choice. But thinking about it made me afraid.

When my sixth birthday came, Mother threw a party at our house. The colonel and Jaime, the lieutenant, Camaro’s unit, and all of her friends showed up to celebrate. There were no kids, however, except for myself and Jaime.

Mother never threw something like this before because I had kept myself pretty isolated. She would usually make up for it by buying me loads of presents but now that I’ve opened up, I guess she saw it as a reason to invite people over.

The party itself was pretty fun. Camaro even brought Tank and let me ride him by myself a couple of times. The armoured lizard kept trying to break down the door to his old stable and because of this, he was sent back to his post. Jaime and I tried to sneak into the hidden room again but were quickly caught by Officer Kaiser.

My favourite part was the gift opening. Out of a handful of clothes and toys, two stood out. The first was an oak practice sword the colonel and Jaime gave me. Before now, I was always using a beat-up sword that would splinter during practice. But now I could show all the potential I was willing to reveal.

But my favourite gift would have to be Mother’s. It was a cursed artifact that she’d gotten from a passing peddler.

“I, Trisha Payne, will revoke ownership of Talking Book and hereby give ownership to Ilias Payne. Speak book and this shall be yours and yours alone.”

“Book?”

Suddenly, a puff of smoke made a leather-bound book appear, levitating beside me. Its name was Talking Book but, contrary to its name, the artifact was not able to talk. Talking Book was a journal of sorts that could appear and disappear whenever its owner said the word ‘book’. When ownership was transferred to me, I counted eight hundred or so pages blank pages. I was able to write in the book and the writing would still be there regardless if I made it disappear. It could levitate, but it couldn’t hold much weight, could only float as high as the head level of its user, and the farthest it could go was three feet. Its rarity was listed as common, but that didn’t mean that it was necessarily bad. Common just meant it was easier to come across.

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Talking Books were usually used by bookkeepers or shop owners to keep inventory. It was also used as a diary or journal of sorts. But I had different ideas. For now, I would keep it empty and fill it up with useful spells and knowledge as I learn them.

“Since I’m six now, how old would that make you, Mother?”

“Hmm… an interesting question. I’m twenty-six.”

So she was nineteen or twenty when she had me.

About two weeks after we received the response letter, there was a knock on the door. Mother’s schedule was empty but it was expected that an unforeseen accident would prompt an emergency visit once in a while. When that happened, there would be a ring at the clinic and not a knock on the main house.

When we answered the door, a short silver-haired elf wearing robes with intricate embroidery and a giant pointy hat stood on the other side. Her clothes were coloured cream and almost made her look angelic. In one hand she held a clean staff that curved into a crescent at the top. She held a briefcase in the other, which I could only assume was filled with her things.

Her voice generated no emotion. “Greetings, you must be Mistress Payne. I was asked by the colonel to come tutor your boy. I’m Heloise Van Astell. It’s a pleasure being at your service.”

Heloise looked young, but she was an elf and was probably the oldest person in Gilead. Looks were deceiving and I knew better than to judge an elf by their appearance.

What I was concerned about was her etiquette or lack thereof. No, she didn’t lack etiquette. Hers were actually perfect. What was off about her was the way she acted.

A blank face that gave off no benevolence nor malice.

Proper posture.

A monotone voice that always sounded professional.

Heloise was a doll—or that was the closest thing I could compare her to.

But even though I was worried about her being my teacher, Mother was ecstatic. Her eyes even seemed as if they were glowing in awe.

“Heloise Astell? Like… the adventurer? The heroine? The one who slayed the ice dragon and destroyed the ice castle labyrinth in the north?”

“That is me.”

Trisha shrieked. “I can’t believe you’re standing right in front of me. You were my heroine when I was a kid. No, you’re my heroine now. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! You can definitely teach my son.”

Hey, hey, hey. You’re letting your emotions control your actions.

But even though Mother was freaking out about her, Heloise’s face remained stagnant.

“Chariot told me that you were childhood friends. I’m surprised he didn’t tell you about me.”

“Chariot? You mean Ray?”

“Yes. Ray. Camaro. The colonel. He will sometimes call me Silver and I will sometimes call him Chariot.”

“That’s very cute.”

“They’re not nicknames. They were the titles we picked when we became State Jynxists. Once you become one, you get to pick a title that you would go by.”

“And that idiot picked his Tarot card as his alias? I’m guessing yours is silver because of your hair.”

“Precisely.” Heloise began looking around, ignoring me. “So, where is this boy I’m expected to tutor?”

Mother had been holding my hand the entire time and simply urged me into view. “Oh, well it’s this cute little fellow over here.”

Heloise sighed. “This sort of thing happens all the time. The kid shows signs of being a little talented and the parents think they’re special.”

Mother chuckled. “Ray told me you’d be skeptical. Don’t worry, this boy has surprised everyone around here and you’ll just be his latest victim.”

“I guess it’s futile. Let’s see what you can do, I suppose.”

“Don’t give Miss Heloise trouble,” Mother said as she closed the door.

“I’ll manage whatever trouble he makes. And if you may, calling me Heloise is just fine.”

“Okay, Heloise, I’ll get your room ready for your stay with us.”

She dropped her head in disappointment. “I don’t think that would be necessary.”

We made our way to the middle of the front yard.

“What now?” I asked.

Heloise stared at me with scornful eyes. “Show me what you can do.”

“I only performed one spell once.”

“One is enough for me to know if you’re worth teaching.”

“Right here?”

“Yes.”

Good thing I kept reciting the words to Water Cannon in my head before I went to bed. Everything was by instinct at this point.

I held out an open palm. “Let the—”

The window to one of the second-floor rooms flew open. “Heloise, what are you doing?! Not here! Please don’t let him perform anything in this yard!”

Because of Mother’s protests, we headed to an open field just outside of the village so we would be able to spot anyone who might get caught in my spells. This would mark the first time I’ve left Gilead.

“Perform your spell now.”

Firstly, I’ve learned my lesson and made sure my footing was strong and stable. “Let the power of impact and force flow through my body and conjure into a spout of great strength. Water Cannon!”

Just like the first time, my body tingled weirdly before the sensation focused on the palm of my outstretched hand. A jet of powerful water shot out, dissipating around fifty feet from where we were and creating a momentary rainbow in the air.

Ever since she arrived, Heloise had kept a blank face. However, when I cast the spell, she let a surprised look hold her face. But only for a second. She obviously wasn’t expecting me to perform an intermediate-level spell. Mother and the colonel’s words must’ve been making sense to her now.

“How’s your body feeling? Does any part hurt or feel sore? Does your head hurt?”

“I don’t think so. I’m fine.”

“And that was only your second time performing Water Cannon?”

“It is. The first time was about three or so weeks ago.”

“Out of all of the kids I’ve taught and given up on, I finally found one that’s worth teaching,” she told herself before glancing at me. “I suppose I’ll stay and be your tutor…”

The elf struggled to say a name. She never even bothered to ask for it back when were at the house.

As emotionally distant as Heloise was, I couldn’t help but like her. She hadn’t tried to bond or talk to me about anything other than what was needed, but I liked her for that.

She’s definitely the tutor I wanted to get.

I gave her a big grin. “My name is Ilias.”