Nero sat in the saddle of the horse he was assigned, a mostly chestnut brown mare named Sun Dancer, nursing a lingering headache. Sun Dancer was three times as tall as him and had a circle patch of blonde hair on its right shoulder. Nero was pidgin holed into picking him because he was the last to pick. Apparently, Sun Dancer was the slowest of the fastest horses Anne’s group had, which was a deciding factor among the other students.

“Don’t try running off. And keep hold of the reins at all times,” Master Levan said. He placed his hand on the cord connecting Nero’s cuffs, and the cord dissolved, giving Nero a free range of movement. The silver cuffs remained like identical silver bracelets on each wrist. The cuffs remaining were not ideal, but Nero felt a weight lifted off his shoulders with his newfound freedom.

Master Levan moved on down the line to check all the students. Everyone else was already ready to go, so his checks took hardly any time. Finished, Master Levan hopped into the saddle of his own horse. Anne was in front of the group, with Master Levan riding beside her. Second was Carter and Assad, followed by Nero and Sanai, and finally, Helga and Hannibal in the rear. The soldiers lined up behind the procession with the carriage and wagon in tow.

Anne turned her horse around and yelled, “We split up here! Inform the general that we are heading to entrance seventeen! Best of luck!”

Nero grabbed the reins as soon as Sun Dancer began her trot. He sat upright in the saddle and pressed his feet against the horse’s side so they wouldn’t dangle. Master Levan had given the group of students a quick lesson on riding, and control was the most significant part of it. Master Levan said, ‘A good horse is a controlled horse, and controlling a horse starts with trust.’ He didn’t know what made a horse want to trust a person, but if he had to guess, grabbing its ears as Assad did was a bad idea.

The horses picked up speed as their group descended the slope onto a dirt path cut into the plain. Tall grass, half the height of the horses, was on the right side, and a stream was on the left. His body was getting tossed around on the horse. It took more strength than Nero expected to stay on the horse once Sun Dancer started his full Gallup. Nero leaned down on the horse’s neck and whispered in its ear, “I’m trusting you to get me to the academy safely, so please don’t let me fall.” Sun Dancer’s ears twitched, but he felt no difference in the horse's gait. So much for trust, he thought.

The other students out before him were also struggling with their mounts. Assad was the worst of them. He was draped over the horse’s back, holding on for dear life. Every time Nero drew in close, he could hear Assad mumbling under his breath to the horse or saw him tugging on the reins.

When the group first departed, he could hear the soldiers trailing close behind, but soon the sounds of thudding hoofbeats went from a stampede to the small rhythmic pattern of eight horses. By the time he worked up enough confidence in his balance to check behind himself, only Hannibal and Helga remained.

Their group pressed on through the day, and soon they could see the start of the valley. The great hills were not as big as the Faraday Mountains, but their size looked staggering, juxtaposed with the flat plains. It looked like a forest filled with giant trees was rising from below ground as far as the eye could see.

As the day grew old and the heat reached its prime intensity, the well-brushed coat of Sun Dancer had a slick layer of sweat. The horse wasn’t the only one feeling the heat. Nero’s head was lightheaded from the blood loss, and the heat aggravated his headache. He considered taking another vial out of his bag but ultimately decided against it. Nero tied it securely to the horse saddle, so he could reach it rather easily if he wanted. Drinking another vial could be just what he needed. Risking more side effects kept him from the attempt. All he could do now was be angry that the order kept him in the dark.

Anne’s horse, who was out in front of the group, started slowing down. They were still in the plains, but much of the tall, dry grass, was replaced by rocky dirt patches. Nero placed his hand on the horse’s neck and tugged on the reins like Master Levan explained to him to do when it was time to stop. Sun Dancer shortened his stride to a trot and began to veer off to the left, and without warning, Sun Dancer reared in fright. “Calm down, Sun Dancer!” Nero tugged on the reins once more, but it was too late. He fell off the horse. The landing knocked the wind out of his lungs and sent him rolling down a slight hill, stopping in a small divot next to the road.

“Are you okay down there?” It was Helga who’d come to rush over. Nero groaned in response. Helga lifted him to his feet and put his arm over her shoulder. The two of them climbed the hill together where the others were waiting with mixed expressions of worry and indifference. “I heard you got a nosebleed earlier. It sounds like you are having a bad day,” Helga said.

“You could say that. Is my stuff ok?” He turned around, and Master Levan was calming down SunDancer. His bag was still attached to the horse's saddle, a relief. The other horses were on the other side of the road, closer to the stream they were riding beside.

“It’s fine. Have you been wounded anywhere? We don't have a healer, but I should be able to handle any minor wounds. I can’t have you showing up to the academy wounded.” Helga looked concerned as she scanned his body for any sign of injury. Nero pulled himself out of her grasp.

“I’m fine, I promise.”

“Are you sure? That was a bad fall you just took. No need to act brave. Even the strongest mages get hurt from time to time.”

“Really? Even mages like you and Hannibal?”

“Yeah, even mages like us.” Helga smiled and leaned over close so no one could overhear them. “Hannibal gets injured the most out on missions, so I’m always coming to save him. Don’t tell him I said that. He gets embarrassed easily.”

“Helga is the boy still in good condition,” Hannibal asked.

“It appears so.” Helga gave Nero a pat on the back. The pat hurt him, but he kept his expression plain.

“Well, come over here. I need you.” He motioned to a small area a little ways away, next to a big rock. She nodded to him and left Nero to bear his weight. Nero concealed his limp and walked over to join the other students. They sat underneath a lone tree near the riverside that provided a little shade. Carter and Assad were busy tearing into some loaves of bread and thin slices of jerky while Sanai sat by the riverside, peering into the water.

“Today’s just not your day, huh,” Carter said as Nero approached. Carter stuffed his cheeks like a chipmunk with bread and jerky.

“Can you not talk with your mouth full? Bread keeps falling out, and it’s disgusting,” Assad said.

“I’ll do what I want. I’m not hurting anybody. This is how a person is supposed to eat their food when they are hungry.” Carter took a sip of water from a waterskin and let out an enormous belch. Assad rolled his eyes and scooted farther away from where Carter was sitting.

“Where is the other mage? Anne?” Nero grabbed a loaf of bread from the pack the two had already pilfered through. He broke a small piece off and slid the rest into his pocket for later.

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“I don’t know. She walked off somewhere while you were lying in the ditch. She is noble, and my father said they don’t like traveling with commoners like us,” Assad said. “She gave me a rather rude look that I didn’t appreciate. When I become a noble, I won’t be like that.”

“She probably just thought you were ugly,” Carter said.

Assad jumped to his feet. His fists bawled up. His fury was evident. He pointed to Carter and said, “I’m getting sick and tired of you. I refuse to keep listening to your insults. Fight me. I challenge you to a duel.”

Carter stuffed another piece of jerky in his mouth and climbed to his feet. “I didn’t take you for the fighting type. Out of respect, I’ll take it easy on you.” Nero grabbed a piece of jerky and backed up from the two, squaring off against each other. He knew better than to get in between a fight, especially now, when he needed to keep a low profile.

“Be nice, boys. You will have plenty of time for fighting at the academy.” Nero spun around, and Anne was right behind him. He hadn’t felt her presence behind him, yet she was practically beside his ear when she spoke.

Carter and Assad were spooked too.”I wasn't going to fight him for real. We were having some fun,” Carter said. He stumbled through his words.

“No need to be nervous. Nothing wrong with mages fighting every once in a while, but I fear the inquisitors wouldn’t like it. They're a strict bunch,” Anne said. She reached for her waist and pulled out the hilt of a sword. The hilt was all black like Hannibals, but no guard was crossing like his. The blade was missing, but Nero had seen Hannibal’s sword do something similar. Nero slowly backed away until he was standing near Carter and Assad.

“You see this. It’s called a saber. It's the most popular weapon of choice for a maestro.” Anne swiped through the air with her hilt, and a black blade materialized. “All those stories you hear about mages are usually about maestros. We are the frontline attackers, so if you want to duel, you should be a maestro.”

“Is the blade an artifact from the rift? How did you make the blade appear out of thin air,” Assad asked.

“You’ll learn more at the academy, but all artifacts don’t come from rifts. Mages make some. like this blade, for instance. A sword found in the rift is a priceless treasure that you can’t bring out without permission from the emperor, so we are forced to make do with these.” She waved the sword through the air effortlessly. It moved so fast that it created an afterimage.

“Are you strong?” Stavos told Nero to find the empire's strength, so it seemed like the obvious question.

“I like to think so, but who's to say? I’m not a student like you all will be. There are no rankings to tell me I'm strong. Strength is decided by who lives or dies.” She stuck her sword in the ground in front of her and crossed her arms. “I have an idea. Do you three want to play a game?”

“What do we win,” Carter asked.

“How about you can ask me for a favor? A favor from me would go a long way for you three.”

“I’d prefer gold if we’re being honest. I have taken favors as payment before, and it never ends up going my way.”

“I think my favor would be worth your while, but it's up to you. I’m hoping one of you can help ease my boredom. Personally I dread being out here in the boonies babysitting kids like I’m some inquisitor, but I do what I must. The game is simple, too, so any of you could win. All you have to do is pull my sword out of the ground. Just try it out, and see what happens,” She stepped away from the sword and sat down a couple of paces away in the shade.

“Well, whatever. I’ll just ask for gold, I guess.” Carter swallowed a mouthful of bread in one gulp and approached the sword.

Nero looked on with worry. He had played games like these with mages before. Anne was playing some trick on them or trying to test them. Carter grabbed hold of the hilt with two hands and pulled. The sword didn’t budge. He tried leaning back with his butt close to the ground, and he lost his grip. He fell to the ground with a thump. “That thing is not moving. I can promise you that,” Carter said.

“It’s because you’re a thief. I have heard stories about mage weapons. I think the sword can tell when someone unworthy and weak is trying to use it,” Assad said. He pushed past Carter, grabbed the hilt, and pulled with all his strength. Nothing happened for him either.

“I suppose that makes you weak and unworthy, too,” Carter sneered.

Nero eyed the sword with care. He was firmly rooted in his position, slowly chewing on his bread. The bread had a soft fluffy texture, and he wanted to savor it. The sword could wait.

“You, boy. What's your name?” Anne was giving Nero a questioning stare.

“It’s Nero.”

“Ok, well, Nero, go pick up the sword.” Nero sighed and stuffed the piece of bread he was gnawing in his pocket next to the other half of the loaf and approached the sword. Besides the black color, the sword didn't look all that different from the regular swords he’d seen the soldiers carrying. Yet there was something magical about them. Even the order’s mages didn’t have unique swords like Hannibal and Anne displayed.

He grabbed the sword's hilt with two hands like he’d seen Carter and Assad try earlier. With all his strength, he pulled on the handle. It didn’t budge from him either, but the sword handle made his wrist sting as if the hilt were biting into his hand. He yanked his hands back and stared in awe at his hands. There was no damage to them, and the pain left him as soon as he released the sword.

“What do you think you're doing?” Hannibal and Helga had concluded their meeting, and they both had angry faces. Helga’s face was flushed red, and her hand was pointed toward Anne with her palm out.

“I was letting the boys test their might,” Anne said. She yawned from her seated position.

“Your saber drew power from them. Did you think I wouldn’t sense it? You know that’s not allowed,” Helga said. She walked over to where the sword was sticking out of the ground and easily yanked the blade out. Helga tossed the blade toward Anne, who caught it. “Release the energy.”

“Don't make a big deal of something so simple. I barely drew anything. The boys barely have any mana for me to siphon anyway.”

“Release it,” Helga said.

Anne stood and faced a giant boulder. It was in the direction Hannibal and Helga were having their meeting at. Anne lifted the sword into the air and swung down. A light flashed from the sword, blinding Nero. When he looked up, there was a small chasm, about an arm deep, created in the earth. It began at Anne’s feet and traveled past the inquisitors to split the boulder they were meeting at. “Happy now?”

The students' mouths all hung agape in shock, Nero included. The magic was much stronger than what he saw Stavos do.

“Don’t do it again.” Anne wasn’t paying attention to his admonishment. She was in a crouch studying the small chasm created by a swing of her sword.

“Break time is over. We should reach the valley pass before dark. As you know, trapped mana beasts reside in the valley. They are kept there and managed by the empire, so all the beasts are weak compared to a full-fledged mages. Once in there, I will need all of you to listen to everything we direct you to do. Helga, go grab Sanai and take all of the students to Master Levan,” Hannibal said.

“Follow me,” Helga said. Helga walked toward Sanai, who had taken her shoes off and was playing in the river.

“Did you all see that? It was real magic,” Assad frantically whispered. Nero didn’t respond. His eyes were fixed on the chasm made from a single swing of the sword. He’d never seen such a raw display of a mage's power. It was unnerving.

“I’m not sure if I actually saw it. It looked like a blur to me," Carter said. He scratched his hair with great vigor and grabbed another loaf of bread to stuff into his mouth. Nero

“You three, come on!” Helga was standing next to Sanai, drying off with a blanket. Nero reluctantly left the shaded area along with Carter and Assad. The headache had faded slightly in the moment of respite, but the sun was bound to bring it back. He looked back over his shoulder, and Hannibal was having a face-off with Anne. Nero read Hannibal’s lips which said, ‘I could have you arrested for what you did. Don’t think the emperor is weak because he gives your family such freedoms.’

“Is it time to leave already?” Master Levan was waiting next to the horses when they arrived.

“Yes, Anne said we are close, so Hannibal wants to make it to entrance seventeen before nightfall.”

“Alright! Let’s saddle up. You should all be much better riders by now. Let’s see if you can get up on your own,” Master Levan said. Sanai walked up to her horse, gave it a pat on the head, and pulled herself into the saddle. “Yep, Just like that. Just follow Sanai’s example.”

Sundancer was a slight distance away from the other horses digging into the ground with his front right hoof. Nero cautiously approached Sundancer and, with his hand out, petted the horse like Sanai did. As he got close, Sundancer scooted away. “My leg still hurts from what you did. I’m willing to make amends, but you’ll need to listen to me from now on,” Nero said. He looked back, and the others were already getting on their horses with varying degrees of success.

Nero reached into his pocket and pulled out one of the pieces of bread, and slowly approached. Sundancer let him come close this time. He put his palm out with the bread, and Sundancer leaned down to get it. The horse slobbered all over his hand in the attempt. While the horse was chewing, Nero went to the side and pulled himself into the saddle. “See, that wasn’t so hard.”

Sundancer started to rear his legs and jump up and down, but Nero held on. “Nope! Not this time!” Nero held on tightly to the reins. Sundancer kept hopping off the ground, sending Nero a jolt of pain every time he landed. “We’re going to get along for the rest of this trip. It’s a guarantee.” Sundancer stopped his jumping hysteria and leaned down to eat some bread that had fallen from Nero’s pocket. “I hope that makes us friends now.”

“That’s one way to get on,” Master Levan called out. Anne and Hannibal had concluded their conversation and rejoined the group.

“We leave now. No more stops,” Hannibal said