The Rondari Commonwealth: Record of Thaddeus Northwood
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Chapter 1: The Interview
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The gods had forsaken him.
They had devastated his family, then abandoned him.
No, Thaddeus thought, staring into the hearth. His jaw clenched as he glared at the chaotic dance the flames were performing.
No. They hadn’t forsaken him. That would have been better. A relief, even. Instead, they had taunted him without mercy – his very existence a constant reminder to him. To his family. A reminder of a dead brother. A dead son.
They had taken his brother in a horrific way, one that still haunted his dreams. Then, they saw fit to bestow upon him the very thing that had taken his brother’s life.
“Fuck you,” he said, swiping his hand over the flames, watching as they disappeared from existence.
It was while he was watching the smoking coals in the hearth that he heard someone enter.
“Thaddeus. It’s time.”
“Yes, father,” he said in a soft tone, his gaze lingering on the coals for a moment longer.
Taking a deep breath, he tore his eyes from the hearth and turned. He saw the small smile on his father’s lips but couldn’t’ help but see the look in his eyes. It was a look Thaddeus knew all too well. He saw them on his mother and eldest sister, even on himself when looking at his reflection.
It was a haunted look. A look of pain and anguish.
Walking to his father, Thaddeus tried to match his father’s smile, but he knew it would never reach his eyes. It was a false smile; a smile devoid of any happiness.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes, father,” he said as they both made their way to the large doors on the other side of the waiting room. Thaddeus hesitated as his hand reached the handle. What he was about to do…
He was going to need to use the gift the gods had given him. The gift he hated so much. The gift that had killed his brother. He was filled with a familiar sense of disgust at the thought.
“You can do it, Ted. I have faith in you. Your mother and sisters have faith in you,” his father said, putting a firm, reassuring hand on his shoulder. “You must also have faith in yourself.”
Thaddeus remained silent for a moment, shaking his head.
“How am I meant to have faith in myself when I can’t even bring myself to have faith in the gods?”
With that, he pushed open the doors and entered, leaving his father behind. Making his way further into the large room, he heard the doors shut behind him. His head held low with a mix of various emotions swirling through his mind, he came to a stop at the center.
“Welcome, prospect. Identify yourself,” a stern yet somehow gentle voice sounded from above him.
“Thaddeus Northwood,” he replied. Looking up, he saw five people dressed in robes as red as blood, sitting on a raised platform, all eyes looking down upon him.
The man in the middle, the one who had asked his identity, looked at him for what felt like a moment too long. As if he had been expecting Thaddeus to elaborate on who he was. When he didn’t, the man raised an eyebrow, but said nothing of it.
“Thaddeus Northwood,” the man said after another moment. “You are a boy of fourteen years, of noble birth. As such, you are obligated to attend the Provincial Academy in preparation of your service to the Commonwealth.”
Obviously, Thaddeus thought. Why else would he be here? Instead of saying that out loud, though, he just offered a nod to the man.
“The purpose of this meeting is to determine what program you will be placed into. However, your father informed us that you wished to be tested for the Moon program,” the man said, a look of intrigue on his face.
“Yes, Ser.”
“Maybe you are unaware, Mr. Northwood, but it is quite rare that a first-year trainee is accepted into that program,” a woman to the left of the first man said.
“I understand, Ser.”
“Do you?” she asked with a raised brow. “There is a reason for this, Mr. Northwood. To be accepted into the Moon program, you must show great combat potential, both physical and magical. First and second-year trainees often don’t have the proper skill to be considered,” she said in a stern, yet not harsh tone.
Stolen story; please report.
“Yes, Ser. My father informed me as much.”
“And yet you would still take the trial?” a man on the far left said with an almost mocking voice. “There is a difference, Mr. Northwood, between confidence and arrogance.”
“I agree, Ser,” Thaddeus said with a small nod.
The same man grumbled, but refrained from saying anything else.
“Very well, Mr. Northwood. If you are able to impress us, we will request your entry into the Moon program. If not, you will be placed into one of the standard programs.”
Thaddeus nodded, but remained silent, awaiting instructions.
“Your swordsmanship has already been tested, and while not incredible, we were told that your level of skill is well above the average for your age,” the man at the center said, a smile on his face.
“With that said, you must truly impress us with your magical abilities if we are to advocate your placement to the Moon program. What branch of magic do you use?”
“My father didn’t say anything?” he asked, feeling a bit surprised.
“No, your father was rather tight lipped about it,” the woman said with some annoyance lacing her tone.
Thaddeus had to hide a smirk. His father was a very private person, after all.
“I can use some air magic, as well as a bit of water magic,” he began.
“Two magics at just fourteen years?” one of them said, almost in disbelief.
“While very uncommon, it isn’t unheard of,” the man in the middle said, looking to Thaddeus in curiosity.
“While I can use them to some extent, I doubt I would be able to impress you with either of them.”
“Then what is the point of this? If you cannot demonstrate a high enough proficiency, then we are wasting our time,” the man on the far left said, earning a glare from the woman sitting to his right.
“I will be demonstrating my Prime magic,” Thaddeus began, but was interrupted by laughter. Everyone looked to the man on the far left.
“You expect us to believe you, a boy of fourteen years, can use Prime magic?” he laughed again.
“This is ridiculous. I say again, this is a waste of time,” he said with a sneer.
“Enough, Coren,” the woman said, once again glaring at the man. The now named Coren glared back, but kept his mouth shut.
“Mr. Northwood?” she said, her tone becoming a bit softer.
“My father told me that…” he hesitated, a grimace overtaking his features. Thinking of or using his Prime magic always made him feel disgust. “He told me that my fire magic is Prime.”
Silence followed, not even Coren saying anything.
“If the Duke of Northwood says so, then I’m inclined to believe it,” the man in the center said, now looking to Thaddeus with obvious intrigue.
The woman to his left gave a small nod of agreement, looking to Thaddeus in question.
“Are you saying, Mr. Northwood, that not only are you able to use air and water magic, but fire as well?”
“Yes, Ser,” he said, a tinge of embarrassment clear in his voice.
“Liar,” seethed Coren.
“Coren!” the man in the center said.
“Lennox, this is completely ridiculous!” Coren shouted. “You’re actually going to entertain this boy? There have only been a handful of tri-magic wielders his age in all of recorded history. Son of a great family or not, I don’t believe it. And to claim to wield Prime magic…” he said, shaking his head.
The five at the table were quiet for a few moments, until the woman turned to Coren, her glare as cold as the Northern wind itself.
“Why would he lie to us?” she asked, “He knows he will need to demonstrate it to us, so why lie?”
Before Coren could say anything, Lennox, the man in the center, intervened.
“Mr. Northwood would you be so kind as to show us, in the interest of preventing further argument,” he said, a smile still on his face.
Thaddeus nodded and took a few steps forward. Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew two rounded stones, one almost white, the other the color of a storm cloud ready to burst.
Squeezing the two stones, he raised his other hand, lining it up with a cup in front of Coren. Then, with a distinct Whoosh, a burst of air hit the cup, knocking it over and spilling its contents. Certainly nothing impressive, if Coren’s outraged expression were anything to go by, but a demonstration of air magic, nonetheless.
A moment later, he focused on the spilled water. Clenching his outstretched hand, the water began creeping back into the cup. Manipulating the water, Thaddeus was able to tip the cup back to a standing position, all the water back within as if nothing had ever happened. While still not particularly impressive, his demonstration of water magic was more skilled. It wasn’t easy to manipulate water in such a way.
Looking toward the five proctors, he saw all of them, except for Coren, had a look of surprise on their faces. But, Thaddeus knew surprise didn’t necessarily correlate to impressed.
“A significant feat for a first or second-year trainee, to be sure. But, not enough to warrant being considered for the Moon program,” one of the men to Lennox’ right said.
“Aye, Ser. I didn’t expect it to be.”
“And your fire magic?” the woman said, leaning forward, the barest hint of excitement showing on her face.
The room, Thaddeus had noted upon his entry, was lined with torches. He would use these to demonstrate his fire magic. Putting the two stones back in his pocket, he took a deep breath, trying to hide the grimace on his face.
With a smooth wave of his hand, every one of the torches went out, leaving the room almost dark. The proctor’s stunned expressions only visible by the small amount of light coming through a window in the tall ceiling.
He waited a breath before once again waving his hand, the flames returning to every torch simultaneously.
The five proctors sat in silence for what felt like minutes before Coren spoke up.
“A mere parlor trick. I told you this was –”
“Coren, are you telling me that you, a tenth-grade magi, can’t see how impressive that was?” the woman said, not even trying to hide her annoyance. “Or do you simply refuse to accept it?”
The woman and Coren glared at each other again. Thaddeus thought it was likely that the two often butted heads. If this was how they were acting during a trainee’s placement interview, he wondered just how bad they were in private.
“While it may seem a simple feat, it is far, far from it. The amount of control it takes to manipulate multiple targets is exponential. Mr. Northwood just extinguished no less than a dozen flames in an instant, without the use of a foci,” the man to the far right said, speaking for the first time.
“I hadn’t noticed he lacked a foci,” the man to his left said.
“He then proceeded to relight them all in the next moment, again, without a foci. That amount of control is…” he said, a look of borderline awe on his face.
“Far beyond what most Magi will ever achieve in their lifetime,” Lennox said, a small smile now gracing his lips.
There was once again silence as the proctors all glanced between themselves. Then, the only woman in the group stood with a smile.
“Mr. Northwood, I believe you have our recommendation,” she said with a small bow.
“Congratulations, Thaddeus Northwood. Welcome to the Highfrost Provincial Academy.”