As the Master Arcanist's personal assistant, Theo Malis enjoyed certain privileges, as well as responsibilities, unusual for his young age, especially considering his commoner origins. It hadn't been more than three years since he had reached the level of Master that he went to work for her.
Of course, if he gave it much thought, he had actually started working for Rovenna by sheer luck. He was a capable wizard, not one of the best, but skilled enough to land a position as an Instructor in the Education Division in charge of the new Initiates.
However, his teaching activities had not been limited to the Council, but also to a marginal area of the city of Nemertya, the same corner where he had grown up. His father, a fisherman, had died at sea, while his mother, a housewife and weaver, to avoid poverty or an unwanted second marriage, was ordained as a priestess of the temple of Nemertyss, a position that was only available to widowed women who wanted to remain faithful to their husbands even after their death.
His mother's sacrifice provided Theo and his younger siblings with the possibility of being educated in the temple library and, later, in his particular case, one of the priestesses, also a wizard, was allowed to teach him to read the Ethereal Codes, which opened the doors for him to be accepted as an Initiate in the Council of Wizards.
Those were twelve long years, not only of struggles, but also of disrespect when his companions found out that he had been the son of a fisherman, something he never denied, as he did not understand why he should feel ashamed. He thought things would improve when he became an Instructor, but he was wrong. His apprentices, mostly spoiled upper class boys and girls, showed him no respect. Not everyone was like that, but enough of them that Theo began to feel the rage growing inside him.
It was too late to resign. His superiors would know why he was doing it, and that would only hurt him, and then all his mother's sacrifice would be in vain. Though he found a way to take revenge one day when he decided to visit his old home, where a larger family now lived, and he began to watch the children playing on the docks. With the help of an old blacksmith, friend of his father's, he gathered a small group of youngsters who, because of their circumstances, would never be able to attain the same education as he did, and set about teaching them first basic knowledge.
At the beginning it was all very innocent. He was just a simple tutor teaching reading and writing, as well as some mathematics.
But then he went even further and began to teach how to interpret the Ethereal Codes to those who showed the necessary aptitude.
Of course, that somehow reached the ears of the Master Arcanist who summoned him to her study one afternoon.
“What you have done is a clear violation of the laws of the Council!” Rovenna's eyes could have caught fire at that moment. “Teaching magic without authorization!”
“Why not?” protested Theo, not caring anymore, thinking that at the end of that hearing a definite expulsion awaited him. “Who decided that only a few had the right? Who decided that we had to comply?”
“Theo Malis, watch your words! Remember who you are speaking to! Do you know the chaos this kingdom would suffer if everyone could read the Codes? The rivalries, the riots, the clashes!” she hit the desk, making it bounce. “The war! All this control over the wizards that bothers you so much has served the purpose of preventing the balance from breaking! And if you have read anything of the Chronicles you should know how easy it is for the first sparks to turn into a fire!”
Theo didn't know how to respond to that. He had preferred not to think about the consequences. Besides, he had only taught very few children. His actions had been insignificant.
“Innocent boy...” Rovenna sighed wearily, and then burst out laughing. “After this, I order you to go to the temple, and make an offering to the Nymph. You were lucky no one else found out, especially the Control Division.”
Theo didn't understand that abrupt change in her tone.
“Master...?”
“I already made the mistake of allowing the expulsion of a wizard who didn't deserve it,” this seemed to be directed at herself.
“I... I don't understand...”
“You will work for me. It will be for the best, I don't know what other things you could come up with on your own. Someone has to keep you in check. Since today you are immediately appointed as my assistant. But I must forbid you to continue your educational activities outside the Council. Otherwise, I will be forced to take other measures.”
Thinking again of his mother who continued to lead a peaceful life in the temple, satisfied with the achievements of her three children, Theo swallowed his breath, and accepted the unexpected reward.
However, before saying goodbye, Rovenna managed to say to him:
“If I live long enough, I'll see what we can do with those strange ideas of yours. As for your students, I will see to it that they receive the training that suits their abilities.”
Since then, Theo Malis had become the faithful assistant of the Master Arcanist.
Up till that first conversation, he hadn't thought about it, but it was also thanks to her that he had managed to get into training at the Council. Before Rovenna Astra's ascension, it was very difficult for wizards of humble origins to even be accepted as apprentices. It was said that she had been the first of her kind, although her boss had never corroborated that information with him.
Since the creation of the Council it had been a tradition that the most important positions were reserved for members of the five families: Silverleaf, Dawnseeker, Whisperwind, Oakenshield, and Wildheart. Those had been the names designated by the elves themselves to refer to the first five wizards, and later became the family names of their direct descendants, who generally married among themselves, so as not to mix with families of lower rank.
Though in addition, between the five families and the wizards of plebeian birth, there was also an intermediate category of several families, though not as important, whose ancestors had served as vassals in the War of the First Wizards.
Among Rovenna's detractors it was rumored that she was even trying to prevent the entry of new members belonging to the five families in order to diminish the influence they had always enjoyed within the Council.
“And they are right,” Rovenna had told him with a mocking expression one of those first evenings after he started working for her. “But they really make it easy for me.”
The last few generations of the five families had proven to be a disappointment. They had become so accustomed to holding office within the Council, as if it were an inherited right, that they no longer even bothered to train from a young age as much as others who had to climb from the very base of the mountain.
Since her arrival to power, it was becoming more and more normal for wizards of different origins to be accepted in the Council. Something unthinkable decades ago, when those same wizards were assigned to work in cities and small towns with no great responsibilities other than to attend to the daily problems of their inhabitants.
Though there had been a couple of setbacks, which to some were solid proof that Rovenna's policies were heading in the wrond direction. One was Fidelia Dabrus, some years ago, when Theo was an Acolyte-in-training. His colleagues told him that it had been a very hard stroke for Rovenna, as if a thief had took from her arms the daughter she had never had. Her position had even come very close to being in jeopardy. She was even summoned by the Conclave to be held accountable. Very few wizards knew what had happened, and they all belonged to the secretive Control Division to which the expelled Master Fidelia had belonged.
Another more recent case, although Theo did not understand why it had to be linked to Rovenna, was Myrius Sentos, another commoner wizard, with his ridiculous ideas about chimeras living in hiding across the realm. If the same people who criticized her, found out that she had just sent those two on a special mission, together with another wizard who had dared to resign, driving a ridiculous artefact that had not passed through the corresponding inspections, it wouldn't take long for the petitions for the Master Arcanist's resignation to pile up.
But all that had been overshadowed by the recent news of an alleged attack on the Dragon Lake that had shaken the city into a cauldron of speculation. Some spoke of an accident, a bonfire that had gotten out of control. That assumption was quickly challenged since the sirenians would be perfectly capable of dealing with a mere fire. Then suspicion fell on the followers of Nemertyss, to the indignation of Theo, son of a priestess, but he could not deny that, among them, extremist groups that had shown openly triumphant about the incident.
There had also been disturbances between them and the followers of the Blue Dragon, many of whom were returning from their annual pilgrimage to the lake. They told the citizens about the raging fire that had reduced the village to ashes, and the destroyed promontory. But even they could not understand what had happened, althought they were talking about wizards belonging to the Order of Shadowrock. This was a disaster unseen in recent generations. Not even the Guardian of the Circle had been able to fulfill his duty.
The seriousness of the matter caused the Master Arcanist to be summoned by the Conclave before urgently departing for the lake. Theo was not allowed to enter, so he had to wait outside. As she exited through the Dome's gate, heavily guarded by Control Division wizards, Rovenna's face was dark and cracked, as if she had suddenly aged ten years. Theo had never seen her like that.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
In fact, they had originally enlisted to go to Shadowrock when they first received a message from Guthran reporting that almost the entire Order had betrayed the Count. That required the presence of the Master Arcanist, but, just as they were about to leave, they received news of the attack on the lake.
“Theo, I need you to stay,” Rovenna told him, drinking a hot cup of tea he had prepared for her nerves. “Someone has to be my eyes in the city. I don't trust anyone else. You will need to keep all your senses alert and anything worth reporting you will let me know on the spot.”
That said, Rovenna handed him a mirror. Theo froze. From the fine material and the details of leaves and flowers carved into its silvery surface, it was an elven artifact. The Lord of the Mirror Forest, Narthoss, had given it to Rovenna on her last visit as a token of goodwill. Elves were not one to give anything away just like that, unless they felt they would benefit from such an act.
Rovenna did not trust the elf, but that gift was perfect for that situation. With that mirror she wouldn't have to wait to find out what was going on in the capital.
“What if it's a way for the elf to spy on you?” Theo asked.
Of course, Rovenna had thought about it, that's why she hadn't dared to use it before, but that was an extreme situation. Just in case, they agreed to talk in code.
Theo felt proud of the trust she placed in him, even though his movements were limited due to his position. While he could perform some administrative actions as Rovenna's representative, he could not get information from the royal family, unless it was through bribes to the servants, nor to the Dome to speak to the Conclave, although after seeing Rovenna's face, he felt no desire to meet the five Archmages who were confined there.
That was the reason why he could not fail in that other mission that Rovenna had entrusted to him, which had led him that night to the port.
He arrived at the dock around midnight. The fog rolled in from the sea, settling over the harbor like a blanket and diffusing the glow of the torches creating a sort of golden halos that hovered like ominous spirits. A gentle cool breeze stirred his dark clothes that had replaced his red Master's robe.
A scent of seaweed, fish and saltpeter took him back for a moment to a scene from his childhood when he and his siblings would run out onto the dock to greet their father and help him with the day's catch.
In that instant, he could recognize the silhouette of some fishermen among nets and tackle preparing to set sail in a few hours. Nearby, a couple of sailors were holding nostalgic conversations. From the nearby taverns he could hear the distant laughter of drunks, mixed with music and the sound of the waves breaking against the nearby boats and the wood of the dock.
He made his way to where a man sat patiently waiting on a rowboat. Theo handed him some coins and, after counting them, the other man gestured for him to get in.
A while passed as the boat moved farther and farther away from the dock until they found themselves in the middle of the bay from where the fog barely allowed the lights of the city's most imposing buildings to be glimpsed. The white Dome of the Council of Wizards looked much more sinister than usual.
“Do you need me to wait, or do you intend to go on a journey?” the man asked.
Theo was startled to look around, and bump into the dark wooden hull where he recognized the silver shield of the League of Pirates shining in the moonlight. Until that moment he had only seen it in drawings: a woman raising her sword, surrounded by a dragon emerging from the waves.
In the pirates' version, Nemertyss was not a faithful guardian, nor a sad maiden turned to foam, but a cunning and fierce warrior who had led the humans to reconquer the lands that had once belonged to their giant ancestors. The presence of the Blue Dragon on the shield symbolized his blessing, since in that way Nemertyss would be returning the ancient balance to the world.
Like all versions of mythical stories, this one had its charms, as well as its contradictions.
But it wasn't time to think about that. Theo asked the man to wait for him, and handed him more coins, promising him double when he got off the boat.
He then shouted toward the ship, asking for an audience, and a light fell on him:
“Who goes there?” asked the dark shadow of a man Theo couldn't see because of the backlight.
“I cannot say until you let me on board! Just ask me for the password!”
“Who is it, Warwick?”, asked another voice from the ship.
“An impatient one, apparently... well... let's ask him for the password,” his voice sounded most mocking and then became sing-songy. “On a full moon night, while the flute fish sings...”
Theo sighed. He detested Rovenna's stupid passwords.
“Octopuses dance with crabs until dawn...,” he growled.
“I can't hear you!” the voice shouted.
“Octopuses dance with crabs until dawn!”
“That's right... but you didn't sound very sure. Let's try another one.”
Rovenna had also told him to memorize the entire list she had given him, since pirates had a weakness for passwords.
“Turtles tell jokes in the middle of the night!” said the voice.
“And dolphins belly laugh!”
“Those aren't funny at all!” complained another male voice. “Ask him something about rum.”
His partner seemed to listen to him.
“So, mate,” he shouted to Theo, “which is the strongest rum?”
“The one you don't share, mate!” responded Theo.
“Rum is the treasure map!”, continued the pirate.
“And every sip...! A discovery!”
“What's a pirate doing with an empty bottle of rum?”
“Fills it with more rum!”
“How many pirates does it take to change an empty bottle of rum?”
“None! There are no empty rum bottles on a pirate ship!”
“What is rum's best mate?”
“A thirsty pirate!”
Theo lost count of how many more he was asked for until he felt himself getting hoarse.
“Well, I think that's it, don't you?” said the voice, and it seemed that his crewmates, who until then had been laughing their heads off, agreed, because suddenly a heavy rope fell on Theo's head.
“Now the waiting will cost you three times as much,” the oarsman warned him, folding his arms.
Theo nodded reluctantly and began to climb up the rope until he reached the railing of the deck of the well-known Rambling Herald, ambassador of the seas, also neutral, as was the Circle, a sort of emissary who could move freely even across royal territory, and its main function was to serve as a connection between the mainland and the League of Pirates.
A hand helped him over the last stretch, and Theo leapt to the deck.
“Warwick 'Tide Breaker' Torman,” a middle-aged, brown-bearded man, held out his hand.
“Theo Malis, Rovenna Astra's assistant.”
“Couldn't she come herself?”
“She's not in Nemertya... she had to...”
“Yes, we know,” said another man, much younger, with dark skin, close-cropped hair and severe features. Theo seemed to sense something different about him, and then it hit him.
“A sirenian? “ he asked confused.
The man grimaced.
“Not all of us return to the lake.”
“Yes, yes, of course,” Theo hastened to say, remembering that there were even some who were part of other tribes that had settled on the islands or preferred to roam the sea freely without a definite destination.
Behind the two of them there were other people hidden in the darkness who remained silent.
“You better hurry,” said the sirenian. “The captain is not in the mood.”
“What a way to treat guests, Bronto. We are representatives of the League, above all” complained Warwick. “But, yes, mate, you'll have to be quick, because we're leaving for Misty Dream immediately. You found us here by chance.”
“The captain won't like you saying that,” said Bronto to Warwick, as Theo followed him inside the ship.
“Oh, right, it was secret. Oh, shit, but it was also secret that it was a secret, so... mate, don't mention anything of what I just told you to the captain.”
At last they reached the door leading to the captain's cabin, and Warwick gave a few knocks:
“Captain! We have visitors!”
“It's a little late for visitors!” said an annoyed male voice.
“This one's important!”
Theo heard something move inside the cabin as if its occupant was fixing or throwing some heavy objects. After another knock from Warwick, he let out a curse before saying:
“Now, now, bring him in!”
The door to the cabin opened, and Theo stepped into a rather large space in which there were a cluttered bed, a table covered in scrolls, a couple of chairs, books and more documents and maps lying on the ground.”
In the center stood a tall man, dressed in dark unbuttoned clothes, as if he had been caught in the middle of his break. Theo couldn't see his face because he was wearing a golden mask in the shape of an eagle.
That was Jasper "The Eagle" Gloom, captain of The Rambling Herald. No one knew his true face. It was said that not even his crew had ever seen it. The reasons changed depending on who spoke. Some said it was simply to keep his identity secret in case the ship lost its privileges and had to go into hiding. Others that he was a former member of the Royal Navy who had betrayed the Crown. Then there was the version that after a shark attack his face had been so disfigured that he dared not show it, and that anyone who saw it might drop dead from fright. And then there was another one that said he was in fact a hybrid, although according to what Theo could see of the rest of his body, he seemed to be pretty human. Nor did he perceive any strange energy that would lead him to believe otherwise.
The captain shook his hand, and Theo introduced himself.
“Ah, well, if it isn't Rovenna Astra's boy,” said the captain in a tone that Theo couldn't tell if he was annoyed or relieved. “Tell Rovenna that we won't act unless the sirenians send us a distress signal. That is the agreement. Although I can't stop the ships from starting to get ready for a possible confrontation...” He remain thoughtful for a second. “No one wants this war.”
“But you have already faced the Navy on several occasions,” Theo told him. “Rovenna wanted to make sure...”
The eagle's beak twitched.
“We only attack when they threaten to invade our islands... something they do quite often by the way. Please remind Rovenna of that. Countless reasons have been given for us to declare war, and we have not. We enjoy it, actually, it's good entertainment, and it keeps us in shape. But we always respect the Covenant. We will not attack unless the sirenians are in danger... Although what I heard sounds worrying.”
“It was just a fire. The village will be rebuilt.”
“A fire started by whom? What could have happened that even the sirenians couldn't extinguish it in time?”
“Rovenna herself has gone there to take care of the matter. You trust her.”
“Trust has its limits, boy. Besides, I don't lead the pirates. I'm just a link.”
“But the other captains respect you.”
“My words won't matter if the sirenians are threatened. I can't promise much. The other tribes settled on the islands remain on alert as well. Let's say we're all on edge, waiting for news from the lake.”
“Is that why you're heading to Misty Dream? Are you waiting for something?” Theo asked suspiciously.
After hearing that, the captain suddenly opened the cabin door.
“Doesn't anyone on this damn ship know how to keep quiet!” his voice boomed so loudly it could have turned the ship upside down even though his mouth was covered by the mask. “And I'm especially talking to you, Warmick 'Dead Body' Torman!”
Theo heard several feet running on the deck, as if they had been listening closely the whole time.
“You're not being honest with me,” Theo pointed out.
“You haven't told me the whole story either.”
“What's happening at Misty Dream?”
“If you fear that we'll cross the strait to enter the gulf, forget it. Someone simply told me to stay there waiting... for something... I'm still not sure, they didn't tell me why. But it has nothing to do with the attack... I think...”
“Who sent you the message?”
“It wasn't the Lake Tribe for sure. This much I can tell you... And if I keep answering your endless questions, I won't get there in time,” he gestured for Theo to leave. “Tell Rovenna to focus on clearing things up with the sirenians. I'll do my part, as I always have.”