Jaques Stantel

With the holiday for gathering reincarnated children at its end, the High Temple in the capital had become quiet. There were the occasional late recalls, there always were, but they were far and few between. However, in recent years, the numbers of recall have been in decline. Although children gathered with their parents, a requirement by law twice a year, the successful recalls have dwindled.

“I believe there were only twenty this year in the southern hall,” I said, handing a document to my aid. “Regrettable. The Emperor will not be pleased.”

She blew on the ink and held it aloft for it to dry while my second aid opened the door to receive my guest. A man of excellent breeding and stature walked in, the rich dress of nobility in his every movement and demeanor rather than the silk of his clothes. An impressive figure with a rare hair of white gold framing ruby eyes, followed closely by a well-dressed manservant. Upon his entrance, I stood and bowed politely to him, then waved my aid away. “Take that away, Sosa. Take it away. Clear the room. Lord Balec and I are going to have a private word.” Walking around my desk, I held out my hand, taking his and kissing the ring resting upon his finger. Lord Balec Milon, it has been far too long.”

“Not long enough if you insist on this flattery,” Lord Balec said, the side of his mouth curving up in amusement. “I thought I broke you of that Jaques.”

“Apologies, my lord,” I said, chuckling. “I forget your distaste for it.”

As Lord Balec took a seat, I returned to my desk and withdrew the documentation that I had been compiling. Weeks of research and reporting were ready at hand, including a list of names of the most notable recalls of the registry this year. Although no year has been as extravagant as when Vhal Aairith was found three years prior, we had several candidates worthy of note, including an archmage from half a century ago. A rare find, though his new body does not have half the talent of his previous life. The knowledge he possesses is still worthy of note.

“As His imperial majesty requested, this is everything for the registry this year and the documentation of each providence and their harvest this year.” I offered Lord Balec the paperwork, and he took a moment to look it all over, his expression unreadable.

Lord Balec Milon was the first son of the Milon house, his bloodline second only to that of the imperial family. He was quite high in noble circles, though instead of spending his time with government affairs like most of his family, he preferred to work with the temples all over the empire. Lord Balec sacrificed his time for the next generation of children in progressing the empire’s future. His dedication to his work was quite respectable, though he rarely interfered directly in the state of affairs.

“And the information I asked for regarding Bria Gracy?” Lord Balec asked, offering the documents to his manservant who bowed before he took them for his lord.

“Young Bria Gracy is currently choosing to attend West Point Academy in Threa. A bit of charity, I believe, is her intention for the children there. This will be the sixth academy she has attended, staying only three months out of the year before moving on. It has done its purpose in spreading knowledge of her throughout the empire,” I said, frowning thoughtfully. “I met with her shortly after her initial recall, but I can’t say I was all that impressed. Coming from a middle-class family and so fresh into her memories, I’m not at all surprised, however. The noble family that has taken her in since has reported they are doing well with her and she has made an improvement.”

“I see,” Lord Balec said, sounding bored with the information I had provided him. I straightened, wondering if I had somehow displeased him. If that were the case, then it could easily get to the emperor and my position with the temple could become at risk. My fears were confirmed as the lord’s ruby eyes hardened on me. “So I take it that all of this is secondhand information. You didn’t bother to look for yourself after I asked you to research the girl?”

I paled visibly, “I was only waiting, your grace, until the season's school was in session. My presence would cause quite a stir and I did not want to bring suspicion upon myself if I were to arrive without a reason to validate my presence. It is hardly acceptable for the high priest of the temple to inquire after a child no matter who it is. I must consider my reputation!”

“I don’t believe you understood my orders,” Lord Balec said, standing. His manservant hurried to offer him his gloves and cape, giving every sign that the lord was leaving. “I expected better of you Jaques. You forget I am not your friend and am not to be taken lightly. I am here at the emperor’s behest.”

“Apologies my lord. Apologies,” I said, bowing low to him to appease him, my face low in order to hide the fury I knew was visible. How dare this lord treat me in this manner, like I am some common cur that dirtied his boot? I am the high priest, not some servant to be ordered about. “I will do as I am bid and upon your next visit, there will be a more satisfactory report.”

“You will not get a third chance,” Lord Balec warned me and turned. I had just straightened when the door opened and my assistant ran inside, offering Lord Balec a hurried bow before she ran to me and offered me a sealed letter.

“I am in a meeting,” I exclaimed, furious, as I took the letter from her. “How dare-”

“We were finished,” Lord Balec interrupted, the ominous aura around him still hanging between us. “But please, open it. It was obviously important for your assistant to feel the need for the interruption.”

I hesitated now, seeing the lord had remained while I looked at the letter, obviously wanting to see if it was trivial enough to be offended by it. Trying to steady my hands and ignore my pounding heart, I broke the seal and opened the letter to find the familiar script of the West Point director. I skimmed over it, but was so stunned I had to read it again.

“Impossible,” I exclaimed.

“Please, Jaques. Share the news,” Lord Balec said. “I would love to hear what was so important.”

“My-My Lord Balec,” I said, before offering him the letter to read for himself. He took it, frowning, and lowered his eyes to the parchment. “Lanarie Aairith has been reincarnated and is waiting for evaluation and registry at West Point Academy.”

For the first time, Lord Balec’s eyes widened with pleasure. “Very interesting.” He offered the letter back to me and smiled. “I believe you have your reason to see the subject of my interest now, Jaques. How delightful.”

* * *

Balec Milon

I sent my manservant, Alexan, to the estate to notify my father I would regrettably miss dinner. As a member of the high council of the emperor, he would understand the importance of my business keeping me and forgive me. I invited my father to return the following day as an apology and sent Alexan on his way. Though only after my servant had gone did I remember my father had plans with the emperor tomorrow and would most likely decline my invitation.

I stood in front of the temple, my cape replaced by a white priest’s cloak with a hood, which I pulled up to help cover my face. It would do me little good if I followed the priest to Threa, only for my status as a high noble to get in the way. As I told Jaques before he ordered a carriage, my aim is to observe and I did not wish for my identity to be known. If my memory was correct, the director of West Point Academy was a noble as well and would note my presence if I were discovered. I couldn’t have that.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Why don’t you ride in the carriage with me, Lord Balec? The wind is chilly in Threa with winter setting in,” Bishop Jaques suggested, as his servant opened the carriage door. He looked at me placatingly, trying to lessen my annoyance with him from earlier.

Tempted as I was to ignore him, I answered. “And why,” I asked, “would an escort be riding in the same carriage as the bishop?” He looked crestfallen as a servant came around with my horse and offered it to me. Putting my foot in the stirrup, I pulled myself up and turned my mount to straighten him out. I knew my finery would give me away if someone looked too closely at me, but with the bishop present and with an effort to keep to the background, I would be relatively invisible. The idiot didn’t seem to consider anything but my nobility.

I was all too aware of how the bishop reached his influential position in the temple, and it was anything but respectful. The selfish man would find whatever child he could with a high enough importance in their past life and sell them to noble families to raise for themselves. Barbaric, and disgusting practice, but it is one that the emperor has turned a blind eye to for the sake of the empire. He believes that if they can nurture sure talent under the aristocratic wing, then the empire would be stronger for it.

Too many supported the practice so I was in little place to contend with it. High noble as I am, I did not have the emperor’s ear and confidence. Not yet.

“Of course, Lord Balec. I wasn’t thinking.” The bishop bowed to me and then stepped into the carriage.

I reined my horse in and positioned myself just to the right and a little behind the door, playing the part of an escort along with two others who actually were the escort. The coachman guided the carriage through the capital toward one of five portals. It took only a moment and the exchange of gold for the portal’s destination to change to better suit our goals and we went through.

The wind in Threa was the first thing I noticed, the air biting at any exposed flesh and chilling me to the bone. It made me exceedingly grateful that the cloak the temple had provided me was thick and well-suited for the weather. The second thing I noticed was the difference in size of this city compared to the capital. City, though it was, Threa seemed much smaller. The buildings were close together, the streets narrow, much more suited to foot traffic than carriages. That didn’t seem to stop the bishop as he ordered the two escorts to make way for us.

Things seemed to move quickly after we arrived at the academy. Jaques remembered I wished to remain anonymous and ignored me beyond making a motion with his hand as if he were ordering a guard to follow him. I dismounted, handing the reins to my horse to one of the actual escorts, and followed the man onto the academy grounds.

Several aids greeted us, one claiming the director sent them to wait for us and guide us to his office. The bending and scraping the aids went through in order to please the bishop held us up. Only after they followed every protocol set in place when dealing with a high temple figure did they finally lead us into the grand hall where the academy conducted most of its administrative business.

I didn’t miss the child sitting on a cushioned couch as we passed, large honey-brown eyes following us as we walked by him. The bishop ignored the child’s existence, but considering what we were here for, I had little doubt who the child would soon prove to be. He was a pretty enough child, more fair face than I had expected, but he cleaned up well in the academy uniform. The higher class would obviously want the boy if that was where the bishop planned to take things, considering his past life’s identity.

The boy watched me with just as scrutinizing a gaze as my own, though he couldn’t hide his emotions quite as well at that age. I saw a weariness there, however, that I liked. He wouldn’t be one to be fooled by any money or pretty trinkets to entice him to obey those around him. I liked it. I was curious about the boy; I had to admit, but he wasn’t why I was here.

Entering the Director’s office behind the bishop, I stood by the door in silence, listening to them discuss the matter at hand with each other. It was clear the bishop was intrigued by the answers the boy had convinced the director with, but he wanted to take things a step further. Returning to the reception room, the bishop took a seat across from the child, who I learned was named Rueln Layheart. He attempted to speak politely with the boy, offering him the tray of snacks as if half weren't already gone.

“Would you care for a treat, Rueln?” The boy shook his head, and the bishop returned the tray to the table. “It is an honor to meet you. My name is Jaques and I am the bishop of the capital’s Third Temple. Do you understand what that means?”

I wasn’t sure if Rueln was shy or what, but he didn’t speak again, shaking his head no.

“It means that I am a man in a very prestigious leadership position among the temple proper. Have you ever attended a service?”

“No,” he answered, short and to the point, while his eyes flicked over to first the director, then back to me. I couldn’t blame him. From his perspective, we were all looming over him. It would be quite intimidating to most children of his age, but he just remained weary, his only sign of nerves in the stiffness of his seat.

Young as he was, the boy had the potential to grow into someone who could rival nearly anyone who opposed him.

“Might I ask if you still have the item that triggered recall in you?” Jaques asked, a note of greed flickering behind his green eyes.

It piqued my interest when Rueln’s eyes narrowed at the question. He was protective of whatever it was. I sensed his soulforce activate and knew he was consulting his past life’s memories. The shift of his eyes as he thought out how to answer told me everything I wanted to know. He didn’t wish to reveal he had it. It made me suspicious that he was lying. I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. If he were telling the truth, he could have been of use to me. At least temporarily. Bored with him now, I looked toward the hall, trying to think of another excuse to remain while I checked into the girl.

“Yes,” he answered at last, the reluctance plain in his voice. My gaze returned to the boy.

Did he truly have something belonging to Lanarie Aairith? Why would he want to hide it then? I would think he would be proud of his possession and show it off like most did, especially considering the value it must have.

“That is very well then,” Jaques chuckled, then held a hand out to the director for the boy’s paperwork. “It says here that your guardian is a resident of Threa. Is that correct?”

Rueln nodded, returning to the silence he had kept before, though I didn’t miss the look he gave the door to the hall. “Then how about we take a ride in my carriage? I would very much like to speak with your gudia-“

“Why?” Rueln demanded, interrupting the bishop. An aid gasped behind me but I didn’t turn to look. I couldn’t quite see Jaques face from where I stood, but I imagined his displeasure. He was always one to think he was due every honor and respect, even though he hadn’t earned it. Rueln surely didn’t seem to think so.

I held back a smile.

“Pardon?” Jaques asked, the light humor he had forced on the boy gone.

“Why would you need to speak with my guardian?” Rueln asked again. “You are here to register me, right? Then put my name down. I am supposed to be go to class.”

I could clearly sense the boy’s soulforce was still active and knew he must have been leaning heavily on his past life’s certainty and authority, but there was something about it that felt familiar to me. Perhaps he is who he says he is. It would be quite the coincidence if he were. He was certainly not backing down in front of some of the most powerful people in this city, let alone the capital. I might not respect Jaques much, but he was a figurehead who held a lot of authority. One word and this boy’s future would be in the mines, yet he did not flinch.

Jaques blinked in surprise at Rueln’s response, then burst into laughter. He looked in my direction before he caught himself and instead looked to the director to share in this ‘humorous’ moment. “I believe the child believes his guardian is going to scold him for not being in class, Director Luthur.”

Luther, not one to be rude to those of the temple, cleared his throat and nodded as if he agreed. “It appears so, High Bishop.”

Both were blind to saving their own pride that they missed the furious look that flashed across Rueln’s eyes before he seemed to control himself. The child, of course, had been quite serious and didn’t appreciate being laughed at.

“No, child. You will not get in trouble for missing class. In fact, I’m sure the director here will even notify your teachers, for it is of great importance for us to get you squared away properly. Now come, let us be off.”

Jaques stood and waved off the director’s attempts to join us as we walked back down the hall, all the while keeping a firm hand on Rueln’s shoulder even when he tried to move out of the touch as if he disliked it. The director confirmed the guardian’s address while he saw us off, and I retrieved my horse from the guards and mounted. Moving to my place, I made a quiet suggestion to Jaques to open the window to enjoy the air, despite how cold it was. I wanted to hear every word he spoke to the boy, if they spoke at all. He grumbled about it, but nodded for a servant to comply with it and they climbed inside.

“Ride on,” I ordered the coachman, and we were off.