The days before the Trial were difficult for Kade, who no longer felt like he had a true safety net in Edwin’s absence. Alara made herself available for questions and training techniques for an hour or two a day, but left the balance of Kade’s time for him to fill, and he found it challenging to use the time wisely. He started by formalizing his exercises with Alara, who gave him a number of techniques designed to feel-out the limits of his stats, in order to push them forward. He followed that with at least an hour of working with his chains per day, finding that manipulating hundreds at a time was intuitive and possible, but required incredible concentration for anything complex. The more he exercised these skills, the more it began to feel like muscle memory, and he improved his fine control rapidly.
Alara was also true to her word in providing funds, which on Iros came in the form of several colored coins, though they used a yellow-blue-red scale to denote value, with blue being worth ten yellow, and red being worth ten blue. Other than a proper wardrobe though, Kade had trouble deciding what to purchase. While there were weapons and armor aplenty available in the city, he was warned by the merchants themselves that he was better off waiting to unlock his first true Path before purchasing. Evidently even if the forms and functions were similar, anything of decent quality was meant to interact directly with a Keeper’s magic. The phrase “don't want you coming back looking for refunds,” may have come up more than once.
Kade also spoke to anyone who would listen about the Trials, hoping for some kind of guidance, but all seemed to agree it wasn’t something you could prepare for, and somehow over-preparation could actually be dangerous. No one could explain why though, as he was continually reminded that Trials were not to be spoken of. Finally he visited Markis, and even tried to find Graves out of desperation, but the former simply announced that Kade seemed healthy–but the large priest was too busy to chat–and the latter simply didn’t respond to his summons when Kade inquired at the Karthas Abbey.
With several days left to go, Kade followed the only thread he had: Selina’s assurance that he would have help in his Trial. Her confidence was another clue, and he didn’t have to speak to many students before it became obvious who her prize pupil was–though Kade wasn’t entirely happy about it. Gwen, or Gwendara Valoro, was evidently an ice Elementalist of prodigious talent, something everyone seemed surprised he didn’t know. Apparently standing as close to her as he had been was normally like standing naked in a snowstorm. For Kade, cold was still a constant companion, to the point he never really considered temperature anymore. It was part of the reason he’d walked shirtless for a week and rarely noticed it.
Since he’d begun to feel magic and other foreign sensations running constantly through his body, he’d given even less thought to the part of his nature that used to be the oddest thing about him. Evidently it has saved him, as Gwen apparently used her internal blizzard to make people uncomfortable, and more pliant to her probing questions. What certainly wasn’t a surprise was learning that the Valoro family were famously involved in city politics, and that she was known for always trying to find advantage.
He was pleasantly surprised to hear that it was considered her only significant flaw, and she was otherwise thought of highly by most of the Academy. By all accounts she was a powerful Keeper, with her Soul Core also being Ice, and creating some terrifying synergies. But there was more; she was known to be helpful and quick-witted, and if you managed to be politically uninteresting, she was a great friend to have. Kade lamented that for the time-being, he was unfortunately not politically uninteresting.
It was only two days before his Trial that his questioning finally brought him the kind of attention he’d been seeking to avoid. He was leaving an unusual tavern full of very-usual drunks, when a tall figure stepped away from a nearby wall, greatcloak catching the wind. Salarus was shaking his head in disapproval before he began to speak, “Are you really that ambitious, or really that stupid?” he asked in greeting, then paused–apparently expecting a real answer.
Kade once again struggled with how to deal with the arrogant youth, unsure of how bullying was meant to be handled in this world–especially when he suspected his bully could vaporize him with little effort. He decided that honesty had worked surprisingly well with the brash man the last time, and stuck with it, “I didn’t think I was particularly ambitious or stupid, which suggests that stupidity is probably winning.” Salarus nodded, accepting the answer at face value.
“What do you hope to gain by letting the whole city learn of your obsession with Gwendara? Or is it the entire Valoro family? You can’t possibly think you can speak so openly about the family with more spies than the rest of the nobility put together, and expect to go unnoticed.” Kade winced, and realized his error.
“Is that really what people think? I was just trying to get to know a classmate, how bad could that possibly look?” Salarus just shook his head, covering his eyes with a hand.
“If you weren’t staying at a de L’estat household, you might be locked in a basement somewhere,” he walked forward and his face grew serious. “I’ll say it again, and this time take it seriously. Your life was expensive, stop trying to find creative ways to throw it away. Edwin Houseless may have taken you under his protection, but do you see him anywhere?” he seemed to catch himself, as his voice was rising. “Do better,” was all he managed to say, before once again flourishing his cloak and striding away.
“Damn that man and his incredible exits,” Kade whispered.
***
Kade was nearly back to Alara’s when he realized he was being followed. He had taken Salarus’ advice, and stopped asking questions that were–apparently–dangerous. He was thinking back to Edwin’s descriptions of the city, and slowly realized the man may have been more naive than Kade had realized. His view really did seem like that of a woodsman, visiting the big city for the first time. He regretted not speaking to Alara more on the subject, as he got the impression she had a much less romantic view.
It was too late for that now, he thought, as he quickly darted into an alley. In his short time in the city he’d made an effort to find the less crowded back streets, as the crowds had begun to unnerve him–to the Keepers he was an oddity who had become increasingly notorious due to the origin of his Bonds, and he’d begun to understand how the citizenry viewed Keepers, which was a level of adoration bordering on worship, and make him very uncomfortable. As such, despite his lack of anything resembling knowledge of spycraft, the person following him had been unable to hide the noise of their approach. After looking back and seeing nothing several times, Kade decided to test his assumptions.
When a robed figure finally entered the alleyway, Kade rolled his eyes, realizing that Salarus hadn’t been exaggerating. He descended silently from above like a spider, his chains gently depositing him on the ground. While he hadn’t made much effort to disguise his descent, he was still impressed when Gwen whipped around to face him, frost suddenly gathering on nearby walls “I could have killed you!” she said when she recognized him, then relaxed and the frost seemed to vanish.
“It seems like everything on Iros could kill me, can’t let it ruin my day,” Kade responded, really just buying time to decide how to handle the unusual situation. Honestly was well and good for Salarus, but he was already on the wrong side of Gwen’s ambitions. She seemed to size him up, presumably reconsidering his appearance since bathing and putting on clothes he’d chosen himself. He’d bought a number of pairs of black boots and black pants, liking the way his legs got lost in the darkness of his chains, and suspecting it would further hide his erratic movements in combat. Conversely, he was wearing a deep teal, long sleeved shirt, hoping to avoid the brooding look that Graves had clearly already mastered.
Gwen seemed at a loss for a moment, then finally broke the awkward silence, “You’ve been asking a lot of questions about me, you must have intended for it to get back to me eventually,” she accused. Then she narrowed her eyes, “I know you aren’t an agent of the de L’estats, regardless of where you might be sleeping, so who is it? The Ducals, the Eliatti? What are you playing at?”
Kade considered the numerous half-truths he’d been preparing, but the genuine alarm on the woman’s face made him reconsider. He was becoming aware that the stakes of this game were even greater than he’d feared, and decided to change tactics. The truth shall set you free, after all. “I just wanted to know about my partner for the Trials?” he said awkwardly, hoping his earnestness would show through. She stared at him incredulously.
“That’s not even a good lie. I just took my Primus Trial. Obviously I’m not rushing back in for a second Path; I’m not suicidal,” Kade was confused, then incredibly embarrassed as he recalled that the icy woman had been introduced to him as a newly raised Primus. At the time he didn’t understand it meant she’d just left a Trial, and he’d been charging forward based on false-assumptions ever since. It also meant his very innocuous reason for looking into her was now incredibly suspicious. In some ways he was glad everyone assumed political intrigue–creepy stalker had been a very real possibility.
“I…don’t know what to say,” he stumbled, “When I asked around, everyone said Selina considered you her best student, and I knew she was choosing someone to help me so I figured…” He gave up as he saw that she wasn’t really listening, but was instead trying to read some ulterior motive from him, “Look, I can see this isn’t going to resolve in any way that makes me look great, so let me just say this: I apologize. I was trying to be proactive and ended up making a fool of myself.” Somehow this seemed to completely solidify whatever version of him she’d been constructing in her head.
“You’re not from some other family, are you?” He was briefly relieved, but she just kept plowing forward. “My brother sent you, didn’t he? He’s still upset that he lost his seat, and you’re some kind of complicated revenge-play, aren’t you?” Kade opened his mouth to object, then saw the futility of it.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
“Have a good night, Gwen,” he said simply, then turned and left the alley.
***
Kade decided to stay in the next day, certain that if he put a foot out the door he’d somehow end up mortal enemies with a King at best, a Legend at worst. He focused instead on his training, still trying unsuccessfully to integrate the spear into his evolving fighting style. He was practicing throwing the spear, then yanking it back with his chains when Alara walked into the courtyard. “Kade, a moment?” Happy for the break, he jogged to her side. “Kade, why do I have three accusations from separate houses suggesting that I’m giving room and board to an Imperial agent?’”
Kade let out a groan, and threw the spear in frustration. “I just asked a few questions about one student who’s barely even a Keeper, I don’t know how it all spun out of control. What even is an Imperial agent?” Alora was shaking her head, making no effort to hide her annoyance.
“I am inferring from the–I repeat–three separate accusations, that your behavior was so incongruous that they felt the only conclusion was that the King’s spymaster must have sent you to stir up mayhem. He’s been known to do exactly that,” she was shaking her head in utter disbelief. “Exactly who did you ask these questions to, that could have possibly resulted in this?” Kade got defensive, still feeling like he was a victim in all this.
“I just spoke to other students!” he went quiet as he thought for a moment. “Then I guess I may have overheard people talking about house Valoro in a tavern, so I may have asked a few questions there,” Alara began to scold him, but stopped, eyes widening as Kade continued. “I guess I also went to a different tavern, where a few people mentioned the nobility, and I thought, hey, I know someone in the nobility, so we might have spoken about her there too.” Alara’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“What were you doing going from tavern to tavern, precisely?” Kade looked like a child caught stealing candy.
“Well I was a little lonely, and I didn’t really have any friends, and then I met some nice people on their way to get a drink, so I tagged along,” Alara raised an eyebrow and waited. “And I guess they might have invited me along to a few more taverns. They said they’d never been able to drink with a Bonded Awakened before, and we were all really curious about the effects of alcohol on magical constitution. So…we put it to the test…for science.”
Alara went and sat on a nearby chair, and let her head fall into her hands, red hair spilling over them. Kade felt it was best to give her a moment, and ended up waiting for nearly ten minutes, awkwardly shifting his weight from foot to foot. He really had been curious about alcohol in this strange world, and he had been nearly sober when Salarus found him. This was all probably fine. Finally he couldn’t resist and meekly asked, “Is there any way you could explain that I’m not a spy?”
Alara looked up, and Kade briefly wondered if she could be firing microwaves from her eyes without him noticing. “If you genuinely believe that telling people you aren’t a spy, would in any way set you apart from an actual spy, I pray this is the last you ever interfere with politics,” she stood up finally, muttering something about murdering Edwin. “The best I can hope for now is to find a way to make them believe that you’re such a good spy, that they’re better off leaving you alone and watching from a distance. But that’s going to take a lot of work, and you’ve put my own house in a difficult position.” She waved away his attempted apology as she continued.
“You’re lucky I’m only a distant branch of the deL’estat family, if I were main branch we’d be fending off assassins by now. Please just don’t do or say or drink anything else for a while. Do your Trial, and hopefully when you come back I’ll have sorted this out. I do appreciate the practice with something with such low stakes, but I do not appreciate the surprise,” without a further word she turned on her heel and swept out of the room, her flowing dress billowing out behind her.
“Damn that woman and her incredible exits,” Kade whispered.
***
The day finally arrived, and Kade made his way to the Academy as quickly as possible–though he knew he’d be taken from there up to the Abbey of Karthas for the actual Trial. He was met at the gates by Selina, who he had expected, and Marikis, who he’d only hoped would be there. He smiled in greeting and Markis gave him a friendly swat on the arm.
“Exciting day, Child Kade! And don’t worry about me being here, I’m just going to ensure the Ritual properly accounts for your…affinities,” he finished cryptically, and Kade smiled at the discretion. Selina spoke next.
“We’ll have no time to waste, as the Trial Ritual requires numerous priests working in harmony, and trust me that they do not appreciate having their very limited time wasted. Please follow me.”
Kade did so, surprised at the rush, and also that they continued deeper into the campus, rather than back toward the streets. Neither of his escorts seemed interested in interruptions though, so he simply scrambled along, trying not to let his nervousness show. He followed the pair until they passed the Ritual building, and approached the solid stone of the mountainside, where Selina casually waved a hand and a passage opened.
Kade followed, enjoying the mystery of the experience, and tried not to feel alarmed when the false-stone door grinded shut behind them. He was grateful when glowing bulbs of fire burst alight down the length of the tunnel, providing comfortable illumination. Selina spoke into the sudden silence, as the world outside was cut off.
“This is a passage that connects the Academy to the Abbey; it has many uses as you can imagine, and rapid passage for students is one of them. Now that we’re away from any prying ears, you may ask any questions you have about today’s Trial, and we will answer as best we can.” Kade’s mind raced at the opportunity, as he’d been led to believe he wouldn't be allowed to know anything until the Trial began, but he figured moments from the beginning made little difference. He started basic.
“What is this Trial, exactly? I understand that it’s a test, but I don’t understand what I’m being tested for,” Selina nodded, expecting the question.
“Trials are most often deeply personal in some way, though for some it takes years to understand how. When the Ritual links your Soul with Karthas, his power will know you in a way not possible through any other means. It’s at that point that the nature of the Elder performing the Trail comes into play,” she looked pointedly at Markis, who jumped in.
“This is one of the reasons why so many Trials are done through Karthas. You could technically undertake one with any Elder–even some of the dead ones–but you’re somewhat at the mercy of that Elder when you do so.” Kade was suddenly very alarmed about what he was stepping into, and Markis seemed to recognize that. “As I said, that’s why Karthas is so important. We have a very strong grasp of his sensibilities, and the kind of lessons he feels we need to learn.
“Karthas is proud, arrogant, and vain,” Kade was a little shocked to hear the man describe his Legend in such a way, but Markis appeared perfectly comfortable. “But he has that in common with every Elder. What makes him special is that he doesn’t see every lesser–that’s anyone weaker than him, meaning all of us essentially–as being completely inconsequential. He was famous for raising up individuals to lead his armies, and even rule parts of his Kingdom, and it’s those sensibilities that we tap into with the ritual.” Selina cut in, her tone somewhat admonishing.
“He is still an Elder, Child Kade, and his sensibilities are not our own. Yes, he will try to raise you up, and he will grant you power, but remember that he doesn’t know the world as it is now. His Soul still believes we reside in the seat of his power, and that no other generation has supplanted his own. He will measure you by those standards, and find you wanting. Whatever you see in the Trial will be his Soul’s attempt to…educate you, in the ways of a world that no longer exist.”
Her words hung in the air as Kade considered. He was definitely more nervous, rather than less, but still appreciated not going into the Trial blindly. Finally he asked a question he feared the answer to, “I barely understand the world as it is now, let alone how it was before, but I understand it was a brutal time. These Trials, they can get very bad, can’t they?” The simple, earnest concern caused both of his escorts to stop and turn to him, wearing identical expressions. At last Selina spoke.
“At least with Karthas, the first Trial is rarely so harrowing, though the Elder often finds that our younger students haven’t done enough killing yet, and can push them to their limits. Many will take a second trial, most succeeding, and attaining the rank of Primus,” she and Markis shared a look, and she continued. “Less than a quarter will ever brave a third Trial, though starting a second Path is typically less harsh than reaching for Secundus. Fourth Trials and beyond are not only for our most elite warriors, but for our most resilient Souls. Few can face what any Elder deems necessary for one to be worthy of such vast power.”
When the two seemed satisfied that he understood the implications of what they were saying, they turned back and continued up the tunnel. Kade was in his own head for many minutes after, his mind trying to imagine what an Elder would think he needed to learn, until he noticed a light ahead and realized he was running out of time for questions. “What about when two people enter? I thought it was supposed to be deeply personal, as you put it.” It was Markis who responded this time.
“There’s an entire field of study dedicated to that question, but the short answer is that you will find we share many similar deeply personal shortcomings, at least from the perspective of an unknowably powerful Legend. The longer answer focuses on subtle differences you might perceive from your partner, but it won’t be worth thinking about during the Trial itself.”
The mention of a partner finally reminded Kade that he still didn’t know who’d be joining him, and he was hoping that it would be some sort of veteran Keeper. It had to be someone with the strength of will and determination to face a third Trial, as Edwin had mentioned it would be a Primus at least. He was ready to ask when they reached the end of the hall, and his eyes needed a moment to adjust to the light.
They were in a large, open courtyard that appeared to be behind the Abbey–judging from the spires he could see–and it was a relatively peaceful place, with lush green grass, and numerous trees and plants. Like the Ritual building, one wall was formed from the mountain itself, and Kade could see the familiar pulsing purple light running through it. A group of priests were speaking quietly near the wall, and Kade could see various patterns and objects forming a semicircle between them.
When they got closer, Kade finally saw his partner, and realized he wasn’t actually surprised. Draped in dark robes, and with an ornate staff and bent-peaked, wide-brimmed hat, as well as his signature, flowing cloak, Salarus deL’estat stood in all his glory.
“Damn that man,” Kade whispered.