Spirit of Vengeance - 13. Ch 13: Journeymen

CHAPTER 13: Journeymen

Matty was shaking with fear, excitement, or exhaustion, perhaps even all three, as we rode away from the Hoarfrost Caverns back towards Malden. The journey would have taken almost two days by foot. In our condition, it might have taken more assuming Matty would have survived the trip. On Phino-e’s back though, it felt like half a day had barely passed as we jumped over hills and charged though tiny paths in the trees.

Matty was silent the entire way back. I could understand how weak he was from the ordeal he had undergone. Water Magic could, indeed, do much for the body. It could sustain us for many days without the many basic human needs (except air). But to last almost a week without food would have been too much even for the most skilled mage.

I was afraid the ride back would push him over the edge. But Phino-e seemed to know how much effort to put in. In many ways, she was a graceful creature, almost sliding through the terrain rather than pouncing on it. I would have considered her beautiful if I didn’t know those teeth had almost made a meal of my leg.

Malden loomed in the distance as we approached it down from the mountain. The large spire of the Arborium seemed to glow with the light of the day as we approached it. Just beyond the city, I could see the swirling lake that led into and out of the city.

“We’re home,” Matty said. His voice seemed to be overflowing with relief. I was glad to be back at Malden. I was more than eager to get something, anything to eat before falling asleep on a soft, warm bed to wake again three days later.

Phino-e roared. It felt like my ears had popped for she released a mighty sound that echoed across all the mountains. Matty had covered his ears. I was worried the sound would unsettle the snow and cause them to come crashing down.

Malden boomed with life. Even from our distance, we could see hundreds of mages exiting buildings. Some had weapons drawn as they looked around for the source of the sound.

“What did you do that for?” I asked Phino-e. Of course she could not reply but she did release a low guttural sound that I could have sworn was a laugh.

Phino-e charged down the mountain jumping rapidly and all Matty and I could do was hang on. I held onto him tightly to make sure he did not fall off her back as we cascaded down the mountain. Her rapid movement eventually caught people’s attention as there were shouts and much pointing towards our direction.

Phino-e stopped as we reached the city’s edge where sentries were watching her warily. Several more mages congregated around us and I heard a familiar voice call out.

“Sam! You’re alive!” Devon said as he broke through the crowd trying to reach us. He paused as he looked at the creature made of ice on which we were mounted. “What… is that?”

“Devon!” I said, glad to see a friendly face. “Uhm, this… this is Phino-e. Phino-e, meet Devon.”

Phino-e bared her teeth in a smile making everyone take a step back.

“Phino-e?” Devon asked in disbelief. “You… you named that thing?”

Phino-e growled menacingly.

“Oh, she doesn’t really like being called a thing,” I said. Everyone looked at me in disbelief.

“Make way please,” Master Casile said as he approached us. I remembered him as one of the Masters who escorted trainees to the Hoarfrost Caverns when it was time for us to take the Rites. “Samuel,” he said as he laid eyes upon me. “And of course, young Matthew.”

Matty bowed his head as if in shame. For some reason, that made me hug him tighter as though I needed to protect him from something I did not know about. I did not know much about Master Casile. He was never my teacher nor did I ever really speak to him. However, something in his demeanour almost seemed hostile.

“I am surprised and pleased that you have come home, young Samuel,” he said turning to me. “Word of your death reached us and it had delivered a heavy blow on morale.”

“Well, I am alive, Master,” I said. “Delayed perhaps but I have made it through the Rites.”

“Clearly,” he said and then looked at Matty like he wanted to say something but couldn’t decide if he should or should not with so many people around us.

“Matty, came to find me,” I said. Just then I could see Ernie and Nathan edge through the crowd as they reached us. Both were wide-eyed as they saw me. “He believed I was alive when all others thought I was dead. In truth, I would not be alive if it were not for him.”

Matty looked sharply at me as though he couldn’t understand. Of course I hadn’t told him the parting words Antios had given me but I was beginning to understand. They will need him for the coming war. And he needs you. Take care of him for he will die without you, not just today but in the hard days to come.

A war was coming, a war that somehow Matty would be involved in. I would have to be by his side to protect him. I did not know if that moment was the beginning of that war but whatever the case was, I was going to be there to stand by his side. I promise you, Matty, I whispered in my mind, I will protect you.

“Perhaps you are the key to the mystery that has fallen over Malden,” Master Casile said. “Do you notice anything peculiar with the group that has gathered before you?”

Peculiar? That was an odd request. Nonetheless, I looked closely at the people gathered around us and almost immediately saw what was strange. “Where are all the Masters?”

Master Casile nodded. “Perceptive of you to notice so quickly. All the Masters are at this time in the Arborium which has sealed itself from anyone outside. The Masters had gathered for the initiation of the journeymen. They and the trainees you went with to the Hoarfrost Caverns entered the Arborium at which point it sealed all its entry ways and nothing we have tried has opened it. I would be in there myself except I had tended to all the lower form trainees who went with us before heading to the Arborium. As you can imagine, some of them were quite distraught and making a fuss at having left you and Matthew back at the Hoarfrost Caverns.”

At the mention of that, Ernie looked away like he was embarrassed and Nathan, instead of looking bored, was furiously blushing.

“By the time I arrived, the Arborium was sealed,” Master Casille continued. “Perhaps though, things will now change. Come. We have exhausted all means we can and we worry for those who are trapped inside. Your arrival with Phino-e may be serendipitous.”

“You know Phino-e?” I blurted in surprise.

“Oh yes,” Master Casile said as he stared at the creature of ice on which we were mounted. “She gave me quite a few things to remember her by during my own time.”

Phino-e bared her teeth again in a smile.

Master Casile led us towards the Arborium. It loomed overhead as we approached. Like Master Casile had said, all the doors looked closed, including the massive double doors that stood at the main entryway. The windows frosted over preventing anyone from peering inside. It looked forebodingly still.

Phino-e walked towards the door as the others stood back and watched. Almost immediately, the door budged and the sound of heavy doors being dragged open echoed across the silent crowd. The doors turned until the way was open and the hallway of glowing, flowing water stood before us.

“They must be expecting us in the Lady’s Chambers,” Master Casile said as he looked at the empty hallway. He gestured towards some journeymen who began conjuring all forms of weapons made of water (swords and quarterstaves which were the typical weapons we used).

“Master?” I queried at their behavior.

“We are simply being safe, young Samuel,” Master Casile replied. “This is the first time the Arborium had sealed itself to us. We do not know what has caused this and we must be ready for anything.”

I nodded and we proceeded inside.

“Sam!” someone called out from behind. It was Ernie.

“Ernie?” I asked.

He seemed to be struggling with words. The way he fidgeted almost made me laugh out loud since it was so out of character. “I… We,” he looked at Nathan, “we’re glad you and Matty are okay.”

“Oh,” I said as Matty and I looked at them. “Thanks.”

Phino-e continued her way inside.

“Sam!” Ernie called again and we had to pause once more. Master Casile was now openly frowning. “You are okay, right?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said nodding at him. “Matty and I will look for you after we’re done here, okay?”

Ernie nodded, looking relieved.

“Come now,” Master Casile said in a stern voice.

We entered into the Arborium’s Main Hall with Phino-e leading at a steady pace. Master Casille did not seem to find it strange and merely followed along with the other journeymen that were accompanying us.

Phino-e did not lead us towards Grand Master Assero’s quarters in which I had been before. Instead, she brought us down another path as though she knew exactly where she was going. The hallways we passed were all deserted which made me worry for the fate of those who were trapped inside, which certainly included my uncle.

“The Lady’s Chambers,” Master Casille said as Phino-e stopped before a large ornate door on which strange symbols were etched. They weren’t just straight lines but they weren’t words I recognized either. They swirled in a pattern that reminded me of swirling clouds. Though I suppose it would make more sense if they were waves.

Phino-e tilted her head, bent her legs, and then roared.

The symbols glowed with magic as lines flowed across the surface. Stone clicked on stone and the doors slowly opened.

The light inside momentarily blinded me as I saw what lay within. The room was massive, easily the biggest room in all of Malden. Three waterfalls flowed loudly on the other side of the room, arranged in a semi-circle. They formed around a dais which was elevated from the rest of the floor and seemed to glow with its own light.

Pillars and hallways were scattered on all sides of the rooms but all the doors, save the one we went through, seemed to be sealed.

Masters, journeymen, and the trainees in my form looked up at us as we stood there by the entry way. They all looked exhausted and a bit wide-eyed as Phino-e entered slowly, almost prancing as if she enjoyed the attention.

“Samuel,” I heard my uncle’s voice call out. He had been standing by the dais as though waiting for something to happen. His face looked haggard as though he hadn’t slept in many days. He quickly strode towards us and reached us just as Matty and I dismounted Phino-e. I was certain I was about to get reprimanded and I wanted to be on my own two feet when that happen.

To my surprise, he grabbed me in a hug. As could be expected, I was quite stiff as he held onto me.

“You’re alive,” he whispered into my ear, his voice showing more emotion that I had ever heard it before.

“Uncle,” I whispered. “There are other masters and trainees here.” He remained hugging me. “They might think you’re showing favoritism or something.”

He stopped hugging me and held me at arm’s length. He looked at me, as in really looked at me. He stared into my eyes and to my complete shock, he smiled, quite possibly the first smile I had ever seen on his face ever. “I don’t care,” he said and hugged me again. “You are alive. That is all that matters.”

Despite the unfamiliarity of the situation, I couldn’t help myself. I hugged him back.

A noise distracted us and we all turned as one towards the dais. The waterfalls surged, growing faster as though it wanted to flood the room. Water flew into the air, swirling in thin tentacles, dancing to some strange music. They merged, meeting upon the dais, rising, glowing, and exuding power like I had never seen before.

We stood in awe as a shape took form. First hands, and then arms, and then a body, a thick flowing dress, and finally a regal face that seemed to stare at us with wide, crystal clear, intelligent eyes.

It was The Lady. She was as beautiful as I had imagined. She was humanoid in form but most certainly not human. She was made of the clearest water I had ever seen. It was like she was the first drop of water, the one from which all other drops of water were copied from. If what Antios had said was true, that really was the case. The water swirled constantly about her body in a graceful yet powerful way as she stood over all her followers.

We all knelt before her, even Grand Master Assero.

“Rise, Samuel Archer,” she said, her melancholy voice echoing beautifully across the blue and white stone walls. It echoed like a siren’s call, tempting and hypnotic. “You alone have no reason to kneel before me this day.”

Tentatively, I rose to my feet. Everyone else remained kneeling. “I… I do not know what I have done to gain such favor from you, my Lady.” For some reason, her very presence seemed to frighten me into submission.

“You have endured more than any before you,” The Lady said. “You fell, you bled, and you were broken. You stood at the very gates of Death but still returned to me.”

My uncle looked up, worry evident in his face.

“Now, all of you,” she said gesturing widely. “We are ready to begin. Your journey in my service shall begin today.”

Masters stood up and began gathering the trainees in front of The Lady. It was then that I caught the eyes of someone who made my blood boil. Lance was standing there scowling at me, his eyes set angrily.

“Oh yes,” The Lady suddenly said. “I have not forgotten.” She descended from the dais, floating as water swirled around her feet like a storm. “I see all that happens in the Rites.” She reached the floor and I could see her true size so close to us. Her crystal clear body towered over us, at least a head taller than the tallest of us. Water swirled around her peppering us with a gentle spray that held volumes of power as though she was doing all she could to contain it. “You,” she said as she stopped in front of Lance.

“M-my Lady?” he asked nervously.

The Lady looked calmly at him, yet a storm seemed to be growing within her icy pupils. “I have seen what you have done. Do you deny it?”

“I…” Lance said, his face blanching horribly.

“You attempted murder upon one who has garnered my favor. So many opportunities were given to you to right your wrongs, yet you sought vengeance on one who has done nothing to you.”

Lance stuttered something incoherent as he paled even further.

“I have no use for one like you,” The Lady said, her voice deathly quiet. Suddenly, the water around The Lady’s feet surged forward, spreading growing, engulfing Lance completely. We all stepped back in shock as Lance’s entire body was encased in water. His screams muffled by the water that slowly filled his lungs.

All we could do was stand in fear as Lance tore wildly at the water which swirled, slowly drowning him and then something snapped. It was palpable in the air like a veil being torn and Lance was hurled backwards. He rolled several times before he stopped, coughing. Unsteadily, he balanced himself on his arms and legs. “What did you do to me?”

The Lady stepped forward, or rather she flowed forward, the storm around her swirling in her wake. “No more shall you hold magic. Forever it shall be bound until your time from this world passes. Your spirit has chosen poorly.” She turned to Master Rumford who was watching from the side. “Take him away. Do as you please with him. Get him out of my sight and out of my city.”

Immediately, two journeymen came to hold Lance, each grabbing onto one of his arms.

“You think this is over?” Lance shouted, his eyes holding a manic glint. “You can’t do this to me. I swear I will get you for this. All of you! For everything you’ve done on me and my father. I won’t rest until I’ve torn this city down stone by stone. You hear me? This isn’t over!” He shouted again and again as he was dragged out of the Arborium by two journeymen while Master Rumford followed him from behind.

“You have waited long,” The Lady said, catching our attention. “But we could not have started without the missing piece. Samuel Archer, step forward.”

It took me a moment to realize that was me. “Yes, my Lady?”

She looked over me with piercing eyes as though she was trying to see deep into my soul. “Do you, Samuel Archer, seek to serve me and the Path of Water for the rest of your life?”

“I do, my Lady,” I said.

“Do you forsake all other forms of magic other than that which I will make stronger within your body?

“I do, my Lady,” I said again.

“Then open your mouth and receive my gifts,” she said.

“Open my…?” I asked finding the request more than odd. I looked around but none of the Masters seemed to find it strange. The other Trainees were watching attentively as though to make sure they did not miss anything for their turn. I opened my mouth for her.

She raised a finger to her face and it glowed with a tiny light. She placed it in my mouth and I wondered if I was supposed to suck on it.

And then a drop of water fell unto my tongue and I felt magic course through my body. My senses heightened, my muscles went taut as though my body was growing stronger all on its own. I could see every drop of water coming from the waterfalls around us. I could count them out if I wanted and I knew exactly how I could manipulate them to my advantage. I understood things I had never before as though knowledge was suddenly deposited straight into my mind. In that moment, I understood that even the tiniest bit of water in the air held so much power.

The Lady withdrew her hand. “My gift,” she said, “opens your eyes and your senses to all magic that stems from Water. With your new path, you must have a weapon. However, a staff or a sword will not do for you. Great things are in store for you Samuel Archer. And so, a great weapon you shall need.”

A journeyman on the side moved forward carrying what looked like a silver platter. On it was a strange circular stone with a triangle carved into the middle. On each point of the triangle sat what looked like small Sapphire stones.

The Lady gestures and the stone lifted into the air. “Your arm, Samuel Archer.”

I offered my arm to her and she placed the stone over my right wrist. Immediately, water sprouted from the sides, crossing each other as they went over the bottom part of my wrist like a bracelet. They glowed for a moment then were still.

“My Lady, it’s beautiful,” I said, surprised at how ornate it looked.

“It is more than just beauty,” she replied. “This stone holds three drops of my essence, the purest that Water can get. Its magic will allow you to perform feats that otherwise you cannot by your own magic. You can create water where there is none, not even in the air. You can wield power unlike any other, which shall crush even your strongest foes. In times of your greatest peril, you can use each of the drops to call upon the power of the sea or the storms. Beware though for such power will take much from your body. Sustain it too long and you shall burn for wielding great magic has its price. Know also that once they have been used, they are gone forever.”

“I understand, my Lady,” I said with a bow. “And thank you.”

She nodded and I took that as my dismissal.

“Matthew Holmer, step forward,” she said and there were gasps and whispers across the hall.

Matty stood there, stunned. His relatively short size and the malnourishment he’d experience made him look even smaller as everyone stared at him.

“Do not be afraid, Matthew Holmer,” the Lady said kindly.

Matty took tentative steps forward. It seemed to take him forever until he was standing in front of The Lady. “Yes, m-my Lady.”

“Do you, Matthew Holmer, want to become a journeyman today?” she asked.

Matty stood there and stared back at her. He seemed to be thinking hard about the question. Finally, he shook his head no.

“And why not?” she asked. The tone of her voice sounded like she had been expecting that very answer.

“I am not ready, my Lady,” he said with a little more strength to his voice. “One day I will become a journeyman but I still have much to learn until that day comes. Until then, I will study, I will train hard so that I can pass the test just as Sam, I mean Samuel has.”

The Lady smiled, “wise words, Matthew Holmer. For what you have endured, I cannot simply allow you to leave without anything.”

As though on cue, another journeyman with a silver platter approached. It looked like some kind of cylinder was on it.

“Take this as a gift,” The Lady said. “For you shall need it in the days ahead.”

Matty took the item and immediately water started sprouting from both ends. They curved in an arc and then their ends met with a thin string of water.

“A bow, my Lady?” Matty asked with a frown. A bow was an unusual weapon for a mage. We had no use for arrows as we could always hurl magic against our target. A sword or a staff was much more practical since it gave close combat advantage that magic may not give quickly.

“Is there something wrong?” The Lady asked.

“No, my Lady,” Matty quickly replied. “It’s just that… aren’t bows typically weapons of non-mages?”

“Not this one,” she replied. “It has no need for arrows. Nor does it need your magic to work. It will create crystalline arrows on its own, each holding the destructive power of the strongest waves. This is not a weapon of finesse or control. It is one meant to destroy any obstacle or enemy that stands in your way so that when you next face a tunnel that ends with a wall, you have a means to move forward.”

Matty looked up at The Lady as if he understood what she was alluding to. She was perhaps referring to the time when Matty tried looking for me in the Hoarfrost Caverns and it simply ended in a wall.

“After all,” The Lady said, “I think you shall make a fine Archer some day, don’t you think?”

Matty blushed and his eyes turned slowly towards me. When he saw me looking at him, he quickly turned away and bowed to The Lady. “Thank you my Lady for your gift.”

* * * * * * * * * *

“So tell me Sam,” Paul said jovially. He was considerably warmer towards me ever since we had taken the Rites. He credited me with saving his life even if all I really did was tell him how to kill Phino-e (which turned out did not really kill her after all). “Is there something going on between you and that Matty boy?”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, tumbling over my words. We were assigned for Sentry duty along with two other journeymen who were much older than us. We were at the cave down the mountain that held the entrance to Malden. It was something new journeymen always went through a few months after they had moved up in rank.

Paul smiled like he knew I was hiding some juicy secret. “Come on, seriously. You should have seen him when he was told we were leaving Hoarfrost Caverns. It looked like he was going to hurl the next person to suggest that idea right off the mountain. I was almost afraid of him.”

“He’s just being a good friend,” I replied. I wondered why I kept saying that when there was obviously something there. Just thinking about him made me smile and all giddy inside.

“Right,” Paul said with an elongated mocking voice and a roll of his eyes.

“Hey you two,” Ellen said as she approached us. She was one of the journeymen watching over us, teaching us the responsibilities we must handle if we were assigned to do Sentry duty down there. She was friendly enough but she was frowning as she approached us. “You’re not paying attention. Someone is approaching.”

“What?” I asked. I had been distracted by all thoughts of Matty that I overlooked my duty. I extended my senses tapping into the water in the air all around the cave below us, trying to see what they touched and if they moved or were disturbed. We were sitting in a hidden alcove that allowed us to use magic to sense the cave below without having to expose ourselves.

True enough, the water in the air below had been disturbed. “A man,” I said, “with a horse. They are both on foot and are approaching the Water’s edge.”

Ellen nodded just as Simon (the other journeyman) entered the room.

“The Sentries up above have been notified,” Simon said in a deep bass. He was one of those older journeymen who never became Masters for one reason or another. “We have half an hour to figure out who it is. If they have not received word within that time, it will be assumed that we are in trouble. They will send help as needed.”

“Hello,” an unfamiliar voice echoed. It sounded like the man down below was shouting.

I frowned when I checked him further. “He’s not a mage.”

Simon frowned. “Are you certain?”

I nodded. “I’ve always been good at sensing that,” I said. I understood by then that my gift of empathy was part of the reason I could sense people’s magical ability. A lot of my control over magic was diminished when it involved anything that wasn’t considered Water Magic. However, my empathy remained as strong as it always was as though the Rites did not affect it.

“I will trust your judgment then,” Simon nodded. That was something that was different from the time we became journeymen. It was like each one had an unbridled trust in the other. It didn’t matter if we were new or much older. We had all passed our test and it was assumed we knew what we were doing. In many ways, we did since the drop of water from The Lady seemed to give us a deeper understanding of certain aspects of magic.

“Did he just call out your name?” Paul asked with a frown.

We listened intently and indeed he did. “I’m lookin’ for Master Archer,” the man shouted over the lake.

“My uncle?” I asked the others. “Why would a non-mage be looking for my uncle?”

“I was sent by Magister Aenhol,” the strange man shouted. “I bring word from Arantiva.”

I frowned. Aenhol. Why was that name so familiar? And then I remembered. “I know that name!” I said. “He was that mage who visited us around that time Matty came.”

Ellen nodded. “I remember that name as well. I was on duty up top when he arrived.”

“But still,” Paul said. “How would a non-mage know about all that and about this place?

“Sam, you come with me,” Simon said. “Ellen, you and Paul stay here. If it looks like there’s trouble beyond our abilities then you two head up top immediately. Is that understood?”

Ellen and Paul nodded mutely. Their affirmations of course meant that even if we had to die, they must leave if necessary to warn those above.

Simon and I headed out of the room, down a stairwell that led to the back of the cave. The bottom split into two paths, one leading towards Malden (accessible only through magic) and the other down to the cavern where the man was waiting. We headed down towards a path that wouldn’t be noticeable by anyone standing below unless that person knew what to look for.

“Be ready for anything,” Simon said quietly. “He may look harmless but I need you on your guard in case this is some sort of trap.”

I nodded silently and followed him down the path.

We were halfway to the strange man before he even noticed us. Either he was a very good actor or he was certainly not a mage.

“About time ya got here,” he said as he placed his hands on the sides of his oversized belly. He looked terribly out of shape. He also had a thick beard that could certainly use a trim, perhaps with a large carving knife. “I half-thought I was in the wrong cave.”

“Introduce yourself stranger,” Simon said in his deep voice. “How is it that you know the names you have been shouting?”

The man snorted, “He told me not to expect warmth from your kind. Thought it would be the literal sort. S’ppose not.” He cleared his throat and shook his head left and right as though to dislodge phlegm. “My name is Jorik and I’m here on behalf of Magister Aenhol. He sends word that Arantiva is about to be attacked and we need your help.”

NEXT CHAPTER: Ch 14: Chosen
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