The Way of Sacrifice, page 18
Seldeen lifted a chequered board onto the table and said, “So, Bess, do you know how to play the game called chess? It was brought to the world by the ancients themselves.”
“No, Mage Seldeen Heartsbane, I have not heard of the game.”
“Sit, dear, and let me explain the rules. Teaching chess to one whose mind is unsullied by previous experience is a dream come true. You may call me Seldeen.”
Feeling more terrified than she had since arriving at the academy, Bess sat opposite the mage who proceeded to teach her chess.
Chapter 11
Mage Gabriel collected her from Mage Seldeen Heartsbane’s room and led the way to a room on the same level where he started a metronome and had her touch her right ear with her right hand, then her right elbow with her left hand, then her left shoulder with her left hand, then as she touched her stomach with her right she had to simultaneously touch her nose with her left. She was then to repeat the sequence. He waited until she’d managed to make the moves successfully a dozen consecutive times, then he started trying to distract her.
Bess failed abysmally for almost ten minutes before slowly improving. By the end of two hours, she was covered with burns and bruises but could keep the sequence even until she passed out. At the end of the time, Mage Dynamo handed her a stack of papers and said, “Your lessons will all be on this level or the one beneath. The map will show you where you are to be. Food will be served in the room next to your bedroom unless your instructor makes other arrangements. Appropriate clothing is waiting in your room. Your next appointment is with the tailor and seamstress, and they are waiting next door.
For the next two eightdays, Bess had lessons from half past the fifth hour in the morning until after the middle of the night most evenings. After preparing for bed, she would settle herself by breathing in tune with her body and then focus on each part of her body before going to sleep. The results of this didn’t go unnoticed, but all her instructors suspected one of the other instructors was helping her as such healing was possible only using aether, and even then only by a trained healer.
On the Four-day before the Quarter Year celebrations, Bess’ last lesson was with Mage Dynamo, who was testing her concentration. As she moved through the physical sequences, she was watching him closely when she thought she saw a spark shoot from his finger towards her right arm; she shifted imperceptibly, hoping to lessen the pain. Mage Dynamo put his hand out and stopped the metronome, and said, “What did you just do?”
Confused, Bess said, “I do not understand the question, Mage Dynamo.”
“You shifted before the spark hit you.”
“Yes, Mage Dynamo, I will not do so again.”
“No, that isn’t the issue. Why did you shift?”
“I saw the spark heading for my arm.”
Mage Gabriel stared at her for over a minute then said, “Apprentice Bess, continue as before. If you see a spark, you are free to move.”
Bess began moving her hands to the rhythm according to the sequence Mage Dynamo had given her while breathing to a different rhythm. When she saw a spark, she moved so Mage Gabriel would understand she’d seen a spark. After an hour of this, she saw a finger of ice stabbing toward her left side, and she moved out of the way, so it went past her. Mage Gabriel reached out again and stopped the metronome. He said, “What did you see?”
“Mage Gabriel, I saw ice coming from your finger.”
“Apprentice, what you see is aether as it is shaped by my mind. Usually, the ability occurs after breakthrough and even then only in the strongest mages. The way the aether is interpreted has always, in the past, been focussed through the mage’s chosen focus. I see the aether of others as electricity. After years of experience, I can sometimes distinguish how a mage manipulates their aether by its colour and then only if they are working with a simple manipulation.
“Very occasionally, a strong potential mage has developed the ability before breakthrough, but each time they see the aether in what becomes their dominant focus. The potential at your disposal is higher than I believe has been observed in the past so developing the ability is not surprising. To see the focus of my manipulation rather than observing it from your own perspective is unique and perhaps even troubling.
“An explanation of what is occurring is something not discussed until after breakthrough and is somewhat theoretical—a theory which may well need some significant modification in light of what has just occurred. Regardless, once such an ability manifests, it begins to evidence itself in more and more situations until the mages sees the use of aether occurring around them. The word ‘see’ is not truly accurate as your mind can detect such use behind you and even when your eyes are closed. It is becoming harder to hate you, Bess Highland, but I suspect the damage has already been done, and regardless of my purpose, it will take its course.”
When he’d finish speaking, Mage Gabriel ended the lesson early and suggested Bess use the time to prepare for her introduction to Court. Bess made her way to Mage Elias’ training area and, after changing, took a rapier and moved through the various forms. It was late, and no one was in the room, but this was one area where electricity was used, and she turned the lights on to practice. All the other times, she’d been surrounded by people as well as being coached by Mercy. This time she took her time to prepare herself. She closed her eyes and moved through the simple first form Mercy had shown her; she let her breathing adapt to the movement. When she was confident she had the sequence, she opened her eyes and moved through the form again, matching her breaths to the actions. She both slowed her movements then speeded them up; she found she could synchronise the breathing with each movement.
Bess did the same for the second sequence and then worked her way through all seven sequences the senior student had taught her. She only realised she’d worked through the night when she heard a sound and turned to see Mage Elias and Senior Student Mercy watching her. Mercy said nothing but threw Bess her protective gear and begin putting her own on. Once Bess had everything in place, she calmed herself and began to breathe in preparation. Mage Elias stood between the two. As he started the bout, Bess lunged forward and drove Mercy backwards several steps before being forced to defend herself. When Mage Elias called time ten minutes later, Mercy had won the eleven point duel by eight to three.
As Bess took her mask off, Mercy walked over and stepped so close her nose was almost touching Bess’. She said, “Apprentice, explain what just happened.”
“Senior Student Extremis, I don’t understand the question.”
“Yes! You do. What did you do differently just then or before that helped accelerate your moves and tidy up your previously sloppy transitions? In two eightdays, you’ve never won a single point that I didn’t hand to you on a plate, and just then, you took three away. I haven’t lost three points against another student in three years. What just happened?”
Bess nodded, then said, “I’ve discovered that I perform at my best when I match my breathing, my stance, my muscles to each movement. You explained the breathing pattern to use while using the rapier, and I have used that each time. What I did during the night was adapt that to match each move, so my body was ready in the right position and with the right part of the breath to make the chosen move most effectively. I’ve done the same for each group of moves you have had me practice.”
Mage Elias said, “Bess, close your eyes and move through the first rapier sequence three times at a normal pace, then three times slowly and then three times quickly. Go!”
Bess did as she’d been asked, and when she opened her eyes, Mercy was staring at her almost in shock. The bell that indicates time rang to tell everyone it was the fifth hour of the day. Bess said, “Excuse me, Mage Elias, Senior Student Extremis, but I have an appointment with the academy’s Master of Dance, Mage Clint.”
Mercy opened her mouth to say something, but Elias raised his hand and said, “Go. I expect you on time for the lesson with Vince. We are not finished with this discussion. Don’t be late.”
After her lesson on dance Bess had breakfast while being quizzed on the members of the nobility, then a history lesson on the Heptatic Empire and its interaction with the Tarlonin. She then headed back to her lesson with Vince. When she arrived, she was surprised because she was used to seeing up to a dozen student mages practising or training at any given time; this time, it was empty except for Elias, Mercy and Vince. Elias said, “Hurry up and get changed.”
Once she had returned, Elias said, “Go through the first kata as you’ve practised.”
When she’d finished, he said, “Now, do with that what you did with the rapier.”
Bess preferred to do this on her own but nodded politely, then closed her eyes and moved through the kata, slowly making minor changes to her breathing and stance. Finally, after almost an hour, she opened her eyes and saw the three hadn’t moved. Elias said, “Now, complete the kata at the required pace but use the breathing sequence you’ve worked out.”
Bess did as she was asked. Vince said, “Can it be that simple?”
Bess said, “I don’t understand the question, Senior Student Phoenix?”
“I was talking to myself. Work on the second kata while I work through the first as you did.”
Elias nodded and stepped aside to watch them both while Mercy moved to where the rapiers were and closed her eyes as she worked through the various sequences. They stopped for lunch which was brought to the room. As they ate, Elias said, “Bess, you are still doing it, aren’t you?”
“I am, Senior Mage Elias.”
Vince said, “Still doing what?”
“She’s changing her breathing to match what she’s doing. Her focus here is to bring the blood and oxygen from the extremities to help with digestion. I’ve been watching her since she was here this morning. She changed her breathing to match the dance and then to stimulate her brain and help with attentiveness during her history lesson. As you know, all those who have the potential to become mages generally have better memories than those who do not. After breakthrough, our memories just get better. The stronger the mage, the better their memory.
“There are a dozen theories which try and explain the finding, and most combine our focus on breathing to aid concentration and some effect of aether within our bodies. Bess has a large reservoir of aether, but she’s also modified her breathing to suit each situation. It is very subtle, and I’m not sure if it is intentional or not, but I suspect Apprentice Bess could recite the history lesson as given. Am I right, Bess?”
Bess thought and then said, “I could, I think. Is that not normal?”
“No, you poor misguided, ignorant child, it is not. I suspect others have known of this in the past and, like you, kept it to themselves. They did it for power while you did so out of ignorance. It is something which needs to be shared more widely but not until after the Quarter Year. Have you discussed what you do with anyone else?”
“With my friend.”
“Which friend?”
“I only have one. Her name is Dianthe Foundling.”
“I will check on her. I suspect her development is growing faster than expected since you shared your process with her.”
After lunch, Bess worked through the other katas before meeting with Seldeen for their daily chess match, followed by a discussion on finding patterns. Seldeen would show Bess a range of numbers and expect her to notice the patterns and describe what she observed. Bess had needed guidance in the first dozen times, but in the last few days, she’d found most of the patterns on her own. Besides numbers, Seldeen had diagrams with various shapes, both simple and complex, and Bess was required to determine the next shape in the pattern. Lately, Seldeen had changed the unknown to one of the shapes earlier in the pattern.
Late on Seven-day, Bess was directed to an office she’d not yet been to. The sign on the door indicated it belonged to the Head of Fifth Year, Senior Mage, Xariah Temporal. Bess knocked and waited until someone said, “Come in, Apprentice.”
Besides a woman she assumed was the Head of Fifth Year, both Mage Marin and Mage Nasir were there, as were Mage Dynamo, Mage Elias and Mage Seldeen. Mage Nasir said, “Apprentice Bess, the reports I’ve been given suggest you have applied yourself as required to escape a summary execution before the Quarter Year celebrations. Even so, no one expects even a single victory, but at least the spectacle will not be farcical. Despite this, you should not expect anything from those watching except derision. We, those in this room, might know how far you have come, but the Court will only see the distance you have fallen short of the standard required by the empire. This includes the emperor. I share this because I believe that knowing something makes the eventual reality more bearable, and for your effort, this is the least that you deserve. You are dismissed.”
Bess left and headed for her room.
Chapter 12
The world that the ancients had colonised took almost five hundred and nineteen days to orbit its star. In the period, the primary moon made slightly more than sixteen orbits of the planet. The ancients chose to break the year into sixteen thirty-two day months and add quarterly celebrations to adjust the start of each quarter by one or two days to match the new moon and the seasons. Even though the planet had a rotational tilt of only six percent, it still had four seasons; these were more the result of its oscillating elliptical orbit, which matched the seasons almost precisely with the moon’s cycle.
The First Quarter celebrations when the Heptatic Ambassador was going to present his credentials was a longer two-day adjustment that year. While Bess had been preparing for the duels she was going to have, the diplomats had been working to find a compromise on when each part of the ceremony would take place. The Heptatic ambassador had the upper hand as the Tarlonin Empire had always yielded to the other kingdom’s traditions.
As a result, the contest to determine mage ascendancy would take place the first day while the actual credentials of the ambassador would be presented the following morning. It was clear that the Heptatic delegation expected the result of the apprentice contest would lead to a more advantageous position in the Tarlonin Court.
Deciding how to dress both Marin and Bess had taken several days of heated discussion between Nasir Maelstrom, Marin Seafarer, Helleen Scrivener, Keeper of the Imperial Library, the Court Protocol Office and the academy’s Guardian of the Strictures. The two issues of contention were the ornateness, or otherwise, of the robes and what colours and sigils to put on Bess’ apprentice robes and battle clothes.
Despite the somewhat ostentatious robes worn by the emperor’s Mage Advisor, most Tarlonin mages were more comfortable in robes of a single colour and simple embroidery, which detailed their focus with the vertical seams bearing sigils and runes to detail their achievements. On the other hand, both Helleen Scrivener and the Head of the Court Protocol Office wanted to match what they knew of Heptatic mage robes, which were highly ornate.
Nasir Maelstrom and the Chief Designer of the Court Protocol Office wanted to include the symbols of the Tarlonin Empire on the robes, while Marin, Helleen and the Guardian of the Strictures argued it would weaken the authority which the academy had over the mages. Heptatic mages, like their Tarlonin counterparts, served the emperor, but those in the Heptatic Empire had a more direct relationship with the mage who had been their master while those in Tarlonin answered almost exclusively to the academy and the office of the emperor’s Mage Advisor.
These issues were eventually solved through compromise, and all parties felt they’d had some success. The robes remained a single colour, though the vertical seam was changed to the gold of the empire. The robes themselves were to have the emblems of the empire embroidered on the back and that of the academy on the front. The embroidery was to be done in the same colour as the robe and give it a somewhat understated elegance.
The issue of Bess’ robes was far more contentious. Nasir wanted Bess to be a representative of the academy in general. Marin wanted Bess to be associated primarily with Micael Firestorm with her as his proxy. The Protocol Office and Helleen wanted Bess’ colours to match Marin to identify with the Heptatic system. The Guardian of the Strictures wanted Bess’ robes to signify her exact relationship and show she was under the emperor via Michael and his proxy, Marin, who had brought her to the academy.
In the end, it was the Guardian of the Strictures who won the day. Bess’ robes remained black and kept Michael’s burnt orange colour on the sleeves and collar but with the addition of the embroidered patterns of the empire and the academy. Instead of being closed, they were opened at the front with a strip of Marin’s dark blue colour on the seam. The sigils on the seam itself showed Tarlonin’s commitment to the Strictures. Beneath her robes, she would wear exercise gear with a similar mix of colours and sigils. Less contentious issues arose on including Marin’s and Bess’ titles and achievements, not that Bess had any of those.
On Eight-day, Bess was led to a room on the second story where a team of the empire’s leading beauticians and stylists had been gathered to ensure her skin, hair, and complexion did nothing to detract from the empire and its court. Bess would have been amused to know that two rooms further along and Mage Marin was being subjected to the same process. As Bess rested, she used the time to focus on every part of her body and consider how it might be fine-tuned to be ready for the following day.
Bess understood that the test was likely to have a negligible impact on her own future; regardless of what happened, she would almost certainly either be killed or end up in Faulty Town in four months. On the other hand, it would have a more significant impact on Mage Michael, the empire and to some extent Mage Marin. She owed Michael for the start he’d given her. She decided that the behaviour of the other mages was on them, not Michael, regardless of what they might say. Each person had to take responsibility for how they treated others. Blaming another for what you did was to give them a power that was not theirs.
