Book 1, Later (Towards the climax of the story)

This is from later in the book, I didn't really have time to write today so this is what you all get.  Endros has ended up in some new place after a series of stresses.  Any questions about the world and how it works? Magic? Economy? Religions?

“Hey, kid.” A comforting and amused baritone rose from the same spot that the knock came from.  I turned around.  For some reason, the spell that had locked me in place was suddenly and inexplicably gone.  I hadn’t even felt it dispel or be broken.   I somehow managed to catalogue this, setting it aside for later and looked up at a mobile archery tower of a man. 

The lower part of his face was obscured by a simple gray cloak which also completely covered one shoulder and that half of the body. The other side was the revealed because he was grasping a tall wooden staff with runes that glowed slightly, the light waxing and waning in a regular pattern.  I could only recognize several and they were all incredibly powerful. Linked in such a way as to maximize their effect.  My quick glance at the revealed equipment underneath his cloak showed a belt with a number of pouches and various instruments of mayhem, including knives and a shortsword.  He was clothed in worn and comfortable looking trousers and traveler’s boots.  Slipping a hand into the side of his breeches, “Pockets! Pockets are brilliant!” He chattered excitedly as his hand rummaged around in these ‘pockets’, “Storage space without pouches! I can put lots of handy things in pockets.”  He pulled out an apple and tossed it up in the air.  It hung at the top of its arc before effortlessly being plucked by the large man’s flashing hand.  “Like food,” His amusement and self-satisfaction clearly evident in his voice.

Peeking over the cloak, steel grey eyes sparkled with amusement and experience.  He chuckled and looked up at the tree I had been staring at. “You like the place, huh? You should. Took me a lot of time and energy to build it.”  He stepped past me and pulled his free hand from beneath the cloak, laying it gently on the tree.  Silently mouthing an incantation, the man gathered and unleashed a positively mind numbing amount magical energy which surged into the tree, causing it to visibly grow and glow with a soft golden light.  The display of magical clout that I had just witnessed showed this man was terrifyingly powerful.  He had more magical muscle and wielded it with more ease that any wizard I had ever seen, including Iustyn and Eb.  This man had made them both look like amateur hedge wizards only able to use the most basic of a wizard’s skills. 

“I… I…” I stammered as I took a fearful step back.  I opened my mouth to say something more but was too awed and terrified by the amount of energy that had just been released by the man.    

“Relax, You’re safe.  You should feel right at home.”  He glanced over his shoulder at me as his slid his hand back beneath the cloak.  With a slow, careful motion, he turned around and sat down beneath the tree and glanced up, “However, it seems like you’re in a bit of a mess.”

I managed to snap out of my reverie and immediately started to gather the energy for a spell in order to protect myself.  I went through my normal process to grab the energy of the world around me, something odd happened.  As soon as I opened myself up, the ambient magic filled me like water rushing into a sinking boat.  Every part of my being was suffused with the power and energy it provided and I gasped in shock.   The man watched quietly as I extended my shaking hand towards him.  “Lis… List… Listen you... I… I… want to leave this place…” I stammered out and took a step back.

He sat there calmly and raised a thick eyebrow, “No. You don’t.  Not yet at least.  Not until I give you some advice to help you out.”

.  “What… what… do you want from me?” I trembled from the odd mix of adrenaline and magic running through my system.

 “Nothing.  I’m just going to talk.” The man ran a hand through his hair in a familiar motion and sighed heavily, “I said you were safe and I meant it.  Now, Let go of the magic before it burns you out and sit.  We only have a short time and you have to learn some things.”

I began to shake as the stress and the high of the energy I was storing began to get to me.  My body was starting to ache with the strain of holding it. “Wha… what… what do you mean?” I managed to choke out through clenched teeth.

“I mean…” He snapped his fingers and the energy that was stored in my body dissipated in a flash, “that I have to tell you some things, Dumbass.” He motioned with his finger and a heavy weight appeared on my shoulders, forcing me to sit down. “Listen up, before you’re returned to that room and before the spell completes.” He growled out and pointed at me, “You have something you have to do and it is not to get chewed up and spit out…” He paused and dropped his head in thought. “Well… not yet at least,” came out of his mouth so quietly I almost didn’t hear it.

“I don’t … I mean … What are you talking about?!” I exclaimed from my seated position.

His head rose back up and he locked eyes with me.  A deep sense of self, of power, of purpose was locked into those eyes and it shook me to my core.  I wanted to have eyes like that, I needed eyes like that.  “You think you’re trapped right now. In that spell, of your teacher’s, I mean.  Well… technically it’s two spells… but…” He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture as the corners of his eyes crinkled in amusement.  “Never mind… There’s a way out and you know how to find it.  You need to calm down and be patient, to use your head.” He chuckled and then took on a slower, thoughtful cadence and added a lazy drawl, “ ‘A Wizard is only as powerful as the head on his shoulders’.”

I listened as my addled mind tried to place the accent. When it dawned on me, I was struck dumb for the second time in less than two minutes.  He had parroted Wizard Eb’s words to me in Eb’s voice. My eyes must have widened because the man’s melodious laugh rang out and his head was thrown back in mirth.  He locked eyes with me when he managed to settle himself and at just a glance, I could tell that those words were backed by a lifetime of experience and firsthand knowledge.  

 “Good… You’re starting to listen.” He glanced back up in the tree and I saw a short cut beard hidden behind the neck of the cloak, “You’ve got stuff to do, kid. You’re important” Even with that his voice managed to give the words weight, importance, solidity... His voice gave them Truth.  “Don’t let some two-bit charlatan with a hard-on for power, stop you from helping others.” He stood and grabbed his staff from the ground before walking over to me and offering a hand to help me up.  I took it gingerly and the weight on my shoulder’s disappeared.  “You’ve got a good head on your shoulders, use it.  Explore, test, experiment and don’t be thrown by failure.  It happens to the best of us. It certainly happened to me, It’ll happen to you.  I guarantee it.” The corners of his eyes crinkle again with a smile and he starts to fade into blackness.  His final action was to extend a single finger and poke me in the forehead and say the word, “Focus.”

Book 1, Chapter 2 Part 2

“What?” The old man growled.  He stepped forward heavily.

The fear rose in me again, but I swallowed it and plunged forward.  “I was sent to help Wizard Eb with his new arranging project.” I paused and blushed in embarrassment, “But I’ve never seen him and I have no idea where to find him.  Do you know where he is?”

The old man clenched his jaw, “I do not need help.  I can handle the efforts to rearrange the library with the staff that is currently available.”  He started to grind his teeth.  “I do not need some amateur’s lackey fouling up my efforts.”

I scowled at him, “Wizard Iustyn is not an amateur!” My fury caused me to ball my fists unconsciously before extending a finger and poking him in the chest. “And I am not a lackey.” I spat the last word out and puffed out my chest.

Wizard Eb’s eyebrows raised just enough that I would have missed it if I hadn’t been starting right at him.  He poked me back, jabbing his finger hard into my chest.  “Fine! You want to prove you’re not a lackey? Impress me.” He grabbed a stack of papers from just inside the door and thrust them at me.  “Reorder these shelves!” He promptly turned around and slammed the door in my face. 

“Jackass” I muttered to myself, clutching the papers to my chest.

“I heard that!” The old man roared from the other side of his door. “I swear to all the gods, if you are out there when I open the door, I will end you!” The latch for the door clicked open.

“Gah! You have hearing like an elf!” I scuttled away, slipping around the corner.  I looked around, letting my heart calm down.  Off to my right, I saw a well-lit stair well leading up to the main floor.  “How in Aldanel’s name did I miss that?” I glanced down at the sheets of paper in my hand and saw a list of shelves that needed to be reordered and new books that needed to be restocked.  “Finally! I can get toooo…” I trailed off as I flipped through the pages and saw the size of the job. “No. no. no.” I shook my head in disbelief, “The job is too big.” I sat down on one of the steps in defeat.  “I won’t finish this for years.  Maybe if I go talk to Iustyn…” I swallowed and played the discussion out in my head.  There was no way that was going to end well, if I was lucky I would end up with another punishment on top of the one I had.

I sighed in frustration and stood up, bracing my shaky legs as I stumbled off to get something to eat.  I went back to my room in order to get my meal chits. As an apprentice, I was entitled to two meals a day, a small stipend, 3 trips to the baths a week and a sleeping cubicle in the dormitory.  It would also cover my tuition if I was at the school, but I wasn’t a student so I was saving the school, and my teacher, money.  If I had done something particularly noteworthy, Iustyn give me a small amount of money but I rarely impressed him that much. 

I wandered across the yard, pausing to watch several of the students practicing throwing spells at a straw dummy. One of the older students summoned a blast of flame and incinerated it.  It was easy to see the toll it took on the man as he staggered about drunkenly.  The rest of the students merely shrugged and sent one of the Initiates to go get another dummy.  I wandered over and checked on the man, making sure to check that he was still breathing.  Accidents like this were quite common and all that was needed was a little rest and some food, but he’d be helpless until he recovered so I dragged him over to a shaded area of the courtyard and propped him up against the wall.

After double checking to make sure that the other student was ok, I hurried to the dormitory.  I wanted to change my clothes before starting work on the shelves.  I knew that it was going to take me a while and I was probably going to end up forgetting to get back here over the next couple of days.   I paced mindlessly through the halls, feeling the odd pulse of magic from several of the closed doors to sleeping cubicles.  It was forbidden to practice magic here in the dormitory, but the residents wouldn’t rat each other out because this was considered one of the few places that lower level students could practice without being prey to the more experienced ones.  I made the last turn to get to my door and put my hand on the door.  With a brief effort of will, I “pushed” on the lock with my magic while my other hand got my key out and slid it into the mechanical lock.  I had invented a small locking spell that was fairly simple one installed, but would take a while to undo even for a more skilled magic user.  The magical lock opened and the keyed lock clicked open, but the door refused to budge.  I tried again, this time I locked the door.  After staring in confusion at my door, I began to check to make sure everything was working properly when I sensed a deeper, more powerful spell on the door.  It was done by a very, very powerful magic used and was holding the door shut.  I stood dumbly in front of the door before realizing that I should check my room’s mailbox, which hung slightly to the right of the door and was stenciled with the number of my cubicle.  I fished around in the box before grabbing a small sheet of paper.

I had to read it several times before my mind started to process what was going on.  The note said this:

Endros-

You have not been fulfilling your duties as an Apprentice.  Therefore, you are hereby barred from your room until such time as you have proven to me that you are worthy of the position. 

                                                                                                                -Wizard Iustyn.

Beneath my master’s name was his mark, an utterly impossible thing to forge.  The entire note was written in the long looping script that I had seen so many times.  I quietly folded the note and numbly marched back across the courtyard and headed back into the library.  I then marched right to the nearest of the library shelves that I had to begin working on and stared at the spines of the books.  I could feel them mocking me, taunting me with their knowledge and the knowledge that I would not end up a wizard. I slowly started to pull the books off the shelves and began to try and find an order to them.

I continued mechanically for several hours before wandering around the library aimlessly, rediscovering the sleeping cells and curling up on one of the empty beds.  I slept soundly.

Book 1, Chapter 2

Chapter 2

                I entered the Library soaked to the bone and quietly crying.  My tears ran down and splashed onto the already soaked cover of the top book.    I sniffled quietly and walked into the library timidly.  I had heard what happened to students who mistreated the books.  The librarian would have my head for this.  Quiet, carefully controlled sobs shook my shoulders as I continued my march to the book return desk at the back of the lobby.  As I got closer, one of the students working the desk addressed me, “Hey, Endros. The book you asked for came in.  I’m surprised you’ve kept up with it, even if it’s written quickly.”  The student’s name was Antony and he was one of the closest things I could call a friend.

I sniffled and mumbled, “Thanks.  Pick it up later.” I had closed the distance to the desk and slid the stack of books onto the desk.  Antony’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as he glanced at the soaked books.

“Endros,” Antony hissed and leaned in close. “Do you know what the Librarian will do to you? You know I have to report this.”

“It wasn’t my fault,” I protested weakly.  My head drooped, long bangs covering my face.  “I…” I stumbled over the start of another sentence before being cut off.

“You know the rules, you’re responsible for the books you bring in.” Antony somehow managed to seem like he was yelling even in a whisper. 

“I… I know.” I whimpered, shaking my head.  “ I just,” I felt a whole new batch of tears well up in my eyes. “LEAVE ME ALONE!” I screamed at the poor man and then took off running deeper into the library.  I bolted through the library, dodging the other students and several full blown wizards.  I head deeper and deeper into the growing darkness, taking random turn after random turn until I was in a place that was almost pitch black.  My pace slowed and I caught my breath, glancing around for a landmark to get my bearings.  “Where in the pit am I? I’ve never been here before.” I continued to wander, following the wall lamps.  “How do I not know where I am? I practically live here.”   I paused and glanced around, spinning in a slow circle.  “Did I go down stairs?” I muttered to myself.  “Were there always stairs?”

I continued to wander around, at a complete loss for where I was until I stumbled into a well-lit study cell, the first bit of bright light I had found since getting lost. In it was a desk, a small cot and even a toilet.  “I can sleep here?” Even my own voice sounded weird after the oppressive quiet of the empty library. I sat down heavily on the bed and a cloud of dust whooshed into the air.  The dust sent me into a sneezing fit that took me a while to recover from.  I rubbed at my eyes and curled up on the bed, my head hurting from the crying and the dust.  “I can sleep here.” I yawned, suddenly unable to resist the pull of sleep, nodding off.

I woke up several hours later, the light suddenly harsh on my eyes and fraying my nerves.  I sneezed again and sat up.  Yawning, I extended my arms and legs, only to be greeted by a series of pops and clicks from my joints.  The pervasive, oppressive silence of the library came rushing back in and I poked my head out of the cubicle, glancing around.  The only evidence of passage was the footprints I had left in the dust on my way through.   I had to go find Wizard Eb and, I cringed internally, apologize for the books. I also hoped that he would let me help with reordering the books in the library.  If he didn’t, I’d never be allowed back to help Iustyn. I took a deep breath and stomped off into the library.  “Well,” I said to myself, “I have to do this.  It’s important, so stop being a girl about it.”  

After several more hours of getting, what I could only assume was, more lost, I stumbled on to a heavy oak door with a sign that said “Go Away!” deep in the bowels of the library.  I blinked in confusion at the door and knocked on the door. “Uhm… Hello?” I raised my voice, a timid crack to it.

The door was ripped open and I was left staring down at a short, burly, balding man with a close cropped white beard.  “Are you an idiot?” The man looked up his nose at me, a heavy scowl on his face.

“N. No” I stammered and took a nervous step back.

“You are unable to read then?” He jutted his chin out, crossing his arms over his wide chest.

I blinked owlishly at him, my mouth slowly opening wider and wider. “No?” I stared at him confused, noticing for the first time that he was wearing the blood red robes of a full wizard of the Acadamae. I gulped, “Wizard… Sir.”

He raised an eyebrow, “Are you unsure of your ability to read?”

I shook my head to indicate the negative.

“Then what did you not understand about the sign?” He pointed at it, underlining the words with a finger.  “It says quite simply ‘Go Away’.  So do that now, before I get annoyed, little one.” He stepped over and poked me in the chest, forcing me to take a step back before he whirled on his heel and slammed the door in my face.

I stood rooted in place, utterly confused by the events that had just happened.  “Well, that was weird.” I muttered under my breath.  I stepped forward and moved to knock on the door again.

“You knock on that door again, boy, and I will hurt you.” The old man’s voice carried through the door. 

“I just need some help.” I raised my voice through the door. “I’m lost and” I swallowed, “I have no idea where in the library I am.  I’ve been here for hours and I can’t find my way out or find who I’m looking for.”

“Looking for your master, boy?” The old man’s voice carried through the door and still managed to contain so much scorn in the word master that I was sure that I could use it as a gravy to baste a turkey.

“No, Sir.” I answered back, slowly steeling myself to talk with the man. “I was sent to help Wizard Eb with his new rearranging project.” With that the door was ripped open and the man was standing there, somehow managing to scowl even deeper than before. 

Book 1, Creation Myth

This is the creation myth for the world, describing the births of the races and the various realms of the gods.  This will be described to our hero by another character later on in the novel.  I didn't get to write much today in the sequence of the story, so here it is

Here is the true story of the races and their beginnings.  Far, far back before time began, there existed Nothing.  True Nothingness in which nothing grew, nothing died, nothing changed.  After a second and after an eternity, The Oldest sprung into being.  Alongside the Oldest, was Magic, the energy of the universe, exploding outward to fill the void.  Another second and another eternity, Eight Others began to take shape.  They formed from concepts, ideas, meanings.  The Oldest reached out to them, calling them all Brothers and Sisters.  He opened his arms to them and bade them to make a home with him.  However, each took the concept that they had sprung from and shaped a part of the universe after it.  Each crafted their homes and for a second, for an eternity, they were happy to live within their own homes.

  Eventually, they turned their eyes outward and looked upon the others.  This caused them to grow wroth with their brothers and sisters because of their disparity. And so The Eight began the First War of the Heavens.  The war would last for a second and an eternity.  The Oldest merely watched in sadness as his siblings fought to destroy each other.  They fought until the universe was ripped asunder, each of the Eight severing themselves from the “corruption” of the others.  After the sundering, the Oldest grew tired of their bickering and gathered the area in between, which none of the Eight had claimed, and began to shape it.  The Eight had found themselves equally matched.  So they created immortal servants to fight the war for them and prove their might.  Each of the servants represented a smaller portion of their Creator.  Instead of creating facets of himself, the Oldest opened his skin and used a small piece of his bones to create the bones of this world.  The Eight clashed again using their servants.  This was the Second War of the Heavens. The war would last for a second and an eternity. 

The Oldest watched, weeping tears for his brothers and sisters.  These tears fell and became the waters of this world. Again, the Eight could not prove who was the greatest.  The Eight retreated to their homes and watched each other carefully, never straying too far lest they be fallen upon by their kin and destroyed.

With the ending of the Second War, the Oldest heaved a sigh of relief.  That sigh became the breath of this world.  The Oldest looked upon his creation and decided that he was uninterested. So The Oldest came up with an idea, He took the bones of the world and made a creature of flesh, he took the water of the world and made the blood that ran through its veins, and finally he took his sigh and gave his creatures breath.  Through these efforts, The Oldest created the beasts of the world.  He watched for a second and for an eternity but was still unhappy.  He found the beasts wanting.  They were slaves to their desires, unable to grow and change. In his displeasure, he cast about looking for a solution.  The casting caused the mountains to form, the seas to move and the air to stir.

And so he sought, for a second and for an eternity, until he came upon a solution.  He took the Magic that came into being with him and used it to create the First Soul.  It pulsed with power, will and desire, but it was truly beautiful because of something else.  The new creation was given a name, Free Will.  Free Will gave those with souls to choose, no longer low beasts or servants.  They could sacrifice, take, grow and change.  They could become great. 

The Oldest crafted a new beast to hold souls, a creature called man.  When he created them, he gave them the tools they needed to use free will, great intellects, low cunning, strong bodies and stronger emotions.  He looked upon his creations and smiled, he was happy.  The Oldest spread mankind throughout the world and let them live, not interfering in their lives because he could not bring it upon himself to corrupt Free Will.  The Oldest watched them for millennia, a simple blink of the eye for him.  He watched the men gather, He watched them create fire, the wheel, language.  With language, came names, words and meanings.  He heard their words and the name of the world from their lips, Terna.  Finally, with words and names came mortal magic.  It would respond to their wills and emotions, magnified one hundred, one thousand fold through these things. He watched in fascination as the small, limited humans created works far beyond what he expected them capable of with even rudimentary magic.  This pleased him greatly.

While watching, he noticed a curious thing.  The use of magic caused a group of creatures to spawn as if from nothing.  These creatures became known as Dragons.  They were the first and only of Magic Spawn to be granted souls by the Oldest, so captivated and curious by the revelation. These were different as they were influenced by the circumstances of Dragon’s birth.  The souls of dragons were limited, not possessing true freedom.  The dragons were bound to their natures, but that story is for another time.       

The Eight had taken notice, they grew obsessed with this new realm and these new creatures.  The recognized the power that these souls had and their sway over magic, so each of the Eight tried in turn to claim it. They only succeeded in being rebuffed by the Oldest as he angrily defended this place called Terna and forbade his lesser siblings from touching it.  So they each hatched a scheme to gain influence and conquer this realm of souls.  They would make creatures with souls as well, and place them upon the world.  So they began their efforts, each succeeding only after many attempts.

Aldanel, with his love of order and goodness, created the Dwarves.  He gave them succor beneath the ground, a land unclaimed by the others.  He taught them the secrets of fire and metal, making them careful and thoughtful.

Andrael, with her innate desire for the creatures to be better, created the Gnomes.  She placed them near the dwarves, giving them sharp minds and small bodies.  She taught them of rational thought and the joy of discovery. 

Alfael, with her desire for good no matter the cost, created the Elves.  She taught them the secrets of magic and graced them with long lives.  The elves were spread across Terna, placed to influence the humans and grow to be a shining beacon.

Raha, believed strongly in law and rules, created the Stone Giants.  She gave them large forms and homes on the unassailable peaks.  Slow to act, but mighty when moved the Stone Giants became enforcers and builders.

Rasho, interested in change and balance, created the Squama.  They needed warmth and light, so he placed them into the deserts and jungles of the world where they might bask in the glory of the sun.  

Dahaela, reveling in civilization and selfish desires, created Bilvs.  Malicious and violent hunters, they sought to master all before them and bring order to the world.  She bestowed strength and cunning on them, gifted with the desire to rule.

Dava, fed on death and misery, creating the Orcs.  From him they learned to covet the beauty of the world and if they could not own it, to destroy it.

Datthama, merely wishing for destruction and misery, created the goblins.  He gave them a love of fire, fear of knowledge and a hatred of the beasts of the world.   They are cursed with short, violent lives and seek no other way.

Book 1, Chapter 1

This is where you meet the main character of the story, who's name for right now is Endros (I just happen to really like the sound of the name). As with all things, this is a work in progress but here are some details to make it easier to understand the section:

The ranks for the students from lowest to highest are: Initiate, Novus, Magus. Upon completion of study, you gain the title of "Wizard".  The title of Apprentice is to denote the personal student one of the teachers of the school, like a TA.  Only students who showed exemplary skill or knowledge would be accepted as Apprentice.  This makes our hero a little bit of a weird case, because he is not officially a student of the school (too young) and has been an Apprentice for 7 years.

Endros is 12 at this point in the story.  The youngest students are 16 years old and the average age for students is between 22 and 24. 

Chapter  1

               

                “Acido!” cried a small, darkhaired and brown robed Initiate as she flung a small orb of acid at her opponent.  I marveled at her skill for pulling magic from the surrounding area, reducing the effort she was expending with each spell cast.  However, it splashed harmlessly on the out-held shield of the Novus.  He was not nearly as talented at collecting the energy of the world around him, but from the look of him, he had more power to pull in and he was looked like he was in better shape.  This gave him more personal energy to waste on collecting that energy which was around him.  The shield effortlessly absorbed the fist-sized orb of acid. It looked like he was going to make the Initiate work for her victory, if she could claim it at all.

 Magic is based on a couple of factors, the most important in my mind being intelligence and creativity.  Humans, as a general rule, don’t have the ability to easily access the raw creative energy of the universe itself, so we’re forced to use the store of it within ourselves to pull in and take energy from the world around us.  We shape it into the tool we want with our will and creativity, then unleash it upon the world. 

The Novus dropped to a knee behind the shield and slowly started to chant in Draconic.  His free hand slowly scratching something in the dirt.  “Dewch ataf fi, Dewch ataf fi, Dewch ataf fi, creadur rhwymo Lemuria”  A hunched, eyeless bipedal coalesced from a swirling cloud of sickening black mist. It stood there passively and the Initiate immediately responded by focusing her attention on it, flinging more acid orbs at it.

I watched the duel as part of me drifted into thought. Humans are odd creatures… We don’t belong anywhere, but we fit everywhere.  We’re creatures of the most amazing extremes and the most mediocre.  Through effort and will, a human could become the strongest warrior or the greatest spellcaster, even though we have no natural inclination towards either.  Perhaps it’s the fact that we’re everywhere that makes us so able to reach such weird, disparate peaks.

The Novus stood up with a vicious cackle and issued the simple order, “ymosod ar” to his summoned creature.  It started to bound agonizingly slowly towards the Initiate and her eyes slowly widening in fear as it got closer.  She managed to get off another shot of acid, which splashed against its chest with a sizzling sound, before it was on her.  It used its claws to slash her face and then her stomach, opening a huge rent in her robe and spraying her blood over the dueling arena’s floor.  The crowd crowed in excitement and pleasure at the violence and started to laugh along with the Novus.

“Winner! Novus Terentius!” The referee declared pointing to the laughing man.  Still the crowd watched as the summoned devil tore away at the Initiate’s body. 

I summoned up the magic for my own spell.  I felt my own internal energy marshal and then reach out into the world around me.  I could sense the solid grip my magic got and then felt it rip the energy out of the world and draw it back into me.  My mind and will gave the idea form, a small ball of acid, it’s one of the first spells we all learned.  I pointed my hand at the summoned monster and muttered my word, “Acidus” as quietly as I could.  I felt the stored energy leave me in a rush and get shaped into the form I desired of it.  It hit the head of the devil and splashed, consuming the skull and brain in a flash.  Its form dissipated back into the black smoke it was created from and the Initiate was left bleeding on the field.  I shouldn’t have done that, but I couldn’t let her keep getting hurt.  I dropped my voice and yelled, in the least squeaky voice I could, “HEALER! TO THE DUELING GROUNDS!”  As I watched a cleric of Asmodeus come striding up the hill, I heard the bell chime noon and my head swung around in horror.   

 “Dammit dammit dammit dammit,” I repeated over and over to myself as an incantation to my own stupidity and short attention span. My feet pounded on the stones of the Acadamae with furious intensity in a desperate attempt to make my gawky, stalk like legs move just a little faster.  “He’s gonna kill me…” I whined to no one but the gods and maybe the various air spirits guarding the grounds.  “I’m so dead…” Every ounce of wasted breath working my nerves over more, as if they were a club and my mental state was a debtor’s legs .  

As my mind began to play sick fantasies of the horrible things he would do to me, like give a speech in front of the symposium or reorder his library, and if he was in a really bad mood, light target practice… I shook my head to clear it and finally rounded the corner to open the door.

                “Endros,” A cold, threatening hiss from the man standing in the open door stopped me cold.  “I ordered you to obtain those texts and get back to me as soon as possible. Did I not?”  The man was only a little taller than me even though he was at least 20 years my senior.  He was clad in the classic black robes of full blown Acadamae wizards and had various magic implements hanging from his leather belt at all times.  The man himself stared at me with his deep green eyes and extended one of his pale skinned hands towards me, a demand for the books in front of me.  His handsome face was imperious and aloof as he shook his head in disappointment.

                “I…” Staring at the ground, I slumped in self-recrimination. “I’m sorry, Sir. I was…”

I tried to stammer out a response when I was cut off with a slash of his hand. “No excuses, Endros.  How many times do I have to tell you? You worry about you need to do FIRST then everything else later.” He waves his hand towards him, this time more demanding, as if I were a simple child.  “Give me the books, boy,” His voice getting colder with the order.  “Next time, don’t be stupid and get distracted by a duel.  Maybe then you’ll have learned what it means to be a good wizard.”  He shakes his head with a sigh as he examines the spines of the books, “You’re the youngest,” He put the emphasis on the word, youngest.  “Apprentice here by years.  I took you off the streets because I thought you were worthy. Prove to me that you are.” He pauses and glances up, “Go help Wizard Eb in the Stacks.  He’s been asking after you.”

“But… But… Sir…” I choked out, “You were supposed to work on shields with me today.”  My feet are rooted in place while my stomach roils in disgust at my own lack of focus.

The man’s head looks up from the books, “Well…” He pauses, “Maybe next time you’ll get your books here on time.  Get over to the Stacks, Now.” He waits in the doorway, staring at me.

“I… I’m sorry. Of… course….” I nod trying to appease my mentor. “Of course, Wizard Iustyn.  Right away, Sir.  When should I report back?” I smile trying to make him happy.   

“I don’t care, Endros. “ He turned his back towards me and walked away.  He paused on the other side of the portal and faced me, “Don’t come back until Wizard Eb has finished his reordering of the Stacks.” My eyes focus on the smiling Imp that is closing the door behind him before my teacher is cut off from view.

My feet were stuck firmly in place as I tried to piece together the remaining relatively whole pieces of my emotional well-being.  I turned and slowly started to trudge towards the massive Acadamae library where I was to serve my penance. 

You see, I’m an orphan.  I never knew my parents and probably never will, but that man, Wizard Iustyn, rescued me from the streets where he found me.  He took me in, took me HERE, the greatest place of learning in this part of the world.  I, a lowly orphan, was given access to the greatest sources of knowledge and learning because he decided to take me in, because he was KIND.  He fed and clothed me, he taught me magic…  That was kind of against the rules because I’m so young and because at the time I still hadn’t passed the conjuration tests.  All I had to do was run errands for him and some of the other wizards.  How hard was that? All I ever managed to do was mess it up.  I always got distracted by the books or by other apprentices or by spells being cast or in this case, a duel being fought over a minor bit of prestige.   It was always my fault.  He wasn’t being hard on me, he just demanded me to perform better.

I had just begun the long slog over to the Stacks when it started to rain.  “Just my luck,” I murmured to no one in particular.  I continued to ramble and emotionally castigate myself, “I really need to stop getting distracted by stuff.  I really shouldn’t have watched those two Initiates…”

My train of thought was disrupted by a shout of “Hey! ENDROS!”  My head whipped up and around towards the sound just in time to get hit in the face by a rock, which is followed by a chorus of laughter as I crumple to the ground.  

“Ugh…” I groaned out through a mouthful of blood before managing to sit up and turn to address who yelled my name.   Finally managing to get a good look at him, I knew he who was.  Only one man on campus so expertly mixed cruelty and beauty.  If I hadn’t been bleeding profusely I might have marveled at that philosophic statement.  He was an artist’s dream subject.  His form was compact, lithe muscle with long delicate fingers that belied a surprising strength.  The man’s face was painting perfect with a jaw and cheek bones that could have been cut from stone they were so precise.  His shoulder length raven black hair was always shining.  His eyes and his mouth gave away his true form though.  They glowed and twisted with a malicious glee.  I only saw him smile when he was torturing someone.  Still, Women and men loved him on campus.  His name, by the way, was Irok Orthelos “Irok…”

“Initiate Irok to you, Apprentice.” The man sneered with a false sense of pride and a proper level of patronizing disregard. 

“What about us?” A big man to his right rumbled.  “Acadamae rule states that superiors must be addressed with respect at all times. You should know better, Apprentice.  You’ve been called to punishment enough time for it.” He scowled down, towering above everyone. 

I looked up at them in worry and then glanced around, We were all alone.  This was how bad things had started before.  My hands started to shake a little as I tried to figure my way out of this problem.  I cleared my throat and addressed the group, “Afternoon, Initiates Irok, Kort and Ladry.  It’s…” I swallowed in nervous fear and kept going “Good to see you.”  I nervously smiled up at the fully grown Initiates standing in front of me.  My face must have looked a mess, with what felt like a broken nose and blood streaming down it.

The blonde woman made a sound of dismay then commented, “That rock did you no favors, Apprentice.” Her voice was massive bucket of ice water down my spine.  Irok was a person who only gained enjoyment from sociopathic torture, Ladry wasn’t even that.  She was someone who was cold and distant all the time.  Ladry seemed to examine me with the appraising eye of someone who was looking for the best place to stick the knife in and start cutting me apart while I was still alive.

“Yes, Initiate Ladry.” I nodded with my head down, acquiescing to them on everything with the hope they would just move on.   They slowly started to spread out and encircle me as I started to shake, my mind starting to scream at me to run and my breathing becoming panicked. 

.  “Afternoon, Apprentice.” Irok smiled viciously, “I’ve been hunting vermin.  It always improves my mood dramatically to see them crushed beneath the boots of their betters.” His comment gets a titter of amusement from Ladry and a grunt of laughter from the giant, Kort.  “How’re you on this wonderful day?” 

I looked at them all with wide eyes as the rain poured down, failing to notice that they were all bone dry and sheltering under their own shield spells that had been turned upward.  At the Acadamae, only Initiate level and above students could use magic on campus without strict permission and oversight from the faculty.  This was because magic was inherently dangerous and could lead to massive backfires or explosions if not handled properly.  I was an Apprentice, having been taken under Iustyn’s tutorship, but I had not been allowed to take the test to move up to Initiate and take anything beyond the basic classes…. Officially.

Irok stepped closer and the water sheeting off the shield above him started to hit me in the face. At least it managed to wash the blood off my face.   “I’ve been better, Initiate.”  One of my hands touched my nose lightly and I cringed in pain, definitely broken. “… anything … can… you?” I gasp through the deluge. “… expected… the Stacks… help… Eb.”  I put my hands beneath me and they sunk into the mud of the quad while I slid my feet beneath me. 

Standing slowly and cautiously, I straightened up and stand eye to eye with Irok.  Irok was on the taller side of students and teachers, but even now he just barely managed to overtop me. Even at 12, I was tall and towered over most of the people in this place.  “If you would be so kind as to return these books to Wizard Eb.” He smiles viciously, “Be careful not to get them wet, you’re sure to have heard of how angry he gets when people mistreat his books.”  He extends the books so that they’re just under the edge of the shield and protected from the rain.

My hand reached out tremulously to take the books, dripping in water.  A full blown panic attack was hitting now as my hand started to shake and my breathing got short.  My mind was full of the awful things Wizard Eb would do to me if I returned these books wet and I took them on the verge of tears.  I pulled them to the soaked chest of my robes and slowly hunched over them to protect the pages.  The binding would be ruined, but ruined bindings could be fixed.  The knowledge collected inside was the important part, which needed to be protected.

 I started to trudge quietly to the front door of the library with tears flowing down my cheeks unnoticed before I heard a series of loud “POP!”s and exclamations.  Turning around, I could see the three who had harassed me suddenly drenched with water and the rain pouring down onto their heads unexpectedly.  Good, I thought, they lost concentration and their spells failed.  They deserved it. I turned back to the Library and caught a glimpse of a grey robe in the window.   I continued to trudge to the huge double doors of the library and slipped beneath the overhang.  It was then that I noticed that there was no change in the feeling of the rain on my head.  I glanced up in confusion and saw a shimmering dome of hardened air above my head.  “Huh? What? How?” I gasped out before starting to panic even more.  Oh gods! If I got caught using magic without over sight… I ran to the double doors and yanked them open in a panic. My heart was pounding in my ears as I stepped into the warmly lit Library

Prologue of Book 1

This section is the Prologue from Book 1.  This happens 10 years before the main events of the book.  The idea is that the prologues of the books describe events of the past and provide some illumination on major events from other perspectives than that of our hero.  Smaller side stories will be told from the other character's points of view and be used to describe bits of the world, characters and information we wouldn't receive otherwise.

Prologue

                Two cloaked and hooded figures were gathered around a small watch fire on the wall at the edge of the world.   The place should have been cold, by all rights it should have been coated in ice and snow but the air was unpleasantly warm and had the ever-present cloying, clinging feeling of rain being just around the corner.  It wouldn't fall this night, it probably wouldn't ever fall again in this place.  On the horizon flashed constant lightning of odd colors.  The weather was the result of the Wound.  In this place, all things behaved oddly.  Weather was the easiest to see, but plants would grow erractically or not at all, animals were unpredictable to say the least, magic could misfire.  The worst result, by far, was how it affected people.  It would turn the greatest saint into the most sadistic and greedy warlord if they had not prepared, bracing themselves to recognize the taint that this place engendered.   That wasn't the immediate concern though.  That was what was the two beings were looking out at.

                Beyond the wall, massed hosts of twisted invaders were moving and shifting restlessly, gnashing their teeth and crying in excitement for their turn to cause violence.  The sea of the army ebbed and flowed as they watched, the sheet of creatures pierced by much larger beings that lumbered along absolutely unhurried and several hundred fights that gathered small circles of their kind for an audience.   The larger creatures would catch smaller ones underfoot and crush them without a second thought and dragged large weapons behind them.   Several of their number hoisted banners with sickening runes inscribed on them, runes that twisted the mind and left one feeling dirty.

               The two beings on the wall stood and watched the army try to seize another fortress like this one.  Both were filled with thousands of experienced fighting men and women, wizards and clerics to augment the strength of arms arrayed on the walls.  Even in the face of that, the army below cackled fearlessly, surging for their chance to murder and gorge, rape and burn the world beyond.  Only sounds of the army below and the battle beyond could be heard.  Screaming and spells exploding pierced the oppressive silence surrounding the two men.   

                These men knew the army before them.  It was comprised solely of Demons.  Demons are creatures utterly devoted to destruction and respecting only the strongest and most vicious among them but somehow still incredibly dangerous to the world as a whole.  This army was marshaled and focused on Castle Anorak, not one mile away.  It would have been easily able to wheel and strike at the place where the two watchers now stood, but they were obsessively focused on their goals.  Were that to happen, the castle would be ready within minutes, the soldiers too experienced and accustomed to combat to do anything otherwise.  Not that it would matter much, these forces would be wiped out before then by the two watching them sedately. 

                “So much noise, Why do they always have to be so loud?” The shorter of the two sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose as they watched the army smash up against the wall of the castle. 

                “I think it’s because they want to annoy you.” The taller one says with a hint of amusement.  “Just you… Or,” He holds up a finger to accentuate his point. “It could be due to the fact that it grates on the nerves of the defenders. It does seem to make them more susceptible to the corrupting influence.”

                The shorter one snorts and continues to talk, “This… army would fall before us like wheat before a thresher, old friend.” The deep, bass grumbling issued from the hood and he held up his hand, forestalling the response of the taller cloaked figure.  “Before you answer, I know… I know… we cannot act now.  We must wait.” His grim and tired laugh filled the air with a shake of his head, “hrmph… the proper tool, my ass…”

                “Indeed, old friend. “ The taller one answers, amusement filling his pleasing baritone.  “Without that, our friends above break the Rules.” He added slight emphasis to the world ‘rules’.  “Plus… I sense the time is not yet ready.  The pieces need to be prepared properly.  Some may even already be in play.”  He shrugs, “Either way, we’ll know soon enough.”

                “Soon enough?” The smaller one snorts, “Hrmph… Tell that to those poor bastards.” He points to the castle under attack.  “The Wound,” The deeper voice mused, again adding emphasis to a word “is getting bigger.  The hosts are growing in strength and number as well.  We will need to step in soon.”

                The taller man nodded, “I know.” He waves his arm languidly over the arrayed forces before, ending the motion on the fortress.  “This place needs to stay strong while we wait.”

                The shorter one glances up at the taller one with a shake of his head, somehow the sense that he’s grinding his teeth in frustration is coming off him in tangible waves.  He stepped forward to the edge of the wall and began to gather the energy for a spell.  The air around the man began to thrum with the raw energy of creation itself when the pop of displaced air when another of their number materialized. 

The newcomer turns towards the shorter one and clucks his tongue in censure. “Come now, Wizard.  You know the Rules and… the point of this meeting.”

                ‘Wizard’ continues to give off the tangible aura of menace and turns towards the man, “Shut it…”

                The new cloaked figure laughs and turns towards the taller of them, “You talked to him didn’t you?”

                The tall one shrugs, “I can’t help but agree with him.  I have restrained because I would have revealed my true form.” He turns back towards the armies organized, that term being used only lightly, below the trio.  “Plus… I’m considerably longer lived than even the eldest of any of your kind.  When you reach my age, you learn patience.” He leans on the parapet and crosses his arms in an almost mocking manner.

                Wizard sighs and raises his hand to his face, the energy still gathered and ready to be unleashed. “Look…”

                “You two can keep arguing about this. I must go and check the fortifications and defenses” The newcomer starts to tromp down the stairs, his boots making a soft metal clacking sound with each step.  “And before you try to say something, It is a requirement of my station,” He yelled over his shoulder. “Call me when you’re ready.”

                Several more pops signal the arrival of other members, each stepping out of the shadows and gathering around the two who were there first.  Some of them gather into smaller groups to discuss things quietly.  A melodious and lilting female voice is the first thing heard from the new group, “You really need to learn to control your temper…” Her amusement is plainly evident in her voice.  “Beidh sé a fháil mharaigh tú lá éigin. (It will get you killed one day) ” She continues in elvish, gently chiding the man.

                “Listen here Missy, I’m older than you by quite a bit and…” His chest puffed out and he started to bicker with her like an old friend or lover.  

                “But my race is longer lived, I'm still in my prime” She pointed out pedantically, “Given that you are going bald and greying…” She lightly taps a finger against what should be her chin. “Shouldn't you be in a tower somewhere?”

                The other one of the original pair, who had been standing there watching quietly, pipes up in a matter of fact tone. “He should be considering retirement.”

                The shorter one turns on his companion, “Listen here, Goldy.  I’ll take you down too.” He growled in frustration.

                ‘Goldy’ backs off slightly with his hands raised in the air, laughing. “Fine fine fine…” He murmurs, “Don’t be accurate, I thought that was what you were about. Being a wizard and all.”

                ‘Missy’ steps forward and pats Wizard on the shoulder, “Relax.  Most of us are here now.  You can let go of it, must be taking a toll on you.”

                He shakes his head and crosses his arms, “I’ve gathered it and I’m going to use it.”  Somehow, one of the most powerful wizards in the world comes across as a petulant child at that moment, sulking because he doesn’t get what he wants at that exact moment.

                The clank of heavily booted foot steps approach and all three of the group turn to look at the approaching man, all four feet of him.  The sound of heavy armor fills the air as he gets closer, “Hello, I don’t believe we’ve been introduced.  I’m…” His voice a deep, solid thrum seemed to vibrate through the stones around them.   He extended his hand in greeting.

                Missy shushes him with a waving motion of her hand.  “No names,” She says gently.  “There might be one or two among us who are not who they appear.”

                “Ah…” The dwarf pauses. He slowly retracts the hand before pausing and thrusting it out again, “Either way, well met.”

                Missy chuckles and shakes her hand, “Well met, Sir dwarf.  You can call me… Missy, for now. “

                Wizard snorts, “Thought you said no names?” He turns back towards the field of demons and starts grumbling to himself.

                “Stop being an angry coot,” She shoots back not missing a beat.  “He is a belligerent old codger and you’d do best to ignore him, outside of arcane and strategic matters that is.”

                “If it comes to that, listen to me or you will probably end up dead.” Wizard growls over his shoulder.  Missy and Goldy both notice the arcane energy surrounding him seems to pulse and writhe angrily, reaching towards the sky slowly. 

                Goldy steps in and places a calming hand on the shoulder of the wizard.  The calming effect of the hand helps the energy back into the field surrounding the wizard.  Goldy lifts his head, sniffing the air.  “When were you going to tell us you were pregnant?” His voice carries a heavy note of censure.

                Wizard whirls away from the rampart, eyes bright beneath his hood. “You’re pregnant? You brought a child here? Of all the bone headed, selfish, short sighted…” He strides over in fury and starts to gesticulate wildly. “Do you know what that…” He points to the Wound itself, “could do to the baby? Let alone what would happen if the demons got their hands on your child?” Missy is rocked back on her heels by the torrent of fury that’s issuing from the wizard.  “Do you know how bad that would be for us? For the WORLD!? Do you have any idea what kind of power you wield you silly….”

                He’s broken from his tirade by Missy regaining her composure and yelling back, “How DARE you!” She stares down into his eyes, “I know better than most the effects of the Wound.  My child will be safe from whatever possible taint derives from that… abomination.”

                “If one thing, ONE THING went wrong or was off during the calculation or the casting, that baby could be irreparably harmed.  Could be tainted, twisted…” He continues

                “But it didn’t! The baby is safe! Protected and warded! My patrons have guaranteed the safety of my child!  So long as my link to them remains, it will be safe from the corruption of this place!” She’s now standing toe to toe and the two look ready to come to blows over the fact.

“This castle could fall at any moment, look at that army, LOOK!” The wizard bellows back, pointing at the shifting mass of bodies.  “Your capture and the loss of your patrons would cripple us! Set us back 100 years! AND THE WORLD DOESN’T HAVE THAT TIME!”  He waves his hand excitedly, “And Gods FORBID the loss of your line! Or the corruption of it!”

                “I CAN SEE IT!” She rages at him, “That army would be scattered before us! BEFORE YOU!” She pokes him in the chest, “What about you?! When we arrived you were ready to smash that army yourself! What would happen then!”

                “I WOULD NOT HAVE STRUCK! NOT UNTIL WE HAD FINISHED THE MEETING!” He bellows, specks of spittle flying out of his mouth.

                The woman pokes him in the chest again before a figure plays a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her.  “It’s time for the meeting.”

                Missy turns to the hand and nods stiffly, “Of course, Mo ghra.” She whirls away from the shorter man and stalks off to hide in the shadows. 

                Goldy lay a hand on the wizard and pulled him back from where he was standing, “Control yourself friend, it is time for us to speak.” The wizard rolls his shoulder and pulls his shoulder out from under the hand and whirls around to face the army.  Goldy turns towards the staring members, “You’ve all been called here by one or more of us.  You have all been asked to join our… Conspiracy of Light,” again with the extra emphasis.  “Each one of us is working to further the works of Good on this world, in our own way of course.”

               He pauses and ponders his next words carefully.  “We need to progress and grow, we need more strength, we need to be BETTER. Each of you must build your own part of an army, for us to call on when we need.  You must…”

               Wizard pipes up, “Screw that…” He steps into place beside the taller, naturally taking center stage. “Listen up ladies and gentlemen, We are losing.  The good guys are getting our asses kicked all over the world.  Each of us can see it, can feel it.” Assuming the mantle of leadership, he knows is rightfully his, “Evil has been wiping the floor with us for the last couple of millennia and one or two of you were around for a good part of that.” Several of the figures nod ever so slightly including the tall figure next to him and the wizard forges on, “Well guess what? I’m sick of it.  We have been building, quietly and carefully, to be able to throw back the darkness.  We’re closing in on the finish and now’s the time to push.”

              He takes a deep breath and lifts his hand, showing a gleaming ring of silver.  “Each of you will get a ring from me.  It will put you into contact with several people from this group.” He points to the ring, “Work with them, gather an army, smite evil.” He lowers his hand and continues to talk, “Don’t worry about getting caught or it getting stolen.  It’s got fail safes in it and if it’s taken off, it’ll crack and crumble.  That’ll alert the others and you will be presumed dead until you can be checked out.” 

              The Wizard sighs, “We had the meeting here so you can see what we’ll need to fight.  This is just a portion of the Abyss’ strength… a small portion.” He slumps slightly and his voice sounds like that of a tired old man, “That’s all.  Stay in contact.  Keep fighting.”

               He lazily waves his hand and a silver ring floats out to each of the attendees. Several receive theirs, they teleport away.  All alone now, except for Goldy, He moves back to the battlements and unleashes the energy stored in his body.  The sky above turns a roiling sheet of lightning and it begins to fall down like rain among the army below him.  The lightning blasts small craters into the Earth and wipes out whole ranks of the army. The wizard turns away from the battlements with the same smile a large cat would have after eating a filling meal as the army panics and breaks.

               Goldy watches this and shakes his head, “You should really think about getting yourself an apprentice.  It’ll calm you down some.” With that final comment, he teleports away leaving the Wizard to watch the destruction.

               

               Word Count: 2700-ish

Copyright 2013, Craig Van Collie

Let's try this again

Hello Everyone...

It's more like no one but I can't just yell to no one unless I want to sound like Polyphemus.

I'm trying this for a third time.  The third try on the Nerd Travails (NT) blog.... Not the least bit depressing, nope, not at all.

So here's how I'm going to try it this time:

I promise to write 1000 words of a story a day and to publish it here.  It may be from future parts of the story or it may be in chronological order.  I will give you an indication at the start of the section approximately where in the story this is and what's going on.  I will edit out any particular details that you guys shouldn't know yet and would ruin any later surprises.

You all get to come in and comment, edit, criticize and tell me I'm terrible (I really am so go nuts).  You also get to ask questions about the world I'm writing.  You can ask anything at all about the world, from the gods to the races to the economy to the magic.  You can even ask about eating habits of the characters or society as a whole.

From time to time, I will probably also write a short essay on something that's bothering me and I just need to get out of my head.   I can't get rid of the frustration, sadness, etc. the least I can do is make fun of them. If  you don't want to read it, then you can skip right over it because I will still be writing that 1000 words a day.

That's all for now.