Age of the Gods: The Complete, twelve novel, fantasy series (The Blood and Brotherhood Saga) (34 page)

Garret

Nearly an hour passed as healers mended those final victims of Garret’s vicious assaults that they were able, and with that hour all those who had come to The Choosing ceremony were divided into groups, a couple such having already been ushered off to their intended positions in service to the kingdom. For the most part, however, the majority of those who had come to the ceremony remained and returned to the courtyard in three separate groups. As far as Garret could tell the first contained those who had stayed to fight, but had fallen early on in the ensuing battle. These people were lined up and each questioned by a procession of high ranking officials of the court and the military, and then subdivided further into smaller units which were led away from the courtyard.

The second group appeared to consist of those that had lasted longer in the melee, showing more potential perhaps, and these were questioned more vigorously and also subdivided into smaller groups and ushered from the courtyard as well. Those who remained in the courtyard now, were those who had lasted the longest in the battle that had been used to test their abilities. Though still near a hundred and fifty strong, this group was the smallest of the three. Before long all those needing healing were mended, and Garret was happy to find his brother conscious once again, and surprised to find that Ashton remained in this group as well.

Seth

Seth had come in and out of consciousness several times as the healer worked to piece his various body parts back together. He had witnessed glimpses here and there of the happenings within the courtyard, though his understanding of those glimpses were tenuous at best. As he woke for the final time he was happy to find Garret, Sara and Ashton all gathered around him, each of them smiling down upon him as he struggled to sit. The aged healer proclaiming his work done, Seth was helped to his feet by Garret and hugged by Sara who clung to him as if he had just arisen from the dead. After a few moments, Seth’s companions filled him in on the events of the last hour or so. Seth was impressed to find that thus far he had managed to stay with both his brother and Sara, the only thing he really hoped to do at this point. However, he also knew that the ceremony was not over yet.

Seth

The day had seemed an eternity, and now that evening approached, all who had witnessed its events felt the after-effects of their earlier actions. They also knew, only too well, that this day was nowhere near over. After another quarter of an hour, those remaining in the courtyard were instructed to form a line. As before, Seth, his brother and their companions found themselves near the center of it. Looking up and down the line Seth was appalled at the condition of all those that remained. Every single face was smeared with blood and every single person's leather armor was drenched in both blood and sweat, which was now beginning to dry and lending the air an unpleasant scent. Everyone remaining looked on the brink of passing out due to exhaustion, each of them looking well worn beyond their years. This Seth thought as a procession emerged from the canopy at the end of the courtyard.

The first and foremost of those in the procession was a large man wearing the polished armor of a Knight of Valdadore. Beside him walked another armored man, though this man’s armor had a different crest upon it. Behind them came a woman in a white robe with golden-blonde hair falling down her back and shoulders. With the woman were two men who also wore robes. The first was in a deep red color, his face obscured by a cowl. The second man wore a gray robe the color of ash, his face likewise obscured. Behind these three, another man walked a short distance behind. He wore green leggings, the color of springtime grass, and a tunic of the same hue. His were graceful movements, his strides long and elegant as if he weighed nothing at all. Behind the man in green eight more people followed. These were dressed in normal if not luxurious clothing and none of them stood out in the small crowd except for one man who carried with him a large tome in one hand, its pages open, and in his other hand he held a quill ready to write with.

Nearing the first person in the line, the people in the procession shifted their positions. The majority of the group held back a short distance. Only the knight, the woman in white and the two men in robes of red and gray actually approached those waiting to be chosen. The other armored man fell back to join the rest too. This was how the group’s members remained as they made their progress from person to person, working their way ever slowly down the line. After talking to one of those waiting to be chosen, they would send that person over to the man with the tome. He would then inscribe something quickly in his book before sending the young person over to stand in the middle of the large, open courtyard. As the procession continued to work its way down the line, those who had already been chosen began to form small groups at various locations according to their different roles.

Garret

Garret watched the progress with a mix of interest and anxiety as one peculiar person caught his interest. The procession had stopped at a short man for a particularly long time and appeared to be discussing something with him. That was not what had gained Garret’s attention, as it had already happened several times. What had grabbed Garret’s notice was when the three in robes had fallen back a step to allow the knight to speak to the small man alone. This had not previously occurred. The knight conversed with the man and, apparently having come to a decision, they shook hands and the short man left his place in line to speak to the man holding the tome. Having taken the man’s details, the apparent record keeper pointed him in the direction of the companions. As the man approached, all four watched him come to stand alone, apparently forming a new group for which no one else had been chosen. That, however, was not what was most remarkable.

As he walked towards them, Garret was better able to discern his features. He appeared much older than he and his companions were for he already had a thick beard braided down his chest and long hair cropped at his shoulders. His eyes were deep set and he was squinting as if the dim evening sun hurt them. He had a large, bulbous nose that compromised the majority of his wide, rounded face. And as it turned out, he was not a short man as he had presumed. He was indeed of low stature with thick muscled limbs, but his torso looked entirely too large above his squat legs and his arms were a little longer than they should have been. The problem with Garret’s early classification of him was that he was not short. In fact, he was quite tall, for a dwarf. Though Garret had ever actually seen a dwarf before, he had heard descriptions or seen paintings of them. Dwarves rarely if ever ventured out of their cavernous mountain homes, however, and so it was that he had expected to see one at The Choosing ceremony. Yet here one stood. Though to the humans around him, he appeared substantially older, by his longer lived race’s standards he had just come to adulthood. He appeared to be tall enough that his head would nearly reach Garret’s chest, though he had much more muscle mass than Garret, and Garret was relatively big for human standards. Garret noticed as all of his companions examined the dwarf independently, each deciding in due time that it was rude to stare and each on their own eventually turning their gazes back to the procession that grew ever nearer.

Seth

The procession had made quick progress while the friends had been inspecting the dwarf, and now there were only about a dozen or so people remaining between the procession and Ashton, the first of them to be chosen. They could now hear the conversations going on so each of the four companions watched and listened to prepare themselves for what they too would soon face.

Seth tried in vain to remain hopeful. After the battle today he would likely be chosen for something he did not want. He knew it was possible that he and Garret would both be chosen for the army in some capacity. This eased his fear of being separated from his brother, something he had never in his whole life fathomed possible. However, if he was indeed chosen for the army it was likely Sara would be chosen for something so different that they would be forced to flee the kingdom in hopes of starting a life somewhere outside the realm where they wouldn't be branded as traitors. Seth damned his luck as the procession grew ever nearer.

Seth watched as another boy was sent to join the largest group in the courtyard which he now knew to be those joining the regular soldiers of Valdadore’s armies. He too was paying attention when a young girl, picked to be a servant in the castle proper, was sent to join a group near that of the soldiers. As those that stood between Ashton and the procession dwindled, he was able to establish the purpose of nearly every group of those who had already been chosen. So it was with much anxiety, Seth watched as Ashton stood before the knight and his three robed companions when his turn to be chosen arrived.

Ashton

The three men and the woman formed a tight semicircle in front of Ashton. None of them spoke for a moment, each scrutinizing him independently. The man in the gray robes was the first to speak.

“He has the gift,” the man stated coolly in an even tone.

“I can confirm it,” stated the blonde woman in white as the man in red nodded his agreement.

“Do you have any talents or have you sworn yourself to a god?” This time it was the knight who spoke, his voice deep and commanding.

“Yes M’lord, I follow the path of Lorentia as a healer. I follow in the footsteps of my mother and my brother before me,” Ashton replied smoothly, having rehearsed the lines in his head.

The blonde woman inched nearer and smiled to Ashton before speaking again.

“What is your name then, young healer, and if you have already performed healing miracles tell us now of the worst wound you have healed.”

“My name is Ashton Rayne.” He paused briefly to take a breath. As he did so, the knight's head rose slightly in realization and he looked once again at Ashton with a look of knowing on his face. Then, as if seeking something he already knew to be there, the knight turned to look at the next person in line. Registering Garret’s face, the knight smiled.

“My most recent healings and the most complicated I have ever performed happened on the road here to Valdadore,” Ashton continued not noticing the change in the knight, his eyes focused on the woman in white. “My friends and I were attacked in the night by a goblin. One of my companions sustained a mortal wound to both his heart and lung. Healing him took me two attempts. With the first attempt I was able to repair his heart and lung before I was too drained to continue and, unsure of my limitations, I lost consciousness. Later when I regained some strength I managed to close the wound and free him of infection.” Ashton related the story deciding to leave out any detail that did not pertain to the question.

“Is there anyone here who can confirm that you performed this miracle?” the woman asked intrigued.

“Yes m’lady. My companions stand beside me now and if their word is not enough then I could point you to Sasha the proprietor of The King’s Herald. She too has witnessed a brief display,” Ashton answered and watched as all three of the robed figures turned to stare at the knight beside them who stood smiling broadly at their questioning looks.

“What?” Sirus asked his companions rhetorically. “I did not want to ruin your surprise. Indeed I knew of his ability, though I did not know his face, and I too can verify his tale. It was he and his companions that killed the goblin that I myself tracked to the north.”

“Indeed then, young healer, I should like to welcome you to the ranks of the clerics of Valdadore,” the blonde woman said smiling. “My name is Karishtala, the head of the white robes here in the city, and I will be instructing you and your peers in the days to come. Please go see Heath with the ledger and give him your information and he will point you to your new peers.”

Ashton couldn’t move fast enough. He had been nervous, but now that it was over he was filled with a sense of relief. He hoped he would see his friends regularly after the ceremony was over.

Garret

Sirus, Karishtala and the two other robed men stepped aside to let Ashton pass before coming to stand before Garret, who still had a smile on his face. Meeting Sirus’ eyes, Garret reached out to shake hands with the knight, much to the amazement of those who accompanied him.

“Garret the hunter,” Sirus stated, his steel eyes alight. “I am impressed with your actions today, goblin slayer and the champion of the king’s test. You do not cease to amaze me. I am glad you are here, though I heard of your arrival to the city, and am happy to see you have come unscathed. However, this is a formal occasion and so I shall ask you the questions I am required. Do you have any skills and do you worship a god?”

“Yes sire,” Garret replied happily. “I possess the gift to control magic, and I have just recently begun visiting the temple of Gorandor here in Valdadore. I plan to swear myself to him, sire.” Garret hoped to improve his chances of joining the knights.

“Is that so?” Sirus asked, turning to his robed companions for verification of Garret’s magical ability.

“He is strongly gifted, Sirus. Perhaps he would be better suited wearing a robe than armor,” the man in the red robe stated coldly.

“Trying to swell your ranks are you, Vladmere? You have already chosen seven to my one. Let’s allow Garret to decide his future and loyalties, shall we?” Sirus stated, more as an order than a request, and he watched them as they nodded their agreement. “So what of you, Garret? Would you like to continue your path and join the Knights of Valdadore, or would you choose another path to become a powerful mage fighting your battles from afar?” Sirus already knew Garret’s answer, having gleaned the information from his wife.

“I should like to join the Knights of Valdadore if they would have me, Lord Sirus,” Garret replied, trying his best to sound noble.

“We should indeed be happy to embrace you, young master Garret. Now, if you will see Heath and then go stand with Zorbin Ironfist the dwarf there, I will see you again shortly.”

Garret nodded with a smile and strode happily to meet with Heath, glancing over his shoulder briefly to his brother. He knew Seth didn’t want to join the army, but that didn’t make him want Seth to join with him any less.