Authors: Laszlo,Jeremy
“I was going to wait until tomorrow to tell you this, as I won’t be entirely sure of the details until after tonight’s meeting. As the kingdom once again faces war with the lands to the south, I am afraid, Seth, that your training will probably be accelerated to a pace that would usually be intolerable to the both of us. It is out of necessity and so we will skip whatever portions of the normal training regimen that I feel are not of immediate need or significance. The priority is to get you well versed in the lore of Saranadia as well as of the other gods, and then we have to hope that you receive a blessing. Then the real training will begin,” Jud said as the plain lady again poked her head through the doorway.
“Are you ready for some food, Jud?” she asked in a hushed tone.
“Indeed Fera, we are quite ready to eat, I think. We have some guests, at least for the time being, so prepare for some larger meals,” Jud replied.
“Consider it done, Jud. I will be right out with your food,” Fera said and vanished once again.
Moments later Fera returned carrying with her a single large platter. She was not much older than Seth and Sara with olive skin and straight brown hair that fell just past her shoulders. Her eyes too were a deep brown. She was a little taller than Sara, and a slightly heavier build, though she was not overweight. Fera was an average looking woman with no immediately visible traits that would make her stand out in a crowd. The platter she carried held three small loaves of bread and three steaming bowls as well as three tall mugs. The bowls were filled nearly to the brim with a thick beef and vegetable soup that turned out to be the source of the scents wafting through the air. The mugs were filled with cool cider, a perfect complement to the hot soup. As they received their food, both Seth and Sara thanked Fera for the meal, and Jud smiled to the woman who then quickly retreated back the way she had come.
The three sat in the dining hall in near silence enjoying the meal while it remained hot. They all finished rather quickly, and Jud asked them to retrieve their belongings. He took them back out of the room, leaving their emptied dishes to sit on the table. Leading them back down the hall the way they had come earlier, Jud passed the intersection with the main hallway, and continued straight down what would be the left fork, past several doorways. He continued to lead them to the very end of that particular hallway, all the while torches ignited just ahead of them and extinguished as soon as they passed.
At the end of the hall a large open archway revealed a huge library filled wall to wall with wooden shelves that were covered in entirety with books and scrolls. In the center of the room sat a solitary, massive round table surrounded by high-backed upholstered chairs all stained dark and polished to a glossy shine. Above the table, like in the dining hall, hung a giant chandelier, only this one contained at least double the number of candles. The room burst into light as they entered, revealing thousands of different colors contained upon the spines of the many books housed upon its shelves.
Leaving Seth and Sara at the door, Jud quickly rounded the table and began pulling tomes from the shelves. Some he would hold in his hand and ponder a moment before replacing them from where he had retrieved them, others he would place on the table behind him. Before long Jud had amassed a pile of books and scrolls that he appeared to be satisfied with. Collecting the pile of literature into his arms, and asking the couple to follow, he led them out of the room. Seth followed the man with Sara at his side, back down the hall to the intersection and then down the main hallway back the way they had originally come. He led them to the stair where they climbed up to the next level of the tower. Once he reached the landing, he again stopped and turned to face the pair.
“The tower is of simple design. The layout of each floor is identical. However, the rooms on each floor have varying purposes. Upon this floor we have two lounges as well as two large studies. The rest of the rooms are private quarters of which all are empty save my own. You may choose any room you wish. My room is at the far end of the main hall here on the left-hand side. Any room besides that one is for either of you to choose. The only difference you will notice here is that each room, besides the four common rooms, has a door. So, let’s go see where you will be living, shall we?” Jud asked, a look of indifference on his mangled face.
Seth and Sara nodded their agreement, and began to move down the hall. Thinking immediately of how to choose his room, Seth realized that there were many things to consider. If he needed to sneak out for any reason, he needed a room far from that of Judilanthaliz. He would also want a room where the torches were not set too near the door so he could enter and exit without a brightly lit announcement. This in mind, Seth waited for Jud to begin walking down the hallway, but Judilanthaliz instead motioned for them to lead. Seth took the first steps, and Sara quickly fell in step beside him.
As they approached the hallway, Seth scanned ahead of him for a room that fit his criteria. It was a short task, as the very first room was a perfect match. Its door was the nearest to the stairs, and being right at the end of the hall, there were no torches for some distance down the darkened corridor. Not wanting to give himself away, Seth stopped at the door to the first room and turned to address the man who would now be his mentor.
“This should do as well as any, I should think. I’m not picky and I assume they are all much the same, are they not?” Seth asked attempting to look indifferent.
The ruse must have worked as Jud simply nodded with a grin and followed Seth and Sara into the room. The room was empty save for a bed, a desk with a chair, and a bedside stand. The back wall of the room had a slight curve to it being it was the exterior wall to the tower, and placed in the middle of the curved wall was a tall, narrow window that was centered above the small bed below it. The window would provide plenty of light during daylight hours as they were well higher than the castle walls and also the city walls. The only other source for light in the room consisted of two candles, one upon the desk, and the other on the bedside stand. Neither of the candles burst into flame as they entered leading Seth to believe they were your standard, non-enchanted type. Jud walked to the small desk and placed the pile of books and scrolls upon it. Turning to be sure Seth was paying attention, Jud waved his hand over the candle upon the desk. As his palm passed over its wick, like every other candle they had seen so far, this one also burst into light.
“The candles in the rooms are somewhat different than those in other parts of the building. Simply pass your hand over them and they respond, either lighting or extinguishing, whatever the case may be,” Jud explained. “Now, let’s give you a chance to get settled in and perhaps even start your reading. Let us go, Sara, and find you some accommodations before I leave for my meeting, shall we?” Jud asked as he turned towards the door.
“Anything will suit me fine, Jud. If the room across the hall is empty, that will do nicely,” Sara replied following the man through the doorway.
“Indeed it is vacant. Make yourself at home, Sara. Tomorrow you will start your duties so rest well as a fresh mind learns more rapidly,” Jud responded, opening the door to Sara’s new room for her.
Sara entered what would now be her room to find that it was identical to Seth’s. It was as if the hall were a mirror and one room a reflection of the other. Jud remained in the hall, his new guests settling in their rooms to either side of him. Sara could see the look of hope on his features, but knew it unlikely that they would be here long. She hated that they would likely abandon the man just as soon as he was gone. He seemed plenty nice and sincere, but Sara knew well that Seth had no trust in the gods.
“If neither of you requires anything further for the night then I will be on my way,” Jud stated. “I shall call upon you both in the morning. I have a feeling it will be a busy day.”
“Thank you for your hospitality, Jud,” Seth said. “I can think of nothing else I could possibly need.” Seth met Sara’s eyes with his own.
“Yes thank you, Jud,” Sara added.
“It is my pleasure. After all, this is now your home, so if you are not yet tired feel free to explore. Many interesting things lie behind the doors of this tower. Just please for now remain on our floors as I do not wish to disturb those below us. I should be going. Goodnight to you both.” Jud turned on his heel and headed back towards the stairs.
Sara watched him go feeling slightly saddened, but she knew the feeling wouldn’t last. As soon as the man’s head dipped below the floor, Sara flung herself across the hall, throwing her arms tightly around Seth’s neck. She kissed him so hard it very nearly hurt. Wrapping his arms around her waist, Seth lifted her off her feet and held her body to his. Sara, after many long minutes, allowed Seth to breathe once again, and relaxing their grips slightly they stared into one another’s eyes. Seth’s face was that of a statue. His skin remained relaxed and smooth even on his forehead. His mouth neither smiled nor frowned. Only his eyes betrayed the fact that uncertainty plagued his thoughts, and Sara noted the turmoil immediately upon looking at him.
“My love, what is the matter?” Sara asked.
“I don’t know what we should do,” Seth stated, his expression now of what appeared to be panic.
“What do you mean? Everything worked out well. We are together. You’re not in the army, and even though I am going to be an errand girl, I think that we will see each other all the time,” Sara summarized, trying to soothe Seth’s worries.
“I know,” Seth said. “It is almost perfect. Really, it is more than we could have hoped for, except for one thing.”
“What is it, Seth?” Sara asked.
“If Judilanthaliz is right, then those with the gift only have it because a god has chosen to give it to them before they are even born. Remember, he said that those with the gift don’t really have any options. The only way they will be blessed is if they swear their soul to the same god who has given them the gift. That means I will never receive a blessing from Saranadia, as Ishanya has made it quite clear who gave me the gift of magic. I really don’t think Ishanya’s plans for me include me being a shield for someone else. That being said, how long do you think I can keep up the charade of trying to be a gray robe knowing full well that I am a fraud? How long until Jud decides that I am not going to become a gray robe and sends me to train elsewhere when you have to stay here with him?” Seth finished, his turmoil now boiling over and plainly visible upon his face.
Sara did not reply, instead she remained in Seth’s embrace, their faces only inches away from one another. She pondered his words, mulling them over in her mind. She hadn’t thought that far ahead. She had thought everything was going well, but Seth had seen the truth. They had to do something.
“I only see two options, love,” Sara stated in her small angelic voice.
“What do you think we should do?” Seth asked.
“Our first option is to stay. You learn what you can from Jud and use what spare time you have, if any, to research Ishanya, or plan your next encounter with her. When Jud realizes you are not going to become a shield, then we run away, as we had planned in the beginning. Option two is run now. We can probably hide out for a while in the temple devoted to Ishanya. I am sure Borrik would see to it that we got supplies and anything else we would need. He seems quite devoted to being your slave.” Sara added the last sentence with a grin.
“So we run now or we run later,” Seth said unenthusiastically. “Well, there might be a third option. Ishanya said to call to her when I have need. Perhaps I can strike a deal with her and find a way to at least pretend to be a shield.” He added.
“I doubt you really want to strike up a deal with a goddess,” Sara declared. “Perhaps if we stay a while we will find another option that isn’t available to us at this time?” Sara tried to sound hopeful.
“I hope you are right. I guess that at least for now we will stay. We must keep the fact that we are a couple a secret. I think you being Jud’s messenger might work out as an advantage to us. You will learn to find your way around and hear and see things that might give us another option before we run out of time. Keep your ears and eyes open. Learn everything you can about everyone you can. Also, as soon as Jud lets you leave the tower or sends you to run an errand you must visit Borrik at the temple. Tell him where he can locate us if the need arises. Also, tell him we may have to leave the city at a moment’s notice and to prepare the three of us for travel.” Seth spoke the words as he thought them.
Seth was creating a plan in his mind to flee the city when the time came. He would play the cards he was dealt until his hand was revealed. When that moment arose, if he had no other options, then they would run.
“I will do as you say,” Sara stated. “But I hope it doesn’t come to that. I hope before Jud loses hope for you that we will have found something that doesn’t make us deserters and fugitives.” Sara added.
“I know, angel, I hope the same,” Seth said and pulled her tightly to himself once again.
“So what do we do now?” Sara asked.
“Exactly what Jud said, I suppose. Do you feel like helping me do some reading again?” Seth asked her already knowing the answer.
“Of course,” Sara said with a smile while pulling herself out of his embrace. “We should have quite a lot of time if Jud expects to be out until early morning. I think if we work the scrolls and tomes like we did the last time, we can probably get a good portion of the smaller ones done tonight.” Sara added sounding delighted at the idea.
Seth and Sara seated themselves on the floor of Seth’s new room and began to sort the scrolls and books into piles as they had done only a few days before. The room smelled musty from disuse, however it was obviously recently cleaned. Working quickly and meticulously they started with the scrolls, and having them finished in short order, moved on to the smaller of the books. They read late into the night, sharing between books what information they had gleaned from the writings. When both of them struggled to keep their eyes open, they decided to take a break and get some sleep.
As they rose to their feet, Sara stepped into Seth’s open arms. They stood for many moments, locked in one another’s embrace, before Sara finally released Seth and turned to leave the room. She strode across the hall swaying her hips. Pausing at her door she turned and smiled back at the man she loved. He knew she did it on purpose. he wasn’t a fool. Nor was he dead, so of course he watched.
Blushing slightly having been caught looking at her backside, he wished Sara a good night and watched as she entered her room, closing the door behind her. Seth waited until he heard her door lock, and then closed and locked his as well. He quickly undressed, and passing his hand over the enchanted candle beside his bed, was blanketed in welcome darkness. Nearly before his head hit the pillow he was fast asleep, the troubles of the world temporarily lost from his mind.