That did cheer little Jarmin up. Several minutes later, he was sitting on the lap of his new friend and looking at the biggest map he had ever seen. It even included some territories that most other maps just ignored: Faizul lands, for example.
The other boys, Juel and Irin excluded, crowded around the map as well, pointing at various cities they had visited with their masters and sharing their stories. Balas and Oasiss stories were the best.
Bala had even visited Kuldagan once. When he was telling about it, everyone listened to him with bated breath; in Balas stories, Kuldagan Desert seemed a wonderful alien world full of wonders.
Oasis adventures in Lumenik Hive made everyone laugh. Like any good storyteller, he knew which words to choose when he saw the audience. He could have easily told the boys very truthful horror stories from his past life if they were in the mood for that kind of entertainment. But for now, he just wanted to cheer everyone up. And he did. Even Kosta and Milian snapped out of their gloomy mood and looked genuinely interested.
When Oasis stepped out of the spotlight, it was their turn to shine. Two wide intersecting circles going through all the map prompted a question about Horas, the magical stabilizers, and there Kosta and Milian, the bookish boys, were the experts.
Excited, Milian even took a dried up diadem fruit out of his pocket and slashed it with his pen-knife to illustrate his story better.
Imagine that this dry tail here is Hora Solaris and this bump on the side is Hora Lunaris and there is a stabilizing field around each of them. If you leave just one Hora in the world, its influence will cover all the planet Milian was explaining, his eyes full of lively interest.
Itll detonate, said Kosta sceptically and rested his head on his hand, thoughtful. I read that someone had tried that in the past. Things went boom.
I know! I was getting to it! Milian waved the argument aside. So hypothetically! if we leave just one Hora, its influence will cover the whole planet. But if we add another, the tension between them will create a nice belt of a border dividing the planet into two magically stable halves. Intersecting circles don't show that! That said, he drew a perfectly straight border between the tail and the bump. A crunch followed; two sugary halves of the fruit fell to the floor.
The canonic way to draw the border has its practical use, Pai Prior, the only practising mage among the ten, joined the discussion. The strength of a Hora grows weaker as we move away from it. On the opposite side of the planet, it must be so weak that it fails to stabilize magic at all. And there, between the Horas, their influences conflict with each other, creating anomalies. Its always good to know where your spells may randomly start exploding.
Bravo, colleagues! Orion snapped his fingers. You are both right! Let us proceed!
Scientific lingo mixed with ordinary clowning around did the trick, making everyone involved in the discussion laugh.
Juel and Irin didnt join in the fun. They sat on the opposite side of the long table and talked about Faizul battle tactics. Orion wanted to comment on the topic by describing said tactics as Smash them with da ax!!! but restrained himself. It was neither the time nor the place to add fuel to the fire.
The library had a tall, arched ceiling made from a single dark crystal, black on the inside and transparent on the outside. A balcony going around the crystalline structure offered a great view on the hall below that looked like a deep, sunlit well to the observers. Thanks to the wonderful acoustics of the place, the observers could perfectly hear everything that happened in the library.
Not a single word escaped the ears of ten Kangassks and their father standing on the balcony. They heard Juels cruel joke and Jarmins crying; Milians emotional lecture and Pais arguments; all the anger, all the laughter, everything.
Everyone had learned something while watching their own and their siblings apprentices that day. Sainar learned even more for he was keeping track of his childrens reactions as well. He saw Abadar frown at Juels actions and Lar grin at Orions. He saw Eugenia clench her fists when her Jarmin started to cry.
Father! Eugenia turned to him when she could no longer keep silent. You cant be serious about sending him on a mission! Jarmin is only six! I beg you: wait for a few years or at least dont send him with the others!
My daughter, said Sainar in a soft but relentless tone and stroked her hair like a little childs, everyone is equal in the eyes of destiny. Often, its the smallest and the weakest one that gets chosen. Also, dont you see: he has his own protectors now!
That was when Jarmin was crying while hiding his face in Orions sleeve.
Chapter 2. The liars speech
Warriors on the Lifekeeper path are confident and level-headed. They know the difference between love and lust, learning and mindless parroting, truth and lie, loyalty and fanaticism. Warriors of the Order of Hot Obsidian build their lives upon the same foundation. The Order is no place for mindless fanatics!
Sainarnemershghan Saidonatgarlyn. Neophytes handbook.
Sainar made his speech right before dawn in a large, dimly lit hall. They must concentrate on my voice. Yes, my voice, and not on my face
Preparing the speech took Sainar a long time. Never before had the man whose words were strong enough to make a worldholder angry had to prepare his speeches beforehand. Whether he spoke as Hansai Donal or in his own name, he always spoke from his heart. Sainars words had always been a pure fire: passionate, straightforward, honest, and enhanced with his ambasiath power. But now
The simple test he had made yesterday changed everything. Watching his children react to the simple events down in the library; having his daughter Kangassk Eugenia openly confront him made Sainar reconsider everything.
He raised his children to hate the worldholders and their reign, he taught the Kangassks to trust the Orders judgement. And faithful followers they all turned out to be, indeed! So what was troubling the great leader now? Just one little thing, so simple but immensely dangerous. The thing he had realized yesterday
They love their apprentices.
What was wrong with it? The thing is, according to Gerdons plan, nine of the ten boys were to be sacrificed to the Hot Obsidian, there was no way around that. But what would happen now if Sainar had honestly told the Kangassks about that? How would they react? Oh, he already knew how!
Sainar may be their beloved father and their fearless leader but eight out of ten Kangassks would turn against him the moment they heard of the purpose their apprentices had been raised for. And whose fault is that? His own. Hadnt he lectured them about honesty and truth, hadnt he raised them all as Lifekeepers, hadnt he been an example of everything he taught? Oh, their sense of justice was firm and true all right! And it would flare up as fast as dry grass does when it meets a fiery spark.
Even quiet and gentle Kangassk Eugenia and that silly buffoon Kangassk Majesta would rise against their father. Only the eldest two Abadar and Orlaya would remain loyal. And why? Oh, the irony! Because they are the only fanatics of the whole lot. Those two were raised by Gerdon while Sainar was travelling across the world, busy with spreading his rebellious teachings.
Sainarnemershghan hated fanaticism and lies, the two things that perverted all the noble doings and dreams of humanity, but now, now he had no other choice but to use them himself. It was either that or throwing three thousand years of the Orders existence out of the window.
In the dark hour before the dawn, in the dimly lit hall, Sainar was telling lies to his own children, for the first time in his life. Later, he had a private conversation with Orlaya and Abadar in his study. He was right about Gerdons apprentices: they remained loyal to the cause and were willing to send the boys to certain death. Each of the two saw their own apprentice winning the Hot Obsidians favour and being the change the world so desperately needed.
Just like only two masters of the ten knew the truth about the incoming mission, only two apprentices were let in on the secret.
You will lead your unit through safe lands where the biggest danger you may encounter is a bandit gang, explained Kangassk Abadar to Juel. All the mages, Grey or Crimson, will wish you good luck when they see you and even risk their lives for you in case of danger. Upon seeing your swords, every ambasiath will share their food and shelter with you. But as soon as
But as soon as one of you takes hold of the Hot Obsidian, explained Kangassk Orlaya to Irin, all the world will turn against you. Every mage will meet you with a sword and a lightning spell. You will have to avoid people and walk through the wildest lands. Believe me, the creatures that live there will seem much easier to deal with than two furious armies of South and North combined. And remember
Remember, Abadar warned Juel, that the Order was working for three thousand years to make it happen. There is no way back now. One of you must carry the Red Eye out of the No Mans Land even if all the rest of you die. I hope you will be the last one standing, Juel. Bring the stone to the Benai Bay on the shore of Karmasan Sea. They will wait for you there
The ones that wear grey and silver, Orlaya whispered to her apprentice. From them, you will learn what to do next and which path leads to the destruction of the worldholders. Its most likely that Juel will take the Red Eye at first. Dont fight him. Let him carry your burden while he can. The stone has a mind of its own, it will measure you all up and decide who deserves it the most. Be patient, Irin, and it will eventually come to you. Stay safe, my boy. You alone are important. Everyone else is expendable. Be strong. Be patient. Be the one that carries the Hot Obsidian to the Benai Bay!
The ten left the Temple of Life at noon. Many Lifekeepers, young and old, gathered to wish them good luck. They knew little of the boys mission; to them, it was some simple quest they had been given to prove their worth and learn a thing or two along the way, so the general mood was lighthearted and cheerful. Eight boys of the ten were all smiles; only Juel and Irin remained grim.
The masters took their time to have a chat with their apprentices before seeing them off. Kangassk Eugenia was buttoning Jarmins jacket so he would stay warm and telling him to be good and to do as the older boys say. Kangassk Majesta tried to give Bala some books and scrolls and kept dropping and anxiously picking them up. Orion and Kangassk Lar shared jokes, laughed, and patted each other on the shoulders, just like two brothers would Every Kangassk had something to say at the last minute and Sainar couldnt bring himself to hurry them up. His children, the ones he had lied to, looked so happy that it broke his heart.
The magnitude of his sacrifice reached Sainarnemershghan only now: to keep the Orders mission alive, he had betrayed everything he stood for, everything he believed in, everyone he loved. He knew he would never forgive himself.
Chapter 3. Rain and stories
All that I dream of
Is there, in the endless sky,
There, where the sun shines.
All that I hold dear
Is there, in the endless sea,
There, where the moon drowns.
All of my sorrow
Is here, on the joyous earth,
Where I have no place.
Ziga-Ziga. Haiku of the nameless continent
Firaska is a small but ancient city. The city every Saidonatgarlyn had a special connection to. The city that was there during Erhabens Golden Age and after Erhabens fall. The city where Malconemershghan was born.
To Juels little team, it was just the first step on their long journey. The boys were supposed to shop for supplies there and buy themselves a Transvolo to Torgor. Lainuver, having counted their money twice, concluded that such a laughable sum would never interest a mage powerful enough to know the Transvolo spell. Orion was more optimistic about the matter. They were young Lifekeepers on a quest; a bunch of cute kids to most people, a reminder of some special Lifekeeper-related story to the rest. It was unlikely that anyone, even a powerful mage, would charge them much for a spell. With enough luck on their side, they could even get a Transvolo for free!
The road to Firaska was wide and well-tended to, so walking it was pure joy. The boys, quiet at first, started talking to each other. Careful words soon turned into a lively chatter, with jokes and puns and bursts of laughter.
When someone asked about Firaskas origins, Oasis answered him with a story. Three thousand years ago, Firaska was a tiny settlement on the edge of the nastiest part of the No Mans Land, the part where the darkest, vilest creatures lived. The first Firaskians must have been exceptionally brave people to live there. What were they fighting for, why didnt they settle on a safer spot? Freedom. That was the answer. The dangerous place they chose for their city was their ticket to independence from both South and North allowing them to stay within the territory of stable magic at the same time.
Hard times create strong people, the proverb says. True. Malconemershghan was one of them.
He left Firaska when Sereg the Grey Inquisitor took him as an apprentice but he kept the Firaskian spirit in his heart. If the Grey Inquisitor hadnt killed him and destroyed his followers, the whole North would have been as free now as the old Firaska was. Was. Because Firaska became an ordinary Southern city and lost its freedom forever.
Whos been in the North? Orion asked, looking around.
For a while, the boys were silent, then Kosta Ollardian spoke up in a quiet, quivering, wheezy voice, the kind of voice someone with a chronic illness might have.
Ive been in the North once, he said. Its crazy cold there. I was ill for the whole journey. My father says that the North is a bad place. He hated it when grandfather sent him there.
My master says theres, Jarmin took a deep breath, CEN-SOR-SHIP! he said in a loud whisper. Whats censorship, Orion? Is it an evil ghost ship?
Someone snorted, stifling his laughter, behind Orions back. Orion kept his cool.
No, Jarmin, it just means that there are some things you are not allowed to say and write in that country, he explained. I dont think their censorship is that bad, though. Ive been in the North several times and they definitely have way fewer shitty books in their bookstores. Maybe the South needs a little bit of censorship too.
Well, our dear Sainar would strongly disagree with you, Im afraid, said Lainuver with a sly smile.
The weather was warm, the company was merry, and the road was easy, but even with all things perfect, you cant walk from Magrove forest to Firaska in a single day. By the evening, the boys had to camp.
Judging by the clouds gathering in the sky, it was going to rain, so they had to find a proper shelter if they wanted to stay warm and dry that night. But where could they find one in the smooth grassland between the Lifekeepers holy place and the nearest city? There were trees, of course a thin diadem here and there but they were no help.