Yes, said Ronard simply.
All right, Im in, gave up Mariana.
Good. Einar exhaled, relieved. Ill speak to the boys.
Einar had thought that convincing his fellow magisters would be the hardest part. He was wrong. Never before, in his whole life, had he been worrying and fretting so much as he was when walking the long, empty central corridor of the college, full of dying Lihts and echoes, on his way to speak to the Lifekeeper boys
***
Everything had been packed a long time ago, everyone was ready to depart. The team sat on the carpetless floor of their dark flat, waiting for Pai and Milian to return. Time dragged, as slow and lazy as dripping tar. The boys ran out of jokes, stories, and ideas and were just silent now, each one brooding over his own thoughts and fears.
The evening light was playing weird tricks with Jarmins paintings behind the balcony door, flooding the alien world there with red and purple. More than ever, the little flat felt like home now. Everything there was a fresh memory: Balas kitchen niche, the long dining table, the bunk beds the fat spider in the corner (she was a pet and had a name now!) the potted succulent on the windowsill, the stain on the floor
The tar of time dripping lazily. Slanting, reddish rays of the dawn filled with dancing dust. Silence Some boys dozed off right where they sat. Juel envied them. He was all nerves. His face was a stone mask but his mind was a screaming, fiery hell. No wonder that he jumped on his feet as soon as he heard faint footsteps behind the door. The rest of the team, yawning and muttering something under their breath, got up too.
Milian and Pai entered the room and apologised for being late. Both looked like they have been through something. Something important. Milian looked gloomy, Pai was all smiles, so, clearly, the event had hit each of the boys differently.
I packed your bags! announced Bala happily. Youre all set!
Lets go, yawned Oasis. My legs went numb while I was waiting for you two.
Same! Jarmin piped up.
Pai sighed. The smile died on his face, replaced by a painful, worried expression.
Ill send you to Torgor on Transvolo, he said, frowning. But Im not going with you. Im staying here.
Silence followed. Everyone was looking at Pai Prior now. There was pure hatred in Irins gaze, helpless disbelief in Balas, compassionate understanding in Orions One way or another, everyone was waiting for an explanation.
Explain yourself, Pai, said Juel in a cold, intimidating tone that made the young mage recoil in terror.
Magister Sharlou offered us a place in his college, Milian answered in Pais stead. He had to crane his head to look the tall Faizul in the eye. Juel towered about him like a mountain, a furious, ready-to-explode mountain He said that we wont even have to pass the exams.
And? demanded Juel. He was looking at Pai now.
Pai, as red as a boiled lobster, was shaking under Juels gaze, unable to utter a single word.
I refused, Milian spoke up again. Magic is not my thing.
And I agreed squeaked Pai miserably.
Youre coming with us, Juel cut his pathetic explanation short.
There was nothing more to talk about. The brats rebellion was quenched. Good
Juel was about to turn his back to Pai and tell the others to prepare for the jump when he heard a yell,
No!!! Im staying here! I want to be a mage!!! You wont stop me! Pai was hysterical now.
I will stop you then, sneered Irin at that. Go on, try to run away. I swear Ill find you wherever you go and kill you in the most painful way possible. My arrows will reach you before you even get a chance to learn your first battle spell!
Irin! Bala tried to calm everyone down, as usual, but no one had even noticed him now.
Yeah, Id love to kill a deserter, continued Irin, a dark, carnivorous glee in his voice. Go on, Pai, renounce your vows and run. Your Transvolo can buy you a couple of days but Ill find you, oh I will
Whats wrong with you, people!!! exclaimed Milian, rushing forward. Leave him alone! Hes been dreaming of magic his whole life! Magic IS his whole life! I
Juel reached Milian in one wide step, grabbed the front of his shirt and slammed him against the wall. The impact was strong enough to take young Ravens breath away.
Never, growled Juel. You hear me? Never stand between me and someone else. You dont want to challenge me, whelp, oh, you dont
That said, he released Milians shirt and let the terrified boy fall to the floor.
Juel, stop it. Orions voice, clear and calm, was like a ray of light in the darkness now. Let me talk to Pai.
Orion took the terrified young mage by the shoulder, led him out of the room, and closed the door behind him. With a loud sigh of relief, Pai leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor where he sat, a shivering kid in an oversized cloak, exhausted and miserable.
His saviour squatted next to him.
Listen to me, Pai, said Orion firmly. You cant win here and now, not against Juel, not in the middle of the mission. So do what I say. Tell your magister pal that youre not refusing but postponing your decision. Colleges enrol new students only at the end of summer anyway, so youre not losing anything. Dont argue with Juel and, I beg you, stay away from Irin altogether: that kid is insane, mark my words So heres the plan: youre completing the mission with us first, then you must take your plea to your master. Kangassk Vesperi is a clever, reasonable woman, she will listen to you and will help you. You cant do anything in the Order without your masters support, you understand?
But Pai sniffed and stifled a moan. But its my only chance to be a mage. What if I miss it, what if
Bah! Orion chuckled. Its just a shitty provincial college, Pai. With your talent, any University would kill to have you! So dont sell yourself short, kid.
There was a faint smile on Pais trembling lips now and hope in his puffy, teary eyes.
Your main goal is to convince Vesperi that a powerful mage will be more useful to the Order than another ambasiath. Most other Kangassks will support you too, Im sure. Theyre good people. And Sainar is their father, hell listen to them.
Pai was sobbing now, all his fears, his doubts, his anger pouring out of him in tears.
There, there, warrior Orion patted him on the back. Its okay. Im on your side too. Lets go get that obsidian. After that, youll be a full-fledged Orders member, not some child, and your own voice will have some weight as well.
Back in the common room, Orion, his face grim, his eyes full of smouldering anger, winked at Juel: it is done, were good to go.
The looks that the other teammates gave their leader, spoke it all: the peace and trust that they all had achieved during their stay in Firaska were broken again. Juel Hak had failed as a leader in the eyes of Irin, and as a friend and elder in the eyes of the rest of the boys. That would not be easy to rebuild, indeed!
Chapter 8. The border
Across the border, even the best maps
Have nothing left to say
A void where stars sleep, flickering,
The Moons haven by day.
Across the border, across the border
The end. Nothing moves on.
Water drains down into darkness,
Earth is sliced off and gone.
Far off, in darkness, shining myriads
of stars hang overhead.
I chose my path, and held to it, when
Across the border it led.
Crossing the border changed me, to them
I grew ugly, a repulsive goon
Not all at once in separate stages,
Measured, phased like the Moon.
The days once were when handsome I seemed!
My future filled with hope!
When at my zenith, with the strength Id dreamed,
I crossed the border
Adult Milian. A canto of Thorn poem
The team fell into Pais Transvolo like a handful of stones thrown into a cold abyss. Despite all the efforts of Einar Sharlou, his young apprentices spell still included passing too close to the alien star.
The Primal World! exclaimed Jarmin, pointing at the golden sun, that pulsing ball of light that seemed no bigger than a Liht sphere from here. Pai, please, lets get closer, lets take a look! the little boy begged.
Nobody doubted Jarmins words. Nobody. His discovery shook everyone in the team, even Irin. For the first time in their whole journey, Irins teammates saw his face lose its usual twisted, menacing expression; it was almost serene now; there was lively interest, a spark of curiosity, a tinge of daydreaming In the light of the Primal Worlds sun, the little fanatic seemed just a boy his age, someone you would want to be friends with.
The beauty of this star seemed healing. The last argument had left a wide crack in the teams mutual trust but now it felt like the crack was mended with invisible glue. In the face of the living legend, the young Lifekeepers felt united again.
I wish I could do what you ask, Jarmin, said Pai with a longing sadness. But Im afraid. Coming close to a star is extremely dangerous and Im just a newbie. I might kill us all if I try
Too bad sighed Jarmin.
I wonder, Milian squinted his eyes as an exciting idea came into his head, whether its possible to use Transvolo for interstellar travel. What do you think, Pai?
Ill find out one day, said Pai Prior with determination. But later, when Im a proper mage.
The stars faded into darkness before their eyes as the young Lifekeepers fell out of the Transvolo void into the real world.
The real world was pitch black, filled with Omnisian stars above and with cold sand below.
Where are we? asked Lainuver. He tried to sound confident but his voice betrayed him.
In Kuldagan, of course, answered Bala, a gentle smile lighting up his voice. Ive been there once with my master. This is what Kuldaganian night looks like beyond city walls. If there is no moon to light the way, its that dark. And its always cold at night in the desert.
Did something go wrong, Pai? asked Juel cautiously. We were supposed to land in the city.
I didnt dare risk it, confessed the young mage. There are too many objects there. I was afraid I wouldnt be able to calculate everything properly and would hurt someone. But were not far away, I swear!
Yeah, its just the dunes. They are quite lofty and obscure the view, explained Bala. I bet that wed see the city right away if we climbed one. Kuldaganian cities shine like stars on the earth by night.
Like stars on the earth Milian echoed his words. And whispered,
O lovely land,
Entrancing land,
Far from woe, far from sorrows within;
As if dreams hide
Where the night sky ends, the earth begins
It didnt seem that he intended someone to hear his newborn poem but in the night that quiet, even whisper can be too loud to hide anything The whole team heard the boy. Embarrassed, Milian fell silent.
So youre a poet, Mil said Orion, a strange thankfulness in his voice. Why havent you ever read us anything of yours?
I preferred to listen to your stories instead. Milian laughed the question away. Lets go. Its getting colder and colder by the minute.
Orion shrugged, unconvinced by his friends nervous laughter. What kind of storyteller was he if he couldnt even notice a poet beside him? Orion made a promise to himself to shut up the next time someone asks him for another story so Milian would have a chance to shine as well.
The dune they chose to climb was a mighty beast. It took the team a while to reach the top. Their feet sank in the sand with every step, the cold wind drained their warmth slowly but steadily, and their cloaks were no help. But all their efforts and suffering were rewarded in the end when they reached the top of the sandy monster and saw the shining lights of the city below.
Stars in the sky, stars on the earth; a place where dreams hide All that Milian had expressed in his snatch of a poem before anyone had seen that with their own eyes. Poetry is a sister to magic, yes, but it also has a lot in common with divination. Fortune-telling.
Seeing the lights of the city and hearing its distant murmur lifted the teams spirits again. The Lifekeepers ran down the dune with a burst of boyish laughter, eager to reach Torgor, that shining diadem crowning the dark sands.
In the cold air, their every breath was a puff of white vapour that the desert hungrily snatched away the moment it appeared; their every step was a fleeting impression in the sand, soon erased by everlasting winds; their voices were devoid of echoes, swallowed by the dunes. The desert holds few memories
I heard that Kuldaganian nightlife is truly something! said Lainuver. He was so cold that his teeth chattered, making speaking difficult, but he just couldnt wait to share his excitement.
Oh well have fun there all right! Oasiss happy voice joined him in the dark. Im so sick of Firaskian curfews!
Sorry to disappoint you, said Bala, but Kuldaganian nights are mostly work, not fun. Its just too hot there by day to do anything, so the locals mostly live by night.
Oh Oasiss enthusiasm died in an instant. And what about the city were going to from here? That Border? Is it just like Torgor?
No, said Bala remembering his visit to Border five years ago. His speech became slow and thoughtful. Borders people are diurnal. Its a bit like Firaska: a city with walls and a little army to defend them. They have desert raiders threatening them from one side and No-Mans-Land bandits from the other. But there are no curfews, so nightlife is a thing there, yes. I think youll like it! He tried to sound cheerful and supportive but with the cold that cruel, even Bala couldnt be his usual self.
Kuldagan is a land of mystery. Formally, its a part of the South but in terms of magic, its an anomaly. Torgor is the last city where magic is reliable; further north, casting spells is a gamble. The closer you are to Border, the city guarding the entrance to the No Mans Land, the higher the stakes in that gamble are. Thats why no mage ever takes their Transvolo further than Torgor.
Torgor is a big, busy city, similar to Mirumir in many ways, zigarella smoke excluded. There are little shops, cafés, and dlars (local inns) on every corner and a spectacular market in the central square where all kinds of curiosities from around the world are sold.
The cult of Ancestors purity is still a thing in Torgor but its slowly fading, losing its influence to the massive multicultural flow of merchants and tourists passing through the city every day. Most of the Torgor locals still look somewhat like the citys first people: Arnika who was a blue-eyed, brown-skinned redhead and Vadro, her husband, who had pale skin, grey eyes, and silver hair. But very few modern Torgorians are perfect copies of their Ancestors nowadays.
To everyone but Bala who had already been to Torgor, seeing so many similar faces seemed creepy. The boys couldnt help commenting on that, though in very hushed voices not to be overheard by the locals.
Juel, trying to mend the team's morale, made an unusual decision upon their arrival at the city: he allowed his teammates to spend their money freely. They had saved a lot by having their own mage learn Transvolo instead of hiring a specialist and even earned some with Lainuvers and Oasiss shadow business, so he could allow such a gesture.
The trick worked like magic! Soon, Juels warriors were laughing again, happy with all the souvenirs, treats, and books they got from the market. But Juel himself couldnt even crack a smile; in the gloomy light of his true mission, the whole world seemed dreary to the young Faizul. He left the others to their fun and went away to look for a caravan that would agree to take them along. Beyond Torgor, joining a caravan is the only sure way to reach another city alive; you dont walk the dune sea alone unless you are a Wanderer.