Chapter 7 Life of Rinaler
Chapter 7- The Empress Calls - year 196 ACF - Second month, Fourth day (Summer).
A boy, dressed in blue cloth sat at Althrun’s feet. The other Guild Elders were arranged in two lines on either side of the messenger. They were sitting cross-legged and silent as they listened to his message. They had been woken by the gate guards and still three hours from sunrise, they let the boy in. He was a messenger of the Empress. The Elders assembled quickly, a messenger from Eortha carried bad news more often than good. The last one sent to the Guild Halls had been forty turns ago, when the Mylos had attacked. A minor war was fought and the Mylos were permitted to settle within the Empire’s borders, in the last forty turns, the largest battles had been the skirmishes with those not of the Empire, and they involved as little as one hundred men at the most.
Althrun nodded at the messenger, and he proceeded to recite his message.
“Elders of the Guild Halls of Sireno. I have recently viewed a fight in the minors tournament, I wish to see the winner of that tournament, accompanied by the best member of each of the guilds. Althrun is to oversee the selection and he will also accompany the winner. They are to pack their belongings, and will appear at the Palace gates at the eleventh hour. The rest will be explained upon your arrival.” The messenger stood, and swiftly left the room.
“I will begin the selection at once.” Althrun rose from the floor and the others followed.
“But who will you chose, Elder?” Rat-Hal was slinking along the wall, keeping to the darkest places even before the sun rose.
“That will be up to the Guild Heads, submit your choices to me via crystal, get them to me before the ninth hour, I will go and speak with Rinaler and select my best student at sunrise.” The group walked out into the courtyard of the Guild Halls, and after a moment of thought, the Elders left Althrun to his thoughts and returned to their quarters. They had a hard choice ahead of them, and an even harder wait to see why they had been called upon.
As Althrun walked under the dormitories he felt something, a life force in Rinaler’s room. He would speak to the boy about that too. When he reached his room he opened the door with his mind, and sat in front of his window waiting for the suns to rise. His mind was too active for sleep, why were the guilds’ best students being called for. He had heard nothing from the spies, and no-one dared to challenge the Empire, so what could it be?
Rinaler sat up in bed, and was met by Kyloz. The Morph had taken a human form, and was standing, dressed in Rinaler’s armour.
“What are you doing Kyloz?” He pulled the blanket back and walked towards Kyloz, who jumped onto the table and changed into his blob form, the armour fell perfectly where Rinaler had left it, right next to the present from Owni.
“We were trying to remember our human form, we believe it was similar in age to that of yours.” He rolled across the table, and covered the plate of food which had been placed there.
Rinaler watched as Kyloz heated his breakfast, and rolled off waiting for attention.
As Rinaler stroked the Morph, he ate his food, passing pieces of meat to Kyloz who rolled over each of the pieces and changed them. Rinaler thought that he was eating them, but when he had finished there was a line of different coloured stones on the table.
“How did you do that?” Kyloz stopped moving, the blob looked puzzled, which is hard to do if you have no face.
“We change the arrangement of the things that make the meat, we convince each one that it would be better to take another form, it is quite easy, that is how we change shape.” Just to demonstrate, Kyloz changed from a blob into a Cathok, then into a dog, and then back to the blob.
Rinaler just accepted the explanation with a nod, knowing he wouldn’t get anything else from the Morph. He began to put his armour on over his uniform, and then realized what he was doing and stopped himself. There was no training today, but something had told him that today was a big day, even bigger than yesterday. He dragged his hand across the table, and pocketed the stones before walking over to the window. He pulled it open and was met by the soft grey of pre-dawn light. The first birds were waking and the farmers were going to be waking soon too. Rinaler stared over the land outlined by his window, a huge brown void. The wheat that grew around the guild halls was ready for harvest. After the walls of the Guild Hall there was only farmland, streaked with thin roads and small stands of trees. All this was covered in grey and awaiting the suns’ warming light. A large black crow was flapping slowly towards the nearest field, and it settled on the scarecrow ruffling its feathers as it waited for company. He pulled a chair up to the window waiting in a ritualistic manner for the rise of the suns. He had watched the sunrise every morning for seven turns, when they rose he always felt something, a feeling that there was more to the world, more to his life than what was presented to him. Sitting by the window waiting for the sun, he saw movement in the shadows along the wall. Just for a second, something had travelled across one of the lighter stone in the wall. The outer wall was a patch work of stones from the farmland around the halls, most of them were brown or grey but some were limestone, a milky white colour that showed the movement of the person well.
He knew instantly that someone was coming to his room, and instinct told him to hide. He pulled the window shut and pushed the chair back into place, before whispering to Kyloz to hide. He walked across the room and stood to the right of the outward swinging door.
A few seconds after he was in place, a slight scratching came from the lock, someone was picking it. He knew that this person was not Petret, he was in bed injured, and no-one else would come into his room un-announced. As the locked clicked the door began to drift open, but was stopped by the intruder’s hand. The door was pulled slowly open and Rinaler got ready himself to pounce.
A figure dressed in the dark clothing of the thieves’ guild began to appear, moving one leg silently into Rinaler’s room, the thief even dodged the creaky board just before the door. After placing the first foot, a second came through and the thief was standing in his room with his back to Rinaler.
Before the thief could even react, Rinaler jumped slamming a punch into the thief’s back knocking him to the ground. Lying on the ground the thief rolled over and began to speak.
“You are good.” Rinaler waited for more, but as the thief was rising to his feet, he tried to attack again. Rinaler stepped aside and the thief was forced to use his hands on the wall to prevent himself smashing into it. While he was helpless, Rinaler chopped him on the neck and dragged the body to a chair. When he woke he would be tied up and Althrun would be there.
Seven minutes before sunrise the thief woke up. Rinaler had removed his head gear, and could see that he was a few turns older than himself, but obviously he was less skilled in hand to hand combat.
As he came out of the unconscious state, his first impulse was to struggle and he found that Rinaler had tied him up very tight.
“It was just a joke Rinaler.” The thief was trying to talk his way out of the punishment that waited when Althrun found out.
“I do not think entering another persons room uninvited is a joke. I could have killed you, you could have killed me. Did you think about that?” Rinaler was sitting with his arms crossed a few meter from the thief, Althrun would be here soon and after this was sorted out he was going to take the map, and go to the unexplored areas in the Halls.
“I’m sorry Rinaler, please let me go!” The thief began to worry, as he noticed the yellow line under the window, the first sun had risen, the second had to almost be up by now.
“Althrun will be here soon, talk to him about it.” Althrun was usually in Rinaler’s room a few minutes before sunrise, sometimes he arrived after sunrise, but this was rare.
Rinaler closed his eyes and shut out the thief’s complaints and pleas, although he didn’t know it, Rinaler was practising a kind of meditation. Time seemed to speed up and slow down at his bidding as he waited out the seven minutes. It felt like only a few seconds had passed, before the door swung open and Althrun walked in.
“Good Morning Rinaler. What is this?” Althrun got straight to business. Rinaler walked to the window and opened it to watch the sunrise, while Althrun pulled the chair over next to the window and sat, also waiting.
“A thief, he says that breaking into my room was a joke. I knocked him down twice and tied him there. I have been waiting for you to arrive and deal with him.” The second sun began to appear over the rim of the horizon, and small voices cried out in Rinaler’s mind, seeking knowledge seeking the world that lay below, seeking adventure. Althrun saw a brief flash of emotion across the boys face and knew that a charm was calling him. But he was not ready to hunt it, and the pull was weak. Rinaler could not possibly know what it was yet.
“I will let Rat-Hal deal with his students, but for now we have something more important to do, let the Morph pack for you he will only pack essentials.” Rinaler almost asked him how he knew about Kyloz, but then he stopped himself.
“Why do I need to pack?” The only people that packed were those leaving the halls, those ready to make a commitment to the Guild or the Workers.
“The Empress sent a message, we are to take you and one member of each guild to the palace. We must arrive there at the eleventh hour.” Only a few thoughts went through Rinaler’s mind, and they all involved adventure.
“When do we leave?” Rinaler stood, and followed closely behind Althrun as he untied the thief and told him to report to his Master.
“We leave now, as I said the Morph will pack, we must select the next best member of the Charm hunters, I will have your bags and the Morph moved for you. After the selection I have to see to a few things, then we will meet by the gate and go to the palace with the others.” Kyloz sped out from under the bed, and began to move things into a large leather bag, he started with clothes and blankets, as they watched everything was packed with efficiency, the bag was perfectly filled, Rinaler’s armour and sword lay on the table, his ForthSlayer was tied to the side of the bag, and his quiver to tied to the other side. Kyloz had packed everything in a few minutes.
“Right, let us find the best member of the Charm hunters guild, the second best.” Althrun corrected himself and walked out followed by Rinaler, the thief had left. Only Kyloz remained in the room guarding the bag.
Ten minutes later, the entire Charm hunters guild was assembled in front of Althrun and Rinaler. Althrun had called out to them with his mind, waking every student and urging them to assemble as quick as possible. The skills to become a Charm hunter were becoming rare, as most of them were killed while off on adventures they never had children, but those that did passed on the strongest traits, the best skills and the will to survive. Rinaler and Althrun had to pick only one out of the forty-three students in front of them, but who would be chosen?
“Apprentices and students of the Charm Hunters Guild, we have been called upon by Empress Eortha to provide her with the best member of each Guild, while I speak the other Elders are also selecting their best, only one can be chosen, I have decided to let Rinaler choose, as his decision will not be biased because he knows none of you.” Althrun stepped back two steps, leaving Rinaler feeling very exposed. A thought passed through his head, do I have to chose, and how do I do it? It was met by a thought that was not his, I will choose, invite them into your mind at the same time, I will chose the strongest. Rinaler accepted the thought, without considering where it had come from or who had thought it.
“I invite you all into my mind, there the strongest will be chosen.” With those words spoken, he sat on the ground and closed his eyes, waiting for the intrusion of others into his mind, Althrun was sitting behind him, watching the boy intensely.
Althrun was thinking many thoughts, when one popped clearly into the front of his mind, Why did he invite them, what will the guardian do? Althrun knew that this was not Rinaler’s idea, but he couldn’t stop the selection, it had to happen like this. The strongest would truly be chosen.
“Enter now.” Rinaler braced himself, having one person in his mind, even if it was Althrun was painful, but forty-three? He was beginning to have second thoughts, when they hit him like a wave. Rinaler’s face screwed up into a grimace of pain, and then it stopped. The pain left as suddenly as it had arrived and as he opened his eyes, only on student stood, the rest lay groaning on the ground. He slowly fell backwards onto the ground, and was met by darkness.
Althrun had felt the blow even though he was not in the boys mind, out of all the students that had entered only one was still standing, a powerful shockwave had knocked the rest onto the ground, severing the link with Rinaler’s mind, and Rinaler was unconscious. He got to his feet, leaving Rinaler in the embrace of sleep, and helped the standing student back to his room, telling him to meet by the gate at the ninth hour. When he returned to the courtyard, Rinaler was still motionless and the students were helping each other up, they were all keeping as far away from Rinaler as possible. Althrun had questions, but he would ask them later when Rinaler could answer them. He picked the boy up and carried him to the dormitories, as he laid Rinaler on the bed; he called for a healer and a soldier to carry the boy’s bags, then he left, it was just after the eight hour they had another hour before they left. Althrun hoped that Rinaler would be able to go to the palace, if not the Empress would not be happy.
Kyloz felt the floor vibrate slightly, as the healer arrived. He rolled back under the bed and waited, hoping that Rinaler was not hurt. The soldier arrived shortly after the healer, and began to take his bags to the gate. The healer was busying herself with some small potions, stopping to check Rinaler’s life spark every minute.
Althrun and Jalmon walked into the room just as Rinaler opened his eyes and screamed. Althrun put his hand on the boy’s shoulder and Jalmon sat on the end of his bed.
“It is all right Rinaler, you are in our bed at the Halls.” Althrun knew what it felt like to be totally drained of energy, the wave that Rinaler had emitted had taken all his energy he was amazed and shocked that a boy could do this. It took him years of training to master the attack, expending that much energy can be fatal, but with training it can also be lethal to anyone nearby.
The healer spoke, apparently they were ignoring his scream.
“You should never try that again boy, that could have killed you. I know master seers, that, well I used to know master seers that used that attack and died.” She packed her tools in a bag, she left a small crystal with instructions in case he became unconscious again.
“If he should fall unconscious again, contact me and follow those instructions, I will leave now, I expect to be back soon though, you Guild members always injure yourselves, and each other.” With a smile she left, side stepping around the soldier who stood by the door waiting for Althrun’s next order.
“What happened?” Rinaler was now sitting, his eyes hurt and he felt bruised all over, but seeing Althrun and Jalmon he put on a brave face and got out of bed.
“You blasted the students with a psychic wave, you selected a student called Hoym, he is Mikhail’s brother, I would have selected him if you had not but I would not have used your methods.” He handed Rinaler his armour, and the boy took it.
“My eyes hurt, and I feel bruised but I do not think I am hurt.” He pulled on his leather cuirass and grabbed his pants, he pulled these over his woollen leggings.
“That is to be expected, you nearly extinguished your life spark, the attack knocked you and the other forty-two students out, but you did select someone and you are all right, that is all that matters.” Althrun rubbed his temples, with the tips of his finger the wave was still irritating his mind a little, it would take a while to work the residue out of his mind.
“Jalmon, how are you?” He found his boots and sat to pull them on, and waited for her to answer.
“Jalmon? How are you?” He asked again.
She shook her head and turned it slowly, saying, “If Petret was not injured, he would be going today. I ruined his chance.” She had her uniform on, and a black mask in her hand, but he could see the frostbite on her shoulder. It had been treated, but still it looked painful.
“You were meant to go girl, Petret was not supposed to be chosen or he would be going.” Althrun waved her out, she left without speaking.
“Rinaler we have to get Hoym on the way to the gate, we leave now.”
Althrun and Rinaler left the room, accompanied by Kyloz who had snuck into the pocket in Rinaler’s armour, they went to collect Hoym.
After leaving Rinaler’s room, Jalmon pulled on her head gear and sprinted to the shadows near the wall, running all the way to the gate. When she reached it the suns were at a perfect angle to the horizon, and the whole gate area was covered in deep shadow. She sat in the corner thinking about why they were going, and what they would be doing. She was the first to get there, but other soon arrived. They unconsciously spread themselves into small groups, the guilds that were close sat together, while she was left alone. The assassins and thieves usually sat together, but she represented both guilds. She had the skill necessary to join both, she could blend with shadows, even the sounds she made, her footsteps and breathing blended with the dark quiet around her. She could turn into the shadow and materialize anywhere along it. Using the skill exhausted her, but that was why she cam here to develop that skill and hopefully one day she would be able to use it for long periods and not be exhausted. Petret’s skill was similar, he could almost turn invisible, and with more training he would be able to become completed transparent. It is useful for thieves, but assassins were hindered by the skill, as weapons were hard to conceal, clothing became invisible but only the masters could make swords and daggers disappear. She leant against the wall, feeling the cold stone feeling her body cooled by the stone and shadow, she had to be cold to use her skill, and she had to be still for almost a minute before she could transform, but with training that time would be reduced to just seconds, and she would learn to raise or lower her body temperature at will. But for now she used the wall to suck her heat away. She began to blend with the shadows, and she tested herself, running up and down in front of the other guild members. The only one that looked at her was a healer, he was blind but he possessed a skill that allowed him to sense life forces, and he had felt hers. She ran back to her seat, and pulled herself out of the shadow just as Rinaler, Althrun and Hoym arrived.
Rinaler spotted her and walked over, while hoym sat with the healer and waited for the ninth hour.
“Jalmon, how is Petret? I have not got to visit him yet, with the selection going on and me injuring myself I have not had time.” Jalmon was breathing heavily and Rinaler sat by her waiting for an answer. After a few minutes, Jalmon had enough energy to speak.
“He will be fine, in a month, he will be back up and around. But I still fell guilty about taking his place.” She shaking out her hands, and blowing them trying to get the warmth back.
“Do you want to move into the sun, you are cold.” He stood up, and helped her to her feet. She was cold, but a little sunlight would fix it.
They walked to the bags they were fifty meters from the gate and they were laid out in the order of Guilds, they walked along them looking for their belongings, and after the Healer’s, the Book Keeper’s , the Sword Master’s and the Animal Speaker’s bags, They found Rinaler’s bag, next was the Engineer’s and Spy’s bags, and then Jalmon’s, after Jalmon’s, the Enchanter’s and Messenger’s bags were the last. They picked up their bags and walked towards the gate, it swung open, as the bell tolled and Althrun appeared from the gatehouse.
“Students, get your bags, we are leaving. We must arrive at the palace before the eleventh hour. The pace is mine to set, and you will follow it or be late.” Althrun set off at a brisk walk, closely followed by Rinaler and Jalmon. The others were still getting the bags when Althrun and the two youngest students were disappearing around the first bend, one-hundred meters down the road. They would have to run for the first few hundred meters to catch up, Althrun had planned this, but he did not know that Jalmon and Rinaler would be ready on time. They were keeping pace with him talking about the summons, and what it meant. He smiled as he heard the yells of the other students, and turned his head to watch them round the first corner. They were spread over the road, in a staggered formation as they ran to catch up, a cloud of dust rose in their wake above the trees it dissipated and fell back to the earth. The wind was not blowing and no clouds were in the sky. They fell back into their groups as the march continued, separating naturally and sharing gossip. They were on schedule, in two hours they would be at the palace.