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Author's Note: Comments and feedback are appreciated. I would like to thank Mark for helping me by editing these chapters starting with 11, obviously I should have had him editing the author's note too. - Robert robertx5sf@yahoo.com
This is a work of fiction. All characters portrayed in this story are fictional and not representative of anyone living or dead. (c) 2013 by robertx5sf@yahoo.com, all rights reserved, may not be reproduced in any form without the author's consent, with exception of the license granted to Nifty.org per Nifty's terms of use.
The Squires of Telisan Keep - 17
RYNIL and MIKEL
Rynil was surprised when he walked out of the tower and found two Knights standing there with swords drawn. "Squire, what happened? Is everything alright?" asked Sir Ulmar.
"Everything is fine, Sir. It was just...well...uh..." stumbled Rynil as he found he could not actually get any words out about what had happened in the tower.
"Squire, report to Lord Velarik in the main hall at once," ordered Sir Ulmar.
"Yes Sir," replied Rynil, snapping to attention and giving the Knight a salute. As Rynil left, he noticed large cracks in the stone walls of the hallway as well as some stone debris and dust littering the floor. There did not appeared to be any damage inside the tower, but the shaking had obviously been felt outside the tower and caused some damage to the keep. Rynil hurried through the halls to report to Lord Velarik, perhaps he could explain to the Lord what happened so that Mikel would not be in trouble for causing damage.
Inside the tower, Mikel entered the main room to find Sir Valen sitting at the table. A book rested on the table, with a chair that was pulled back for him. Mikel sat down in the chair. He looked down and read the title, 'The Fundamentals of Magic: Sorcery'.
"Apprentice, what can you tell me about the three primary ways to channel arcane magic?" asked Sir Valen.
"Uh, arcane magic can be channeled through wizardry, which is what you have been teaching me. It uses a combination of various components, verbal, gestures, and objects, to channel magical energy, we call these combinations spells," said Mikel.
"And where does the magical energy come from that powers wizard spells?" interrupted Sir Valen.
"Well, some of it comes from the caster and the rest comes from the plane of magic, the spells are like formulas that help the wizard pull energy from that plane and focus it to accomplish the desired effect," replied Mikel.
"Excellent, I already believe you know the basics of rituals since you explained it to Squire Rynil, but do you know how rituals interact with the plane of magic?" asked Sir Valen.
"Yes, they are similar to spells, except the spark of magic that is used to pull the magical energy into our world comes not from the wizard but from the items being used in the ritual," said Mikel.
"Which brings us to the third way to cast a spell, sorcery," said Sir Valen.
Mikel had yet to study sorcery so only knew what was mentioned tangentially in his other readings and the tales told amongst the peasants. He thought for a moment about all he had learned and how sorcery might actually work. "I had always heard that sorcery was blood magic; magic that someone was born with and that was 'in their blood'. But, that seems unlikely as a lot of magical energy inside of someone would be deadly. But since Sorcery is not like wizardry or rituals in that it doesn't need any components, or objects, or even speaking, it must just be a Sorcerer channeling magic from the plane by themselves without any external aids."
"Very good," said Sir Valen smiling at his apprentice. "Yes, Sorcerers have the ability to pull magical energy directly into our world, channeling it through their bodies and focusing it with their minds. The end result is indistinguishable from what a wizard can accomplish with a spell, but without the extra steps or outside focuses required. Sorcery is something that is in someone's blood so to speak, in that it cannot be taught, you are either born with the ability or not."
"So is what just happened to me sorcery?" asked Mikel.
"In a way yes. Many times in your life, you have already used sorcery without realizing it. Back in the barn when the orcs came for you, you hid and the orcs looked right through you. That was sorcery, you either turned yourself invisible or used magic to trick their minds. In the Squire's Tournament, you used sorcery to keep yourself standing and conscious long past what you should have been able to endure. Brother Yoris, the Priest that treated your wounds, told me that it was only magic that was still keeping you alive when they brought you to him. And you no longer need the prism in order to sense magic, nor do you need to cast a spell to clean a room anymore. That is sorcery," said Sir Valen.
"But how does that explain what happened downstairs, when I...shook the tower?" asked Mikel blushing.
"The powers of sorcery often manifest during adolescence and your training in wizardry has been strengthening your connection to the plane of magic, so earlier, in a moment when your adolescent passions were surging, you pulled more energy into yourself then you could consciously control. The magic was released in the same unconscious way your body was reacting. Unfortunately with more magic flowing through you than you could control, you lost your center and became adrift in the magic. Similar to if you were trying to wade through a river and a strong current swept you off your feet. Your consciousness shifted from this world into the plane of magic. Fortunately Squire Rynil was there with you. His sword dealt with the magical energy, channeling it back to where it came from. Also since the boy shares a strong bond with you, he was able to help you find your way back to yourself," explained Sir Valen.
Mikel considered what his Master had said for a moment. "How do I prevent it from happening again?" he asked.
"Mainly practice; you need experience in handling the magical energy. Eventually with more experience, you will not need to fear accidentally pulling more energy than you can control. There are also some spells I can cast on you that will make it more difficult for you to pull energy. That will help you avoid being overwhelmed until you have learned how to better control the magic. That book will explain it all in more detail. Now, I suggest you start reading while I go visit with Lord Velarik. He has summoned me to his throne room for questioning regarding your little mishap. Do not worry Apprentice, you are not in any trouble," said Sir Valen. He then stood up and headed upstairs to the portal that would take him to Lord Velarik's throne room.
Lord Velarik looked at Rynil and repeated his question, "Can you tell us what caused Sir Valen's tower to shake so violently?"
Rynil hesitated before answering, "No Sir, I cannot." Rynil was standing before Lord Velarik, who was sitting on his throne. Behind Rynil were Sir Galreth, the Lord's Champion, Sir Balren, the Chamberlain, and Page Kenton, the young Page that had been on duty outside Sir Valen's tower this morning. A force in his mind was preventing him from answering Lord Velarik's question.
"Cannot or will not?" asked Sir Balren, his anger evident in his voice.
"Sir Balren, please, I will ask the questions," said Lord Velarik. "Squire Rynil, I am giving you a direct order as your Lord to tell me what caused Sir Valen's tower to almost destroy the north wing of the Keep," commanded Sir Velarik.
Rynil felt the barrier preventing him from answering, fall away. Now he wondered how best to phrase his answer so as not to reveal what he had been doing with Mikel when it happened. "I believe that Squire Mikel had some type of fit and that he must have lost control of his magic and it somehow caused the shaking," said Rynil.
Before anyone else could react to Rynil's revelation, Sir Valen stepped out of an alcove at the back of the throne room and said, "My Lord, it is not this Squire's place to discuss in open court the training of my apprentice. If you wish to know what happened, I am the one that should be questioned, not Squire Rynil."
"Very well, Sir Valen, could you please allay this court's concerns over the incident this morning," requested Lord Velarik.
"Certainly. It was necessary to push my apprentice a bit in order to get him to break through a barrier that was hindering the full development of his magical abilities. There was never any danger to the keep; I had taken measures to insure that the power released by my apprentice could be contained. There was never any danger that it would destroy any portion of the keep," said Sir Valen as he subtly winked at Rynil.
"Your Apprentice almost collapsed half the keep," exclaimed Sir Galreth.
"He is a danger to us all," snarled Sir Balren.
"Sirs, Squire Mikel is not dangerous, he would not do anything to hurt any of us," said Rynil, trying to defend his friend. Both Sir Galreth and Sir Balren turned and glared at Rynil.
"Squire, please you forget your place. You will only offer your opinion when it is requested in court," said Lord Velarik. While his words were harsh, his tone was gentle. "Sir Valen, do we have reason to be concerned that your Squire could again lose control of his powers?" asked Lord Velarik.
"No, My Lord. Now that he has experienced the breakthrough that was required, I have taken steps to prevent him from being overwhelmed again," replied Sir Valen. Sir Galreth and Sir Balren were unmoved by the wizard's reassurances and were openly scowling at him.
Lord Velarik took a moment to look at each person that was standing before him. Silence hung heavily over the room. "Sir Valen, until this court can be more confident that your apprentice is not a danger to this keep, he is confined to your tower so that we may be assured that he is under your supervision. My decision on this is final. You are all dismissed. Squire Rynil, you will accompany me to my parlor, I wish to have a few words with you," said the Lord. He then rose from the throne and left through the door at the rear of the hall with Rynil two steps behind.
Rynil followed Lord Velarik out of the throne room and into his parlor, which was located adjacent to the rear of throne room. When they were alone together, Lord Velarik sat down on a large padded sofa. He motioned towards a nearby chair, "Please sit down, we need to have a talk, but before we begin please summon your sword," ordered the Lord.
"Yes Sir," replied Squire Rynil. He sat down then summoned the sword case and withdrew the sword.
"Excellent," said Lord Velarik, "now I can learn the truth of what transpired. Please keep your hand in contact with the sword while you tell me everything that happened in the wizard's tower today," said Lord Velarik.
Rynil recounted the day's events to the Lord. He did not leave anything out but he did try to skim over as much of the sex as possible by saying that the shaking happened when Mikel came while they were fooling around. After he had finished, Rynil again felt the need to try to defend his friend. "My Lord, Mikel is not a danger to the keep. I know he would never hurt us," he pleaded.
"I know, Squire," replied Lord Velarik.
The Lord's response confused Rynil. "But My Lord, then why did you confine him to Sir Valen's Tower?" he asked.
"I did not do that to protect us; I did that to protect Squire Mikel. When Sir Valen first chose Mikel to be his squire, he requested the boy be exempted from work duties, so that he could remain in the tower, and Sir Valen could keep him protected. I felt at the time that it was important Squire Mikel not be treated differently from the other Squires. But, after the attack by the demon, I believe Sir Valen is correct. Mikel should remain in the tower where Sir Valen's magic can help safeguard him. A dark mood seems to have fallen over the keep since the attack, demons have a way of tempting even the most honorable of men.
"Now, I know you have grown close to Mikel and this means you will get to spend less time with him, for that I am sorry. I had been planning to send you there once a week for training but considering the circumstances, I feel we should prioritize your magical education and training with your sword's magical properties. So, starting tomorrow you will report to Sir Valen twice a week," said Lord Velarik.
"Thank you My Lord," said Rynil.
"Now go wash up and change into a clean uniform, you are still a bit oily. My wife and family are visiting from our estate, so I will be dining in my suite tonight and not in the common hall. I will want you to attend me," said Lord Velarik.
"Yes, My Lord," said Rynil. He put his sword back in its case and sent it away then headed towards the door. Just as he was about to leave, he stopped. "Excuse me My Lord; you mentioned a dark mood and demons tempting people. I think a demon is trying to tempt Page Karl and has been sending him nightmares. I have heard him crying out in the night," said Rynil.
"Hmm, thank you for telling me this. I will have one of the priests speak with him. Now go clean up," said Lord Velarik.
AYMIL and WILRIK
There was no way for Wilrik to keep track of time inside the barn. All he knew was that it had seemed like a long time since he had heard any voices coming from outside. The demonic horse had been asleep the entire time and there had not been any visits by the owl. The last thing he remembered was the female voice talking with a male, giving him some instructions on how to block something. Since then he had been lying in the hay drifting in and out of consciousness. Wilrik knew there was something wrong with his memory because he could only remember little bits and pieces of things and when he tried to focus on a specific memory, it fled like dust before the wind.
Wilrik was surprised when he turned and saw a boy standing just inside the barn doors. The boy appeared to be a little bit older than he was. He had black hair and olive skin. He was dressed in a plain linen shirt and wool pants. "Hello," said the boy.
"Who are you?" asked Wilrik.
"My name is Aymil. You are Wilrik yes?" he asked.
"Yes. What are you doing here?" asked Wilrik.
"I have come to try to help you. You have been a captive but, now it is time for you to go free," said Aymil.
"Captive? You mean the orcs? I remember orcs taking me from a barn, it looked like this one but this isn't the same one. I was with my friend, Mikel. I think I heard Mikel recently but I can't remember where or when. I also remember a demon. Was it the demon that held me captive? Is this a dream?" asked Wilrik.
"Sort of; this is all happening in your head. I am here to help you, we need you to wake up so that you can eat and take care of yourself. Then once you are up and moving around, I am going to help you get your memories back," said Aymil.
Wilrik cringed in fear. "But what if I don't want to remember?" he asked.
"Don't worry, I'll be here to help you," replied Aymil as he manipulated Wilrik's emotions to suppress the rising fear and to get the boy to trust him.
"Okay, how do we start?" asked Wilrik.
"Take my hand and we will open the door. It will lead us out of this place for now. You will return here when you sleep; it's a safe place," said Aymil.
"But what about that horse? How is it safe with that thing in here?" asked Wilrik.
"Do not worry, I will make sure it does not hurt you," promised Aymil.
"What is it?" asked Wilrik. Thinking about the demonic horse was causing his fear to return. The horse started to stir.
Aymil was silent for a moment as he strained to contain Wilrik's fear. The horse returned to its slumber. "Do not worry Wilrik, it will not harm you and in time you will learn to control that beast. Now, it is time for you to wake up, here take my hand," said Aymil, holding out his hand to Wilrik.
Wilrik took the boy's hand. Aymil lead him to the doors of the barn and opened them. The light from the open doors was brilliant and blinded Wilrik for a moment, and he was overwhelmed, with sensations, as the rest of his senses suddenly came alive. It took him a minute to adjust to being present in his own body again. When his vision returned, he was able to orient himself and saw that he was lying in the back of a wagon in a forest clearing. It was late afternoon and the sun was shining through the trees and into his eyes. Sitting in the wagon next to him was Aymil, still holding his hand. An older gray haired woman was on the other side of the clearing skinning a rabbit.
"Can you sit up? You should drink some water," said Aymil. He kept holding Wilrik's hand, but wrapped his other arm around the boy's back and helped pull him up into a seated position. Once Wilrik was upright, he kept his arm around the boy's back, but let go of his hand and handed him a water-skin. "So, we are going to take this slowly and just let you get used to being free of the demon and back in control of your body for a few days. The women over there is Marsella, she has been caring for you these last couple of days. She is a Priest of the Night Hunter. Her magic has been able to keep you from starving or dying of thirst. I am sure she is glad to have you conscious and able to care for yourself now," said Aymil.
"Thank you, M' Lady," said Wilrik after he was finished drinking.
"It's just Marsella, I'm no noblewoman," said Marsella without looking up from the rabbit carcass in her hands.
"Yes, ma'am," replied Wilrik.
Marsella laughed. "Well that's a start at least," she said.
"Wilrik, let's see if we can get you to your feet," said Aymil. He grabbed Wilrik's hand then slid out of the wagon pulling Wilrik with him.
Wilrik stumbled briefly when he first landed on his feet, but quickly recovered, managing with Aymil's help, to keep his feet. He noticed as he looked down at his body that he was very muscular. Two years ago, when he had been taken by the orcs, he had been a little on the scrawny side, now he had large well defined muscles. He stood on his feet flexing his newfound muscles for a moment. "My body has changed," he said.
"Yes," responded Marsella, "The demon that possessed you reshaped your body. Demons are not constrained by the normal physical limits of a body. Their magic enables them to infuse a body with more strength and endurance then would normally be possible."
Wilrik reached up and felt his neck. While he could not see it, he could feel a large raised scar, about an inch wide, that circled his neck. "The muscles are not the only thing that has changed," he said.
"No," replied Marsella, "That scar is permanent and your hair is gone, although whether that is permanent or not, remains to be seen."
"Is this dead feeling I have inside from the demon as well? Two years of my life are missing. I know I was abducted by orcs and you say I was possessed by a demon, yet I feel nothing. I'm not angry. I'm not afraid. I'm not happy I'm free. I just feel empty," said Wilrik.
Aymil squeezed the boy's hand. "That is not the demon's doing, that is mine. I am going to help you remember what has happened to you and help you reconnect with your feelings, hopefully in a way that allows you to handle it all without being overwhelmed," he said.
"Why? Why are you going to help me?" asked Wilrik.
Marsella answered him, "Because we need your help to defeat the demon that was responsible for kidnapping you and is seeking to unmake the world."