Holtek grunted as he lugged the stack of books up the seemingly endless staircase. 11 Winters and I'm still little better than a servant. He grumbled as he deftly caught one of the books sliding from his arms. Holtek was certainly no youngling, but all the same there was still enough youth and vigor in him to realize when he'd been taken advantage of.
Holtek huffed with each step, breath blowing his white wispy moustache in the air in such a way that it sent a trio of girls in passing into a fit of giggles. "That's quite alright" Holtek murmured under his breath "I don't need any help with all this." Finally he reached the top of the stairs and the books were snatched from his grasp.
"The Father thanks you for your service." a young rake of a man smiled before turning away to disappear behind the nearest door. That's it? I've been waiting all Summer to get a chance to deliver something to the Commander and I don't even make it to the door? Holtek could no longer abate his anger. His feet moved on their own toward the door the young man disappeared behind and before he could regain his senses he found himself banging and shouting for the Commander to speak to him. Holtek, abashed by his sudden outburst turned sharply toward the stairs. The door opened and the young man from before called out. "Master Holtek, the commander will see you now."
From fury to fear, Holtek wrung his hands as he allowed the young man to lead him into the Commander's hall. Unlike the rest of the tower, the walls in this room were made of richly polished marble, carved with intricate patterns of leaves and knots. Even the furnishings inside were different. While outside, through the dormitories and even the library Holtek practically lived in, every sitting or standing was well worn and even better used. In here, however, the walls were lined with chairs and lounges of fine red leather stamped with the two headed lion seal of the 7th Kingdom of Alagany. At the end of this impossibly large, cool hall was a single person behind an immense stone dining table. Everything about this place was huge, including the decorated Commander himself.
Holtek guessed the Commander was barely a few Winters younger than himself, but sheer size of his shoulders told a different story. No gray peppered the Commanders hair and the only feature that gave any notion to his true age lay in a series of scars on his face that lay imbedded in deep wrinkles around his eyes and mouth. For an agonizingly long moment the Commander didn't even blink. Holtek shifted uneasily as he stood at the end of the table.
"Sit" the command boomed around the room shaking Holtek from his paralyzing fear. Instantly Holtek sat crosslegged on the floor as if this was nothing less than what was expected from him. "In a chair you fool, there are plenty here." The Commander glowered in the direction of the nearest chair to the table. Holtek scrambled to his feet and tugged at the unusually heavy chair, its legs screeching miserably across the marble floor until it came to a halt at the table.
"I see you've been trained to use kinesis yet you insist on doing things the hard way." The Commander's frown rose slightly, giving him an expression less of pure hatred and more of slightly perturbed. "I like the frugal way you handle your energies."
In all honestly, the fact that Holtek could have easily used makkis to move the chair to him never crossed his mind until right then. He wasn't about to tell the Commander that, however.
"I like to gauge those I'm speaking to by how they handle minor hardships. It has been many a season since a man possessing any power at all physically tried to move that chair farther than a step or two. Take a look under the chair for a moment." Holtek did as he was told and found three iron bricks had been welded to the underside of the chair, no doubt adding a good 75 lbs to the already heavy, sturdy chair. "You know, there has only been once I was truly bested by someone using the chair trick. An Androgen, of all things. The Zchi-taking creature walked all the way to the other side and picked up another chair to bring to the table. To this day I have no idea whether or not the Androgen knew the nearest chair was weighted." The Commander appeared to relax a bit, stuffing a long pipe with silverleaf before proferring it to a politely refusing Holtek. "Now, please tell me what brings you here in my presence." It was as if a switch had been flipped. Suddenly the Commander was jovial.
"Well, Commander, sir." Holtek struggled to steady his voice as he spoke."I have been a member of the 7th Kingdom's Makkis Soldiers Unit for many Winters. I came to this place with an express purpose in mind and I had hoped that I would be able to accomplish my purpose as one of your soldiers yet I barely see the light of day anymore. I'm not getting any younger and I never seem to find myself assigned anywhere aside from the library."
"I am full aware of the purpose you speak of, Master Holtek." the Commander took in a deep breath from his pipe, holding the smoke in his lungs for a time before exhaling slowly. "You really should try this silverleaf. My help claims the smoke makes me less irritable and insufferable." Holtek blinked, anxious to get back to the heart of the discussion. "Oh right, right, your mission. Take heart, young master, I know the true mission in your heart, not the blanket "I want to see the world" refuse every young soldier spits at me upon enlisting. You want to find a certain young man, if in indeed this young man is even alive. You only have memories of him as a dying infant." The Commander puffed on his pipe again as if allowing his words to sink into Holtek's head. "But I can assure you, against all odds he is alive. It is this boy we must find before even another battle is fought on Mafaeri soil." Holtek, burdened by Winters of guilt over an incident during a standard supplies raid in a harbor town in the Northlands, perked.
"You shouldn't feel so sorry over such a routine raid." The Commander said. It was difficult to say if the large man's tone was mocking or a genuine attempt at empathy. "Women so far along in their Burdening can scarcely hold a child through a tough storm, much less a troop of soldiers exploding into their town." Holtek suddenly brought back the image of the woman lying in the corner bleeding, muttering in insanity over a blanket without even meeting her attackers' eyes until the very last soldier turned away from her. It was Holtek who had left last, who heard the only intelligible thing she had to say to them. You would do well to pray to whatever Creator you bow to that this child never sees the morning sky. Otherwise, know this. There will be a man among thieves who will steal the blight from our warring hearts and set things right. But not before I am suitably avenged.
Normally this would have been easily ignored as the empty threat of an angry dying woman, but something about the way in which she spoke those words troubled him. They weren't words out of anger, or even any kind of fear, but out of simple knowledge, as if she were teaching him a lesson in combat.
"This exchange between you and this woman leaves you as the only soldier with an imprint of the parentage of this child. There has been talk of a strange boy travelling the countrysides and I have been advised that he bears a resemblance to the folk of the Northlands. The coincidences are far to great to number in this once sitting, and even more are withheld from even me. This is why I am appointing you to the task of finding this boy and bringing him to me. You have as many men, women, arms at your disposal as you feel necessary. In return, I expect your full alliegience to the Father from here on. If you balk at even the slightest order from your superiors you will be swiftly dealt with."
Holtek bowed deeply, hiding the flushing excitement growing in his cheeks, and quickly scurried out of the room.
"Come to me before the Solstice Festival with a plan of action and I will accomodate you generously." The Commander called. Holtek could almost believe the large man was chuckling softly as he shut the door.
Holtek huffed with each step, breath blowing his white wispy moustache in the air in such a way that it sent a trio of girls in passing into a fit of giggles. "That's quite alright" Holtek murmured under his breath "I don't need any help with all this." Finally he reached the top of the stairs and the books were snatched from his grasp.
"The Father thanks you for your service." a young rake of a man smiled before turning away to disappear behind the nearest door. That's it? I've been waiting all Summer to get a chance to deliver something to the Commander and I don't even make it to the door? Holtek could no longer abate his anger. His feet moved on their own toward the door the young man disappeared behind and before he could regain his senses he found himself banging and shouting for the Commander to speak to him. Holtek, abashed by his sudden outburst turned sharply toward the stairs. The door opened and the young man from before called out. "Master Holtek, the commander will see you now."
From fury to fear, Holtek wrung his hands as he allowed the young man to lead him into the Commander's hall. Unlike the rest of the tower, the walls in this room were made of richly polished marble, carved with intricate patterns of leaves and knots. Even the furnishings inside were different. While outside, through the dormitories and even the library Holtek practically lived in, every sitting or standing was well worn and even better used. In here, however, the walls were lined with chairs and lounges of fine red leather stamped with the two headed lion seal of the 7th Kingdom of Alagany. At the end of this impossibly large, cool hall was a single person behind an immense stone dining table. Everything about this place was huge, including the decorated Commander himself.
Holtek guessed the Commander was barely a few Winters younger than himself, but sheer size of his shoulders told a different story. No gray peppered the Commanders hair and the only feature that gave any notion to his true age lay in a series of scars on his face that lay imbedded in deep wrinkles around his eyes and mouth. For an agonizingly long moment the Commander didn't even blink. Holtek shifted uneasily as he stood at the end of the table.
"Sit" the command boomed around the room shaking Holtek from his paralyzing fear. Instantly Holtek sat crosslegged on the floor as if this was nothing less than what was expected from him. "In a chair you fool, there are plenty here." The Commander glowered in the direction of the nearest chair to the table. Holtek scrambled to his feet and tugged at the unusually heavy chair, its legs screeching miserably across the marble floor until it came to a halt at the table.
"I see you've been trained to use kinesis yet you insist on doing things the hard way." The Commander's frown rose slightly, giving him an expression less of pure hatred and more of slightly perturbed. "I like the frugal way you handle your energies."
In all honestly, the fact that Holtek could have easily used makkis to move the chair to him never crossed his mind until right then. He wasn't about to tell the Commander that, however.
"I like to gauge those I'm speaking to by how they handle minor hardships. It has been many a season since a man possessing any power at all physically tried to move that chair farther than a step or two. Take a look under the chair for a moment." Holtek did as he was told and found three iron bricks had been welded to the underside of the chair, no doubt adding a good 75 lbs to the already heavy, sturdy chair. "You know, there has only been once I was truly bested by someone using the chair trick. An Androgen, of all things. The Zchi-taking creature walked all the way to the other side and picked up another chair to bring to the table. To this day I have no idea whether or not the Androgen knew the nearest chair was weighted." The Commander appeared to relax a bit, stuffing a long pipe with silverleaf before proferring it to a politely refusing Holtek. "Now, please tell me what brings you here in my presence." It was as if a switch had been flipped. Suddenly the Commander was jovial.
"Well, Commander, sir." Holtek struggled to steady his voice as he spoke."I have been a member of the 7th Kingdom's Makkis Soldiers Unit for many Winters. I came to this place with an express purpose in mind and I had hoped that I would be able to accomplish my purpose as one of your soldiers yet I barely see the light of day anymore. I'm not getting any younger and I never seem to find myself assigned anywhere aside from the library."
"I am full aware of the purpose you speak of, Master Holtek." the Commander took in a deep breath from his pipe, holding the smoke in his lungs for a time before exhaling slowly. "You really should try this silverleaf. My help claims the smoke makes me less irritable and insufferable." Holtek blinked, anxious to get back to the heart of the discussion. "Oh right, right, your mission. Take heart, young master, I know the true mission in your heart, not the blanket "I want to see the world" refuse every young soldier spits at me upon enlisting. You want to find a certain young man, if in indeed this young man is even alive. You only have memories of him as a dying infant." The Commander puffed on his pipe again as if allowing his words to sink into Holtek's head. "But I can assure you, against all odds he is alive. It is this boy we must find before even another battle is fought on Mafaeri soil." Holtek, burdened by Winters of guilt over an incident during a standard supplies raid in a harbor town in the Northlands, perked.
"You shouldn't feel so sorry over such a routine raid." The Commander said. It was difficult to say if the large man's tone was mocking or a genuine attempt at empathy. "Women so far along in their Burdening can scarcely hold a child through a tough storm, much less a troop of soldiers exploding into their town." Holtek suddenly brought back the image of the woman lying in the corner bleeding, muttering in insanity over a blanket without even meeting her attackers' eyes until the very last soldier turned away from her. It was Holtek who had left last, who heard the only intelligible thing she had to say to them. You would do well to pray to whatever Creator you bow to that this child never sees the morning sky. Otherwise, know this. There will be a man among thieves who will steal the blight from our warring hearts and set things right. But not before I am suitably avenged.
Normally this would have been easily ignored as the empty threat of an angry dying woman, but something about the way in which she spoke those words troubled him. They weren't words out of anger, or even any kind of fear, but out of simple knowledge, as if she were teaching him a lesson in combat.
"This exchange between you and this woman leaves you as the only soldier with an imprint of the parentage of this child. There has been talk of a strange boy travelling the countrysides and I have been advised that he bears a resemblance to the folk of the Northlands. The coincidences are far to great to number in this once sitting, and even more are withheld from even me. This is why I am appointing you to the task of finding this boy and bringing him to me. You have as many men, women, arms at your disposal as you feel necessary. In return, I expect your full alliegience to the Father from here on. If you balk at even the slightest order from your superiors you will be swiftly dealt with."
Holtek bowed deeply, hiding the flushing excitement growing in his cheeks, and quickly scurried out of the room.
"Come to me before the Solstice Festival with a plan of action and I will accomodate you generously." The Commander called. Holtek could almost believe the large man was chuckling softly as he shut the door.
