The Reluctant Mage: Book One in the Zandar Series (20 page)

The next morning, Marko said his goodbyes to the Night Eagles at breakfast. Between talking about the mission and his discovery of magic, it took him over two marks before he could pry himself out of the commissary.

He spent the next mark packing and returning his uniform and kit to the quartermaster. It was strange wearing the House Lazard tunic again. He absently fingered the house badge he wore to signify his rank as a full clerk. This was the first time he had worn his tunic since he had received confirmation from Master Marcus that the House approved his recommendation.

As Le Clerc had instructed him last night, Marko reported to the House Lazard compound. It took him nearly half a mark, since he no longer had the right to commandeer a horse. He noticed that a caravan was preparing to depart. No horses were hitched up to wagons, but several workers were busy loading crates into a few wagons.

He walked over to the main administration building. As soon as his eyes adjusted to the dim room, he noticed a clerk sitting at the reception table looking at him patiently.

“Clerk Marko. I am here to report to Master Maurice.”

“Yes. Master Lemear is expecting you. Please go on up.”

Marko made the climb to the third floor methodically. He did not want to be winded after climbing the three flights of stairs. When he approached Maurice’s office, the door was open. Maurice had his back to the door and was staring out the window.

“Uh. Master Lemear?”

Lemear turned around and smiled broadly when he recognized Marko. “Well met, Clerk. Remember, Maurice is fine. I received a note from Colonel Green reporting on your performance. You are making a habit of bringing honor to the House.”

“I don’t understand, sir. I was one of the only survivors of an ambush. That hardly brings honor to our house.”

“Surviving when others perished IS noteworthy. Nevertheless, I was referring to your successful performance during your impressment, and mostly to your enrollment into Comte Universite. Do you know how many merchant houses have mages as members?”

“No sir. I guess I never thought about it.”

“We at House Lazard have. There are only three house members that are mages and none are in House Lazard. Well, none until you.”

“But what does it matter, Maurice? Isn’t the Emperor just going to send me back to the army after training like Le Clerc?”

“It matters plenty, Marko. Le Clerc was not in a guild before he went to the Universite. His only profession has been in the Imperial Army. Make no mistake; that is where he belongs. You may not have seen him in action, but all reports are that he is formidable.”

“You are a House member, Marko, from the moment House Lazard confirmed you as Clerk. That means that no matter what role you play if you graduate from Comte Universite, you will always remain a House member.  Let’s just say that gives our House certain access throughout the Imperium.”

“If I graduate? You mean the professors may decide that I am not cut out to be a mage?”

“No. Le Clerc has already made the assessment that you have magical abilities. Marko…not every student that enters the Universite exits on their own two feet. I have never been privileged to enter its grounds, but rumors abound. It appears not every student can control his abilities. Whether students die from an accident due to that lack of control is the real question.”

“But let’s not dwell on the negatives. You have proven your resolve several times since I have known you. Just listen to your professors and don’t do anything reckless. Now, there is a caravan departing in the morning. You no doubt saw the wagons when you entered. We are shipping back used and broken weapons and armor. Although not as profitable, we have a contract to repair equipment with the Army. It is really a service we are presumed to provide to the Emperor.  Journeyman Pollet is in charge. Report to him first thing in the morning. I am sure he will appreciate another sword.”

Marko did not have any duties the rest of the day. He decided practicing his sword work was time well spent based upon his last caravan experience. A run would be a good first step. He remembered his lesson that the best conditioned fighter often wins a battle.

The House Lazard compound did not offer any kind of track, so Marko ran through the gates and into the streets of Sibenik. He soon got into a zone with his run and found that he could relax. He reflected on all the death he had seen of the past year. Starting from the bully in the orphanage through to the ambush outside of Umag, Marko was not sure how he was supposed to process the events. His father often talked about his battles and the many victories of the Empire. That was not the same thing as watching your friends or even enemies die in front of you. He wondered if he had to prepare himself for a life of witnessing if not causing the death of others.

He was pretty sure that being a mage would not help things for him. Even the Inquisitor who visited him at the orphanage was responsible for the life and death of others. What seemed to make it even worse for Marko was that all of those decisions involved citizens of the Empire.
How could Inquisitors go through a life of condemning people to death?
The Inquisitor Marko met was stoic, but did not seem like a bad person. He just seemed to be someone that was going about his job. Maybe that was the answer. Just deal with death like it was part of your everyday job. That seemed plain depressing to Marko.

Marko pushed himself hard during the run. By the time he entered back into the compound, he was drenched with sweat. Somehow, he felt like the hard run helped to purge himself of his recent experiences. He spent most of the afternoon practicing his sword forms. He considered sparring with some of the House guards, but their technique seemed rudimentary. He did not want to spend his afternoon teaching.

He decided to finish his practice by going through one of the most advanced forms he knew. His father called it
zmaj oblik
. The purpose of the form was to practice how to fight many enemies at the same time. It involved very quick lateral movements to allow the fighter to combat one opponent at a time. Marko decided to speed the form up as fast as he could without making a single error in form. As he began to increase the speed of his moves, he felt the familiar heat build up in his chest. Instead of trying to throw it out of his hand, he kept it inside of himself. He instinctively used it as a power source to help him speed up his cadence. After a few minutes, he finished his form with a horizontal cut followed up with a roundhouse kick. He landed perfectly in a defensive stance and focused on his surroundings. All of the guards around him were staring at him with looks of amazement on their faces. That is the last thing Marko saw before he passed out.

Stanac was standing there as usual. This time she was wearing a silver gown. They were in a different place. All around them was a beautiful garden. Stanac looked down at her gown and back up again at Marko, “I see you have progressed in your magic, congratulations.”

“I don’t know about that. I did create a cone of fire. It almost wiped me out.”

“As impressive as that is, I suspect something else. Did you manifest your essence differently?”

“Well, I think that is why we are talking now. I used magic to speed up my sword form. It worked for a while.”

Marko, we discussed this, “anything new will take up essence quickly. The more you train with it, the less taxing it will be for you.”

“I remember; I just forgot. Well, temporarily anyway. Looks like I am going to Comte. That is where they train mages. A mage discovered I had magic.”

“Study hard, Marko, but don’t forget our lessons. No one professor or universite has the complete knowledge I possess. Besides, I know you get lonely.”

Stanac actually smiled.
That was a first.
Marko smiled back. Don't worry. I appreciate everything you have taught me and will be back.

Marko opened his eyes and saw the oak beams of a ceiling above him. They did not look familiar. The ceiling must have been sixteen feet high. Obviously a one story structure. That eliminated most buildings he knew. He turned his head and saw the back of a young woman sitting at a desk. He watched her as she read a book. He noticed there were several cots in the room. He was the only one lying in one.

He decided not to tell her he was awake, until he figured out why he was there. Suddenly he remembered that he had passed out when he finished his sword forms. Was it because he used magic? Sure, he was tired after running and pushing himself during the form, but that would not cause him to lose consciousness.

He decided that looking at the girl was a much better idea than thinking about passing out in front of a bunch of guards. He only hoped that they would not be the same guards on the caravan detail. He did not want to travel with a bunch of people who thought that he was weak.

The girl reminded him of Anne from the Rusted Crown. She had the same color hair and build. Could it really be her? He rolled over to get a better look and the cot squeaked.

The girl immediately turned around. “Finally! I was worried that you would miss supper!”

The girl definitely was not Anne. Her eyes were dark brown and her cheekbones were high. “I am rather hungry. How long have I been out?”

“Some house guards brought you in three hours ago. You were white as a ghost. I will be back. I need to tell someone to notify Lieutenant Le Clerc. He came and visited you about an hour ago.”

Marko laid back down and rested his head on the pillow.
Great. Now what trouble am I in?
Marko drifted off to sleep again.

It seemed like he was only a sleep for a few moments when his arm was gently squeezed. “Wake up, Clerk. You have a visitor.”

Marko slowly opened his eyes to see the girl smiling over him.
Well, she still looks cute.

The nurse stepped to the side and Le Clerc took her place. “I see you survived this one. Didn’t I tell you something about not depleting your reserve?”

“Yes sir, you did. I just forgot. I was practicing a sword form and kinda lost touch with things. I could feel the magic building up inside me. Instead of letting it go with people all around me, I used it to increase my speed.”

Le Clerc sighed. “You are more dangerous than I thought. It is unusual for someone that just discovered their magic to manifest it via speed.”

“What do you mean by dangerous? I made sure that I did not hurt anyone around me.”

“Yes, and I am sure they would appreciate that if they actually knew what happened. By being careful around them, you almost killed yourself.”

“What? But, I was able to channel it to my sword forms. Wouldn’t that make me more effective in a close battle?

“Yes, it would if you only channeled a part of what you could manifest. I believe you actually pulled up more magic than your body could handle. At the end of your form, you created a void of magic in your body; far less than it needed to function effectively. That is why you passed out. Your body shut down.”

“But sir. How was I supposed to know that? I felt fine right up until I passed out.”

“That is why you and all citizens who display magical ability must be taught its proper use. Magic is part of your body now. You need it as much as water to stay alive. You will be taught how to draw upon it, expunge it and most importantly, how to regulate it. If you don’t do the first two properly, you will hurt those around you. If you don’t do the last one, you will eventually die.” 

“Ah, yes, sir. I guess I need to learn this pretty quickly.”

“Yes, you do. You now know your life depends up on it. Now, get some rest. I would not be surprised if you slept the night away.”

Le Clerc was not far from the truth. When Marko woke up again, it was nearly morning. The nurse was gone and there did not appear to be anyone on duty, so Marko dressed and made a quiet exit. He got directions from a baker that was just opening up for the morning to the House Lazard compound. Marko still felt a little weak, so he turned his trip into a leisurely walk. He knew he would make it back in plenty of time to join the caravan.

Marko strolled into the compound just as the sun broke the horizon. There were already several people getting the caravan ready to depart. He headed to his quarters to retrieve his meager pile of belongings. He was happy to see that his Imperial sword was lying on his bed.

“Well I see you have come up in the world, ay Marko?”

Marko turned to see Journeyman Pollett smiling at him. Mark could not conceal his own grin. “Well, sir, if managing to stay alive is moving up in the world, then I guess so.”

“Please, call me Alexander. I hope your stint in the army has not made you too formal. Lemear told me you would be joining us on our shift back to the city. Glad to have you. He also mentioned that your destination won’t be Rau City, will it?”

“Well, Alexander, you see? I am not sure how to say this.”

Alexander’s laughter cut Marko off. “Relax Marko, I heard all about it from Lemear. You are full of surprises. First, you convince me and others to make you part of our house. Then you go off and do magic after we have confirmed you. Do you know what that means for us?”

“Master Lemear said something about it giving the House more connections.”

“Connections. Hmmm. That is a very good way of describing it. Tell me Marko, do you remember my lesson on the merchant houses? Particularly about the Great Houses?”

“I remember you telling us that there were seven Great Houses and that they operated under a charter from the Emperor. Oh, there was something about House Lazard and House Pitre also having offices in Kastav.”

“Good. I did not tell you that those charters may be revoked at anytime. Most commonly, they are de-emphasized as a Minor House. House Murratt was once a Great House. That was before the Emperor discovered that they were selling inferior grain to the Navy. The House lost its charter and the Grand Master his head.”

“The point is that our existence as a Great House is tenuous. We have to perform to the expectations of the Emperor. That is where being a mage is helpful. As a mage, you will be exposed to a different part of the Empire. The mages at Comte Universite are some of the strongest supporters and advocates for the Emperor. As a mage yourself, you will be in a position to educate the mage’s guild as to the performance and value of House Lazard.”

Marko thought about the responsibility Pollet had just put on his shoulders. “But Alexander, how will I know all of the successes of the House? Plus, I will only be a student at the Universite. I don’t think that will exactly put me rubbing shoulders with the high and mighty.”

“My guess is that a way will be found to keep you apprised of House successes. And as to being a student, it is true that there are many students at the Universite. But, most are scholars, not mages. Marko, do you have any idea how rare it is to wield magic?”

“Well actually, I think I do. My Uncle Kris is a professor at Comte. He does not teach anymore but he spoke to me about mage history. He told me that there used to be many more mages in Zandar. He told me that there were only around one in every ten thousand citizens.”

“That sounds about right if a little high. I doubt there are more than three hundred mages in all of the Empire. Last year I overheard a drunk clerk at Murratt house boasting about their man that had just entered Comte. He was one of five mage students accepted that year.”

“Only five? But Uncle Kris once told me there were over a hundred students at the Universite.”

“From what I have been told, there used to be more mage students at the school. Then children with the ability began to drop off. The Universite was forced to accept students with no aptitude just to keep its doors open. They set up individual schools for construction, science and history. Sometimes students from Zandro, the military academy, spend a semester at Comte just to fill out their education.”

“The point of this is to make you understand that there is no such thing as a mere mage student. Although you won’t have the power of an Imperial Councilman, people will listen to you.”

“I am not sure about this Alexander. I mean, I appreciate the opportunity and all, but my dream is to serve the Emperor in our house.”

Alexander laughed. “You still don’t appreciate what this will mean to you. You will be the first reluctant mage in the history of the Empire!”