They were informed of the coming test a week to its arrival: The Test of self.
No information was given, not a single detail was offered by anyone. The older children claimed it was different for each person. But one thing they all had in common was the fact that they all seemed reluctant to talk of it, and always seemed saddened by the memory it seemed to summon.
Priestess Emeril had added a new regime to their training with the introduction of throwing knives. She hung a piece of wood from a high point and let it dangle, expecting them to hit the mark on the wood. As expected Sethlzaar proved himself the best, hitting the mark more times than his brothers.
"Do not strike at where it is, but at where it will be," she told them. It was similar to what Father Karnamis had taught them in hunting animals in the wild. They weren't always in place when hunted. Sometimes they would have to chase their prey and put it dow
The hall back was long, demarcated by constantly repeating archways that went on forever.It was new to Sethlzaar, and he had no memory of ever being in this part of the seminary. In fact, neither was the room he had stepped out of. But what caught his attention was the ever present mist that spanned the floor, covering it so that his feet disappeared beneath it. He was surprised it hadn't overrun the seminary.The test had taken up the whole day, but the darkness proved more of a shock. The night was pitch black, without star or moon.Sethlzaar increased his pace and soon found himself in a panicked run as the darkness seemed to chase him. The archway went on forever, heralding something new with each passing. The mist rose above the ground. It wetted the calves of his trousers, and crawled up his knees.Then he heard it. The growl, accompanied by the sound of paws on the ground.
A month after the test of self they grew out of their induced silence. Sethlzaar, growing out of his earlier, maintained the silence not to offend his brothers.The month saw him awake at night to the sounds of cries and sudden night terrors, and the occasional creaking consolation of Soartin or Canabi's bed. Surprisingly, the darkness visited his dreams the least now. Notwithstanding, their training continued under the priests, their performance showing obvious progress, though tainted by whatever haunted them; residues of the test.It was a month and two weeks after the test that a new dread haunted them. Everyone had grown out of the test and returned to their daily lives, but Canabi always seemed to pretend to have grown out of his. Sethlzaar often caught him staring at nothing, lost in thoughts as they engaged in friendly banter before they were required to put out the light.One night, while returning from his esca
Ordan led Sethlzaar through the keep, and Sethlzaar, knowing the path, understood exactly where they were headed.Priestess Emeril was present in The Monsignor's chamber when they entered, and Sethlzaar had no preconceived notion of what was to transpire.Shrowl sat at his seat with the same blank expression and piercing eyes Sethlzaar knew him for, saying nothing as he leafed through the book before him. The books had grown in numbers since the last time Sethlzaar was here, and the three swords stared at him from their place behind the Monsignor."VI Sorlan," Shrowl finally addressed him after a period that seemed to go on for too long. "Priestess Emeril believes you have a talent with the bow. And she should know; she has a talent with it herself."Sethlzaar offered no response.As if disappointed at his absence of response, Genebac Shrowl sighed. He rubbed aging fingers agains
Sethlzaar woke in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat. Making his way out of the tent, he strolled around, finally coming upon a flame where a few adults were gathered, amongst whom was Sister Emeril, drinking and laughing and sharing tales.Avoiding detection, he wandered into the forest, finding a more serene and encompassing silence. Unlike the Seminary, where the silence seemed dead, this one seemed very much alive, almost as though it stayed awake with him. So alive did it seem that he felt he could hear it should he listen closely enough. Satisfied with his escape, he returned just in time to find Emeril asleep in the tent, wrapped only in a blanket, her curves evident. He found himself lost in its hypnotism with every slight movement she made in her slumber.Before dawn he made his way to the smithy in time to catch the blacksmith opening it. Making his way inside, Sethlzaar found his wood and blade unmoved from where he had left them.As the sun climbed to its peak, it f
Unlike their journey from the seminary, their journey back was eventful, filled with conversations and laughter, something Sethlzaar knew would end the moment they arrived at the seminary.From the moment they walked through the portcullis Sethlzaar found himself looking around for any sign of his mates as they made their way to the Monsignor's chambers. The meeting was brief and he was made to leave behind his metal bow, the last words of the Monsignor to him as he left being: "You are not a first bow till the day you become a priest of the seminary. And speak what you have seen to no one."...Maybe because you look like you have a lot of secrets, Canabi's words replayed in Sethlzaar's head, and he couldn't help but think secrets would make up the most of his lifeSethlzaar's mates welcomed him with a flurry of back claps and cheers save Cenam who had saved him a full and complete hug. Narvi, on the other hand,
The breeze brushed against his skin. The atmosphere, hot as the sun made it, did nothing to dry the sweat that soaked more than his face. The dry air grated at his nostrils with each intake of air and his lungs expelled them with a labor telling of their hate for it. They were clearly not designed for these parts of Ayla.Valerik rode through the dry and dusty lands of the southern villages of Umunari, far beyond the borders of the realm. This had been one of the reasons he had chosen the class of evangelist prior to his ordination. Scouring the reaches of Ayla, he met peoples he had not known existed. He doubted any other evangelists had gone as far from the realm as he had without express orders from the church.Rive picked up dust with each step but Valerik ignored it, knowing his destination lay not too far from where he was. He had passed through the village twice before, but then, he had stayed a full year. Today, however, he would onl
The child ran to Valerik and wrapped her arms around his neck. There she dangled till he held her. If the child had screamed any louder he would have needed to check his ears."Be quiet!" Okola chided the girl. "Your voice very loud!"Valerik settled the girl on the floor and she let him go. He looked down at the girl and she beamed back. It was strangely prideful to see how much she'd grown in the time he'd last seen her. She had only been seven when he'd met her."Dimma," he said. "How are you?""I'm fine. I've missed you." She spoke the realm tongue more fluently than Okola, and Valerik had a feeling that though he spent the better part of eleven months teaching it to her, her retained fluency in it was credited to the elder.Dimma had been the reason he'd crossed paths with the chief priest. He had met the girl in his last visit, a touched, which was rare in the village
The day after his return, Sethlzaar, taking permission from Father Ordan, made for the smithy of the seminary. It lay far to the west of the compound as a boundary between the grey towers and those not just brothers of the seminary but brothers of the church. On the outside it was made of stone, like the towers and buildings in the compound. Its insides, however, reminded Sethlzaar of the seminary vaults beneath the keep.Father Sigael asked no questions when he entered the smithy. The room proved hotter than that of Naelii's in the Sarkish forests and the priest put him to work on the forges almost immediately. When he'd worked with Naelii, his muscles had ached from never having been used in such manner but they seemed to have grown accustomed to the work in their might."Been in a forge before, have you?" Sigael asked him after a moment of observation."Yes, Father."The priest scratched his jaw.