Chapter 5
There are many organizations that operate outside the perception of society. Some are branches of government, religious groups, or corporations. Other groups live completely in the shadows. A fraction of a whole organization in the shadows, or the whole hidden behind a staged mask, they all have their own goals and motives, both benevolent and vile.
1st, Igniday, 5648, A.o.t.S.S
I woke to the sound of early morning songbirds. My fists clenched in my blanket as I sank my face deeper into the old, cola-stained couch cushion I’d found in a heap of trash. As the birdsong grew louder, I buried my face deeper into the cushion, cursing venomously.
After five minutes of endless chirping, I threw my head up in defeat. “Fine, fine. I’m up,” I growled. “I swear to the high spires, if you all don’t shut your beaks, I’m going to have you on a spit before day’s end.” I clicked off my space heater, strapped on my knife and quiver, slung my bow over my shoulder, and peeked through the crack in the shack’s door. The Irontusk van was gone, which meant it was safe to leave.
My plan was to cross through town to get to my father’s old hunting grounds. I moved to cut through the park near the center of town to avoid people. I hadn’t seen an ounce of kindness from anyone in these past few months. Since I landed on the streets, the best I had gotten from anyone were racial slurs. The worst had gotten me cracked ribs, gashes, or bruises. I’ve learned to expect nothing kind from strangers.
I moved down the street, dashing from tree to tree, bush to bush. I still had yet to catch an animal, but I was determined to make my first kill today. I passed into the town park, unseen. As I snooped around for half-eaten food, I spotted a target. A mark. On a bench facing west was an Elf, a man with long black hair, relaxing and eating a sandwich. Stealthy as a ghost, I slipped up behind him. I eyed his person and found he had a blood-velvet purse of deckra just under his cloak. I slipped my fingers between the slats of the bench and quickly undid the snaps of the strap holding the purse to his belt. I was about to make a break for it when something caught my nose.
Frankincense? My father had smelled of frankincense. As I recognized the scent, my arms made a slight jerk, enough to cause the coins to jingle. I made to turn and run when I heard, “Ah, ah.”
I froze. I slowly turned to find the owner of the purse looking down at me, his smile full of shark-like triangular teeth in a bronzed face. He was clearly a Wild Elf, his long black hair a wild mess, the sides of his scalp shaved bare. His leaf-green irises were set into hazel sclera. A long scar ran from the base of his right ear down to his chin.
I lunged for an escape, only to find he had an iron grip on the collar of my grimy T-shirt. With unparalleled ease, he hoisted me over the bench and set me down beside him.
“I’ve been waiting for you, boy,” the strange man said in an amused tone.
I looked up at him and couldn’t help but see some of my father in the man. “E-excuse me?” I stammered.
“You’re Iver, right? Son of Fermose? I’m an old buddy of his from back when he was part of the clan. I caught wind that he had… passed. When I heard his son was homeless, I thought I’d help.”
I eyed him warily. “What’s your name, mister?”
“I’m your clan uncle, Thallos Kiem,” he said with a broad grin.
“Okay then, Uncle Thallos,” I said skeptically. “Can you tell me what happened to my father with the rest of the clan?” This was a question my father had me memorize the answer to as a passphrase.
“Your father was exiled from the clan after getting into a fistfight with the clan chief.” Thallos almost looked pained as he said this.
That was the correct answer. This man was here to help. Help me find a home. Maybe even help me find revenge. But first things first. “Uncle Thallos… what I really want to know is anything you can tell me about my mother.”
“I’m sorry to say that Fermose met your mother after he had left the clan. I had only heard of Kella in passing rumor.”
I clenched my fists in frustration. Trying to garner good faith, I raised his purse to him. “Well, Uncle Thallos, what comes next?”
Thallos gently took the purse. He set it in his lap, opened it, and began pulling free coins, only to drop them back in. “I’ve got a question for you before I answer yours.”
“What’s that?”
“If I said you could join a group that was dedicated to changing the world.”
“Change how?” I asked, my tone as wary as my glance.
“Well, that depends on your aptitude. The Order I’m talking about has several sects for a variety of skills: warriors, casters, spies, inventors, and even assassins.”
I looked down into my empty hands for a long moment. “You mentioned warriors and assassins.”
Thallos gave a snort of amusement. “The Order of the Aegis is a place to train real warriors and others bent on changing the world. The Order’s goal is to improve the world, from slaying monsters and saving innocents to designing world-changing technology or stopping wars by killing tyrants.”
The thought of designing things did catch my ear, but I had a mission. “Alright, Uncle, I want to learn. Where do I start?”
“That depends on where you want to start. I can see in your eyes, boy, that you want to fight. If you truly want to learn, this academy will teach you to fight harder and smarter. You can really leave your mark on the world.” As Thallos said those things, my mind latched on to ‘fight harder, fight smarter’. The image of my father’s masked murderer flashed before my eyes, and my will hardened into a razor-sharp resolve.
“I want to learn, Uncle. Where do I start?” His face split into an amused grin as I jumped off the bench and began shadowboxing. “I’m ready. I need to show the world what I’m made of.”
“Whoa there, my little friend. We need to get you tested first. From what I’ve heard, you’re a shoo-in for the apprentice program. But this is eight years of non-stop training, and you may not end up in the martial sects.”
“What? I thought you said I would change the world,” I pressed.
“And you will. But you need to remember there are five sects: warrior, caster, spy, engineer, or assassin. You need to be ready if you don’t get a martial sect.”
“How many years before my sect is chosen?” I asked.
“You will be tested for a year on your talents. At the end of the year, they select your sect based on how well you performed. After you are indoctrinated, you have seven years of specialized training.”
“I don’t care what it takes, Uncle. I will become a warrior or an assassin.”
“Why are you so hell-bent on murder, boy?” Thallos asked, resting a hand on my shoulder.
“I want to catch my father's killer and feed him his own spine,” I snarled.
Thallos just looked at me for a long moment. “Well, aren’t you just a hateful little imp?” That quip drew a jagged glare from me. “Sorry, sorry. I was just noting how bloodthirsty you are. But if you really want to get into a martial sect so bad, I guess I’ll need to teach you how to fight and, more importantly, how to not die.”
“Alright, where is the academy?” I asked, barely holding back my excitement.
“There are several schools. The one you’ll be going to is a week east of here, two weeks given the terrain. We are going deep into the Titan’s Fall mountains. You will attend the school of the Grimmalk.”
I shuffled my feet, throwing a few quick jabs. “I’m ready. Let’s get going so I can prove myself.”
Thallos eyed me from top to tail with a smirk. “How about before we go, we get you some livable clothes, a functioning backpack, and lastly, some damn food?”
Without preamble came a whirlwind of shopping. Thallos bought me two meat pies and a kabob, all of which I downed in moments. He then dragged me to a seamstress. I walked out with five pairs of cargo pants, three T-shirts, two hoodies, and five sets of underwear and socks.
The whole while, I couldn’t help but think back to my New Year’s wish. There was no way some uncle from my father’s past would just jump out of nowhere to help me. Something had to be going on. But if what he promised was true, I’d follow until it didn’t benefit me.
We traveled in a Valcus all-terrain vehicle. When we stopped, we would make camp. Living in the woods was nothing new, but Thallos made it a challenge. Every morning, he gave me an insurmountable amount of physical labor, setting impossible goals like climbing a sheer cliff face. I failed every time. After my failure, Thallos would assault me with a willow switch, making me defend against blow after blow. When I wasn’t defending myself, he made me perform physical training until I broke: one hundred pushups, two hundred and fifty sit-ups, one hundred squats. When I broke down, muscles quaking, Thallos would offer me a salted garlic sausage and a wedge of aged cheese.
Every night, I took the food, only to curl up under Sasha and try to forget reality until the next sunrise. Day by day, my body broke, and the pain mounted. On the final day, Thallos let me sleep in. I awoke near noon, my body somehow feeling refreshed. Had he used Life Myst on me? Thinking back, I think I may have broken a few bones that he healed in my sleep. During those days, Thallos had taught me the basics of martial combat. I showed no talent but learned enough to maybe defend myself.
On the last day, Thallos chased me with a handgun, hurling rubber bullets at me. I ran ahead so far I found a cliff face with a small cavern at its base. I stopped beside the entrance as I waited. Not two minutes later, the Valcus slowly rolled up.
The Wild Elf jumped from the driver's seat. He slipped his hands into his pants pockets, giving me a proud grin. “Here is where we part ways, boy. This is the start of your next tomorrow if you can pass this trial.” He told me to close my eyes, take a deep breath, and offer my hand forward.
I did as I was told. The scents of the mountain were sharper than I thought they could be. The mist from a fresh brook, damp moss, pine, rich and strong. I felt a cold shape fall into my palm.
I opened my eyes to find an enamel pin, no larger than a bottle cap. The iron was crafted into the image of an alien feline head. The creature’s fur was grey with blue-green stripes, its too-large eyes an acidic yellow-green that reminded me of my own. Its ears were massive, ending in large tufts of fur. Its face was sleek and bony, with teeth too long. The whole image was topped with a crown of six silver stars.
“What is this thing?” I asked.
“That is a Grimmalk. Wild, fearsome creatures native to the magic of the dark fae,” Thallos explained.
I mounted the pin to the neck of my T-shirt. “That’s fascinating, Uncle, but why give me the pin?”
“Think of it as a key. Now, make your way through the cave. I’ll find you after the trial.” He gave me a gentle nudge. “Get going. You need to finish this before the sun goes down.”
I had about two and a half hours. My father’s face pressed into my mind. I closed my eyes to stop the tears. Then, the image of the masked man standing over his bleeding body shattered through my memories. My jaw clenched so hard there was an audible creak. My fist clenched as hard as my jaw. I refocused on my goal and pressed into the darkness.
