The HaRT Knight Decaverse

Heir of Magic

Chapter 28

Graduation

Alexander hit the sand and tumbled backwards down the dune, the stack of scorpenox shells following behind. When he finally came to a rest at the bottom of the dune, he sat up straight; the page crumpled in his fist.
“You son of a—you could have just asked me instead of pushing me,” Alexander yelled, but the dimensional gate he had fallen through was already gone.
He wanted to curse in frustration with Silver, but at that moment the sound of drums and celebration from behind him demanded his attention. He turned to see the Palace of the Pride a stone’s throw away. His curiosity devoured his frustration and anger and he turned from the pride village to stare up at the top of the dune where he had appeared. That was dimensional traveling, Alexander thought. No one has known how to do that for centuries. It seems every time I meet that silver-eyed bastard I end up with more questions.
Alexander got to his feet and walked to his pile of scorpenox shells before making his way to the Palace of the Pride. It took only a few minutes to reach the golden cavern leading towards the village and to see the procession of pride warriors waiting for him. They stood still and rigid on either side of the liquid gold hallway, their backs to the cavern walls. When Alexander reached the first two in the procession, they both roared and sent two arcs of fire into the sky. The rest of the procession mimicked the same act of roaring and blasting fire into the air as Alexander made his steady way to the village. At the end of the procession, Chaka stood alone, waiting to welcome his student.
“Where have you been, lad? Our scout said he saw you topple a scorpenox king before you fell into a pit,” Chaka said.
“That explains the massive search and rescue party out there looking for me,” Alexander said sardonically, his one eyebrow raised.
“The rest of the village wanted to go look for you, but I knew our time would be better spent preparing your graduation feast,” Chaka said. In a softer and more earnest tone, he said, “I believed in you. I knew you would be back and that a little fall wouldn’t stop you.”
“Now,” Chaka boomed out, formal again. “My student, your test is over. Have you bested the desert and brought back the spoils of war?”
Alexander stood a little straighter, held up the stack of cut-up scorpenox shells, and said, “I have slain the scorpenox king and brought back the proof, but we cannot best the desert. She is not a foe to defeat, but a teacher from whom we must learn. She has taught me much and even revealed to me the truth—” he paused for dramatic effect “—I am the Phoenix King.”
A palpable silence spread through the crowd for a second before an almost electric mixture of shock and excitement rippled through the surrounding crowd. The people of the pride all fell silent a second later as a roar emerged from behind Chaka, louder and more powerful than any of the others. Chaka stood aside and Chief Dieba stepped forward. “You have accepted your destiny as Phoenix King, and with that, I not only mark you as one who has passed his test, but as the champion of the pride,” Chief Dieba said, his powerful voice seeming to be the only sound in all of the desert. “When the time comes, Phoenix King, that you must face the Fallen One, call upon the People of the Pride, and we shall march beside you, to war.”
As one, the entire population of the People of the Pride—from old men to little girls—roared their approval and agreement with their chief’s words.
This continued for a long while until Dieba raised a hand and everyone fell silent immediately. “The day will come when the Phoenix King will have the aid of the pride, but for tonight, we feast!” Leaning in close to Alexander so he could whisper in his ear, the chief added, “As the guest of honor, you sit with me tonight.”
As everyone hurried towards the village square to get good seats, Alexander followed Chief Dieba until he ran into Dante and Merrick.
“It’s about bloody time, brother. I passed my test three days ago,” Merrick said with a beaming smile.
“Sorry, I took the scenic route,” Alexander smiled back.
“There’s a scenic route? How is that possible, there isn’t anything but sand for miles in every direction?” Merrick said.
“Well done, my lad. I am so proud,” Dante interjected.
“Thanks, Dante.” Alexander smiled. He looked around to see if anyone was listening, then whispered, “I met him again. The silver-eyed man.”
Dante rose an eyebrow at this but shook his head. “We’ll talk about it later. Come on, everyone is waiting for you.”
Alexander nodded. He took a seat next to the Chief on the small raised platform in front of the fire. When everyone settled down, Chief Dieba stood up again, balancing himself on his spear that now served as a cane.
“The time for speeches will come later, my children. For now, let’s feast,” he said in his powerful, ancient voice.
Servers appeared, carrying trays laden with sweet and juicy meat. The People of the Pride laughed and talked amongst one another as the feast went on through the night. A crowd who listened to his series of amusing anecdotes and jokes soon surrounded Merrick, literally roaring with laughter every few seconds. Dante listened to Geteye who had moved to sit among the people as soon as the feast began and who looked like he was reminiscing about times long past.
“Where is Chaka, Chief?” Alexander asked when he realized that his teacher was nowhere in sight. Surely it is expected of the one who trained me to be present for my graduation.
“Oh, he is preparing the last part of tonight’s celebration. Usually, someone else would have handled it, but in this case, only he can manage,” the Chief said as he bit into a piece of meat.
“Oh,” Alexander said, wondering what the Chief was referring to.
“I must admit, boy: your timing is impeccable,” Chief Dieba said.
“Why do you say that, sir?” Alexander asked.
“One of our scouts spotted a small group of travelers a day or two’s ride away. I believe this to be the escort of your next teachers, the ones master Dante has written to, to request an escort to the Hanging City,” the Chief explained. “They should arrive somewhere tomorrow. Just in time for the Rite of Surpassing.”
“The what?” Alexander asked. He had thought all his tests were over and done with.
“The Rite of Surpassing. Don’t worry; this is more a test for Chaka than you.”
“What do you mean, a test for Chaka?” Alexander asked.
“As pride, we believe that the only way you were a good teacher is if your student surpassed you. So, tomorrow, you and Chaka will face off in a pyroturgy duel. If you win, the village will revere Chaka as a good teacher and therefore someone who might be worthy of becoming chief himself one day. But if Chaka wins, however, the village will see him as a failure.”
“But if losing assures him his honor, who’s to say he won’t let me win?” Alexander asked.
“What? No one born as a member of the pride would ever do anything so dishonorable,” Chief Dieba said, sounding scandalized. “Besides, the elders will watch closely. If they even suspect he is trying to let you win, he will not only fail, but the elders will banish him.”
“So, what you’re saying is: tomorrow I will have to fight Chaka who won’t be holding back at all?” Alexander said, putting down the massive drumstick as his appetite suddenly vanished. Chaka’s skill was much more refined than his, and even though he defeated a scorpenox king, he didn’t think he was anywhere near good enough to defeat someone of Chaka’s skill. And yet, if I don’t defeat him tomorrow, it will cost him any chance of ever following in his father’s footsteps.
Alexander’s thoughts were so fixated on his current predicament, the rest of the feast was nothing more than a blur to him. He was only brought back to reality when Chief Dieba said, “You have to excuse me, My Prince. I am afraid this old body of mine is not what it used to be. I hope you won’t take any offense if I retire to my bed for the night.”
“What? Oh no, of course not,” Alexander stammered.
“Thank you, Prince Alexander. Enjoy your night. I’ll inform Chaka he is to take my place in the rest of the proceedings.”
Amazing, Alexander thought as he watched Chief Dieba make his slow descent from the platform to his hut. Everything about the old lion spoke of someone who had once been the epitome of power. Even Chaka often bragged how his father had once been one of the greatest warriors the pride had ever seen, and despite all that strength and power, Dieba was helpless against the undefeated enemy of all: time. It is the one foe no warrior, no matter how great—Alexander’s thoughts cut off abruptly as he thought back to Daemodemus, one of his teachers in The Golden Spear and the greatest warrior he had ever known.
A weapon the enemy doesn’t know you have is twice as hard to counter in time, Daemodemus’ words rang in his head.
And hidden in his boot was such a weapon, three weapons in fact, which had not been wielded for centuries.
Staring around surreptitiously, making sure no one was paying him any attention, Alexander slipped the page out of his boot and placed it between his legs where no one but he could see it.
Odd, Alexander thought as he looked down at the page. He had crumpled it in his fist as he fell down the dune; he had folded it and stuffed it in his boot, and yet, the page was in pristine condition. The only sign of damage was at the side where it had been ripped out of a book. A book that had to be millennia old, and yet, the ancient writing that covered the page had not faded at all.
As curious as this minor miracle made him, it also caused him to smile. If the page alone was this powerfully magic, then the spells contained in it would be something special. He read:

All thaumaturgy, no matter its source or level, can be expressed in three different forms. This is most evident in the Fairy Heart. As will be explained later, in the section concerning the genesis of life, the Jördai Ladies, like the Shepherd King, are World Hearts (which is to say Magic Sources) that gained sentience. But unlike the Heart of Souls that is the Shepherd King, the energy of the Jördai Heart was out of balance and had to take the form of three separate beings. The lady Arc’han, referred to as the Silver Lady, or Lady of the Lakes, is the embodiment of spring, night, and creation. Aouriel, the Sun Mother or Golden Queen, who is change incarnate, is both summer and autumn, sustainer and changer, she is the ruler of daylight, and the protector of life and all creation. And last, the one called Teñvalded Donn, the twilight Crone who is all that is darkness, death, and destruction. She is winter and ice; she is the absence of light and warmth; she is the end that comes before the new beginning, the darkness before the dawn.
Just as the Jördai Heart took the form of these three beings, so we can separate all thaumaturgy into three forms. Dark magic, which destroys; white or silver magic, which creates; and light magic, which protects or brings about change. Despite what the uneducated would believe, on their own, none of these three forms can be considered good or evil, in fact, one cannot even be seen as greater or better than another. Their merits will always depend on the situation and individuals involved.
Order and chaos are part of all things. Chaos brings destruction, order allows for creation, but only with both can there be change.

Alexander frowned down at the page and turned it around only to be greeted with a series of geometric calculations that were useless without the information that preceded the page in the book. As if it would somehow magically change the contents of the page, Alexander turned it several more times. But no matter how many times he turned it, the contents never changed and it revealed no more information on how the twin chieftains had conjured the three forms of fire in their final test. It was just an anecdote with no actual instructions.
After all that trouble to get it, this page is useless, Alexander thought as he crumpled up the page and stuck it unceremoniously into his pocket. Why go through all the trouble of protecting that.
“What’s wrong?” Chaka asked from behind him.
Jumping slightly at the sudden appearance, Alexander said, “Just tired, I suppose.”
“Then I guess we should get started on the final part of tonight’s celebration so you can get to bed,” Chaka smiled, then gestured for him to stand up.
“My brothers and sisters,” Chaka said in a loud voice that carried through the village and across the desert. “Tonight, we welcome one of our members into the rank of warrior. He is the first student I have ever taught, and I can honestly say, I have never been prouder.
“As is our custom, once a cub becomes a warrior, he is given a spear and pauldron made from the shell of the beast he has slain. However, we have deviated from tradition. Alexander favors the sword above the spear, and with the battles and foes that lie ahead of him, he will need something more substantial than a pauldron.”
With a nod of his head, two female pride members approached, carrying a set of armor made from the scorpenox shell and covered with supple leather.
“Kneel so they can put it on you,” Chaka whispered so only Alexander could hear.
Alexander went down to his knees and held out his arms to his sides. The two women lifted the exquisitely made bell cuirass over his head and pulled the straps tight. As one of them strapped the pair of bracers to his forearms and the other the pteruges around his waist, Chaka said, “Using designs brought back to us from the Steredenn Islands by the pride explorer Nema, we have used the armored fragments of the scorpenox king to create a set of armor that will be stronger and lighter than any made of metal.”
Alexander got back to his feet and felt at the bracer on his left forearm. It fit so perfectly that if he didn’t know better, he would have sworn they had made it by fitting it on him. The cuirass weighed about the same as his chiton. As Alexander ran his hand down the front of the cuirass, he felt that the black leather on the outside was made of a much thicker hide than the more comfortable leather on the inside.
“Just one more thing needs to be added now that you have accepted the title of Phoenix King,” Chaka said. He reached out and placed his right hand on Alexander’s chest. There was a flash of flame and when he removed his hand again, he revealed a crest burnt into the leather, a crowned phoenix with its wings spread wide.
Chaka bowed his head and backed away to allow Alexander to address the rest of the tribe who were all looking up at him with hopeful smiles.
Alexander stepped forward, allowing his instincts to guide him. “You are my brothers and sisters, and this gift is as grand as any I have ever received. But it is not because of its grandness that I will cherish it.” He paused to achieve the desired effect and then added, “It is because it was given to me by my tribe!”
The entire village roared in approval and joy at Alexander’s graceful acceptance of their gift.
“They will be honored if you would demonstrate the power of your pyroturgy,” Chaka said.
Alexander nodded and took a deep breath. He focused on the thaumaturgic energy inside him and for some reason the words from that useless piece of paper in his pocket occurred to him again, Order and chaos are part of all things. Order allows for creation.
He held his hands to his sides and closed his fists as he brought forth the snow-white flames that covered his body and illuminated the entire village with blinding light. Despite the tongues of fire licking at his body, all Alexander felt was a comfortable warmth.
But only with both can there be change.
The white flames that covered his chest shifted and turned gold and Alexander allowed the fire surrounding him to die. It took a minute or two for everyone’s eyes to adjust to the darkness once more, but once they did, murmurs spread rapidly through the village. The crowned phoenix on the chest of the bell cuirass was now made of liquid gold that refused to lose its shape, just like the hallway that led into the palace of the pride. Alexander had also added one more feature to what he knew would from that moment be his crest: in the talons of the phoenix was the crest Dante said had once been his father’s, the five triangles along with the disk and the crescent moon in the center.
“The white fire!” someone in the crowd yelled.
“The golden flames that made the hallway to the palace!” another yelled.
“The Phoenix King!” several people yelled together.
The shouts of awe and excitement grew more and more energetic, and before long the village was roaring as one, the sound so loud that it felt like it vibrated Alexander’s bones. He felt certain that all of Primoris must be able to hear the pride on this night.