Chapter 1

I tossed and turned over and over again. ‘It’s just another nightmare’, I told myself. I pulled off the satin sheets and stretched my legs and arms in an attempt to wake up from my restless slumber.

‘Is it morning already?’ I rubbed my eyes and leaned to the right side of my bed to peer out the window. Beyond the window I could the sun and guessed that it had probably been up for several hours by now.

I gave one final yawn and began to stand, immediately searching for the shirt I wore last night. Looking over to my desk, I found a long, white sleeve shirt that looked suitable enough to wear until I decided to bathe later on.

Suddenly there was knocking at the door. Pulling the shirt over my head, I staggered and stumbled as I made my way to the front door. I had an unfortunate feeling that I knew what the news would be, and so I took a deep breath before turning the handle.

As the door slowly slide opened I found myself looking at a familiar face. He was little older than me, but his face already showed a few wrinkles and lines that occurred after several years of war. I was surprised at how much had changed since I had last seen him; it had only been a few months by then.

It was odd to see him out of uniform for the first time. Today he wore a long, purple overcoat over a white, button up shirt. He also wore long, black boots that almost came up to the knees of his white dress-pants.

A big smile crossed his face as he opened his arms in greeting, “Jacob! How to nice to see you once again.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at such a greeting. After all; I did have a good idea what this was about, and it was going to be a request that, as unpleasant as it was, I could not refuse.

I nodded in response to his greeting. “Samuel, it’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”

His smile widened. “Yes…it certainly has.”

There was a moment of silence as he eyed me from head to toe. Then he spoke up once

again. “I’m glad to see that you have been doing well.”

            I looked at the floor and nodded in reply. There were many things that I could say on the subject, but I felt that it was best left alone. It would bring back too many memories that I didn’t want to deal with…especially with company around.

Sam kept his quiet as though he knew what I was thinking. After a few seconds he held out his hand. I looked up to see that he had a note for me. It had the stamp of the king on it, so I knew that it had to be important.

“Thank you,” I muttered as I slowly grabbed the note. I quickly ripped open the envelope and pulled out the letter.

A part of me almost didn’t want to open it up. I knew what it was going to say. It would start by saying, ‘we appreciate your past services and are glad to hear that you are in good health’ and end with something around the words ‘your services are required at such and such time at such and such place.’

Samuel looked at me with an honest expression of concern. “We could use your help, Jacob.”

I looked up at him, the sadness of my heart plainly showing in my eyes. He paused for a few seconds to let his words sink in.

“Jacob, not many people are blessed as you. Your gift…that blessing…saved the lives of many men once, and such talents may prove to save the lives of countless others in the future.”

I shook my head. “It was a miracle that I survived my last battle, Sam. Why would I rush off in the hopes of having the same miracle happening again?”

Sorrow crept upon Amos Samuel’s face. Of all the people I had fought with over the years, Sam was the person whom I had become closest to. Certainly that would explain why they sent him to my house that morning.

Sam nodded in agreement. “I know, Jacob. I know. It’s not easy to get back on the battlefield after having a close encounter. I know that I had doubts for a little while myself.”

I studied his face to see any signs of lying; there were no signs of deception to be found.

“..But the truth is that life goes on, Jacob. Many warriors survive one battle only to go and fight another.”

I chose not to reply. I knew that he was right, but that didn’t make it any easier for me to accept. I was fortunate to be alive, and the last thing I wanted to do was go back risk losing it again.

Samuel nodded and remained quiet for a few moments. I could tell that he was desperately trying to avoid a fight. “People die, my friend. So are the fruits of war. One man’s death is another man’s salvation, and the end of one war only leads to another.”

I laughed hysterically at the irony of which he spoke. I knew that he was right, and yet a part of me still didn’t want to accept the truth.

“Yeah…I guess you’re right.”I replied in a low tone.

Sam leaned in and whispered, “Jacob, even if you aren’t willing to fight for your own self, at least fight for the rest of us. Surely you must have someone out there whom you care about; someone worth fighting for.”

I slowly moved my head up and down. ‘Damn him’ was the first thought that came to mind. Yet again I knew that he was right.

My head was down, my eyes not moving from the piece of parchment in my hand. I didn’t want to think about what was going to happen. I knew I was going back to war, but war was not my thing. I was always a lover, not a fighter.

Sam, seeing my hesitation, put his hand on my shoulder and spoke in a warm, almost fatherly tone, “I know that you feel like you have no choice, but the truth is that you always have and that you always will.”

I nodded my head. I knew that this wasn’t a battle I was going to win. Whenever the government calls upon someone, they are rarely, if ever, refused. “Very well, then. I will accept their request.”

Sam bowed in thanks, a genuine look of appreciation spread upon his face. After a moment he slowly straightened himself up and said, “I thank you. I know that you don’t wish to rely on sheer luck to save you once again, but you won’t have to worry this time.”

I gave him a curious look and waited for him to continue.

“You have never been trained in the art of Magic…and so it has been decided that you will be trained before you enter the battlefield once again.”

Shock almost left me speechless, but I quickly composed myself. “And who would be the one training me?”

Sam smiled as he replied, “Master Markus will be your teacher.”

Markus? I knew this name. He was well known around the kingdom as a Master Mage and one of the leaders of the Circle of Magisto, a group of mages that oversaw the training of virtually every recruit who is trained in the art of Magic. They also made ruling on what spells were and were not allowed to be used by citizens within the confines of the city, making them the authority of magic in our small kingdom.

I nodded my head. “Then it would be my honor.”

Samuel bowed once again. “Then I must be leaving. Do take care of yourself.”

I gave a small chuckle. “Of course. And you do the same.”

A devious yet confident smile crossed his face. “Always…”

He turned and walked off. Before I shut the door I took one last look at my friend as he made his way to his horse. Something told me this would be the last time I saw him, but I didn’t know why…

 

……………………………………………………………………………………………

 

I couldn’t help but feel nervous as I pulled into the city on my steed. It had been a long time since I had been here. In fact, I had made it a point to avoid going here with the exception of visiting Sam.

As much as I hated the craziness that was cities, it always amazed me how beautiful this particular one was. Looking around, there were dozens of merchants and traders and common citizens that filled the streets. All around I was surrounded by buildings that were a pearl white. Most of these buildings were well kept, standing a few stories high.

However, the most beautiful sight of the city lay just ahead of me, past all of the smaller buildings and rambling people. The Circle of Magisto remained in the largest and grandest building of all.

The city itself was made into three different sectors and levels. The first level, the one I was in, was for the common merchants and had many small, wooden buildings for people to buy and sell items.

 Going up, the second level was where the government had large building where they held important meetings. Publicans and other officials could often be found strolling through the vast gardens or brick streets during most of the day. It was hard for me to believe that I had practically lived here when I was serving as a personal guard for some of the officials.

Last, but not least, the third level was completely devoted to the castle of the Circle of Magisto. Though it was the smallest of the sectors, it was, by far, the most beautiful and roomy. In the middle was the stone castle. It was not as big as most castles in our land, but it still took up most of the third sector.

I pushed on my reigns and urged the horse to pick up the pace. I was almost at the second level now, which was proving to have a fair incline from the first level because of dirt ground switching to brick for the second sector. Looking towards the clock that was located just within the second sector, I could see that it was almost mid-day.

A few minutes later I arrived at the entrance. This particular sector had a giant gate and was fenced in to keep it separate from the others; not that they needed it with the callous looking guards outside Clad in silver plate armor, they had their pikes ready at hand as I approached.

A guard to my right cleared his throat and spoke. “Aye, there. What would be your name?”

Bowing as best as I could on the horse, I replied, “My name is Jacob. I received word yesterday that I am to train under Master Markus of the Circle of Magisto.”

I then handed the guard the note I received yesterday, which he promptly studied several times over. Agreeable enough, but probably not fully convinced, the guard waved his hand as signal to let me pass. The other guards immediately rushed off to open the gate.

I trotted away chuckling to myself. I couldn’t help but think that the head guard took his job just a little too seriously…

 

As I continued to ride on the horse up to the small castle, I couldn’t help but look around. I was entranced at the beautiful scenery around me. The shrubs and trees that surrounded the place gave it such a warm feeling; one that reminded me of home.

Finally coming out of my daze, I looked at the building once again to see a handler. I then dismounted from my horse and handed him the reigns, my focus now on the mission ahead. There was much work to be done, so I knew I didn’t have much time to keep gawking at the scenery.

I walked up a small group of stone steps and found myself looking directly at the front door. Until this point I had never seen such a sight. Even bigger than the gates out front, these mammoths were made of made of a peculiar type of stone. The stones were a dark grey in the shaded spots and a bright red in the lighter areas, giving me an array of colors as I passed them by.

Located to the side of the doors were two more guards. These guards were unlike the ones I had met earlier, though. They wore white robes rather than dark, plated armor, and their only weapons were the daggers at the side. Looking into their eyes I could see that they were less tense than the guards at the gate; a sign that they were much better trained than the others.

            Without saying a word or asking for documentation, the guards took a few steps back and opened the door for me. I quickly bowed and nodded my head in thanks before moving forward. Curious as to why they were virtually unarmed, I took a quick look at their daggers when I passed on by. I didn’t get a very good look at them, but I did see the glint of a ruby on their handle. These guys were definitely well trained mages.

After a few more steps I decided to take myself another look. On the back of their robe was the symbol of a red owl. The owl was enclosed between two half-circles, on the top and the other on bottom; the top part being black and the bottom one being white.

I then turned my attention to the hallway that I was walking down. Just a few yards from me I could see the entrance to the main room in the building. There was no doubt in my mind that the next room was going to be an impressively large one.

And man was I right! As I entered the room I had to consciously shut my mouth to keep from gapping. The room had four large sets of stairs. Each staircase went up a particular side of the room until they eventually came to the ceiling. At times they even overlapped and crossed as they snaked their way to the top.

The outer parts of the staircases were made from a golden brass that still shined after all their years of use. Inside the railing were metal bars that were formed into the shape of a serpent-like dragon that twisted in an upward direction. The floor tiles were made of a sleek, white limestone. As I looked at them I wondered if someone would be more inclined to slip than continue forward as they stepped upon them.   

Trying to gather all of the sites in at once, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. I mean, how in the world could anyone find their way around in a place like this? There must be a million rooms here, and I didn’t even know where to start looking to find Master Markus.

I sighed at looked up once more to see if there was anyone around, but it was to no avail. Hoping that there might be a good echo in the room, I called out, “Hello! Is anyone here?!” My voice reverberated several times over, but no one seemed to hear me. Deciding that it would be a good idea to ask one the guards, I turned around to see if they were still there.

And there was already someone behind me!

I jumped back in surprise. I didn’t hear anyone come up behind me and I knew that no one had come down the stairs. How in the world did he sneak up on me?

The man smiled back at me with a big grin. He had a trim, brown beard that outlined his face. His hair was a medium length that came down to the middle of the forehead and his sideburns connected with his beard to give him an appearance that was both somewhat young and wise.

Under his eyes were the outlines of bags; a sign that he was probably somewhere around middle age. Looking to his forehead, I could see some very deep wrinkles. Yes, I was almost positive now; he was either middle-aged or quite the worrier.

I did my best not to gap at him, but my surprise did not wear off quickly. Never before had I seen someone who could pop up in mid-air. At least it seemed that he might have suddenly come out of the air…

Seeing that I was too dumbfounded to respond, he introduced himself. “You would be Jacob?”All I could do was nod in reply.

He stuck out his hand with a smile on his face, but still had a rather stern look in his eyes. “I’m Markus. I’ll be your trainer in the fine art of Magic.”

I cleared my throat and replied in the best manners that I could muster. “Nice to meet you.”

He studied me for a few seconds. Eyeing me from head to toe, I couldn’t help but feel exposed; almost see-though. I did my best to shake off the chill that was shooting through me. I never like being stared at, nonetheless feeling like I was fully out in the open.

He then nodded as if he just got the answer he was looking for. “So Jacob…what brings you here?”

I thought about it for a moment. Nothing seemed to come to mind at first. In fact, no immediate reason came to mind at all.

Realizing that I couldn’t come up with a quick answer, he then asked, “Are you here because you were told to? Were you forced to come, or was it of your free will?”

I chuckled to myself. I couldn’t help but think that it was slightly true that I was not here of my own free will. Beyond Sam’s convincing speech, I had a feeling that there would be repercussions for refusing to join. Rumor had been going around about people being imprisoned for refusing the government’s “request”.

I then shook my head. “I am here to learn magic, Master; nothing more, nothing less.”

He laughed at my comment. Apparently I was quite amusing to him. I hoped that would change….and soon.

            Nodding, he replied, “Very well then, young one. You have passed the second test. You may follow me to our training quarters.”

            Second test? I didn’t even know that there had been a first one!

            Master Markus chuckled at my confused expression as he walked over to the nearest staircase. Turning towards me, he answered my question by saying, “The first one was sensing me behind you.”

            I thought about it for a moment. It was, indeed, true that I didn’t hear him approach me. Turning around and seeing him was the only way I found out he was there, but something inside me made me want to  even before I turned.

 As I continued to ponder about it, I thought that sensing him was still a small possibility, but not likely. In fact, I was beginning to think that I might have had more talent for this magic thing than I had already though. Maybe I did really sense him after all.

            Or maybe it sheer dumb luck…

            In any case, I didn’t have too much time to think about it before he was making his way up the steps. I immediately followed, nearly tripping on the first stair. I could only imagine how impressed Master would have been if that had actually happened.

            Yes, my imagination was going wild with a scene of someone asking Markus about me.

‘So Markus; how did the training go? Is Jacob really as talented as they all say?’

            ‘Oh yes, very talented indeed! He busted his head open just trying to walk up the first step.’

            ‘Hah! I mean…that’s a shame…’

            I shook my head in an effort to keep my imagination from going any further. I was clumsy, but I didn’t plan on dying that easy.

            I was hoping to make it up at least two steps first…

           

Climbing and climbing, we finally made our way to the top. I could hardly breathe after so many steps, but Markus didn’t seem bothered in the slightest. I was hoping that my exhaustion had to do with me not being used to walking stairs very often. It was only a few weeks ago that I was fit for the battlefield. In this case, however, I was battling the staircase, and somehow I was losing quite horribly.

Markus lead the way to a room that was located just off the staircase. He opened the door and motioned for me to lead the way. I reluctantly followed orders and went past him.

I was amazed at how big the room was. I was expecting something fair sized, if not somewhat small, to be located on one of the upper levels of the castle. However, to my surprise, this way was about half as large as the room on the main floor that had lead us to the staircases.

The room was completely empty, save for a few swords that were being displayed on the walls and several sets of bookshelves. The walls, beyond the sword displays, were fairly bland and were painted a color that was identical to pale skin.

The ceiling, by contrast, proved to be the most interesting part of the room. Just like the picture on the backs of the guard-mages that I saw earlier, it had a painting of a red Owl. The only difference here was the background, which was a large tree full of leaves and branches, making the owl look as if it were resting on a tree. There were still semicircles above and below the owl, but they appeared much smaller in this picture. Had I not seen them on the backs of the guards earlier, I might not have noticed them at all.

Master Markus stepped in front of me and looked me sternly in the eyes. I got the impression that he was still looking for an answer.

“I assume that this is the first time you have been in this room.”

I nodded sheepishly in reply, my concentration slowly falling back on Markus instead of the immaculate painting.

“Then you should know that this is a very important room. In here, many mages have been personally trained by members of The Circle. It is an honor that is only bestowed on a select few.”

Continuing to nod, I looked around once more. The room didn’t look very old, but I got the impression that it was just as old as any other room in the place.

“Jacob, I am going to be honest with you. I know that I was ordered by the others to train you, but I will still refuse to train anyone whom I do not find fit.”

Fear came upon me. I was hoping that he wasn’t referring to the stairs…

“I won’t make this hard, though. You’ve already passed two of my three tests, so you only have one to go.”

Ah, crap! I was lucky on the first two, but I didn’t know how much longer that would last.

“So, if you would, all you have to do is tell me one last thing. It will be nothing more than a simple test of your memory.”

I slowly shrugged and replied, “Okay.” I had a bad feeling that I knew what he was going to ask.

He took a deep breath, his eyes firmly locked onto me. “What exactly happened? I’ve heard several different versions of what should be the same exact story. I have come to a few conclusions with the similarities that I’ve heard, but I think it would be best to hear it from the source himself.”

The words didn’t come to me at first, but within moments I was flooded with memories of that day. Memories of what many called valor. Memories of what many thought was an amazing amount of talent and luck, if not an all-out miracle.

Memories that I would rather have forgotten but had no choice other than to tell…