Prologue, Part I : The Heir
Given the time of day, it was not unusual for John to be found in his room. It was just after noon, the scheduled time of his training. John didn't mind being late to his meeting as he'd prefer to miss it altogether. Hence, he procrastinates until someone arrives to fetch him for his noble duties. John is heir to the duchy of Austrasia, and as such, he must be tutored in manners, court, and sovereign duty, among other things. Most of these are taught by the his father's senechal with the exception of swordplay and nobility magic. Every day, from after lunch until nightfall, John attends his tutoring. The only session he draws any joy from is nobility magic at the end of the day, but only because he enjoys the company of his teacher. Nobles from their early youth are taught magic unique to their noble family. "Anyone with discipline can learn magic," his tutor often said. While this is true, it is hardly known or spoken as that is just the way the nobles prefer it. Thus, their superiority can hold a more physical manifestation.
"My lord, it is past time for today's lesson," the senechal goaded while entering. John sighed and reluctantly went off, led by the senechal to his duties.
Court lessons went as usual: John struggled to understand the purpose and meaning behind the ideals and laws of the duchy. In a formal setting, he felt entirely out of his element. Manners followed likewise. Swordsmanship would have been more pleasurable if he was any good at it. Sadly, he had the finesse of a dead fish. The peerage lesson on knighthood caught only a slight interest. By the time his magic lesson rolled around, John was exhausted, but he drew energy at the thought of spending time with a friend. His magic tutor was the only one of his teachers that was remotely the same age as him, and they got along quite well.
John made his way down to the cellar where the apothecary chamber was located. His teacher almost always got caught up in her work and would invariably show up for lessons late. John began simply meeting her in the apothecary chamber where she would always be found beforehand. Just as he entered, there was a loud shriek. John nearly fell backwards out of shock, but his heart was steadied by the cackling that soon followed from the the source of the scream.
"Goddamnit, Jade. You scared the hell out of me," John panted.
"Oh, John! I didn't expect you to be so early," Jade replied still chuckling as she stroked her dress with a rag. "I didn't expect the potion to foam so much, it practically exploded at me-wait, is it already eight?"
"A little after actually, the senechal brought in a couple knights for peerage, and it went a little late."
"Oh my god, I was supposed to bring another batch of polish to the guard captain like two hours ago."
"Well, it's too late now, the guard captain is probably back at the barracks by now."
"Oh well, I suppose he'll just have to wait," Jade sighed. "Come on, let's get out to the courtyard for your next lesson. We're moving onto something new today."
Thanks to the courtyard's plethora of torches, it was remarkably well lit given the time of day. The east wing was essentially a Roman villa attached to side of the hold. It's courtyard was designated for John's magic lessons due to it's size, but also because there was little there that was not made from robust stone willing to take a hit or two.
Upon their arrival, Jade pulls out a small piece of stone shaped as a perfect cylinder. She set it on the ground and with a wave of her fingers, it grew to a large pedestal. "No, more silly exercises," Jade nodded toward the pedestal. "Today, you're going to begin learning your first remedial combat spell."
"Alright, now what's that stone for then?" John inquired.
Jade smiled as if she'd been waiting for that very question. After motioning for John to step back, she turns to the stone pedestal. Jade lifts her arm, and gives an effortless flick of her wrist. With a loud crack, half the pedestal was rubble, smashed by a visible shock wave that emerged from her hand. John could feel a light breeze in the wake of the spell.
Jade turn to John still smiling, "As you know, your family's nobility magic is wind-based. While this is the most remedial spell of your family's magic, it is also the most useful. Since it is short-ranged and can be cast by a single hand, it can be used in conjunction with your sword. For this reason, we will be learning this spell cast by your off-hand." John looked perplexed by the thought of casting with his left hand alone. Jade continued nonetheless. "This spell compresses the air in front of your hand and casts it as a controlled burst in a specific direction. The more you control and restrict its direction, the stronger it is. Narrowing its focus to directly in front of you, it becomes an air cannon that can break even the toughest of stone or the strongest of armor."
John quickly learned that the spell was not nearly as easy as it looked. By the end of his lesson, John had managed to conjure nothing more than a gentle puff of wind. Jade claimed it was a great start, but it felt like empty encouragement to him. Jade was always encouraging and optimistic which softened much of the frustration John felt when learning new exercises. She often got side-tracked, but that was part of her charm. Learning came slow, but John rarely felt like it was rigorous much in part due to Jade's tutelage.
Prologue, Part II : The Knight
Another boring, tiresome day on patrol, and Dave was ready to go straight to bed. After all, what better way to handle boredom and fatigue than copious amounts of sleep? At least, that was the way Dave saw it. He was sweaty, but his feet hurt from standing in full armor all day, so bed won out over a bath. On his way to his quarters, he spots the guard captain turning the corner walking toward him. Shit. He thought. Just what I need is some more harassment before bed. Maybe I will go for a bath after all. Just as Dave turns around to go the other way-"Strider!" Oh, goddamnit. "A word."
"What is it this time?" Dave exasperated.
"You will speak to your captain with respect."
"Alright, what can do for you?"
"Sir." the captain interjected.
"No reason to call me 'sir,' Captain. I am still your subordinate after all."
"Dammit, Strider! Manners may be difficult for your plebeian mind to grasp, but the duke apparently thought highly enough of you to make you a knight. You could at least attempt to act properly and show your superiors respect! Now, get your ass down to the apothecary and retrieve the polish for tomorrow."
"What for? Shouldn't we already have plenty?"
"We would if your little witch friend had delivered it when she was supposed to. Since you two are so chummy, you can run down there like a good little soldier and get it. Then, when you get back, you will polish the arms; I want to see my face in every sword by morning."
"You can't' seriously-"
"I am entirely serious. And I suggest you get your pretty, little ass down there before I have you flogged for disrespecting your commanding officer."
Dave reluctantly slinked down to the apothecary chamber across the hold to find Jade exactly where he always found her. "Hey, Harley. Where's the polish, you forgo-holy shit, what happened over there?"
Jade spun around to find Dave staring at the mess of solidified foam surrounding the potion basin. "Oh, right. That was supposed to a balm. I dug up an old recipe for this cream that supposedly made the skin temporarily fire resistant, but I didn't have all the ingredients, so I started substituting and-" she trailed off as she motioned to the mess. "Anyway, you came for something? The polish?"
"Yeah, weren't you supposed to drop it off with Captain after dinner?"
"Right, yes, I was. Sorry, I got a little caught up with the balm and all, next thing I knew, it was practically nightfall."
"Well, where is it-the polish? I need to get back down to the barracks and shine the arms so I can get to bed before sunrise."
"No way! It's so late, and you've got the presentation of arms tomorrow. All that standing and marching in full armor, you'll need your sleep!"
"Hence, why we need the arms polished. Now, hurry up, chop-chop, lots of polishing to do."
"Fine, it's over here," Jade grabs a small, cylindrical container from the corner, "but I'm coming with you, it'll get done faster with another pair of hands."
"What? Nah, you don't need to do that. Besides, it's not like you can just waltz into the armory with me, the barracks is off-limits to anyone who isn't a guard."
"Oh, when did you get to be such a stick in the mud? I'll just conceal myself with a spell, and sneak in with you. I'm not taking no for an answer."
"Fine, whatever, but don't blame me if you fall into a cauldron from lack of sleep tomorrow."
"I'm sure some brave, heroic knight will stride along by and notice a damsel in distress. Hmm?" she leads Dave out the door.
"I dunno, Harley. Captain doesn't ever come down here unless he absolutely has to."
Jade jabs him in the side. "I was refering to you, you dork. You may be on patrol for most of the day, but you almost always end up wandering down here somehow."
"What can I say? The lower levels of the hold need patrolling too."
"And I'm sure the guard captain appreciates your 'initiative.'"
"What he doesn't know won't hurt him."
Dave and Jade made their way to the armory without incident. "Alright, I'll start on the swords, you take the spears," Dave handed a spear and a rag to Jade.
Just as Jade was opening the polish container, an unexpected voice came from the sword rack, "Honestly, I've never seen so many shitty swords in one place."
"HOLY-" Jade dropped the container in astonishment. Dave's sword was drawn as they saw a figure appear from the corner behind the rack.
Upon recognizing the form, Dave sheathed his sword. "Shit, Bro, you just can't make a normal visit can you?"
"This is your Bro you're always talking about?" Jade gasped still trying to catch her breath.
"Aw, that's sweet, you talk about me often, Dave?"
"Hardly." Dave replied.
"Ah, just to your girlfriend then."
"Wait, she's not-"
"It's nice to meet you, miss. My name is Dirk, brother of this sorry lad." He approached Jade after giving Dave a tender pat on the shoulder.
"I'm Jade. It's nice to finally meet you, are you really like a ninja or something?"
Dirk laughs heartily. "Some might say that, but I am just a humble sell-sword."
"I presume there's a reason you're here, Bro?" Dave interrupts.
"You know me, ever the man of business." Dirk opens the satchel at his side and reveals a rectangular item wrapped in a dirty cloth. "Dave, I need you to bring this to the Duke's arcane advisor; have her take a look at it."
"What for? What is it?"
"It's a tome, and it's very old, so handle it with care, will you?" He hands the cloth-covered book to Dave.
"Woah! That's so cool! Can we take a look? Just a peek? Where'd you get it?" Jade began hovering over the tome, her eyes fixed.
"No peeking. Keep it wrapped until the arcane advisor has a look at it. I don't want this thing damaged."
"It's probably something Bro snatched on the expedition." Dave responds.
"Dave, I'm hurt. I am a professional. I'll have you know the client allowed me to keep this piece out of the goodness of his heart."
"But you probably convinced him it was worthless, and now you want to find out just how much it really is worth, right?"
"The client was already convinced of its value-or lack thereof. But I can tell this modest tome is much more than it seems. However, I need a professional to examine it, and an arcane advisor to the Duke is just the kind of person who would probably know a thing or two about it."
"So why not just ask her yourself?"
"You think I can just casually walk in here and hand a tome to the Duke's personal advisor asking for a favor? Besides, you are the Duke's official champion knight, and I happen to know you are personal friends with the his young and beautiful advisor."
"Must you always spy on me? It's kind of creepy."
"As your Bro, it is my job to keep tabs on you. Now, get that tome to her as soon as you can. You know how to contact me when she's got the results."
"Fine. See you."
"It was a pleasure," Dirk gives a little bow toward Jade.
"It was nice to meet you, Mr. Strider."
"Oh, please call me Dirk."
"Just get out of here, Bro." Dave smacks Dirk's arm.
"Fine fine. I'm gone. You never saw me."
With that, Dirk was silently out the door. Dave examines the tome still covered in rags and tied with twine.
"Well, he was certainly nice!" Jade chirps.
"He was just trying to embarrass me-a big nerd normally, but as soon as he meets someone I'm friends with, he becomes Mr. Sauve."
"Mr. Suave indeed!" Jade chuckled. "Alright, that tome can wait; let's make these weapons shine so we can get some sleep."
Prologue, Part III : The Seer
Rose gave little thought to the obviously ill opinions her fellow advisors held for her. She did not specialize in any political or military field. Thus, she was unique also in part that she was the only advisor who was not of nobility. She was a diviner and also an expert in arcane science. She was appointed by the Duke to offer insight on all matters relating to magic, a reasonable and just decision regardless of his advisors' opinions.
She spent most of her time in her chambers reading or studying artifacts presented to the Duke. She occasionally visited the apothecary chamber to retrieve items she may need for her work or to badger Jade about keeping the equipment clean. After all, much of the said equipment belonged to Rose.
Without a knock or warning Dave burst through the door to her chamber. Unwavered and without lifting an eye from her book, she greets him. "Hello again, Dave. Don't bother announcing yourself, privacy is something I absolutely detest." Her words dripped with sarcasm which Dave promptly ignored.
"Hey, Rose. You busy?"
"Yes, actually. Duke Egbert has entrusted me to-"
"Yeah, cool. Take a look at this." Dave interrupted holding out the tome still concealed by the cloth Dirk had wrapped it in.
"What is this filthy thing?"
"It's an old tome Bro retrieved from an expedition."
"Your brother certainly is the curious sort, isn't he?"
"Would you take a look at it? See if there's anything you know about it-maybe what it's worth."
"Very well," Rose sighed, "but only because this tome of yours has piqued my interest." She motioned toward the table in the corner of the room.
Dave brought the book to the table and began to unbind it as Rose approached. Pulling the cloth from the tome revealed it to be leather-bound and caked in a thick layer of dust and dirt. Just under the layers of gunk, one could almost make out a seemingly ornate design along the corners. "Oh my god," Rose murmured to herself reaching for the tome she was now sure was quite old. "I'm going to need some time to have the book cleaned before I examine it," she purred, her eyes still fixed on the tome gently rubbing away dirt from the spine.
"Fine. Take your time."
"Oh, and could you send Jade here when you see her tonight? I'll need her help with this."
"What makes you think I'm going to see Jade tonight? I'm on evening patrol today."
Rose shoots him one of her looks Dave has gotten quite familiar with. This particular glare reeked of 'Do as I say because I know everything.' She was, after all, quite familiar with Dave's routine lack of work ethic. She also knew the cellar was one of his favored places to slack off without being noticed.
"Alright, whatever. I'll let her know," Dave grunted on his way out the door.
Prologue, Part IV : The Witch
"So? What did Rose say about the book?" Jade jumped at Dave immediately as he was entering the apothecary chamber. "You did bring it to her, right?"
"Jeez, Harley. Hello to you too."
"Sorry, Dave. I just couldn't stop thinking about that book since yesterday. I'm curious what sort of information it holds!"
"Rose and I took a look at the thing, but it was caked in dirt. I'm not sure if it'll be legible once Rose is done cleaning it."
"Oh man. I sure hope it is! Dirk would be rather disappointed."
"Also, Rose wanted your help with restoring it. She told me to send you to her chamber tonight."
"Okie dokie. Is that all you came down here for, or are you just 'patrolling the cellar' again?" Jade teased.
"Hey, can't a cool guy take a break from his patrols to visit a friend without there being alcohol or business involved?"
"Hehe I guess not," Jade smiled.
"Cool, now let's crack open a case of mead and-"
"Hey!" Jade slapped Dave's arm repeatedly, "You jerk, don't make fun of me!"
"Kidding! Kidding! I would never." Dave gently pushed her back by the shoulder.
"You said you were on patrol just now?" Jade inquired. "After last night and the demonstration of arms this morning?"
"Yeah, the Captain's got it out for me, but he's been even more of a dick lately."
"Isn't there anything you can do? Reason with him?"
"Easy for you to say, your Ladyship. I may be a knight, but I'm still not nobility like every single guard besides me."
"Oh, I'm hardly nobility. I'm a distant relative to the Duke. As the Duke's cousin, my grandpa was given a title of Marquess as a formality since they are blood related."
"At least if I were related to the Egberts, the guards would be assholes behind my back instead of in my face."
"Sorry, Dave. Your only option is to marry into the family. Now, who is related to the Duke but is young and unwed? Hm?"
"I dunno, Harley. John can be pretty inept. Do you think he'd really notice if I came on to him?"
"You are such a jerk! You know that's not what meant!" Jade began swatting at Dave again.
"Hahaha! Harley you're just too easy to tease." Dave snickered as Jade gave him one last stern whack for good measure. "I'd better get back to the patrol before the guards notice I'm gone." He leans in to place a kiss on her forehead before swiftly rounding the corner out of the chamber.
"Alright. Bye, Dave!" She waved him off before turning to collect supplies for restoring the tome.
Upon arriving at Rose's chamber, Jade found the door to be closed. She knocked on the door. "Rose? Are you in there?" No answer. She rapped on the door louder. "Rose? It's Jade."
"A moment!" a muffled voice came from behind the door.
A couple seconds later the door was opened to reveal Rose. "Sorry, I was a little immersed in cleaning the tome just now. Come in."
Rose widened the door to make way for Jade. They proceeded to the tome that remained on the table where Dave had left it. Rose had already removed much of the dirt and grime revealing nearly the entire spine that now visibly showed an ornate pattern.
"I've brought supplies and potions to dissolve filth from crevices and imprints."
"I'm glad you did, it looks like there is an imprinted pattern in the cover. Did you bring a hand pick?"
"Of course, right here." Jade hands Rose the small, sharp cleaning utensil along with a brush.
They spent the next several hours working on the cover alone. It was almost dawn when the cover and the binding had been entirely cleaned and restored. The binding appeared to be leather, but had an unusual greenish hue. The spine and the corners of the cover were embedded with a gold imprint of opulent design. In the middle of the front cover was very plain symbol. The emblem appeared to be of an arrow divided at the base into four quadrants. "I think It's some kind of spellbook," Rose suggested. "A very, very old spellbook. I wonder where Dave's brother got it?"
Over the next few weeks, Jade and Rose continued to carefully restore the individual pages. They were often visited by Dave who was casually shirking his guard duties. They made use of his frequent visits to have him retrieve more supplies from the apothecary chamber. John began showing up at Rose's chamber instead of the apothecary to find Jade when it was time for his magic lesson. Rose even took an occasional break to sit in on his lesson.
During this time Dirk sent a message to Dave imploring "absolutely, under no conditions, should he or anyone else attempt any magic held in the tome." The message was initially received by the guard captain as with all mail delivered for guards. As a result of the captain's hubris and contempt for Dave, the letter was never received, and doom would soon fall upon the fiefdom.
To be continued...
