Chapter 26
Of the 16s only Harry, Godric, and Cleatris were war mages. No real surprise. What they were surprised to learn was that if they didn't learn to control their powers their powers would kill them. They all decided to stay with the war mages and learn as much as they could. That evening the group ate dinner with the older war mages, they would meet their fellow apprentices tomorrow. However the threesome quickly tired of listening to the adults and slipped away to walk along the battlements of the palace.
"That skull sure was something, seemed like it took forever to beat it." Godric murmured quietly.
"Huh, I didn't beat it." Cleatris said, they walked in silence for a time, enjoying each other's company. "I hope everyone at home wasn't hurt in the earth quake." Cleatris finally said, both boys nodded in agreement.
"The masters say we have a choice of how we want to go about learning the war age arts." Harry said, he hadn't wasted a minute since the test and had spent all his time talking with the masters.
"And these choices would be?" Cleatris asked.
"Well there's the ordinary training program, then another. It is called the Sha'ahrak Xiph'asis Ma'zak rah Phoenix, but it's called the Glaz'rahan for short. It means, in High K'haril, that's the language of the war mages, Sword Masters of the Order of the Phoenix. It's only one or two years of training, but it's twenty-four seven without a break all year. It's rigorous to the extreme, 1/3 of the students who enter it die." He paused to let his friends ponder this, and then reached out to Godric.
We both know what we must do this came from Godric; it sounded very firm, not a hint of indecision.
Yes, we two will not be here long. I must return to my own time and my people…once I find out how
And Cleatris?
I don't know brother. What do you See for her future?
The same thing you do, that she will remain here and become a great war mage.
A Grand Master.
Yes.
Basically the only way to do that is through the Glaz'rahan
Then there lies our path.
"I think I'll take the Glaz'rahan. You?" Cleatris asked, startling them, both boys nodded in agreement. Godric knew about Harry's being form another time, he knew just about everything about Harry. When you share another's mind there are no secrets, it just doesn't work.
**
Early the next morning they said goodbye to their friends and watched them ride off into the distance, led by three war mages who would escort them back to the tribe. Then the three turned to find twelve apprentices watching them.
"Hello, I'm Vegad." The one who appeared to be the oldest introduced himself, Vegad was a rather short nineteen year old with curly brown hair, his nose looked as if it had been broken once or twice. "Which training program are you entering?"
"We're all going into the Glaz'rahan." Godric replied, eyebrows rose all around and the others shifted to let a three young people through.
"Looks like we'll be having classes together then, I'm Merzela, this is Nimsu and Tibbar." Said a pretty girl with short black hair and a bad scar along the right side of her jaw. Unlike the others their fellow students of the Glaz'rahan were all armed and scarred, they looked alert, yet weary. They had an air of suppressed power and nervousness that seemed to follow them. Nimsu was a tall girl was shoulder length blonde hair; her left hand was a mass of scars, as if it had been badly burned. The other Tibbar had a scar running from his ear to the left side of his mouth so that he looked as if he was always grinning. He smiled and bowed with a showman's flair.
"I hope you're ready to WORK your butts off, it's tough, to stay alive. We had one apprentice killed just last week, didn't make it through an all terrain course." He seemed slightly sad; Harry had a feeling that the students of the Glaz'rahan hung out together and helped ecahother. Merzela, appeared to be nineteen, or so, Nimsu looked to be about eighteen and Tibbar appeared to be their age.
**
After lunch the six went to the armory, here eight tough looking instructors met them. They shouted at all of them to get their things and hurry about it. Harry grinned and whipped out his sword as one attacked him, the two fought for a few minutes, taking turns attacking and defending, learning the other's strengths and weaknesses.
"You'll do kid. You've got a good blade there too, and you're not half bad with it." At this the three stared at their instructor, Harry, Godric, and Cleatris would soon learn that praise of any kind was almost never heard from their instructors, on the other hand students of the Glaz'rahan had a huge vocabulary of insults. Harry stepped back and sheathed his sword, then he noticed that two instructors were missing, tow were fighting with Godric and Cleatris, while the other four were standing about watching. He relaxed back, touching the knife sheathed on his upper right arm and waited, he saw out of the corner of his eye and shadow moving up behind him. Harry shifted lightly, then suddenly whirled, his fist slammed in and he ducked low, slipped the knife free and out from under a fake sleeve and leaped up. The instructor dodged the first blow and punched too high, Harry lurched, as if he'd fallen off balance, then rolled over backwards and leaped up in one lightning fast motion, he and the instructor faced each other across the ground, then the instructor stood and relaxed.
"Think you're pretty alert huh? Pha! Not hardly you little brat, not fast enough, do better next time. Harry merely nodded and sheathed his knife. Somehow he doubted he'd ever be perfect, but he could always try.
**
The next week was spent in brutal obstacle courses. Monkey bars over gorges, escaping avalanches, swimming in the freezing lake and fighting off a horde of young kraken. And fighting, they fought continuously, they had to lock their rooms and set up all the elaborate enchantments they could to keep the instructors from attacking them in their sleep. At any time an instructor could leap out of nowhere and attack. And while the instructors wouldn't kill them they would bruise you or give you a light slash with a weapon or stick a tranquilizing dart in you. You'd probably wake up two miles underground in a cave system filled with dangerous creatures, filling with water, caving it, or just a horrendous maze. One day Merzela wasn't quite fast enough and ended up in one of the caves for three hours, she came back with ice hanging form her hair, soaked, with a broken finger.
Harry and Godric and Cleatris managed to do very well that week. Cleatris got pounded by fifty snowballs thrown form nowhere in her room before she undid the spell, but Harry and Godric worked out such an elaborate system of spells that the instructors were constantly baffled as to how to get through them while the boys slept. In time the other students asked them for help and so by the end of the week the instructors were in very bad moods, they hadn't been able to douse anyone with flesh eating mice, ice water, poison, or get at them at all while they slept for days. In fact Harry and Godric, getting angry with one of the instructors named Drefan, enchanted a cloud to follow him around hailing on him nonstop, not only that but the hail left purple spots where it hit. With that all out war was declared between pupils and trainers. Pranks and weapons all were brought into play. Drefan got revenge with a bullwhip and managed to get Godric's back and Harry's legs. Merzela joined in and hurled three poisoned darts at him. Two instructors attacked her with clubs, Tibbar and Godric got there on horseback while Harry lashed out with lightning whips at the remaining instructors who in turn opened the earth to swallow him. To their surprise Harry preformed a quick levitating charm and floated above it, then Cleatris, who had been mucking out the stalls, hurled a pitchfork at them followed by some thirty pounds of manure. The last instructor leaped down form the loft and attacked her, slamming her about with both fists and feet. Nimsu kicked his butt, literally, and chained him to a wall. Then she and Cleatris went out t help the others.
By midday the area near the stables and training grounds was trashed, completely, the students went to bath, not forgetting to put up the protective enchantments, and the instructors went to plot. By the end nearly all the trainees and instructors had gotten involved, and fighting between the Glaz'rahan students and their instructors had gotten very violent. Harry had a bad gash on his right leg and Cleatris had burns on her left side, Tibbar had two black eyes and Merzela was black and blue all over, Nimsu was unconscious from taking nearly a score of knockout darts and Godric had a broken rib. As Glaz'rahan students they had to heal themselves. Because of this all the students learned different healing spells, potions, and methods so between them someone would know what to do with any injury that might popup.
After this they went to the library for a bit to read up on new spells or fighting methods, they were expected to learn as much as possible, whenever they got the chance. Harry was exhausted, but he didn't mind, he was really learning now in a way the Hogwarts could never teach, the rough way, and he loved it.
Of the 16s only Harry, Godric, and Cleatris were war mages. No real surprise. What they were surprised to learn was that if they didn't learn to control their powers their powers would kill them. They all decided to stay with the war mages and learn as much as they could. That evening the group ate dinner with the older war mages, they would meet their fellow apprentices tomorrow. However the threesome quickly tired of listening to the adults and slipped away to walk along the battlements of the palace.
"That skull sure was something, seemed like it took forever to beat it." Godric murmured quietly.
"Huh, I didn't beat it." Cleatris said, they walked in silence for a time, enjoying each other's company. "I hope everyone at home wasn't hurt in the earth quake." Cleatris finally said, both boys nodded in agreement.
"The masters say we have a choice of how we want to go about learning the war age arts." Harry said, he hadn't wasted a minute since the test and had spent all his time talking with the masters.
"And these choices would be?" Cleatris asked.
"Well there's the ordinary training program, then another. It is called the Sha'ahrak Xiph'asis Ma'zak rah Phoenix, but it's called the Glaz'rahan for short. It means, in High K'haril, that's the language of the war mages, Sword Masters of the Order of the Phoenix. It's only one or two years of training, but it's twenty-four seven without a break all year. It's rigorous to the extreme, 1/3 of the students who enter it die." He paused to let his friends ponder this, and then reached out to Godric.
We both know what we must do this came from Godric; it sounded very firm, not a hint of indecision.
Yes, we two will not be here long. I must return to my own time and my people…once I find out how
And Cleatris?
I don't know brother. What do you See for her future?
The same thing you do, that she will remain here and become a great war mage.
A Grand Master.
Yes.
Basically the only way to do that is through the Glaz'rahan
Then there lies our path.
"I think I'll take the Glaz'rahan. You?" Cleatris asked, startling them, both boys nodded in agreement. Godric knew about Harry's being form another time, he knew just about everything about Harry. When you share another's mind there are no secrets, it just doesn't work.
**
Early the next morning they said goodbye to their friends and watched them ride off into the distance, led by three war mages who would escort them back to the tribe. Then the three turned to find twelve apprentices watching them.
"Hello, I'm Vegad." The one who appeared to be the oldest introduced himself, Vegad was a rather short nineteen year old with curly brown hair, his nose looked as if it had been broken once or twice. "Which training program are you entering?"
"We're all going into the Glaz'rahan." Godric replied, eyebrows rose all around and the others shifted to let a three young people through.
"Looks like we'll be having classes together then, I'm Merzela, this is Nimsu and Tibbar." Said a pretty girl with short black hair and a bad scar along the right side of her jaw. Unlike the others their fellow students of the Glaz'rahan were all armed and scarred, they looked alert, yet weary. They had an air of suppressed power and nervousness that seemed to follow them. Nimsu was a tall girl was shoulder length blonde hair; her left hand was a mass of scars, as if it had been badly burned. The other Tibbar had a scar running from his ear to the left side of his mouth so that he looked as if he was always grinning. He smiled and bowed with a showman's flair.
"I hope you're ready to WORK your butts off, it's tough, to stay alive. We had one apprentice killed just last week, didn't make it through an all terrain course." He seemed slightly sad; Harry had a feeling that the students of the Glaz'rahan hung out together and helped ecahother. Merzela, appeared to be nineteen, or so, Nimsu looked to be about eighteen and Tibbar appeared to be their age.
**
After lunch the six went to the armory, here eight tough looking instructors met them. They shouted at all of them to get their things and hurry about it. Harry grinned and whipped out his sword as one attacked him, the two fought for a few minutes, taking turns attacking and defending, learning the other's strengths and weaknesses.
"You'll do kid. You've got a good blade there too, and you're not half bad with it." At this the three stared at their instructor, Harry, Godric, and Cleatris would soon learn that praise of any kind was almost never heard from their instructors, on the other hand students of the Glaz'rahan had a huge vocabulary of insults. Harry stepped back and sheathed his sword, then he noticed that two instructors were missing, tow were fighting with Godric and Cleatris, while the other four were standing about watching. He relaxed back, touching the knife sheathed on his upper right arm and waited, he saw out of the corner of his eye and shadow moving up behind him. Harry shifted lightly, then suddenly whirled, his fist slammed in and he ducked low, slipped the knife free and out from under a fake sleeve and leaped up. The instructor dodged the first blow and punched too high, Harry lurched, as if he'd fallen off balance, then rolled over backwards and leaped up in one lightning fast motion, he and the instructor faced each other across the ground, then the instructor stood and relaxed.
"Think you're pretty alert huh? Pha! Not hardly you little brat, not fast enough, do better next time. Harry merely nodded and sheathed his knife. Somehow he doubted he'd ever be perfect, but he could always try.
**
The next week was spent in brutal obstacle courses. Monkey bars over gorges, escaping avalanches, swimming in the freezing lake and fighting off a horde of young kraken. And fighting, they fought continuously, they had to lock their rooms and set up all the elaborate enchantments they could to keep the instructors from attacking them in their sleep. At any time an instructor could leap out of nowhere and attack. And while the instructors wouldn't kill them they would bruise you or give you a light slash with a weapon or stick a tranquilizing dart in you. You'd probably wake up two miles underground in a cave system filled with dangerous creatures, filling with water, caving it, or just a horrendous maze. One day Merzela wasn't quite fast enough and ended up in one of the caves for three hours, she came back with ice hanging form her hair, soaked, with a broken finger.
Harry and Godric and Cleatris managed to do very well that week. Cleatris got pounded by fifty snowballs thrown form nowhere in her room before she undid the spell, but Harry and Godric worked out such an elaborate system of spells that the instructors were constantly baffled as to how to get through them while the boys slept. In time the other students asked them for help and so by the end of the week the instructors were in very bad moods, they hadn't been able to douse anyone with flesh eating mice, ice water, poison, or get at them at all while they slept for days. In fact Harry and Godric, getting angry with one of the instructors named Drefan, enchanted a cloud to follow him around hailing on him nonstop, not only that but the hail left purple spots where it hit. With that all out war was declared between pupils and trainers. Pranks and weapons all were brought into play. Drefan got revenge with a bullwhip and managed to get Godric's back and Harry's legs. Merzela joined in and hurled three poisoned darts at him. Two instructors attacked her with clubs, Tibbar and Godric got there on horseback while Harry lashed out with lightning whips at the remaining instructors who in turn opened the earth to swallow him. To their surprise Harry preformed a quick levitating charm and floated above it, then Cleatris, who had been mucking out the stalls, hurled a pitchfork at them followed by some thirty pounds of manure. The last instructor leaped down form the loft and attacked her, slamming her about with both fists and feet. Nimsu kicked his butt, literally, and chained him to a wall. Then she and Cleatris went out t help the others.
By midday the area near the stables and training grounds was trashed, completely, the students went to bath, not forgetting to put up the protective enchantments, and the instructors went to plot. By the end nearly all the trainees and instructors had gotten involved, and fighting between the Glaz'rahan students and their instructors had gotten very violent. Harry had a bad gash on his right leg and Cleatris had burns on her left side, Tibbar had two black eyes and Merzela was black and blue all over, Nimsu was unconscious from taking nearly a score of knockout darts and Godric had a broken rib. As Glaz'rahan students they had to heal themselves. Because of this all the students learned different healing spells, potions, and methods so between them someone would know what to do with any injury that might popup.
After this they went to the library for a bit to read up on new spells or fighting methods, they were expected to learn as much as possible, whenever they got the chance. Harry was exhausted, but he didn't mind, he was really learning now in a way the Hogwarts could never teach, the rough way, and he loved it.