"Bron," said the figure softly, bending down and gently shaking the young Omniphrax apprentice. "Wake up, darling. It's your big day."
Bron Rackis slowly opened his eyes, and stared up into the kindly old face hovering over him. "All right, Grandma. I'm ready."
Leris Quarter stepped back, and Bron swung his legs, jumping out of his hammock. Finally, after years of training and study of all the disciplines of Omniphrax, it was time to hear what job the Senate had decided was best for him.
So it was with all the apprentices. They all spent many years learning from all the various academics. The Librarians Academic, the Sky Scholars, the Farmers Academic, the Twilight Marines…and the Pirates Academic.
For as long as he could remember, Bron had idolized the Pirates Academic. All the academics had noble and important jobs, of course, but the Pirates Academic were the only ones who openly challenged that terrible tyrant, Vartolius Xax. It was the Pirates Academic who rescued innocent Deepwooders from the cruelty of the Phraxguardians of Riverrise. It was the Pirates Academic who raided the Deepwoods and returned with plant and animal specimens for the Farmers and the Librarians, so that they in turn might breed them and prevent them from being claimed by the Blight. Yes, Bron Rackis would give anything to join the ranks of the Pirates Academic.
His own grandmother had herself been a Pirate Academic many years ago. When Bron looked at Leris, he could still see the wild spirit and determination that had driven her to defy the evil forces at work in the Deepwoods.
A knock came at the door. "Oh, that must be Murtus," said Leris. "Get dressed quickly, dear; we can't be late." With that, Leris scurried out of the room, shouting "I'm coming!"
Bron ran over to his wardrobe and pulled out his clothes. They were the purple and red robes of an Omniphrax apprentice. This will be the last time I put these on, thought Bron excitedly. The question is, will I soon be wearing the blue greatcoat of a Pirate Academic? When he was fully dressed, Bron left his bedroom and entered the kitchen, to find Leris talking to a familiar man with broad shoulders and a tangled white beard. Murtus Lodd, the Most High Librarian.
When Bron had been three years old, his parents, who both served in the Twilight Marines, had been killed during one of Vartolius Xax's regular attacks on Omniphrax. Murtus Lodd had taken pity on the youngster, and from that point on, the venerable academic seized every opportunity to spend time with Bron and Leris. If Leris was Bron's mother figure, Murtus was certainly his father figure. Murtus had originally hoped that Bron might become a Librarian Scholar, but acknowledged that he probably wasn't a good fit. Bron was never one to spend hours sorting scrolls and studying Deepwoods plants and animals. He longed for adventure.
"Bron, my boy! How are you?" boomed Murtus heartily, clapping Bron on the shoulder.
"I'm a bit anxious," Bron replied.
"What would you be, if the choice was yours?" inquired Murtus.
"A Pirate Academic," replied Bron without hesitation, glancing over at Leris.
Murtus chuckled. "I knew it! You always loved flying aboard those mighty sky ships, didn't you, Bron? You'd make a great Pirate Academic. I sincerely hope you get your wish."
"Thanks," said Bron eagerly.
"I'll make you a quick breakfast, and then we'll fly to Undertown in Murtus's skycraft," said Leris opening the cupboard. "Hmmm…only two porridge mixes left. I assume you'll want the gladeonion porridge, rather than the tripweed one."
"Of course. You know I can't stand tripweed," said Bron.
"Well then, gladeonion it is," said Leris, taking down the box and pouring it into a large ironwood bowl. "It'll be ready in two shakes of a tilder's tail."
A few minutes later, the three of them were tucking into bowls of gladeonion porridge. Bron ate quickly, determined not to be late to the Assignment Ceremony.
"Listen, Bron," said Leris suddenly, her voice uncharacteristically serious. Bron looked up uneasily. "I know you want to be a Pirate Academic. I don't doubt you'll get the job, and I don't doubt you'll work hard and show bravery. But I must impress upon you that the job can be terrifying. You'll often look death right in the eye."
"I know that," mumbled Bron with a touch of defiance, his mouth full of gladeonion porridge. "I'll have to risk my life."
"I think it's time I finally told you the story of how I got this," said Leris, pulling up her shirt slightly to reveal a livid purple scar running across her stomach.
Bron's eyes widened. Leris had told him many stories about her experiences as a Pirate Academic, but had always refused to talk about that one particular event.
"It was about thirty years ago," said Leris. "Word had reached Omniphrax that Xelius Pulnix was on the move. Apparently a village of woodtrolls near Great Glade had failed to meet that despicable governor's tax demands, and that if they didn't pay up in a week, he was going to wipe them out personally. Well, I couldn't stand for such cruelty. I requested permission from the Pirate General of the day, Rensor Penitax, to lead a fleet of six sky ships to rescue the woodtrolls, and he arranged it. Soon, we were on our way…
"After a week, we arrived at the village. I could see at once that the woodtrolls were panicking, running this way and that, gathering up possessions and young'uns. It dawned on me that today was Xelius Pulnix's deadline—he must be coming. This mission was going to be harder than I thought.
"I don't think I'll ever forget the looks of frantic joy and relief on the woodtrolls' faces when they saw our fleet. We landed in the center of the village, and I called out 'Fear not, brave Deepwooders! The Pirates Academic have come for you!' Then, the woodtrolls began to board our ship. But then, suddenly, a shadow began to fall across the trees. I looked up, and saw, with a thrill of dread, that the Vilnix Pompolnius had arrived…
"Xelius Pulnix's glistership was the largest and most menacing sky ship I had ever seen, armed with every kind of weapon imaginable, not to mention a crew of bloodthirsty hammerhead goblins. My own sky ship, the Cloudrunner, was an inconsequential speck next to it.And Xelius Pulnix himself stood at the bow of the ship, above the figurehead of Vilnix Pompolnius, his ancient ancestor. Xelius's face was twisted in exactly the same contemptuous snarl as the figurehead, murder on his mind.
"I screamed to the woodtrolls 'Hurry! Climb aboard NOW!' They all dropped their bags and possessions and sprinted for our ships. And that was when all hell broke loose. Phraxfire globes began to rain from the glistership above us. Cabins and trees erupted in white flames. Screams and yells were everywhere. Already, stragglers were being picked off by phraxfire and crossbow bolts. Some of the Pirates shot crossbow bolts of their own up at the Vilnix Pompolnius, and they managed to kill a few of the archers, but it did little good. Far more of the woodtrolls were killed than rescued.
"Finally, I realized that we couldn't save any more of the woodtrolls, and I shouted for my stone pilot to cool the flight-rock. The other captains echoed my command. The five sky ships rose into the air, and began to head back to Omniphrax in tight formation, but we were still in grave danger. Now that Xelius Pulnix had laid waste to the woodtroll village, he wanted to shoot us out of the sky. It was no longer about the woodtrolls on board; we were a much more valuable target.
"The barrage was unrelenting and terrible. The phraxfire globes began to tear into our sky ships, and fires erupted. We quickly put most of them out, but not before they caused horrible damage. Then, the sky ship on the far left dropped out of the sky, smashing to pieces on the ground below. One of the phraxfire globes had hit its flight-rock, ripping it to shreds and heating the fragments to enormous temperatures.
"I yelled for my stone pilot to give us more lift, but we couldn't shake off the Vilnix Pompolnius. Despite its enormous size, it was easily twice the speed of any of our ships. Soon, the ship had caught up with us, and four grappling hooks shot from the Vilnix Pompolnius, each one latching onto one of the pirate ships. Swarms of hammerhead goblins slid down the grappling hook lines, streamed onto our decks, and began to cut down pirate after pirate…
"Suddenly, Xelius Pulnix himself landed on the deck in front of me. I quickly drew my sword just as he unsheathed his, and we attacked each other in a frenzy. The clang of swords filled my ears, drowning out the screams and bangs around me. Xelius Pulnix was determined to destroy me, and I was determined to destroy him. But I made a foolish mistake. As my father always told me, 'As tempting and natural as it is, never let anger fuel your sword's blows. It will only make you more vulnerable.' I grew careless, and blindly slashed at him. He easily parried my attacks, and he took one great swipe that I could not block.
"I had never known pain like it. It felt as though I had been cleaved in two. I remember wondering if this was death. Yet I could not be dead, because Xelius Pulnix was not finished with me. I was lying on the deck, and the evil governor of Great Glade was standing over me, cackling with triumph, sword raised for a final blow. He began to bring his sword down…
"But suddenly, another sword came from out of nowhere, blocking Xelius Pulnix with such force that his sword flew out of his hand. Looking around, I saw that my savior was young Raziel Tollinix…"
"What, the Raziel Tollinix?" blurted out Bron. Raziel Tollinix was perhaps the greatest Pirate Academic ever to live. Bron had seen her, but had never spoken to her.
"Yes, Bron, the Raziel Tollinix," chuckled Leris. "Anyway, having disarmed Xelius Pulnix, Raziel then thrust her sword at Xelius's chest, but he sidestepped the attack and ran for it. He jumped into a small glistercraft and flew back to the Vilnix Pompolnius.
"By that point, three more of our pirate ships had been destroyed. I knew we had only one chance left. I shouted, 'Stone pilot! Pretend to hurtle! NOW!' Je doused the flight rock, and the Cloudrunner soared off into High Sky, the other pirate ship promptly following our lead.
"Miraculously, it worked. Xelius Pulnix thought that our sky ships had hurtled off into open sky, and the Vilnix Pompolnius turned back and headed for Great Glade. Unfortunately, the other sky ship had ascended too fast and really did hurtle. But we managed to steady the Cloudrunner, and the remaining Pirates Academic defeated the last of the hammerhead goblins. The Cloudrunner was barely skyworthy, but we managed to bring it back to Omniphrax.
"As it turned out, we had only managed to rescue half a dozen woodtrolls. For that, we lost four sky ships and a huge number of brave Pirates Academic. What was more, my stomach wound was a critical injury. Xelius Pulnix's sword had cut muscle and damaged some of my organs. Even worse, the wound swiftly became infected. Were it not for the cures and potions of the Librarians, I would surely have died. As it was, it was a very long time before I was fit to embark on any more missions…
"So, you see, Bron, the life of a Pirate Academic is a hard one. I don't say this to turn you off to the job. I say it to make sure that you are prepared for the dangers you will face if the job becomes yours."
"We must hurry. We're going to be late!" said Murtus Lodd abruptly, causing both Bron and Leris to leap to their feet, pull on their boots, and dash out the door, with Murtus hurrying after.
The three of them tore down the cobbled streets and across the buoyant sumpwood bridges and walkways of Library Rock. The streets were already packed with Librarian Scholars, rushing this way and that, carrying bundles of barkscrolls and stacks of treatises. Bron, Leris, and Murtus rushed past the elegant domed halls of the Library of Trees and the glass-walled laboratories and greenhouses of the Library of Herbs. Three librarians-at-arms crossed the street in front of them. Framed by light from the rising sun was the massive curving outline of the Master Library, where additional copies of treatises from every institution were available for researchers. "Nearly…there…" panted Murtus, turning left onto a particularly broad street. "Yes! Here we are."
They had arrived at the Library of Wood Flight. An enormous tower covered in gantries and bridges, the Library of Wood Flight was swarming with Second-Age skycraft. Bron, Leris, and Murtus dashed into the Academy, rushing through great open halls full of skycraft in various stages of completion. Academics were scurrying up and down staircases that Bron knew led down to the Laboratories of Light inside the stonecomb of Library Rock, where the slime-moles were raised and the skycraft varnish was manufactured.
The three of them rushed into the Stone Elevator, a capsule made from a carved flight-rock. "Top floor," Murtus gasped to the elevator pilot, clutching at a stitch in his side. "Certainly, Most High Librarian, sir," said the elevator pilot respectfully, and flipped the cooling switch on.
Instantly the Stone Elevator hissed, and Bron shivered as the capsule chilled. The Stone Elevator shot upwards. After a few seconds, the elevator pilot turned the cooling switch off and activated the heating rod, causing the elevator to decelerate and come to a halt at the top floor.
"Quickly, quickly!" said Murtus, and the three of them tore out of the Stone Elevator and onto the highest gantry of the Library of Wood Flight. At the end of the walkway floated Murtus's personal skycraft, the Banderbear. Larger than most skycraft, the Banderbear could seat three people. Murtus jumped into the pilot's seat, and Bron and Leris took the other two. "As long as the wind remains at more or less this speed, I should be able to get us to Senate Hall just in time for the ceremony," said Murtus, and the Banderbear launched into the air, loft-sails billowing.
Murtus dipped the skycraft, and they were suddenly headed for Old Undertown below. How strange it was, Bron suddenly found himself thinking, to remember that long ago, the city of Undertown had been a hellish place of belching smokestacks and greedy leaguesmen. When General Tytugg took over the city, it became even worse, enslaving most of the citizens. But the Dark Maelstrom had destroyed the city roughly a thousand years ago. Centuries later, when Omniphrax was founded, Undertown was rebuilt as the place of freedom and prosperity it once was meant to be. It was also the location of the federal governing body of Omniphrax—the Omniphrax Senate. It was the Senators who would be reviewing the grades and records of the apprentices, and determining their ideal job.
A few minutes later, the Banderbear touched down outside Senate Hall. A grand building constructed in what was once the Western Quays, Senate Hall was already bustling with hundreds of apprentices eager to hear of their assignment. Bron took his place in the crowd, Leris stood along the back wall with the other guardians of the apprentices, and Murtus rushed to the front to join the other district leaders of Omniphrax.
Murtus Lodd took his place on the stage beside Arnix Filatine, Most High Academe of Old Sanctaphrax, and Philbus Venvax, the Pirate General. Next to them were Ferrix Nemulis, Viceroy of the Stone Gardens Council, Naria Lintrax, Headmistress of the Dormitory Towers, Drubber Grope, Chief Farmer Academic of the Mire Provinces, and Thurt Grayle, General of the Twilight Marines. And standing in front of the seven district leaders were the ten Senators of Omniphrax.
Besides the principal leaders, many other important academics had come for the ceremony, and were sitting on ornate balconies high above the ground floor. The High Librarians, earnest intelligence palpable in their expressions. The Old Sanctaphrax sky-professors, foppish and pedantic, but no less learned than their earth-scholar brethren. The matronly administrators of the Dormitory Towers. The mayors of each Mire Province, down to earth and practical. Stack-city councilors from the Stone Gardens. A handful of higher-ups from the Twilight Marines and Pirates Academic who were not on duty. All so different in so many ways. Yet all stood united by their one common desire… freedom.
The High Senator, Tesener Burlix, stepped up to the podium and raised his hand. The babbling talk died away instantly.
"Today is a glorious day," the High Senator announced in his deep, booming voice. "When the city of Omniphrax was first founded, the dictator Vartolius Xax announced across the Deepwoods that 'our pathetic resistance would be crushed within a week'. We stand here today, four hundred and fifty years after the founding of Omniphrax, and may triumphantly proclaim that, far from the 'pathetic resistance' Vartolius Xax believed would fail, Omniphrax has survived to pass the torch to yet another generation of academics. Your generation."
Senate Hall erupted in cheers, and Tesener Burlix raised his hand again. "Every one of you has worked hard, and is now ready to serve Omniphrax. Though your brethren outside of primary apprenticeship shall also serve their fullest potential, you are the truly exceptional, the most gifted subset of our young academics, who from this day forth we shall groom for our highest offices. I do not doubt that every single one of you will strengthen our resistance still further. You could well be the generation who finally topples Vartolius Xax from power, cures the Blight, and heals the Edge!"
Once again, the apprentices in Senate Hall let out deafening cheers. Tesener Burlix raised his hand for quiet yet again. "It is time for the Assignment Ceremony. I shall call out your names and indicate you as a Sky Scholar, a Librarian Scholar, a Farmer Academic, a Twilight Officer, or a Pirate Academic. I must ask that the entire hall remain silent while I call out the names. When you have been called, please come to the front of the stage, shake the hands of the district leaders, and leave through the door on the right."
Tesener Burlix then pulled out an extremely long barkscroll and read aloud "Congratulations, Varnius Abix…Sky Scholar!"
An apprentice on the other side of the hall climbed to his feet and walked towards the stage. Before he had even reached the front of the Hall, Tesener Burlix called out "Congratulations, Ambris Aderus… Farmer Academic!"
The names continued. The apprentices were called up alphabetically by last name, and walked up to the stage. Bron sat still, waiting eagerly for his announcement. There were hundreds of apprentices in the hall. It would be a long time before he was called up.
The ceremony went on and on, and the hall slowly began to empty. Often, when an apprentice was called, their parents or guardians would walk through another door on the side of the hall, presumably to congratulate their son or daughter.
At last, it was Bron's turn. He tensed in his seat. His assignment was coming!
Tesener Burlix announced in his deep voice, "Congratulations, Bron Rackis…Twilight Officer!"
Bron did not immediately climb to his feet. Shock and disappointment gnawed at him like a swarm of snickets. Twilight Officer? How could it be?
"Bron Rackis, Twilight Officer?" repeated Tesener Burlix.
Bron scrambled to his feet, and walked towards the stage. He had not been the only one to hesitate. Several times, he had seen apprentices take a long time to respond, clearly disappointed at their assignment. Bron had never dreamed that he would be one of those people.
Twilight Officer.
Serving in the Twilight Marines was certainly brave and noble work. Indeed, his parents had both been officers in the Twilight Marines. They patrolled the outermost district of Twilight's Edge, defending Omniphrax from Vartolius Xax's frequent glistership attacks. Without the Twilight Marines, Omniphrax would have been destroyed a long time ago. But still…it wasn't the same as being a Pirate Academic. Bron was crushed.
On the stage, he shook hands with the seven district leaders of Omniphrax. Murtus Lodd looked desperately sorry for Bron, but the others betrayed no emotion. The last district leader, Thurt Grayle, nodded solemnly as Bron shook his head. Bron attempted to be respectful; after all, he would now report to Thurt Grayle. Once he had shaken hands with everyone, he walked through the door on the right of the stage.
Bron found himself in a long corridor lined with many doors. Walking down the hall towards him was Leris Quarter.
"I'm sorry, Bron," she said, hugging him tightly. "This has to be hard."
A lump formed in Bron's throat, and he couldn't prevent tears from streaming down his cheeks. His lifelong dream had been shattered.
Twilight Officer.