A Crumble of Walls (The Kin of Kings Book 4) (28 page)

Eventually Basen glanced over to find her staring back. She quickly looked down at her plate, and so did he.

Effie came to sit with him. “Penny told me. Group Eight.” She moved her fork around her food. “Sorry to hear that.”

“At least I’m in Jackrie’s class. I need to ask you something.” He and Effie had a tendency to get sidetracked and never return to their original conversation. It was mostly enjoyable, but he didn’t have time for it now. “I was speaking to Jackrie, and she’s given me the hint that if I don’t show up, she’ll understand so long as I’m making better use of my time elsewhere.”

“You’d have a better chance of strolling into Kyrro’s castle than back into Penny’s class.”

“I figured, but I heard some of the Group Eight mages talking about a class with Neeko. Is he teaching people to use pyforial energy?”

“Why didn’t you ask them?”

He tried to look charming as he gave her a wry smile. “Because I wanted to ask
you
.”

“You liar. You’re trying to avoid getting to know the students who might resent you for leaving them.”

He nodded. “Yes, exactly that.”

She chuckled. “Neeko
is
teaching…well, trying to teach. It was the reason Terren tried to recruit him earlier.”

“I didn’t know anyone could say no to Terren.”

“Remember, Neeko’s the same man who said no to you.”

“Why is that so surprising?”

“Because of that speech you gave to him and Shara about the Academy! I didn’t know you had such skill with words. Then you showed it wasn’t just luck when you gave another speech at Redfield Stadium. The only other person I’ve seen speak like that without preparation, besides Terren, was…Alex.”

They paused a moment. Basen missed the friendly warrior, but Effie must feel it a thousand times worse. He didn’t know much about grief, but it seemed best to give her however much time she needed to compose herself before he continued.

Eventually she looked up and asked him, “What were you going to say?”

“I plan to attend Neeko’s class tomorrow. I think it’ll be a better use of my time.”

“Not from what Neeko told me. No one has made any progress, and he’s doubting himself as an instructor.”

“Perhaps he’s not teaching the right people. Is it Terren who decides who goes?”

“It’s open to everyone, but there hasn’t been an announcement about it because Terren only wants those who’re really interested to take time away from their regular training.” She pointed her fork at Basen. “I thought you didn’t care about pyforial energy.”

“You’re to blame for that! You undersold its worth. Now that I know what Neeko can do with it, I’m interested.”

“Well, good luck. It took him nearly his whole life to get as proficient as he is.”

“Where’s his class?”

“The only place large enough. Redfield Stadium.”

Basen smiled. Finally, he was excited to be back.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Basen hadn’t been completely honest with Effie. He still didn’t know exactly what Neeko could do with pyforial energy besides move things and himself. But the thought of being able to lift himself into the air was enough to make Basen’s imagination go wild with the possibilities. No enemy would be able to slay him except from far range.

From what Annah said, it didn’t appear as if Neeko could fly around like a bird during battle, as it drained his stamina too quickly, but Basen had incredible endurance. Perhaps he could do something with the energy Neeko couldn’t.

God’s mercy, when did I get overconfident?
It’s the title. Basen the Cunning
.

His ability to deliver an important speech had come as a complete surprise, but then again, he’d always been a talker among his haughty friends in Tenred. Who knew that would ever become a useful skill?

He arrived early at Redfield Stadium, but Neeko wasn’t there yet. The stadium looked a bit underwhelming. A pile of rocks was pushed up against a wall. An eclectic group of men and women of all ages stood in the arena, some with swords, others with wands. Most were older, and Basen didn’t recognize them as members of the Academy staff. One was much younger than the rest: the boy Basen had seen pretending to be a Redfield Champion.

As Basen approached, the boy stopped what he was doing and stood perfectly still as if stunned.

Basen extended his hand. “Hello, I’m—”

“I know who you are! Everyone knows you. I’m Micklin. It’s an honor to meet you, Basen the Cunning.”

All right, that title definitely doesn’t fit
. He let out an uncomfortable chuckle. “Just call me Basen. Have you been to this class before?”

“Yes, yesterday. I heard from Effie that pyforial mages have the potential to be the strongest type of mage.”

She said that?
“So you know Effie?”

“Yes, I’m staying with her, Cleve, Reela, and Steffen. I didn’t know they were some of the strongest here at the Academy, like you! It’s an honor to sleep in their home, as it is to meet you.” He bowed…actually bowed.

“Stop that before someone sees you.” Basen gestured for the boy to rise.

“Sorry. I still don’t know the customs of the Academy.”

“No one bows.” Basen softened his words with a smile. “How did you end up staying with them?”

“I met Cleve and Reela in the capital. They recruited me.” The boy stood tall and proud. But Basen couldn’t imagine it was their idea to bring this child back with them.

“Effie and Reela share their room so I have one to myself,” Micklin continued. “All of them are very nice, except Steffen can be strange, but don’t tell him that. I like him most of all. He’s a chemist, a swordsman, and an archer. Steffen the Beastslayer. He has a title, like you.”

Effie and Reela share a room, not Cleve and Reela.
Had the two of them separated for good? If so, it was disappointing news. Basen had seen their devotion to each other. The ground seemed to shift under his feet at the thought of Cleve and Reela being apart.

“Yes, Steffen is a marvel. Maybe one day you’ll have a title too. Micklin, the Greatest Pyforial Mage…in the World!”

The boy laughed. “That’s a long title, but I’d still use it proudly so long as it was true.”

Neeko and Shara arrived together a moment later. Under the morning sun, Neeko’s hair was barely more blond than brown. He was of average height, with a youthful face but the physique of someone older. There were two wooden short swords in sheaths on his belt, which Basen hadn’t remembered seeing when Neeko had frightened away the three Krepps. Basen was looking forward to finally finding out exactly what Neeko did to scare them.

Shara’s thick curls were just as dark and long as Basen had remembered from their meeting in the forest. She seemed happy to be here as she smiled at Neeko, clearly proud of him. She took her place in the midst of the crowd as if she, too, would be learning how to manipulate pyforial energy. Or perhaps she already had a smattering of it and was here to improve her skill. Basen let his excitement turn a smile as he met Neeko’s gaze.

“I see there are some new faces,” Neeko announced when the crowd hushed. “Basen the Cunning, have you come here to learn pyforial energy?”

Everyone turned to him, sending blood to his cheeks.

“Please, the title isn’t necessary. And yes I have.”

“I see. Well, for those like Basen who are new here, let me give you a warning. I’m new at teaching others about pyforial energy, and from what I know about bastial and sartious energy, it’s a more difficult concept to grasp. I see that many people didn’t return to continue their lessons. Part of that might be my fault, but most of it has to do with the difficulty of manipulating the energy.”

An older man raised his hand.

Neeko pointed. “Yes?”

“Some of us are only here to see a demonstration. We’ve heard about what you can do, and we just want to witness it.”

“Oh.” Neeko seemed surprised, then smiled as if happy to entertain them. “How many came here for the same reason?”

About a third of the sixty people raised a hand.

“I can’t speak for everyone,” the older man said, “but I don’t think I have the mind, and I definitely don’t have the time to train every day. I’m a stone mason, and I know some of the others here, like me, are more valuable for what we can do with our hands.”

A few of the people around him chuckled.

“All right,” Neeko said. “A quick demonstration. Basen, you can use both wand and sword, correct?”

“Correct.”

“Then come over here. Everyone else, move back.”

“I didn’t bring a sword,” Basen said as he walked to the front. He could tell by the serious expression on Neeko’s face that this would be some sort of duel. He was glad Neeko had chosen him, as he trusted his own ability better than anyone else here and wanted to see just how difficult it would be to face a pyforial mage.

As Basen expected, Neeko drew one of his own blunt practice swords. But he pushed out his palm to stop Basen from approaching.

“I can give it to you from here.” Neeko extended his arm while holding the handle of his blade, then let go. The sword floated in the air.

The audience responded with gasps and
ooohs
. Neeko lifted his arm again, then bent his thumb and fingers together to make a claw. His brow furrowed in concentration as the weapon floated over to Basen.

Many clapped and exclaimed in wonder. Neeko’s mouth quirked with a hint of a smile, though he remained focused on Basen.

“Attack with whatever technique you think will work,” Neeko said. “Basen the Cunning.”

Basen didn’t want to embarrass this mage, but he needed to find out whether Neeko could defeat him as easily as he made it seem. If Basen couldn’t reach him with the blade, he would shoot Neeko with a fireball.
A small one, not with enough force to injure him.

He knew what Neeko was planning when he didn’t draw his other sword.
He’s going to disarm me. Let him try.

Basen gripped the short sword with both hands. “Are you ready, Neeko?”

“Yes.”

From what Basen knew about pyforial energy, which admittedly wasn’t much, Neeko had to aim it. Obviously, a moving target was more difficult to hit. So Basen charged, making sure to swing his elbows and move the weapon as much as possible. Neeko lifted his hand in the same way a psychic might before a spell. Basen switched the sword to the other side of his body, gripping so hard his knuckles turned white.

He saw it just before it hit him. The energy looked like a blanket of air. It swept in from Basen’s side as fast as a sprinting man, slamming into his legs.

Basen put his hand down to keep from rolling when he fell, then he was back on his feet and running again in a heartbeat.

The energy came back from the other direction. The sand and dust from the air gave it a faint yellow color, bending the image of the wall behind it. Basen braced himself as it slammed into his side. God’s mercy, it was strong, plucking him off the ground. He let go of the sword so as not to stick himself and landed on all fours like a cat.

Before he could get up, the cushiony energy pressed him down onto the warm sand. He squirmed to try to free himself, but it felt as if a thousand heavy quilts had been tossed on top of him. He flipped onto his back and pushed with all four limbs. The energy didn’t feel too different from fatty flesh as he tried to rip it apart, soon discovering it was stuck together completely.

Finally he rolled out from it and was free. He grabbed the wand from the holder on his belt and turned toward Neeko while gathering bastial energy. But what Basen saw made him put up his hands and laugh. “I give up.”

Neeko had taken Basen’s sword and floated it between them, its tip aimed toward Basen’s chest. Neeko’s arm veered and the sword swung to the side. Then Neeko bent his elbow and thrust out his arm, and the sword shot like an arrow toward a wall. Neeko let out a grunt as it stopped short. He pulled his arm toward his stomach, and the sword floated back to him. He grabbed it out of the air and returned it to his sheath.

Basen lifted his hands to clap, noticing others doing the same, but Neeko had another trick for them. He lifted both arms, then brought his elbows to his sides. He took off into the air without moving his limbs in the opposite way a bird might look while diving into the ocean for a fish.

“What in god’s world?” was all Basen could mutter as Neeko soared toward the clouds. Everyone in the audience was muttering as he rose higher than the stadium…and kept going.

Basen shielded his eyes from the sun as Neeko finally slowed his ascent. He veered toward the Redfield tower, then toward the opening where Basen had taken the book to read about Fatholl. Neeko tucked in his legs and landed safely inside. He turned and waved.

Basen applauded with the rest, wondering how dangerous that was. Neeko had made it look easy, as it probably was to him now. But he had to have practiced for countless days, months, maybe even years to get to that point. Some of his trials must’ve threatened his life, but he had much to show for it now.