The Choosing (43 page)

“In that case perhaps like your young friend should like to heal those that have been injured or become sick.  The healers whose souls are sworn to Lorentia live a life of servitude to others.  Their sole purpose and calling is to those who require healing.  They give no preference, they deny no one, and so if asked for their service they shall give it.  Are you so inclined Seth?”  Sirus asked raising one of his bushy red eyebrows.

“It is an honorable position for sure sire, however I do not feel so inclined and I am afraid I would be poorly suited for that station.”  Seth answered honestly.

This piqued Sirus’ interest so he then offered the position he hoped Seth, like his brother, would choose.

“Perhaps then you should like to remain by your brother’s side and join the elite ranks of the Knights of Valdadore.  All of us within the ranks possess the gift, though our wise god Gorandor chooses to give the ones he blesses each a single blessing to help them perform in battle.  The blessings vary slightly, but usually they are for the same purpose.  We are a small portion of the Kingdom’s vast armies, choosing only the best.  We live by a code of honor at all costs, even at the cost of our own lives.  Is this the path that you can foresee yourself venturing down?  Sirus again asked Seth.

“I would like to stay with my brother.”  Seth stated while thinking of the other person he refused to be away from. With the though Seth accidentally let his eyes wander to Sara where he viewed her for a fraction of a second in his peripheral vision before returning his gaze to Sirus and continuing his response.  “Though I do not feel any drive to join the army I am afraid.”  Seth finished

With Seth’s answer Sirus’ eyebrows knotted in the middle of his head and he nodded solemnly.  He had noticed Seth’s sideways glance and already understood its meaning.  Sasha had told him of the young love affair, and even if the boy did not want to be a knight he would try to see to it that he could carry out his wife’s wishes.

“I see.”  Sirus stated coolly once again.  “Perhaps then you wish to wield magic as one of the powerful battle mages who don the red robes.  They fight with the army though they live and train separately.  Most of them worship Zeranthil though some have been known to worship other lesser gods in times past.  Their powers are quite formidable and their blessings vary from person to person.  Some have many abilities yet others are limited to just one or two abilities.  They live by their own set of rules, though I do not know them precisely.  If that does not suit you then perhaps you might find interest in the gray robed mages.  They specialize in defensive magics.  They too help the army though they do not fight.  They instead use their power to protect those of us who do fight.  Their abilities vary as well, some of them can bless armor to make it impenetrable, and others can form invisible shields to deflect blows.  Gray robes are a rare enough sight as most with the ability choose to join the red robes.  Judilanthaliz is the head of the Gray robes and he teaches a life of discipline and honor much akin to that of the knights.  All who don the gray robes throughout history have worshiped Saranadia.  Those are the two primary options left to you young Seth, however I warn you.  Should you choose to join the ranks of the mages you are given a limited time to choose a god to swear yourself to, and then if you do not receive a blessing from your chosen god in a reasonable amount of time you will be removed from their ranks and given a position elsewhere.  The same goes for my knights, however I choose them carefully and have never had to turn one away after I have chosen them.  Does either of these positions seem a likely choice to you?”  Sirus asked for the final time.

“M’lord I think if I am being given a choice then I feel I am best suited for a gray robe.  I like to help others, and I do try and protect them if I am able.  I feel this would be the best option for me.”  Seth stated honestly, thinking a guardian role suited him nicely.

Sirus turned to the man in the gray robe and nodded to him.

“It seems he is all yours then Judilanthaliz.”  Sirus said to the man.

The man in gray nodded his cowled head and took a step forward towards Seth.  Stopping after a single step the man pulled back his cowl revealing his face.  Seth inhaled sharply at the sight though composed himself as quickly as he was able to face the man. The man was older than Seth had imagined him to be.  In fact the man’s hair was the same shade of gray as his robes.  This however was not what had shocked Seth.  The man’s face was split in two by a wide jagged scar that started as his left temple, straight through his sightless left eye, across his nose and down the opposite cheek all the way to his neck.  His mangled features were the first thing that Seth registered however they were not the only thing that had caught him off guard.  The man was also not human, at least not completely so.  His face was narrow and slightly elongated.  His cheekbones were a bit too high under his almond shaped eyes that slanted slightly.  This however was not what readily gave the man away as nonhuman.  It was the man’s long pointed ears that labeled him unmistakably as an elf.  All this Seth was able to take note of in the time it took for a single intake of breath.  Composing himself immediately he waited for the man to address him.

“Hello young Seth, my name is Judilanthaliz.  I share both the bloodlines of humans and of elves and being so I am an outcast to the Elven race.  I am the head of the order of those in gray robes.  We are known as the guardians, though some refer to us as shields.  Ours is a life of discipline.  We spend time each day studying both magic and religion.  All among us now alive worship Saranadia.  It is not always an easy road as one in the gray robes as you may tell by my face, but it is a rewarding path to protect those in need of protection.  Choose wisely young Seth, but choose now.”  Judilanthaliz said giving Seth a moment to think before continuing.  “Have you come to a conclusion?”

“I have sire, I should like to join your ranks if you would have me.”  Seth stated knowing at this point that more than likely he would be a gray robe for the remainder of the day and then he would be fleeing the city with Sara.

“We should be happy to have you young Seth, please go to see Heath and he shall point you in the right direction.”  Judilanthaliz said.

Seth did as he was told, looking to Sara first before walking away.  Giving her a slight nod, secretly reminding her of their plan, Seth walked the few paces required to speak with Heath.  Speaking to the man briefly Seth watched as Heath wrote down his full name, age, where his home was, and his newly appointed position before finally sending him to stand only a few paces from his brother.  As Seth approached his brother and the dwarf he smiled to his twin but stopped short of joining him, saying without so much as a word that they had not been chosen for the same purpose.  Seth did find it a little odd however that out of the seventy or more people already chosen, he was the first to join the ranks of the gray robes.  Seth stood alone, already separated from his brother, anticipating the separation from Sara as well, his shoulders slumped and head sagged in defeat. 

Garret watched as his brother approached, appearing broken and defeated, he had taken the meaning of Seth’s sudden stop and smiled to reassure his brother before turning to watch what would become of the woman his brother loved.

Sara listened to the entire conversation held between those doing the choosing and her three companions already chosen.  She had already gleaned the names of all four people who came to stand before her now and she quickly committed their faces to memory as well.  Sara then just stood with a blank expression on her face, completely obscuring the fear she fought within, and waited for them to speak to her.

“Hello young lady, you must be Sara.”  Sirus stated his steel eyes alight once again.

“Yes sire that is correct.”  Sara answered.

“You were the last standing in the test earlier alongside Garret were you not?  Sirus asked.  Sara simply nodded her reply, keeping her blank expression in place.

"Well I must say that Sasha is quite fond of you and it seems Felix has grown a bit attached to you as well.”  Sirus said with a wide smile.  “Well I must first ask you if you have any special skills and I must also ask if you worship any of the gods.”  Sirus said not trying to conceal his boredom with repeating the same thing over and over again.

“As far as I am aware M’lord I do not possess the gift of magic, nor do I have a religion.”  Sara stated simply wanting this moment to be over.

"Women are rare in the army, but with your survival so long in the battle earlier I cannot help but ask if you would wish to join the army?"  Sirus asked.  With this question all those with Sirus leaned nearer awaiting the small woman's reply.

"I don't believe myself suited for the army M’lord, it was due to Seth, Garret, and Ashton that I remained in the competition as long as I did."  Sara answered.  Sirus thought a second before continuing his line of questioning.

“Well do you have any other skills that you are particularly good at?”  Sirus asked with an unfamiliar tone in his voice.

“What do you mean M’lord?”  Sara asked unsure of his tone.

“Is there anything at all that you are good at that might be useful to the Kingdom?”  Sirus asked this time not trying to hide that he wanted her to say something.

“Well M’lord I am fairly good with figures, and I can memorize things rather quickly.”  Sara stated hoping it would answer the knight’s question.

“Can you read and write as well?”  Sirus asked.

“Yes M’lord.”  Sara answered.

Sirus stood for a moment trying his best to pretend he was deep in thought about something, though Sara, who had just met the man, could tell he was faking.

“Judilanthaliz aren’t you currently without a messenger?”  Sirus asked as if trying to recall some detail.

“Yes Sirus in fact I am.”  Judilanthaliz said nodding.  “I am happy you have reminded me I had not thought to find myself one today.”  He added.

“Does this young woman suit your needs?” Sirus asked the man in gray.

“She might indeed.  Let’s give her a small test shall we?”  Judilanthaliz asked in a musical voice that was too sweet to be wholly human.

“What do you have in mind?”  Sirus asked the older man.

The man in gray thought a moment and turning his gaze upon Sara he asked his question.

“Young woman, can you recall some details of the conversation we just had with the man who stood beside you a moment ago?” 

“Yes M’lord.”  Sara answered.

“Well then young woman what do you recall.”  Judilanthaliz asked.

“Well M’lord your name is Judilanthaliz the head of the gray robed guardians.  You worship Saranadia and live to protect those in need of protection.  The man in red here is Vladmere The head of the red robed battle mages.  He worships Zeranthil as do most of the battle mages.  They fight with the armies of Valdadore.  The beautiful woman beside you in white is Karishtala the head of the order of healers.  They worship Lorentia and live to heal those in need of healing.  Sirus here is the head of the Knights of Valdadore and he and his men worship Gorandor.  They fight with the army though they hold a much higher council than those of the regular forces.  The man behind you in green is an elf and I assume as such that he is the head of the druid order, though I know not his name.  Behind him, Heath stands with a large tome in which the names of those chosen are recorded as well as the location of their homes as well as their new station in life.  Beyond him representatives of the regular army as well as a representative of the King’s house stand.  Is that sufficient sire?”  Sara asked after speaking every detail she could readily recall.

“Indeed young woman your memory is sharp.”  Judilanthaliz said and turning to face the knight he continued.  “I think she will fulfill my needs of a messenger quite nicely.”  He said with a grin.

“Sara go and see Heath and tell him you are to be messenger to Judilanthaliz and follow his instructions.”  Sirus said grinning once again.

Sirus watched as Sara passed and he could not help himself but to smile.  His wife had given him instructions not to allow her and Seth to be separated, and though he knew it was not entirely up to him, he had played his cards properly and by doing so had not disappointed his wife.

Seth watched for many long moments as Sara spoke to those gathered before her.  He was close enough to see who was speaking and when but too far to clearly hear their words.  He could clearly see through Sara’s mask to the fear she was trying to hide.  The same fear that twisted within him.  He watched as she spoke for a long time, speaking more quickly than she normally would as if in panic.  He then watched as Sirus and Judilanthaliz exchanged words and Sara left them to speak to Heath.  Seth watched even more intently as heath scribed Sara’s information in his book and finishing with his quill, again raised his head.  Heath said a few words then to Sara, and turning his head he pointed directly at Seth.  Sara nodded her understanding to the man and with a giant beautiful smile turned to meet Seth’s eyes with her own amber gaze.  Seth suddenly realized what was happening and all fear rushed from his body to be instantly replaced with gratitude and love.  Sara strode confidently to his side, where she belonged, and took his hand interlacing their fingers once again.  For all that had gone wrong since the night before Seth left his home in Vineleaf, something had finally gone right.  He was to be separated from Garret he knew, but it was a realization that he knew he would have to come to terms with.  Garret dreamed of glory and honor, whereas he just wanted a quiet life with Sara.