The Dragon's Champion (20 page)

“So, the
punishment is there as a safety measure. It ensures that only the right people
ever attain the gift of True Sight.”

Marlin nodded.
“And the punishment ensures that those with impure intentions pay dearly for
their covetous and evil desires.”

“May I ask
another question?” Erik asked.

“Of course,”
Marlin said.

“If the gift of
True Sight enables you to see my
spirit,
or the spirit
of others and discern their intentions, then why would you allow a man with
impure intentions into your order?”

“Ah, well, we do
not let evil men into the order, if that is what you are asking. We let men in
who appear to be mostly good. Over their time as a neophyte we try to test them
and discern their innermost desires and ambitions, but for us it is not always
that simple. Sometimes a man enters the temple and over time starts to become a
little more greedy, or taken by other vices. All men have vices, you know. If
their will to suppress these vices is not stronger than the temptation of the
vices, then they will fail the test of Arophim.” Marlin sighed. “It is hard to
explain in minutes things that take a lifetime to understand. Just know that
the test of Arophim opens your heart and searches it to see what kind of spirit
you have. If the courage and strength exists to seek out and pursue the path of
truth and righteousness, then you will do fine. If not, then you will fail the
test.”

“This time you
said ‘me’, am I to take the test?” Erik asked.

“Yes, you are to
take the test,” Marlin replied.

“I wish I
understood what it is I am to do,” Erik said aloud as he sighed. He didn’t want
to take the test. He didn’t want to give up his natural sight, even if he was
able to pass the test.

“I can not tell
you everything. That is for Master Lepkin to do,” Marlin replied. “But I can
tell you a couple things. Your test will not be the same. You have been brought
to take the Exalted Test of Arophim. This test has greater rewards, and greater
punishments.”

“What do you
mean?” Erik asked.

“The exalted
test has two levels of reward. The first is to grant you the gift of True
Sight. The second is to grant True Sight in addition to your natural sight. In
other words, you won’t be blind like me, but will have both natural and
spiritual sight.”

“And what of the
punishment, how is it worse than the regular test of Arophim?” Erik asked.

“The Exalted
Test of Arophim is only to be taken by a certain kind of person. If anyone else
takes the test they will not go blind as with the original test, they will be
destroyed by fire.” Marlin sighed heavily and watched Erik’s aura shrink and
ripple with dark blue colors through its normal yellow energy. Marlin knew that
his words had deeply disturbed Erik. Blue was the color of sadness, and darker
shades meant that there was a deep confusion in the boy. “I wish Master Lepkin
was here to explain it all. I think that would put a lot of your uneasiness at
rest.”

“I don’t know
what to think,” Erik said.

“Erik, you
should know that Master Lepkin has a mission as the Keeper of Secrets,” Marlin
said.

“I know, he is
to protect Nagar’s Secret,” Erik offered.

“That is true,
but it is not all,” Marlin replied. “He is also sent to seek out and prepare
candidates for the Exalted Test of Arophim. He is first bound to his duty to
protect the book, but know that he would not have sent you here if he did not
truly believe that you could pass the test.”

“But, you said
that neophytes study for years before they start preparing for the normal test,
and then they train heavily for six more months. How long am I to train?”

“I admit, time
is against us,” Marlin replied. “I will train you every day until Lepkin
arrives here at the temple. Once he is here, he will tell you the rest of what
you need to know.” Marlin watched Erik’s aura shrink more and become darker.
More blue energy flowed around the boy, but there was still the bright, egg
sized, white energy at the center of the aura. White was a good sign, Marlin
knew. White possessed the power of truth, and if that was at Erik’s core, then
he stood a good chance of passing the test.

“Has anyone ever
passed the exalted test before?” Erik asked.

“Two have
attained the gift of True Sight through the exalted test.”

“But no one has
ever achieved the gift of both sights?” Erik pressed.

“No, no one ever
has come close to that before.” Marlin crossed his arms and knelt down before
Erik. “I can promise you one thing, my young friend. This test shall not be
forced on you. You may choose to do it, or you may choose to reject it.”

“Master Lepkin
may not agree with you,” Erik said. A flash of red energy flowed through Erik’s
energy.

“I see that he
has forced you into pain before,” Marlin said. Red was the color of pain. “I
have known Master Lepkin for many years, Erik. Whatever he has put you through
has been for your good, and for the good of the kingdom. He has trained you
hard because you need to be strong. Not just strong enough to win the battles
ahead, but also strong enough to endure the pain that will come. I promise, if
you reject the test, Lepkin will allow you to walk away.”

“What if he
doesn’t?”

“Then I will
deal with that if it comes. Even the Prelate would face dire consequences if he
defiled the temple by compelling someone to unwillingly take the exalted test.”
Marlin watched as green energy swept through Erik’s aura. The color of healing,
growth, and hope; green was a good sign. The blue and red energy faded away
slowly. Marlin knew that Erik trusted him. “Erik, your role in the events to
come is critical. I ask that you train with me for the test. Even if you decide
not to take the test, the training will still help you in the battles to come.
Will you submit to my training?”

“Yes,” Erik said
resolutely.

“Good.” Marlin
stood up and backed away. “Watch me carefully, Erik. I told you that the
training is to grow your natural ability to discern truth from error. Your
first task is simple. I will create shadows of myself, false copies. Your task
is to decide which copy is real. Begin now.”

Erik watched
carefully as three more personages, identical to Marlin stepped out from behind
the man as easily as cards stacked behind one another. They fanned out into a
single line and stood before Erik.

“May I get up
from the stool?” Erik asked.

“If you wish,”
all of the Marlins said in chorus.

Erik got up and
stretched his tingly legs. He eyed each one carefully, but he had already
chosen the true Marlin. He walked up to Marlin and poked the man in the chest.
“This was too easy,” Erik said. “You should have made me close my eyes. You
never moved from your spot.”

“You have chosen
well,” Marlin said. “For a fool,” he added. The image that Erik poked faded
into the air, vanishing from the room.

Erik’s mouth
dropped open. How could he have chosen wrong? He watched Marlin the entire
time, making sure not to lose the real one as the others had fanned out around
him.

“Forget your
natural eyes, Erik,” the rest of the Marlins scolded. “Your natural eyes lie to
you.”

Erik walked
slowly up and down the line of Marlins. None of them moved. They all stood
perfectly still, allowing him to inspect them all time and time again. Erik
looked for differences between them, but all of the Marlins were exactly
identical, even down to the small thread hanging from the hem of the left
sleeve.

Erik took in a slow
breath and concentrated harder. How could he choose without using his eyes? He
stood staring at the Marlins for well over the space of an hour before finally
remembering something Master Lepkin had told him. Master Lepkin had once said
that Erik practiced sword-strikes when he walked so that others may judge him
for it. That experience was designed to give Erik wisdom when he judged others
so that he would seek to look beyond the physical.

Erik closed his
eyes and tried to use a power he wasn’t sure he even had. He tried to feel with
his heart which man was the true Marlin. He focused hard, thinking back to the
time he had broken the warlock’s spell. He knew he could do it, if he could
figure out how to harness the power within him. He opened his eyes and walked
up and down the line again. This time, he did not look at each Marlin closely
with his eyes. Instead, he stopped briefly in front of each one and tried to
feel the difference between the false Marlins and the true. He walked up and
down the line for more than an hour before stopping in front of one of the
Marlins. He couldn’t be sure, but his intuition told him that this was the real
Marlin. Erik pointed.

“You have chosen
truly,” Marlin said with a smile and a nod. All of the other Marlins melted away
and the two were alone again. “I have never seen anyone pass the first trial so
quickly.”

“That was
quick?” Erik asked.

“It may have
seemed like it took a long time, but I have had students work on the first
trial for weeks at a time. No one has ever passed this trial on the first day,
let alone on the second try.” Marlin laid a hand on Erik’s shoulder and led him
back to the stool.

“What is next?”
Erik asked.

“Now we do it
again,” Marlin replied. “But this time you may not come so close. Sit on the stool
and wait for a moment.”

Erik did as he
was told and watched as Marlin disappeared into a closet and emerged with a
brown bucket. Marlin dipped his hand into the bucket and pulled a tin cup from
it. He carefully poured a white, chalky substance on the floor as he walked
around Erik.

“I get it,” Erik
said. “You are making a ring and I will have to stay inside of it this time, is
that it?”

“That is
correct,” Marlin said. “I will make this ring for the second trial. After each
successful trial I will make a new, smaller ring, until you can pass the trial
without leaving the stool.”

Erik sighed and
ran his fingers through his hair. He was both excited and dismayed by the news.
He wasn’t sure if he could even repeat the success he had the first time, let
alone improve upon it. He wondered if he would still be working on this ring by
the time Master Lepkin arrived. Then he wouldn’t even be able to try to take
the test.

“Have
confidence, Erik” Marlin said, as if reading his thoughts. “I will work with
you until we get it right.”

Once the ring
was complete, Marlin set the bucket down and nine more copies of him appeared.
Erik knew that the second trial had started. He jumped down from the stool and
walked around the ring. The white boundary kept him two yards away from the
Marlins. He tried to feel the differences between the false Marlins and the
real again, but he couldn’t feel anything. He walked around his ring for over
two hours before he became too frustrated with himself to focus.

“You,” Erik
said, pointing to one of the Marlins. Marlin smiled softly and then vanished
like a ghost. Erik turned to the Marlin to the left and pointed at him. “You,”
he said. Again, the image vanished.

“Focus, Erik,”
the Marlins said. “On the battlefield you will not have the option to guess.
You must know the truth, not discover it through a process of elimination. Feel
it, Erik.”

“I’m trying,”
Erik grumbled.

“Close your eyes
and walk around,” the Marlins said. “Feel the truth.”

Erik closed his
eyes resentfully and walked around, peeking at the floor every once in a while
to make sure he didn’t cross the line. He walked around with his arms out,
feeling the room around him. After a few minutes he felt a spot in the room
that was warmer than the others. Could this be it? Could truth be accompanied
by a physical sensation? Erik opened his eyes, hoping he was right. No one
stood before him. There was only a torch mounted on a nearby stand.

“You are
improving your abilities,” the Marlins said. “But unfortunately, you are still
relying on your physical skills. Feel with your heart Erik.”

Erik went and
sat on the stool. He was frustrated. He pulled his legs up under him and set
his elbows on his knees. His chin went down to rest in his waiting palms.

“You aren’t
giving up, are you Erik?” the Marlins asked.

Erik tilted his
head to the left to let his right hand escape and dismissed the question with a
wave. He was thinking. He thought about quitting, but he didn’t want a simple
magic trick to get the better of him. So he sat. He turned inside his own mind,
looking for the key to discovering truth. He couldn’t rely on how he had broken
the warlock’s hypnosis. He had seen through it only because the warlock
flinched at a wound. That was a physical tell.
The wound!
Erik thought to himself. He had somehow stabbed the
warlock when no one else was able too. How had he done that?

Erik thought
back over his training with Master Lepkin. He recalled the ghost and the wolf
that guarded Lady Dimwater’s study. He had defeated them too. How had he done
that? He had controlled his fear and replaced it with something stronger. With
the ghost and the wolf he had replaced the fear with courage, and the will to
live. Erik thought again about the warlock. He hadn’t been afraid to die then,
so the will to live had not been a factor, but courage had been, and so had
love. Erik realized that he broke through the warlock’s magical defenses with
courage born of the love for his adopted father. Could it be so easy?

Erik looked up
to the Marlins. He tried to focus on the love he had for Lord Lokton, and
gather courage. He hoped it would banish the false images and leave only the
true. He focused on the thoughts for several minutes before giving up. Nothing
had happened. All of the Marlins still stood around him and he felt nothing
from them. Erik felt angry at his failure. If his role in the events to come
was half as important as he felt in his heart, then he needed to be better than
this. He knew that failure would let down not only Master Lepkin or House
Lokton, but the whole of the middle kingdom. His anger boiled inside him and he
longed for the ability to discern the truth.