The Melaki Chronicle (3 page)

Renta regarded him as if she were a judge regarding a
plaintiff. “The next testing is in three weeks. Why should we convene a testing
just for you?”

“I am ready to be tested. For all five wards.”

Renta's eyebrows raised slightly and her eyes darted to the
side towards Agak and then back as if she had disbelieved Agak's claim. “I
see.”

Melaki and Renta then said nothing for the span of a few
heartbeats as they looked each other in the eye.

She drew a breath. “You know that no one has ever taken and
passed all five wards at once? The process is exhausting. Further, your record
here does not inspire us to view your request in favorable terms.”

Scribe Instructor Daska spoke. “Senior Initiate Melaki's
written and oral scores are excellent, as we all know. But he has failed six
testings of the first ward.”

“I am ready.” Melaki said. The iron was back in his voice.

Renta squinted her eyes at him. “Very well. Before we
convene a testing for your sole benefit, demonstrate here the first ward light
for us.”

Melaki said nothing. He remembered they would want to see
him cast a spirit spell. Those involved incantations he did not need. So as he
formed the pattern in his mind using giant magic, he moved his lips as if
whispering an incantation to use a spirit. He finished the pattern in his mind
and raised his hand. A ball of blue light radiated forth, strong and cool. The
light was far brighter than required and brighter than any he had seen conjured
during a testing.

Eyebrows climbed on five faces as they looked to each other
for reaction. The Elet from the council nodded, though he continued to stare at
Melaki. The others saw the nod and returned their gazes to him.

Renta was slow in speaking. “Very well. We shall convene a
testing for you. But know this, if you do not pass the first ward of this
testing, your time here will be over. I am sure you have heard the rumors of
your possible destination. Those rumors are true. We weary of your failure, so
today is your last chance.”

Sam-Adad nodded to Melaki. “We will send for you.”

With a swirl of robes, the wizards departed.

*  *  *

Testing for the first ward was always indoors in the testing
chamber. The Elet Council sat on benches arranged in a circle around the pupil.
Also seated amongst them were the headmistress, her assistant, and several of
the Scribe Instructors.

The Elet who had witnessed Melaki's light was named Abisin.
He stood next to Melaki in the center of the circle. A heavy tome and a stone
lay at his feet. "We have heard already the senior initiate's oral
testing. We shall dispense with this and proceed to application." He moved
away and sat on one of the empty benches.

As was his duty, Scribe Instructor Daska stood to the side
and commanded Melaki's testing. “Senior Initiate Melaki, produce light.”

Melaki formed the pattern, moved his lips, and produced a
clean ball of brilliant blue light. As he held the ball in the air, he wondered
if any of the wizards would be looking so close that they would notice that a
different kind of magic was being used. If they were to discover he was using
inherent powers, he would be put to death - probably before the sands of an
hourglass were done dropping. But Melaki was gambling that the wizards would
simply be trying to detect that the magic was coming from him and not that it
was different. So he hoped.

“Cease.” Daska had a smile on his face. Melaki was his
student after all and the light was brighter than any in memory who had been
tested. The circle appeared unimpressed at the light, though, for it was, after
all, just a light.

Melaki's stomach growled in the silence. He should have
eaten something.

Elet Abisin frowned at Melaki. “Did the senior initiate eat
today?”

“I did not, Elet.”

Abisin pursed his lips and gave a look of concern to Melaki.
No matter his failings, the Elets regarded initiates with care.

Renta sighed and dismissed the issue with scorn. “Breakfast
is past. If the senior initiate believes he requires no food on his day of
testing then so be it.”

Melaki grimaced. Headmistress Renta had apparently used his
demands as a deadline. This was her chance to be rid of him and the stain of
his failure. She wanted him to fail. He began to feel irritated.

Daska cleared his throat. “Senior Initiate Melaki, lift the
tome using magic.”

He glanced at Renta and noted her posture. She was like a
lion, ready to pounce on his failure as if to devour him. His eyes narrowed and
his anger mounted. With a glare for Renta, he formed the pattern in his mind
while moving his lips. He used his hands as if he was drawing up handfuls of
water. This brought curious gazes from the Elets, but somatic gestures were not
uncommon. The tome lifted slowly. Far too slowly. Melaki needed to focus more
or he was going to fail and die afterward.

Feeling the tome with his mind, he sped up the ascent. It rose
smoothly above his head and kept going. Too high. He relaxed slightly and the
tome floated down to head height. He knew he did not have to, but he began
moving again as if swinging a heavy chain. The tome began moving sideways to
approving mutters from the Elet wizards. He moved it in a wide circle and
increased the pace. The tome circled the wizards like a bat circling a room.
With a wry grin, he tumbled his fingers and the tome began tumbling end over
end.

Several of the Elet laughed in delight.

With a wicked grin, he tumbled the tome out a little far
behind the headmistress and brought it in directly behind her. She was not
looking at the tome but rather glaring at him. He glared back and tumbled the
tome so that it just barely slapped her head in its passage.

Snarling indignantly, Renta strove to her feet.

“Cease!” said Daska.

The tome dropped to the ground and Melaki bowed to Renta.
“Sorrow, headmistress.”

Renta shook in indignation. “This testing is over. The
initiate fails!”

Rage overtook Melaki. He began forming a pattern in his
mind, intricate and deadly. He did not know what it would do, but it was
stopped by an Elet speaking.

“You have no say in this testing, headmistress. I suggest
you either sit down or remove yourself and allow us to continue the testing.”

Renta spun around and stalked from the room. She called back
without turning, “When he fails, deliver him to me.”

Melaki's head throbbed - from the attempted spell that was
interrupted or from his exertions he did not know. Most likely from the lack of
food.

“Proceed, Daska,” said Elet Abisin.

Daska nodded. “Senior Initiate Melaki, lift the stone and
place it in my hand.”

Melaki nodded and worked his magic to lift the stone. It
floated into Daska's hand as gentle as a feather.

Daska smiled. “Senior Initiate Melaki, prepare a ward to
block the stone from hitting you.”

Feeling ornery, Melaki said, “Throw.” Normally, initiates
constructed the ward first and issued the “throw” command. Melaki could see
Daska took this as failure.

Daska shrugged and threw the stone, certainty written all
over his face that the testing had just failed.

As the Scribe's arm rose to throw the stone, Melaki crouched
and formed his pattern. His hands flew in the air as he used them to complete
the pattern in his mind. As the stone was launched, he threw out his palm as if
to stop the stone. The grapefruit-sized stone bounced off an invisible wall a
couple handspans from his hand.

Surprised mutters emanated from those watching. He heard an
Elet whisper, “Impressive.”

Melaki smiled, but his head throbbed a little harder.

I really should have eaten.

Elet Abisin stood. His tone was scolding. “Senior Initiate
Melaki, you do not need to amaze us with tricks. We require exhibition of your
application of the wards and nothing more.”

Melaki looked down in silence. Shame nibbled at the edges of
his headache.

All present stood. Elation coursed through Melaki's body.

“Welcome, Wizard of the First Ward, Melaki.” Abisin was
smiling.

*  *  *

Melaki regarded the man as the doctor looked on. One of the
gladiators lay there in the sick bed of the medical chambers. He had never seen
so clean a place, not even the Rukha all white and scrubbed. The medical
chambers were so clean the feeling was surreal. The corridors and chambers were
well-lit with crystals. The expense of maintaining this place must have been
immense. But he was here to heal.

He needed to augur this man and the doctor present had to
agree. Closing his eyes, he traced a pattern and reached out with it to the
man's body. “Forearm broken. Thumb broken. He has the daze from head trauma. He
has blood in his urine from his kidneys and something in his lungs.
Something... like a cough. Yes, he has the lung cough.”

Melaki opened his eyes to a frown from the doctor. “The
Initiate is correct except for the lungs.”

Melaki shook his head. “He has the lung cough. I am certain.
Also, I am a wizard.”

The doctor shrugged. “You're wearing initiate robes.” He
tapped his finger against his chin and reached for a cone. With a sideways
glance at Melaki and the Elets, he placed the cone on the man's chest and put
his ear to the other end. He listened for quite some time and then
straightened.

Elet Abisin raised his eyebrows at the doctor. “Well?”

The doctor nodded. “The initiate is correct. This man has the
early stages of the lung cough. I had not caught it because it is so faint.”

Abisin nodded. “Passed. Now work healing.”

The man's arm was obviously broken. The bone was sticking
out of his skin on the forearm. There were other injuries, but Melaki only needed
heal one. With his head pounding and his vision swimming, he opted for just a
standard heal. But this was harder than he imagined. Spirit healing was easy as
it used power not of one's self. Healing was an intensive process that required
envisioning the wound and directing healing energy to it. Spirit energy was
fast. The giant method using inherent powers was slow. But Melaki could not
afford to be slow.

He caressed the wound with his eyes and imprinted the image
in his mind. Then he closed his eyes and began working his pattern of healing.
He could see the bone begin to move, but it was too slow. After a moment of
concentration, he was panting. then he realized he had forgot to move his lips.
He opened his eyes to pensive looks from the wizards. He closed his eyes again
and directed a surge of adrenaline within himself, all the while moving his
lips. Then he recalled the broken bone on the man and began working his
pattern. The room spun as he focused more intently on the pattern. But he
needed to be faster. He poured his being into the pattern and willed the
formation of the knot to materialize faster. He could feel it accelerating. The
man beneath him groaned in pain. With an audible hiss of effort, he finished
the pattern and jerked his hands as if he were holding the man's arm.

With a snap, the bone pulled in and crunched back into
place. The man screamed. With a deft twist to the pattern, Melaki sealed off
the hole in the man's arm the protruding bone had caused. This brought murmurs
of approval from the doctor and the Elets.

Melaki opened his eyes. He wiped sweat from his brow and
said, “Healing seems a little difficult for me.”

Daska frowned. “Healing is one of the easiest. Nevertheless,
you passed.”

Elet Abisin nodded. “Doctor? Please. Your most pressing case
of disease?”

“This way.” The doctor led the way to another room. Only one
bed was occupied while two Wizards of the Second Ward who had devoted their
lives to healing stood in the room. The man on the bed was patchy white with
leprosy. “We saved him for you.”

Melaki moved through everyone to stand by the bed. No need
for augury here, leprosy was this man's problem. Exerting focus, he formed his
pattern and worked it through the man's body, cleansing the leprosy from the
flesh. He opened his eyes and looked at the healthy flush of clean skin.

Elet Abisin muttered, “Slow, but successful. Are you sure
you want to test for the fourth ward today?”

Melaki nodded grimly. His tone was final. “I want it done.”

He could have left the Rukha as a Wizard of the First Ward,
but his life would be nothing but construction. First Ward Wizards were used to
move blocks into place for the palaces and aqueducts being built around the
Altanles Imperium. With his ability at the First Ward, Melaki might even have
captured a coveted construction position in the capital, Afalon. But
construction was not freedom in the sense hoped for. Some graduated the second
ward and went for the Northland, a large island recently reconquered and
reclaimed by the Altanles Empire.

The fourth ward testing was done in the nearby arena
complex. Melaki enjoyed the humid air on the stroll to the arena. It warmed and
cooled him at the same time. The white cobblestones of the city streets were
almost as clean as the Rukha's. Trees shaded the avenue and apple sellers mixed
in with jewelry vendors lined the street in neat stalls.

Just before entering the arena complex, Melaki stopped at an
apple vendor and purchased a bright red and gold-streaked apple.

Elet Abisin cleared his throat in indignation. “The testing
is not the time for eating.”

“Sorrow, Elet Abisin. Is eating forbidden between testings?”
Melaki cast his gaze to the ground.

Several Elets muttered “No.”

Wiping the apple on his white robe, he strode into the
complex. He ate the apple, seeds and all, by the time he ventured out into the
dirt of the arena floor. Only Daska accompanied him. The Elets stood in the
front row of benches above and behind the arena wall.