Firebrand

Dancing Stars

"Master Alastair, may I ask a question?"

"Always." His teacher looked up from the pile of dirt in the Hall of Elements. "What is it?"

"Mistress Juliana told me yesterday we're going to some stone of Archen. What is that?"

"Ah, yes. Which teacher is taking you?"

"Master Fenrick, I believe it was."

"Good, good. He knows most."

Martel pushed the dirt with his foot. "But what's the trip for?"

"Didn't Mistress Juliana explain?"

"She said it was about stars, which didn't really help much."

"Well, all mages are born under the sign of a star. Malac, Perel, or Glund. Archean astronomy claims that when your star is ascending, your magic is stronger. When retrograde, it will be weaker."

Martel scratched his neck. "Really? So I might learn faster on some days than others?"

"Something like that. Usually, the effect is minor, I would say. Still, it may be helpful to know," Alastair remarked.

"Will it hurt?"

His teacher chuckled. "It's a bit of starlight shining on you, boy, that's the whole ritual. Just enjoy the trip with your school friends."

"Alright, I will do that."

"But it's good you remind me. I'll show you a bunch of exercises. Every night when you stop, do one of them and only one. Next night, another, and so on. Understood?"

"Understood."

"Good. The first one requires that you sit down. Earth is obviously a different element to work with than water, but the two share some traits nonetheless. Both have a solid form even if one is fluid, unlike air and fire, which are more intangible."

Martel sat down on the ground opposite his teacher, taking in his lesson.

"You must feel the earth against you, boy. Send your magic down into the dirt until it feels like it is a part of you. Do you understand what I mean?"

"Not really," Martel admitted.

Alastair laughed. "Good thing you have lots of practise ahead of you. Now let's try another exercise..."

~

Still desiring more knowledge about his trip, Martel went to the library. After washing and drying his hands, he waited as the librarian helped another student. Once the former turned around and saw Martel, he gave a little sigh.

"Yes? What do you want?" the librarian stared at him.

"I would like a book about the Stone of Archen."

"That description would match at least a dozen places, but I presume you mean the one that lies near Morcaster. Very well, follow me." the librarian went down his rows of bookshelves with Martel in tow. He snapped one book from the others and handed it over.

Martel's eyes glanced over the introduction after he had found a seat. As he might have expected, the book was written after the fall of Archen with limited knowledge available. He leafed through the book until he came across a description of what he assumed was the relevant stone.

Ever obsessed with the stars, the Archeans had a ritual to determine the position of the stars at a wizard's birth, should this not be known. They even made use of this for their more intricate mechanisms, such as the moon chamber which requires an activation from the entirety of the triumvirate. This served as a safety measure, demanding three different wizards to be present in order to open the door deeper into the complex.

Martel continued to read a bit further, but nothing else seemed relevant. The remainder of the book delved into the supposed experiments taking place at the facility, but this remained speculation and of little interest to Martel, considering the place had been a ruin for more than three hundred years. He closed the book and returned it to its shelf.

Before he could leave the library, he noticed the door to the upper floor open. A little curious, he paused to watch Eleanor pass through the door, closing it behind her. "Hullo, Eleanor. Did you also read about the Stone of Archen?" Given that she had access to the floor for acolytes only, she might have found books more illuminating than the one accessible to him.

"Oh, Martel," she said. "No, I was reading about a different subject. I already know what the trip is about. Master Fenrick explained it to us once in his class."

"I see. Which subject did you read up on?"

Eleanor hesitated before she replied. "Same as last. Magic of the mind."

"Oh right. I just learned about that in Master Fenrick's class about the theory of magic." Just as he said it, Martel felt a little silly. Eleanor would have learned about this long ago, and he had just reminded her that he was years behind her in his studies.

"That was my favourite class," Eleanor revealed. "Well, not the practical part. That bored me to tears. but trying to better understand the nature of magic was so fascinating."

"Yes! I couldn't agree more."

"I have class I must attend. See you tomorrow." Eleanor gave a little wave of her fingers and left the library. Martel waved back and stood a while until he remembered that he also meant to leave.

~

On Malday, Reynard had nothing to tell Martel in either of his classes. This did not surprise Martel, who knew that his education in empowerment magic rested entirely in his own hands. It did not matter either; Martel would have the exercises from Master Alastair to keep him occupied during the few opportunities for practising magic that their journey would afford. Besides, he knew enough about empowerment magic, or he certainly would by the end of his first year, to become an acolyte and continue as a weathermage even without Reynard's help.

~

"Martel! I hear you will be tagging along on our little sojourn into the wild." Maximilian greeted him with the usual grin as weapon practice ended.

"Yeah, Master Fenrick seems to consider that best. I guess the company could be worse." Martel mirrored his expression.

"We are going to have a grand old time, I promise you that. I am already stocking up on supplies. The liquid kind obviously."

Martel frowned for a moment. "You think water will be that – right, I get what you mean." His face became concerned. "Wait, what sort of supplies should we bring? I don't really have anything other than a cloak."

"Well, why do you not ask the quartermaster? After all, I assume you are not paying for your own tuition, so the school must be providing you with supplies," Maximilian suggested.

"Of course, Mistress Juliana said as much. Not sure why didn't I think of that."

"I would tell you to figure that out for yourself, but I imagine you would not be able to think of that either."

Martel sent a slap in Maximilian's direction, aiming for the shoulder, but the mageknight quickly evaded.

"You will have to be a lot quicker than that, Nordmark. Alright, see you later. I have a much deserved bath waiting for me."

"Much needed as well," Martel quickly added.

"At least your tongue works better than your weak punches."

~

Martel had only needed to visit the quartermaster a handful of times since his arrival to the Lyceum. After he had been supplied with clothes and bed linen on the first day, he had mostly stopped by to get new candles or the occasional parchment for writing notes for himself. As it turned out, the quartermaster did not have much for him even in light of his upcoming journey. A waterskin and a piece of canvas to serve as a tent was all.

The day passed without further events. Back in his room with his evening exercises complete, Martel looked up at the night sky. He watched the stars as they shone back at him. Thanks to his astronomy lessons, Martel could now identify several of them including the three most important ones. Malac, Perel, and Glund, the wanderers who followed their own path. Soon, there would be a convergence of the three, as it happened a few times a year. Martel assumed this accounted for the timing of their journey.

He wondered which star would be his particular sign, and whether it really mattered. Some believed that the stars could influence a person's character; to Martel, that seemed dubious at best. On the other hand, if the stars could affect his magic, who knew what else they might hold sway over? In any case, he might soon know more once this journey was complete. Laying down in his bed, Martel pushed these questions aside and went to sleep.