Chapter 6
The next morning, Jack woke up early. He noticed a bowl of fruit on the desk that wasn’t there the night before. He grabbed a few of the apples and put them in his pockets. He walked to the opening of the tent and peeked his head out. To the left and right of the tent’s opening were two guards.
“Morning, boys.” he said to the guards.
The guards both looked at him.
“Here. Have an apple.” he said as he took two of the apples out of his pockets and tossed one to each guard. He took the third apple out and started eating it.
“A couple of questions for you boys. First, are you here to keep people from coming in or to keep me from coming out?” Jack asked.
One of the guards spoke.
“We are here for your protection, sir.” he said.
“Sweet.” said Jack. “Second question. I know that this is a question that is almost never asked in movies and fantasy books, but is there any chance one of you two strapping young gents could direct me to the latrine?”
The guards looked confused.
Jack tried to clarify.
“The latrine. The bathroom. The place where you relieve yourself. Where you go number one or number two. The toilet, boys. The porcelain throne. Is any of this ringing any bells, guys?”
The guards still looked a bit confused.
Jack changes his tactic.
“I’m gonna be blunt. I. Have. To. Pee. Where do I do that?” he said.
The guards finally understood and one of them spoke.
“This way, sir.” he said as he directed Jack to the tent where “business” is done.
Once he was finished with his business, Jack stepped out of the tent.
“Hmm. A magic outhouse. Neat. Mystery solved, I guess.” he said to himself before speaking to the guard who was waiting outside. “Thanks. Now, onward to my tent, my armor clad friend!”
The guard escorted Jack back to his tent.
#####
Not long after Jack returned to his tent, Lia arrived.
“Good morning, Jack. Did you sleep well?” she asked.
“Yeah. You?” asked Jack.
“I slept quite well, thank you. Before we talk about your magic, I thought it might be a good idea to show you around the camp.” she said.
“Sure. Sounds like fun.” said Jack.
With that, Lia and Jack left the tent. They talked as they walked.
“You seem surprisingly comfortable in this setting, Jack.” she said.
“Well, where I come from, I was a soldier for quite a while, so I’m used to spending a lot of time in the field.” he said.
“You were a soldier?” she said.
“Yeah. I was a Major. I was in charge of a unit of specialized soldiers known as Rangers.” he said.
“I see. And did these Rangers of yours also possess magic?” she asked.
“No. As far as I know, magic doesn’t really exist where I come from. But we were well trained and well armed, so we were more than capable of completing even the most difficult of operations.” said Jack, with a hint of pride as he thought back on the soldiers he had under his command.
As they continued to walk, Lia showed him the various specialty tents and structures, including the one where meals were prepared, the briefing and command tents, the soldier barracks and the supply tents. They then came upon the medical tent.
“This is our medical tent.” Lia said, as she opened the flap, revealing rows of beds where soldiers with varying degrees of injuries were being attended to by healers.
Jack’s expression turned serious as he looked into the tent. He had seen more than his fair share of similar scenes during his time in the military. A glow came from the hands of the healers and they tended to the wounded. He turned to Lia.
“Didn’t you say that it’s been more than three weeks since the battle in the canyon? How are there still so many wounded?” he asked.
“That battle ended over three weeks ago, but some of the soldiers were severely injured before you showed up and we are still fighting skirmishes every day. The healing is slow because some of our strongest healers are among the wounded from the battle at Arnin Canyon, and we can’t get any more healers in to replace them for at least a month, even by dragon.” she said.
“I’m sorry to hear that. Wait... Did you say dragon?” Jack said.
“Yes. Follow me.” said Lia.
They walked toward the outer edge of the camp and came up to a covered area where peculiar noises could be heard. As they got closer, Jack could see what looked like small dragons, only slightly larger than Clydesdale horses. There were saddle-like mounts attached to some of their backs.
“These are our dragons. Lesser dragons, to be more precise. With a rider and equipment, they can travel distances much faster than it would take on foot, but we only have so many.” she said.
Jack cautiously approached the dragons. One in particular seemed to be rather aggressive, opening its mouth and hissing at anyone who passed by.
“What’s the deal with this one?” asked Jack.
“That one is a recent addition. She was fine bringing her here, but soon afterward, she wouldn’t allow any rider and grew aggressive to anyone who approached her. We fear that we may have to put her down.” said Lia.
“What’s her name?” asked Jack.
“Nava.” Lia said.
Jack approached Nava slowly and carefully. She started to hiss. Just as he got within reach, Jack noticed something in her mouth. Along the gumline on the left side of her back teeth, Jack noticed what looked like a bone wedged deep into the gums. It was then that he noticed that she was rubbing at the area with her tongue.
“Can I try something?” asked Jack.
“Be careful.” said Lia.
Jack took a few more steps forward and Nava hissed again, but she didn’t lunge toward Jack. She only opened her mouth to hiss. Jack slowly raised his right hand and placed his left hand on his own jaw, tapping as if to tell Nava that he wanted to help. As she held her mouth open, Jack reached his hand in. One of the handlers noticed what Jack was doing from a distance and began to approach from behind Lia.
“Is he insane? Is he trying to lose a hand?” said the handler, but Lia raised her hand to stop his approach.
“Wait. Let him try.” she said.
Jack slowly reached his hand toward the fragment in the back of the dragon’s mouth. The moment he touched it, Nava winced and pulled back slightly, but didn’t close her jaws. Jack carefully grabbed an edge of the fragment and gently pulled it out. It was a two-inch-long shard of bone, likely from a meal that the dragon had eaten soon after arriving. The moment he pulled it out, Nava’s demeanor changed. Jack turned to Lia.
“I don’t know about you, but I’d be pretty cranky with a shard like this sticking in my gums and no way to reach it.” he said as he tossed it on the ground. When he turned back to Nava, he noticed that her head was down and she was stretching her neck toward him. Lia seemed surprised at this action.
“What’s happening?” asked Jack.
“She’s thanking you. Touch your forehead to hers.” she said.
Jack leaned in and gently placed his forehead against Nava’s head and closed his eyes.
“You’re most welcome.” he said to Nava as he pet her on the side of her neck.
As he pulled his head back, Nava made eye contact with him. He smiled at her before turning back to Lia, who still had a somewhat surprised look.
“What?” said Jack.
“Dragons are sensitive and selective creatures. They generally don’t take too kindly to strangers. Let alone allow one to put their hand in its mouth. That she took a liking to you so quickly is exceedingly rare. I’m thoroughly impressed.” she said with a smile.
“Always happy to be of service, Your Highness.” Jack said while bowing in an exaggerated manner.
Right after Jack stood back up, Nava placed her chin on top of Jack’s head. He reached up and scratched behind her jaw.
From a distance, Captain Alivair sees this happening and approaches Lia.
“Your Highness. May I speak to you?” he said.
Lia turned to him.
“Of course.” She turned to Jack, who was still playing with Nava. “Excuse me for a moment, Jack.”
Jack waved in acknowledgment before going back to playing with Nava.
Alivair had a look of concern on his face.
“Your Highness. Should we really be letting this stranger walk around freely in this camp? He’s dangerous, and for all we know, he could be a spy for the Emperor. I don’t trust him. He should be detained and interrogated immediately.” he said.
“Captain Alivair, look over there.” Lia pointed at Jack. “Does that really look like a spy to you?”
Jack was playing with a dragon like it was a completely normal thing to do.
“And are you forgetting about the nearly twenty-three thousand Dark Army troops that he reduced to nothing at Arnin Canyon?” She asked.
“Of course not, Your Highness, but that may very well have been a sacrifice in order to get us to take him in.” Alivair said.
“Captain, consider this. If the Dark Army had someone capable of wiping out an entire legion of soldiers in a single shot, would it not make more sense for them to simply use it on us directly instead of sacrificing their own soldiers for the sake of some sort of subterfuge?” she asked.
“Perhaps. But I still don’t trust him.” he said before walking up to Jack.
He pointed a finger at Jack as he spoke.
“If you do anything to threaten Her Highness, I will not hesitate to put you down, Otherworlder. That’s a promise.” Alivair said in a threatening tone.
Alivair stood slightly shorter than Jack, with long hair the color of blue calcite. His bright silver armor was accented with strips of gold and was intricately engraved, showing his high status. The woven black leather long sleeves extended beneath black leather gauntlets covered in fine metal scales leading to studded knuckles and larger scales running down each finger.
“Gotcha. You’re kind of a dick, huh?” Jack said as he continued to pet Nava, showing that he wasn’t the least bit intimidated by Alivair’s threat.
“I don’t speak Otherworlder, human. What is the meaning of this ‘dick’ you speak of?” Alivair asked.
“Oh, it’s an Otherworlder term that means that you’re kind of a big deal.” As Jack was saying this, he briefly looked at Lia and subtly shook his head before turning back to Alivair.
“I am second in command of the Vedyrian Army, Otherworlder, so if what you say is true, then I am very much a ‘dick’, and you best not forget it.” said Alivair.
“Oh, don’t worry. I won’t forget it.” Jack said, trying his best to hold back a laugh.
As Alivair walked away, he spoke to Jack one last time.
“I will be keeping an eye on you, Otherworlder.” he said.
“Looking forward to it!” said Jack in reply, as he waved to Alivair.
Jack pets Nava one more time before walking back over to Lia. He is no longer making any effort to hide his smile.
“From your reaction, am I to assume that this word you used does not mean what you told him it means?” Lia asked.
“It does not. But it will be really funny if he starts telling people what I told him.” said Jack.
Lia shakes her head.
“I do hope that you both eventually get along. For now, there are a few more places I’d like to show you.” she said as she gestured the direction that she wanted Jack to walk.
Jack nodded and followed.
#####
As they continued to walk through the camp, Jack was amazed at the diversity of the occupants of the camp. The camp was populated by not just elves, but a wide variety of beastfolk and other races. Among the beastfolk, there were wolves, bears, lizards, felines, and rabbits. Towering above all the other occupants were the orcs. Their skin was a light-bluish gray and their eyes were the color of antique gold. The shortest among the ones he saw was at least eight feet tall, with muscles that would put even the biggest of bodybuilders to shame. Their facial features included pronounced brows and thick squared jaws. There were complex raised ritualistic scars along their faces, necks, arms and chests. One thing in particular began to stand out to Jack. He didn’t see any other humans.
“Quick question, Lia. Where are all of the humans?” he asked.
“Unfortunately, there aren’t that many left, anymore. The human kingdoms were among the first to fall to the Dark Army. Many became Demonborne. The survivors are scattered throughout the land.” She said.
“Oh. So I’m kind of an endangered species here, huh?” he said.
“It would seem so.” she said, in a slightly somber tone.
Eventually, they came to a tent surrounded by large wolf beastfolk guards.
“This is the armory.” she said as she nodded to the guards to let her and Jack pass.
As they walked into the tent, Jack saw rows and rows of weapons, including swords, bows, daggers and staffs. As he looked around, he noticed something missing.
“Where are the arrows?” he asked.
Lia picked up one of the bows and pointed to a gem mounted into the grip.
“Since there are many who don’t possess a magical affinity, we have many tools that have been infused with magic through these gems.”
“How is do you infuse magic into gems?” Jack asked.
“It’s a technique and skill known exclusively to the fairiefolk. Their skills in magic and alchemy have been quite useful for generations.” she said.
“Wait. There are fairies here, too?” asked Jack.
“Indeed. And not only are they skilled in magic and alchemy, they have also been very helpful to us as messengers and spies.” Lia said.
She handed the bow to Jack. He examined it thoroughly and was surprised at how light it was. He drew the string back but nothing appeared.
“How does it work?” he asked.
He handed the bow back to Lia and she angled it in a way that Jack could see the gem mounted into the grip.
“You begin by placing two fingers of your firing hand on the gem and then draw back the string.”
She touched her index and middle finger against the gem and brought them directly back to the string. As she did so, a glowing yellow line of energy formed between the gem and the string. When she raised the bow and drew the string backward, the line grew to a full-sized glowing energy arrow. The string itself glowed as she drew it back. She slowly brought the string back to the bow, resulting in the energy arrow shrinking back down to a line between the string and the grip, and when she released the string, the glowing line vanished.
“Cool!” Jack said, as he tried to process what he had just witnessed. “So what other kind of objects can you infuse magic into?”
“There are many tools used for everything from cooking to transporting of heavy supplies that have been infused with fairy magic.” she said.
“Oh! Like the toilet, right?” Jack said with a surprising degree of enthusiasm.
Lia laughed at his excitement.
“Yes. Like the toilet.” she said, still laughing.
“Yeah. That was cool. I liked that.” said Jack.
“You are a very peculiar man, Jack.” said Lia, as she began to catch her breath.
Jack nodded.
“You know, you’re not the first person to tell me that.” he said.
“I should think not.” said Lia, as she returned the bow to the racks. She then gestured toward the opening of the tent.
“There is one more place I’d like to show you.” she said as they walked out of the tent.
#####
They walked for some time through the camp, engaging in some idle small talk as they walked. Eventually they reached a row of tents on the outskirts of the camp, opposite to where the dragon stables were located. As they approached the tents, a familiar person came out of one of the tents.
“Oh! Hey, Gandalf! Wait... sorry. Bil, right?” said Jack.
Bilen shook his head, knowing that he was likely about to be in for a rough time, as he approached Lia and Jack. He greeted them both.
“Greetings, Your Highness.” He turned to Jack. “And... you, as well.”
Lia slightly bowed her head in greeting. Jack raised a hand and waved. Lia turned to Jack.
“Bilen here is the leader of the Mage Corps. They are the ones responsible for the majority of large scale offensive and defensive magic on the battlefield.” she said.
“Nice! So you’re kind of a badass, huh? Good for you, Bil. Oh, and I’m still really sorry about breaking your crystal gauge. I feel really bad about that.” Jack said.
“No need to worry yourself any further, young man. It can be repaired.” Bilen said.
Jack let out a sigh of relief.
“Oh good. That’s good to hear.” he said.
Lia places a hand on Jack’s shoulder.
“The reason I brought you here, Jack, is because Bilen will be assisting me in trying to teach you to control your magic.” she said.
“Try being the operative word here, I’m guessing.” said Jack, as he held up his bandaged arms.
“I have faith in you, Jack.” she said in a reassuring tone.
Just as she finished saying that to Jack, a fairy flew up from behind them. Jack flinched, thinking that a large insect had flown up to them before turning and seeing what appeared to be a humanoid with light mint-green colored skin, short and spiky dark green hair and four rapidly beating dragonfly-like wings flying up to Lia’s shoulder. The tiny figure whispered something into her ear. Lia nodded and thanked the fairy before it jumped off of her shoulder and took flight, returning in the same direction from which it came. Jack didn’t blink a single time watching what had just transpired between Lia and the fairy.
“Wow. That just happened.” he said out loud to himself.
“I have some issues I must attend to, gentlemen. If you’ll excuse me. Jack, will you be able to find your own way back to your tent?” she said.
Jack nodded. She then turned to Bilen.
“Bilen, I’d like you to join me this evening in Jack’s tent in order to begin his instruction.”
Bilen bowed his head.
“As you wish, Your Highness.” he said.
Lia then turned around and walked away in the same direction the fairy took a few moments earlier. Jack stood there, looking around awkwardly for a moment before looking at Bilen.
“So... I guess I’ll see you later, Bil.” Jack said.
Bilen gave a nod to Jack.
“Until this evening, then. Try your best not to blow anything up in the meantime.” he said in a mildly condescending tone.
“Gotcha.” said Jack as he turned and headed back to his tent.
Chapter 7
As evening came, Jack sat impatiently on his bed, awaiting the arrival of Lia and Bilen. The thought of actually learning how to use magic made him feel a bit like a kid again, listening to all of the stories that Artemis told him. The evening meal was delivered by a beastfolk rabbit, standing all of four feet tall, not counting the ears. Jack thanked him and asked him a question before he left.
“Where’s Crescia?” He asked.
The rabbit paused at the opening of the tent and turned to Jack.
“She is attending to Her Highness at the moment.” he said.
“Oh, ok. Thanks.” said Jack.
The rabbit nodded and left.
Jack practically inhaled his meal, still excited about learning magic. No sooner had he finished his last bite when he heard Lia’s voice outside the tent.
“Jack, may we enter?” she said.
Jack shot up from the chair, threw the utensils onto the plate and slid it over to the end of the desk.
“Yes! Of course!” he said.
Lia and Bilen walked in.
“Please, sit!” Jack said excitedly while gesturing to the chairs.
Lia and Bilen both calmly walked over to the chairs and sat down. Jack then sat down on the bed.
“So, where do we start?” said Jack.
“I get that you’re excited, Jack. But we need to do this properly and safely.” Lia said.
Bilen clears his throat.
“Since we both have an affinity for it, and it’s the one type of magic that has the least possibility of you completely destroying the camp should you use it, the first type of magic we shall teach you to use is light magic.” he said, not even attempting to hide his feelings of objection to teaching Jack magic at all.
“Makes perfect sense.” said Jack.
Bilen pulled a small dagger from a sheath on his hip.
“Give me your hand, Jack.” he said.
Jack was a bit hesitant.
“Why do I get the feeling that you just want an excuse to cut me?” he said, half jokingly.
Lia chuckled.
“If you wish to learn to control your magic, give me your hand.” Bilen said, clearly in no mood to laugh.
Reluctantly, Jack held his hand out. Bilen lowered the bandages wrapped around his palm and placed the blade of the dagger against the edge of his palm, about two inches below his pinky finger. He quickly pulled the dagger, creating a deep cut in Jack’s hand.
“Oww!” said Jack, as he pulled his hand back.
Bilen held his hand out, waiting for Jack to place his now injured hand back down.
“Magic is something that you feel. It is something you control with your thoughts.” Bilen said.
Jack was still cradling his injured hand.
“Right now, all I feel is that you cut me like you’re holding a grudge. I think you hit bone, Bil. Seriously. Not cool.” he said.
Bilen again held his hand out, more forcefully this time, trying to get Jack to give him his hand again.
“Give me your hand. I’ll heal it.” he said in a frustrated tone.
“No!” said Jack before looking to Lia. “You can use light magic, too. Can’t you?”
Lia nods while smiling at the scene unfolding before her.
Jack offers his injured hand to her.
“Then can you heal it? I’m worried that he might just stab me, again.” he said.
Lia gently took his hand.
“Sure.” she said.
Lia held her other hand over his injury, closed her eyes and her hand began to softly glow.
“Magic is all about visualization. When you’re healing someone, you must imagine their wound healing, and if you concentrate enough the magic will start to heal the wound.”
As she spoke, Jack watched as the fresh wound in his hand began to close. By the time she was done speaking, the wound had completely closed, leaving not so much as a scar. When she was done, the glow began to fade. She then placed the hand she used to heal Jack’s wound onto his palm. She opened her eyes and smiled. Jack just sat there, amazed at what he had just witnessed. The pain that was so sharp only moments ago was gone. All that was left was the warmth of Lia’s hands holding his.
“Wow.” he said. “And you’re telling me I can do that?”
Lia smiled and nodded.
Bilen cleared his throat again, noticing that Lia had yet to release Jack’s hand. Lia released his Jack’s hand and he brought it close to his face, examining it closely.
“Would you like to try?” Lia asked Jack.
Jack immediately looked over to Bilen.
“Can I cut him?” he said.
Bilen leaned back, slightly threatened by Jack’s excitement. Lia took the small dagger from Bilen and placed it against her own hand. She drew the blade slowly across her own palm and offered her hand to Jack. Jack cradled her hand with one hand and held his other hand a few inches above her palm.
“Now close your eyes and imagine the wound healing.” she said.
Jack took a deep breath and closed his eyes. As he began to concentrate, his hand began to glow. The glow rapidly became very bright and the wound on Lia’s hand quickly closed. She reached up and grabbed his hand, breaking his concentration.
“Excellent! You did it! Well done, Jack!” she said.
Jack opened his eyes and brought her previously wounded hand close to his face, running his fingers over the the area where the wound had vanished.
“I can heal people?” Jack said.
“Yes. It seems you can.” Lia said. “And quite quickly, it would appear.”
Jack suddenly stood up.
“I’ll be right back.” he said.
As he ran out of the tent, Bilen shouted to him.
“There is much more to learn! You are far from finished here!” he yelled.
#####
By that time, Jack was well on his way to the medical tent. Having seen as many wounded soldiers over the years as he had, the idea of being able to heal even one was something he couldn’t wait to do. When Lia and Bilen exited Jack’s tent, he was already out of sight.
#####
Jack burst into the medical tent and was greeted by one of he healers.
“May I be of assistance?” the healer said.
Jack was almost manic in response.
“I can heal. Can I help?” he said.
The healer looked somewhat confused, but allowed Jack to pass. Jack walked up to one of the soldiers laying in a cot. The soldier had a number of deep wounds across his face and chest. Jack placed his hand over the wounds, closed his eyes and concentrated. Soon his hand began to glow. The glow became brighter and brighter. After a moment, Jack opened his eyes. The wounds on the soldier had healed completely. The healer approached the soldier and examined him, confirming that the wounds had fully healed.
“Thank you, stranger.” he said.
But by that time, Jack had moved onto the next soldier. Again, he closed his eyes, concentrated and began to heal the soldier’s wounds. Eventually, Jack thought he would try to heal many soldiers at once. He stood in the middle of the tent, closed his eyes and concentrated as hard as he could. The glow from his hands became so bright that it engulfed the entire tent. Those who were able to do so shielded their eyes from the glow.
#####
In the distance, Lia and Bilen saw the immense glow coming from the medical tent and began to run toward it.
“Young fool.” said Bilen as they ran.
#####
When the light faded, Jack was breathing heavily. He looked around at the soldiers. Many of them were now looking at him with shocked expressions, including the healers. Not only were they shocked by the glow from this stranger who had just burst into the tent. Many of them were also shocked to find that recently severed limbs and recently lost eyes had returned. Jack slowly stumbled out of the tent as the healers began to examine the soldiers. Just as he closed the flap of the tent after stepping outside, Jack began to wobble before collapsing face down in the dirt.
“That was awesome.” he said into the dirt.
Just then, Lia and Bilen arrived to see Jack on the ground. A healer came out of the tent and saw Jack. Bilen raised his hand.
“Don’t worry about him.” he said.
Jack, still face down in the dirt, raised his hand and gave a thumbs up. The healer then energetically waved for Lia to come into the tent.
“Your Highness! Your Highness! You must see this!” the healer said.
Lia walked into the tent, following the healer. She looked around in the tent to see previously seriously wounded soldiers now sitting up in their cots. The healer rushed her from cot to cot.
“Your Highness! Look! Even lost limbs have returned!” he said.
“Remarkable.” She said as she greeted each of the soldiers with a smile.
Meanwhile, Bilen was crouched in front of Jack, who was still face down in the dirt.
“What you failed to hear when you ran from the tent, young man, is that use of magic comes at a price. The more you use, the more weak you become. It takes a toll on your body that you must recover from.” he said.
“Yeah. I’m starting to understand that, now.” Jack said to the dirt, slightly slurring his speech. “Still, totally worth it. That was awesome.”
Bilen shook his head and stood up. Lia came out of the tent.
“Bilen, you should go in there and take a look.” she said before looking down at Jack, who was continuing to lay face down in the dirt.
Bilen went into the tent. Lia crouched down and rolled Jack onto his back.
“Woah. That’s much better. Oh, hey! You’re pretty. I healed some people. That was fun. I can’t move. Am I gonna die? Still, totally worth it.” he said, sounding like he was highly intoxicated at that point.
Lia began to laugh.
“No, Jack. You’re not going to die. You just used too much magic too fast. You’ll be just fine after you rest for a while. You did very well. Thank you, Jack.” she said as she gently patted Jack on the head while calling some guards over to help pick him up.
As the soldiers lifted him up each one holding him by an arm, Lia noticed that the bandages that had been wrapped around his arms were almost completely burned away, revealing dark almost tattoo-like scars where the glowing cracks had initially formed when she first saw him absorb the massive amounts of magic energy in the canyon. His head was slumped forward, as he was so weak that he was unable to hold it up. Lia’s expression changed.
“But why did you feel the need to rush over here so quickly, Jack?” she asked.
With his head still slumped forward, he spoke in fragments.
“Had to... lost so many... couldn’t help... now I can... had to.” he said as he drifted off into unconsciousness.
Lia then noticed a few tears falling down his cheeks. She gently placed her hand on his head for a moment before speaking to the soldiers holding him up.
“Bring him back to his tent, carefully.” she said.
The soldiers nodded and carried him away.
#####
Bilen walked out of the tent with a look of surprise and confusion on his face. Lia spoke.
“Still think he’s a threat, Bilen? Would a threat do something like this?” she asked.
“I don’t doubt his intentions, Your Highness. What he did here was... miraculous, to say the least. But imagine if he had done something with one of the other magical attributes. It’s his lack of control that is dangerous.” he said.
“All the more reason for you to help teach him to control it, then.” she said before turning around and walking away, heading in the direction of Jack’s tent.
Bilen looked back at the medical tent briefly before walking toward in the direction of the Mage Corps tents.
#####
As Lia approached Jack’s tent, she saw the two soldiers leaving. She thanked them as they passed by her, giving her a slight bow. She opened the flap of the tent and entered. Inside, Jack was laying face up on the bed. His head was shifting around on the pillow and he was quietly muttering something. Lia got close to try to hear what he was saying. As she tilted her head and got about a foot away from him she was able to make out what he was saying.
“Had to. Too many. Had to. No more. Too many. Had to.” he muttered.
Lia began to realize that there was a much deeper meaning to his actions as she saw another tear fall from one of his eyes. Remembering that he had mentioned being a soldier to her earlier, she imagined that he must have had regrets about his own soldiers being wounded in battle. She softly stroked his head as he continued to shift.
“You did well, Jack. You did very well. Now rest. Just rest.” she said as she continued to stroke his head.
When Jack finally drifted off to sleep, Lia placed a blanket over him and then stepped out of his tent.
#####
As she returned to her own tent, Alivair approached.
“I hear your little pet performed quite the trick, earlier, Your Highness.” he said.
“He is not my pet, Captain, and I advise you to remember to whom you are speaking.” she said in a firm tone.
Captain Alivair’s posture and expression changed. He straightened his armor, recognizing that his condescending comment had clearly crossed a line, though he was surprised at just how firm her tone actually was. It was a tone she had not often used when speaking to him.
“Forgive me, Your Highness. I meant no offense.” he said.
“Yes you did. But that aside, is there something I can do for you, Captain.” she said in the same firm tone.
Alivair cleared his throat.
“I was simply saying that word has begun to spread about what the human did in the medical tent.” he said.
“The human’s name is Jack.” she said, continuing the firm tone.
“Yes, Your Highness. Jack.” he said, realizing that he was continuing to dig himself into a hole.
“Is there anything else?” she asked.
“No, Your Highness.” he said.
“Then good night, Captain.” she said.
Alivair stood at attention.
“Yes, Your Highness. Good night.” he said.
He remained there for a few moments as she entered her tent. After a quick look around, he walked off to go to his own tent for the night.
Chapter 8
The next morning, Jack woke up feeling like he had just spent the previous night drinking half the contents of a liquor store. He poked his head out of the tent just as Crescia was arriving with his breakfast. He held the tent flap open for her and followed her into the tent. She placed the tray down on the desk and turned to Jack.
“How are you feeling today?” she asked.
“Worse than good. Better than dead, I guess.” said Jack.
Crescia looked thoroughly confused at his statement.
“I’m pretty achy, but otherwise not too bad.” Jack said to clarify.
Crescia nodded, getting a better idea of how he was feeling.
“Oh. I think I get it, now. Well, I hope you feel better soon.” she said.
“Thanks.” said Jack.
Crescia then walked up to Jack. Standing only a few feet from him, the difference in height between the two of them became much more apparent. They almost looked like a parent and child. Crescia smiled.
“Word has spread throughout the camp about what you did yesterday.” she said.
“Is that a good thing?” asked Jack.
“Of course! Very good! That you were able to heal everyone, be they elf or beastfolk, is all that everyone has been talking about.” she said enthusiastically.
“Cool.” said Jack.
“Well, I have to get back to my duties. See you later, Jack!” Crescia said.
She hummed to herself as she left the tent.
After she left, Jack sat down at the desk and ate the breakfast. When he was done, he decided to go for a walk around the camp.
#####
The one thing that stuck out to him was how friendly everyone was to him. It wasn’t that anyone was particularly unfriendly to him before, Bilen’s constant condescension and Captain Alivair’s blatantly overt hostility notwithstanding. But he found that people were smiling at him as he passed, with some even greeting him with the occasional “Good morning”. His walk eventually brought him to the stables. As he approached, Nava’s head perked up. Jack walked up to her and put his hand out. She leaned her head down. He leaned his head forward and touched his forehead to hers while petting her neck.
“Good morning, Nava. Did you sleep well?” he said.
Jack was still somewhat giddy at the idea that he was standing there and petting a dragon. It was something that he had imagined doing all the way back to when he was a young child, playing with his toy dragons in his bedroom. Soon, the handler that had approached the day before walked up to Jack.
“She sure has taken a liking to you.” the handler said.
“Yeah. She’s a real sweetheart.” said Jack as he continued to pet Nava. “I’m Jack, by the way.”
“Good to meet you, Jack. The name’s Barvan.”
“Nice to meet you, Barvan. How’s she doing this morning?” he asked.
“Much better. She’s getting her appetite back. Perhaps in a few days, if Her Highness is ok with it, I’ll let you take her out for a quick flight.” Barvan said.
“Really? That would be incredible!” said Jack. “Wouldn’t that be nice, Nava?”
Nava nudged Jack.
Jack gave Nava a few more pets before turning to Barvan.
“Well, I should probably be heading back. It was nice to meet you, Barvan.” he said.
Jack reached his hand out to shake Barvan’s hand. Barvan grasped Jack’s wrist and Jack did the same to Barvan.
“You as well, Jack.” said Barvan.
Jack gave Nava a few more pats on the neck before heading back to his tent. On his way back, he saw Captain Alivair doing his morning rounds. Jack had hoped to avoid making contact, but sadly the stars were not with him at that moment. Alivair approached him.
“Good morning, human.” said Alivair.
“Good morning, dick.” said Jack.
Alivair took a deep breath before speaking again. Making it very clear that what he was about to say was being said begrudgingly.
“I suppose I should thank you for your efforts yesterday evening.” he said.
“No thanks necessary. I did it because I could.” Jack said.
Wanting to engage in further conversation about as much as he wanted to take a face first dive into a raging bonfire, Alivair chose to end it as quickly as possible.
“Very well, then. Good day.” he said.
“Back at you.” said Jack.
Alivair walked away to continue his morning rounds. Jack took a slight amount of joy in knowing just how much it irritated Alivair to say anything even remotely positive to him. As his tent came into sight, Jack noticed Lia approaching. When she saw him, she briefly recalled the complex emotional state he was in the night before after healing the soldiers in the medical tent. Jack greeted her first.
“Good morning, Lia.” he said.
“Good morning, Jack. Are you well?” she asked.
Jack gave a slight shrug.
“All things considered, I’m not too bad.” he said. “How about you?”
“I’m well.” she said.
“That’s good. So what’s on the agenda for today?” Jack asked.
“Today I think we should try working on some water magic. Nothing too flashy. Just some basic magic.” she said.
Jack was a bit doubtful about his ability, given how much he had overdone it the evening before.
“This should be interesting.” he said in a half enthusiastic and half worried tone.
Lia opened the flap of the tent and gestured for Jack to enter.
“Shall we get started?” she said.
“Where’s Bil?” Jack asked.
“He’s working with the Mage Corps today. But I think we can handle this one without him.” she said.
“Ok, then.” Jack said as he entered the tent.
After they both entered the tent, Lia opened the pouch she had brought with her and took out two small glass bowls and placed them down on a chair before sitting down on the other chair. Jack once again sat on the bed. Lia began the instruction.
“As I said yesterday, magic is all about visualization and concentration. In order to create or manipulate water, you first need to see it in your mind. Let me demonstrate.” she said.
She held her hand over one of the bowls, momentarily closed her eyes and then opened them. When she opened her eyes, Jack noticed a slight blue glow coming from her pupils. As she focuses on the bowl, a small sphere of water began to form between the bowl and her hand. She slowly moved her fingers and the sphere of water came to rest in the bowl. She then waved her hand over to the other bowl and the water slowly raised up from the first bowl and then gently cascaded into the other bowl. Finally, she turned her palm upward, causing the sphere of water to rise up to face height. She brought her other hand up and brought both hands together for a moment before quickly pulling them apart, causing the sphere of water to suddenly burst into a cloud of vapor.
Jack was awestruck by what he had just witnessed. He had a big smile across his face. Not knowing what else to do, he began to clap.
“That was amazing.” he said.
Lia smiled.
“Thank you.” she said, somewhat taken aback by his enthusiastic response. “Do you think you can do that?”
“Not even a little bit.” Jack said, while continuing to smile.
Lia was unable to suppress a laugh at his bluntly energetic denial.
“Give it a try.” she said.
Jack stretched his arms out and shook them, as if he were preparing to throw out a first pitch at a baseball game. He did a few stretches and then took a couple of deep breaths. He then began to talk to himself.
“Visualize and concentrate. Visualize and concentrate. C’mon, Jack. You can do this. Just visualize and concentrate.”
He held his right hand over one of the bowls and closed his eyes. Below his outstretched hand, a small orb of water began to form. He opened his eyes. Unlike Lia, Jack’s eyes began to glow a bright and vivid blue, encompassing his entire eyes. At the same moment that his eyes began to glow, the small orb of water grew into a raging torrent, spraying an absurd amount of water into the bowl at speeds comparable to a fire hose. The sudden onslaught of freezing cold water hitting both Jack and Lia. It caused Lia to momentarily let out a scream before she stood up and quickly exited the tent. Having heard the scream, a number of soldiers had come running to see what had happened. When they arrived at the tent, they saw Lia standing there, dripping wet and breathing heavily. Shortly after that, Jack came walking out of the tent, also dripping wet from head to toe.
“Boy, that was cold! But surprisingly refreshing! And hey! I didn’t pass out, so... progress!” said Jack, trying to make the best of the situation. He looked over to Lia and noticed that she was still shaking off the water.
“Sorry.” he said.
“I think that perhaps we should do any further magic lessons outside, from now on.” Lia said after catching her breath.
“I wholeheartedly concur.” said Jack.
“I’m going to go change into something dry.” she said before walking away in the direction of her tent.
Jack turned around and faced his tent.
“Everything of mine is wet now.” he said sadly.
As Jack walked into his tent and sat down on his bed, the full force of the regret hit him alongside the disturbingly loud soggy squishing sound of his now entirely waterlogged mattress. After a few moment of soaking, Jack considered seeking assistance from one of the mages in the Mage Corps. Even though Bilen had told Jack that he had an affinity for all six forms of magic, he felt like any further attempts would likely only make things worse, so he decided it was best to rely on a professional, so he left his tent and made his way toward the Mage Corps tents.
#####
When he arrived at the section of the camp where the Mage Corps were stationed, he decided to just call out to see if anyone would help.
“Excuse me! Does anyone here know wind magic?” he yelled.
As he stood there, waiting for anyone to reply, he felt a rather large hand on his right shoulder. He turned to see who owned the rather large hand and found it connected to a rather large slate gray wolf beastfolk soldier. Standing at least six-and-a-half feet tall, this soldier had the crest indicating that he was a member of the Mage Corps.
“Are you in need of someone skilled in wind magic, my friend?” he said in a deep booming voice.
Jack suddenly realized that he had seen this soldier before. The last time he saw this soldier, he was laying on a cot in the medical tent, minus the hand that was now gently resting on Jack’s shoulder.
“Hi.” said Jack. “Yes. I think so, at least.”
The wolf soldier patted Jack’s shoulder a few times.
“You seem a bit damp, my friend.” he said.
“Yeah. I had a bit of a water magic mishap in my tent. I kind of flooded it.” Jack said.
“Impressive.” said the soldier.
“Lia didn’t think so.” said Jack.
“Oh. I see. My sympathies, friend.” he said. “Close your eyes and hold your breath for a moment.”
Jack saw no reason to object, so he closed his eyes and held his breath.
“Raise your arms, as well.” said the soldier.
Jack complied.
As Jack stood there, eyes closed, breath held and arms raised, he began to feel a strong wind building around him. It was quite warm and spun around him like a Jack-sized tornado. It increased in speed for almost fifteen seconds and then died away completely. Jack then opened his eyes and exhaled. He looked down to find that his newfound friend had used his wind magic to completely dry Jack’s clothing.
“If you can do that same thing to all of the stuff in my tent, I will make you my best man at my wedding if I ever get married.” Jack said.
“Lead the way, my friend.” he said.
“I’m Jack, by the way.”
“Greetings, Jack. I am Rhandor.”
“I have a feeling that this may be the start of a beautiful friendship, Rhandor.” said Jack as they walked to his tent.
#####
After they arrived at the tent, Rhandor did his magic, systematically drying each item in Jack’s tent by first raising the item up into the air and then surrounding it in a sphere of wind to dry it before bringing it back down into Jack’s hands.
#####
As Lia stepped out of her tent, she noticed that nearly everyone was facing in the same direction and their heads would rise and lower in sync. She looked toward the same direction as everyone else only to see all of Jack’s possessions, one by one, floating up to the sky, momentarily hovering in place and then slowly returning back down. She looked around a second time at all the people who seemed almost hypnotized by the sight before making her way to Jack’s tent. By the time she arrived, she was able to witness Jack’s entire mattress slowly levitating upward into the sky like it was being abducted by aliens in need of a good nap.
“Rhandor?” She said.
“Yes, Your Highness?” said Rhandor.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
Jack interjected as he popped his head out of the tent.
“He’s quickly becoming my best friend.” he said.
“That’s good, I suppose.” Lia said.
“Yeah. Thanks to Rhandor, pretty much everything in my tent is dry, again.” said Jack.
“I see.” she said. “That gives me an idea.”
As Rhandor lowered the mattress into Jack’s waiting hands, Lia approached Rhandor.
“What would you say to assisting Jack in learning how to use wind magic?” she asked.
Rhandor turned to Lia and bowed.
“It would be my honor, Your Highness.” he said.
“Excellent.” she said. “But for the safety of all involved, it would be best if we do this outside the camp. Perhaps at the practice range?”
“Of course. I shall make preparations.” said Rhandor, bowing a second time before heading in the direction of the Mage Corps tents.
Jack came out of his tent, having returned the mattress to the bed.
“Where’s Rhandor?” he asked.
“He is off to make preparations for you to try some wind magic.” she said.
“Are you sure that’s such a good idea? Given... you know.” Jack said as he pointed to his tent.
“No need to worry, Jack. I’ve asked Rhandor to set up a practice range outside of the camp in order to minimize any potential collateral damage.” she said.
“Oh. Good.” said Jack. “I don’t think my tent could take much more.”
“Come, let us grab something to eat before we head to the range. You will need your strength.” Lia said.
#####
Jack and Lia proceeded to the tent where the food was prepared and they each had a small meal. When they were done, Jack made sure to grab a piece of cake and carefully wrapped it in a cloth.
Chapter 9
When they arrived at the practice range outside of the camp, Rhandor had already set up a number of targets.
“Greetings.” he said as Jack and Lia approached.
Jack held up the wrapped piece of cake, offering it to Rhandor.
“I got you a piece of cake as a treat for helping me out.” said Jack.
For a moment, Jack became preoccupied by his use of the word “treat”. He hadn’t intended to imply that Rhandor was a dog deserving a treat and a “good boy.” He looked at Rhandor’s face as he handed him the piece of cake, checking for any hint of a change in his expression that might indicate offense. When the only expression he saw was one that appeared to be an expression of gratitude, Jack realized that he was probably overthinking it, and that the whole concept of doggy treats could very well be a completely foreign concept in this world. His realization was confirmed by the friendly response from Rhandor upon receiving the piece of cake.
“Thank you, Jack. Your thoughtfulness is most appreciated.” he said, before taking a big bite of the cake.
Jack let out a subtle sigh of relief before looking around the range. There were a number of straw man-shaped targets connected to wooden poles embedded in the ground. There was also a large basket containing a number of softball-sized leather balls.
Rhandor finished his piece of cake and walked over to a pile of straw with a number of small bundles of something mixed in. He turned to Jack.
“The thing about wind magic that distinguishes it from many of the other forms of magic is the fact that you can’t see the magic itself. Unlike fire or water, air has no form, so to help you understand...”
He then turned to Lia.
“Your Highness. If you would be so kind?” he said as he gestured to the pile.
Lia nodded and crouched down, and with a quick flick of two of her fingers, a flame formed on the pile and rapidly spread. The bundles mixed in with the straw produced a massive amount of smoke. Rhandor then turned back to Jack.
”...this smoke will serve as a medium to allow you to see some of the manipulations involved in wind magic.”
Rhandor took a few steps away from the fire and then flicked his fingers like he was waving for the fire itself to follow him. His action caused one of the bundles in the fire to jump out of the fire. He then waved his hand like he was directing where he wanted the bundle to go, and the bundle followed his gesture, landing about halfway between Rhandor and the targets he had set up. The smoke gently rose from the bundle. He then turned to Jack again.
“Wind magic has multiple uses, on top of the rather entertainingly novel use you saw earlier. Wind magic can be used both offensively and defensively. When concentrated, wind can be thrown like a blade at a target. Allow me to demonstrate.” he said.
Rhandor turned to face the target that he had placed the smoke bundle in front of and took what looked like a fighting stance, with his body facing forty-five degrees from his target. His hands were at his sides. Jack took a close look at Rhandor’s eyes and noticed a subtle yellow glow from his pupils. Suddenly, Rhandor’s right hand shot up diagonally across his body like an upward chop at the air. A fraction of a second later, Jack saw the smoke in front Rhandor split momentarily like it was sliced in half by a sword. A fraction of a second after that, the target that stood beyond the smoke bundle exploded, and when the debris had settled, Jack saw that the target had been sliced along the same angle that Rhandor’s chop had traveled. When Rhandor looked back at Jack, he was surprised to see Jack’s head repeatedly darting back and forth between the now destroyed target and Rhandor, still somewhat confused about what had just transpired.
“That strike involves imagining a blade that reaches out from your hand and strikes your target. It has a limited range, but it is quite effective at stopping anyone or anything that gets within reach.” he said.
Jack then turned to Lia.
“And you think I should start with that? Not trying to blow the flame out of a candle or make a leaf float or anything like that?” he asked.
“Given the strength of your previous attempts with magic, might as well make the destruction intentional.” Lia said with a smirk.
“Fair point.” Jack said, smirking back.
Jack then walked up to Rhandor. Rhandor pointed to one of the other targets.
“Just remember. Visualize a blade of air. See it in your mind. Focus on your target and then throw the blade.” said Rhandor.
Jack nodded, took a deep breath and then got into the fighting stance that Rhandor had when he did his strike. He then closed his eyes and visualized the blade. Rhandor walked over to Lia and stood next to her to watch Jack. When Jack opened his eyes, they were glowing bright yellow. He moved his hand in the same way that Rhandor had done, throwing the “blade” at the target. A massive cloud of dust traveled along the path that Jack was facing, leading all the way to the target. Along with the dust cloud came a deafening thunderous boom. As the ringing in his ears began to subside, Rhandor lifted his hands to clear the dust from the air to get a better idea of what had just transpired. When the dust cleared, Rhandor and Lia first noticed that Jack was down on his knees, breathing heavily. Starting where Jack had stood and leading several yards beyond what little remained of the target was a sharp furrow carved into the ground. It was shallow on the end close to Jack and nearly two feet deep at the opposite end. Rhandor walked up to Jack, crouched down and placed his hand on Jack’s shoulder.
“Are you well, Jack?” he asked.
Continuing to breathe heavily, Jack responded.
“Yeah. I’m fine. That was just a bit intense. And loud. I just need to catch my breath.”
“It was a quite impressive attack, my friend. And you hit your target. Well done.” said Rhandor.
Jack looked up at where the target once stood.
“Oh wow. I didn’t even realize it. Yay for me. Woo!” he said before sitting down on the dirt. He looked over to Lia.
“I didn’t pass out, fall flat on my face or unintentionally drown anybody. I think I’m starting to get the hang of this stuff.” he said.
“Indeed.” Said Lia.
“I think I’m going to need five minutes or so, though.” he said.
Rhandor stood up and walked back to Lia.
“Most impressive. His power is unlike any I have ever seen, but I fear his true problem lies in his inability to properly control that power. We may not have anyone here who can help him. We might have to eventually send him to see her.” he said.
“Perhaps.” said Lia. “But I still believe it may be a bit too early to consider such a drastic move. He is still new to this world and still new to magic. He may yet learn to control it himself. I have faith in him.”
“As do I, Your Highness.” Rhandor said, raising the hand that Jack’s healing powers had regenerated. “But faith can only carry one so far.”
Rhandor then turned and approached Jack, who was still sitting on the ground catching his breath. He offered his hand to help Jack up. Jack grabbed his hand and stood up.
“A most impressive effort, Jack. But perhaps you should refrain from any more magic for the day. It appears to be taking its toll.” Rhandor said.
“Yeah. You’re probably right.” said Jack.
“But worry not, my friend. The demonstration is not yet over. Follow me.”
Rhandor led Jack over to the basket filled with the leather balls.
“I shall walk over there. When I say so, I want you to throw these balls at me as fast and as hard as you can. I will show you how wind magic can also be used defensively.” he said.
“Ok. Cool.” said Jack.
Rhandor gave Jack a nod and then walked about twenty feet downrange before turning around.
“When you are ready, my friend.” said Rhandor.
Jack thought back to his days in school when they would play dodgeball. Though he never imagined that he would one day be using those skills on a six-and-a-half foot tall humanoid wolf with magical powers. He picked up the first ball, wound up and threw it as hard as he could at Rhandor. Holding up his index and middle finger, Rhandor made a small swiping movement like he was turning the page of a book in front of him. The ball was sent off-course long before it reached him. Jack then re-positioned himself behind the basket and proceeded to throw ball after ball as fast as he could at Rhandor. Each ball was easily deflected to the left or right with the subtle swiping motion of Rhandor’s hand. Jack threw the final ball directly at Rhandor’s head as hard as he could. This time, Rhandor flicked his wrist upward, sending the ball toward the sky. Without even looking, Rhandor held his right hand out and the ball landed squarely in his palm.
“That is so cool.” said Jack.
“It is not just solid objects that can be deflected with wind magic.” said Rhandor before turning to Lia. “Your Highness, if you’d be so kind?”
Lia nodded and then placed her palms together. Jack saw a reddish glow start to form in her pupils. As she parted her hands a fiery sphere began to form between them. By the time she stopped parting her hands, the fireball had grown to nearly the size of a basketball. Lia then took a fighting stance, and with an open palm, thrust her left hand forward, aiming at Rhandor. The fireball launched at impressive speed toward Rhandor. Once again, he waved his hand. When he did so, the fireball immediately deflected and burst like an overinflated balloon. Jack began to applaud.
“That was incredible!” he said.
Jack then turned to Lia.
“That was fire magic?” he asked.
Lia smiled and nodded.
“Wow.” he said.
Jack imagined himself trying to do fire magic. Then, taking into account his track record with overpowered magic up to that point, he then imagined the fireball growing out of control. The thought caused him to shutter for a moment.
“Are you all right, Jack?” asked Lia.
“Yeah. I just had a scary thought, but it’s gone now.”
Lia turned to Rhandor.
“Your assistance today has been most appreciated, Rhandor.” she said.
Rhandor bowed.
“It was my pleasure to be of service, Your Highness.” he said.
Lia then turned to Jack.
“Perhaps that should be all for today, Jack.” she said.
Jack nodded and then thought for a moment before metaphorically rolling the dice.
“Would you be able to join me for dinner tonight?” he asked.
Lia was slightly surprised by the question, but considered that there was still a lot about Jack that she didn’t know.
“Yes. I’d like that.” she said. “Now, if you’ll both excuse me, there are things I must attend to.”
Rhandor bowed. Jack saw that and awkwardly followed suit. Lia saw the awkwardness of Jack’s bow and smiled as she walked away.
After she walked out of view, Jack walked up to Rhandor. Rhandor placed his hand on Jack’s shoulder.
“You possess an uncommon level of bravery, my friend.” said Rhandor.
Jack paused for a moment and thought about what he had just done.
“Rhandor?” he said.
“Yes, Jack?”
“Did I just ask the future ruler of a kingdom and the current commander of its army on a date?” he asked.
“I believe you did, Jack.” Rhandor said.
“And she said yes?” Jack asked.
“She did indeed.” said Rhandor.
“Rhandor?” said Jack.
“Yes, my friend?” he said.
“I do hope to see you in the front row of my likely public execution.” Jack said.
“Front and center, my friend.” said Rhandor as he patted Jack on the shoulder.
“Thank you, Rhandor.” said Jack.
“You’re welcome, Jack.” said Rhandor.
Chapter 10
When evening came, Jack found himself pacing in his tent. Questions filled his mind as he paced. Is this a date or is it just dinner? Does Lia know it’s a date? Is she already involved with anyone? Can someone even date royalty? The questions continued to occupy his thoughts, making him more and more anxious. The moment he was on the verge of hyperventilating, he heard Crescia at the entrance of his tent.
“Jack? Are you there?” she asked from outside the tent.
“Yeah!” Jack said, at a volume much louder than he had intended.
Crescia poked her head into the tent.
“Her Highness has requested your presence in her tent.” she said.
“Ok!” Jack yelled, before clearing his throat. “Ok. I’ll be out in a moment.” he said at a much more reasonable and calm volume.
Crescia smiled at his obvious nervousness.
Jack walked up to the mirror and made one final check. He straightened his clothing and ran his fingers through his hair a few times. He took a deep breath and turned toward the opening of the tent to find Crescia trying her best to suppress her giggling.
“What?” asked Jack.
“Nothing. Nothing at all.” she said. “This way, please.”
As Jack and Crescia made their way to Lia’s tent, Jack’s anxiety only grew. To those around him, he looked more like a condemned man walking his final steps toward a firing squad than a guy walking to have dinner with someone. Crescia couldn’t help but find it amusing. When they reached Lia’s tent, Crescia turned to Jack and placed her hands on his shoulders.
“I have never seen someone so nervous to eat a meal. Will you be all right?” she said in a mildly mocking tone.
Jack nodded and then did a quick shake of his head and arms to try and shake out the tension. He took a deep breath.
“Ok. I’m ready.” he said.
Crescia entered the tent and Jack could hear his introduction.
“Your Highness. Your guest has arrived. Shall I show him in?” she asked.
Jack could tell from her voice that Crescia was trying not to laugh.
“Please.” said Lia.
Crescia held open the tent flap and gestured for Jack to step inside. As he passed her, she whispered to him.
“Good luck.” she said with a wink.
When Jack walked in, Lia was standing there, smiling. He could tell that, thanks to Crescia, she was fully aware of Jack’s awkwardness. Her tent clearly reflected her status. Her armor was mounted on a wooden stand near a small desk with a mirror. There was a full-sized bed along the back wall of the tent. The tent was illuminated by a number of lanterns with softly glowing amber crystals. In the center of the tent was a small table with two chairs. When Jack’s eyes met Lia’s once again, he momentarily panicked and started to clumsily attempt to bow. As thoroughly entertained as she was by his awkwardness, Lia finally spoke.
“Breathe, Jack.” she said with a smile.
It was only after she said that to him that Jack realized that he had stopped breathing upon stepping into the tent. After he started to breathe again, he awkwardly raised his right hand and waved.
“Hi.” he said.
“Hi.” said Lia. “Come sit down.”
Jack walked over to the table and began to sit, but immediately shot up again and walked over to Lia’s chair and pulled it out for her. She sat down.
“Thank you, Jack.” she said.
Jack then walked back around the table and plopped down into his seat, adjusting his position several times before placing his hands on his lap.
“You seem nervous.” Lia said with a smile.
“Does it show?” said Jack.
“A little.” she said. “This is hardly the first time we’ve been alone, Jack.”
“Yes, Your Highness, That’s true. It’s just...”
Lia interrupted Jack.
“Jack. I told you that you can call me Lia. No need for formalities here.”
“Oh, yeah. Right. Lia. Yes. You did. Yeah. Lia. Yes.” he rambled.
“Would you like some wine?” she asked, gesturing to the bottle on the table.
“Absolutely.” said Jack as he took the bottle, filled the glass and chugged it down like he had just found water for the first time in days after a brutal trek through the desert. Upon realizing what he had just done, he placed his glass down and cleared his throat.
“Sorry. Would you like some wine?” he asked.
“Yes, please.” she said as she chuckled.
Jack picked up her glass and carefully poured a much more reasonable amount than what he had poured into his own glass and handed it back to her.
“Thank you.” she said.
Jack poured a second glass for himself, took a sip and set the glass on the table.
Crescia popped her head into the tent.
“Dinner will be ready shortly. You ok in there, Jack?”
Lia could no longer hold it back and began to laugh. Jack’s head drooped as he realized how awkward he had been up to that point.
“Yes, Crescia. I’m fine, thank you.” he said, as he felt the tension begin to release from his shoulders.
Jack raised his head and smiled as he saw how entertaining Lia had found the whole situation so far. Lia took a sip of wine.
“I’ve been meaning to say this for some time, but for an Otherworlder, you certainly seem to be taking all of this surprisingly well.” she said.
Jack thought for a moment.
“Yeah. That’s weird, huh?” Jack said. “Part of it might have to do with the stories that my grandfather told me.”
“What kind of stories?” she asked.
“Stories that, now that I think about it, seem surprisingly similar to this place. Almost to the point where I wonder if this is where he got the stories.” he said.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“Well, the gate that I passed through to get here is actually in an underground tunnel on my grandfather’s property.” he said.
“But that gate hasn’t been active for nearly two centuries.” Lia said.
“Why not?” asked Jack.
“It’s said that it was intentionally destroyed by King Deromar to prevent the Dark Army from pursuing him and his family after his kingdom fell.” she said.
“Deromar? Why does that name sound familiar?” Jack asked.
“He was the king of one of the last human kingdoms to fall to the Dark Army. The Kingdom of Stobrimore was...”
Jack suddenly interrupted.
“The kingdom of what?” he asked.
“Stobrimore.” said Lia.
“Stobrimore?” asked Jack.
“Yes. Why? Is that important?” asked Lia.
Jack cleared his throat.
“It’s my last name.” he said.
Lia looked a bit confused. It occurred to Jack that the concept of a last name isn’t always a given, so he attempted to clarify.
“It’s my family name. My name is Jack Stobrimore.”
Lia placed her wine glass down on the table and thought for a moment.
“What is the name of your grandfather?” she asked.
“Artemis. Why?” said Jack.
“That was the name of the young prince that King Deromar brought with him through the gate.” she said.
Jack was beginning to have difficulty processing what he was hearing.
“Wait. I need a second, here.” he said.
He leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling of the tent, trying to comprehend the direction the conversation had taken. As he was still processing, Lia spoke up.
“If what you say is true, Jack, that would make you the direct descendant of the last human kingdom.”
“Which would make Grampa Art...a king?” Jack asked, partly to Lia and partly to himself.
“And your mother and father a prince and princess.” she said.
“Unfortunately, my parents died in an accident when I was very young. It’s not something I really like to talk about, though.” said Jack.
“If that is true, Jack, that would make you the crown prince of the fallen Kingdom of Stobrimore.”
Jack placed his elbows on the table and put his head in his hands. It was certainly not what he had expected to discover when he initially asked to have dinner with Lia. As he was still trying to process the new information, Crescia entered the tent carrying a tray with their food. Jack and Lia both looked over to Crescia as she walked in.
“Is your conversation going well?” she asked them both.
Jack’s face still broadcast his confusion.
“Well, apparently I’m a prince, now.” he said.
Crescia’s eyes grew wide.
“Before dinner was even served? Wow! Um... I congratulate you both on your betrothal!” she said, totally misunderstanding the situation.
Lia laughed.
“Apparently young Jack here just found out that he is the crown prince of the fallen human kingdom of Stobrimore.” Lia said, attempting to clarify.
“Oh.” said Crescia as she placed the plates of food in front of each of them. “So you’re not betrothed?” she asked.
“No.” said Lia. “Not today.”
“I see.” said Crescia, before turning to face Jack. “Congratulations, Your Highness.” she said to him in a slightly sarcastic yet playful tone.
Crescia’s tone broke Jack out of his loop of shock and confusion. He smiled before looking at Crescia.
“Hey, now don’t you start with that.” he said.
Crescia gave an exaggerated curtsy in response.
“Yes, Your Highness. A thousand apologies, Your Highness.” she said before sticking her tongue out at him.
Once again, Crescia had broken some of the tension that Jack had been struggling with. While he certainly hadn’t come to terms with the new discovery, he was no longer spiraling trying to understand it.
“This is certainly not how I expected this date to go.” said Jack.
“Date, you say?” said Lia.
Jack suddenly began to panic again.
“Wait. Is it not...? I thought... It’s just... You know...” he rambled.
“Calm down, Jack. A date is fine. I, too, see this as a date.” she said with a smile.
“It is? You do? Oh, thank god.” said Jack as he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Shall we eat?” she asked.
“Yes. Eat. Food. Yes. Good idea.” said Jack.
As they ate, they continued to talk.
“Jack, I’ve been meaning to ask you something. When you learned that you could use light magic and you went to the medical tent to heal the soldiers, you seemed rather...” she paused to try to find the right word. ”...passionate about feeling the need to do so. May I ask why that is?” she said.
Jack placed his utensils down and took a sip of wine before answering her.
“In my time as a soldier, I fought many battles with the soldiers under my command. Not all of them came home. There was one mission in particular that stands out. A local had given us intelligence on the location of a high value target, a well-known human trafficker...” he clarified after seeing a slight look of confusion on Lia’s face. “That’s a criminal who sells people, often women and children, into slavery, often sex slavery.”
She was slightly shocked by that, but nodded. He continued.
“We checked the intelligence and it appeared to be valid. We organized an operation to take him out and free the victims. Everything was going smoothly... until it wasn’t. As it turned out, the local who had informed us had also informed the trafficker, and we ended up walking into an ambush. My team and I found ourselves caught in a kill box. We were surrounded. We were eventually able to get to cover, but by that time, two thirds of my team was either dead or dying. A secondary team was able to move in and we ultimately completed the mission, but at one hell of a cost. I lost a lot of good people that day. I never want to see that again. I just wish I had the power then that I have now. Maybe things would have turned out differently.”
Lia reached over and placed her hand on his.
“That is a pain I know all too well.” she said.
Jack let out a deep breath through his nose.
“So, changing the subject entirely, is it common here for royalty to be leading the charge in battle? When I first appeared here, I recall seeing you front and center on the battlefield.” he said.
“I can’t say that my father was particularly pleased with the idea at first, but my mother can be surprisingly effective when it comes to changing his mind.” Lia said.
“He may be the king, but she rules the kingdom, huh?” Jack asked with a bit of a grin.
Lia laughed.
“I suppose, in some ways, that may very well be true. My mother is a very strong woman.”
“Like mother, like daughter, I see.” he said as he raised his glass.
“Indeed.” she said with a smile.
Their conversation continued as they finished their meals. They were both sipping wine when Crescia entered, again carrying a tray. This time, on the tray were two plates with slices of cake. After placing the plates on the table and collecting the dinner plates, Crescia turned around and faced Lia and bowed.
“Your Highness.” she said.
Lia nodded.
Crescia then walked out of the tent, but quickly poked her head back into the tent, looking at Jack.
“And Your Highness.” she said quickly before once again sticking out her tongue at him.
Jack raised his napkin, pretending he was going to throw it. Crescia quickly ducked out of the tent. He turned back to Lia.
“She’s having way too much fun with this.” he said.
They were close to finishing their slices of cake when Alivair suddenly came bursting into the tent.
“Your Highness! Pardon the interruption, but we’ve received reports of a Dark Army scouting party approaching from the north.”
Lia wiped her mouth with her napkin before responding.
“Prepare a team to intercept them.” she said.
Jack jumped at the opportunity.
“Permission to join the intercept team.” he said. “No magic. I promise.”
Lia thought for a moment.
“Very well. Captain?” she said, turning to Alivair.
“With all due respect, Your Highness. I don’t see what the human can do to assist us.” he said, not even trying to conceal his displeasure.
“The human has a name, Captain. And Jack is also a highly skilled soldier, and on top of that, he also happens to be nobility, so you would do well to treat him as such.” she said.
“Him? A noble? Of what?” Alivair asked.
Jack waved.
“Hi. Jack Stobrimore.”
“Stobrimore? And what title do you supposedly hold?” Alivair asked.
“Crown prince, apparently.” said Jack with a slightly smug expression.
Alivair’s expression darkened.
“Very well... Your Highness. We shall assemble at the stables in five minutes. Don’t be late or you will be left behind.”
“No problem, Captain. I’ll just grab my bag and meet you there.” Jack said.
Jack stood up and turned to Lia.
“I very much enjoyed this. I hope we can do it again, soon.” he said.
“As do I.” said Lia.
“Did he say the stables?” Jack asked.
“Yes. He did.”
Does that mean that I get to ride a dragon?” he asked.
“I believe it does.” she said with a smile.
“Wow. A date with a gorgeous princess, discovering that I’m royalty and I get to ride a dragon. Best day ever!” he said.
Lia couldn’t help but smile as Jack ran out of the tent like a kid.
Comments