9 :: An Unexpected Proposition

Adam followed guard lady through the academy and out into the town. Her strides were quick and sharp, and he stumbled frequently as he struggled to keep pace with her. Their walk brought them along the large, cobblestone street that connected the academy to the castle. It was easily one of the busiest streets in the city, and Adam frequently found him distracted by all of the sights and smells there were to take in.

It was probably sometime around the lunch hour and the street was dotted with little shops and stalls selling all kinds of delicious-looking food. Most of it looked like different types of cooked meat, but there were also a number of aromatic stews, smelling of spices that Adam had no name for. Despite the time now being around noon, the sky had retained its crimson hue, lightening only a bit with the rising of the sun.

Seeing him eye the food, guard lady pulled him over to one of the meat booths. She spoke to the vendor in their native tongue, but counted out the money for the six skewers she purchased in English so that Adam could understand. From their interaction, Adam learned that each skewer cost one brown metal coin and two grey metal coins. The brown metal was probably bronze, and the grey was probably iron, he reasoned. As she lay the six bronze coins and twelve iron coins on her palm, she pulled away all but two of the iron coins, replacing them with another bronze to show Adam that ten irons made a bronze.

Completing the transaction, guard lady collected the skewers from the seller and split them in half, giving three to Adam. The meat seemed to be covered in a thin layer of vegetable pulp that gave it a sweet and spicy flavor, as well as a nice crispy texture. It was phenomenal, and Adam thanked guard lady profusely for both the meal and he lesson on currency. The woman smiled and continued.

“This one called ‘serav’,” she explained, holding up the iron coin, “...and this one, ‘reshav’. Serav mean ‘one piece’, reshav mean ‘ten piece’.” This woman was teaching him so much. Adam felt bad for not knowing her name.

“What are you called?” he asked, trying to speak in the broken English she seemed familiar with. Her face lit up at the question.

“This one called Minea!” she responded, smiling from ear to ear.

“This one called Adam,” he offered back, gesturing to himself.

“I know!” Minea chuckled. “It say so here,” she said, gesturing to the notepad she had been carrying.

Adam had hoped to use the opportunity to ask why she was taking him to see Cogitan, but she never gave him the chance. Without giving him time to respond, Minea continued her impromptu lecture, dragging Adam along the street at her typical breakneck pace and calling out the names of random objects as they passed them by. Her short, brown hair bobbed up and down as she hurried down the road. Their little routine gathered no small amount of attention as the people along the street followed them with their eyes and shaking their heads in confusion.

With Adam's mind swimming with new vocabulary that would be almost impossible to process, given the speed at which it was delivered, the duo finally reached the palace. The building was even more formidable in person. Its towers grew upwards like spikes, towering above the rest of the town. It seemed to follow the same building code as the rest of the buildings in this town, regarding straight lines. Despite its great height, it still seemed welcoming. The front gate was open and townsfolk could be seen dashing in and out as they went about their business.

Adam followed Minea through the front doors and through another series of spiraling hallways. He noticed that they were traveling upward, their paths gently sloping as they curved, each turn taking them higher and higher. Adam’s legs began to ache. He couldn't imagine one of the highest ranked men in this country’s government making this climb every day. Eventually, seeing his plight, Minea brought him into a small chamber off the side of the hallway. As the room began to rise, Adam recognized it as a stone elevator of sorts. He shot a reproachful glare at Minea. She glanced unapologetically back at him.

“Risers are for the important or the lazy,” she explained. “I am neither.” Adam frowned. He wasn't lazy. He just wasn't planning on climbing any mountains anytime soon and was a little bit out of shape

Adam examined the chamber but didn't find the mechanism responsible for lifting it. It was either on the outside, or more likely, it was powered by stone magic.

At long last, Adam and Minea found themselves sitting comfortably in a small lobby outside of Cogitan’s office. After a brief wait, a secretary seated at a large desk in the corner by the ‘riser’ motioned for them to enter.

“Good afternoon, Minea!” Cogitan announced warmly as they entered.

“Good afternoon, milord!” she exclaimed in return. “This Adam. Lana say he only one that fail exam.” Adam’s ears burned with shame and he looked away, trying to hide his embarrassment. “Lana not listen this morning, so she get angry at him. I think Adam confused. I get angry at Lana though, so all good!” Minea finished, beaming proudly.

“Thank you, Minea! You have performed admirably!” Cogitan responded. He had used some rather large words in his praise and Minea was now giving an awkward smile as she struggled to figure out what he meant. Cogitan saw her predicament and quickly remedied his statement with a short, “Good job!” This, Minea understood, and she resumed her proud smile with a renewed vigor. “I'll take Adam now,” he finished, ushering Adam into the room. Minea gave a dutiful nod and exited the room, shutting the door behind her.

“A delightful child, isn't she!” Cogitan praised Minea. “Her speech may be a bit poor still, but she was one of only 30 or so of my direct subordinates who was able to gain even that small a grasp of your language in the few short weeks we had to prepare before your arrival. When you consider that, she's pretty remarkable, don't you think?” Cogitan asked with a warm smile.

“She would be remarkable even without her talent for language,” Adam responded with a polite smile of his own. “Just on the way here, she took time to explain the currency here to me. She taught me many words. She was even kind and attentive enough to buy me food when she saw I was hungry and let me take the riser when she saw that I was growing tired.”

“I am glad to hear your praise,” Cogitan grinned. “She's my daughter, you know. Any father would be filled with pride upon hearing such things said about their little girl.” Adam was stunned. His mind flashed back and forth between the lively young woman and the stern-looking, silver-haired man who was now smiling like an idiot before him. The resemblance was a bit uncanny and he wasn't sure how he had missed it before.

“She's lovely,” Adam added with another polite smile. “You've raised her quite well.”

“All her mother’s doing,” Cogitan responded, waving his hand dismissively. “Shall we get to business?” he asked, a relaxed yet serious expression on his face as he offered Adam a seat. Adam nodded as he sat down. “Now, I hear that you've, failed the exam.” Adam's expression darkened once again, and Cogitan chuckled in response. “Don't worry, boy. You have nothing to fear. I had known that one of your group would. That's why I gave Minea and Lana the instructions to bring the student to me when it happened. Unfortunately, Lana got a new boyfriend yesterday and has been a bit absent minded to say the least.”

“That test is designed only to bring out the affinities of the four main elements and their branches. Failing it means, not that you are without an affinity, but that your affinity lies outside of those four. There are many other affinities that deal with concepts other than the elements. These affinities are far rarer, as well as more complicated. They can not be brought forth by such a simple examination. They also require a much more complex mode of instruction. Many youths with such abilities grow up believing that they are untalented at magic. I want you to know that everything will be fine. We are capable of providing you with proper direction. I will not allow your gift to be squandered.”

Hearing that, Adam’s mind was instantly soothed. He had been so concerned that he would be useless compared to his peers, although he still had no idea what was expected of them. He was relieved that it was not so. He would be trained just the same. Perhaps his gift would be even more useful to find a way home. His mind raced at the possibilities. Aside from the elements, what other affinities could there be? Gravity? Time? Space!? A gift like space could surely get him home, he thought to himself.

“When I first greeted your group, I noticed that there was an abnormality amongst you, because I myself share the same abnormality. I will be able to guide you myself. Most of the kingdom believes that I am of the fire affinity. That is simply the elemental magic that I am strongest at. If we are to continue this discussion, I shall need you to swear that you will keep silent about both of our affinities. Otherwise, you may leave, never knowing what you are truly capable of.”

“I swear,” Adam answered without hesitation. He could see how serious Cogitan was, and he had no interest in spilling the man’s secrets to begin with, especially if it meant that he would be unable to learn magic as a result of it. “I will not share a word of what you are about to tell me with anyone else.” Cogitan smiled at Adam’s words and continued.

“You and I both share the gift of the mind. The secrets of others shall be plain as day before you. With time and instruction, one day you shall even be able to exert a limited control over another’s mind.”

Adam was dumbfounded. He had hoped for a powerful affinity, but wasn't this just a little bit… sick. Adam panicked as he realized that Cogitan had probably heard his thoughts just now.

“You can relax. As one with the affinity of the mind, your mind is naturally closed to others, including those with the same affinity,” Cogitan assured him with a chuckle. “Any decent person would be skeptical about the ethics of such a power. I can assure you, I have had such doubts myself. Ultimately, your affinity is a part of you. Denying it will do you no good. I have found that by adhering to the principle that your people would call noblesse oblige, I have been able to live a life that I am proud of. Those with power are obliged to use it to protect those without. I have done my very best to use my gift only for the protection of my people. Because of that, I have been able to live a life that I am proud of.”

Adam was a little bit calmer upon hearing that. He still wasn't completely comfortable with the idea, but he was warming up to it. Cogitan’s mastery of the English language suddenly made a lot more sense if you assumed he had siphoned it directly from the minds of Adam’s classmates. Suddenly, Adam was struck with an uncomfortable thought.

“The king…!” he gasped, unable to control himself.

“I had thought you might ask,” Cogitan shook his head, smiling to himself. “The king is his own man. I support him fully. Having the gift of being able to peer into the minds of others gives me a unique perspective as to who is suited for what job. Long before Altinius became king, I knew that he would be a great ruler, and he has never proved me wrong. I crafted him a ring and blessed it with the element of the mind. It allows him to be free from invasions of the mind, even my own. Additionally, he is fully aware of my gift and trusts me still. You may not believe me now, but I believe that you will come to see that what I have said is true. The king and I are the best of friends, and for all my wisdom, I could never rule the country as well as he.”

Adam wasn't sure why, but he believed him. Besides, he wasn't from this country. Why should he care if its leader was a puppet? It would speak to Cogitan's character, sure, but did it really matter who was in charge as long as they did a good job? Even so, Adam still believed him when he spoke about the king. He had seen the way Altinius had looked to Cogitan when he had been mobbed by angry students the night before. There was genuine trust there. Adam was certain.

“This is the part of the meeting where I offer you a proposition,” Cogitan suddenly spoke. “I am growing old. I hope someday to retire and live out my days peacefully with my wife. I am the only one who can adequately train you and offer you guidance based upon relevant experience. I would like you to come and work for me. You would be trained, while acquiring practical experience. Someday, when I am finally sick of this position, I shall hand it off to you and you shall guide the next king. People with our gift are rare. A native of my country would perhaps be better suited, but I do not think I will be able to find one with enough time left to properly train them. Therefore, I put my hopes in you. I shall give you some time to think on this, but I should like to know your thoughts on the matter, if you don't mind. I may be able to answer some of your questions.”

***

You may have seen that I changed the description for this fiction, but I also made several changes to chapter 4 which should clarify quite a bit about personal dimensions and imply that Nora jumped to a different realm at the end in a much more explicit manner. If you're following this fic, I would recommend taking a look. The main things added were that magic formations glow in the personal dimension, the rest of the dimension is translucent grey, and Altinius and Nora both share the same formation somewhere on their persons. Thank you again for giving this a look! Don't be afraid to let me know what you think of it so far!