Samual (25 page)

Before he'd made it even halfway there however, he felt strong arms grabbing him around the waist as Pietrel helped him the rest of the way. In turn he watched Alendro scurrying for the wagon where Ry was sleeping. Apparently they'd held back while the Elder was there. Sam wondered briefly just how long they'd stayed away before that – not that they would have minded.

Elves had many differences from humans, not least in the way they viewed such things. In Fair Fields had they been caught in such a position, he would have been expected to later regale his friends with tales of his manliness, while Ryshal would have been publicly humiliated for some time to come. But in Shavarra such things were never discussed, neither by those caught nor by those who caught them. Instead they would all go about their business, and would quickly forget that anything had happened. Perhaps they had the right of it. What occurred between a husband and wife should stay between them.

“Thank you.”

Pietrel dropped him off on a seat that had obviously been put out just for him, then handed him a small cup of cooling herbal tea before making himself scarce as he headed for the wagon. Like most elves he didn't want to intrude on the elders unless specifically asked for.

It was amazing just how respectful the elves were of their elders. They treated them almost as if they were kings likely to chop their heads off if they said the wrong thing, while often making small amusements about them behind their backs. Yet the elders themselves acted as anything but royalty and would have enjoyed the jests. They didn't rule by fear; in fact they barely ruled at all. And they didn't demand or even seem to want that respect. For them leadership was both a duty and a burden. They accepted it solemnly and with dignity, but never sought it out.

Whether they were wizards, scholars, soldiers, artisans or even members of the Ruling Council itself, they behaved as if they were no different from any others. It was almost a mark of pride with them to be viewed as no different from anyone else, even if the rest of the people couldn't seem to accept it.

For all that the various councils carried out most of the duties that a king or a lord might, and did it well if incredibly slowly. They spent most of their time settling disputes and hearing petitions. Decisions were made by consensus of the appropriate Council, usually after weeks or months of debate. Council hearings were all open to the public and all elves were free to speak.

To make it even more complex the various councils all had complicated titles and even more complicated procedures. So the Ruling Council was actually the Coming Together of the People – or the Indowin nella mi Ellish. The Magic Council was Galana – or the Awakening. It was very confusing, especially when there were so many different councils.

It was not a fast system of rule, nor always a particularly efficient one – especially when the priests were involved – but it was indisputably fair, and they carried it out with the highest standards of honour and care.

Though he might never fully understand the elves' system of rule, it was something he found wondrous after having seen Heri in action. Heri sat on his throne like some overly pompous toad clad in excessive finery – though he wouldn't be doing that again any time soon Sam thought snidely. He made decisions on the spot and while he sometimes listened to advisers, he often ignored them. He also had a habit of throwing people into the dungeons for the most minor of offences. His brother had always seemed to embody the worst aspects of a ruler. And that had been when he was still only a king in waiting! He was probably worse now. By comparison it was unsurprising that the elves respected and even loved their elders. But a somewhat larger one that the elders didn't take advantage of their respect. It would have been only human. Though there of course was the difference.

Today though it looked like he had half the Magic Council waiting for him. In fact one of them – Elder Bela so Ry kept reminding him – was also a member of the Ruling Council. These people were the key to his future among the elves, and it behoved him to remember that. So Sam sat quietly in the seat provided and nodded respectfully to the elders. It would be best he decided to let them start the conversation.

“So, what did you think of our examination young Samual?”

An elder he didn't know opened the discussion with probably the first thing Sam had wanted to ask about. How could all that he had been through have been some sort of test? Where had it been? How had he gotten there and back? And what had happened to the woman? The questions poured out of him in a tumble of words though he tried to remain respectful.

The answer of course, was as nothing he would have guessed. According to the elves there had been no world, no enemies, no woman and no danger. Instead the examination as the elders called it, had happened entirely in his head.

Actually it had happened in many people's heads. All the elders from all the schools of magic had been there to witness his battle; in fact it was only through them that the test arena had been made real to him. It was they who had decided which opponents he should face and when, and they against whom he'd wielded his magic. It was also they who had judged him.

His strength and control had surprised them. In fact Sam thought it might have even worried some of them, though they would never say it. These weren't people who would admit a lot. Four true masters of fire and twenty adepts had held the arena against him, and still they had worried that he might break through; such was the amount of fire he could draw upon and use. But his knowledge was sadly lacking, and despite his youthful vigour the arena had held firm.

As Elder Bela had said, his knowledge of the earth magics was much more impressive, and much more pleasing. He did not have the power as he did in fire, but he had the control and had learnt many of the forms, probably because he had studied the different types of magic for different reasons. In his thoughts fire was for fighting while earth was useful as a tool, though clearly they didn't agree. But the traps he had launched against the stone trolls were what had really impressed the elders. In using both the earth magic and the fire magic together in a single trap, he had shown a control the equal of any master, and they welcomed that.

His knowledge of the living magic was woeful as he was informed, and had hardly even needed to be assessed. Still, he guessed he had surprised them that he could use it at all.

Most mages would have some ability in at least one other field of magic as well as their main one, but three was unusual. And very few could consciously use those different magics together. He could use two, perhaps even three simultaneously. But then as he already knew, few could enchant either, and weaving different magics together as one was an essential skill for an enchanter.

Overall he suspected that they were pleased with the results, and perhaps a little surprised. For his own part Sam was simply curious. Why had they tested him? There had been no need to as far as he could see. Or was it something to do with this Fire Angel that they kept referring to him as? He was beginning to think that he needed to learn more about that.

Normally as he was told, such testing would only be done once a year for all the novitiates and apprentices as the elders gathered from far and wide in Shavara to conduct the examination. But occasionally, such as when they had discovered a new talent with the potential for mastery, and when all the elders happened to be together anyway, they could make an exception. When that same candidate had already saved many of them from a painful death at the hands of an army of steel rats, they didn't need much persuading. Though if the truth be told Sam thought, they might have done it out of curiosity even if the rest wasn't true. Staring at the sea of eyes staring back at him, he knew that curiosity was a powerful driver for these master spell casters.

But was there something more than that? Looking around him at the thoughtful and worried faces, he suspected that there just might be. No doubt if there was they'd tell him in time. For the moment he simply had to accept their words and thank them for their time and effort. That provoked a response he hadn't expected.

“Why so respectful Samual?” a woman asked. “You have not been so before. Polite yes, but never willing to actually do as we ask.”

Sam didn't know her name, but he did recognise her slightly tongue in cheek accusation even though she didn't seem offended. He also understood that there was another more important question being asked of him. Could he be relied upon? Or was he just going to make trouble?

“My apologies Elders. For the longest time I had troubles that overrode everything else in my life. I was angry and bitter, and a poor excuse for a man, either elf or human. While I listened to all that was said, my wife's imprisonment came first. I could not have stayed away from her once I learned that I had the strength to rescue her. I hid that because I feared that if I told you, you might ask me to stay. I hid my name because of the assassins that plagued me and worried that they would have thickened like flies around a corpse had they suspected my whereabouts. Then when I was told that Ryshal had been murdered I was incapable of restraining my anger. Now I am freed of some of that burden at least.”

“I have always tried to obey your people's laws, and I will listen to all you say and shall do my best to follow your instructions. But I am first, last and always, a husband. I cannot be anything else.” He said that because it was true and because they had the need to know. It would save on misunderstandings later.

“We would never ask you to be. No more would we go against those same duties ourselves. We are all family minded, and we welcome that in you. But we do worry about the hurt and pain you have endured. There is still much anger in you child.”

Her words spoke true. Ry's survival and improving health had released him from the worst of his anger, but he still had five years of loneliness and rage bottled up somewhere inside him together with the terrifying images of her shattered health when he had first rescued her. Those things would be with him for a long time to come.

“I understand that Elder. I am working hard to purge it, and to control what I cannot get rid of, but for what was done to Ryshal I can neither forgive nor forget.” Be honest Ry had told him. And watching the reactions of the elders now he knew her advice was good. In any event the elders would have known if he had lied.

“I hope that time, together with my wife's improving health will help to lessen the rage that still burns within me. For now though I live with it, and I would not have you believe otherwise.”

“We know of your rage. And of your frustration and fear. Some days it hangs over you like a thundercloud, making all elves avoid you. And we agree that it will pass in time, though it may never leave completely. But the cost to you while it lingers may be higher than you know.”

“Anger is a two edged blade for a spell caster Samual, as I'm sure you know by now. In the short while it may make you stronger in magic as well as body. But in the longer while it may weaken you, as well as making it difficult to learn that which we would have you learn.”

Sam had already worked much of that out for himself. The anger that had allowed him to advance to such power so quickly had also held him back for years. Because the other side of anger unable to be released was frustration and despair, the very things that had held him back for years. Maybe if he had kept those at bay he would have been able to rescue Ryshal even sooner. And maybe too that was where the impossible increase in his magic had come from – frustration finally released.

“But worse, it hinders your judgement. It can make you squander too much magic where less would achieve better results. These things we all saw in you in the testing realm. In fighting the golems as well as in our test you showed them as you used your full power. Too much power. A true master in full control could have defeated both enemies without resorting to such dramatic spells such as the fire ring. Even with your limited knowledge of the other shapes of fire, you could have too. Arcs and chained fire could both have worked better.”

“Instead you destroyed a large area of our forest, and then left yourself drained for the next attack. You had nothing left. Had the enemy behind the steel rats had a second force, you would be dead.”

The Elder was right of course. The soldier in Sam knew that even better than the wizard telling him off. It was just that he'd had no other attack available. He hadn't practised those spells as much as the others, choosing instead to concentrate on the most attacking spells and so when the time had come he'd had no choice available. But even if he had had one, he suspected he would still have gone for the most powerful attacking spell he had. It was his nature. He nodded in agreement.