The Apprentices (The Crimson Guard Trilogy Book 1) (4 page)

I had not realized it, but the whole time we were talking I had remained in the embrace of the flame.  The old man gestured me to follow. I did just that without even a second glance back.  The outside world was not going to give me the answers that these people hopefully could. 

The interior of the building was not much different than a regular library, except for the complete absence of people and artificial lighting.  I figured that the absence of lights was due to the fact that the endless flame outside illuminated the entire building.  I wondered how these people sleep with no darkness.

We continued on for a while until we came to a small golden bell.  He took up a miniature metal hammer, and struck it once.  “The sound is so beautiful.” I said.  “Please ring it again.” I yearned to hear the bell one more time. 

“No!  The bell can only be sounded once.”  The sternness in his voice frightened me out of my daze, although I still desired to hear the soft ring once more.

By now a group of red clad figures surrounded us.  I was not afraid, for these people seemed at peace.  The old man broke through my thoughts, “these are the members of our family and there are only six of us left.”

As I surveyed their faces, a realization hit me.  They all looked very similar. Before I could ask the old keeper seemed to have read my mind.  “The magic of the flame has changed our appearance and is still changing us.  To what end I do not know.  Now for formal introductions, I am the Keeper.  I am so because I was the eldest when the city fell.   My name has been lost with time.”  For some reason I felt sorry for him.

“Those three are the Guardians; they have trained and studied every known magical attack, defense and weapon known to man.  They also have no names.”  He said this as he pointed to three identical men with blue sashes across their shoulders.  Each man was very muscular with bald heads.  Along with the sash, they wore orange sleeveless tunics.  Their stature did not worry me, it was their intense stares that caught my attention.   

I turned back to the Keeper. “Guards, why do you need guards?  No one can even get in here.” I just had to ask.

“You will find these answers in due time,” he replied and then continued on with his introductions.  “The one with the purple sash is the Librarian; he knows where every book is and what every book is about.  But sadly, with all of the intense studying, he has lost the ability to speak.”

“Wait, ” I said. “I thought there were six of you, and I only see five.”

“Ah, very good, the last is Juleen.”

“What does a Juleen do?”  I wondered out loud.

“A Juleen does nothing.  It is a person, my daughter.”

“Your daughter?”  Instantly after I said this I saw her.  Her body was that of an athlete, slick and streamlined.  She had long dark hair that shone from the white flame.  Her face was slightly rounded with beautiful silver eyes.  Her eyes are what struck me so.  They burned with power, but also sadness.  I instantly knew I wanted to be with her, I also knew that she was definitely too good for me.

“And now you shall sleep.”  With this the Keeper showed me to a small room.

“Later we shall start your training,” he said before leaving.

My life had been completely turned upside down; I thought
what am I to do now
?  Even though all these questions were burning within me, I still fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

4

The street was dirtier than any he had ever seen.  That was not the worst of it though; the people were ten times worse.  No respect and more importantly, no money.

Jes had been looking for a good score ever since he had parted from Lyndon at the gate.  

“Hello sir, do you have any idea where I can find a good ale house?”  Jes asked a passerby.

“You can go to the Flying Horse, but a thief like you would not like that place.”  Jes had to hold back the surprise.  How had the man known what he was?  Since he already knew that Jes was a thief, why not play that card.  “Well, sir, why would it not be a good place for someone like me?” 

“Oh, it’s not for lack of money for that is the richest part of town,” the man continued.  “The reason I do not practice my profession there is because of the cloaked man.”

“So you are saying that you are a fellow thief?” 
From the looks of it not a very good one
, Jes thought.  “Does this cloaked man have a name?”

“I believe it has something to do with an animal, but that is all I am willing to tell you.  Maybe you should go find out for yourself.  We don’t need any more of our kind in this town anyway.”  The thief walked away without another word.

“Hmm, maybe I can make a name for myself in this town if I can take down that animal man.” Jes whispered under his breath.

The path to the Flying Horse was very profitable for Jes.  He picked five coin purses and an odd golden dagger.  He lifted the dagger from a very large man who had fallen out of his chair, with the drink still in hand.  The wealth here was unbelievable,
probably from slavers
Jes thought
so no loss there
.

He was admiring the pearl handled dagger when he first saw the cloaked man.  He wore a greenish black cloak, which covered nearly all of his body.  The only thing that could be seen were a single blood red gauntlet and the hilt of a massive sword.  The man had not noticed Jes as he was speaking to an older woman, so Jes decided to take a closer look.  As Jes got closer he realized that the gauntlet was actually constructed from dragon scales.  A jagged scar across Jes’ own back was his one souvenir when he had tried to face a dragon.  Oh, the days of adolescence, he thought.  The sword was a completely different story.  From what he could see the handle was made from the same material as the gauntlets, but the blade was pure white.  That could be a nice addition to my collection, thought Jes.

Back in a hidden cache near Townsmend, he had hundreds of different types of weapons.  Most were collected from men with too many riches to keep track of, but the rest were from men he had been forced to kill.  Jes had no reservations about taking another slaver from the world, although there had been times that Jes regretted the life he took. 
Maybe I will and find this man again
Jes thought, for it was now getting dark and Lyndon would be waiting.

The sun had just fallen from the sky when Jes reached the Library gardens.  “Hey! Lyndon, you here?”  Jes yelled.

The only response that he got was from some bum across the road.  “Are you talking about that man whom the slavers tried to take earl…”  Jes had made it across the street and had slammed the old man against a wall before he could finish his sentence.

“Tell me what you saw sir, or I will end your miserable life.”  The man knew Jes’ threat was solid.

“Three slavers attacked your friend.”

“Is he alright, what has happened to him?” Jes interrupted him.

“Please let me down and hold your tongue.”  Jes complied and released the man.  He brushed himself off, which did no good since he was covered in an unyielding filth.

After the man was satisfied, he continued his tale.  “Your friend was not taken to answer your question.  He actually killed two of them very easily.”  This brought a smile to Jes’ face.  “Your friend had thought the third man had run off, but actually he had just hidden behind the post over there.”  The old man pointed to a large round metal post.  “Your friend is a very powerful mage.  I am glad that I didn’t try to steal from him.”

“You mean you are a thief?”  Jes said

“Why yes,” puffed up the man, “I am the leader of the guild here in the Burning City.  But anyway, back to your question about recent events.  There were a group of slavers who tried to sell your friend.  After your friend killed two of the men, the third ran for his life.  With the leader on his tail your friend tried to enter the flames.”  The old man sighed.  “Well your friend and the slaver ended up in the fire.  All I know after that is that the slaver died a hideous death and that mage friend of yours entered the library unharmed.”  The man stopped talking and gathered his belongings.  “I am off.  Good luck in your adventure, young thief,” and he was off.  “Oh, one other thing, your friend is the only man that I have ever heard of entering the fire without being burned alive.”

“For the record, old man, I am a rogue!”  Jes yelled after him.
Not a common thief
Jes thought. 

Great
, thought Jes,
how am I supposed to pass through the flames? I hate fire
.  That is when a thought hit him; all these places should have a subterranean entrance.  Maybe the flames do not travel down, and thus Jes went searching for a way into the Library, but first he headed back to the Flying Horse for a drink.

5

I awoke early in the afternoon. The silence was almost unbearable, but I was anxious to start my training so I left my room in search of another human being.  It did not take long to find one of the guards patrolling the rows between the books. 

“Have you any idea where the Keeper is?”  I asked.  I still found it absurd that they even had guards.

“He is in the larger study, through those doors over there.”  He pointed to a set of small doors and then went along his way.

“Thanks, ” I said as I pushed through the oak doors.

The Keeper sat in a high backed chair with no armrests.  A large book was sitting in front of him and he seemed to be reading it.  I did not know if he knew that I was there or not, so I decided to risk a glance over his shoulder.   As I approached, he turned and stood clapping his hands together.

“Excellent you have come.  When do you wish to start your training?” He seemed far too glad to see me.

“Well, sir, I would like to begin now if it was alright,” I said.

“Of course, go and speak to the Librarian and he will give you a few books to study.” 

“Ok, uh, what were you reading?  If you don’t mind my asking,” I replied.

I did not expect him to answer, but he did.  “It is a book about warding off spells and enchantments.  I am looking for a way to free us of the fire.”

“You are trapped here?”  I asked

“Yes, we are trapped here.  Like the outside world we cannot enter the fire without dire consequences.”  He looked down with sadness in his eyes.   

“Well, have you found anything that can help you escape?”  I asked, thinking
why escape, it is safe here
.

“Yes, I actually have.  Here, sit and I will tell you. Your teachings can wait a little.”   I was actually kind of surprised that he was going to tell me anything.

“The magic that surrounds this place was once thought to kill only those with evil in their hearts, but a while ago we tested that theory.  My wife was as pure hearted as they come, she hated no one and loved all.  She tried to leave because we had just given birth to Juleen and we wanted her to have a life, and what we have here is terrible.  Yes, we never have to worry about the dangers that I have watched breeding in the outside world.  A world which needs cleansing.  It is still a terribly lonely existence trapped here in the Library.”  His face became very solemn and tears formed in his eyes.  “She was consumed by that retched flame.  We realized that evil and goodness had nothing to do with this enchantment.  For years now I have searched for answers and I have finally found something.  For the spell to differentiate between good and evil, the caster would have had to be either pure evil or pure good.  The mage that created the spell with his blood was neither.” 

“So then how did I survive?”  I interrupted him.

“You lived because the power which you wielded when you killed the slavers was greater than what this place can destroy.  You may have not felt it, but the killing energy does not leave you once you regain control.  It lives in your blood for a period of time, the duration it is there differs between each mage.”  This was astonishing I could not believe it.  I was more powerful than the endless flame.  “So you are saying that when we were talking and if I had remained in the flame it could have suddenly consumed me as well.”

“Yes, that could have happened, that was why I was urging you to come with me.”  He continued with excitement in his voice.  “So what you must learn is how to wield the energy and to shorten the time you spend without control. You are a Berserker and only the greatest can control all their power.  What I hope is that you may be able to end the flame with your power and release us from this prison.” 
Prison
, I thought
. I didn’t think that it was a prison
.  That is probably because I could leave when I wanted to.

“I thought magic came from the Wielder, and was always with me?  You are saying it dissipates after use.”  I said.

“Ah, that is a good question.  Magic does originate within the caster, but the power you summon forth comes from everywhere.  The magic is around us at all times and only a few have the ability to shape this power into what we call magic.  You must be born with the ability it cannot be taught.”  He said. 

“So what makes me different then all the other magic users?”  I asked

“The difference is in most magic users their strength can only summon a finite amount of energy from the outside world.  However, you and the few others like you can open a void within themselves.  This void sucks in an infinite amount of energy until the caster either dies or closes the vacuum.”

“But, I can’t open or close any ‘void.’ It just happens.”  I said, looking at my hands.

“Ah, yes, you can open and you do create this void.  Just because you cannot control it does not mean it doesn’t happen.  From my best guess you go into survival mode and you unconsciously summon the power to protect yourself.”  The Keeper shrugged.     

“That is enough for now, go train, Berserker.”  With that, he turned and fixed his attention back onto the book.

“One more thing Keeper, what were the voices that I heard while I was in the flame?”

For a split second I saw a look of terrific fear before composing himself. “I do not know; I have never heard voices while near the flame.” With that, I turned to leave the room.

The Keeper quickly turned around, “Oh Berserker! Can you find the Librarian, he has something for you.”

As I walked back to my room, I found the Librarian hidden behind a stack of books.  “Sir, I was told to something from you.”

The man pointed to three books and signaled for me to read them.  “Thanks,” I said as I walked away. 

I quickly read through the books.  Within a couple of hours I had finished one and started the next.  They did not have many interesting things, just different places and ancient magic users who had discovered new ways to grow plants.  The third book I found interesting; it was a book on all languages known to man.   I took my time in reading this one, and learning the languages was not that difficult.  I had managed to master them before the day was up.

“Enlightened One, it is time for bed.”  The Keeper had found me and I complied with his instructions.  As I lay near sleeping, I remembered the Keeper calling me the ‘Enlightened One’, I had heard that somewhere before.  I eventually fell asleep trying to remember where I had heard it.   

The next couple of days continued in the same manner, I read countless books and learned a great number of things.  I did not understand how reading all of the books about gardening and medicine were going to prepare me for bringing down the flame and I was going to speak with the Keeper when he suggested I start training with the guards.  They were very accomplished weapon and magic users. 

By the end of the first week I had mastered most of what they were trying to teach.  The guards and Keeper were very surprised, but I told them that my first master had always said that I was an extremely fast learner.

A few days later I awoke sore from a hard training day with the shorter guard.  Well, he was not much shorter than me, maybe an inch.  But when he is close enough to land some hard punches you can tell the height difference.  Although I still had a few hours left before I was due for lessons, I decided my bed was no longer where I wanted to be.  I left my room and started to wander.  I had not gone far when I noticed a door, I had not seen before.  Above the door was a single word ‘Cleansing.’  The word reminded me of something, but I could not grasp it as I reached out to open the door.  Before I could the Librarian turned the corner and walked up to me.  In his hand was a small book, the spine was gilded with gold and silver.  There were no words on the leather cover.  He handed it to me.

“What is this?” 
Great question to ask a man who can’t speak
.  With no response he walked away.

I opened the book and on the inside cover was the title ‘Artifacts and Secrets of the Library.’ I read further and it said “Property of The Librarian.”

Well, that is odd
, I thought.  I wondered why he would give me this.  I walked back to my room pondering the book, almost forgetting the ‘Cleansing room.’

For the next week I trained hard with the taller of the guards.  Having been around him for so long, I decided to refer to him as ‘Too Tall’.  This guard seemed different than the others; maybe it was because he was taller, or maybe because I was learning battle magic.  The battle magic was quickly becoming my favorite.  Odd because not so long ago I trembled at the mere thought of attacking someone.  I had just finished my training when the Keeper summoned me to his reading chamber.  I arrived to find him once again hunched over the same book. 

“You asked for me.”  I stated more than asked. 

“Yes, yes.  Come, come.” He stood from the desk holding his hands behind his back.  “I have been told you are doing incredibly well in your training.”  He said with a smile.

“I am doing my best, just trying to learn as much as I can before I leave.”  His face turned in response to what I said. 

“Oh, in a hurry to leave are you?”  He asked

“I have been given a task I must complete.”  I answered.

“What is this so important task?”  I stopped to think about his question,
did I even know what my task was.
  Trying to change the subject I asked “I have been wondering the Library after my training sessions, and I found a room with Cleansing above the door, what is in that room?” 

His face became cold, “did you enter the room?” 

“No.”  I answered “I was just curious.”

His face softened again.  “Don’t worry about it just a storeroom.  Now you should get back to your room, don’t wonder too much.  We wouldn’t want you to get into trouble.”

Ignoring his warning I again wandered through the halls hoping this time to catch a glimpse of Juleen. 
Oh, how much I wanted to see her
.  I realized at that moment I had not seen her since that first day when I was introduced to her. 

I had been out and about for an hour or so when I decided to return to my room.  I slipped down on the bed and took out the Librarians’ book.  I flipped through the pages and saw many pictures of rings, other jewelry, hats and books.  Why would someone draw a picture of a book in a book? That made no sense to me.  On the corresponding page was a brief description of what it was and where it was stored in the Library.  I continued to skim through the book when I came to a crude drawing of a bell.  I thought back to the amazing sound created by the golden bell when I had first come to my new school.  I looked on the opposite page.  All it read was ‘In the Keepers personal cache unknown magical powers.’  In small print near the bottom it said, ‘Very dangerous ancient magic.’  I continued through the book and saw amazing swords and axes.  Jes would give almost anything to have some of these weapons.  There were even pictures of the Guards and the Keeper.  I flipped through the pages quickly, hoping to see Juleen, but she was absent. 

I looked up out of frustration and realized my candle had almost burnt down.  “Well, ” I thought out loud “Time for bed.”  I leaned over and extinguished the light.       

Midway through the third week I realized I still had not seen Juleen once, nor had I eaten anything.  Still, I never felt hunger; I shrugged this off thinking that it had to have been just a part of the magic of the Library.