The Dark Path (2 page)

“Headmaster! The boy. He's a monster.” Her tone was flat, her eyes still wide with fear. She grasped his hand and pressed it to her forehead. The Headmaster lifted some of his defenses and took in the memories she projected to him.

“Thank you, Elise. Go home and rest. I will take over your classes for today.” She began to protest but he stopped her. She finally left the room, her eyes never leaving the metal ball. He chanted a short spell and studied the room again. Nothing glowed. He frowned and chanted a longer spell. This time there was only a faint glow coming from the shards of ice under the sphere. “Interesting.” He ended the spell and bent to pick the boy up. The boy was very thin, nothing but muscle and bone. He opened the door with magic and levitated the boy's pack to follow him as he left the small testing room. His head filled with questions, but they could wait.

Gen opened his eyes to see a strange ceiling above him. It was built of strong, open rafters. He felt himself lying on a soft bed.

“Good, you are awake.” The deep voice came from his right side and Gen cursed himself for forgetting his training. He tried to leap to the left so he would land off the bed and use it for cover. Instead, his body twitched and filled him with pain as every muscle instantly ached. He let a small moan escape before he clamped his mouth shut on it. When no attack came from his right, he slowly let his eyes travel to that side so he would at least see his death when it came for him. He saw an old man sitting beside his bed. His head was bald; a long gray beard reached his waist. He wore thick gray robes. He held a steaming cup of liquid in his long fingered hands.

“I would imagine you feel worse than you have ever felt in your life.” The old man chuckled a bit.

“Not quite that bad, Sir.” Gen managed to force out. His throat felt like he had been eating and swallowing broken glass.

“Can you manage to sit up?” The old man looked down at Gen, a sad look in his eyes.

“Yes, Sir.” Gen gritted his teeth and pushed the pain of his muscles away as he forced himself to sit up and prop himself against the headboard. The effort took him much longer than he had thought and left him winded. He cursed himself under his breath for his weakness.

“Here. Drink this. It will help some.” The old man handed him the mug of hot liquid. It took Gen three tries before his hands obeyed him enough to hold the mug. He forced himself to take a drink and felt it soothe his throat. Its warmth seemed to spread through him, easing his muscles a bit.

“Sir, did I pass?” Gen stared at his mug. The last thing he remembered was stabbing his hand to keep his focus. His hand was whole and held no scar. Had he dreamed it?

“Oh yes. You passed the test.”

“But how, Sir? I don't remember what happened. I must have passed out. I only held the sphere for a few seconds.” Gen looked up and met the old man's eyes.

“You only had to hold it there for a few seconds. I'm afraid Master Elise wasn't clear enough in her directions to you. I will have words with her about that later. You drained yourself near to death in there. Most students don't have that much control over themselves at your age. It seems that we must redesign the test so that something like this never happens again.”

“Oh.” Gen looked back down at the mug and found it easier to take the second drink. He had made it. He let himself relax a bit now. His Master would be pleased.

“Rest here for as long as you need. I have business to attend to. Try to get more sleep. Your body needs to recover.” The old man got up slowly and left the small room. Gen finished the drink and drifted back to sleep, his thoughts, for once, on the future instead of the past.

Gen woke hours later. He kept his breathing regular and listened closely. He didn't sense anyone near so he opened his eyes. The evening sun shone through the lone window in the small bedroom where he still lay. Slowly, he tried to sit up. His muscles were still sore but not intolerable. He sat up fully and looked around the room. The floor was bare flagstone and simple. The bed he sat upon was the only piece of furniture in the room other than the single chair beside it. The walls were undecorated plaster. Simple, gray curtains hung beside the window, parted to let in the light. His pack sat upon the lone chair in the room, a small sheet of paper upon it. He reached for the paper and read it carefully.

Gen Hothman,

Your room is number seven in the east wing of the boys' dorm. Classes begin after breakfast in the morning. Breakfast is held at dawn and announced by three bells. Do not be late to class. You will find your schedule and a simple map upon the back of this note. I look forward to your success at the Schola.

Headmaster

Gen turned the note over and read the schedule. He had three classes scheduled throughout the week. He studied the map till he was sure it was set in his mind, then folded and placed it into his pack. He went through the pack but it looked as though it hadn't been touched. His coins were still there as well as the note from his Master. The rest of the pack was filled with a change of clothes and some left over rations from his trip. He put the pack on his back and headed for the door when he noticed what was missing. His bokken as well as his eating knife weren't on his person. He never went anywhere without his bokken unless his Master told him so explicitly. He looked frantically around the room, but didn't see it anywhere. He must have left it at the small building by the gate. He eased open the door and listened but heard no one in the hallway outside of the room. He quickly found the exit to the small house and stepped out into the evening air. He studied the buildings around him till he got his bearings in relation to the simple map. It didn't take him long to get to the testing building. He saw no one on the way.

The building wasn't locked and he found his knife beside a large bloodstain on the table. He looked to the metal sphere upon the heavy wooden table. It sat in the middle of a puddle of water. The glass globe that had been beside it was shattered into tiny pieces. What had happened here? Gen shrugged and put his knife back in his belt sheath. He found his bokken in the corner behind the door and placed it back in his belt where it belonged. He stepped out of the building to find three boys waiting for him out front.

“You must be the new boy they were talking about in class.” The boy that spoke stood in the middle and slightly in front of the others. He stood a head taller than Gen and wore beige robes. He had blond hair, cut very short in an almost military style. The other two boys were more Gen's height. Both wore robes the color of dirt. They had dirty faces with cocky expressions underneath.

“Yes.” Gen bowed slightly to the boys, his eyes never leaving the bigger boy in the center, and made to walk around them.

“My name is Aaron Glormand.” The big boy stepped forward and reached out his hand in greeting, a smile on his lips. Gen took the hand to shake. He saw the blow coming but his sore muscles wouldn't react correctly. He managed to only pull back slightly before the fist crashed into his nose. Gen heard his nose break and felt the pain flash through him. He gritted his teeth and quickly shut it out. He felt the blood flow down his face. He finished the handshake and took his hand back. Gen smiled through the blood. He let it run, unabated into his mouth and over his teeth.

“A pleasure to meet you.” Gen was happy to see that blood spattered from his speech onto the large boy's robes.

Aaron checked his next punch. What was wrong with this boy? He didn't understand what was going on. The new boy was supposed to be crying and scared, so that Aaron could let him know that he was in charge around here. He took a step back as blood splattered onto his robes. He would retreat now and attack again when he understood what was going on.

“I'm in charge around here. If you know what's good for you, you'll show me some respect.” Aaron took another step back.

“I'll keep that in mind.” Gen reached up, before he could rethink himself, and grabbed his nose firmly in between his fingers. He pulled sharply to the side and reset his broken nose. The pain was almost more than he could take.
Keep standing Gen. You've been through worse than this. Don't let them see weakness. Remember your training.
His eyes were watering so badly he could barely see. He showed more teeth in his smile and aimed his eyes at the blurry vision of Aaron. He hoped he looked menacing enough. He didn't have the energy for a fight right now. His muscles still felt sore and raw.

“If that is all, I must find my room.” Gen stepped around the trio of bullies and headed, he hoped, in the direction of the dorms. No one stopped him. He would deal with Aaron tonight. He couldn't allow himself to be bullied; he didn't have time for it.

He found his room easily enough. It was simple and small. The dorms were in a large stone building split into four wings, two for boys and two for girls he assumed. His door had no lock though it was built of thick wood with heavy iron hinges. His furniture consisted of a bed, a desk, a wash-table with a small mirror, a small wardrobe, and a single chair. He tossed his pack onto the bed and used the washbasin to clean the blood from his face. He knew he wouldn't be able to breathe through his nose for a while. It was an annoyance he would have to put up with. He looked in the mirror and could see the bruises starting to form under his eyes. He pulled off his blood covered shirt and put it in the washbasin to soak. He pulled a clean shirt from his pack and pulled it on over his head. In the wardrobe, he found several pegs for hanging clothes. He hung his other pair of pants and placed his undergarments on the shelf above the pegs. He put his pack in the bottom and closed the doors. In the desk, he found a small, leather-bound book of blank pages along with a full inkwell and several quills. The peal of a large bell drew his attention to the window. The window had no glass but was covered by heavy shutters with a simple iron latch. He opened the shutters and looked out. The bell rang six times and the grounds outside his room filled quickly with students of all ages. Gen had no idea so many people were here. Other than Aaron and his gang, he had seen no other students since he had arrived. They must have been in class, he thought.

“You new?” The voice came from the door. Gen turned around and saw that it came from a boy of about sixteen years of age. He was wide at the shoulders and Gen could see his well calloused hands from his grip on the door-frame. He wore gray robes that looked well worn. He had dark hair, cut short.

“Yes, Sir,” Gen managed with a short bow.

“Time to eat. It's in the large building next to the north wing of the girls' dorms.” He smiled down at Gen. “I would take ya there, but I'm in a bit of a hurry. Most everyone is headed there so I'm sure you'll find it. Good luck!” He nodded and left the doorway to continue on down the hall.

Gen looked around the small room. He walked out into the hall and closed the door behind him. He referenced the map he remembered and found the dining hall easily enough. The room was huge, large wooden tables with matching benches lined up throughout. The tables held large pitchers of drink, juice of some kind, Gen guessed. Students picked up empty metal trays and empty mugs, and then sat themselves down in groups. Gen noticed that people mostly sat with others wearing the same colored robes. He took a tray, a mug, and sat off to the side in the back of the room. He didn't like that he was the only one not wearing robes. It made him stand out and he didn't need to stand out just yet. The hall filled quickly, and it wasn't long before the doors at the back of the room opened. Gen looked through the opening and glimpsed a large row of ovens. Young students wearing brown robes came from the kitchen and started setting large bowls of food upon the tables. It was more food than Gen had seen in a long time. Bowls heaping with mashed potatoes, platters covered with what looked to be baked chicken, bowls of green beans, and many other vegetables covered the tables. He waited till last and filled his tray with small portions. It wouldn't do to eat too much; it would only make him fat and slow. He couldn't afford to be slow. He did indulge himself in an extra helping of chicken though, telling himself he needed the extra meat after the light meals he had eaten on the journey here. No one joined him in his corner and he was thankful for it. He ate all he had taken upon his tray. The pitcher at his table held water and he drank his fill. He looked up to find that he was the only one finished with eating. Students seemed to take their time with meals. They talked as they ate or read. The sound of the filled room slowly rose to a roar that made Gen's head hurt. Finally, another student finished his meal. He carried his tray over to the back of the room and slid it into a small slot in the wall. He placed the mug in the slot after it and left the room. Gen waited till several others had done the same, then stood and followed suit. When he left the hall, he found that the sun had set and night was coming quickly. Time for work.

Gen looked down from the roof of the girls' dorms. It had taken a while to find the joints in the stonework deep enough for him to climb, but he had found them. He had been up here several minutes. Finally, he saw who he had been waiting for. Aaron exited the hall, loudly belching and laughing with his friends. Gen followed him from the roof.
No one ever looks up.
Gen shook his head and followed his mark. He had to drop down after Aaron went into the west wing of the boys' dorms. The crowd was sufficient to hide in, and even though he wore no robes, he found that as long as he walked steadily, the other students paid him no mind. He marked Aaron's room in his mind and quickly left the hall and returned to the roof to wait.