Stealing Sorcery (5 page)

Some nights, sleep could be as elusive as Symphony herself. Velas Jaldin was having one of those nights.

Sitting up in her bed, the former member of the Queensguard of Orlyn massaged her own shoulders, working at unrelenting knots. Asking someone else to help occurred to her, but it invited more complications than she was willing to deal with.

Gods, what’s wrong with me?

She sprung from the bed with more energy than necessary, snatching her sword belt down from where it hung on the wall. She pulled on her trousers and a light green vest, slipped her feet into boots ill-fitting boots she’d never bothered to replace, and strode out of the apartment.

Velthryn had, thus far, not been what she had expected. She had grown up on stories of towering spires flashing with sorcerous light and legendary warriors dueling in the streets. The city had towers, but their radiance had been somewhat… overstated. There were no mighty battles being fought, and the ‘heroes’ she had once idolized were relics of a former age, more likely to be found drunk on the street than displaying their talents in an arena.

Herod, at least, had some faint spark of his former glory. Though he had retired after the fall of Xixis, she never saw him far from the training grounds, his failing eyes always searching for someone who could measure up to the memories of his long deceased companions.

I will not disappoint you in the days to come, Master Herod.

The nightfrost had just begun to recede from the sky when Velas arrived at the training ground. She was not the first one to arrive. This was not surprising in itself, but the sight that greeted her was unexpected.

Taelien knelt in the center of a raised wooden platform near the center of the field, tracing his fingers across the surface of a red-bladed sword. Velas had seen the unusual weapon before, but not for several months, and she had never seen him with it on the training ground.

Pausing in curiosity, she observed the swordsman from a distance.

Is he praying? I didn’t think he was the type.

It was more likely he was focusing on something, but he didn’t seem like the meditative type, either.

As she observed, she noted a hint of light on his fingertips as he brought them across the blade – the light of a flame. As he reached the hilt, he brought his hand back upward – and a glow lingered on the edge.

A brilliant flame manifested as Taelien’s fingers reached the tip of the sword, bathing the area in orange light. He quickly dragged his fingers downward, causing the flame to spread across the surface of the blade. When he reached the hilt, the fire flared brighter. Taelien winced and withdrew his glowing hand, shaking it in the air. The flames dissipated.

Velas gave a slow clap, smirking as she walked closer. Taelien looked up, a startled expression on his face.

“Knew you had one dominion bonded sword – you carry the thing everywhere – but I had no idea you’ve been hoarding more of them. You’ve been holding out on me.” She put her hands on her hips, giving him a playful grin.

He sheathed the weapon in a scabbard on his right hip – the opposite side from where he wore the Sae’kes – and stood up, grimacing.

“It’s not a dominion bonded weapon, it’s just some kind of strange metal. How long have you been watching me?”

“Long enough to get a pretty show, but not long enough to figure out the details. You’re practicing, obviously, but for what?”

“Trying to make this thing useful.” He tapped his fingers on the now-sheathed sword, shaking his head. “When Lydia and I determined how it worked, it sounded like the type of thing that could be quite potent. ‘Absorbing dominion energy’ sounds great in theory, but it doesn’t work fast enough to block offensive spells.”

Velas absently flicked a strand of hair out of her eyes. “So you’re trying to figure out how to light the blade on fire. Flashy, but not very practical.”

He shrugged a shoulder. “I’ve run into some monsters that wouldn’t be vulnerable to conventional attacks. A Harvester of Shadow, for instance.”

She raised an eyebrow. Harvesters were creatures native to other planes that had a reputation for being horrendously dangerous. She had seen Taelien perform some impressive feats in combat, but facing a Harvester seemed a bit implausible, even for him.

Was that in the Paths of Ascension?

Months before, Taelien had supposedly gone to a place called the Paths of Ascension in the city of Orlyn. The Paths were rumored to be a way to ascend to godhood, but Taelien had learned that they were actually some sort of ancient vault left behind by the Xixian Empire. After he had traversed the depths of the Paths, he had confronted one of the city’s false gods along with a group of allies.

The swordsman had shared the broad strokes of his story with Velas and Landen, but neither he nor Lydia – the paladin of Sytira that had encouraged him and Landen to come to Velthryn – had been willing to share the details of what had happened to Taelien while he was on the Paths. He had definitely found some treasure in there – Velas had seen some of it, including the sword – but he had also been severely injured while exploring the depths.

Velas suspected that they were keeping the details private so that they could monopolize any remaining treasure inside the Paths.
Lydia is probably just waiting for Taelien to earn his paladin status, and then she can take him on as a partner and go back to Orlyn.

Not that Taelien needs any more treasure.
“Why bother figuring out new tricks with a mundane sword when you have the Sae’kes? Pretty sure that thing would be more useful, even against a Harvester.”

He turned his head away from Velas. “I wish it was that simple.”

With surprising intensity, Taelien spun back around to face her, closing his eyes and drawing the Sae’kes from its scabbard. She had seen the blade before – but he never drew it without purpose.

The blade shined like the purest of silver, with the seven runes upon the legendary blade representing each of the gods of the Tae’os Pantheon. Of the seven runes, five of them blazed with brilliant azure light.

She understood the problem immediately.

“You can’t control it.”

Taelien nodded.

“Nearly my entire life, I’ve trained to use this weapon. Day after day, year after year.” He opened his eyes to gaze at the surface of the blade with a longing expression. “No amount of willpower, of focus, or training has proven sufficient.”

She shrugged. “So try harder.”

He laughed, turning to the side and swinging the blade in place. An note carried through the wind as the blade parted the air, as if the weapon mirrored the swordsman’s laughter.

The two sounds made her heart race in a way she had not anticipated.

“I knew there was a reason I liked you,” he said, returning the weapon to its metal-lined scabbard.

“You talking to me or the sword?” She teased, folding her arms.

“Both.” He turned back to face her. “Anyway, I haven’t given up. I still train with the Sae’kes every day, and I won’t stop until I’m ready to use it. But even then, it won’t be the right weapon for every situation.”

She raised an eyebrow. “How so? If it was good enough for the god of swords...”

“It’s too destructive. Even with all seven runes lit, I doubt I’ll have enough control to render it non-lethal.”

“Ah.” The Paladins of Tae’os placed the preservation of life as one of their highest values. Velas considered the idea of sparing her enemies nonsensical, but like Taelien, she had learned to say the right words to serve her goals.

Unlike Taelien, she had learned to be convincing about it.

“So, I take it you couldn’t sleep either?” Taelien asked.

Trying to change the subject? Alright, fair enough.

“Yeah, I’m nervous about the tests. I take it you’re feeling the same?”

He nodded. “I wish we had more of an idea about what we’re up against.”

She shrugged, and then stretched her left shoulder again, grimacing at the stiffness in her muscles. “Shouldn’t be too complicated. There are only so many tests they could come up with. You heard anything from Red? You’re always following her around like a duckling.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m not a duck.”

Didn’t deny following her around, though,
Velas noted in wry victory.

“And no, Lydia never took the test,” he added. “And even if she did, she wouldn’t help me cheat.”

Velas waved a hand dismissively. “Gathering information is hardly cheating. These paladins look all bright and shiny, but Lydia was a spy for years, wasn’t she? Her and half the Eratar branch.”

Each of the Paladins of Tae’os was assigned to a specific branch dedicated to a certain deity. Typically, each branch had different responsibilities. The Paladins of Eratar – the god of travel – were reputed to be the branch dealing with espionage, information gathering, and similar activities. Publicly, they served as scouts, advisors to nobles, and other functions that could easily cover their more clandestine activities.

Teasing aside, Velas had nothing but respect for Lydia’s years of successful infiltration into Orlyn’s government. Her successes were worthy of praise, even if Taelien did idolize the girl a little more than Velas considered healthy. She wasn’t even any older than they were.

“Well, if you want to end up in the Eratar branch, they’d probably approve. But I doubt the rest of the orders would be quite so tolerant. Our instructions were explicit.”

“Sometimes what someone says and what they mean are different things.” Velas rubbed her shoulder. “But in this case, I suppose you’re probably right.”

“So, what were you coming out here for? Not just to spy on me, I assume.”

“No that was just a pleasant surprise. I was planning to warm up on some sword work until Landen arrived. Oh, and when you arrived about two hours later.”

“I prefer to do most of my training at night, right before they close up the armory.”

“Uh-huh. When no one else is around to verify it.”

“When it’s cool enough to wear a suit of armor without feeling like I’m courting death.”

She took a breath, bending down to stretch her legs. “All right, fair argument. It’s still pretty cool right now, though. Up for a match?”

“The armory is locked up at this hour. We wouldn’t be able to get armor or training weapons.”

“I know.” Velas drew her long sword from her hip, giving Taelien a wink. “That’s why I’m excited.”

Taelien folded his arms. “I shouldn’t have to tell you how dangerous that would be.”

“You can’t tell me you never trained with real blades when you were working with the Thornguard.”

He frowned. “This is different. You’re not—”

“I spent four years in the Queensguard of Orlyn. The
actual
Queensguard, not like your little pre-Thornguard training group. You don’t think I can keep up with you?”

The swordsman sighed. “I don’t have any ordinary weapons on me.”

“Use the Sae’kes, then. I’d love to see what it’s like fighting against that thing.”

Her pulse quickened as she pictured having to snake her own sword around his to prevent the artifact from tearing her weapon apart.

Please.

He reluctantly drew the red-bladed sword. Her eyes continued to focus on the winged hilt of the Sae’kes at his side.

“I’ll spar with you, but I’m not going to use an unfair advantage.” He moved to the back of the wooden platform, taking the Teris-Low Blade form, a defensive stance. His feet weren’t aligned properly, showing how rarely he used that particular form.

“Ready?” He asked.

“Let’s find out.”

Velas raised her blade and charged. If he wasn’t going to use the Sae’kes, she’d have to find another way to make some fun.

Her sword flashed diagonally downward from a high stance, aiming for his shoulder.

The parry she expected came, and Velas stepped back for another strike – only to find her blade stuck to his.

By the time she realized what had happened, Taelien was already stepping to her right and shoving forward on his weapon. Velas stumbled back, her left foot brushing the edge of the platform, letting out a hiss as she realized he was trying to push her off the platform.

She let go of the hilt of her sword, stepping left and sweeping her foot to try to hook his right knee. He stepped back, taking the kick in the front of the leg and wincing.

Then he tossed the two connected blades aside, right off the platform.

Velas grinned.

“Thought you said you weren’t going to use any unfair advantages. Metal sorcery? Really?”

“Using my own personal skills is hardly unfair.”

She circled around to his right, and Taelien stepped back, raising his arms into a typical blocking position near his face. His expression was calm, his stance cleaner than it had been with the Teris Low-Blade stance. She had sparred with him dozens of times before, and she knew he preferred grappling to striking when unarmed. This was unsurprising, given his background with the Thornguard, who wore heavy armor and trained for fighting other people in heavy armor.