"Tiansha, we appreciate your always unusual and exciting ideas. They bring life to this sometimes dusty Council. Nevertheless, the Tridekon has decided to reject your applica-tion. We will not allow you or another house to begin to crumble and to train slaves in magic. The dangers are far too unpredictable. We have noted your concern about the dwindling number of our magicians." "Master Aurabel, the number of novices this year is 53! In the last skirmish against Zir Magnon, we lost 124 magicians. It takes 7 years to turn a novice into a skilled magician. We lost 2 classes trained magicians in this battle. We all know, we cannot keep up with Zir Magnon in the field of weapon technology, blacksmith-ing and martial arts. If our strength, the trained fire wizards and Djinn masters wanes, Zir Magnon will attack us and we will be defeated. Orphans live in our streets who are talent-ed. Three of my teachers have searched the city for 2 weeks and found 470 talented chil-dren who are never trained. Their parents have died. They died in the fight for our city. We do not only have the need for talented children, but we would also fulfill our duty of taking care of them, the children of the fallen heroes of our grand city."
A grumble went through the hall and several masters were about to rise to express their displeasure, but Master Aurabel prevented this by violently hitting the floor with his staff. The masters reluctantly sat back in their chairs. Aurabel sighed and then looked directly at Master Tiansha.
"Well we will allow you to accept a contingent of 40 orphans per school year. Only chil-dren of the city, whose parents were citizens and warriors of Kenzobaran..No foreign children or slave children are allowed. You will not receive any support from the council and they need to specialize in combat spells in order to serve Kenzobaran at times. The responsibility and liability for the behavior of these children will be entirely on your shoul-ders. You will represent them as parents."
The other two masters of the Tridekon's nodded slowly and a murmur went through the rows. Master Brahmahed jumped up from his chair.
"But that will give her a big advantage over the rest of us! 40 additional novices each year!"
"Our decision has been made. You were all against taking care of the children. No one of your houses wanted to support Tiansha's application. Therefore, for a trial period of 3 years, she will be allowed to accept up to forty children each year. The issue is settled. We will evaluate the results in three years and decide after this period how to go on in this matter..
The Council is over. "
Master Tiansha rose with a big smile. The Djinnmaster was in her forties and had long curly black hair and equally dark big eyes. Her face already showed the traces of a life under the hot desert sun. She wore a long green robe over her stocky body.She was rela-tively tall for a Kenzobaran woman, certainly about 1,75 meters. Yared, her right hand and head Harishab, archmage of the "Free School of Djinn summoning and the magic of transformation of the House of Tiansha" stood up beside her, delighted. "Congratulations Master Tiansha, you did it. Incredible! Your long work has finally paid off." "So it is Yared. Now we can begin. These vain wooden heads of the other schools, with their elitist be-havior! The orphans will serve us much better than these arrogant rich kids who apply to our school. I have a lot of plans. We will get away from the mystical, mysterious, locked-up school area where people only study and meditate. Go back to school and take Bani and Jarisha with you. You will immediately begin to search the city for the most talented or-phans under the age of 10. Within 1 week I want to have the forty novices together. I will take care about your own lessons, if necessary I will teach myself. We have to be ready before the others Schools have made plans for how to put a stone in our way. "
"Very well Master."
Yared bowed briefly and hurried away. Master Tiansha put her hand on the golden amu-let with the artfully cut ruby and felt that it was warm. Good. The spell was active. She could not be too careful the next few days. She left the Council of Mages. She walked slowly down the many stairs. Her litter was waiting below with her bodyguard. She got in and pulled the curtain shut. Then she stuck her head out again and beckoned to Anushi. She was the leader of her bodyguard.
Anushi walked over to her and bowed. Tiansha said quietly:
"Be especially careful today. I probably made more enemies today."
Anushi nodded, bowed again, and returned to her men. Four warriors positioned them-selves in front of the palanquin and six behind it. Anushi pulled her sword "Red Death" from the scabbard and made a slight cut on the forearm. She already had a lot of scars there. She let the blood run over the blade, which seemed to soak up the blood and stain itself increasingly in a metallic shiny dark red. Then she ordered the troops to march. The palanquin set in motion and Anushi walked alongside. Tiansha was happy about her vic-tory in the Council, but she had felt the indignation of the other masters.
There were 11 schools in Kenzobaran and at least 9 were now against her. Magician schools, along with slave traders, distance traders and gladiator schools, were the largest power blocks. Only the large tent of holy Uashabat could hold these groups together. The Kenzoberans were all Uashabi, believers in Uashabat. They believed that Uashabat had created the world, the desert and everything that lived in it. He had Krimilli carved his laws into the sacred tree. Everyone had to comply with these laws. Krimilli had 9 columns built around the tree, in which he interpreted the laws and related to common situations. Every child learned these laws. The punishments were harsh, and no creditor doubted that Uashabat would punish lawbreakers cruelly. Therefore, the word of the Taffa, the scribes and judges, was always given great importance and also masters of magicians' schools or large trading houses bowed to it. The Taffa were able to cast out disobedient families and to place them on the Hakro. Then they were considered godless and were no longer pro-tected by the law. They could be robbed, injured and even killed without anyone taking a step to protect them. Foreign slaves and unbelievers were generally considered godless and had to have advocates, someone who vouched for them and placed them under his protection, otherwise they were fair game. That was one of the major reasons why it was so dangerous for imperial people to go to the desert. Therefore the conflicts with Zir Mag-non and the plague bay never came to rest.
The palanquin moved through the alleys of Kenzobaran. Anushi steered the small group over the big streets, in which many people and also the city guards populated the road-way. However, Anushi feared less of a direct attack than of an assassin. Attackers mostly came from above, from the confusing flat roofs, from hidden tents or from tall trees. Arrows and poisoned daggers were the weapons through which the mighty fell in this city. But since the enemies were magician schools in this case, it was completely unpredictable what kind of attack could be expected. But Master Tiansha would be able to protect her-self from magic. Anushi uses her body to protect access to the palanquin from the side of the house. Otherwise the litter was made of wood and no first attack would be able to penetrate it. But despite her mistress's concern, nothing happened on the way back and the palanquin passed the gates of the school unscathed.