Finally the ass got impatient, "What is it?"
"Oh, just people in the tower trying to reassert some dominance and control over me after failing to kill me. I am sure you will hear about it about the time we break for lunch, what would you like us to work on?"
James spluttered in shock for a moment, "What do you mean the tower tried to kill you? It did not."
I stood at attention waiting for more orders from the ass. Ravon chose not to be patient, "If you came here without knowing you need to talk to the elves that visit the palace more regularly. Our shipment of mushrooms was switched with darkroot mushrooms. If master Des had not been the first one in the kitchen for breakfast yesterday we could have lost 10% of the people who call the palace home. In response the elven policies concerning wizards have changed just a bit. So if that letter was addressed to princess Des then you are lucky she read it at all."
"The tower-"
"Is the only place the mushrooms grow. Everyone knows that after those mushrooms were found to be effective against demons the wizards destroyed all the naturally growing ones. So either the leadership of the tower was grossly negligent with a crop that could kill our people or they intentionally decided that killing a few elves was worth the chance at killing master Des."
Markus interrupted the conversation, "Wait you said darkroot is not always fatal, I have seen Des fight, weak is not a term I associate with her. I have even seen her drink grown bulky men under the table and walk away sober."
"She is more demonic than other elves or islee, things that are poisonous to humans won't be as effective with her. That demonic amenity is also why it is so hard to get islee and elves as drunk as humans get. Other drugs are also known to affect them less. Darkroot though is believed to be dangerous to demons, so it might be considered an effective weapon against someone like Des." James sounded more sober then someone in his outfit should, "If the reds did do something like this without the knowledge or approval of the rest of the tower they will be punished."
"Hopefully you are able to warn the red that did this before she visits the palace again or you won't get the chance to punish her."
"Des! You cannot go around threatening wizards."
"Sure I can, and they should be aware that I am not in the habit of letting those around me get caught in the middle of a fight. Then again, it is not the tower that I am angry with, which is the real point in making them follow the same rules they claim are so important for me." I could feel my demonic energy moving under my skin. It was a new feeling but I didn't normally let myself feel anger like I was feeling it now, "So messenger, if you don't mind, send back that I am currently under orders to train with me unit."
The asses eyes got big as he remembered the words he had used earlier without thought, "Now wait a minute. What does the order say."
Ravon looked at me then snorted, "They were addressed to her. She doesn't have to share and you cannot make her share a private letter. So unless she chooses to share it with someone who will share with you, you will never know. Which is good for you in a way, but only other members of the army will believe it I think. Hopefully whoever is pulling your strings understands the army."
The messenger looked at James pleadingly. He didn't have the brown stripe of an army wizard so he probably didn't know what he needed to do. "Well go back and tell them. Waiting here isn't going to do any good." James was smiling and I wasn't sure of his sanity. "It serves them right if you care what I think. I mean how dare an army person follow the rules! How disrespectful! Even if someone tried to kill her." James started laughing.
I shook my head and looked back at the ass. He seemed to be trying to think of what he should do now. After a moment he chose to put aside that I was possibly being rude and started to try and convince me that it would be better for me if I let him know what my letter said. Ravon grew annoyed with him quickly but I kept her from skinning him while we practiced.
The sun rose into the sky and another messenger appeared. Markus was drilling his people but being careful to stay out of the way of my unit. He stopped when he saw the messenger approach. The messenger was different from last time and he seemed confused by three people in commander uniforms. He spotted James who had made a stone seat to watch the two groups practice while sipping from a tea cup. The two exchanged words but I focused on running the desires and tuned them out.
After a moment the messenger stopped my unit's commander. The ass was not happy at the interruption. He looked upset at me which I could understand considering who I must have angered to get the army to turn around so fast. I could understand but I didn't care.
The ass opened the letter and read it. Then he read it again, before looking up at me with barely controlled furry in his eyes, "What did you do?"
"I need you to narrow down the 'what' you are asking about."
"Nevermind, according this elder Sarah has asked to replace Shevren in the bout you had agreed to earlier, if he could get arena time when both of you were free. Since he couldn't get time in such a short time she talked to the arch office who is in command of this unit and asked that she order us to take an extended break so that the bout you had planned with Shevren might be settled, but with her as your new opponent. Our officer issued non discretionary orders that our whole unit is to report to the tower training grounds upon receipt."
James laughed almost falling out of his stone chair, the ass turned his head to look at him. Ravon spoke up, "You going to actually give the order or just stand there, commander?"
The ass sighed and rolled his eyes, Markus smirked, "I bet my unit can beat yours to the arena." He had been talking to the ass but Ravon replied out of the corner of her mouth.
"I beat he can, too," I fought the urge to laugh.
The ass was not amused and pretended the exchange had not happened, "Alright, move out. Group run, following me."
The ass took off, Markus signaled his people and they fell into step. James vanished before we were through the first fields. I had a feeling he had wanted to warn me about something but had changed his mind. Now I could feel him watching but he wasn't anywhere I could see him.
The tower grounds formed the center of the crystal city. The tower was the largest structure in the city directly over the hall of crystal. I expected to hear my name being called as we approached the hall but it was almost eerily quiet. My key grew warm but the voice stayed silent.
The ass ran around the main circle of the city to the largest arena. This one was set up for viewing most of the others were not. Magic was dangerous even more so when the caster lost control which could happen in battle. The arenas had a shield much like the one that protects the city only they are flipped. The city shield is meant to keep dangers out, these shields are meant to keep them in. Nothing leaves the arenas that aren't let out, not even air. The pressure is monitored and released several times a day but if it wasn't released the pressure would build until things started giving way. As far as I know the city has never lost an arena shield to a buildup in pressure, but it did seem like it could.
"Des, you are ordered to enter and practice magic drills while the rest of the unit runs laps around the arena."
The ass started to turn but I raised a hand and he paused with a frown, "Yes?"
"Just to be clear you are ordering me to enter, when I am able to leave, I may?"
"Yes, yes the orders made it very clear that under no circumstances am I to order you to take up the challenge or that you have to agree to the terms that were mentioned in the letter."
"Oh good, so there is at least one wizard that can read after all. It might be fun to learn if this shadow hunter has any tricks that might work." I stepped through the shield onto the arena sand. My key grew cool against my skin but the air felt warmer. I hadn't noticed that last time I was in an arena, I wondered if the heat couldn't escape this shield either. There where two doors in the arena wall. Just ten foot tall archways in the thirty foot crystal walls. The crystal got thinner as it reached for the sky as it thinned it got clearer. The bottom ten feet were too thick to see through just white walls, the top ten feet were almost clear and you could see some people in robes sitting in stands slide enough to look through the crystal.
The crystal was just a visible marker for the otherwise invisible shield. It didn't even mark all of the shield which was a perfect sphere that had been sunk into the ground. I looked away from the people in the stands and at the sand floor. I remember reading that when this arena was first built the floor had been stone. Over time it had turned into sand. I let myself wonder how the tower kept it clean. Not all the training that took place in the tower was bloodless. That we needed the arenas at all was part of the proof of that truth.
"Welcome, master Des." I sighed at the woman who had spoken in a much too happy and pleasant tone for my liking. While I sighed I crossed my legs and sat down in the sand with my back straight closing my eyes so I could listen better. I was getting more and more of a feeling of something being wrong.
It was the arena or its shield and I shouldn't be able to sense anything beyond them. Well I could see beyond them light was able to get in. There hadn't been anything visibly wrong. More people than I like to be around were watching on all sides but I didn't have to interact with them. Sound got in through the shield but I was sure I wasn't hearing anything that bothered me. Yet I was sure there was something. Hum, if light and sound can enter why don't they fill the inside of this flipped shield and cause problems? I put that thought aside; it wasn't helpful.
I felt Sarah tilt her head just a bit as she watched me, she was the only person alive in the world to whatever sense let me feel things about people. Sarah let the silence stretch as she tried to decide if she should wait me out or try something else. I am hoping for waiting it out to win, I could use the meditation time. Sleep was good and I seemed to get a lot of it around Theon but meditation seemed to have it's own need.
"Alright then, I want to see how much you know, it seems like the only way anyone is going to learn that is by fighting with you. So what terms would you consider?"
I opened my eyes and looked up at Sarah who was now standing over me in an almost intimidating kind of way. "Hum, what do you want if you win first? Sarah."
Sarah raised an eyebrow, "That you train with the tower wizards when you are in the city."
"Any tower wizards?"
"I would prefer you study with reds, since I believe we have the most useful information to teach you, but I understand you might be more hesitant about that, so yes any tower wizard."
I snorted, "Yes, almost being killed by a member of your group yesterday does have a damping effect on my ability to trust you." Sarah looked surprised, opened her mouth then closed it again as she looked down at my uniform. I was unsure if I was relieved she didn't know or worried about what might be going on for one of the elders not to know what was going on in their own order, that badly. "Alright, since you seemed to not know about the darkroot in the elven kitchen, or that the relationship between the tower and the elves has changed because of it, I would be willing to agree to spending an hour a day with you when I am on leave for a year. I will try and make an effort to actually learn what you try and teach me and keep my options on the subjects to myself, until the year is up. How does that sound?"
"Three hours for every 24 hours of consecutive unordered time and you don't have to keep your opinions to yourself with me. Until you can beat me in a match but you can only try twice a year. If I win." Sarah had bit her lower lip when she paused, she might think she is pushing too hard. She seems pretty sure she will win.
"Alright, but if I win, you will never try and give me an order again and you won't let anyone that answers to you give me an order. Also you will pick who you think is best qualified to teach me and either is a member of the army or willing to be one. They will be added to my unit under my command, and will not replace Shevern."
"You want someone to teach you?"
"Nope, I think it is a great waste of time. I have recently found you might know some interesting tricks, and I couldn't have more easily understood signs that the crystals want me to study magic more. Lacking a demon to teach me, I guess shadow hunters are a runner up option."
Sarah frowned slightly. I didn't think anyone else would be able to tell. "Ok I will give you what you want, if you win."
I nodded, and heard a murmur run around the crowd. They must have lip readers telling them what we are saying. Though shouldn't the shield look like a black hole from their side?
I felt something skitter around the outside of my mind like it was going to answer my question then thought better of it. "Well I am armed, do you want to set safety limits?"
"I don't see a point, your army wizard might not have offered you enough challenge but you won't be able to move once I start. I am ready when you are."
"You shouldn't underestimate army wizards. I am -" I was going to say ready but something exploded against the top of the city shield at that moment. Sparks few for miles in every direction racing down around the shield. The ground shook like a giant bell from the force.