Dawn of Man (Thanos Book 1) (13 page)

“With a whip?” Jedek shouted.

Ahnon’s eyes popped open. “What else are they going to hit you with at a whipping post?”

Tears welled up in Jedek’s eyes, and he stood up and walked over to Ahnon. He wrapped his arms around Ahnon’s neck and hugged him tight. “I’m sorry, Ahnon. I’m sorry you got hit with a whip for me,” he wailed, wrapping his legs around Ahnon.

Closing his eyes, Ahnon hugged Jedek back. “Jedek, I got hit with the whip because I didn’t listen or didn’t do what I was told. I now know many of the things they told me could’ve killed me. The whip was physical punishment to remember.”

Jedek sobbed in his chest as he choked out, “But if it wasn’t for me, then you wouldn’t have even been there,” he said.

Ahnon pulled Jedek’s head back, looking at the pouring tears. “Jedek, I was there because of who I was born to, not because of you. The council tried to get me to take two sires before you, but I knew who I had for a sire. I knew what you were going to look like and when you would show up,” Ahnon said. “Just for you, I’ll tell you something,” Ahnon said, smiling. “So far, it’s all been worth it.”

Jedek buried his head into Ahnon’s chest. “I love you, Ahnon,” he said, crying.

Ahnon closed his eyes as he stroked Jedek’s head, feeling the words he had never said to anyone since he was eleven years old. “Jedek, I love you,” Ahnon said as tears crept out of the corners of his eyes.

Pulling his face off Ahnon, Jedek wiped his face with his shirt sleeve, leaving a trail of mud. Seeing the two tears on Ahnon’ face, he said, “I’m sorry I made you cry.”

“Jedek, I cried because I see at last what Theobald told me when I got here. I could have a family of my own.”

“I’ll always be here with you, Ahnon.”

Ahnon smiled. “As I will for you, sire,” Ahnon promised. “Let’s get these holes filled in and get you cleaned up so we can eat,” he said, standing up.

Jedek stood and grabbed Ahnon’s arm. “You don’t have to threaten me today. I want my bath,” he said. Ahnon grinned then saw Michi set his quill and paper down. Then, spreading his arms, Michi bowed to them.

“I’m humbled before all men today. I was blessed to witness the world of magic open to a new pupil and an old master find new life. This day will be with me for the rest of my life,” Michi vowed.

Ahnon smiled. “Michi, you’re a good man. That’s why I’ve worked with you so much. I always felt you and your family deserved better in life. I’m just glad I was able to give you what you said was your dream. To me, it was a mistake, but you wanted it, and it was in my power to grant,” Ahnon said as Jedek moved over and started filling in the holes.

Michi stood up. “Ahnon, it isn’t a mistake. You mustn’t see it that way.”

Ahnon sighed. “I’m sorry, but I do.” He moved over to help Jedek. Michi also let out a sigh, moving to help. When they were finished, the three walked back to the castle side by side.

Michi looked sideways at Ahnon. “My father petitioned for three years to get me in the academy, and it cost him a lot of money. I’ve been able to repay it a hundred fold before you made us members of the royal family. Now, we won’t have to worry about the kids going to sleep hungry or monsters coming into the village to take the young ones. It was a great honor for me to be accepted in the bhari.”

“Did your family visit you?” Ahnon asked.

“Yes, at least once a year.”

“My mother visited for the first year. One of the masters told me I should tell her not to come anymore because it hurt her so much. I told him no, I liked my mother coming to see me. He snuck me out back to the palace one day after my mother left. There, I saw her in her room crying and my father telling her it only hurt her to come and see me, that she should just think of me as dead. I could never live with them again even when I finished because I had to continue learning outside of Nazar. My mother started throwing stuff at him till he left. For three hours, I watched her cry before the master hurried me away before we were spotted.

“On the way back, he asked me if my mother should suffer like that. I told him no, thinking he was going to let me go back. He looked at me and told me the next time Mother came to tell her not to return and to think of me as dead.”

Michi gasped. “Ahnon, that’s family,” he said.

“Honor comes first,” Ahnon said as Jedek grabbed his hand. “When she came the next time, I did it. I didn’t want both of us to be miserable, so I told her to forget about me. That was the last time I cried with remorse,” Ahnon said, remembering the day. “I had talked to many sho-ka training in the ranks above me and two that came back after graduating. They all told me their families looked at them as if they were dead. I saw my mother once more before she died and thanked her for coming those few times. She told me she knew why I did it and respected my choice by not returning but wanted to come and see me.

“I promised her I would bring honor to the family. She smiled at me, telling me I already had. It should be different with the families behind the sho-ka, but I think it hurts them too much seeing what their child has to go through and what that child gave up,” Ahnon said as they walked into the castle.

Michi grabbed his arm. “It will be different in my family, which I promise to you on my soul and honor.”

“That alone makes me feel better,” Ahnon said, grinning. Jedek just listened, determined not to cry, with history to be made hundreds of years later.

Chapter 9

It was the end of winter as Ahnon and Jedek stood on the battlement, watching the rest of the Emperor of Nazar’s flotilla anchor at the docks. “Your nephew travels with a lot of people,” Jedek said, looking at all the ships.

“Emperor Tilbus would like to travel with just a few people, but the royal toadies would fall down crying if he didn’t take them,” Ahnon said.

“You like your nephew,” Jedek observed.

Ahnon nodded. “Out of everyone in my family, he goes out of his way to talk to the sho-ka of the family. He visits his son at the academy every few months.”

Really glad to hear that, Jedek said, “I like him already then.”

Ahnon looked at the young man standing beside him, smiling. Jedek’s voice was still doing the warbling from tenor to a bass as the hormones in his body took hold. “That makes me proud, sire,” Ahnon said, putting his arm around him.

“So you’re not disappointed in me?” he asked hopefully.

Ahnon looked back out at the ships. “Never said I was, did I?” Ahnon said, suppressing a smile.

“Ahnon, the Grand Mage had no business saying that,” Jedek replied, his face turning to stone.

Ahnon took a breath to control himself. “That may be, but to trap the Grand Mage in an orb shield, in the great hall, during a banquet is a little out of hand.”

Jedek lifted his chin. “He still shouldn’t have said it,” Jedek repeated.

“Jedek, it is his right to teach the royal line magic,” Ahnon said, looking the other way as he smiled and started to chuckle.

“He couldn’t even break out of my shield, Ahnon!” Jedek yelled.

Ahnon’s body started to shake. “Jedek, you didn’t have to sit on the outside making faces at him.” Ahnon got out in several different octaves. Jedek wasn’t paying attention as he fumed over the event.

“He’s lucky I only know a few spells,” he declared. “Water was all I could use.”

Ahnon pulled his arm off Jedek’s shoulder. “That was rude, Jedek, filling the orb shield with water.”

“I was going to let him out…before he drowned. Dad didn’t have to break my spell.” Jedek looked at the ships, still mad about the entire affair.

Ahnon dropped to his knees, remembering the water going everywhere, sweeping people off their feet and the mage looking like a fish in a fish bowl as he swam around the orb shield. “Your father wasn’t sure,” Ahnon said in a high voice as tears started coming out of his eyes.

“You’re my sho-ka, and I’ll learn from you! That baboon isn’t teaching me anything. If Dad wants to teach me, that’s fine but only along with you,” he declared.

“You didn’t have to call him a baboon in front of the entire hall,” Ahnon, said lying down on the stone battlement, trying not to laugh.

“Mamma would wash my mouth out with soap again if I called him what I wanted to,” Jedek admitted. Ahnon couldn’t talk. “To call you unschooled and barbaric is just going too far, Ahnon. I’m sorry, but I had to say something. If you want me to scrub the halls, I will, but if he says it again, he’s going swimming.”

“Let me go get the Grand Mage then,” Ahnon said, and the laughter spilled out, frightening Jedek, who looked down to see Ahnon rolling around laughing, beating the stone battlement of the wall with his fist. For the first time in his life, Ahnon was laughing so hard it hurt, and he couldn’t stop.

Jedek started to chuckle. “He’s in the great hall, waiting on Emperor Tilbus,” he offered. Ahnon wailed upon hearing that and started kicking his feet, thinking about the mage in a fish bowl again. Jedek couldn’t help but join him. 

That’s how Vilarius and Theobald found them: rolling around laughing, seemingly having fits. Theobald leaned toward the king. “I have no idea what they’re laughing about, but I want to,” he said, grinning.

“I don’t care what it is. To see Ahnon laughing like that makes me feel good,” the king said, smiling.

Ahnon had no idea how long the king had been standing there but slowly pulled himself up then picked Jedek up. Wiping his face off, Ahnon said, “Sorry your majesty, bad case of gas.”

With a broad smile, “You need that more often then,” Vilarius said.

Ahnon shook his head. “No, your majesty, I think I pulled something,” he said, holding his stomach. “I’ve never done that before.”

“May I ask what got the great Ahnon so tickled?” Theobald asked.

“No,” Ahnon whimpered as his body shook.

Theobald looked despondent. “Ahnon, that’s not fair,” he said, and Ahnon went to one knee as the images of the mage in his grey robe swimming around the orb like a fish filled his mind and refused to leave. Jedek stopped laughing and pulled Ahnon back up. He really didn’t want his dad to know why Ahnon was laughing.

“It was just a joke between us,” Jedek told him, throwing Ahnon’s arm over his shoulder. Ahnon leaned on Jedek as he led them away.

Vilarius grinned. “What’s the joke then?” he asked.

“Dad, it’s private,” Jedek said, moving past them.

A hurtful look hit the king’s face, “Son,” was all he said.

With tears rolling down his face, Ahnon turned his head back to look at the king. “I want a fish in a fish bowl,” he announced to everyone. Jedek snorted, blowing snot out his nose and pulled Ahnon harder as he started to giggle. Then Ahnon yelled out, “With a little gray fish in it!”

Jedek staggered, laughing, but kept Ahnon moving. Theobald started snickering and leaned over, whispering in the king’s ear. When he finished, the king yelled, “You two stop right there!”

Jedek cringed. Ahnon didn’t care; he was still laughing as the Vilarius walked around them and looked at them. “Does this have anything to do with what happed to the Grand Mage?” the king asked.

Jedek just closed his eyes as Ahnon nodded but said, “No!” still laughing.

“Do you two know how much turmoil that has caused me?” Vilarius asked.

Ahnon looked at the king with tears still running down his face. “I don’t care; I want a gray fish in a fish bowl. I want to remember that for the rest of my life,” Ahnon laughed out. Jedek suddenly felt all of Ahnon’s weight on him, and Jedek was getting weaker as he fought the laughter coming over him.

The king smiled. “Ahnon, that was good, wasn’t it?” the king asked.

Ahnon tried to stand on his own but gave up and continued leaning on young Jedek. Looking at the king, Ahnon paused, laughing for a second with tears running down his face as he said, “That was fairy hair.”

Vilarius grinned. “You two go get control of yourselves. We meet Tilbus in an hour. I really don’t want the world to see Ahnon like this. He does have a reputation to uphold.”

“We will, Father,” Jedek promised.

Vilarius reached out and put his hand on Jedek’s shoulder. “Son, I would’ve done it too, but I’m the king and can’t have the high mage in a fish bowl,” he said, sending Ahnon to his knees, bellowing with laughter. “I’m proud of you, but please show a little control,” the king begged, trying to ignore Ahnon.

The laughter left as Jedek looked at his dad, setting his jaw. “Dad, he shouldn’t have said any of those things about Ahnon. I’m sorry I made life hard for you, but I’m not sorry for what I did. If you need to punish me, then so be it. All I can say if it happens again, Ahnon’s going to wet his pants because the mage is going swimming in an orb again,” Jedek said in serious tone, letting go of Ahnon, who fell on his face, laughing as mental pictures started flowing through his mind.

Vilarius’ face was contorting as he tried not to laugh. “There will be no punishment,” the king said, looking down at Ahnon having fits. He grinned. “In fact, I’m really having thoughts of making the first day of every month mage fish bowl night.” Hearing that, Ahnon started changing colors. “I didn’t know a man could turn purple,” the king said, looking up a Jedek. “We really need to get him inside.”

Theobald walked over, wiping his face. “Allow me, sire,” he said, sprinkling powder on Ahnon. “Motoc ky-nu,” he said, and Ahnon floated up to his outstretched hand.

“Son, walk in front of us, and run people off till we get to your room. If you have to, put them in a fish bowl,” Vilarius said, grinning.

It took Ahnon a while to regain his composure, and the banquet was well underway by the time he and Jedek showed up. “I’m sorry about that, Jedek,” Ahnon apologized as they walked in.

“I’m not. I’ll be eleven in a few days, and I’ve never seen you laugh that hard. It was worth the wait,” Jedek said, grinning.

“It was good, but I shouldn’t have lost control like that. I promise to try and refrain from that,” Ahnon said, feeling genuinely embarrassed. “I never knew a person could laugh that hard,” he mumbled, rubbing his sore abdominal muscles.

Jedek stopped. “You do that, and I’ll throw the Grand Mage in one now,” he warned.

Grinning, Ahnon closed his eyes, blocking the images. “Okay, you win; let’s just not talk about it anymore.”

Jedek nodded, smiling, and headed into the crowd. He saw his dad talking with a robust man with long, blond hair. Heading over, his dad spotted him and started smiling. When they got closer, his dad asked, “Get him back under control?”

“Took some doing, but indeed, he’s back to normal,” Jedek said, grinning.

“Son, this is Emperor Tilbus. Emperor Tilbus, my son Jedek,” Vilarius introduced them.

Tilbus grabbed Jedek’s hand. “Prince Jedek, I’ve heard a lot about you and have been looking forward to meeting you.”

“Thank you, your majesty. My father refuses to take me along on many of the formal meeting trips.”

Tilbus waved his hand. “I don’t want to go, and I’m the Emperor,” he admitted. Tilbus looked behind Jedek. “Uncle, I have to say you look…happy actually, and having known you as long as I have, that kind of worries me.”

Ahnon walked over and hugged his nephew. “I promise I haven’t destroyed anyone or killed off one of the three kings’ family lines,” Ahnon said. Tilbus let him go. “Lately.” Ahnon smiled.

“I must say the Aztan king was a little upset. He sent sixty kytensa to Nazar.”

Jedek looked alarmed. “They didn’t hurt anyone in your family, did they?” he asked.

Tilbus chuckled. “Jedek, they barely made it a mile into the capital, Nepon. We keep bhari along the borders and just roaming around the country. Mostly along roads and towns, the wilds are just too dangerous even for the bhari.”

“I lived in the wild for over a hundred years,” Ahnon replied.

Tilbus closed his eyes to that revelation. “That’s because you’re crazy.”

“I am not. It’s not that hard, Tilbus.”

A courtier for Tilbus stepped forward. “This is the Emperor of Nazar, sho-ka. Remember it,” he snapped at Ahnon.

Ahnon grabbed the man by the arm. “Hey, pretty boy. My sire knows the most amazing spell. It’s really fairy hair. You ever talk to me like that again, and you’ll wish he had gotten to you,” Ahnon warned. The man just nodded at him with an open mouth as Vilarius covered his eyes with his hand.

Tilbus grabbed Ahnon’s wrist. “Uncle, that is rude. I mean, he came with me. I get to do the mean talking. Why do you have to ruin everything?” Tilbus said, hurt.

“You didn’t say anything,” Ahnon snapped.

“You didn’t give me a chance,” Tilbus retorted. The courtier’s mouth was quivering, knowing this wasn’t going to end well for him. Tilbus looked at him. “You have really embarrassed me, Menka. I didn’t even get to scold you, so I have to take more direct means,” Tilbus said, pointing his hand at Menka and speaking magic.

“I’m sorry,” Menka moaned just as Tilbus finished.

Tilbus flipped his hand up, and Menka took off like he was shot from catapult straight up, screaming. “When you float down, remember your manners,” Tilbus said as Menka’s back touched the ceiling.

The entire hall, thousands of people, suddenly became quiet, looking up at the sobbing man. Many in the hall looked down and at Ahnon, who looked around at the stares. “Hey, it wasn’t me; it was him,” he said, pointing at Tilbus. “Keep staring at me, though, and he gets some company,” Ahnon warned, nodding up, causing hundreds of heads to turn away quickly.

Tilbus chuckled. “Same Ahnon I see,” he said.

“How’s your son coming along?” Ahnon asked.

“He’s out and starting his training. I hope you don’t mind; I told him some of what you did.”

Vilarius looked at Tilbus. “I thought there was no written record of what each sho-ka has learned?” he asked.

“Oh, there isn’t. I had Ahnon sit down and tell me some of what he has studied,” Tilbus answered.

“I’ve tried to get him to tell me since he got here, and he hasn’t told me much of anything,” Vilarius said.

Tilbus put his hand on Vilarius’ shoulder. “Don’t take this the wrong way, okay? You’re huge, with a big, bushy beard and love to drink. Vilarius, you terrify people.”

“I’m a teddy bear,” Vilarius objected.

“Yes, you are—with a battle axe,” Tilbus said. Vilarius nodded as he chuckled.

“I hope you didn’t send your son to check on the kytensa?” Ahnon asked.

“No, I forbade him to do that. I’ve only been able to get two bhari in and don’t want to push my luck. Seems you really pissed on their leg when you left,” Tilbus said.