Gift of Gold (The Year of Churning Bloods) (15 page)

Thrown back into my seat, I could only quiver as he pressed into me like a bed of rusty nails. Gregor struck tirelessly, with each kinetic blow dramatically increasing in power. It was a wonder that I stayed conscious.

Even despite the relentless pounding, I felt something in my mind cushioning the blows one after another, preventing Gregor from examining my memories. I realized in amazement that Umber was unintentionally coating my thoughts like a thick cocoon. The being inside of me seemed completely unfazed, soundlessly absorbing each crushing impact much to the confusion of the attacker.

His efforts withdrawn, Gregor sagged against the bedpost while rubbing his forehead furiously in apparent pain. He laughed considerably louder than he should have, before bringing himself back to full height. “Just a warm up right there, you have to understand,” he clarified, raising both hands in defense.

“Gregor, I will not have you harming my warlock bloodstock! My test will be enough to determine if he’s capable of performing capable anti-magic outside of the forest. I do not need you intervening!”

Gregor shrugged the Caterwaul off, adamant of his own decision. “But that’s the point isn’t it? He isn’t a warlock, and he’s most certainly not Grimlar material. I even have the means to prove it! Watch!” Gregor strode forward for the second time and threw my torso back onto the bed with an unexpected amount of force. The splint of his anti-magic pounding me with mind breaking strength, however no matter how hard he tried, there was no way that he could evade the presence of Umber, who constantly blocked his every attempt.

Gregor fell away and as he did so I could see that his eyes had widened, giving him a truly dangerous look. His breathing turned savage, as he tried to bring himself completely upright with jerky movements. Three times he tried to stand himself up however it was soon apparent he couldn’t muster the energy. “No... That’s not possible.” Gregor’s eyes had turned cold and distant with confusion. He shook his head multiple times. “Not.... possible. No, no, no.”

“This is nonsense! All nonsense!” The Caterwaul thundered, sending spittle flying everywhere. “To be a Grimlar is to respect the wishes of your elders! Not only have you failed in that regard, but you have also failed to see inside the mind of Jacob. Caterwaul Lorenzo darkened completely. Had there been any plants nearby, the sound of just his voice would have been enough to wilt them. “I gave you multiple warnings, yet you have failed to heed them Gregor Tyrannus. Perhaps it is with the best intentions that I re-think your promotion into the Leigon of the Grimlars.”

Gregor’s entire face petrified after these words. His mouth hung slack on its oily hinge. His eyes unfocused, as suddenly the severity of the situation sunk into his skull. And then, after a terrible moment of terrible silence, he snapped. Gregor jumped onto my bed in a hysterical frenzy, crushing my airway as he did so. The physical and mental punches became indistinguishable as the terrified glare in his eyes smothered me in a disgusting green light. From afar, I could hear the commotion of elders, trying to separate the two of us, however all that I could focus on was the steely grip of Gregor’s hands which trembled terribly.

Gregor, now being held back by two of the stronger looking elders, fell limp in defeat. The Caterwaul strode up to him as if he were evaluating a recently demolished palace. “Take him away.” he demanded, flicking the two elders away carelessly. “I’ve had enough of this incompetence for one day.” The mindless fury in Gregor’s eyes was gone, now replaced by a dead and disconnected gaze. He put up no resistance to the elders dragging him out of the area, although did hold up a single fist in my direction. Gregor was taken without another word.

Realizing my mouth was agape, I shut it just as the Caterwaul rounded on me. “The test begins now Jacob Ofpacis. You’d better not disappoint me,” he growled, glaring at me with hundred degree eyes. “I’ve just had to demote one of the best kinetic Grimlars the camp has seen in years, and I am very sore because of it.” The Caterwaul quickly reached into his robe pockets and withdrew a scroll of parchment, some ink and a curious looking rubber stamp with a brass handle.

“This is called a Taborthodox stamp boy, and it is easily one of the most important things to ever be introduced into the kingdom of Zaphris.” As the Caterwaul rustled the parchment open, I could see the entire page was filled with text, save for a small square near the bottom. Caterwaul Lorenzo dabbed a small amount of the ink onto the brand, before forcing it down onto the empty section of the page. Slowly removing it, He let me examine the mark which it had made. Two circles predominantly dominated the stamp with various frills and other unimportant things bordering them. “A taborthodox stamp binds any legal agreement within the kingdom,” he explained, calmly removing a sewing pin from his pocket. “These stamps carry an enchantment which will rightfully entitle one person to the other, should a pact go unfulfilled. This means, should you not fulfill your end of an agreement I would have complete ownership over your life, no matter where you might be in the world.” Removing a pair of reading glasses from a small satchel on his robes, the Caterwaul began to speak.

             
“Henceforth,

              From the activation of this contract:

Jacob Ofpacis will be required to complete one test involving his anti-magical abilities that the Caterwaul Lorenzo finds to be within appropriate limits.

Should one half hour go by without this test achieved, Jacob Ofpacis will be required to state everything he witnessed during the course of his examinations. From there, the Caterwaul will decide if it is still appropriate to promote him.

Should Jacob Ofpacis be unwilling to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, the sovereignty of his entire life, including thoughts, servitude, and labour will belong to Caterwaul Lorenzo for as long as the pact goes unfulfilled.

Should Jacob Ofpacis complete the test according to the standard required, He shall be promoted into the first tier of the Grimlars ( Also known as the Pronounced trainees) without hesitation. Along with this, The Caterwaul agrees to provide Jacob his own sword, shield, armour, and textbooks to assist in the future development of Jacob’s studies.

Should Caterwaul Lorenzo be unwilling to donate these gifts, as well as promote Jacob (should he pass this test) Jacob will be entitled sovereignty over the Caterwaul for as long as the pact goes unfulfilled.

Here ends the agreement.”

“
I can tell from your eyes that you understand the power of this little stamp,” The Caterwaul said, now producing a golden pin from his pocket. Before what I could ask what he was doing, he pricked his pinkie finger and let a single drop of blood fall onto one of the circles the taborthodox stamp made. Handing me another pin, the Caterwaul watched as I hesitantly brought the sharp end to my skin. Dabbing my bleeding finger onto the page, I flinched as the taborthodox stamp suddenly began to smoke profusely.  The Caterwaul nodded to a nearby elder who presented me a plate of silver so fine it almost made my heart melt.

The Caterwaul had to click his fingers thrice to redirect my attention from the stunning, otherworldly material. “Your test Jacob Ofpacis, is to bore a hole through this platter with nothing but  distortion anti-magic.” Professor Wenchenberg, who was quietly observing from afar, spluttered unexpectedly.

“To bore a hole through an object takes years of practice and perseverance in distortion anti-magic! What makes you think Jacob will be able do this after just coming out of examinations?” Wenchenberg nearly started shouting in outrage, however seemed to regain his composure fairly quickly.

“Again professor: Seeing as Jacob developed such a strong fever, I can claim that he is more than capable of doing things this advanced.” The Caterwaul cracked open a sinister smile. “I ask for a hole of any size through that plate for any length of time. If I feel that is reasonable, then so be it, for it is already bound in blood.” Professor Wenchenberg popped his mouth open to protest but immediately clamped it shut as he glanced in my direction.

“Will you let me at least talk to him first?” the Professor asked begrudgingly.

Caterwaul Lorenzo threw his hands up into the air and cackled hoarsely. “My dear naive Professor... A simple talk will do nothing to prepare the boy any further. However, because I am curious, I will give you a single minute to speak with the boy.” The Caterwaul fluttered his hand towards me and turned on the spot. “Honestly, the stupidity of lesser men can be quite overwhelming sometimes,” he added under his breath before striding away ten paces. The elders around him did likewise.

Professor Wenchenberg quickly placed himself by the bed, and leaned towards my ear, talking at a speed that should have not been physically possible. “Jacob you listen to me. The only thing I want you to think about during this test is your friend Preston. You imagine that Preston is on the other side of that plate, and that you’re freeing him by making a hole in that platter. Do you understand?” I shook my head quickly.

“What about technique? What do I need to do?”

The Professor leaned back and sighed slightly. “I’m sorry Jacob, but the Caterwaul is right. There’s really nothing I can teach you in this length of time. Just focus in on what’s important and you won’t need any technique.”

“But what’s important?” I asked desperately.

“You already know that Jacob,” the professor insisted. “You don’t need me to tell you again, do you?”

I blinked and quickly looked away. “Preston,” I whispered meekly.

“Preston,” the professor agreed, nodding his head.

“I don’t know how he stays so brave,” I admitted quietly. “Courage is a lot harder when you’re smaller.”

“Is that right?” the professor asked, somewhat taken aback by this statement.

“Yeah,” I said, looking awkwardly down at my hands.. “But... It it makes me feel better knowing that I can help him. I think we all need help sometimes.”

A curious look spread across the professor’s face. His jaw sagged, making him look slightly sad, but his eyes were warm with hope. More than anything, I could tell that he was
proud
.

“Time’s up!” Caterwaul Lorenzo gasped as if he had been holding his breath the entire discussion. “Give him the platter,” he demanded, striding back to the space in front of my bed. A nearby elder carelessly tossed me the beautiful hunk of metal. I fumbled it with it briefly, and was startled by how predominant my fingerprints appeared on the surface, tarnishing the otherwise perfect material. “Begin now,” the Caterwaul insisted sternly.

I took a deep breath of air and flinched as the scorching heat of my anti-magic gradually distorted the center of the plate away from me. Within seconds, a thumb sized portion of the plate had stretched from its center. My trembling hands rattled. It felt like for every centimeter the silver distorted I needed double the effort. I furiously tried to hold the dish in place, however despite my best efforts, it wobbled and shook uncontrollably. I couldn’t understand how I was supposed to put a hole through something so impossibly tough. Every time I tried to tear the material, it always put up more resistance.

I imagined Preston by my side, helping me hold the trembling plate in place. “He would know what to do,” I thought dejectedly. “He probably would have read about it in one of his schoolbooks. If Preston were here, he would just whisper the answer my ear. He was probably busy changing his bandages, wondering why I was taking so long to recover. The tip of my scalp felt like it was being slowly separated into two halfs.

“Move the extended section out of the way,” Umber coached softly

“Thank you Umber. That made perfect sense,” I replied despite my exhaustion.

Umber rolled his eyes as if he couldn't bear to deal with me much longer. “There are more directions than those which meet the eye. Find them,” he ordered, moving out of view. I shook my head lamely but brought the image of Preston to my mind and continued regardless.

It was a lucky thing I had no food in my stomach, or I probably wouldn’t have been able to keep it down. Painful minutes slipped by and the memories I was using to distract myself were growing slim. Suddenly, it was almost as if I had slipped. The extended portion seemed to fold in on itself. Before I had time to realize what was happening, the thumb sized hollow vanished instantaneously, leaving me to stare at a coin sized hole which opened up towards the dumbfounded face of Caterwaul Lorenzo. I heard a collective gasp from the elders nearby.