“Fascinating.” Peran leaned back in the bench, his head tilted upward with a quizzical look. “Completely inefficient, and I’m not surprised it failed. Still, that is fascinating.”
? Sam shrugged, hoping he seemed diffident. “Well, it didn’t work in the end.”
? “True,” Peran agreed. “But that’s because runes aren’t effective. They can be made, they can be charged, but nobody has found a way to recharge them yet. I imagine you’ve had to remake those runes every week for them to keep their effect.”
? “More like every four or five days,” Sam confirmed, letting out a sigh. “I thought if I made a containment rune around it, it’d stay longer. But that just-”
? “Severely weakened the rune, making it all but useless?”
? Sam nodded sourly. “You’ve already tried that, then?”
? “Not me, but the research was looked into. High Thael takes the expansion of magic seriously, you know. They favor the arcane quite a bit for my liking, but even now, there are multiple threads of research being pursued.”
? “Must be nice,” Sam said at length. He slumped a little on his stool, a long sigh escaping him as if he’d been deflated. “All I’ve ever wanted to do was attend the Academy at High Thael.”
? Peran gave a quiet snort, though he didn’t raise his face from the bowl of stew that he was inhaling. Getting out a word between bites, he said, “Focus on your assessment for today, lad. That’s the most important first step for a mage. For all you know, your natural inclination will point you somewhere else.”
? “I doubt it. I’ve had a gift for arcane magic ever since my mana awakened.”
? “Let me guess. You experienced one element, and it was surprisingly powerful. You and everyone around you are sure that this element is what your affinity will turn out to be. You like reading and researching, so you think your natural affinity will skew in favor of the mind and your mana.”
? He glanced up then, meeting Sam’s eyes, who flushed slightly. That was, in fact, what he’d thought would happen. In his defense, it wasn’t some naive thought process. He’d tried all the elements at one point or another–the basic ones at least–and found that he had the most success with fire. Clearly, that would be his elemental affinity. As for which magic he favored, that was a foregone conclusion.
? “I may be a farmhand,” he said, leaning further back on his stool. “But I’m barely competent at it. I mean, look at how thin I am. And I can’t meditate to save my life. Clearly, I’m going to favor arcane magicks.”
? The corners of Peran’s mouth turned down. Not in a gesture of distaste, but of disagreement. He didn’t say anything in reply, though, which made Sam think that his logic was sound. He knew nothing about the elven man sitting across from him, but he got the sense that he wasn’t the type to admit when he was wrong. So in a sense, that silence was an admission. He tried to hide the small thrill at winning that point, but wasn’t sure he pulled it off.
? “Well, there’s no point in explaining it to you,” Peran said, standing suddenly. Sam was taken aback by the sudden change in tone, not to mention the unexpected departure. “Experience is the best teacher, and you’ll get it soon enough.”
? “Wait,” Sam stammered, looking toward the kitchen door. “You’re leaving?”
? “Of course,” Peran said, already moving toward the door to the taproom. “The Assessment is in barely half an hour now, boy. I thought you farmers were good at keeping time?”
? There was a faint glint to his eye that said he thought Sam wasn’t a good farmhand. Not that he’d get any argument with that assumption. But Sam was more thrown by how quickly the time had passed. He glanced at the water clock that Thomas kept beside his stove, and noticed with a stab of panic that time had indeed slid by without his realizing. He’d taken over an hour of the remaining time, rambling about the tiny experiments he’d conducted with his mana.
? Even Sera was ready, appearing back in the kitchen without her apron. She’d changed out of her working clothes entirely and now wore a dark green dress trimmed in white lace. It ended just below her knees, and flared out slightly, giving her a bouncy, untamed air. Her long brown hair was tied back into a simple but neat bun at the back of her head, and she’d donned a wide straw hat.
? “Just going to sit there and admire me, or are we going?” She asked. Her tone was challenging, but he saw the wink of humor in her eyes. She’d caught him admiring and was going to hold it over his head later. He kissed his teeth in annoyance.
? “Yeah, yeah, let’s get it over with,” he said. He was put off by the abrupt end to the conversation with Peran. The man would be leaving the village after the Assessment, and he’d wasted the golden opportunity by talking about small-time magicks? He could kick himself if it wouldn’t have scuffed up his clean pants.
? “Come on, bookworm,” she said patiently, grabbing one of his hands in her own and pulling him through to the taproom. “See you after we’re finished, Thomas!”
? “Oh, no, you don’t, Missy!” Thomas yelled back, his voice clearly audible even over the excited babble of the crowd getting ready to depart. “You’re taking the rest of the night off to celebrate! You come back in an apron, and I’ll hang you with it!”
? Sera only laughed and turned to stick her tongue out at him, her green dress swishing against Sam. “You’ll be lost without me, old man!”
? Through the door, Sam had to squint against the bright light of the sun, which had come out in full force as he waited inside the tavern. He’d made the mistake of glancing up to see the sun, and now there were two dark disks in his vision that no amount of blinking could seem to clear away. Sera, seemingly unaffected, continued to pull on his captured hand, and together, they wound their way into the forming stream of people making their way toward the town center.
? As the buildings fell away to reveal the open space with a wide fountain, they saw that close to two hundred people had gathered for the event. Only fifteen of those were the young adults who would be assessed that day, and they were being given easy access to the open space by the mage guards who were keeping the crowd at a respectful distance. Taking their cue from the already-formed line, Sera pulled Samuel to stand at the end. He kept his eyes on her, hoping to avoid the nerves that came from such a large crowd studying him from head to toe.
? “There’s our great mage!” One of the crowd called out in a jovial, if slightly sarcastic tone. “Do us proud, Sam!”
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? He pointedly ignored the comment, but Sera beamed and waved when someone called out, “I hope you get some magic that makes Thomas’ cooking taste better, Sera!”
? Thus followed the traditional cat-calling of the village. It was all in good fun, but each jab brought out a flush or an awkward glance down from whoever it was directed at. Five places down, James was flexing his muscles in response to some good-natured wolf whistling from the middle-aged women of the village, his teeth flashing in a broad grin. Someone jokingly–at least, Sam assumed–called out a marriage proposal, and James mockingly gave a deep bow, one hand extended up and to the side.
? “Never thought he knew how to be charming,” Sam sniped, drawing a giggle from Sera.
? “It’s just the muscles talking,” Sera quipped back, her voice lowered so only he could hear. “Once they realize there’s nothing in that head, they’ll get bored.”
? That drew a quiet snicker from Sam, but he cut the noise short as the elven man moved to stand before the line of young adults. At a quick word, the mage guards slammed the butts of their spears, startling the crowd into silence. Peran let it stretch on a few moments, his eyes scanning over them, then to the crowd. Finally, after about a minute, he spoke.
? “It is time for the annual Assessment of the young men and women of Harbard’s Reach.” His voice was slow and deep, and he spoke each word clearly, ensuring that all could hear. It was a stark difference from the lazy drawl he’d taken during their short meal in the tavern. “Under the authority of Mage King Astori, I, Lucian Peran, recognized Master of High Thael, will personally assess the latent ki, mana, and aura of these new adults, and determine both their elemental affinity and their magical capabilities.”
? A loud cheer rose from the crowd, so loud that it startled Sam. He missed the words that Peran said next and had to lean in closer to Sera. “Did you catch that?”
? “He said, ‘I wish you fortune in your future careers.’. I swear, your hearing is terrible.”
? “Hey, I’m not the one trained to listen to one voice in a crowd,” he shot back, leaning away again. “I live on a farm. It’s nice and quiet.”
? She said nothing in reply to that, but he didn’t miss the wide smile she wore, as if she wanted nothing more than to laugh at him, but was holding back out of respect for their friendship. He returned his attention to Peran, even as one more new person ran over to stand on his left side, joining the ceremony a few minutes late.
? Peran approached the first candidate and placed his hand on the top of their head. “Be still.” Despite his order, the boy shivered a moment later, letting out an audible gasp, quickly cutting it off. “Hmm. Tavon Moran. Water Affinity. Ki, acceptable. Mana, poor. Aura, poor. You could find some success as a healer, with sufficient study.”
? Sam blinked in confusion at Peran as he released Tavon, the oldest son of a tailor who lived at the edge of the village. He’d been to a few Assessments before, and the proctor had never given career advice. Usually, it was limited to their elemental affinity, and then a one-word summary of each of their energies. Ki, Mana, and Aura were the three life energies that a person put out, and their affinities at this stage *were* a strong indicator of the type of work they could do later in life, but to state it openly here was… odd.
? “Sabrina Indar.” Like Tavon, the girl shuddered as Peran’s hand rested atop her head. Sam thought he knew the reason for that, but had never gotten a confirmation. “Water Affinity. Ki, acceptable. Mana, acceptable. Aura, excellent. You could find a great deal of success as a teacher. Perhaps the Church could find some uses for your latent talents.”
? Sabrina beamed at the words and dipped her head. “Thank you, Master Peran.”
? Sam paid close attention as Peran worked his way down the line, taking careful note of each suggestion the master mage gave, and weighing it against what he knew of each person. Tavon was already good with herbs and had shown a strong inclination to medicine. The local herbalist had already offered him a place as her apprentice. Sabrina, too, was perfectly suited for the position of teacher. She’d already spent a summer training in the Church under the guidance of Sam’s mother, and apparently, showed great promise for some of the rarer types of magic endorsed by the holy mages.
? Each time Peran scanned someone and announced their affinities, he also gave a short suggestion as to what future path they should take. And, as far as Sam could tell, he was spot-on in his assessment. Each time, the new adult would smile eagerly and thank him.
? “Sera Moran.” Sam gave a small start, realizing that Peran had already made his way down most of the line. What had the careers been for the last three people? He felt his nerves starting to flare up at the thought that, soon, it would be his turn. Suddenly, he felt much less certain that he knew his affinity already.
? “Fire Affinity. Ki, poor. Mana, acceptable. Aura, excellent. You would serve well in a career that involves interacting with many others.”
? “Like cooking and serving ale in a tavern?” She asked immediately, smiling cheekily. For the first time, Peran replied to a candidate’s remark.
? “Quite so. If I could, I’d tempt you to move to High Thael, where I’d have easier access to your cooking. But in a village such as this, I suspect your skill will one day become legend.”
? Leaving the beaming woman to bounce lightly on the balls of her feet, Peran took one smooth step to the side, standing before Sam. He swallowed nervously, wondering when his throat had become so dry. Why did it suddenly feel so much narrower? It was as if his lungs had shrunk as well, and he had to put considerable effort into keeping his breath steady.
? “Samuel Bragg.” He nearly opened his mouth to correct Peran on his preferred name, but held back with a massive effort. Peran’s hand lightly rested atop his shaggy black hair, and he drew in a quick breath, ready for what he knew was to come. Almost at once, he felt something like liquid electricity flooding his body from the point of contact on his head. It raced through every part of him like blood through his veins, reaching the bottom of his feet faster than he could track it, then back up to the hand touching him.
? “Base Affinity.”
? “Huh?” His voice was not the only one that blurted out, interrupting Peran. The elven man’s eyes narrowed and darkened at the interruption. “Be still.”
? Sam cast a glance to the side at Sera, who only stood there with a perplexed expression. Nobody had ever been given a Base Affinity in Harbard’s Reach. To his memory, nobody in the region had either. Base… wasn’t an element. It was the simplest form of energy through which a mage reached a connection with the other elements. Everyone’s ki, mana, or aura was by default base-attuned. What did it mean that he didn’t have an affinity for the six basic elements?
? “Ki, excellent.” That came as a surprise, too, but not nearly as much as the base pronouncement. “Mana. Exceptional.” His nerves, several beats behind the curve, made his heart do a little flip at the assessment. Exceptional was virtually unheard of! “Aura, poor.” He barely resisted the temptation to grimace at the last part. It… came as no surprise. He just felt a small flare of disappointment that he couldn’t at least learn his mother’s magicks with any relative ease. But that was the sad fact of being half-human. Some Elven magicks were just… beyond his reach.
? “This concludes this year’s Assessment,” Peran said, turning to address the crowd. “Now, let us welcome the new adults into our society, in the old way.”
? Still numb from the unexpected nature of his Assessment, Sam barely noticed as the crowd, as one, bowed in the direction of the newly affirmed adults, then broke out into cheers. Those who’d been standing in the line beside him rushed forward to greet their parents and family as they slipped past the mage guards and were enveloped in loving arms. Even Samuel wasn’t spared from some attention in this regard, as he saw his mother rush gracefully past Sera’s pleased family and draw him into her long, thin arms.
? “Oh, well done, my boy,” she said quietly, her voice soothing away some of the lingering anxiety as she ruffled his hair. Elena Bragg was comfort incarnate in her quiet ways, and even his shock at not having a normal elemental affinity lost some of its power. “I’m so proud of you, Sam. So proud.”
? He embraced his mother honestly, then leaned back, his head turning, searching for the visiting master from High Thael. He had to learn what his Assessment meant. What could be done with a mage who had no natural affinity with either of the six basic, pillar elements? But there was no sign of the elf, only a crowd closing in to share their collective congratulations with the newly ordained villagers.
