Dedicated to rinvar for all your wonderful support and kind words. Thank you so much! 

6.

Argentum

Reth watched as the silver eyed named Deneck sat down where his ser had been.

“Hello there, Reth,” he said.

He stared at him.

“It’s alright to speak if you want,” Deneck spoke again.

Speak? Reth thought. But my ser ordered me to listen.

“You can do more than listen.”

Reth watched as the other silver eyed leaned on the table and rested his chin on the palm of his hand. He could hear his stubble scratch the cloth of his gloves. Reth saw there were wrinkles by his eyes and lips that suggested he laughed and smiled a lot. His relaxed posture gave a sense of warmth. When he spoke, his voice was neither stiff nor cold. This silver eyed was not like the ones from the Instituo.

Reth frowned.

Deneck smiled. “Instituo or Militar?”

He decided to speak after all. “Instituo.”

He nodded. “Same as myself. Though most of us are from the Instituo since that is where we are trained for our partners.”

Reth stared.

Deneck smiled again. “It is quite alright to speak. Ser Rayoss will not chastise you for it.”

He narrowed his eyes. Reth noticed Deneck smiled a lot between his words. It was odd.

“I understand your hesitation,” the other silver eyed said. “I used to think like you when I was first paired with Ser Aldermeck, but I also noticed the other silver eyes around me weren’t like the ones in the Instituo we were trained with. You are probably realizing that as well.”

Deneck lifted his head from his palm. “I smile too much, speak too much, and push you too much to technically break an order.”

Reth stiffened.

“Don’t take all Ser Rayoss says literally. I know what I say may not make sense at the moment, but you will learn to read through her words and better serve her. Do not wait for her to command every detail of your life. She will expect you to take care of your personal details on your own.”

He lowered his head. “My ser has scolded me for such reasons already.”

Deneck chuckled. “Don’t worry, Reth. You will catch on. Tonight, try getting ready for bed on your own without being told. See what she says or what she doesn’t say through her actions.”

Reth looked at the wooden table. It was more black than brown. The grain swirled and crammed the grime together. Reth didn’t like it. 

“How long were you in the Instituo?” Deneck asked.

Reth lifted his head. “I was in it for a year and a turn.”

He nodded. “I was in it for about twelve turns as well. The other silver eyed named Calera was in it for six.”

He went back to gazing at the table but then remembered he didn’t like how it looked, so he switched his view to his empty bowl. Potato soup. That little boy brought the potato soup.

“Reth?” Deneck said.

He faced him. “May I inquire about your magick?”

He smiled. Yes, he did smile too much.

“It is a blood seal. Once I have enough of my opponent’s blood, I can pull them into nonexistence,” Deneck said.

Reth nodded. He had heard about blood seal magick from the Instituo. There were several types of magick locked within all the silver eyed; however, it wasn’t till the silver eyed was paired with his ser that the magick within would be discovered. If there was something Reth was excited about, it would be to finally find out what his hidden magick is.

“Tell me, Reth,” Deneck said and leaned on the table again, “what do you remember most of the Instituo?”

“Horses,” Reth said. He felt happy thinking about horses. “I remember riding them and the non–silver eyed instructor was nice.”

He eased out of his seat. “You should join me in the stables, then.”

Reth hesitated. His ser only asked for him to listen. There wasn’t anything in her words about following him anywhere.

“Remember what I spoke earlier,” Deneck said, apparently sensing his thoughts.

Reth didn’t like that but he also wanted to please his ser. Two pairs of silver eyes met as Reth ran his ser’s words from last night with the ones from this silver eyed. He had to admit there were similarities in them. Reth stood and shot his chin out, peering down at Deneck. Even without his head held up he would’ve had to look down at him.

Deneck grinned at him and led the way to the stables. The smell of hay overwhelmed the stench of manure, meaning the boxes had just been cleaned. A hand greeted them at the door with a smile before running off with a pair of buckets, probably to bring water to the animals. There were a dozen stalls but only half of them were occupied. The small amount of horses disappointed Reth, but when Deneck lead him to a chestnut haired beast, he forgot his discontent.

“This is Ser Aldermeck’s,” Deneck said, petting the horse’s snout. “She will probably be Ser Rayoss’ once she fully takes on her position.”

  Reth smiled as he admired her. “What is her name?”

“Ser Aldermeck never gave her one.”

He placed a hand on her mane. My ser will name you.

The sound of footsteps coming from the opposite side of the stables caught his attention. They muffled and stopped when they stepped on the hay and dirt. The stable hand saddled two horses and brought them out to the approaching group of people. It was his ser accompanied by Ser Aldermeck, the female silver eyed, and her ser. When the hand brought the horses to them, he was dismissed and took off back to his duties.

“That man’s name is Lycin Gabard, correct?” Reth asked Deneck as they observed the group of soldiers from a distance, but before his question was answered, he added, “I do not like him.”

Deneck laughed. “I believe a lot of us don’t like him.”

They watched as Ser Aldermeck spoke to Lycin words that didn’t reach their ears. Her hands’ staccato movements meant she was ordering or scolding. Or both. Ser Aldermeck seemed quite talented with both. When she finished talking, Lycin stepped up to Reth’s ser.

Reth scowled. He didn’t like him addressing his ser. Even from here, Reth could see his non–silver eyes light with a dangerous spark as the corner of his lips pulled up into a smirk. He had seen the same expression on another non–silver eyed instructor when he would look at the female silver eyes at the Instituo. Reth really did not like this Lycin.

In turn, his ser’s eyes narrowed and her face wrinkled into a frown. It was similar to the one she gave him at times, but even so, it made Reth happy to see her give it to Lycin as well. Reth really liked his ser’s face.

 When the two finished talking, Lycin turned to Calera. She had been silently standing by the group. The two mounted their horses and trotted off, Calera following Lycin. His ser and Ser Aldermeck watched the two disappear. When his ser turned to walk after Ser Aldermeck, she caught Reth’s eyes. She paused and her usual glower crossed her features before walking away.

“I like my ser’s face,” Reth said, turning to Deneck. “Is that strange?”

The other silver eyed grinned. “No. I also like Ser Aldermeck’s face.”

This time Reth returned the smile.

The morning seeped into the afternoon as Deneck pulled Reth around the barracks to show him what his duties would be. According to the other silver eyed there weren’t many Magus to fight in the town of Jabel, so most of his responsibilities revolved around basic duties like giving the Leitnant’s orders to the soldiers around the town or picking up the Leitnant’s letters.

The two Rhokins were exiting the raven tower when the sound of a galloping horse caught their attention. It ran up to them, front legs thrown in the air as it came to a hard stop. The rider was a young man. His rattled breath came out in long, white clouds from his mouth.

“Sers!” he panted. “Vess Wake. Attacked by. Magus!”

Deneck helped the man unsaddle. He was not dressed in a uniform Reth recognized, so he figured he was a villager: the ones he was supposed to protect.

“Magus,” Deneck said. “Lycin and Calera took off to Vess Wake a few hours ago.”

The young man nodded. “Yes. I ran into him. I told him about it, but sers! They are many. So many!”

A roar ripped through air. It was a piercing wail that sounded like a woman’s scream mixed with a primal growl.

Deneck’s head jerked to face the noise. “That’s a familiar sound.”

The air next to them picked up with snow. It swirled and piled together, forming a gigantic creature with an elongated neck. The white started to peel, revealing papery, orange skin that folded over boney curves. It whipped its neck around and bellowed another roar.

“That is also a familiar sight,” Deneck said as he drew his sword.

The Magus’ icy blue eyes rolled down to see the two Rhokins and human below it. It lifted its foot to bring it down on them. Reth picked the young man up and jumped out of the way while Deneck stabbed the bottom of the Magus’ heel, golden blood splashing on him. A small howl emerged from it, but it quickly recovered.

Its ropey neck snaked forward towards Reth and the young man that still hung in midair from the Rhokin’s jump. Reth watched as rows of fangs raced at him, but suspended in the air, he had nowhere to go.

A hot, electric sensation ignited in his stomach. It traveled down his legs and through his calves. Reth saw a flash of yellow by his feet and felt something solid manifest under his soles. He pushed off it, dodging the snap of the Magus’ jaws. Reth landed on the snow, the young man safe in his arms. He let him go, his non–silver eyes gaping up at him. Green Reth believed was the name of the non–silver color.

There was a pull in the air that jerked Reth and the young man’s hair and clothes. When it dispersed, a huge thud was heard. Reth turned to see the Magus dead and headless on the ground, its golden blood rotting away at the white snow.

Deneck came up to them, uniform the only thing stained with blood. Bewilderment and surprise painted on his face. “You used your magick, Reth! You double jumped in the air but how?”     

Reth stared back at him, more concerned with the Magus. “You killed it so quickly?”

He waved his words away. “I figured out earlier this Magus dies without its head. It was simple, but you, Reth! You used your magick so soon. I didn’t know it was possible for a Rhokin to tap into it after only a day of being with his partner.”

“Sers, I—” the young man said. The rest of his words were cut off by a shriek.

Another followed by another and another until the air was filled with the out of tune vibrato of dozens of deafening roars. The three turned towards the village. Its horizon was painted orange, but it was too soon for the sun to be setting.