The Lost Crown

"What Is A Magian?"

At sunrise Walliam gathered his few things and then went to the Flying Serpent.  The air had a fresh, clean feel to it from the night.  It felt nice to Walliam as he walked up the streets to the large, marble inn.

He found Planchiko in the common room, and ended up eating breakfast with him.

“I’m so excited that you are joining us,” the man said as he ate.  “I think it’s a wise move, Walliam.  You know, the academy takes care of the Magians rather well.  You could do far worse than be with us.  And I think you are going to enjoy learning about the hidden world, and what you can do there.  Are you eager to explore this world of ours?”

Walliam nodded his head.

“I thought so.  I thought I saw the light of an adventurer in your young eyes.  Well, imagine that there are two worlds to explore.  This one, and the one hidden inside of it.  There’s so much to explore.  You can spend your whole life looking and never see it all.  First we are going to ride to the river Stratham.  It flows south so we will take ship and sail down to Sundjahar.  There are some people I am meeting in Sundjahar, so we will be there a few days.  Hopefully not too long, and then we’ll sail from there to Cerallon.  I find that’s the fastest way to get there from this part of the Kingdom.  When we get to Cerallon I will introduce you at the academy and you can begin your studies.”

They rode horseback to the river Stratham.  At each village Planchiko would get them both rooms and meals, and Walliam never had to pay for anything.  He was surprised by this, but Planchiko explained to him that he was now a student at the academy, and as such he was in the care of Planchiko until they reached the academy.  

After they reached the river it took them a few days to find a boat.  Planchiko was not content to sail on a barge or anything carrying supplies.  He wanted a ship that had livable quarters, as he put it.  The Sea’s Star came along on the third day and Planchiko secured them rooms on board.

Walliam liked sailing down the river.  The river Stratham was a wide river and barges ran up and down it every day hauling harvests and grains and goods down to the port, or to the cities upriver.  The ship had a great paddlewheel at the back and the rooms they had were small, but plush.  Walliam had never seen wallpaper before, and he was fascinated with the elaborate, star shaped patterns on the walls of his room.

They spent most of the trip on the observation deck at the back.  The ship was two stories tall, and on the top there was a room that ran across the entire back.  There were chairs across this observation deck.  People came and went as the day wore on.  Planchiko spent most of the time watching the view and answering Walliam’s questions.

The Grayvern mountains could just be seen to their left as they sat on the observation deck.  Every day they were still there, mountain after mountain.

“Is Gideon’s Waste really that big?” Walliam asked on their third day of watching the countryside sweep past them.  There was no end in sight of the gray mountains bordering the Waste.

“You saw the map,” Planchiko replied.  “It’s bigger than any of the seven provinces.”

“And no one has ever been in there?” Walliam asked.

“Well, that isn’t completely true.  There have been a few Magian’s who have managed to get through and come back out.  Gideon, himself, for example.  Crown Prince Baerik is on a mission there right now.  For the Crown, he says.  It’s hard for nobles to maintain that the Waste is part of the Kingdom when no one even knows what it looks like in there.  Baerik will wear the Crown of Rays one day, and this adventure of his probably means that he is going to be one of those Kings that insists that the Waste lies under the jurisdiction of the Crown.”  He leaned close to Walliam.  “That opinion is strictly between you and me, mind.  I don’t want to hear you saying anything about it when you are at the palace, for instance.”