The Flames of Thotus: Dreams

Chapter 2. For Glory, With Dignity

Termus awoke to be greeted with a dull rain and grey skies, but he welcomed it as he thanked the gods that he didn't dream. Today would definitely be a good day. He sat up in his bed and threw the wool blanket off himself. The patter of rain sounded against the window shutters.

He hadn't done any studying or preparation for his final exams today. He hadn't cared to, to be honest. He had filled the hours of most nights that weren't spent sleeping on studying and felt that for today, he needed as much sleep as he could get. It wasn't the exams and testing he was after, but the chance to prove himself. No matter how rigorous or tiring the fighting was, day in and day out at the academy, he always loved every minute of it. He breathed it. Lived it.

__________

The large, towering gates of the academy slowly opened as the guards beckoned them inward. Termus had thrown on his black robes, satchel swung over his shoulder and walked in. Gnove was by his side, looking less prepared than ever for the exams. His black hair was twisted in all different directions and the bags under his eyes didn't hide the fact that he was up all night in the alchemy garden. Yet here he was, tired-eyed and about to take an exam that would lead them both down the path of no return. They were about to become officers.

Termus nervously bit the inside of his cheek. He was given absolutely nothing about the details or content of this exam. For all he knows, he could be writing a ten page essay with quill and parchment about the Legion military structure or Nagerian strategy. He hadn't a clue. What he did know, however, was that he was asked to make sure he was in his black robes and to be prepared for the most rigorous test of their life.

Gnove didn't say a word the whole walk to the stone classroom door. He's probably too tired, Termus thought. He meekly glanced over at his brother and realized that Gnove looked just as confused and nervous as he was. At least he wasn't the only one. They'd walk into the room bearing this burden together. So, they did.

The classroom was dingy, dark and stone-walled. Old Man Cram, as Dunham called him, was standing at the head of the classroom, hands behind his back, shoulders puffed out like a proper officer. He was still in full plated armor, sword hanging in its sheath, golden cloak proudly draped over his shoulders. He scanned the door as the boys walked in slowly. Termus quickly shifted his gaze away from the front of the classroom to his peers. A sea of black robes and confused expressions, Termus felt better knowing that he wasn't the only one about to shit his pants. He took his seat toward the back, as far away from Cram as he could. Gnove slid into the chair next to him and sat quietly, not lifting his eyes from the desk in front of him. Termus scanned the room, looking for Dunham. Surely, he wouldn't miss the test, would he?

There was an eerie silence that filled the room. Aside from a student clearing her throat and the shuffling of a chair, the dull repetition of the rain was the only thing that made a sound. The taste of damp musk stuck in his mouth as he wetted his lips to try and remove it. The minutes felt like hours. Was it almost time? It should have started by now.

A voice gnashed through the silence, straightening the student's backs and turning their heads toward the front of the classroom. "Welcome to your personal hell."

Termus and Gnove both looked up at Cram, daring not to say anything. "I know you all came in here today expecting an exam. Well, you all expected WRONG. Today, we will be finishing up your Officer training a little different. We have all been watching you closely and studying your habits and skills, your strengths and your weaknesses. And we've determined that none of ya need any further testing."

He held out a long piece of parchment that unrolled from his hand. "Here in my hand is a list. A very simple list of all your sorry names. Next to all your names, is one simple letter. Either an 'L' or an 'S.' Now you may be asking yourself what does this letter mean. You can expect that most of ya have an 'L' next to your name. Well, for those of ya that aren't the of quickest minds, the 'L' means you leave. You get your sorry arses out of these seats and out of my academy. You will wait until the list is finished being read before you take your leave. You then go home and continue your training at the academy next year. For the few of your that don't have the 'L' next to your name, I would assume you all can guess what that means."