Free Magic (complete)

Chapter 26

Morning came early. Jak looked over the field as crowds settled into the benches sloping up the hill. Below was a large wooden stage, ornately carved and today draped in pennants every color of the mage ranks. Jak could see well enough and took a seat near the less crowded back of the ampetheatre. On the stage was a table with six chairs around it, and Harlow could be seen at one end.

People were in high spirits, treating it as a festival of sorts. Merchants set up carts of food near the main road and blankets were laid on the hard stone tiers to make sitting all day more comfortable. Likely many of the people here to watch were no more invested in any of the mages than as entertainment value. Jak even saw a few of the regulars from the Crows Nest, likely taking bets. A herald near the stage read from a list of todays participants and their current ranks.

Jak sat back, watching everything unfold until the ninth bell of the morning called from the highest towers of Whitethorn, and the mages were lead down in single file by the Watch. They looked like lost sheep, most of them haven't seen this much of the outside world in years. Jak was surrounded by guards in a moment, as were other people nearby.

"Back row for mages. Move." A gruff voice ordered from the end of the line. Jak and the few others that had chosen to sit in the back moved down a row or more. Slowly the mages were lead down the aisle and took seats along the back. Not every mage in the keep was there, they wouldn't all have fit. But the row was nearly all full and it took a while to spot Anders. There were guards every few feet, but they didn't seem to mind when Jak moved down to sit in front of the young lightning mage.

"So you did come." Jak nodded.

"Yes. The testing mages are still not here yet though. They should be coming down next, likely after a lecture on behaviors outside the keep. We got much the same just to sit here." Anders said. "Not that we could do anything with a sword pointed at you from every direction."

"With some luck you'll be done with it soon." Jak added. "So I've seen this mess in Linmead, Lolathia and Nummelin, but I haven't seen it in Selstad. The mages here don't really get much chance to practice demonstrating powers right?"

"Right" Anders shrugged. "Day in and day out it's about suppressing, not displaying."

"Well it should be interesting. Better than those pompous Linmead mages, too flashy."

"You've been to the tests in all those places? How does—" Anders was cut off by trumpets blaring through the cliffs. The herald who had been reading a list of names had stopped and a new one had walked on stage. The trumpets had successfully quieted the crowds, and over the hush the herald read from a scroll.

"Grey for the storm of an unstable mage.

Brown for the settled seed now ready to grow.

Yellow for the light of a newfound age.

Orange for the coals of power in tow.

Red for the fires of nature that bends it's will to yours.

Purple for the night sky, under which you have no fear.

Blue for the sea of rage your power beats upon the shores.

Green for the living world, your command it all will hear.

White for the raw power of the stars above that shine

The heavens tremble at your might after every feat.

Black for the chill of death which waits for you in time