The sights of Faebrook were incredible, and they enthralled the young street-rat, his head on a swivel as he turned every which way. Left or right, above or below, interesting sights were everywhere.

As Rowan looked upwards, a large bird with dark red feathers emerged from the fog, flapping its wings powerfully to move faster as it launched itself headfirst toward a nearby tower. The reason for this strange behaviour soon became clear as a second shape emerged from the fog, a large wyrm that the fog seemed to cling to, obscuring the winged snake as it dove for its unfortunate prey, the crimson bird doing its utmost to lose its pursuer among the towers of the academy. Flying behind a tower, the bird disappeared, followed shortly by the wyrm, leaving Rowan to gape at the scene in front of him.

“You’d best get used to it,” Darm advised. “The dungeons of Faebrook hold far more exciting beasts. Also, we’re here.”

Looking around, Rowan realized that the carriage had come to a stop in front of the entrance to the castle. The entrance was large, an enormous pair of double doors made of wood, engraved with intricate runes standing open to admit the test takers. In front of the doors, several other carriages were parked, a variety of people of different races giving advice to the student hopefuls as they waved their charges goodbye.

Peering out, Rowan could see an elf family, the daughter looking serious as her mother mimicked casting a spell; a dwarf, an axe in hand as his father made a chopping motion in front of him; a human, looking bored as his parents adjusted his clothes; and a girl of a race that Rowan didn’t recognize, whose entire family seemed to have turned up to wish her off, several men wearing dark clothes who shot death glares at anyone whose eyes lingered upon her for too long. Even now, more people were emerging from their carriages, adding to the milling crowd outside the doors.

The expressions of the student hopefuls varied hugely, with some looking nervous and fearful, others looking cocky and brash, and even a few who seemed bored and uninterested by the entire affair. The guardians on the other hand all wore the same expression, a mixture of nervousness and pride, as they watched their charges climb the steps to the great hall, carrying with them the hopes and wishes of their families as they bid their caretakers goodbye.

Turning to Darm, Rowan was surprised to see a similar expression on his face, as he regarded Rowan critically before casting a glance behind him towards Tethis.

“This is it,” Darm said suddenly, looking Rowan dead in the eye. “Once you enter that hall, Tethis and I will leave, and you’ll be on your own. Are you ready?”

“I think so,” Rowan replied slowly. Although he had been nervous on the way here, the majesty of Faebrook had caused him to forget himself in wonder. Now, standing in front of the place that would determine his future, those doubts had returned in full force. While it had only been a month, he had grown to enjoy the company of Darm and Tethis, eating meals together, talking with Darm, and even the hellish training with Tethis, he had enjoyed it all. All that stood in stark contrast to the life he had lived before, living day-to-day, paranoid and alone on the streets of Taureen, with no one to trust but himself, and no place to call home.

Although he wanted nothing more than to stay with Darm and Tethis, to stay with the only two people who had ever placed their trust in him, Rowan knew that at his current level, that was impossible. Both of them were far too strong, the areas they ventured into far too dangerous for him to tag along. He would be nothing more than deadweight, a useless object for them to protect, which was hardly a fitting way to repay their kindness, and for that reason, he had to part ways with them.

However, in parting, they had given him a gift, the greatest gift of all: the ability to determine his own future. In order to not return to his old life, in order to once more stand beside them, this time not as a rescued street urchin, but as an equal, he had to pass this test. Breathing deeply, Rowan forced himself to appear steady as he nodded towards Darm. “Yes, I’m ready.”

“Good,” Darm said simply. Reaching into his pack, he drew out three objects. A large purse that jingled pleasantly as he grabbed it, a bracelet made out of brass, and a small leather book embossed with a three-leafed rune. “These are for you. The purse has enough funds to last you through the year. It should be enough to let you buy the supplies you’ll need here at Faebrook, or to support you until you find something else. The bracelet is a little artefact I used to use, it should come in handy sooner or later. And the book is my old spellbook. It has notes that I took back as a young mage. Keep it close, and don’t let anyone see it.”

“Of course,” Rowan said faintly, hardly daring to breathe as he carefully accepted the three items from Darm. Although he didn’t know much about magic, he did know that the value of the book Darm had just given him was likely immense. From what he had seen, Darm had power that rivalled that of most archmages. His handwritten notes from his youth were likely to be worth nearly anything to young mages, desperate to receive the insights of such a powerful mage, and here he was, giving them to Rowan for free.

Seeming to sense Rowan’s awkwardness, Darm grinned. “Now, now. Don’t be like that, just say thank you like a good boy and move on.”

“Thank you,” Rowan said sincerely, receiving a casual wave from Darm in response.

“Don’t mention it.”

“This is for you,” Tethis interjected, breaking up the touching moment before Rowan could say anything further as she thrust a long object in his face.

Going cross-eyed, Rowan looked at the item, his gaze travelling from the tip to the hilt at the other end, a cross-shaped guard identical to the one that had left its imprint on its ribs an hour earlier sticking out from the scabbard.

“But, I already have a sword,” Rowan attempted to protest, pointing to the shortsword at his hip, but Tethis was having none of it.

“This will suit you better. You can never have too many weapons.”

Given the state of the mobile armoury in the back of the carriage, Rowan realized that Tethis was completely serious about this, despite the fact that until today, the only weapon he had ever seen her use was her warhammer.

“There’s no point arguing with her,” Darm said airily as he saw Rowan’s conflicted expression. “She’s spent the last month analyzing your style, and the last few hours making sure to choose the perfect weapon for your continued growth. If Tethis says this blade suits you better, then this blade suits you better.”

“What he said,” Tethis said, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Seeing the look in her eye, Rowan took the sword from Tethis before she decided to take any more drastic measures to make him accept her gift, feeling the heft as he buckled it to his side. The longsword was heavier than the shortsword currently on his other hip; however, for some reason, the weight felt comfortable, natural even.

“Thank you,” Rowan told her.

“Now that I’ve trained you, it would be a waste if you were to die,” Tethis told him sharply. “So make sure you train properly. Otherwise, I’ll be embarrassed to be known as your teacher.”

“I’d train properly,” Darm whispered to Rowan. “The last person that embarrassed her was a street magician. It took twelve guards nine minutes to get her off of him, and the only reason he avoided jail was because she force fed him his weighted dice and the judge was too disgusted to rule them admissible as evidence after the fact.”

Wincing at the mental image, Rowan made a quick note to train like his life depended upon it. Because apparently, it did. As he quickly checked that he had everything, Darm held out his hand.

“Good luck, Rowan. We haven’t known each other long, but I’m glad I saved you on that day.”

Grasping Darm’s hand firmly, Rowan nodded. “I’ll repay you one day, I swear.”

“No need for that. Just live a good life, and I’ll be happy,” Darm replied with a chuckle. “If you ever need help at the academy, search for Avenna and give her the name: Narin.”

“I will,” Rowan promised, committing the name to memory. As he did, Tethis approached, clapping his back firmly and very nearly sending him flying.

“Good luck,” she said simply.

“Good luck,” Rowan echoed, climbing down from the carriage.

Waving goodbye, he turned, making his way up the stairs to the entrance of the great hall. Turning around, he glanced back at Darm and Tethis one last time, both of them still watching as he lingered in the entrance. With one last wave, Rowan turned, plunging forward as he left behind the first two friends he had ever made.

~

The wheels of the carriage crunched gravel as the carriage headed north, leaving the academy behind. Up front, Darm hummed softly to himself while Tethis sat in her customary silence. A small package sat beside her, one that Rowan would have given a curious glance had he still been with them.

As the spires of the academy finally faded behind the mountains, Tethis opened her mouth. “Why did you do so much for him?”

“Call it the whims of fate,” Darm replied. “I saw a boy haunted by the vicissitudes of fortune and chose to intervene—an act of charity if you like. Just a small man doing his small part to make the world a better place.”

Tethis snorted. “Bullshit. I’ve rode with you long enough to know that isn’t it. We’ve crossed paths with dozens of orphans and criminals over the years, and the most you did was toss them a coin. Now you bring a thief into our carriage, feed him, train him, and call in a favour to get him a spot at Faebrook, and I want to know why.”

Darm chuckled. “You really don’t believe it was just a whim?”

“I believe that a dragon would be more easily parted with his treasures, and you just gave the boy two.”

“Fair enough,” Darm replied, turning to face Tethis. “Well, if you want the truth: it’s because he reminded me of you.”

At this, Tethis went silent, a troubled expression upon her face as memories flashed by.

Saying nothing, Darm merely reached back, patting her arm gently. “He reminded me of you, but his future is his own to grasp. I’ve given him the help I can, and now he must seize the rest with his own ability.”

With a nod, Tethis turned away, an uncharacteristically thoughtful expression gracing her features. As Darm watched the rugged landscape of the north pass by, his lips curled with a gentle smile.