Gifted Apprentice Read online

  A shadow flickered in the other's blue eyes. "Sadly, it can be."

  "Why is that sad?"

  "I'm impressed; you are asking the questions today. Sad, because when the Gift is learned, it is not granted by the Father. We call it sorcery then, because it is inspired and controlled by the evil side. The Malefic Sephiroth hates the Father and everything he stands for. I seek those granted the Gift to train and teach them about the Father and the Benefic Sephiroth. Sorcerers also seek out those granted the Gift assiduously, but they try to turn them to the Malefic Sephiroth, to evil."

  Sallis's eyes widened. "That is why you brought me here?"

  "To teach, nurture, and also protect you."

  Sallis looked around the large room. "Am I safe?" Another thought came to him. "What about my family?"

  "They won't harm your family." Elvallon gave the boy a reassuring smile. He hoped he spoke the truth. "I reached you before the Gift began to flow in you, so the evil side will not have heard of you."

  "Would they if you had not come?"

  "Eventually yes. I will not hide the enormity of your Gift from you, Sallis, nor the struggle we are all part of, unwittingly or otherwise. It is a responsibility few wish to shoulder, unlike the poor deluded souls who learn sorcery. They only discover the truth when it is too late."

  "I don't understand why I am Gifted," said Sallis. "It isn't in our family. I never heard of it before meeting you."

  "That's because it doesn't work like that," replied Elvallon. "The Gift is granted randomly, it's the best protection the Father can give. Else, the other side can just eliminate those families who display the talent. And believe me, they would do that if they could predict who might produce a Gifted child."

  Sallis shuddered. He thought of evil people coming when he was still a baby and killing his sisters, his father and his mother... just because of the Gift.

  "I'm not sure I want it," he said.

  "Good," replied Elvallon. "None of us do. We begin by fearing it and grow to resent being set apart from our fellow people. But once granted, it cannot be undone."

  Sallis sighed.

  "Come, finish your broth. I will explain more about the Gift tomorrow. You need sleep."

  Sallis hid another yawn. "I'll probably lie awake worrying about what will happen next," he said.

  "I doubt that," grinned Elvallon. "Sleepwell stalks are in your broth. I guarantee you a good night's sleep."

  Sallis yawned again. "You could have warned me."

  "Hurry up, or you'll be asleep before you've finished eating."

  ***

  Chapter 5 - Lyssan

  Drifting in the half-world between sleep and waking, Sallis had the strange sensation of being watched and he woke with a start. As his eyes opened, he only just managed to restrain a yell as he realized that watcher's face hovered only incas from his own.

  A pair of eyes stared dispassionately into his own. And what eyes! Gold-flecked silvery gray irises, and vertically slit black pupils. A blue face topped with silvery gray hair told Sallis a creature he had believed only existed in stories stared at him.

  He flinched and pushed himself back on his pillows before sitting up. The smell he had noticed in the living area was stronger now and it emanated from the strange being who appeared anything but pleased to see him.

  "So this is your new find, enya." The owner of those eyes straightened and looked over her shoulder at Elvallon. "He is Gifted?"

  Sallis almost yelled again when he saw that not only did the creature's earpoints push up through her silvery hair, but moved as she spoke. Right now, they slanted forward, hinting at doubt or perhaps apprehension.

  "Yes he is," replied Elvallon.

  The creature's attention returned to Sallis. "I hope you do not expect me to clear up after him." She wrinkled her nose. "He smells."

  "You're a fine one to talk," growled Sallis, recovering some of his composure.

  Those earpoints shot upright for a moment, before relaxing some. The creature smiled.

  Elvallon chuckled and moved forward. "Sallis, meet Lyssan, my sylph. Don't worry, she is not half as bad as she likes to pretend."

  "Sylph?" echoed Sallis.

  Lyssan gave a sniff of disapproval, and her earpoints wilted slightly. "This is an empty land," she told him, "but there are one or two of us about here. Tell me, are you a cave-dweller?"

  Sallis looked confused.

  "Come along, Lyssan, let the boy get up in privacy." Elvallon's attention returned to Sallis. "Get dressed and breakfast will be ready the moment you are."

  Once out of bed and dressed, Sallis padded through to the main room. There, the sylph passed across a wooden bowl and spoon. He stared at the white contents and noted that breakfast consisted of finely crushed oats cooked with milk. Cooked properly, and not heated using the Gift. Hungry, he ate quickly and mechanically, realizing that he had been allowed to sleep in. Elvallon and Lyssan had probably eaten hours before.

  Lyssan turned to Elvallon. "The boy will eat everything in sight," she complained, earpoints slanting forwards briefly. "We will not be able to catch enough fish for him."

  "Fish?" asked Sallis. He thought the sylph looked silly, waving her ears about all the time, but wisely decided to say nothing. Lyssan was easily half as tall again and, despite being thin, she looked quite sinewy.

  "We take it in turns," said Elvallon. "We fish in the estuary, or put pots down."

  "You can't be very good at it," remarked Sallis, jerking a thumb at Lyssan. "She looks so skinny that she must be hungry all the time."

  Elvallon smiled while Lyssan shook her head, earpoints stiffly upright again.

  Sallis finished his breakfast and stood to cross the room. The stone sink was presumably where to clean the bowl and wooden spoon.

  Lyssan almost snatched them out of his hands.

  "You said you wouldn't clear up after me," said Sallis.

  Elvallon laughed.

  The sylph's earpoints twitched, but Lyssan gave him a level look. "Everything must be cleaned and dried properly," she said, which hardly served as explanation.

  "Right," said Elvallon. "Lovely day out there. Sallis, your lessons can begin outside, while Lyssan clears up in here."

  "And it is your turn to fish," said the sylph.

  ***

  Sallis immediately spotted the boat tied to the small quay behind Elvallon's house. Quite long, despite only having one pair of oars, the boat had a seat at the back and another across the center. Four wicker pots smelling strongly of salt water, some rope, weights and bladders took up most available space in the bottom of the boat.

  "Get yourself into the stern," said Elvallon. "We'll begin your lessons as we lay the pots." He sniffed and looked at the water. "We'd best get a move on, the tide'll turn soon."

  Moments later, Sallis stared around as Elvallon rowed them across the estuary. "Best place to lay the pots is on the far side," explained the older man. "Plenty of lobsters and scampi gather over there. And we have to keep out of the way of the ships, who must stay in the channel or run aground."

  Sallis nodded.

  Elvallon pointed over Sallis's shoulder. "You can see where the River Adan enters the estuary," he said.

  Sallis twisted around to look.

  "That marks the boundary of my land over there," explained Elvallon.

  "Do you let Lyssan come over here by herself?" asked Sallis.

  "Of course. She's an excellent oarsman and an even better swimmer. Sometimes, she's gone with the boat for two days." Elvallon began to row more slowly. "Nearly there," he said.

  "Why is she so grumpy?"

  Elvallon said nothing for a few moments. "She's worried that you will replace her. Give her some time to get used to you."

  He looked around a few times, finally nodded in satisfaction and pulled both oars across the boat.

  "Right, those weights and bladders are already tied to the pots, but let's just make sure everything's running free..."

  Sa
llis's first lesson was to check the pots and lines weren't tangled in anything.

  "Ropes have a nasty habit of twisting into knots or around things whenever your back is turned," remarked Elvallon, although nothing was actually knotted or tangled.

  Elvallon hefted one of the pots and showed Sallis which was the bottom; that had a short line leading to the weight, the line just the right length to maximize the catch. The top had a longer line that led to the bladder, which acted as marker and as something to catch hold of to haul the pot into the boat again later.

  They spent the first hour laying the four wicker pots in likely spots.

  "Sounds like you're not altogether sure," remarked Sallis.

  "I'm not. Nobody ever can be. Except perhaps Lyssan; sylphs seem to have the Gift when it comes to finding fish. Though she prefers to use a rod."

  "Me too," said Sallis, who thought he had joined a strange household.

  "Well," announced Elvallon, once happy with the way the pots were placed, "we may as well begin your lessons."

  "Oh good," said Sallis, leaning forward on his elbows.

  "For now," continued Elvallon, "I'll talk and you listen."

  Sallis nodded impatiently.

  "The universe," began Elvallon, "is the work of the Creator. Whoever or whatever the Creator may be, the universe was wrought when he smashed the cosmic egg. The stars and worlds, Benefic and Malefic Sephiroths, everything was created in that instant. And it happened by using the Gift."

  Sallis blinked, but remained silent.

  Elvallon leaned forward. "We believe, or think we know, that the Gift is what holds matter together. It is the glue holding everything in its proper place in reality. Those who can manipulate the Gift, affect reality. They can change things - for a few practitioners, including themselves - for better or worse. I gave you a small demonstration with your meal last night."

  "So if the Father created the universe, who created the Father?" asked Sallis.

  Elvallon laughed. "The Father did not create the universe," he replied. "The Creator is responsible for that."

  Sallis's mouth dropped open and he almost stood upright, before remembering that the boat might suddenly become unstable if he moved.

  "The Father is part of this universe; he and the Sephiroth to which he belongs were brought into being by the Creator's action. And for that matter, so was the Malefic Sephiroth, the side we fight and struggle against."

  "I was taught that there is only the Father," countered Sallis.

  "Effectively yes." Elvallon smiled. "So far as we know, the Creator plays no part in the universe now."

  "Why not? And how did the Creator come to exist?"

  "Philosophical questions to which we have no clear answers. Whatever lies outside or beyond this universe is transcendental to it and there is no way of learning about that on this side of the grave. If even then."

  "What made the cosmic egg?"

  "Another philosophical question. What we do know is that the act of creation brought about the Benefic Sephiroth and the act of destruction - of the egg - wrought the Malefic Sephiroth. Creation also destroyed the equilibrium that existed before. Ever since, the universe and everything in it, has sought to restore that balance, and has not yet succeeded."

  Sallis shivered. "The Gift was created at the same time?"

  "No, the Gift already existed; it was the tool used to create," corrected Elvallon. "The traces of that creation are in everything and we use those traces to affect things around us."

  "Scary." Sallis shrugged. "I'm not sure I understand."

  Elvallon sighed. "Few do."

  "So if everybody has the Gift, how come everybody can't use it?"

  "Because not everybody can unlock its potential within themselves," replied Elvallon. "A few are born with this ability, and that is granted by the Father. Others seek it, usually for their own gratification, and that greed is exploited by the Malefic Sephiroth, who are only too happy to recruit fools for their cause."

  "What is their cause?"

  "To recreate creation in their own image. There is something of both Sephiroths in all of us, though some tend more one way or the other. Some species lean more towards one or the other. Only the ilven belong purely to the Benefic Sephiroth."

  "Ilven?"

  Elvallon laughed. "Forgotten on Re Annan already. Ilven are the Sephiroths' warriors, the blunt end of the struggle. Well, the adult ones are anyway. Like the young of any species, they are quite winsome during their childhood, which is the part they spend here."

  "Do they have a choice which side to fight on?"

  "Of course not, boy; ilven are born into their Sephiroth. Those on this ilvenworld are benefic ilven, watched over by the Father. This isn't the only ilvenworld, just the one we know about. We share it with the ilven."

  "There are bad ilven?"

  "Malefic ilven, yes."

  "Oh."

  "They are not here, and you can thank the Father for that." Elvallon smiled. "But ilven aren't our worry. Other people are."

  "Those serving the Malefic Sephiroth?"

  "You are quick." Elvallon nodded in approval. "Not easy to spot them. Not easy to spot a fellow Gifted, for that matter, but it comes with practice. We tend to cause... fluctuations that others can sense. Sylphs are especially sensitive."

  "Sylphs are Gifted?"

  "No. The Father offered, but they refused. They can sense the Gift and sorcery, however, whenever it's used near them."

  "Why can't we?"

  "We can," corrected Elvallon.

  "Those who aren't Gifted cannot," pointed out Sallis. "So why can sylphs, who aren't Gifted either?"

  Elvallon narrowed his eyes. "You see deeply, for one so young."

  "Me and Da used to talk about all sorts of things," replied Sallis. "He says sensible questions are good."

  Elvallon tried not to laugh at the qualification. "Sensible questions," he echoed. "Wise man, your father."

  "And he also taught me to see when someone is trying not to answer a question. I'm not five years old."

  "Wise indeed," muttered Elvallon. He shrugged. "Perhaps sylphs have some talent for the Gift, but we don't really know. They can just sense it in use."

  "Is that why you have Lyssan?" pressed Sallis. "So she can tell you if enemies come near?"

  "I have Lyssan because someone must look after the place when I'm elsewhere healing sick boys. She works hard for her keep."

  "But she can also tell you when enemies come near?"

  "It's more likely that I would sense them first," replied Elvallon. "Now, you settle down a bit and we'll begin with some exercises."

  Sallis settled down.

  Elvallon looked all around, to make sure they had not drifted too far. "The pots can wait a little longer," he said. "These exercises are designed to prepare you for actually touching the Gift. Eventually, they'll come naturally, but for now, it will be slow. Take your time. Empty your mind of everything and think of nothing. Let your mind drift..."

  ***

  Chapter 6 - Lessons

  Spring turned to summer and Sallis grew increasingly irritated with his lack of progress. Like all young boys, he expected things to happen on the instant and resented waiting for anything. Elvallon treated this impatience with amused tolerance and assured the boy that everything would eventually click into place.

  Sallis also learned to fight in rather more conventional ways, kept busy with quarterstaff and sword on most days. This training was not the cause of his impatience and frustration.

  The problem concerned the Gift, or rather touching it. Sallis repeated the exercises with varying levels of concentration and became increasingly convinced that he was not Gifted. When Lyssan went fishing, he practiced in Elvallon's herb-garden; on all other days he practiced on the boat.

  "It will never work!" he announced one afternoon, closer to tears than he would dare admit. "You're wrong, I have no special gift."

  Elvallon looked up from his book and wagged
a finger. "You are Gifted. I am not wrong. Try again."

  "I've tried for weeks and weeks! It-"

  "Try. Again." Those blue eyes hardened.

  Sallis sighed.

  Someone was conspicuous by her absence whenever Sallis tried to touch the Gift, or Elvallon demonstrated something. Lyssan quickly melted away whenever she suspected lessons involving the Gift were about to begin. One time Elvallon gave a small demonstration at the dining table and the sylph scuttled away without even offering an excuse.

  "Damn," exclaimed Elvallon. "I keep forgetting about that."

  "About what?" Confused, Sallis looked at the closing door.

  "When I said sylphs can sense the Gift, I forgot to mention that they hate sensing it anywhere near them."

  "Oh."

  "Yes, oh."

  "Perhaps you should have a human servant," suggested Sallis.

  "Maybe." Elvallon sounded non-committal. "But you don't have to pay sylphs."

  ***

  Not all lessons concerned the Gift or weapons. Sallis learned rather more than he wanted about the two Sephiroths and their eternal battle for supremacy. Not only worrying to learn all about the different levels of gods and demons, but for one raised to believe in only the Father, it was upsetting to learn that even He held only middling rank.

  He learned about the different races - human, ilven and sylph - and how they interacted with each other. Sallis looked at Lyssan with fresh eyes after those lessons and with considerably more sympathy.

  His education included matters of diplomacy and politics. Elvallon supplied him with plenty of books, more than he had believed actually existed. Some were fascinating and a few even terrified him.

  Sallis also learned from Lyssan, even if those lessons were, at least initially, reluctant on the sylph's part. She resented sharing chores with him, despite Elvallon's claim that they were "character building", whatever that meant. Sallis thought the sylph ought to be pleased to have someone to share the work, but no.

  "You want to see me destitute and begging for crusts?" she demanded of him.

  Sallis was mystified. "Why would I want that?"

  The sylph did not explain.

  Once she accepted Sallis must work with her, Lyssan had intimidated him some, growling about how things should be done and criticizing all his attempts to clean one thing or another.

  "Not like that," she would say, taking a pot out of his hands. The first time she muttered under her breath in a strange language Sallis did not understand, he had stared at her uncomprehending.

  "You cannot speak sylph?" Lyssan's earpoints stood bolt upright through her hair. A grin quickly replaced her shock. "That means I can say anything and you would never understand."