Cypher began looking for Velruud but his search was cut short when instead, the butler found him. It did not take long either, and Cypher was impressed at how he seemed to vanish out of sight and reappear as soon as he was needed.
Velruud led Cypher back through the castle and into one of the portals. He found himself staring at another one of the many dormitories littered about the mountains. They soon moved into the main hall of the new building and then left, up two flights of stairs to the second floor. Two more floors sat higher up, and along the walkways were handrails with swirling vines of iron that ran to the floor.
A few students still lingered after the ceremony, leaning against the railing and talking amongst themselves. About six doors down Velruud stopped and turned to Cypher. He pulled a small key from within his breast pocket and unlocked the door before handing it to him.
“This will be your living quarters for the duration of the year. Please come inside,” Velruud said, pushing the door open and holding out his arm for Cypher to enter first. Just inside the door was a small closet, the door slightly ajar, and a few empty hangers on the rack. Cypher took his boots off and left them near the stoop on the wooden floor, before stepping up and onto the carpet.
Further in, the room opened up into a small kitchen, and beyond that stood a living room. The curtains hung open in front of a sliding glass door that led to a balcony, allowing light to stream in from outside which lit the room with a dusky twilight.
Square-shaped fireless lanterns hung from the wall at various places glowing dimly. Velruud explained that there were switches to increase or decrease the amount of light, although Cypher was short and would have to stand on his tiptoes to reach them.
The living room featured a medium-sized, dark-green couch that looked very comfortable. A wooden table sat in the middle of the room upon a blue rug, and an empty bookshelf lined the far wall to the right of the glass door.
Ignoring that for now, he walked further down the hall to the bedroom which stood behind a sliding door that hung half-open. It was small, but it was a much bigger living space than Cypher was used to.
He returned to the living room to face Velruud, who was still standing in the entryway and bowed to the man in thanks. “How do I find you if I need help?” Cypher asked, still looking around his new home.
“If you require further assistance, I or another butler are not far away. There are two on each floor near the stairwells. I myself am located at the end of the hall on the right when you exit this room. Simply knock and if we are available we will heed your call. Ah, also, you will find food and drink in the cabinets if you are hungry or thirsty and they will be stocked regularly as per your contract with Professor Lardok. Please make yourself at home.”
Cypher nodded and thanked the man again before he bowed and left, closing the door behind him with a firm click. Cypher then turned and headed down the hall to the bedroom. Once inside he noticed a few dressers, a writing desk with a chair pushed in neatly, and a closet with a full-length body mirror mounted to the wall near the sliding doors.
Of course, there was also a large bed that sat in the middle of the room. The sheets and comforter were folded into tight squares at the foot of the bed with the pillows placed on top, but a light blue mattress cover had been put into place beforehand.
He set his bag down near the door and flopped down on the bed knocking a pillow to the floor. Countless thoughts rushed through his mind. A lot had happened today and it would take several more days to process it all. He was free from the Galvans at long last, and he was going to be a Conductor! The possibilities were endless now. If he studied hard and learned all he could, there was no limit to how far he could go.
The headmaster’s speech had been very inspirational to him and he would do his best to live up to the expectations Sequinnen had of him and his fellow students.
He stood up then and made his bed. He was weary, but Molly had always scolded him about leaving his bedding a mess. She might not be here, but he would remember and practice well all the lessons she had taught him out of respect for her. After a moment he had smoothed out the comforter and fluffed the pillows. He then walked over to the closet and pulled it open.
He gasped as he saw that several fine outfits were strung up by hangers, as well as a series of different colored dress robes with the insignia of the academy stitched on the back. The quality was very fine so much so that he felt like he was staring into Eiden’s closet back at the manor.
It didn’t take long before he had picked out what he would wear the following day. Deep green trousers, a black belt with a silver buckle, a white tunic with a thick folded collar, and lastly, one of the black dress robes. He looked in the mirror at himself after putting the new clothes on and smiled.
He looked good, aside from the black shaggy hair that fell around his boyish face and hid his cerulean eyes. Using a strip of deep black cloth he had found in one of the dressers, he pulled his hair up and tied it into a short ponytail. The white tunic made his caramel skin look good in contrast, and the black robe he wore made him feel like a seasoned Conductor.
Pleased with his appearance, he undressed. Then he went around the small apartment turning all the lanterns down to a dull glow and laid down upon the newly made bed. He found himself drifting off to sleep with ease as the mattress was very comfortable compared to the thin and simple feather one he was used to.
‘I’m going to have to adjust to a lot of new things now,’ he thought, before nodding off to sleep, he had wanted to take the time to process everything, but right now he was exhausted. He turned to his side pulled the covers up over himself and with a long sigh drifted off to sleep, his dreams arriving quickly as night fell over the mountains…
****
“So what do you think of him?” Alvin asked Sequinnen as they stood on the balcony of Cypher’s living quarters. A light breeze blew around them as they talked and the crescent moon rose high above the clouds, stars twinkling in the inky black sky above.
“If what you said is true, I am impressed. Someone so young being capable of shattering a Gaelin stone by accident is certainly someone worth keeping an eye on. You mentioned that he has already learned a spell right under the Galvan’s noses eh? That perhaps impresses me even more. His determination must be quite strong indeed,”
Alvin nodded, “Yes, it was certainly a spectacle. Sponsoring him was no doubt the correct course of action. What do you propose we do about the Galvans? When their heir returns and tells his father of our decision I imagine we will have quite the problem on our hands.”
“Leave Galex to me. I know how to deal with him and if he insists on taking steps to retaliate, I will intervene. We needn’t worry about that just now. The boy, Eiden, on the other hand, might become a problem one day. Though, only time will tell.”
Alvin seemed to relax a bit at those words and nodded as he leaned against the banister thinking. “Cypher might be gifted, but he will need to learn almost everything from scratch you realize. He didn’t even know what an Orrium was and I doubt he knows the truth about how spells work. It might be better to tutor him privately for a while before we allow him to take regular classes with the others.”
Sequinnen shook his head and sighed, “No, I think it best to have him start right along with the others. He is younger than we usually allow, but his affinity is rare and his skills seem proficient enough that he shouldn’t be too far behind. He obviously learns quickly as well.”
“Let him decide where this road will take him. You can however tutor him on your own time as well if you wish. I won’t stop you. The bastard servant of the Galvans… How cruel of them to keep his heritage a secret. If my assumptions are correct, he might just surprise us all. I will watch his growth personally, but I don’t play favorites. You should already know this.”
Alvin pulled a pipe from within his robe and lit it with a spark of magick. He took a long drag and nodded before letting the smoke stream out slowly. “Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten. He is rough around the edges, and could certainly use some extra support but we shouldn’t spoil him too much. In time I believe he will become a powerful Conductor, he just needs the opportunity to shine. I plan to give it to him. That said, I really must extend my thanks to you. It is not often I get to tutor such a gifted individual.”
“It’s no matter, think nothing of it,” replied Sequinnen, waving his hand as if to shrug off the thanks. “The other teachers will have their hands full with their own students. I shouldn’t burden them with this as well, it is going to be quite a time-consuming endeavor. Besides, the elders are working on a project of mine and haven’t the time to take on a pupil although Elder Fergus was quite impressed by the boy’s performance in that shameful duel and was tempted to take on the task of tutoring the boy himself.”
“Even I was surprised by that. I didn’t expect young Eiden to be so foolish, nor did I expect Elder Fergus to let that charade go on as long as it did,” replied Alvin. “I am glad that he’s so busy though. This will be a good opportunity for me and personally, I find Elder Fergus to be a bit… abrasive. I’m glad I don’t have to fight for a chance to tutor Cypher against a man like that.”
“Mmh, yes he is quite the fiery personality, isn’t he?” added Sequinnen.
Alvin nodded and took another drag from his pipe as silence fell between them. He exhaled slowly, the smoke drifting away in large clouds in the cold mountain air. Alvin offered the pipe to Sequinnen but saw that he had already pulled out his own and was puffing right alongside him. The pungent aroma filled the air between them as they smoked and stood in silence.
Alvin coughed a little after a particularly large drag, Sequinnen chuckling softly at him. After a moment, when he composed himself he continued speaking.
“I couldn’t believe it when you asked me to sponsor him. While my schedule is pretty full this semester, I should be able to find adequate time to train him in the areas he is lacking in. However, it will be up to him to determine how quickly we are able to cover everything he needs to learn.”
“Excellent! See to it that his education is handled properly,” Sequinnen took another drag off his pipe and said, “I’ve been thinking about what you said a moment ago, perhaps we really should privately tutor him. I don’t want to make a mistake with this one. A week or two should be enough I’ll leave that up to you. You may offer this to him as well. If he chooses to use it I will make sure he can gain access to the others as needed.”
Sequinnen handed him a small item wrapped in a silk cloth. Alvin unwrapped it and gasped. “Are you sure? Isn’t this perhaps too much for him at this stage?” Alvin asked, his every word heavy with worry.
“Null is a powerful element not to be handled lightly. One misstep and his journey as a Conductor could end in tragedy much like the one before him. That man had such potential before he turned away from us. It was a shame to see him falter and abandon everything we instilled in him. I’d rather not go down that path a second time. If the boy chooses to use this, it will help ensure that he remains on the proper course. Just explain the risks and let him decide on his own and we’ll go from there.”
Alvin sighed and put away his pipe. He understood Sequinnen’s meaning and would take care in his workings with Cypher. His own workload was massive enough already and while he was happy to tutor the boy, it would only make his life that much harder. Alvin stared at the small parcel and shuddered as he remembered his own time with it.
He hoped that Cypher would choose not to use it, but ultimately the choice would be up to him. Alvin could live with that so long as he made sure to explain the true gravity of using such a risky relic.
He put it away in his robes and leaned against the railing with Sequinnen. Time passed in silence as an owl hooted in the distance. With nothing further to say the two Conductors stood quiet, staring into the sky as light snow began to fall around them.
