Chapter 17: 17. Class Begins

Morning came all too quickly.

Keir rolled out of bed, shivering in the cold air, while his maids brought the fire back to life and came with breakfast for himself and his single guard, Floria. He'd tried to explain he didn't need a guard at night, his ghostly guards could do the job without worrying about sleep. The Lleial had refused to allow him to sleep unguarded. He had managed to make them relent somewhat, only one guard would sleep in the room, in front of the door.

The demon meat and pine nut stew, with a slice of bitter bark bread, wasn't much of a breakfast, but it was filling at least. Wrapped in a blanket he considered his bodyguard. The scarred, young woman looked hard. She moved and acted like an old veteran who had seen too many battlefields. Many of the people he had seen had a similar look to them, that or a broken, hopeless air.

“Lieutenant Floria, I'm curious about something,” he said.

She looked up from her meal. “What is it, Regua?”

“The elders and my maids, are all from three groups, clans, family's?”

“Clan is the best word for it.”

He nodded in thanks. “You're from the 3rd Hussars, they don't seem to be represented by anyone except you.”

“My clan is dead. The adults died fighting the demons when they first attacked our home. Except for a few elderly and mothers, only children and young people who weren't trained yet, escaped to other clans. We were accepted, but we don't have any power or influence.”

“How did you get this position then?”

“I led the squad that followed you into the demon horde. I earned the position so they couldn't honourably keep it from me.” She smiled proudly. “And my men refused to accept anyone else as their officer.”

His impression of her went up significantly. To earn that type of loyalty from soldiers was impressive, especially in such a young officer. “I've talked to General Ajani and the Elders, they've told me what they need, but they're looking at things from high up. I want to know what you can tell me, how are the soldiers doing, what do the people in the trenches need?”

She didn't answer right away. Slowly eating her stew, the young lieutenant was clearly putting some thought into his question. “The victory helped. Before we were waiting to die. Most of us were going to kill as many of the demons as possible, but we knew we were walking dead. Now there is hope, and food. What we need most now, is people.

“Among the dogs.” She paused, grimacing in irritation. “Among the other people, many fled the demons before they arrived, or were cut off when they tried to come here for their last stand. They're hiding in the mountains and deep forests. Bringing them here will help, giving us more workers and soldiers. And there are Lleial out there as well.”

“I'd been told most of the Lleial are dead.”

“Many of us are. Still, as our homes fell we fled in every direction, as long as we have our horses we are hard to catch. We can't help most of them yet, they're too far away, too scattered. But the Lleial who  made it here, we did not travel as one large group. Large numbers attract the demons like ticks to a horse. Many of these smaller groups were cut off, they may all be dead, or they could be hiding and moving, keeping ahead of the demons. We've been surrounded by the demons since we arrived. There are likely thousands Lleial trying to make their way through the demons, or staying close, hoping for a miracle. If we can reach them, you'll have an army worthy of the name. That is what we need.”

“I'll make sure my ghosts are on the lookout for any of your people,” he said.

“Thank you, Reguia.”

Finishing his meal, he quickly got dressed, draping the green and white cloak over his shoulders as a final touch against the cold. Stepping out, his bodyguards were waiting for him, Floria took her leave to wash up and get clean clothes, promising to meet them at the school.

The morning was still nearly pitch black, a very faint light in the east promised a bright new day, but it was almost impossible to see his hand in front of his face. His body guards lit two lanterns, allowing them to make their way through the stable yard where the scouts were preparing their horses and supplies. His ghostly scouts were waiting with the patience of the dead for their living companions. Everything seemed to be in order, so he continued on his way.

It was quite a ways to the far side of the camp where his new school was waiting. The camp itself was stirring, a few people were cooking meals or heating water over small fires. Others were already heading off to whatever work they had to do. From the noises coming from the tents and shacks, most people were still asleep, or using the darkness to enjoy some tender moments in what little privacy they could get.

They reached the tent to find three people already there. An old man, Lleial judging from his clothes, that was likely the teacher he'd been promised. The other two were a surprise, the elderly priestess, Sister Kaja was talking to a young woman. As they got closer, he realized the woman, little more than a girl, was the potential student he had turned away the day before because she was attuned to life magic.

“Good morning, Sister Kaja,” he said. Then he turned to the man. “I presume you're Leo of the 1st Cuirassiers.”

“Yes, I am Regua. I am ready to serve in my limited capacity,” Leo said, bowing his head.

“I'm happy to have you, you're brother spoke highly of you. If you could just wait a moment while I talk to Sister Kaja, then we can discuss the days lesson.”

Turning back to the Sister and the girl, who was wearing a plain white dress, he gave them a curious look. “I'm surprised to see you both here. I sent the girl to find you, since her magic is not suited to necromancy.”

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“We want to thank you for that, Mage Keira, Lena will make an excellent healer with training. Unfortunately the Church is spread extremely thin right now. Our surviving mages aren't trained to teach students and have too many other duties to deal with,” Sister Kaja explained. “We hope you don't mind if she sits in on your classes, at least for the start to learn how to see and handle magic. Once she has that skill, we can make her an apprentice to a healer.”

“If she is in my school, she will have the same rules and discipline as my students. Is that clear?”

She nodded in agreement. “Of course. Also, Elder Sister Tyra was hoping that I might watch your class. I have some minor talent with magic. If you and Leo, are willing, I may be able to help, especially with the students who aren't Lleial.”

Keir kept his smile. This was a polite way for the Church to ensure he wasn't filling the students heads with forbidden knowledge or treacherous ideas. The thought of being watched rankled, but honestly he wasn't planning on doing anything more radical than teaching basic necromancy. As long as the Church didn't oppose his attempt to defeat the demons, he was more than willing to work with them.

“Of course. So long as you remember Leo and I are in charge, you are more than welcome to watch and help when asked.”

From Leo's expression, he wasn't exactly willing, but he was wise enough to stay quiet.

“Lena, go inside and find a seat. We'll begin class soon,” he said.

She curtsied, “Yes, Mage Keira.”

With a bit of privacy, Keir went over what the class would entail and what he expected the students to learn.

**

The sun had barely risen and it was time for class to begin. The students were in their seats, most of them wearing the simple black robes Keir had made the day before. Their guardian spirits stood silently at the back of the class, waiting for instructions. The children were shivering a little from the cold, which suited him perfectly. It would encourage them to learn magic so they could keep themselves warm. Lena was wearing the white dress of a Church initiate, the wool kept her from freezing, but even she rubbed her arms.

They'd just finished their single bowl of porridge. The older students looked longingly at the empty bowls, wishing for more. Keir actually would have preferred giving them a little more food, unfortunately he didn't have control over the food, and there likely wasn't enough to spare. At least they were fed, that was what really mattered.

It was time to begin. Taking a spot at the makeshift lectern, he looked around the tent. It wasn't much of a classroom but it would work. There was an ancient chalkboard set up behind him, and everyone had paper and charcoal to take notes. As long as the children were willing to learn, they would.

“Good morning. Today you are going to start learning about magic. Elder Leo will handle most of your instructions to begin with, I will take over when you are able to learn the actual spells. We expect you to learn quickly. When winter ends, you will all be expected to help raise the dead into an army. Those of you who are old enough will go to the front lines and help kill the demons. Those who are too young for that, will help teach the next batch of students.”

Most of the students looked nervous. Blau, the lame boy, looked grim, his jaw tense. The angry girl, Katalia, smiled viciously. He kept his stern expression, not allowing even a hint of a smile at their determination.

“Magic is not that hard to learn. Learning how to use it well, that's difficult. Magic surrounds us, it gives you life, it fills the air, the water, the earth, everything. It's why we can cast spells. With the right mindset, we alter it, forcing it to do our will.

“You've all seen your parents cast spells. A song your father always sing at harvest time, that he swears makes the plants grow better. A ritual your mother does when she soothes your injuries, and claims it speeds up healing. A certain motion to calm an animal, or a specific whistle before doing a task. Those are all spells. They're weak, and a wasteful, brute force approach to magic, but they work.”

The students became thoughtful, likely thinking about the dozens of things adults did claiming it was lucky or helpful. He wanted them thinking they could cast spells, it would help with their learning.

“To truly control magic, you can't rely on those methods. You need to learn how to see the magical energy around you, and manipulate it with your gestures, thoughts and words. So the first week of lessons will be learning how to see magic. Anyone who can't alter their sight by the end of two weeks will be removed.” He pointedly looked at the lame boy. “Blau, you have one week to learn.”

The students looked nervously at the older boy, remembering how Keir had said he had one week to impress him. Blau just nodded, his grim look turning to determination.

“After you know how to see magic, you will learn how to weave it. That is the hardest part of learning spells, at first it's like trying to hold air. But it is possible and if necessary we will beat the ability into you. Once you have learned that, I will become your regular instructor. Until then, I expect you all to follow Elder Leo's instructions as if they were my own. Occasionally Sister Kaja will assist Elder Leo, you will show her the respect she deserves as a priestess.

“Are there any questions?” he asked.

The class was silent.

Stepping away from the lectern, he motioned to Leo. “The class is yours.”

Walking to the back of the classroom, he quietly observed the old man. He needed to ensure the man really knew what he was doing.

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