“Actually, after all the crying and apologizing, she was actually pretty cool about it. I think my dad took it harder. He felt like he had failed me in some way,” Jackson said thoughtfully.

  “My dad gets like that every time a goblin raiding group gets through and kills some farmer’s cows. He takes his responsibilities at the border very seriously,” Tabor said.

  “I can understand that. Must be why our dads got along so well. They both are trying to carry the world on their shoulders.”

  “Again, wise words from my angry friend.”

  Jackson paused, balancing his wind axe in his hands and shifting it back and forth as he was lost in thought before saying, “I was angry when I felt helpless. It was a response to being trapped. Now I feel like I have options, and that makes me feel free. I can’t control what they did, but I can control what I do now.”

  “That sounds like what my dad is always going on about. He says that those who live by the sword die by the sword. I tried to tell him that if they live, then they couldn’t die, but he would just shake his head and tell me that someday I would understand and for now to just trust him. He said violence takes something from those who commit it, especially if it is unnecessary,” Tabor said.

  “I think we should just try to get some sleep. One way or another, it is gonna be an interesting day tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, but what are you going to do?”

  “I don’t know, but didn’t the headmaster tell us that the first two months were just a warming-up period and that we would be tested and ranked in each of our classes after the holiday?” Jackson asked.

  “Yeah, he did, and even though I’ve been here for two years, none of the older students will talk about what the tests are like. All I know is that the rank contributes to placing in the tournament at the end of the year. That is when all the parents and other nobles come to watch. Oh, and it has something to do with the placements offered by the king to the graduates.”

  “Then maybe the best thing we can do is beat Michael and the others in the way that will hurt them the most. Let’s make it our business to rank at the top in each of the courses,” Jackson said with a genuine grin.

  After that, they spent the next couple of hours discussing what they knew about each of the courses. They figured there had to be some clues to what the tests would include, and hoped that would allow them to develop a plan. When they both drifted off to sleep, it was with the dreams of victory that only a young man can have.

  Chapter Two

  “Surprises are often twins, one of grief and one of joy.”—Orc proverb.

  Konig, Capital of Albia, Royal Academy—Jackson Nelson

  Morning came no sooner than any other day, for neither the sun nor the moon is beholden to a young man’s anxiety, but it seemed to Jackson to be here far sooner than it should. He had only slept erratically throughout the night as he tried to sort his mind about what he would do today. In the end, he was left with the sense that he would simply have to play it by ear.

  He was actually woken not by the morning bells but by a magical messenger bird that his father must have sent. It flitted about his head until he was wide awake and had no choice but to get up. Then he heard his dad’s voice coming out of the tiny conjuration. “Have a great first day of class. Remember, nobody keeps a Nelson down.”

  Wide awake, there was no choice but to start his day. No sooner had he finished dressing than Tabor asked, “Are you ready to make our appearance?” He was looking at himself in the mirror upon the wall. Both of them had grown a good two inches. They had also put on close to fifty pounds of lean muscle due to the training but more as a result of the added Strength, Constitution, and Endurance.

  “As ready as I’m ever gonna be. Let’s just try to play it low key this morning. Don’t draw attention to ourselves. I think that will make our performance at the testing all that much more significant.”

  “Okay, the good ole sneak attack. I can go with that,” Tabor replied.

  Jackson was glad to see his friend so willing to go along. Tabor hadn’t been the strongest in their class before but had been strong enough not to be bullied. His only weakness had been his association with Jackson. Well, that all changed today.

  The boys headed to breakfast. Out of habit, Jackson took one of the back corridors generally reserved for servants. They were accustomed to Jackson there, but many of them gave him strange looks today, as they didn’t recognize the young man he had become.

  That anonymity suited Jackson just fine as the two boys entered the kitchen and were able to snag plates of food without ever having to actually go into the dining hall. Being kind to the servants had paid off for him in the past and again now. He did stop, though, when he heard the conversation going on at one of the tables.

  He couldn’t make out all the voices, but he knew Michael’s all too well. “Are you sure? The little half-breed likely won’t even make it back.”

  “Don’t talk about things that are above you. The duke does not want him to stay here, and while your juvenile pranks and bullying may have broken him down, we need the job to be finished,” a stern, more adult voice said.

  “I just don’t know. I’m not sure how I feel—” Michael started to say before he was cut off.

  “You don’t need to think. You just need to follow orders.”

  “And if I do this, then there will be a place for me upon graduation? Guaranteed?” Michael asked, his voice wavering.

  “Yes, if you manage not to screw this up, then a place befitting one of your accomplishments will be ready for you in the duke’s army. He remembers those who serve him well, just like he remembers those who fail. And don’t forget that he wants the other one added, too. Things are coming to a head soon, and that noisy western general needs to keep his nose out of Konig. Justice is coming.”

  As the older man finished speaking, Jackson and Tabor, who were now keenly interested, tried to look through the doorway from the kitchen to see exactly who it was talking to Michael. Unfortunately, there was a group of students around him, and all that they could really make out were his black cloak and the back of his head.

  Before they could hear anything more, the head cook shooed them out of the kitchen, and they were forced to take their plates and eat outside. Jackson’s mind was racing, and he could see that his friend’s was too.

  “Did you hear that?” Tabor asked the quintessential obvious question.

  “Of course, I was standing right next to you.”

  “I couldn’t make out who it was that was giving them orders,” Tabor said.

  Jackson paused for a second. “I’m not sure if I feel better that it wasn’t just simple racism or personal hatred that got me targeted.”

  “Yeah, I guess, but it means there is a much bigger target on your back than we thought. This isn’t going away just because we win a contest or something. And now I’m included in it too.”

  “Sorry if I got you into trouble. You’ve always had my back. I will look out for you too.”

  “You know who they have to be talking about, right?” Tabor asked.

  “I’m assuming Duke Holstein, but jumping to conclusions can lead you down the wrong path. I just don’t know enough about politics in Albia. He is the logical suspect, though,” Jackson said.

  “That’s cause you didn’t pay enough attention in Master Jurgen’s lectures.” Tabor laughed as he spoke.

  “Well, they were boring, and I was usually just trying to rest. It takes a lot out of a guy to get beaten senseless most days. The more I think about it, the more I agree, though, that Duke Holstein is up to something. Our dads were even wondering if he was behind the human attacks on Eris’ Rise.”

  “Agreed, my dad has never liked him, but to think that he would be up to something against my dad. Hmm, do you think we should tell someone?”

  “Maybe, but I don’t… I mean, what do we really know yet other than an overheard conversation between the academy’s bully and an unknown adult. And who would we tell? The headmaster had to have known about what was going on before the holiday and never stepped in to save me. At least not in any meaningful way.” Jackson spoke slowly as he tried to reason out what to do.

  “You are right. We can’t trust the headmaster or any of the teachers or guards here. Any of them could be in on it. Duke Holstein is the richest noble besides the king. He could buy any of them. Maybe I should send a letter to my dad.”

  “I could send a letter to my parents too, or I guess I could take advantage of my mom’s connections and ask to speak to the bishop of Shanelle here. He was always sending someone here every week to check up on me before,” Jackson said.

  “Yeah, for all the good it did you,” Tabor grumbled.

  “Maybe you are right. We don’t really know anything yet. We should investigate more and see what we can find out. That way, when we do tell someone, we will really know what we are talking about. We will get to the bottom of the mystery, just like Scooby-Doo,” Jackson said.

  “Scooby who?”

  Laughing, Jackson said, “Never mind, just an old thing my dad made me watch back home.”

  From there, the conversation turned to a discussion about what they could do to discover the identity of the man in the black cloak. They wanted to confirm their suspicions, but as is typical of boys their age, they probably thought they were sneakier than they actually were.

  An hour later, both boys were standing behind the academy in formation for the morning assembly. This patch of open space was commonly called the stage. Jackson knew that the name derived from the fact that this area was where they staged people before sending them into battlefield exercises, but it was one thing to know that and another to contemplate what it would be like to play war games with enemies.

  A raised platform in front of them held seats for each of the instructors and a podium for whoever was going to be speaking. There were also seats for several other people, which Jackson took to be members of Albia’s nobility. As it was now, though, all he and the other twenty-one class members in his year could do was stand in their four rows.

  That was until the headmaster stood up and walked up to the podium. “Welcome back to Albia’s Royal Academy. I trust that each of you had a relaxing and refreshing Erntedankfest.” Jackson couldn’t say if it was his imagination, but it seemed like the man’s eyes rested upon him just a moment longer as he said that.

  “Now the real challenge of your third year at the academy begins. I know that for three of you, this is your first year. But you were admitted as third-year students, so you shall be treated just the same. The next two weeks will be spent preparing you for a setup examination that will be held the following week. Some of the exams will be closed-door matters, such as the political exam. Some will be a simple book exam, like history. Others will be physical exams, like the general magic, field lore, and battle craft exams. Those exams will all be open to the public and draw quite a few spectators, as even the serfs like to see who will be leading our country in the next generation.”

  Jarvis Talcum paused for effect. “These tests will also determine your ranking in the class as well as positions that shall be available to you upon graduation. While certainly, this is not much of an issue for our royal guests from Miromar, it should be imperative to each native Albian. Even those of noble birth will be affected by it somewhat. While your position in your house can’t be affected, you could be assigned to prestigious posts if you do well enough. Not to mention that it brings great honor to your house. As most of you are the sons of knights, your placement in these tests means everything for your future.”

  Jackson watched as many of his classmates shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot.

  “Fear not though; everyone will be retested again at the end of the school year. At that time, the bottom two students shall be cut and not allowed to return next year. That much does apply to our foreign guests.”

  If the headmaster had thought to get any reaction from Princess Gianna with that comment, he was sorely disappointed. The man even seemed to huff when she didn’t so much as wiggle. “Very well now. You will need to divide yourselves up into groups of four. Princess Gianna, you and your attendant, Milessa, may form your own group so as not to have to be with any of the male students.”

  At that point, the princess did react. “Excuse me, Headmaster. Are we forbidden from grouping with the other students? I believe that I would benefit from being in a group of four rather than just the two of us.”

  “Errr… well… I’m not sure if that would be appropriate,” Jarvis began.

  “I assume we would be safe amongst the nobility of Albia. They would not allow any harm to befall the daughter and heir of your great ally Miromar.”

  The headmaster seemed even further stumped as he looked out over the boys. Jackson realized that the headmaster thought he would be giving a distinct disadvantage to anyone forced to team up with the only female students. The princess took matters one step further though. “I am told that two of our fellow students are the sons of Albia’s generals of the western and northern armies. For certain such sons of noble houses with that type of pedigree would be able to properly assist us.”

  A crooked smile came across Jarvis’ face, as he apparently liked the idea. “Very well, young Masters Eikhorn and Nelson, you will team up with Princess Gianna and Lady Milessa. And then to keep the best of the teams even, Michael Tornstadt and Gregor Nankin, you two shall form your own team and be allotted a full training time slot.”

  After he finished speaking, one of the clerks came up and called for training groups to come and register with him to be assigned training slots.

  Tabor and Jackson looked at one another. Events had definitely spun out of their control this morning. So they both walked over to where the princess and her companion waited. With better training in etiquette, Tabor offered a slight bow to Gianna, and Jackson, seeing that, quickly tried to copy him.

  “Oh, no. That is gonna have to stop,” Gianna said with a stomp of her foot.

  Jackson got a confused look on his face. “What’s wrong, Giann—umm… I mean, Your Highness?”

  “Now you see, that is one of the exact reasons that I wanted to be on a team with you. You don’t seem to have manners.”

  “Gianna, that sounded so rude,” Milessa said.

  “Oh, sorry, I meant it as a compliment. I hate all the bowing and highness this or highness that. Jackson just talks like a normal person,” Gianna said as she turned to Milessa.

  “Wait a sec. I’m right here. You can talk to me. Look, if you don’t care about the fancy-pants rules, I’m down with that. I will treat you just like one of us. My mom and sister would bark at me if I didn’t treat you respectfully, but that doesn’t mean we have to be all stuffy,” Jackson said.

  Milessa said, “You can trust her. She is for real. She doesn’t want people to treat her like a princess, at least most of the time. She wants to earn her spot here and prove that she is just as good as any of the guys. Women have much more freedom in Miromar, but she still won’t be allowed to fight once we get back, so this is important to her.”

  “Well, I’m not sure why you picked the two of us. We haven’t exactly been the biggest baddest guys here,” Tabor said.

  “But you have never once talked down to us because we are girls, and you have never leered at us like you were trying to see what was inside my bodice.” Gianna smiled as she spoke, and Jackson smiled along even though he had no idea what a bodice was.

  “I have three sisters, and my dad always said that in the west, when it gets really bad, a farmer’s wife fights next to him to protect their farmstead. Goblins don’t care if they spear a man or a woman,” Tabor said.

  “Yeah, my mom and sisters are showing all the time that women are capable of anything that a man can do. Where I am from, boys and girls both go to the same school, and we are treated entirely equally. Or at least that is the idea.”

  “So, do you know anything about the testing, Gianna?” Tabor asked. He stumbled briefly when he said her name.

  “Nothing more than you do. I may be royalty, but I am an outsider. It took a hefty gift from my father to get me admitted here. These Albians and their antiquated views of women. Why, if Miromar was like Albia, I wouldn’t even be allowed to be the heir.”

  “Speaking of which, if you are the heir, then how is it that there aren’t guards all over watching you?” Jackson asked.

  “Shhh… There are a couple of secret guards around, but mostly the king guaranteed my safety, so it would be war if anyone was allowed to attack me. That is why King Bornstein doubled the guards at the academy this year.”

  Milessa said, “I think the clerk is waiting for us. We need to get our training assessments, and then we can go find a table in the library where we can plan.”

  As they all walked over to the clerk, Gianna said, “Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that you two obviously leveled up over break, a lot.”

  “What?” Jackson asked.

  “He asked why I wanted to be in a training group with you two, and I gave you some reasons before, but I was letting you know the other reason.”

  “Oh yeah, I guess that makes sense.”

  Chapter Three

  “Practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.”—Quote: source unknown.

  Konig—Jackson Nelson

  A short time later, in the library, Jackson, Tabor, and their new teammates were all huddled around a table in the back, speaking in whispers.

  “I’m telling you, they gave us this schedule on purpose. It is supposed to wear us out before the tests on Saturday,” Tabor said.

  “How do you figure?” Milessa asked.

  “We get the least physical training first and the most physical at the end. That means that we won’t have much time to recuperate,” he answered.