Fv 01 the first starwalk.., p.1
FV-01. The First Starwalker, page 1
part #1 of Forging Valerence Series
Copyright © 2023 Cailan Wilkinson
All rights reserved
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
ISBN-13: 9781234567890
ISBN-10: 1477123456
Cover design by: Mea Dorsh
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018675309
Printed in the United States of America
Forging Valerence: Book 1
The First
Starwalker
Cailan Wilkinson
Contents
Copyright
Forging Valerence: Book 1
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Epilogue
Prologue
Luria
————————
“Row, you spineless bilge rats! Row, Row!” The yells and threats of the boatswain continued as the ship struggled against the tide.
Dozens of ships, both large and small, fled from the island in the night. Their sails were down as both the tide and wind were against them. Smoke and ash filled the air, accompanied by strange echoes originating from the mainland. The night sky grew even darker as smoke from the volcano hid the moon and stars. The air had turned hot and perspiration dripped from the ship's crew and passengers alike. A monstrous belching sound was emitted from the volcano. The ships continued to struggle forward, inching their way farther and farther away from the mainland, closer and closer to the safety of the open sea.
Another belch from the volcano sent blazing orange streaks shooting through the sky. One streak shot toward the ships, impacting the water beside them with a sizzling and popping sound. The ships desperately continued forward as more orange streaks shot from the volcano. Aboard the ships men swore, women prayed, children cried, and slaves rowed silently. Behind them, their home burned; the island continent of Luria was lost to them forever. Their only hope was to sail to the continent known as Valerence and pray that they would be able to start a new life there. A life free of the worries and struggles that had plagued Luria.
The ships struggled onward until the ash ceased to fall from the sky and Luria was just a distant blotch in the horizon. The sun rose ahead of them. They sailed toward the dawn of a new day, leaving behind the horrors of the night and of their lost home.
Chapter 1
New Haven
———————
Travis waved a final farewell to his mother and father, then, with a pit in his stomach and an uneasy smile on his face, he climbed into the carriage. The door was shut beside him and he found himself trapped in the carriage as it began moving down the road. He wasn’t actually trapped, he could still leave, but to what end? The carriage would deliver him to his future at Lightspear Academy. A future he knew he was privileged to have, and yet it was a future that terrified him. He would be hundreds of miles away from his parents and his town. Away from everything familiar, and when the time finally came for him to graduate, three to five years would have passed. He would be a different person by then. He didn’t want to become a different person, if only he could stay a boy forever.
“Cheer up, Travis,” said Chester, “You're going to love Lightspear, trust me on that, and besides, you’ll be able to visit your family every year for the Holly Day.”
Chester sat across from Travis. They were the only two occupants of the small carriage. Chester was a fair skinned boy who appeared to be in his early twenties, perhaps younger, he wore blue and white robes with a matching scarf. The mark of Lightspear Academy was prominent on the right side of his chest—a silver spear wreathed in golden fire, it was a symbol of prestige, and of power.
“Do you say that to everyone you recruit?” asked Travis bluntly.
The look of mild offense that spread across Chester’s face made Travis backtrack, “Sorry, it's just, how do you know I’m going to love Lightspear?”
“It’s quite alright. I’ll tell you a secret, you're actually the first student I’ve been assigned to recruit.”
“Is that a secret or just something you withheld from me?” asked Travis.
“Both?” suggested Chester.
Travis licked his lips nervously. They’d grown dry and chapped. Had stress done that? Or just the cool air?
“Do you love Lightspear?” asked Travis, “And tell me the truth. I'm already enrolled. it's not as if I can back out now.”
Chester gave the new studenta warm, genuine smile, “Yes, I do. You’ll understand soon enough. The first month is always the hardest, but once you get a hang of things, well, you’ll know what I mean then. Lightspear isn’t just a school, it’s a home, a fantastical and magnificent home.”
Travis nodded. He wanted to believe Chester. The only thing stopping him was his uncertainty about his readiness. Yet, he reminded himself that some students began at Lightspear when they were as young as sixteen. He was eighteen. If they could thrive then certainly he could, right?
“How many students are enrolling this year?” asked Travis.
Chester looked thoughtful. “I have no way of knowing for certain about this year, but one hundred and ten students enrolled last year, and I’d bet that number has increased this year.”
Travis nodded, he’d already known as much from the pamphlets. “I suppose I’m lucky to get in.”
“You are,” said Chester, “not many families can afford tuition, your parents must have a lot of faith in you.”
Travis smiled thinly. “I suppose they must.”
“You’ll make them proud,” Chester reassured him, “you're a smart lad with a bright future ahead of you.”
Travis inhaled slowly, then exhaled, calming himself and steadying his nerves. “Thanks, that’s kind of you to say.”
“Of course,” replied Chester, “you wouldn’t have been accepted unless the school knew you were going to succeed.”
“What about the students who don’t graduate?” asked Travis.
“What about them?” replied Chester.
“They must have been accepted, and yet they didn’t succeed,” said Travis.
“Ah,” muttered Chester. “Well, mistakes do happen. Very rarely, but those mistakes don’t occur often, as I said they are very rare. Probably one in a thousand.”
“So rare they didn’t make it onto the pamphlets?” asked Travis.
“Precisely!” said Chester.
The carriage trundled on, traveling down the northern road, Lightspear was within New Haven fief so it wasn’t as if Travis was traveling to another fief. Still, Lightspear was some hundred miles northwest of Travis’s home town of Whiteshire, and the carriage ride would take some six hours.
Newly enrolled students from across all ten of the fiefs that made up Valerence would be traveling to Lightspear at this very moment, mused Travis.
He supposed he was lucky to live so close to the academy. The trip from any one of the southern fiefs would likely take somewhere between three to five days. And then there were the Dukedoms, south of Lexington, to consider. Anyone traveling from those would likely be in for a week long trip just to make it to the academy.
“Do students from the Dukedoms enroll at Lightspear?” asked Travis.
Chester nodded. “They do, but there aren't many of them.”
“What about from Moonwood?
Chester scoffed, “I thought you said you read through the pamphlets?”
“I did,” said Travis, “and they didn’t mention anything about the elves.”
“Well that’s because an elf has never set foot within Lightspear Academy,” said Chester, a smile playing across his face.
“Oh, that’s a pity,” said Travis.
“Is it?” asked Chester.
“Are they not welcome at Lightspear?”
“Oh they are, they just haven’t accepted the school's offers. I’ve even heard that King Xander the Holy offered the elf king's son enrollment free of charge. The elf king refused.”
Travis’s eyebrows rose. “Why wouldn’t he accept such a generous offer?”
Chester shrugged. “Who knows, the elves are a strange people. If you ask me it’s a good thing they choose to remain in Moonwood.”
Travis nodded reflexively, he had hoped he might glimpse a real elf at Lightspear, he now realized it had been a foolish hope.
“How long did it take for
“Three years,” replied Chester.
“And now you work for the school,” nudged Travis.
Chester smiled, “Yes, as I said, Lightspear Academy is my home, plus working for the academy allows me to meet and interact with this continent's future leaders.”
Travis nodded. Three years, that was the minimum time required to graduate from the academy. Each of the various fields one could pursue at Lightspear entailed a different learning experience, lasting anywhere from three to five years. The majority of the various fields were a mystery to Travis, as were their criteria and the contents of such learning experiences. The pamphlets only divulged so much and the majority of what went on at Lightspear Academy was a mystery. What Travis did know was that he would be spending his next three months learning history, law, and basic combat skills. Then there would be a test for each of the subjects, should he pass he would begin learning new, unknown, subjects. Should he fail, he would be given another three months of the same training before he would be given the opportunity to retake the tests.
History had always been where he excelled, so he had no fears of failing that test. Law came harder to him, but with three months of lessons ahead of him he was confident he could succeed in that field as well. However, basic combat skills—now that was the field he was worried about, he wasn’t even sure exactly what basic combat skills entailed. Chester had been tight lipped about Lightspear’s curriculum, and the pamphlets hadn’t been any better. Travis rallied his thoughts, the point was that he had three months of pursuing three subjects ahead of him, after that, three to five years of unknown classes. He didn’t like the unknown, and yet his future was unknown, all thanks to his parents who insisted that Lightspear Academy was where he belonged. He wasn’t foolish enough to dismiss the many benefits of attending the most prestigious academy in the world, and yet, the academy remained a mystery, it was an unfamiliar place while the rest of his life had been so very familiar and so very predictable.
“What was your favorite of the three initial subjects?” asked Travis.
Chester inclined his head, a gesture Travis knew to mean he was thinking, “Hmm, if I’m remembering correctly then I believe I favored law.”
“Were the tests for those subjects difficult?” asked Travis.
“To be honest I don’t remember,” said Chester. “Though I believe eighty percent of the students who take them for the first time pass, so do with that information as you will.”
Travis winked. “How long are each of the classes per day?”
“Two to three hours,” replied Chester.
“What was your favorite class you took overall?” asked Travis.
Chester smirked. “Nice try.”
Travis returned the smile, “I just don’t see what all the secrecy is about. Surely not everyone who graduated is as tight lipped as you.”
“Oh, you’d be surprised,” said Chester.
“Do you have to sign a contract or something?” asked Travis.
“If I did I wouldn’t be allowed to tell you,” teased Chester.
The carriage continued down the road, passing other carriages, wagons, and those on foot. Some five hours later it turned off of the road and stopped before a gate, Chester emerged from the carriage and identified himself to the soldiers outside. They proceeded to open the gate as Chester re-entered the carriage. At a whip from the driver's reins the carriage trundled through the open gate and down a road surrounded by forest.
“I suppose we’re nearly there?” asked Travis.
Chester nodded. “That we are.”
Around five minutes later Travis glimpsed a distant black spire through the window; he'd always imagined Lightspear to be a white castle-like structure. A minute later as the carriage rounded a bend, Travis caught sight of the very structure he had imagined. The forest ended, a grassy field taking its place, and in the center of the field lay the academy. It must have been double the size of Lighthold, the capital fortress of Newhaven which he’d visited once before with his family.
Lightspear Academy was indeed a massive white structure, though calling it a castle didn’t do its size justice. It was truly enormous, even from Travis’s meager window he could see that it had thirteen towers and four spires. Additionally it wasn’t square or round like the other castles he’d heard about. The academy appeared to be every shape combined together. Rather than making the structure look deformed this trait made it look splendent.
Travis withdrew from the window as the carriage turned and began to approach what Travis presumed was the academy’s main entrance. To say he was nervous was an understatement, he was scared, and yet he hid his fear under a slight smile. As he and Chester stepped out of the carriage, he stood tall, back straight and shoulders aligned.
“Well,” said Chester, gesturing toward the gardens and fountains that led up to the marvelous white building, “this is it: Lightspear.”
People were everywhere, carriages were arriving and new students were entering the school for the first time. Travis took comfort in that. He wasn’t alone, this was a new experience for all the first year students.
“Let’s go get you situated,” said Chester. “Someone will deliver your luggage to your room later.”
Travis followed Chester toward steps which led to a massive open archway, beyond which lay the school's interior. He arrived two days before the first year's school semester would begin. Two days seemed like such a short period of time. He was walking up the steps now, a false smile on his face as he followed beside Chester. They were passing through the arch, a large hall extending before them, the hall was filled with first year students and their councilors. The first years wore the same silver and yellow uniform as Travis, while the councilors wore the same blue and white robes as Chester.
“First I’ll show you to your dormitory,” said Chester. “There’s going to be a group tour in an hour. After that there will be dinner. I’ll meet with you tomorrow to answer any additional questions you may have. I’ll deliver your schedule to you then and we can look over it together. Your classes will begin the following morning.”
Travis nodded and followed Chester down the crowded hall. They turned off down a smaller hall, then down another more crowded hall, and finally up a short flight of steps. The pair emerged into a deserted hallway lined with doors.
“This is First Semester Corridor C,” said Chester, he produced a key and slid it into a hole in one of the ten doors. “You’ll be staying in room three with your roommate for the next three to six months, after that you may change rooms depending on a multitude of variables which I am not privy to.”
Chester removed the key and opened the door, holding it for Travis who entered. The room was small and lacked windows. Several lamps lit the room. Bunk beds lined the back wall while two chairs sat on either side of a table to the right.To his left was a door which led to a privy. Two bureaus faced each other, one against either wall beside the bunk beds, and that was it, the rest of the room, little that there was, was empty.
Chester entered behind Travis, the door closing behind him. “A small space, yet an efficient one. Your rooms usually get larger with each semester, some third years even get to choose their roommates. Others get their own private rooms. It all depends what classes you end up taking.”
Chester passed Travis a pouch. “Your keys in there. Please don’t lose them If you do then there are spares but they're a hassle to obtain.”
“I’ll try not to,” said Travis. “When does my luggage arrive?”
“It should be here when you finish the tour.” There was some noise from outside the room as Chester continued speaking. “You’ll be taking the tour with your fellow classmates here in Corridor C. You’ll all have the same schedule for these initial first three months as well.”
Travis nodded. Ten doors in the corridor meant twenty students would be living in corridor C. “Thanks, Chester. I appreciate everything.”
Chester smiled. “You're very welcome. As I said in the carriage, the first few months are an adjustment period. After that, you’ll feel right at home here.”
Travis returned the smile.
“Well,” remarked Chester, “I can hear your classmates arriving outside, and your roommate should be here soon enough. Your tour begins in forty minutes, so I’ll leave you to it. I’ll come find you after breakfast tomorrow and we’ll discuss your schedule.”
