A Song of Snow and Ashes by S.J. Drew
barely over twenty. I'm just a kid to most people. No one's goin' to listen to me, no matter how much power I've got. I've got no education. I don't know anythin' about anythin'."
"Well, that's a good start. But this isn't about what you know, or what you think you can do. This is about what you want. What do you want, ShadowWalker?" Dwyer asked again.
Blake looked uncomfortable at the mention of the title, and started to clean his glasses, as was his habit when he was nervous.
He was silent for a moment, contemplating the question. "I want respect," he answered slowly. "And not from fear, either. Respect from havin' political power, or money, or from knowin' things. I want respect because I'm somebody. Somebody important. I want to be somebody instead of nobody. That's what I really want."
The priest nodded. "Very good. How much of a somebody do you want to be? Enough of a somebody to impress your lady fair? Enough of a somebody to punish this guard? Enough of a somebody to impress everyone?"
"I want to be somebody important enough I could talk to this woman without bein' embarrassed and ashamed. I want Reese to get punished. I don't care about anybody else," he replied harshly.
"Thanks," Blake interjected dryly.
"That's not what I mean, and you know it."
"Well, you must have some significant influence if you hope to punish a guardsman. I don't know the station of your lady, so I can't comment on that. How far are you willing to go to get what you want?"
"I don't want to do nothin' that will make Alain ashamed of me," he answered quickly.
"Alain?"
"My older brother. He's in the guard. He watches out for me. I don't want him to get hurt, or be ashamed of me."
"Very well," the priest replied. "If you want knowledge, you may have access to our libraries. Money and political power are a bit more difficult. You have no money to invest in any trade, I would guess."
He shook his head.
"And no good job?"
"No job at all. I got fired yesterday."
"You quit," Blake corrected.
"Why did you do that?" Dwyer asked.
He shrugged. "It was lousy job and my boss was a royal jackass."
"Then why didn't you quit sooner?"
"I need the money."
"But you still need money."
"Yeah. And Alain won't be happy about this either." He gave the priest a suspicious look. "What're you gettin' at, anyway?"
"Nothing. Nothing. I just find it interesting that you decided to quit a job you clearly disliked the day after you became the StormBringer. Why would that cause you to quit?"
"I figured I could find better things to do."
He smiled. "That's good. That's encouraging. Now, I suppose you want to know what we can do for you?"
He nodded.
"It depends on how far you want to go. If you just want a bit of power, we can give you money and tell you what trades to get involved in. If you want political power, we can get you information that would make it possible."
"Blackmail?" he interrupted.
"That's such an ugly word. But yes, much of our own power comes in the most useful form of all – secrets."
"That seems low," he commented.
"The world of politics is not noble. Our tactics are no lower than that of most politicians." He leaned forward on the desk. "Of course, if you were really ambitious, with a little time and effort, we could help unite the city-states under your leadership."
"You're crazy too."
"No, I don't think so. We've kept an eye on the political and economic situation of all the city-states. Renfrew right now is the most powerful, and would be a good starting place."
"No one is goin' to take a kid like me seriously," he replied, thinking, "What's wrong with these people? I can't rule." But in the back of his mind, a small voice was saying, "Why not?"
"That's what puppet rulers are for. You seem to know your history. Many mages used them quite successfully until their own egos got in the way."
"I still think you're crazy."
"But you are thinking about it," the priest remarked shrewdly.
"And what do you get out of it? Why are you pushin' this idea?"
"If you rule, surely you would repay the debt you owe those that got you that power."
"You," he replied bluntly. "And if it fails?"
"Then we make sure nothing you have done can possibly be attributed to us."
"So it's a no lose situation for you?"
"Well, we lose some time and effort spent trying to help you, but those are the risks."
"I don't trust you," Donnan repeated.
"Again, you should not. But think about what we've discussed. The temple will lend you some money. You'll have to come up with your own explanation as to how you got it. I will start contacting individuals that can help you get political power and a job."
"It'll be legal, right?"
"Well, not illegal, exactly."
"I don't want to nothin' to make Alain ashamed of me. I can't become a criminal."
"My Lord, I respect that, I really do. But you have no name, no money, and no connections of your own. Trying to help you using completely legitimate means would be next to impossible."
He sighed. "Alright, but nothin' illegal."
"Very well. Is there anything else you want from us?"
"I want to learn to fight."
"You should learn magic too. What you did to those guards last night was arcane, I'm sure of it," interjected Blake.
"Last night?" Dwyer asked.
Donnan shook his head. "Nothin'. But that's probably a good idea. I need to learn sorcery."
"We can get you a fighting coach. That's not hard. Teaching you magic will be more difficult, I'm afraid. Do you know Arcana?"
He shook his head.
"I thought not. You must learn that before we can get you a tutor."
"Why? Magic isn't written in Arcana. It's written in runes or somethin'."
"Yes, but you'll have to convince the mage that you are a worthy student, unless of course you just want to frighten one into working for you."
"I don't want that."
"Then you'll need to learn Arcana. It impresses them. I don't know it myself, but I can get you a tutor for that as well, although it will take a little more time."
"I guess that sounds alright."
"Good. We can have a fight coach ready for you tomorrow. We'll let you know when we can get you a tutor in Arcana. And of course I'll let you know when we've found a place for you in political circles," he said with another cold smile.
Donnan narrowed his eyes at the priest. "I think you're not tellin' me everythin' you're plannin' on doin'."
"You have a good grasp on the nature of the Order," he replied.
"That's not comfortin'. And you didn't deny what I said."
"I could, but I'd be lying."
"I guess this is the price I have to pay to get your help? Not ask too many questions?"
"It will make things easier," Dwyer agreed.
"I don't like it. This means you'll have a bunch of blackmail on me."
He nodded. "As I said, you have a good grasp on the nature of the Order."
Again, he felt the Dark power within him, a quiet, flowing river. "I'm not goin' to be stepped on anymore. Not by anyone," he warned, his eyes turning black. The temperature dropped by several degrees in the room.
Blake shivered.
Dwyer's smile fixed on his face. "I understand that, my Lord."
"Good. Come on, Blake, let's go do somethin'."
"Blake has duties, my Lord."
"Blake's the only one of you lot I even half-way trust. He stays with me."
The head priest nodded. "As you will, my Lord."
The two left the study.
"Donnan, do you know what you just did?"
"Told the head priest where he stands. And he let me."
; "Yes. Yes. Doesn't that surprise you? Or scare you? Because it surprises and scares me."
"Blake, get me out of here. I don't care where we go. I just don't want to be here right now."
"How about we go looking for new apartments? Your brother will want to move anyway."
"Sounds fine. We can talk about what we're goin' to tell my brother too."
They spent the rest of the day walking around the city. Blake did most of the talking to the landlords, as Donnan had his mind on other things.
"They're crazy," he thought. "I know I deserve better than some lousy servant job, but trying to take over the place? What is wrong with them? I don't trust them. But he's right. There's nothing I can do on my own without getting in a lot of trouble. All the power in the world, and I still can't do a godsdamn thing on my own."
After locating a few promising locations, Donnan left Blake at the temple and went back to his apartment. Alain was there napping.
"Hey, little brother," he greeted, yawning. "I got some good news and I got some bad news."
"Funny, me too. But you first."
He shook his head slightly. "I got my first assignment. It's patrol duty, which is good 'cause I get a lot of practical experience, but I got assigned to the night watch."
"So that means you're goin' to have to sleep durin' the day, wake up around dinner time, spend a few hours doin' whatever, then go to work and come back at dawn?"
He nodded. "Yeah. But it's good work. I must've impressed my teachers. Most of us new guys would never get that kind of assignment. So what's your news?"
"I got fired."
"Fired? Why?"
"I was sick a couple of days ago. Missed work. And I didn't want to miss your graduation. So I got fired."
"Ah, damn," he sighed. "And I wanted to get a new place."
"Well, I have another job. Or will have another job soon."
"That's good. What is it?"
"I'm goin' to do some work for the Temple of Night," he answered, leaning away from his
"Well, that's a good start. But this isn't about what you know, or what you think you can do. This is about what you want. What do you want, ShadowWalker?" Dwyer asked again.
Blake looked uncomfortable at the mention of the title, and started to clean his glasses, as was his habit when he was nervous.
He was silent for a moment, contemplating the question. "I want respect," he answered slowly. "And not from fear, either. Respect from havin' political power, or money, or from knowin' things. I want respect because I'm somebody. Somebody important. I want to be somebody instead of nobody. That's what I really want."
The priest nodded. "Very good. How much of a somebody do you want to be? Enough of a somebody to impress your lady fair? Enough of a somebody to punish this guard? Enough of a somebody to impress everyone?"
"I want to be somebody important enough I could talk to this woman without bein' embarrassed and ashamed. I want Reese to get punished. I don't care about anybody else," he replied harshly.
"Thanks," Blake interjected dryly.
"That's not what I mean, and you know it."
"Well, you must have some significant influence if you hope to punish a guardsman. I don't know the station of your lady, so I can't comment on that. How far are you willing to go to get what you want?"
"I don't want to do nothin' that will make Alain ashamed of me," he answered quickly.
"Alain?"
"My older brother. He's in the guard. He watches out for me. I don't want him to get hurt, or be ashamed of me."
"Very well," the priest replied. "If you want knowledge, you may have access to our libraries. Money and political power are a bit more difficult. You have no money to invest in any trade, I would guess."
He shook his head.
"And no good job?"
"No job at all. I got fired yesterday."
"You quit," Blake corrected.
"Why did you do that?" Dwyer asked.
He shrugged. "It was lousy job and my boss was a royal jackass."
"Then why didn't you quit sooner?"
"I need the money."
"But you still need money."
"Yeah. And Alain won't be happy about this either." He gave the priest a suspicious look. "What're you gettin' at, anyway?"
"Nothing. Nothing. I just find it interesting that you decided to quit a job you clearly disliked the day after you became the StormBringer. Why would that cause you to quit?"
"I figured I could find better things to do."
He smiled. "That's good. That's encouraging. Now, I suppose you want to know what we can do for you?"
He nodded.
"It depends on how far you want to go. If you just want a bit of power, we can give you money and tell you what trades to get involved in. If you want political power, we can get you information that would make it possible."
"Blackmail?" he interrupted.
"That's such an ugly word. But yes, much of our own power comes in the most useful form of all – secrets."
"That seems low," he commented.
"The world of politics is not noble. Our tactics are no lower than that of most politicians." He leaned forward on the desk. "Of course, if you were really ambitious, with a little time and effort, we could help unite the city-states under your leadership."
"You're crazy too."
"No, I don't think so. We've kept an eye on the political and economic situation of all the city-states. Renfrew right now is the most powerful, and would be a good starting place."
"No one is goin' to take a kid like me seriously," he replied, thinking, "What's wrong with these people? I can't rule." But in the back of his mind, a small voice was saying, "Why not?"
"That's what puppet rulers are for. You seem to know your history. Many mages used them quite successfully until their own egos got in the way."
"I still think you're crazy."
"But you are thinking about it," the priest remarked shrewdly.
"And what do you get out of it? Why are you pushin' this idea?"
"If you rule, surely you would repay the debt you owe those that got you that power."
"You," he replied bluntly. "And if it fails?"
"Then we make sure nothing you have done can possibly be attributed to us."
"So it's a no lose situation for you?"
"Well, we lose some time and effort spent trying to help you, but those are the risks."
"I don't trust you," Donnan repeated.
"Again, you should not. But think about what we've discussed. The temple will lend you some money. You'll have to come up with your own explanation as to how you got it. I will start contacting individuals that can help you get political power and a job."
"It'll be legal, right?"
"Well, not illegal, exactly."
"I don't want to nothin' to make Alain ashamed of me. I can't become a criminal."
"My Lord, I respect that, I really do. But you have no name, no money, and no connections of your own. Trying to help you using completely legitimate means would be next to impossible."
He sighed. "Alright, but nothin' illegal."
"Very well. Is there anything else you want from us?"
"I want to learn to fight."
"You should learn magic too. What you did to those guards last night was arcane, I'm sure of it," interjected Blake.
"Last night?" Dwyer asked.
Donnan shook his head. "Nothin'. But that's probably a good idea. I need to learn sorcery."
"We can get you a fighting coach. That's not hard. Teaching you magic will be more difficult, I'm afraid. Do you know Arcana?"
He shook his head.
"I thought not. You must learn that before we can get you a tutor."
"Why? Magic isn't written in Arcana. It's written in runes or somethin'."
"Yes, but you'll have to convince the mage that you are a worthy student, unless of course you just want to frighten one into working for you."
"I don't want that."
"Then you'll need to learn Arcana. It impresses them. I don't know it myself, but I can get you a tutor for that as well, although it will take a little more time."
"I guess that sounds alright."
"Good. We can have a fight coach ready for you tomorrow. We'll let you know when we can get you a tutor in Arcana. And of course I'll let you know when we've found a place for you in political circles," he said with another cold smile.
Donnan narrowed his eyes at the priest. "I think you're not tellin' me everythin' you're plannin' on doin'."
"You have a good grasp on the nature of the Order," he replied.
"That's not comfortin'. And you didn't deny what I said."
"I could, but I'd be lying."
"I guess this is the price I have to pay to get your help? Not ask too many questions?"
"It will make things easier," Dwyer agreed.
"I don't like it. This means you'll have a bunch of blackmail on me."
He nodded. "As I said, you have a good grasp on the nature of the Order."
Again, he felt the Dark power within him, a quiet, flowing river. "I'm not goin' to be stepped on anymore. Not by anyone," he warned, his eyes turning black. The temperature dropped by several degrees in the room.
Blake shivered.
Dwyer's smile fixed on his face. "I understand that, my Lord."
"Good. Come on, Blake, let's go do somethin'."
"Blake has duties, my Lord."
"Blake's the only one of you lot I even half-way trust. He stays with me."
The head priest nodded. "As you will, my Lord."
The two left the study.
"Donnan, do you know what you just did?"
"Told the head priest where he stands. And he let me."
"Blake, get me out of here. I don't care where we go. I just don't want to be here right now."
"How about we go looking for new apartments? Your brother will want to move anyway."
"Sounds fine. We can talk about what we're goin' to tell my brother too."
They spent the rest of the day walking around the city. Blake did most of the talking to the landlords, as Donnan had his mind on other things.
"They're crazy," he thought. "I know I deserve better than some lousy servant job, but trying to take over the place? What is wrong with them? I don't trust them. But he's right. There's nothing I can do on my own without getting in a lot of trouble. All the power in the world, and I still can't do a godsdamn thing on my own."
After locating a few promising locations, Donnan left Blake at the temple and went back to his apartment. Alain was there napping.
"Hey, little brother," he greeted, yawning. "I got some good news and I got some bad news."
"Funny, me too. But you first."
He shook his head slightly. "I got my first assignment. It's patrol duty, which is good 'cause I get a lot of practical experience, but I got assigned to the night watch."
"So that means you're goin' to have to sleep durin' the day, wake up around dinner time, spend a few hours doin' whatever, then go to work and come back at dawn?"
He nodded. "Yeah. But it's good work. I must've impressed my teachers. Most of us new guys would never get that kind of assignment. So what's your news?"
"I got fired."
"Fired? Why?"
"I was sick a couple of days ago. Missed work. And I didn't want to miss your graduation. So I got fired."
"Ah, damn," he sighed. "And I wanted to get a new place."
"Well, I have another job. Or will have another job soon."
"That's good. What is it?"
"I'm goin' to do some work for the Temple of Night," he answered, leaning away from his