Power Awakens

Taegan strode through the Keep, her fathers Keep, It just wasn’t fair, and her mind was in turmoil. She was oblivious to the commotion around her as her fathers staff rushed to and fro trying to deal with the aftermath of events. As she slammed the door to her apartments and flung herself on the bed she reviewed everything that had happened since she was dressed this morning. How could her life change so much in such a short time, and who was this boy who now invaded her thoughts turning the world into turmoil?

Today was her naming day, the most magical of days when the Latents decided what her future would be, in what capacity she would serve the Kingdom of Bruk. All sixteen year olds went through this process when the Latent Majee looked into each child, each Nominee and discovered their talent, they were then given the name of the Guild they would join for their five year apprenticeship.

Being the Archduke’s daughter her father ruled over Bowltown the largest town in the Kingdom of Bruk. Her father ruled in the King’s name and Taegan was therefore born into nobility. One privilege of being noble was of having the right to request a Latent look at your child earlier than their naming day and Taegan had already been seen twice by the Latents in her fathers service, once on her tenth birthday and once on her twelfth birthday. Although the Latents had told her father all the right things about his daughter having great potential, it was very difficult to pick up the talent of a Nominee until they had achieved puberty, hence the ritual of the Naming day.

The talent of Latency Recognition had been around as far back as the historical documents and Storytellers could determine, even to times before the Apocalypse. Her tutor had taught her that Latents are all Sorcerers or Majees of some form. Although even the lowest level practitioner of Majee, a Praktise level Majee could be a Latent. All Majees have the ability to discern Latent Talent, but the more powerful the Majee; the greater was their accuracy for the Latency Prediction.

She had been tutored from an early age to understand the importance of the Naming day. In simple terms the Latency Prediction of each and every human could determine what profession, job or role would fit that specific individual. The Nominees would then be allocated to a specific Guild, Craft, or Kingdom role.

So today was to have been a great day… Her Naming Day when she could prove to her father she was worth as much as each of the sons he had had before her. Being the youngest and a girl had been the downside of Taegan’s life for as long as she could remember, always being compared to brothers who had excelled from their apprenticeships and now served the King as part of his staff in the capital city Breem.

Then disaster had struck. First that stupid Latent at the choosing table had not been able to determine what her talent was, so she had been told to go and wait until they could come back to her. Then as if that wasn’t enough there were already four common boys there in the holding area, grubby boys looking at her like she was one of them. How dare they, she was seething inside but had had to act like the noble she was, so she had stuck her nose in the air and ignored them.

All the effort she had gone to choosing the exact colour of silk to make her dress, having the diamonds sent for from the capital to decorate it, how she was going to shine at the celebrations planned in the Keep, there were even a couple of the soldiers in the Kings guard who worked for her father she had picked out to have the honour of dancing with her. Instead she had been stuck in a holding pen with four common boys.

It had to be said that although Taegan was a bit of a snob (a trait usual among the nobility) she was in fact a sensitive girl and not at all as sure of herself as she appeared. She was slim and had long dark red hair which curled naturally to frame her face, her skin was like porcelain, and flawless. The gods had blessed her, her father said, with the beauty of a queen. It had to be said that she was particularly resplendent on her Naming day; the dress the colour of emeralds just further highlighted the deep green of her eyes. Unfortunately none of that mattered now as no one could see her waiting, while all her friends were out enjoying the Naming Day entertainments.

As time wore on Taegan had become more and more nervous, just what was the issue with her, why couldn’t they discover her talent, what if she didn’t have one. She would be left at her father’s mercy with no prospects, no chance of making a good marriage, an old maid sitting in her fathers keep for the rest of her life adding nothing to society. Luckily for Taegan her father the Archduke and the two resident Latents Gundor and Willem had arrived to break her of her miserable thoughts, with them was the Master Majee Fraykus.

Oh she had been so nervous, looking back now she could laugh about it, but at the time to have a great Majee rather than the usual Latents reveal her talent had been a great honour. She had stood in front of Fraykus whilst he had put his hands on her head. She had let herself relax as she had been tutored, when she felt the warmth spread inside her head as Fraykus had started his probing.

Next Fraykus had turned to speak to her father, she remembered trying to understand what he was saying but the probing had left her slightly dizzy, then her head had snapped up paying full attention to what Fraykus was saying. Two talents, not just one but two and both very strong no wonder her fathers Latents had not been able to read her.

Fraykus had then turned to smile at her “Taegan you have two great talents within you” he had said “I have probed deeply, there is little to choose between the two. You have the talent to be a great ruler not just Archduke of Bowltown, you could rule the Kingdom. Your other talent is just as spectacular, you have the talent to be a Majee and it seems that you could be a great sorceress.” Taegan thought she would recall those words for the rest of her life. Fraykus had then turned to her father and said “I would suggest that your Grace treasures his daughter’s future and sends Taegan to the capital, to the King himself, to be guided by the Kings council on whom to place her apprenticeship with. I am afraid there are none in Bowltown who could nurture and teach such talent.”

Taegan had stood motionless, she couldn’t believe what she had heard, to be a queen and a sorceress, was Fraykus hearing her own thoughts, had he the power to read her dreams? Her father smiled at her looking proud. Her heart had jumped at the thought of leaving her home and going to the King, to leave all of her friends, her Father. Those emotions within her were still bitter sweet, even now, after having the whole day for them to sink in. To leave all she loved, to go and apprentice in the Kings household, Taegan wondered if she were strong enough. Had Fraykus really read her correctly?

It had turned out that the boys with her had great talents within them too, the boy Mort had a brilliant mind, and would be a great scholar. The next boy Ainy had a talent for strategy and Logistics; Fraykus said it could rival the best strategists in the land if trained. These boys were full of surprises it seemed. Fraykus could hardly contain his amazement at finding such a group of talent and kept praising her fathers luck for it to all be found in Bowltown.

Tem had two latent talents, an aptitude for Majee and for swordsmanship. She had smiled to herself at that point appraising Tem as to whether he would be a suitable match. He was quite cute but so tall compared to her. He would possibly study with her under the Kings council but she had been unsure how her father would feel about his common parentage.

Then it had come to Jaac, the final boy. As Fraykus had probed Jaac a crackle and bright light seemed to momentarily strike his hand from Jaac’s head. “What just happened?” her father had demanded. Fraykus had looked overwhelmed as he turned to her father and said “The boy is a Nexii, your grace, and extremely important. His talent for Majee surpasses my own and therefore I could not see the full extent of his talents.” Fraykus had continued “Your Grace, by your leave, this boy needs to be trained under the King by his Sorcerer Nuthay or Sorceress Ayriane.”

Taegan gasped, a Nexii here in the room with her? Her tutor had taught her the history and legend that surrounded the Kingdom of Bruk, she had learnt all about Zeetek and the War of Attrition and how he had been the greatest Nexii in history. A new Nexii, here and now was something to behold. And to hear Fraykus talk of Sorceress Ayriane in the same sentence. Ayriane was a legend and the type of influential person in court that Taegan in her dreams hoped she could one day emulate. Now Fraykus was dead, killed by a demon from hell, and her world was upside down.