The Nine Bishops

Violently coughing up water, Mika came to and realized she was soaking wet and lying on her back on sand. At first, she couldn’t remember where she was. Then, it came to her: she’d been drowning. Willingly. Something had taken control of her body and drawn her into the water, deeper and deeper.

As she recovered her senses and recognized the gravity of the situation, she felt a dim awareness that someone must have saved her. Sure enough, when she was able to sit up, she saw a young man close by, monitoring her health.

“Oh, good. You are awake,” he said, with a sigh of relief. He was dark-skinned, not much older than Mika, and was peering at her intently through round glasses, his forehead furrowed with concern. “What the hell were you thinking going onto the sand, ma’am?” he exclaimed.

Mika, still groggy, had no idea what to say. She looked at him, trying to understand what had happened. He was soaking wet, too. He must have jumped into the water and pulled me out. He saved me from myself. Mika sat in silence for a moment, trying to remember. She couldn’t recall anything compelling her to drown herself; all she could remember that she’d just walked out towards the water and did not stop.

The young man was mumbling to himself now, something about being late and his master killing him. Mika studied him as he rummaged through a satchel he had spread open on the sand. He was shuffling through papers, as though to validate that all his documents were still in it.

“What happened?” Mika finally asked.

The young man looked up from his papers with a look that suggested she was crazy. “What happened? You tried to kill yourself, that’s what happened. Ma’am, I have no business knowing what you were doing out there, but you should know better than to go onto that sand.”

“What are you talking about?” Mika said, coughing up the remnants of saltwater in her lungs.

“Ma’am, don’t you read the signs? They all say, Danger, absolutely no mages on the beach. Don’t you know that fog will kill you?”

“I didn’t see any signs. This is my first time in Monsoon. I didn’t know,” Mika replied, wondering how this was possible.

“Well, you’re lucky I spotted you, because no one else would have saved you,” he hurriedly explained. He seemed in a rush to go somewhere, but he evidently felt obligated to stay until Mika was out of harm’s way.

“So, what exactly happened? I had no control when I was out there.”

“No one knows why, but when mages step onto that sand and look towards the fog, they all walk out towards the water and don’t stop,” he said, shaking his head.

“So why didn’t it affect you?” Mika asked.

“Because, ma’am, as you must be aware, I am not a mage,” he said with polite patience. “The phenomenon does not affect my kind.”

Mika was still having difficulty distinguishing mages from Filth. She’d assumed from his demeanor and dress that he was a mage. She wasn’t used to seeing such properly educated and well-mannered Filth. She didn’t want to keep him from his appointment, wherever it was, but she felt she needed to reward his kindness.

“I thank you for saving me. I can see that you are in a rush, so you can go. I’ll be fine. Can I at least know your name and where I could find you so I can repay you somehow?” Mika said carefully, thinking that there was something more she could have said.

“Wait. You actually want to know my name?” he asked, suddenly confused. “I don’t actually have a name, but they call me Tink back at the guild, ma’am,” he replied.

“Guild? Which guild?”

“The War Eagles. That’s where you can find me, ma’am.”

“That’s exactly where I was going!” Mika said excitedly, almost forgetting she’d nearly died. “Do you mind if I come with you, Tink?”

“Certainly, ma’am, but I am in a bit of a rush. If you want to join me you’re going to have to run,” he answered, gathering up his satchel.

“That’s perfectly fine with me. Lead the way,” she answered, eager now to get to the guild house.

They ran together, dashing somewhat awkwardly around all the pedestrians taking a more leisurely pace. Mika was aware of being the object of strange looks. It must be odd to see a mage following a Filth, she mused. After a little less than a mile, Tink finally slowed down.

The building was smaller than Mika had expected, just two stories, and looked a bit shabby. The War Eagles may be the best guild in Seemos, but they certainly don’t have the nicest guild house, she thought. The granite building was crumbling in various places, giving the impression it might fall over in a strong enough wind.

Mika knew better than to judge a book by its cover, though, so she decided from now on to base her impressions on the quality of mages who belonged to the guild, instead. Tink led her to the large, wooden double doors and fished a key from his satchel. He unlocked the main entrance and motioned Mika in.

“I imagine you are here to speak with our master?” Tink asked, anticipating Mika’s request. “I’m going to speak with him myself, so if you would follow me to his study…”

Mika followed him through several rooms in the guild house, each in almost as bad a condition as the exterior. The guild boasted all the necessary furniture and amenities but needed refurbishment. Mika had always thought guilds enjoyed luxurious headquarters and offered the highest quality of life available to mages. If the War Eagles’ house was any indication, then her assumptions had been completely wrong.

She decided the guild members must be so focused on completing mage contracts that they were not in the guild house often. In any case, the guild’s master—the leader of the guild—would answer all her questions. The master not only the leader of the guild, but usually the most powerful of its mages.

Despite her studies, Mika knew nothing about the War Eagles’ master. She thought back, with a pang of worry and sadness for her uncle, to the book Sam had given her just before they parted. Even that book had nothing about the War Eagles within the last fifty years. Since they were considered the best guild, their master had to be equally incredible; of that, Mika was certain.

As Tink led her through the building, Mika noticed it seemed empty. There appeared to be no one inside the guild house, other than the two of them. Tink led the way down a staircase into a basement filled with a display of guild artifacts. It was practically a museum, boasting many items reflecting the major accolades the guild had received throughout its long history. There were placards, gems, banners, and much more, dating back more than a century.

Mika desperately wanted to stop and read the descriptions on each of the items, but Tink went on past them quickly, as though he’d been through this room dozens of times. At the far end was a door bearing a sign: Guild Master.

This was it: Her big opportunity to make a good first impression on the guild’s master. Her first and possibly only chance to gain entry to the guild she’d always wanted to join—and now, not as a servant but as a mage! Tink looked nervous as he approached the door, which in turn made Mika nervous. The War Eagles’ master must be intimidating if Tink is this nervous, she thought.

Tink hesitated at the door, pausing for a final check of the contents of his satchel before releasing a big sigh and then knocking.

The door flung open, though no one appeared in the doorway.

“Enter,” a voice commanded.

Tink looked back at Mika and motioned with his head to follow him.

“Master Beng, I have someone here to see you,” Tink said, nervously.

“Did you bring the things that I asked?” the master of the guild asked, ignoring Tink’s announcement. The master was an older man who looked to be about seventy, with intense, dark, narrowed eyes, white hair gathered in a top knot, and a goatee the same shade as his hair. He was wearing a flowing gray robe that covered his body, except for one exposed shoulder and arm. On his bared shoulder was tattooed the symbol of the guild, a screaming eagle, in red.

“Yes, Master Beng, all the contracts you asked me to collect from the notice boards are right here,” Tink replied, still nervous.

“Bring them here,” Master Beng demanded.

Tink walked closer to the master and handed over the entire contents of his satchel. While Master Beng looked through the documents, Mika gazed around his study and discovered it was an awful mess, as though it had been visited by a tornado. There were books open everywhere and empty liquor bottles all over the floor.

“And where is the list of all the drink specials across town that I asked for?” Master Beng barked at Tink, as if that were the most important thing he was supposed to bring.

Tink’s eyes widened. He quickly patted his pockets and pulled out a soggy piece of paper that appeared to have been ruined by his unexpected dip in the sea. Mika realized he had probably forgotten to take it out of his pocket when he saved her.

Tink extended the clump of wet paper out to Master Beng, who snatched it from his hands.

“What is this?” he yelled.

“Th-the dri-drink sp-specials,” Tink responded, too frightened to get the words out.

“What is the meaning of this? I can’t even read this!” Beng responded furiously. He wadded up the paper and waved his hand at Tink, who suddenly went flying into a cupboard against the wall as though he’d been struck, destroying it on impact. “Go back and don’t return until you have them,” he ordered Tink, who was just getting back to his feet.

Mika knew it wasn’t her place but felt she had to intervene, since she was partly responsible.

“Sir, with all due respect. It is my fault that Tink returned that list to you in that condition. You see, he saved me earlier today,” Mika interjected, hoping the master would be assuaged enough to calm down.

Master Beng looked at Mika as though he’d just noticed her for the first time. “Who are you, girl?”

“My name is Mika, sir,” she said, trying to sound extremely respectful.

Master Beng walked up very close to Mika and looked her straight in the eyes for a long moment. Mika could smell a hint of alcohol on his person. For some reason, this close inspection struck her as almost comical.

“Why are your eyes so blue?” Master Beng asked.

Mika lost any thought of smiling or laughing. She had no idea what had compelled him to ask such a question. All she could think to do was to lie.

“I don’t know sir… it was the way I was born?” Mika said with a straight face, summoning all her willpower to fake the answer convincingly.

“Hmmm,” he said, staring into her eyes more piercingly. “Have you had any strange dreams lately?”

Mika was taken aback again. How could he know so much about me? I’ve never met this man in my life. She answered the only way she thought might be safe.

“No, sir,” she answered, with as much resolve as she could muster.

“In that case, what are you doing here?” Master Beng asked, disappointment heavy in his voice.

“I’m here to join the War Eagles, sir.”

Mika heard Tink choke on his own breath after she said that. Master Beng shot him a nasty look and said, “What are you still doing here, Tink? Go get me that list immediately!” Tink bowed his head and bolted out the door without another word.

“We aren’t accepting. Sorry to disappoint you,” he said, then moved towards his desk to sit.

“That’s not what I heard, sir. I will do anything for you to reconsider,” Mika objected, as respectfully as she could.

“Anything, you say?”

“Yes, if it is within reason. I will do whatever it takes to join the War Eagles. It has been a lifelong dream,” Mika responded, suddenly feeling on the edge of tears.

“Well, there might be one thing you can do that can prove to me that you are Eagle material,” he said, seemingly pondering what that one thing might be.

“I’ll do it, sir. I am Eagle material,” Mika said confidently.

“It actually has to do with the contracts that Tink just brought back. I’m going to have you do one of them,” he said, smiling, as if it were the perfect test.

The prospect of having to accomplish a contract of Master Beng’s choosing instantly made her nervous. She had no idea how difficult it might be. It was not uncommon for mages to be killed doing first- and second-class contracts. They were considered high-risk, high-reward contracts. Mika would be lucky to get a fourth-class contract, the lowest level, though even such a contract might be difficult for a mage of Mika’s caliber, since she did not have control over her magic.

It was illegal for mages to take contracts if they were not already in a guild. Being part of a guild gave mages the authority to complete contracts. To fulfill Master Beng’s orders, Mika would have to do something not only difficult but illegal. There was no way the master could be unaware of this, so Mika was perplexed that Master Beng would risk his guild’s reputation for such a test.

However, she wasn’t about to say anything that might forfeit her chances of entering the guild, so she simply asked, “What contract will you have me do?”

“I actually haven’t picked one yet. Give me a minute and I will find a perfect one for you,” he replied.

He took a moment to sift through all the contracts splayed out on the table in front of him, mumbling to himself: “Not quite, too easy, too hard…” After a short while, he found the one he was looking for.

“This is the one for you,” he said, with a look so joyous one would think he’d just won the lottery. “When you have completed this contract, you’ll have it signed by the one who issued it, to prove to me that it has been completed. You won’t be a War Eagle until the contract is signed.”

Mika grabbed the contract Master Beng held out to her as if her life depended on it. He motioned to her to leave, which she did respectfully, with a bow. Without Tink to guide her, Mika felt awkward leaving a place she hoped she could call home soon. She found her way outside and shut the large double doors of the guild house behind her.

She was about to open the contract to read it when she heard a voice confronting her.

“I don’t know what you were doing in there, but whatever it was, you wasted your time. That master is a drunk and a fool.”

She looked up to see a man of about thirty who, oddly, looked something like a younger version of Master Beng, but with black hair and dressed more like an ordinary mage. He had a tattoo of a flock of crows on his neck, which she recognized as the symbol of Crow’s Nest.

“Excuse me?”

“Actually, don’t worry about it. Next time you see him, just tell him Lancel had something to show him,” the man said before walking away.

That was weird, Mika thought. But there was something more pressing on her mind: reading the contract Master Beng had given her. She was eager to learn what she had to do to become an Eagle. But after reading the whole contract, she immediately felt defeated.

The man named Lancel was right. Master Beng was a drunken fool. He had given Mika a contract that would be impossible for her to complete.