The Nine Bishops

Zaya ran fast through winding streets to get to the central square, in too much of a hurry to answer Mika’s questions. The crowds grew thicker as they ran, all heading in the same direction. As the sun sank below the eastern horizon, Mika noticed in the distance that the center of Monsoon was illuminated. It looked as though there were tiny stars hanging over the city, adding sparkle to the night.

Zaya passed through the crowds efficiently, slowing her pace as the crowds became denser and grasping Mika’s arm to keep them from being separated. As they neared the square, she looked back and told Mika, “Follow me closely,” loudly over the noise of the crowd.

Zaya got to the side of a building and started climbing its ledges. Mika didn’t want to lose track of Zaya, since she was the only person she could ask what was going on free of judgment. It was not difficult to climb the two-story building, but it felt strange to do it with so many people around them. No one seemed to notice or care, as everyone was focused on seeing what was about to transpire.

When Mika got to the top of the building, she realized it offered a perfect view of the center of Monsoon. The park with the winding streets and canal was empty, with the exception of the large, ruined dome. Only a handful of people occupied the center, while thousands surrounded it from a distance, as if an invisible barrier prevented them from getting any closer. The sky should have been dark by now, but above the were more than a dozen tiny stars floating above, illuminating the area.

Mika found Zaya standing at the edge of the building overlooking the scene, rapt. “Isn’t that a perfect view, Mika? And to think we just made it in the nick of time,” she said, without taking her eyes off the view.

“So what exactly is going on, and why are there so many people here?”

“I’m surprised you don’t know, they’ve been hyping up this event for weeks! Here, sit down and I’ll try to explain everything to you before the selection starts,” Zaya said, lowering herself gingerly to sit down, so that her legs were dangling over the edge of the roof. Mika sat next to her. From what she gathered, there was about to be some kind of show. Mika had seen many excited audiences at the circus, but this was more spectacular than anything she had ever experienced. It seemed like the whole city was here to watch.

“You are going to have to tell me everything, by the way,” Mika admitted.

“That’s fine. So, tonight is the start of the Selection of Sixteen. We are going to find out who most of the tournament’s competitors are,” Zaya explained.

“And they are competing to be the next Bishop?”

“Exactly.”

Mika peered out towards the dome and the small group there. “If there are supposed to be sixteen people, then why do I only count ten?”

“Well, each public guild has a nominee and then each Bishop has a nominee, making sixteen. Right now, all of the guilds’ nominees are probably out there, and more than likely one or two of the most confident Bishop nominees.”

That didn’t make sense to Mika at all. To begin, there were nine Bishops, so Zaya’s count of eight Bishop nominees didn’t seem right. And she didn’t know what to make of Zaya’s comment about the most confident Bishop nominees being there. What does confidence have to do with anything? she wondered. Mika was just about to ask, when a voice boomed from the sky. A projection of a dark-skinned man with an afro hairstyle, large glasses, and a ridiculous purple suit with variously colored buttons filled the sky.

“Ladies and gentlemen, mages and Filth, welcome to the 396th Selection of Sixteen! I’ll be your master of ceremonies for this evening, as well as the commentator of the tournament, Bojo Jack!” the man shouted for all to hear. Mika realized that the man was announcing from the center next to the nominees. His image and voice were being projected so all could hear and see him clearly. He reminded her of Esteban, though he had much more spunk and presence about him.

“Now for the moment you have been waiting for! Tonight, we have nine of the selected joining us this evening. Seven from Monsoon’s finest guilds, and two of the Bishop nominees. Let’s start the selection with the guilds!” Bojo announced, in a fantastic showman’s voice.

“Starting with the Silent Truths’ nominee, we have Randall Farly! He may not be the master of the guild, but he is no amateur. Having completed eighty-four second-class contracts and six first-class contracts, the man has surely earned the nomination from his guild. Let’s give him a round of applause as he drops his nomination into the selection pool!” Bojo exclaimed.

The projection in the sky switched from Bojo to Randall Farly, a plain-looking bald man in his late forties. He said nothing but went to the edge of the canal, where Bojo was standing, and held up a token. It was the guild’s emblem, the letter S with the letter T striking through it. He held it up for all to see, then dropped it ceremoniously into the canal.

As it hit the water, one of the stars above exploded into the Silent Truths’ emblem. The explosion startled Mika and the rest of the crowd, but it was a mesmerizing light display. It was then that Mika noticed there were exactly sixteen stars in sky above the dome, one now transformed into the Silent Truths’ emblem.

Bojo followed the same procedure with the rest of the guild nominees. He announced each nominee’s name, guild, and accomplishments. Each walked up to the canal, held up a token for all to see, and dropped it in. One by one, each guild’s emblem illuminated the sky: Royal Flush’s deck of cards, Heart of the Mountain’s outline of a mountain peak, Nature’s Fury’s tree of life, The Dreamcatchers’ dreamcatcher, and Crow’s Nest’s flock of crows.

When Howling Moon’s nominee was announced, Zaya got to her feet and howled excitedly. She turned to Mika and said, “That’s our Master Alfred. He’s taught me everything I know. He’s been a family friend for my whole life and the main reason why I chose to join Howling Moon,” she said, excitedly. When her guild emblem of a wolf howling illuminated the sky, Zaya gave one more howl before sitting down, a huge smile on her face.

Mika eagerly looked for any sign of her own guild’s nominee, but there was none. Bojo himself had said there were only seven guild nominees, and he had already announced seven. Mika was concerned that her guild was not represented.

“Ladies and gentlemen, mages and Filth, that concludes the selection of the guilds,” Bojo was saying. “As you may have noticed, the War Eagles have not nominated anyone from their guild for the 396th tournament, which is a shame. However, it is not too late for them. Normally the guilds are required to nominate someone tonight, but I have been directed that we are giving the War Eagles an extension. They will have until the start of the tournament to nominate someone. Obviously, we don’t expect much from them, considering they have not nominated anyone in over a decade, but hey, anything can happen!” Bojo said, with a grin on his face.

What is going on? Mika wondered, her anger rising. Why would we not nominate anyone to be the next Bishop? Is Master Beng crazy?

“So what’s up with your guild not nominating someone, Mika?” Zaya asked curiously.

“Honestly, I don’t know, but I’ll definitely find out later and let you know.” Mika answered, with some fire in her voice.

“And without further ado, we are going to announce the two Bishop nominees that were so brave in joining us today. As you know, a Bishop’s nominee has a great advantage over their guild nominee counterparts. They can do the selection process any time they want, so long as it’s before the start of the tournament. No one has to know their identity until the start of the tournament, so they have a distinct advantage, which is the element of surprise! However, tonight’s nominees are confident enough in their abilities to be selected this evening. Here they will secure their nomination, so let’s give them a round of applause!” Bojo explained, with even more excitement in his voice.

“Now, our first Bishop nominee is not a member in any of the public guilds. Her accomplishments are a mystery to all but a few. We don’t know what to expect, but we will not take her lightly. Give a warm welcome to Jazmine Ado!” Bojo boomed, and the crowd went wild.

Mika paid close attention to the woman. She was about thirty years old, had dark green hair, and was gorgeous. Mika wondered how she had been nominated by a Bishop. Mika’s wonderment turned to fear when she saw Jazmine pull out her Bishop’s medallion and drop it into the water like all the rest. Instead of a guild’s emblem illuminating the night, the outline of a female face blowing a kiss brightened the sky: the symbol for Bishop Medusa. Mika remembered it from her book on the Bishops.

“Jazmine Ado was selected by Bishop Medusa!” Bojo announced with amazement.

Mika could feel the Bishop’s medallion she carried in her pocket growing heavier. The object was heavy, but in that moment Mika realize the true weight it carried. However, she didn’t have time to think much about it before Bojo announced the next nominee.

“The next Bishop nominee is someone most of us already know. The man is one of Seemos’s most prominent mages. Having completed 173 second-class contracts and 84 first-class contracts, we have Crow’s Nest’s very own Lancel Beng!” Bojo announced, with more enthusiasm than before.

To her shock, Mika recognized this candidate—he was the man who had made remarks about Master Beng as she was leaving the guild that first day. His last name, she realized, indicated that he was not only a powerful mage, but a relative of Master Beng.

Instead of following the same procedure as the others, Lancel walked up to Bojo and said something to him. Bojo looked confused, shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head. Instead of Bojo’s voice being projected for all to hear, now it was Lancel’s voice.

“As much as you all want to see which Bishop nominated me, I am not securing my nomination tongight, since I am not dropping the medallion,” Lancel announced. The crowd quieted until the noises were just a mass of whispers. “I have made myself known tonight as a challenge. If you believe you are worthier than me of this medallion, then I challenge you to take it from me. I am not dropping the medallion until the day before the tournament. Good luck.” And with that, he walked away, the crowd silently parting to make way for him.

“Well, folks, we certainly did not expect to see that tonight. But there you have it,” Bojo went on to say, continuing his closing remarks.

Mika wanted to listen but her mind was focused on other things. Finally, it all made sense to her. Having the medallion was a curse. If people learned she had it, they would try to kill her for it so they could be the next Bishop. If she decided to join the tournament between now and its start, she would just be challenging all of Seemos’ best mages. These mages were among the most powerful in Seemos. Mika could barely call herself a mage. She had no real right to be in the tournament, and no chance of winning it, no matter the task.

For the first time in a long time, Mika wanted to be alone. Without saying a word to Zaya, she got up and set off for the one place she need not see anyone: her room at the guild house.

“What’s wrong—where are you going?” Zaya called after her. But it was too late. Mika was off the roof and lost in the crowd.