The Nine Bishops

In her dream that night, Mika survived for a longer time than she ever had before; that is, if time even existed in her dreams. As always, her father tried with great determination to kill her. He used only ice magic, like Mika’s, but his use of it was exceptional. In the end, Mika met her demise and promptly awoke.

But when she opened her eyes, she wasn’t alone. To her shock, Master Beng was sitting in a chair next to her bed, watching her. She shot up.

“Bad dream?”

“I really don’t know how to explain it,” Mika responded warily. “What are you doing here, Master?”

“Waiting for you to wake up, of course,” he answered, as if it was a perfectly legitimate thing to do.

“And why are you waiting for me to wake up in my room?”

“Because your training for the Selection of Sixteen starts immediately,” Master Beng said with a big smile.

So he was paying attention to me last night … Why didn’t he say something then? Mika thought, still disheveled from her rude awakening.

“Do you know where the lighthouse is?” Master Beng asked her, not giving Mika time to think.

Mika nodded.

“In that case, you have one hour to meet me there. Don’t be late, or there will be consequences,” he said, leaving the room.

Well this is all unexpected … I wish he’d given me time to at least process the information, Mika thought, before getting out of bed to gather her things.

The lighthouse was on the far end of the harbor. It had taken Mika over an hour to get to the harbor district yesterday, so she’d have to get ready and go quickly. She skipped breakfast and set off for the lighthouse immediately. Mika couldn’t imagine how Master Beng would get there on time, given his age.

It was still early, so she assumed she should expect a full day of training. After all, she had no idea what it meant to train in magic, so it would be wise to plan for the worst. She was jogging, making good time, until she got into the harbor area. She’d thought it was packed the day before, but this morning there were three times as many people crowding the streets. Mika realized that today was the Seventh, the heaviest travel day in Seemos.

Mika had to fight crowds just to get to the lighthouse. To make things worse, the lighthouse was farther away than she’d remembered. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when she finally found herself at the foot of the towering structure. But she didn’t see Master Beng anywhere, so she waited. After a couple of minutes, she looked up to the upper part of the lighthouse, which was about ten stories high and open to the public, and realized she probably should make her way to the top.

Mika sprinted up about a dozen flights of stairs and found both Doc and Master Beng waiting at the top. “You are late, Mika,” Master Beng said sternly.

“I … I was waiting at the bottom,” she said, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath, “and didn’t realize I was supposed to come up here.”

“Your task was to meet me at the lighthouse, was it not? And here I am. You are two minutes and six seconds late,” Master Beng announced. Mika wanted to protest, but technically he was right.

“My apologies, Master, I won’t be late ever again,” she responded, ashamed. How could this old man have beaten me here, anyway? Mika wondered.

“As I told you, there will be consequences. Fortunately, you made better time today than I expected. But still, the consequence is that every second you were late, you owe me another repetition. That makes one hundred and twenty-six repetitions you owe before you are dismissed from training. Doc, will you be so kind and wait for Mika at the bottom?”

Doc nodded and gave Mika a look of regret as he went down the stairs.

“Repetitions of what?” Mika asked nervously.

“This is the first of your three phases of training. In this phase you are going to try to save yourself from getting hurt by falling. Every time you fail, you will come back up here and try again. I will be counting to make sure you do all one hundred and twenty-six repetitions.”

“What do you mean by fall?” Mika asked, watching Master Beng sit down in a position to meditate.

“I mean fall,” he said with his eyes closed. In an instant, Mika was swept off her feet and found herself flying off the side of the lighthouse.

It didn’t take long to hit the ground. She heard a loud crack as seemingly every bone in her body shattered. Then came excruciating pain.

Mika lay helpless, staring skyward, her blood pounding in her ears as adrenaline coursed through her wracked body. Somehow, she remained conscious.

“If it were up to me, I would have come up with a different method,” she dimly heard Doc say. She felt his presence as he knelt beside her. “Still, Law has his methods, and I’m certain they will work. It might cost you your sanity, though.”

He laid a gentle hand on her broken right arm, and seconds later Mika felt the pain vanish. She was unnerved to feel at first completely broken and then completely healed.

She got to her feet, slowly and hesitantly, and looked down at her body. Sure enough, she was whole, as though nothing had happened.

“Is that your magic?” she asked, awed. Mika had thought she understood Doc’s abilities, but she’d really had no idea what he was capable of.

“Don’t worry about your injuries. I will take care of them, so long as you don’t actually die. I wouldn’t worry about that, either. Master Beng will make sure you don’t die in the next one hundred and twenty-five times,” Doc said jokingly.

Mika did not find this funny. “And what if I can’t do it? Save myself, that is?” She was already in terror of having to do the task again.

“You will be able to, eventually,” Doc responded, not sounding entirely sure. “Just don’t keep him waiting, otherwise he will just make you do more reps.”

“But what if I break my neck? I can’t just fall ten stories and hope to survive every time if I can’t figure it out!”

“Master Beng has changed the air density for your fall. You aren’t falling nearly as fast as you think, and he is making sure you don’t fall on your head. Just focus, and it will be over in no time.”

Mika nodded, unconvinced, and headed back up to repeat the process. Going up the stairs, inwardly fighting her growing misgivings, was a grueling task in itself. Back at the top, Master Beng didn’t say a word. He just sat there, with his eyes closed peacefully. Mika nervously approached the edge of the parapet and willed herself to leap again, but her body refused. Suddenly, she was swept off of her feet once more, and then she was lying on the ground, broken. And again, Doc was there to mend her broken body.

Mika tried to control her fear as she climbed the stairs again. And again, and again. During the hours of training that day, Mika broke her bones so many times she actually got used to it. But she seemed unable to crack the magic code that would save her from being hurt by the fall. The best she was able to do was create a thin sheet of ice near the bottom, which she just broke through while falling.

After Mika’s last fall, she felt that she was actually regressing. Despite her repeated failures, however, Master Beng didn’t look disheartened in the slightest. When Mika completed all one hundred and twenty-six falls, just before dusk, he finally spoke.

“Same time, same place, tomorrow.”

Mika was definitely not looking forward to tomorrow. She might have become somewhat accustomed to the falling sensation and the terrible if brief pain that followed, but she had no desire to experience them again if she could help it.

When Mika was finished, Master Beng released her. She left the lighthouse before Doc and her Master. Despite her awful day, Mikad decided she ought to drop by Howling Moon to apologize to Zaya for leaving her behind last night.

At the door to the guild’s wolf-den house, the red-haired woman answered the door again. She told Mika Zaya was not in, but offered to give her a message. Mika asked her to convey her apologies for the previous night, and set off again, trudging toward her new home.

On the long walk back, she realized how exhausted the day had left her—and how hungry. She’d neglected to eat anything throughout the ordeal. It’s amazing how much breaking your bones all day can work up an appetite, she thought ruefully.

Mika made it back to the guild just in time for supper. Tink was in the kitchen preparing something for dinner: a sizzling piece of meat paired with vegetables. The smell of the food amid her hunger and the intimacy of the kitchen after her public humiliations at the lighthouse seemed to break down her inhibitions, and she soon found herself venting her frustrations to Tink as he stirred and chopped.

Tink proved to be a great listener, who never interrupted but nodded and mm-hmmed sympathetically to let her know he was listening. Mika was relieved to find someone who could simply listen without judgment. She continued spouting for some time while he worked, finally falling silent just as he began spooning the food out onto plates.

“The one thing that will make you feel better is a great meal,” Tink said, his face breaking out into a big grin.

Right on cue, Pudge stormed the kitchen, duplicated the plates of food Tink had prepared, and walked out with as much as he could carry. Mika and Tink shared a laugh about that, then picked up a plate each and carried them into the dining hall.

Tink left the remaining plates in the kitchen for others to grab if they chose to eat, explaining that members generally did their own thing and that meals enjoyed together, like that at the induction ceremony, were rare. “I wish it happened more often, because it seems to me that’s when everyone is happiest,” he told her.

Mika and Tink continued their conversation over a meal and listened to each other’s venting: Mika about her training and Tink about how little time he had to do all the things that Master Beng put him up to.

Mika found a gap in the conversation and decided to change the topic to the events from the selection.

“So, why did the Eagles not nominate someone to participate in the tournament?” she asked.

“Ultimately, it is the guild master’s call. I honestly don’t know the specific reason, but I do know Master Beng is adamantly against the tournament and what it stands for. That’s common knowledge in all the guilds, though nobody seems to know why. Apparently his grandson, Lancel, dreamed of being in the War Eagles so he could become a Bishop. However, once Master Beng became the guild’s master he refused to let anyone in the guild join the tournament. I think the main reason was to prevent Lancel from becoming a Bishop.”

“Why would he be against that?” Mika wondered aloud.

Tink shrugged his shoulders. “He won’t say. Even asking the question is enough to set him off. I wouldn’t ask him or the other members. If he hears of it, he will likely kick you out of the guild, as he has done to countless others before you.”

Mika decided to drop her curiosity after a few more questions. She could not afford to be kicked out of the guild for such a trivial family matter. She had her own goals, after all.

“Well, does Master Beng know Lancel received a Bishop’s medallion?” Mika asked.

“I’m not sure. I think if he did, he would stop at nothing to prevent him from becoming a Bishop. The two may not have a great relationship anymore, but Master Beng still cares for his grandson. Sometimes, when he has been drinking, I hear him talking about Lancel in his sleep. It’s just strange that the one thing that could prove his love, in his grandson’s eyes—approval for him to become a Bishop—is the one thing he refuses to give him,” Tink mused.

Before Mika could ask anything more, someone banged loudly on the doorknocker outside the guild, twice.

“Let me see who that is. Be right back,” Tink said, dropping his silverware and making his way to the door. Mika heard a loud female voice say, “Is that really you, Tink?”

Mika got up to see who was at the door and found Tink talking to Zaya, as if the two were old friends.

“Mika! Is everything okay? I just got your message and I wanted to make sure you were all right after you disappeared last night.”

“Yeah, I’m really sorry about that. I suddenly felt sick and had to get out of there,” Mika said, wondering if Zaya could tell she was lying. “I’m much better now, though. The real question is: Do you two know each other?”

“Tink and I were friends a long time ago. His mother cooked for our family nearly twenty years back. We practically grew up together,” Zaya explained.

Mika realized there was still a lot about Tink she didn’t know, though she knew he was twenty-six years old. She had been meaning to ask how he ended up in the War Eagles.

“So what happened? It sounds like you haven’t seen each other in ages.”

“It’s kind of a long story. The short version is that his mother died and he kind of just disappeared. My father told me you went to stay with your grandmother after that,” Zaya said, looking back at Tink. “To think that was over fifteen years ago, and I can still remember you clear as day.”

Zaya went on, happily monologuing about the shenanigans they used to get into and how inseparable they were as kids, oblivious to Tink’s discomfort. Mika could see he was wearing a forced smile, as though her chatter was bringing up less fond memories. But he said nothing.

After Zaya finished reminiscing, she said, “Well, it’s great to see you again, Tink. We have a lot of catching up to do. And Mika, we definitely have to get together again sometime when you are feeling better. Maybe we can do something?”

After tentatively settling on the following Sixth to meet up, they said their goodbyes and Maya left.

As Tink closed the door, Mika asked gently, “I take it your memories of back then aren’t as happy as hers?” I know all too well what it’s like being a Filth, she wanted to say, but held her tongue.

“My mother and I were just … on the other side of things. There are some things Zaya, or any mage for that matter, can’t really understand,” Tink replied, carefully. He was obviously being respectful, having no reason to suspect Mika was anything but a mage herself.

“And what became of your mother?” Mika asked sympathetically.

“Zaya told it true. She passed away while serving her family. She just got very sick,” he responded sadly.

“I’m sorry for your loss, Tink. I’ve lost loved ones as well, so I know the feeling of being alone.”

“As a Filth, I’ve learned that no matter how many people you have in your life, you are always alone,” he said, bowing his head, his composure breaking. The conversation with Zaya had evidently brought some buried emotions to the surface.

Mika, suddenly remembering Sam, felt her heart break for Tink. And she said something she thought she’d never thought she would say again.

“I know. I’m Filth, too.”

Tink looked up at Mika with disbelief, and then what she recognized as carefully restrained anger.

“I mean no disrespect, ma’am. But you have no idea what it is like to be a Filth.”

Ma’am. He hadn’t called her that since she’d asked him not to.

Mika had meant no harm, but Tink was clearly taking her attempt at empathy as a slight to the suffering Filth experienced every day of their lives. She realized the only way to save their friendship was to convince Tink she was telling the truth.

“I know what it means to be a Filth because I saw my uncle get branded in front of me.”

Mika’s response rattled Tink. He had an angry look on his face, and was clearly restraining himself from going off on her. She’d said it so firmly and boldly that Tink had trouble coming up with a response right away. But looking into her eyes, he realized she’d spoken the truth. Tink’s anger quickly dissipated, and he was about to say something when Pudge came into the corridor, suddenly interrupting their conversation.

“I forgot that I was on my last plate …” Pudge admitted, holding two empty plates.

Tink’s face suddenly crumpled with amusement, but he tried his best to withhold his laughter and gave Mika a genuinely happy glance.

Rather than question her further, he said, “I know what it’s like to carry the burden of the past with you.” Giving the waiting Pudge a sidelong glance, he said, “Mika, maybe we can talk about our lives before the guild later, when I don’t have so much work to do?”

“You bet,” she responded, hoping she might have regained some of Tink’s trust. Tink asked Pudge to return to the kitchen with him so he could show him the leftovers.

Mika retreated to her room to rest. She quickly got ready for bed, but her mind was still racing.

As she lay in bed, Mika wrestled with conflicting thoughts. There were so many emotions to contend with: anxiety, guilt, fear, and sympathy, along with a growing sense of responsibility over what had happened and what needed to happen.

Her thoughts drifted from Tink’s mysterious but relatable hard life, to the children she had rescued from being bullied, and, as always, to her dear uncle. Where is Sam now? Is he even still alive? Mika’s heart ached for him and for all the Filth who had suffered horribly because of her unwitting actions back at the circus. And now, here I am, with a full stomach, in a comfortable bed, griping about my training as a mage!

As she struggled to sleep, Mika made an important decision. She would never forget who she was. She was both Filth and mage. She was an Arcane. Her mind was set, and she knew her focus. The least she could do right now for those she cared about was to become more successful in her training. This was vital, if she were to have any chance of being ready in time to be the next Bishop.