There are moments in time where the many threads of fate become twisted and disordered — a turning point! These represent horizons beyond which prophecies are vague to the point of uselessness. It is often said that fate is a tapestry. To my mind, it is a knotted rope, each subsequent knot being one such point in time.

  Evran walked northwest along the wall separating the preserve from the rest of the island. Lerrum lagged behind, trailing his hand along the weathered stone as he passed. The afternoon sun had dried the cobblestone path from the morning rain, though a few puddles lingered, collecting petals from the talonfruit blossoms overhead.

  Monsters were everywhere in the world. They burst into existence anywhere, materializing from an interaction of mana and miasma. Forests team with creatures, caves and labyrinths doubly so. They also spawned in unattended storehouses, sewers, or under the beds of even the most well-behaved children.

  Most islands took tremendous care in preventing the spawning of monsters. They’d thin their forests and keep their buildings well ventilated and free of miasma. The people of Aldea did much the same, except when it came to their infamous monster preserve. Taking up roughly a third of the island, the preserve was home to many forests, a swamp, and a few artificial cave systems — perfect places for monsters to spawn. There was even a false labyrinth near the far side of the island. These areas served as a training ground for the students of the Aldean Magic Academy and their lesser known sister school.

  The wall of the preserve ran from Castle Aldea to an old fortress on a small peninsula overlooking the main harbor from the west. Within, students of the Spellblade Academy practiced their art. A wave of students in uniforms similar to their own exited the fort, taking the path along the coast which led to the city. Narro was not among them, as they had hoped he would be.

  “No good. We might have to go inside to find him,” said Lerrum, as the last of the spellblades passed. “Last time I got challenged to like ten duels.”

  “Well, you’re still alive, so I assume you won all of them?”

  “Not exactly.” Lerrum replied. “I got them all to agree to fight a tournament for the honor of challenging me, and I slipped away during a match.”

  Evran laughed at the fanciful tale. While a small rivalry existed between the two schools, most of the spellblades had attended two years at the mage academy before failing the continuation exam. The friendships made in those two years tended to endure. The Spellblade Academy offered the so-called washouts the opportunity to take their basic magic skills and combine them with magic weapons. As a result, the school produced many well-rounded knights and adventurers.

  As they approached the gate, Evran found a familiar face at the entrance, but not the one they had been searching for. Lerrum’s third girlfriend? Or was it his fourth? Evran struggled to remember her name, though he recalled she’d been a native of this island. The girl knelt next to a much younger boy and tended to his uniform. Both had the same straw-colored hair and striking blue eyes.

  “We’ve got trouble!” shouted the boy as he raised his practice sword toward the approaching mages. Lerrum and Evran both stopped and raised their hands in playful surrender.

  The girl looked up and smiled. “No, these guys are cool. They’re probably here to see Narro. Right, Ler?”

  “Arietta Finter, good to see you,” Lerrum replied. “And yeah, we’re looking for Narro.”

  “And why would you think he’s here?” she asked sarcastically. “He’s out in the preserve. Has been since morning!”

  “That’s Narro for you,” said Evran. “With his mana pool, he’ll probably be out there until sundown. Should we go without him?”

  “Nah, I know his favorite spot. It’s not far from the entrance, either. Let’s go get him.”

  “Um…” interrupted the small boy. “What’s a mana pool?”

  “It’s how much magical energy you possess,” replied Evran. “Narro’s is really big! He never runs out.”

  “This is my little brother, Wahl,” said Arietta, messing up the boy’s hair as she spoke. “He just started training here.”

  “Awesome!” said Lerrum. “I bet you’ll be super strong, just like Ari!” Lerrum turned to Arietta. “Not gonna send him to the academy first? He might have what it takes.”

  “Hell no, the academy is for losers!” shouted Wahl.

  “He’d rather be a spellblade like his big sis. Besides, I can teach him the basics. It’s not like I washed out on grades.”

  “Um, Ari?” Wahl looked up at his sister and shifted uncomfortably. “How did you wash out?”

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  Like most of the spellblades, Arietta was an academy washout. She and Lerrum dated briefly during her time at the school, and their explosive breakup did not do his reputation any favors. Evran wondered why Arietta was being so friendly after all of that drama. Did they make up somehow, or maybe it was just time? He doubted Selsey would ever forgive him.

  “Same reason as Narro — low mana control,” said Arietta.

  “Mana control?” Wahl asked back.

  Lerrum jumped in with an explanation. “It's a measure of how good you are at channeling your mana into spells. You need it in order to do all the cool stuff they teach at the academy.”

  “Yeah, mine was always bad,” Arietta said. “You can't really train it, either. Same goes for mana pools, to a lesser extent. Here, watch this.”

  Arietta held out both of her hands as if holding an invisible ball. A sphere of water formed in the empty space between. The surface rippled, and seven spikes of water began protruding from the surface. Each spike sat equidistant from the others.

  “Whoa!” Wahl exclaimed.

  “This is the spell we were tested with at the academy.” Lerrum spoke. “The number of spikes you can form on the surface is a good measure of one’s mana control. You need eight in order to pass.”

  “I never could get that last one.”

  Around half of the students fail this test, ending their hopes of achieving higher levels of magic. While little could be done to improve one’s base mana control, one could practice a spell to where it gets stronger, consumes less mana, or manifests some special behavior.

  “Don't forget mana density!” Evran interrupted, hoping to improve the mood. “That’s the most important attribute. It’s a measure of how much of your mana you can use at once to power your spells.”

  “It doesn’t just affect spells, either!” Arietta added. “As a spellblade we’ll teach you how to focus your mana within, to make you run fast and jump high. And of course, you can imbue your weapon with elemental magic to perform awesome techniques!”

  “But what if I’m bad at it?” wondered Wahl.

  “Then train harder!” Lerrum shouted. “Unlike the other two attributes, density is improved through hard work and dedication! Anyone can become strong like me.” Lerrum flexed his biceps for the kid.

  “Amazing! Are you the strongest?”

  “If only! I’d bet Narro is the strongest. The guy can train all day.”

  It had been quite some time since Evran had last measured his own strength. The Adventurer’s Guild in town had a manameter which Evran used when he registered with the guild. That had been almost five years ago, when he’d first arrived on Aldea. His parents had trained him well, and Evran’s score was quite high for his age. How long had it been since Lerrum and the others must have passed him by?

  “Narro said he didn’t get many opportunities to train while on his work study,” said Arietta. “Poor boy was stuck on guard duty most of the time.”

  “I can’t picture Narro standing still at a post,” chuckled Evran. “Must have been awful for him.”

  “Yeah, we should probably go get him before he kills every monster in the preserve!” Lerrum joked.

  “Mind if I tag along?” asked Arietta.

  Not seeing any reason to turn her down, Lerrum and Evran agreed. It never hurt to have some extra firepower with you.

  “Wahl, I need you to wait here,” commanded Arietta. “I’m gonna hang out with my friends for a bit, but I’ll be right back. Try practicing swinging your sword for a bit, okay?”

  Wahl looked surprised at her decision to leave him behind. “Fine… bye…” the boy pouted. He picked up his practice sword and started a series of sword swings.

  Together, they made their way inside the Spellblade Academy complex. There were two entrances to the monster preserve, each located within the two sister schools. Next to the gate to the preserve stood a pegboard. There, students would place their identification tags when entering the preserve, then collect them once they returned. This simple tagging system helped the schools keep better track of their students within the dangerous preserve.

  Narro’s tag occupied the first peg on the board. A few other tags still hung from other pegs, some in pairs, but the board was mostly empty now. Each of them took out their tags and placed them all on the second peg. Arietta gave the school’s traditional bow to the instructor guarding the gate, though the woman was too engrossed in a book to notice. The two boys offered unseen nods as well. Lerrum activated the mana-powered gate, and together, they entered the Aldean monster preserve.

  ***

  Kaila couldn’t help but look up at the magnificent facade of the Aldean branch of the Navigator’s Guild. Its massive rotunda stood atop a small hill at the center of the harbor district. It had once been occupied by some great fortification, no doubt.

  Aldea was an old island; a relic from the Age of Queens. Her castle and most of the town were built in the distinctive style of that era, but the Navigator’s Guild was different. Instead of the utilitarian use of magic-resistant brick, the guild branch exemplified the modern Sygelic style with its towering arches and elegant marble features.

  It was always overly crowded on Kaila’s previous visits to the guild. Today, the hall was nearly empty, what with the Tempest fast approaching. A few island runners stood by the primary information boards, still offering one-way trips to the few islands still reachable before the Tempest’s expected arrival. That would be in six to eight days. One could never be sure exactly when it would arrive, at least not until the third and final stormsign appeared.

  Kaila passed beneath the brilliant marble arches and into the rotunda. The first floor was merely a balcony wrapping around the perimeter of the room, serving as a viewing platform for what lay below. Kaila made her way over to the railing and set her eyes upon the great map of the world.

  On the ground floor was a giant circle recessed in solid marble. At its center was a large black obelisk representing Aldea. Hundreds of colored cylinders embossed with various names stood scattered about the circle. Each pillar represented an island. Its heading and logarithmic distance from Aldea could be determined by the pillar’s location relative to the obelisk at the center.

  Kaila noted how few pillars occupied the edges of the maps compared to the center. Even after three years, many of the world’s known islands were still absent from the map. Though this map would be rendered obsolete in a few days, the guild branches on Aldea’s new neighbors would share their collective location information with one another. The clerks would then update their archives with the locations of the missing islands. And that was precisely what Kaila was here to research — the world as it was two Tempests ago.