The Wielder Trials. Franca Ogbonnaya

Our daily lessons began on deck, with Nathan, the ship’s artist, sketching everything,” Now she was grateful they had done that. “I continued training for forty-eight days until I reached the Fifth Tier of Wielding. Even Kahl’s mother observed for seven days. Soon after, Kahl warned us of the Namiran raiders’ approach. He tried to help us escape and then...” she faltered as she remembered the dying screams of Namiran sailors as they were being torn apart “…then you know the rest.” She rubbed at her eyes, willing herself not to cry.

      Elizea looked sympathetic as if she knew what the young wielder was reliving.

      “Do you know why the Dyhaeri, Kahl, wanted to teach you?” asked Peras gently.

      “At first, I thought it was just because he’d happened to come across an untrained wielder, but then later he said it was because the high priest of the Dyhaeri had ordered him to teach any untrained wielder he encountered.”

      Elizea raised an eyebrow. “This was part of Kahl’s assignment? Teaching the untrained?”

      “No, he said he was just a scout given an additional task.”

      “Didn’t you find it odd?” asked Harto.

      “We all did; however, he helped me and I’m grateful for his tutoring.”

      “How old is he?” asked Peras.

      Britea’s brow furrowed. Surely, they’d already gotten this information from the Windrider’s crew and her dah. “He’s seventeen years or cycles old, according to his people.”

      “Did you ever go below the surface to the Dyhaeri community?” asked Harto.

      “No.” But she wished she had.

      Elizea frowned as if she knew what she was thinking. “What else did he teach you apart from wielding?”

      “Not much, apart from his history—”

      “Give us every detail,” demanded Harto.

      Britea glared at him. “He told me of the disastrous first contacts between man and Dyhaeri. Especially of how the Dyhaeri had rescued humans from the Alkynaia, only to have the human leaders reciprocate by trying to capture Dyhaeri to enslave them or keep them as pets.”

      Harto blinked, but she wasn’t done.

      “He also said that was how the war between the humans and the Dyhaeri began, continuing until the Sea Treaty Agreement was reached, requiring a wielder on every vessel that crossed the Heldiar Sea. Any more questions?”

      Elizea and Peras shared a glance as Harto’s face reddened.

      “I’ll lead the inquiry from here,” the female naval officer said firmly. Harto’s face went blank.

      “Britea, we’re not your enemy, but we do need to understand why the Dyhaeri and Alkynaia decided to attack the Namirans.”

      Britea stared at Elizea. Was she implying Kahl and the sea serpents were the aggressors?

      “Excuse me if I sound stupid, but didn’t the Namirans commit an act of war by crossing over into our waters?”

      “The royal court received an urgent message from the Namiran government stating four of their warships had been trying to aid a Malaquey merchant vessel when the Namiran ships were attacked by the Alkynaia. Only one of their ships escaped,” explained Peras.

      Britea’s jaw dropped. “And you believed them?” Behind the naval officers, she saw Warden Asteros give her an encouraging nod.

      Peras smiled. “We’re just trying to understand what exactly happened that day. It has the potential to turn into an ugly political mess.”

      Now she knew what was going on and she was angry. Her own government was looking for a scapegoat because for some reason, they were scared of the Namiran queen.

      “Ma’am and sirs, the Namirans were chasing us when there were no Alkynaia in sight. We sailed into the Sorrow’s Pit hoping to throw them off, and they stayed outside the boundary, waiting for us to come out. The Alkynaia appeared to us then, and I bargained with them.” She saw Harto regard her with disbelief, but she continued. “The price was was Namiran lives or ours, and I chose the Namirans to be taken by the Alkynaia. Am I under arrest for defending the Windrider ?”

      “No, you’re not,” said the warden to everyone’s surprise. “However, because you wielded without recognized supervision in an event that resulted in the deaths of Namirans and the destruction of three Namiran ships, these fellows are here to ensure you didn’t kill anyone by wielding.”

      “I didn’t.”

      “In fact, you and Kahl saved four Namiran souls with your wielding, as I’m sure Lieutenant Flay is aware. And he does know the Wielder Creed.”

      Britea stared at the young officer in surprise. He was a wielder?

      Harto was less than pleased at the warden’s words. “Warden Asteros, that is none of her concern.”

      Britea blinked. Why was he hiding the fact that he was a wielder?

      Harto continued. “Besides, she has not yet been cleared of wrongdoing—”

      “What does the last part of the Creed say?” snapped the warden.

      For a moment, Britea thought the question was directed at her, then Harto answered.

      “Any wielder who breaks the laws in such a way that endangers the public will be tried by their senior peers and sentenced accordingly.”

      “And Britea has not knowingly broken any of our laws. So, why don’t you do your own jobs and leave wielder matters to me?”

      Harto was pale by the time Warden Asteros finished speaking. Elizea and Peras looked a bit embarrassed for him.

      “Of course,” said Elizea “I just have a few more questions for the novice.”

      Britea struggled not to sigh.

       #

      Britea gently closed the door behind her, though what she really wanted to do was slam it shut. But she suspected that would anger the warden, who had only been trying to help her.

      As for the naval intelligence officers? She squeezed her eyes tightly as she tried to control her rage. Their questions had only gotten more embarrassing, especially when they had asked more than once if she ever spent any time alone with Kahl. Did they have a relationship? Were they close?

      What. Dumb. Questions.

      Had those idiots met her dah at all? Had they not seen the sketches? All the lessons had been above deck with crew present!

      At one point, she had been ready to wield the water from a glass jar into their stupid faces. She suspected the warden had seen the rage in her eyes because he had ended the questioning then, stating she had classes to prepare for.

      They both knew she was yet to be assigned classes, but she was grateful for the save because she had been this close to doing something stupid.

      Britea walked slowly as she tried to understand what had just happened. The navy had access to the Namiran prisoners, and yet they had still come seeking more answers.

      Why ?

      As her rage dissipated, she began to worry about her dah and the crew of the Windrider. She hoped they were not in trouble.

       Of course, they weren’t. They had to be fine.

      Britea was so lost in thought that she almost walked into a small group of students as she rounded a corner.

      “Hey, watch it, you idiot!”

      “Oh, I’m so sorry,” Britea hastily apologized as she looked up at the three female students.

      The one at the forefront