the plank, pointedly ignoring Benen.
Overseer pulsed threateningly.
Orafin said the wizard might respect spunk. Now is the time to see if that’s true, he thought.
Extending his arms, Benen interposed the plank between the wizard and his plate of food. The wizard could not ignore this and turned to look at Benen, their eyes meeting. Benen wondered what the wizard saw; he knew he must look a mess from the previous night’s hardships.
“If you want to chisel wood so badly, so be it,” the wizard said mildly. “Leave this piece of wood with me.” Benen put the wood down where indicated. “Hold out your right arm.” Benen did. The wizard took his hand and held Benen’s arm out steady. With his other hand, using his index finger, the wizard traced the Parallels onto Benen’s forearm. “There,” he said. “Never forget that, although I might be choose to have my will defied in small amounts, there is always a price to pay for disobedience.”
The pattern of the Parallels burned later that night, etching Benen’s skin where it had been traced. He had difficulty sleeping, despite his exhaustion, and in the morning, found that his arm bore a brand, as though burned by a branding iron into his skin, in the shape of the Parallels.
It had been painful, but worth it. Now he would be able to continue his studies with the wizard without having to carve future star patterns into his skin.
Benen’s life from that time took on a new character as he spent his days cleaning and the time after supper being tutored by the wizard. The wizard had Benen use the wood chisel on a seemingly inexhaustible supply of wooden plates, requiring him to carve out the patterns of constellation after constellation. Some nights, he would carve many copies of a new pattern, other nights, he would learn new patterns all night. Later, once he had learnt all the constellations, the wizard demanded he carve each one again in one night. He succeeded in this and the wizard, for the first time, seemed pleased with him.
Orafin had not been absent during this time. After the sessions with the wizard, Benen returned to his room and learnt from Orafin details of the stars he had been carving. Things like their visual magnitude and what that meant. His magical education was proceeding, slowly, it seemed, but proceeding. It was obvious to Benen and confirmed by Orafin, that it would take up to a decade for him to become a proper wizard; but Benen was encouraged by his progress and persevered.
CHAPTER 4: ADOLESCENT
Everything was going well enough for a few years, with Benen losing himself in his studies instead of dwelling on the things he missed from his village and his previous life. Unfortunately, this could not last. When Benen turned thirteen, the loneliness that had plagued him, but which he had managed to suppress became too much for him. He wanted contact with others, with people other than the vengeful rodent Orafin or the unfriendly uncaring wizard.
One night, while Orafin was trying to teach Benen about the planets, explaining how some were made of gas more than solid matter, Benen found his mind wandering to a different subject.
“. . . and what’s more, they are highly flammable, these gas planets. Do not throw a torch up into the air in their direction while they are in the sky lest you cause a catastrophe . . . you really are not listening, are you Benen?” the rat said.
“I heard. No torch tossing on gas nights, or something . . . okay, you’re right, my mind wandered,” he admitted. “I’m sorry, Orafin.”
“What’s the matter? Is it something the wizard has done?”
“No. I’m just . . . bored with this. I want to go somewhere other than here,” Benen waved his arms about indicating the tower. “I want to meet people, do normal things. I’m tired of planets and stars and the moon and the sun and all their relative masses and luminosity.”
“You’re restless?” asked the rat.
“I guess so.”
“It will
Overseer pulsed threateningly.
Orafin said the wizard might respect spunk. Now is the time to see if that’s true, he thought.
Extending his arms, Benen interposed the plank between the wizard and his plate of food. The wizard could not ignore this and turned to look at Benen, their eyes meeting. Benen wondered what the wizard saw; he knew he must look a mess from the previous night’s hardships.
“If you want to chisel wood so badly, so be it,” the wizard said mildly. “Leave this piece of wood with me.” Benen put the wood down where indicated. “Hold out your right arm.” Benen did. The wizard took his hand and held Benen’s arm out steady. With his other hand, using his index finger, the wizard traced the Parallels onto Benen’s forearm. “There,” he said. “Never forget that, although I might be choose to have my will defied in small amounts, there is always a price to pay for disobedience.”
The pattern of the Parallels burned later that night, etching Benen’s skin where it had been traced. He had difficulty sleeping, despite his exhaustion, and in the morning, found that his arm bore a brand, as though burned by a branding iron into his skin, in the shape of the Parallels.
It had been painful, but worth it. Now he would be able to continue his studies with the wizard without having to carve future star patterns into his skin.
Benen’s life from that time took on a new character as he spent his days cleaning and the time after supper being tutored by the wizard. The wizard had Benen use the wood chisel on a seemingly inexhaustible supply of wooden plates, requiring him to carve out the patterns of constellation after constellation. Some nights, he would carve many copies of a new pattern, other nights, he would learn new patterns all night. Later, once he had learnt all the constellations, the wizard demanded he carve each one again in one night. He succeeded in this and the wizard, for the first time, seemed pleased with him.
Orafin had not been absent during this time. After the sessions with the wizard, Benen returned to his room and learnt from Orafin details of the stars he had been carving. Things like their visual magnitude and what that meant. His magical education was proceeding, slowly, it seemed, but proceeding. It was obvious to Benen and confirmed by Orafin, that it would take up to a decade for him to become a proper wizard; but Benen was encouraged by his progress and persevered.
CHAPTER 4: ADOLESCENT
Everything was going well enough for a few years, with Benen losing himself in his studies instead of dwelling on the things he missed from his village and his previous life. Unfortunately, this could not last. When Benen turned thirteen, the loneliness that had plagued him, but which he had managed to suppress became too much for him. He wanted contact with others, with people other than the vengeful rodent Orafin or the unfriendly uncaring wizard.
One night, while Orafin was trying to teach Benen about the planets, explaining how some were made of gas more than solid matter, Benen found his mind wandering to a different subject.
“. . . and what’s more, they are highly flammable, these gas planets. Do not throw a torch up into the air in their direction while they are in the sky lest you cause a catastrophe . . . you really are not listening, are you Benen?” the rat said.
“I heard. No torch tossing on gas nights, or something . . . okay, you’re right, my mind wandered,” he admitted. “I’m sorry, Orafin.”
“What’s the matter? Is it something the wizard has done?”
“No. I’m just . . . bored with this. I want to go somewhere other than here,” Benen waved his arms about indicating the tower. “I want to meet people, do normal things. I’m tired of planets and stars and the moon and the sun and all their relative masses and luminosity.”
“You’re restless?” asked the rat.
“I guess so.”
“It will
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