Mage Knights: Childhood's End

Waking

Crowlin came to slowly, his breathing picking up as he awoke. Opening his eyes, he looked around. He was lying in his bed, and sunlight was streaming through his window. Blinking, he sat up. Myrrdin, resting at the foot of his bed, noticed and perked up.

“Hmph. I thought you’d never wake.” the mage cat said crossly. “You’ve been sleeping for two days now, you know that?”

“Lay off him, Myrrdin.” Sage said, stepping in. “He saved what was left of the senior class. And as I’m told, you were that one that freed him to do that.”

Crowlin held his head. “Mmm. That wasn’t a dream, was it.”

“It wasn’t.” Sage said, taking a seat on his bed across from Crowlin. “Except for you, all the professors are dead. Even the headmaster. The Archsage has reassigned a full company of mage knights to the Instructory and Arcanis, and they’re investigating the attack. The body of the one ambusher you managed to bring down is being kept in crystal stasis for examination.”

Crowlin blinked, coming more fully awake and noticing the new, more elaborate scabbard that Sage kept his sword in. “You’re a mage knight now?”

Sage nodded. “Kashé, Coriko, Deviån, myself, and everyone else that survived the attack and was well enough to receive the rank. Some of the students that were more heavily injured by the spell circles, and died in the past two days, were posthumously knighted. All told, there were only fifteen survivors, yourself included. Only nine of us are well enough to be up and about.”

Crowlin rubbed his eyes. “Did they figure out who was behind the attack?”

“No, and as a matter of fact, they can’t pry the mask off the corpse of the one attacker left behind. It looks like it’s sealed to his face with magic.”

“Mage Sage, Mage Kashé is looking for you.” a younger apprentice said, sticking his head into their room.

“I’ll be there.” Sage said, rising. “It’s good to see you awake, Crowlin.”