Legion of the Eye

The Variant

*** 10 minutes earlier..

Casten focused on the practice field and the bruises and aches that will characterises his day. The injuries he had acquired in his 10 days with the legion was greatly more than he had in the previous thirteen years of life.

He was more injured than the other boys and it because he didn't have the ability to shape.

Other boys could call up on their shaping in their bouts against him, the Windshapers would move faster, the Earthshapers would hit harder, the Watershapers more fluid and graceful, the Fireshapers more explosive thrusts and slashes, he on other hand could only rely on his natural speed and wits.

'My disability has followed me here too', Casten thought bitterly 'would I ever be able to succeed at anything on my own, without shaping?'

Sure he had won a few bouts, he did by looking for weaknesses in the fighting styles, he countered the Windshapers by attacking at their feet always keeping them off balance preventing them from using their speed, since he was tall for his age he used his superior reach to fight against Watershapers and disrupt their fluid attacks, Fighting the Earthshapers successfully was to evade their attacks and counter quickly, they were very strong but that strength made them slow, Fighting Fireshapers was to get up close and direct with them with no inch of breathing room, preventing any explosive attacks always keeping them on the defensive.

He'd done it often enough over the past 10 days that the normally stoic and abusive master Kallo told him "You have the mind of a thinking warrior", Nalfey had snorted at that which earned him a hit from the Master's cane on his head, Casten made the mistake of grinning loudly at that and he too received a hit from the cane too, thereafter he and Nalfey stared daggers at each other throughout the day.

It didn't matter how good he was at beating the other boys though, he had to work twice as hard for it and the hits they landed hurt twice as hard as much he could give out. Thankfully, he was becoming friends with most of the boys.

He eyed the dark haired boy beside him to his left. Imola the loudmouth with his endless stories, he usually had his mouth open no matter the occasion and with his large eyes he seemed to always be in a constant state of being surprised. He always had a smile and a joke or story ready.

Casten liked him.

Casten moved his eyes to the right where they met those of Lenis who was looking at him too, he smiled at Lenis, who didn't return it. The sandy haired boy was already being known in their group as Silent Lenis. He didn't talk much, never said one word more than was necessary. He had a quiet intensity about him. Most people thought it was arrogance but Casten knew he wasn't he just shy and reserved.

Casten remembered that first night in their dormitory when he woke up to the sound of sobs, he sat up, looked for the sound and found out it was coming from Lenis.

He walked gently to the boy's bed, tapped him and said "Hey, what is wrong.?"

Lenis turned around, looked at him for a moment studying him and said " I don't want to be here, I'm not supposed to be here."

Casten sat down on Lenis's bed and replied "Me too, 16 days ago I was preparing for the town fair with my father, two days later I began the journey to this hellish place" he looked down and smiled at Lenis.

Lenis looked at him for a moment and returned the smile.

"In two months time, I was supposed begin an apprenticeship under my mother to be a doctor. My parents were so proud I was to spend the rest of my life healing people, now I'm going to train how to kill people." he finished in a piteous voice.

"Oh, you are a Watershaper?" Casten asked.

"No, I use the wind" Lenis said shaking his head."And yes I know that no amount training can make one as good as a Master of Healing, but they are very few of them and there aren't many Doctors" he said stubbornly, crossing his arm, he had probably heard the Watershapers make the best healers speech too many times and was already prepared.

Casten held up his hands trying to show he wasn't going to argue.

Lenis fully sat up and asked "what about you what were you going to do before you were chosen?"

"I was going to be a builder like my father and his father before him. I was going to continue the Tenebri family tradition that goes back four generations" Casten looked down at his hands "All I can do right now is serve my fifteen years, fighting and killing and hope it's is not late to learn how to be a builder"

They stayed together in friendly silence for a while, each thinking his own thoughts.

Lenis snapped up suddenly and said "Why don't we make a promise to each other?."

"What Promise?"

Lenis had a small smile on his lips "We will promise to try keep each other safe for the duration of our service as Legionnaires, until we can go back home and fulfill our dreams"

"That doesn't sound like a bad thing. All right I promise to try my utmost best to keep Lenis....?"

"Odian"

"Odian, safe to the best of my ability. I swear it with by my blood and power"

"And I swear to keep Casten Tenebri, safe to the best of my ability, I swear by blood and my power"

The boys smiled at each other and shook on it.

The wind whistled and rattled the shutters and a life long friendship was born.

Casten smiled at the memory.

He liked Lenis.

The boy on the other side of Lenis, the platinum haired, finely chiseled, green eyed and handsome boy of noble birth, standing stiff, straight backed and legs apart, the perfect model of military attention, was Nalfey Henna.

Casten didn't like him. He absolutely disliked him.

Ever since the day of their induction into the legion and everyday after that.

On that first day, Casten remembered walking up to the great black gates of Sollis Watch, looking up at the great arch and the sign embossed on its grey stone, a flaming eye on a kite shield background with sword down the middle.

"Eyes forward!" the shaggy haired legionnaire brother barked.

Casten put down his head and went through the wide open gates, he noticed that all the boys around him were very quiet.

On the journey north, there had been a little chatter, a few laughs but now everyone was completely silent, the magnitude of their situation bearing down on them.

Casten covertly looked around his surroundings, he noted a big field on his left, that must obviously be the famous practice field, which was mostly empty except for a small band of older boys that were marching and moving in formation, it looked very well done in his inexperienced eyes.

To his right, were the stables and the shacks wear the horses were housed and fed, some of the brothers took the horses that accompanied them on the journey towards the stables, the rest led them forward.

Walking a bit further and they came to the cobblestoned courtyard of the fortress, where the boys were made to line up in ranks and face the great house of the Chief Commander and Legion Lord of the Legion of the Eye.

"The Commander Watcher will now address you a*s rags, keep quiet and pay the proper attention and respect" some legionnaire behind Casten shouted.

Sir Olev Widd, the commander of the Legion was not what Casten expected in the least.

Casten would have mistaken him for another Legionnaire if not for the bows and deference that was given to him as he walked past everyone.

He looked about early fortyish, had a slight build, not thin but with lean muscles, greying brown hair and the very intense but dispassionate eyes that Casten was coming to recognise as belonging to the experienced members of the Legion.

He wore the black armour and grey clothing unique to the legion. He had a large red piece of clothing around his right arm that Casten would come to know as given to those of the Dawn Watcher rank and a great black cloak rested around his shoulders fastened with a silver clasp in the shape of the Legion's insignia and he had the curved Legion sword strapped to his back and the small straight side sword on his hip.

"That's Sir Olev Widd?!" someone who Casten later noted was Nalfey asked in surprise "The Hero of the 4th Arai incursion, The man who stormed and won Fenster Keep alone, who the Emperor personally begged to help throw the Paldians back into the sea, one of the very few people who can Shape lightning in the entire the entire realm, that's him?, that's the Storm of the North?!" Nalfey asked incredulously.

Nalfey spoke in a whisper that didn't carry out of a tiny area around him, yet Sir Widd stopped walking in his inspection of the boys and turned his cool blue eyes towards Nalfey and looked straight at him.

Whatever else Nalfey was about to say died in his throat and he found something interesting to look at around his feet.

'That's not possible' Casten thought I'm in front of this boy and I barely heard him, there's no this man could have heard him.'

Yet it unmistakably clear this man was looking at Nalfey, what confirmed it was when he said "There's always more than what meets the eye"

"A pitiful crop of recruits this year, Brother Tenshi" the Commander looked towards the bald Legionnaire that had escorted the Boys to the Fortress.

"Yes, Commander, the tribute selection lottery gave us these useless dregs that you see here" the brother replied with a slight smile. "It seems like every new selection season, all the good strong boys are becoming fewer, the parents must not be raising them right"

The assembled boys bristled at that, those words seemed to finally shatter the docility of those gathered on that courtyard, Casten quickly looked about and saw frowns on faces, there was even low mumblings.

No one liked their parents being disparaged.

"Silence!" A tall small giant of a Legionnaire screamed "the next one, who utters a sound will be whipped until the white of bone is seen."

There was no mumbling after that.

Sir Widd continued as if nothing had happened "The Legion and the realm is in grave danger indeed if this motley collection of trash is all the empire can offer to be trained, I have never seen such a disgraceful collection of boys in my life"

"When the Arai come back streaming over the Bridge and The Rippers finally attack, the only thing you lot would be good for, is fodder to slow them and give the rest of us time to prepare a real defense."

The Commander's eyes looked over the boys again, but this time instead the meek submission and lowered heads of before Casten saw rage and defiance that mirrored his own feelings.

'How dare he talk about us and our parents this way?, how dare he? What gives him right?'

He looked towards the Legionnaire Tenshi and saw that his eyes were twinkling again. The Brother saw that Casten was looking at him and he winked and then rearranged his face into the dispassionate mask common among the brothers of Legion.

Casten, thought he finally understood the current exchange. It must be some kind of initiation. The Commander was trying to get the boys to stop being afraid, he wanted them angry instead.

He knew what was happening, he had heard about it from the young men who had returned home to Petra after service in the Great Lord's legions.

They were breaking them down to build them back up in the Legion's image and this was just the beginning.

Casten recalled that the training of the Legion of the Eye was harder and was of a different level than those of the legions of the Great Lord's. The Legion of the Eye, didn't care if you were maimed or died in training before becoming a full Legion brother.

Unlike the home legions of the Great Lords and the Emperor who needed every able bodied man they could get, the Order of Grey Brothers didn't care if you went blind or crippled, if you were unable to continue due to injury before rising to full brother, you were sent home with a letter of honourable discharge and ten gold Imperial coins.

It sounded harsh, but from what Casten had heard of the threats the Legion faced, it was necessary.

Sir Widd looked over the boys one more time shrugged his shoulders and said "Well it can't be helped, you lot are already here and can't be returned. You are just a bitter pill we'll have to swallow"

He continued and asked "Does anyone of you know why we are called a Legion, even though we are basically an order of knights?"

There was a loud silence in the courtyard with only sound of water running somewhere being heard.

"Anyone?" He asked.

Casten didn't know what made him reply when he hesitantly replied "It's said that a brother of the Legion of the Eye is equal to five of any standard legionnaire in the Empire"

The Commander looked at him, he studied Casten with that expressionless face of his, seemingly drinking him with those cool eyes of his eyes.

Casten suppressed a shudder, he definitely believed the stories about this man, he had the eyes of a man that was old, experienced and seen enough war for a man twice his age.

The Commander looked away after what seemed a decade and replied "You are partially correct. We are called a Legion because we alone defend this realm from the threats that would reduce it to ashes and a feast for crows and vultures"

He paced and carefully looked at each boy he passed "we are the silent guardians, the watchers in the darkness, the lone sentinel against the consuming horde. We fight alone against terror and madness"

He stopped looked at one boy who seemed on the verge of tears and continued "This is why our ways may seem cruel and vicious to outsiders, there's no choice about that if we are to be successful in our unending war against the forces of decay and destruction."

"We will cripple some of you and some will die before rising to full brother of the legion, We do not do this out of malice but because we have no choice. We cannot be weak because our enemies aren't, they don't understand mercy and will not give it to you. We are fewer so we have to be smarter, faster, stronger."

He folded his arms across his chest, stopped pacing and faced the assembled boys, all of whom gave him their full undivided attention now.

"Your lives and bodies belong to the Eternal Legion of the Eye now. You don't have any hopes, dreams and aspirations, your entire being is an extension of the will of this Legion. You have no family apart from your brothers in the Legion. No possessions apart from those given to you in the service of this order."

He puffed his cheeks and went on "Those of you chosen as tributes will serve for fifteen years in various posts in the Empire and will be free to leave, if you choose with the blessings of the Legion behind you. Those of you given away by your parents will serve until you are killed in battle, or the day you die, and you will be buried here within Legion crypt."

He gave a tight lipped smile and said "I know, it doesn't sound like much and seems more horrible than happy, but you are doing are great service to this realm and bringing honour to your family, for we are the candles that burns itself to banish away the darkness"

Casten thought 'What hell I have I gotten into. Why did the Creator choose to put me here?, What have I done to deserve this?'

The smile disappeared and was replaced by a very serious look on the Commander's face "You will spend the night here and come morning you'll decide if you want to stay and serve honourably or not, you can leave if you want but remember there are consequences for everything"

He came closer to the boys and his voice dropped lower and he said "If you choose to leave come morning no one will stop you, you'll be given two gold imperials to help you on your way, but you won't be able to return home for you'll be bringing a great disgrace on your house,you will forever be smeared with the word coward everywhere you go."

He shook his head as if he couldn't bear to have such filthy thoughts in it.

"It is better to die brave, than live a coward if you ask me. Do your best and serve with honour. All we can do is try"

Casten looked up sharply at that those last words. They were exactly what his father used to say.

He looked up and saw the Commander was staring right at him.

The Sir Widd looked away and said "You will be split into groups and sword masters assigned to each group. Serve hard and serve with honour" he slammed his fist to chest and "For the legion."

He was about to turn away when a thin pale hand slowly went up and said "Do we get paid sir?"

Sir Olev Widd, paused on his heels, turned towards the voice and said "I beg your pardon?"

Casten turned to look at owner of the voice, it was Imola.

"If all that probably awaits us is blood, s**t and death, do we at least get paid for our effort?"

Every single eye in the courtyard turned to that small, pale, long haired, big eyed boy, he didn't looked scared, he looked the commander, Sir Olev Widd, hero and knight of the realm straight in the eye.

There was a deafening silence, Casten imagined he could have heard in pin drop in silence so deep.

Then sir Olev, did something Casten didn't expect. He smiled. The first honest, genuine, straight from the heart smile since he entered the courtyard came to his lips, he fully turned back and said "what's your name boy?"

"Imola Gedenis"

"Gedenis?, you family is from Stati Ignis, am I right?"

The boy nodded.

Sir Olev Widd smiled a genuine warm smile again

"Yes, brother Imola, brothers in the Legion are paid well enough but since we are always on duty in various Legion posts around the Empire, most brothers send a large portion of their pay home to their old families."

Imola didn't look pleased at that answer but he kept his mouth shut.

"Ah your sword masters are here, train hard and serve well. Don't let your all your suffering be for nothing"

Sir Olev Widd left the courtyard to a flurry of bows and climbed the stairs of the Commander's Quarters.

Casten turned his eyes to the Sword Masters and he didn't like what he saw.

They were a group of hard eyed, expressionless looking men, who seemed to hate the of boys they were looking at.

He searched the group hoping Brother Tenshi was amongst them. He was greatly disappointed.

A legionnaire clad entirely in black with a deep hood started calling out the names of boys from a piece of paper and assigning them to a sword master.

The Master's led their groups out of the courtyard one by one until it remained a very young looking, dark haired master with grey eyes the colour of a storm sky.

He had the same, dispassionate expression almost all Legionnaires had, he tied his long hair back into a tail and had a small scar on his right cheek.

Looking at the remaining boys, his gaze stopped on the platinum blonde boy who seemed about to burst tears.

He noticed that Casten was staring at him and snapped "what are you looking at?"

Casten slowly averted his eyes and said " Nothing".

He developed an immediate dislike of the blond boy.

After calling all the names of the thirteen boys present, the hooded figure departed folding up his piece of paper. It seemed an initiation ritual of some kind, the purpose, Casten couldn't tell.

The master was called Kallo, ,he didn't lead them out of the courtyard immediately like the others, he looked them all over carefully.

He turned around finally and said "Follow me young warriors, let me to introduce you to the pain and suffering that is your immediate future"

As they went, Casten started to understand how massive the fortress was, the path they were on branched of into shadowed alleys, dwellings of stone and wood. Casten could hear hammers beating away at metal, smoke from the many chimneys of the kitchens, stories didn't describe how big Sollis Watch was, it was like a mini city.

The Master led them to a small stone building, he opened the door without knocking and gestured inside the darkened room, one of the boys was a bit slow and reluctant to enter and he was caned on head by Kallo.

"Your hair until you rise to the rank of Apprentice must always be kept legion standard, failure to keep it the appropriate length, will lead to severe punishment" Kallo told them.

From an inner room came an older brother with expressionless face as the other brothers, he looked at the boys arranged in front of him.

"New batch, Kallo?"

"Obviously"

"They are looking smaller and softer"

Kallo made an audible sigh and said "You say this, every year. Just chop off their hair "

Casten got the feeling that Kallo didn't like this man much.

The older man grunted and then limped heavily to a table where there was a box. He opened it and brought out wicked looking blades and shears.

All the boys in the room moved back as one, and some looked up to the master as if questioning the wisdom of putting their heads in the hands of that man.

Kallo pushed Imola and his cascading mass of hair forward and said "Get it over with it, you lot. It has to be done. Starting with this one"

Feeling the stiff buzz that remained of his Raven black hair that took on a reddish tint in the right light, Casten felt a bit n***d but whatever he felt couldn't compare to the despair that he saw on Imola's face, he was trying to hold back his tears and the face of Nalfey who kept on muttering "My hair, my beautiful shiny hair".

Casten tried not laugh, but it was hard not too, he covered his mouth but still snorted. Nalfey looked up and narrowed his eyes at that.

Casten opened his mouth to say apologise but Kallo said " Now that you all look like Initiates of the Legion." He looked pointedly at Imola and Nalfey "This is where the hard work begins, You are here to serve the Realm and The Creator. For the next four years you will train to the point of death and then you will train some more, your bodies belongs to us. If I tell you jump, you jump. If tell you to run, you run until I tell you. If your body drops from running, you will crawl until I tell you to stop"

There was a severe expression on his face that tolerated no dissent and he stared hard at them.

"Do you understand?"

"Yes master!"

Kallo smashed his thick cane into the fingers of a boy who had been picking his nose, the same one who received a whack on his head in front of the old Legionnaire's barber door.

The boy yelped and he started crying noisily, all that got him was more caning with Kallo hitting him rhythmically and dispassionately telling him.

"You will conduct yourself in the manner befitting this Legion or I'll beat you until pass out, then I'll wake you and continue beating you until you act appropriately"

He said all this, without raising his voice, with that same expressionless written on his face.

The remaining boys all looked on in fear, finally understanding how serious their situation was.

The boy finally shut up and held his lips to prevent himself from crying out.

When Kallo was satisfied he wasn't going to cry out anymore he stopped caning him and said "Rise"

The boy got stiffly to his feet and was trembling.

"What's your name Initiate?"

The boy choked back his sobs as he replied "Ferril Kerr"

Nalfey snorted at that and received a mighty smash of the master's cane on his shoulder and gritted his teeth.

Kallo looked away from Nalfey and asked "What Element do you shape?"

More sniffles "Wind, master"

"How, useless, Wind need brains to shape well. Pity, it seems you don't have any"

Kallo paused and then said "All right, line up everyone of you. Single line!"

The boys quickly did as they were told none wanting to earn the master's ire.

" You, what's your name and Element?"

"Bons Kesti. Water,Master"

"Bons?, What sort of i***t names his son Bons?"

"You will have to ask my mother, Master" Bons replied

There was a collective intake of breath, with all the boys present expecting Bons to receive a thrashing.

Bons just looked straight at the master without wavering.

Kallo simply looked at Bons, and moved on to the next boy asking his name and Element and then insulting him.

On it went, until the master got to Nalfey.

"Name and element boy?"

"Nalfey of House Henna, my father is the Count and Lord of Iresh, under the Great Lord..."

"Shut that useless hole in your face, you are in the Legion now. Your father and his little domain don't exist here. You have no father, no family."

Kallo paused and then continued "Your father obviously doesn't give a rat's s**t about you. You are from a noble family, you are excluded from Legion of the Eye selection, yet your father chose to give you away to us. He doesn't give a s**t about you and neither do I, you little rat"

Nalfey looked up at the master with such comically sorrowful eyes that Casten snorted, he expected the master to thrash him but Kallo seemed ignore it.

Nalfey looked sideways at Casten and the look of sorrow there turned to one of anger, he seemed to mark Casten's face.

Kallo came to the next boy which was Imola.

"Yes?"

"Imola Gednis, master."

"You look thin and useless, did you choose to join the Legion so that you'll have the opportunity to be well fed?"

"Err..."

"Don't answer"

"Element"

"Fire"

It was finally Casten's turn this was the moment he had been dreading, his weakness was going to be laid bare to the world.

He was sweating on his palms and tried to blink away the sweat entering his eyes.

Kallo stopped in front of him, looked down at him for a moment not saying anything. He finally asked.

"And you?"

"Casten Tenebri, master"

There was a pause.

"Are you stupid?"

"No master"

"Then tell me your element?, Didn't you see how it's been done?"

He used his cane to tap on Casten's head. It was a bit painful.

"I have none, master"

"What?"

"I was born without the ability to shape master" Casten said looking up defiantly at the master.

'You cannot shame me, I have pride in myself' Casten thought repeating what his father always told him to say in his head.

Every head there had turned to face him then.

Kallo was just about to speak, when there was loud peal of laughter, it came from Nalfey.

"By the Creator, it true. I have heard about you back home. You are a mini celebrity in healing and medical circles. Utterly useless at shaping."

Another peal of laughter "Heard you were being called The Variant" and he smiled wickedly in Casten's direction.

Casten was just about to angry reply, when Master Kallo stepped in front of Nalfey quicker than any eye could follow and swept his feet from under him and started delivering heavy blows from his cane.

"You. Will. Behave. Like. A. Member. Of. This. Legion."

Kallo said delivering each word with a whack.

He stopped and said "Stand up"

Nalfey did, painfully.

"You are no longer in father's domain, do you understand?"

Nalfey nodded

"I didn't hear you"

"Yes master" Nalfey replied stiffly.

Kallo stepped back in front of Casten, rapped his cane painfully on his head twice and said "As for you, you are probably useless but this Legion is only as strong as it's weakest link, your training will be as hard as everyone's else"

"I understand, master"

After his inspection, he led them to the mess hall where the food was surprisingly abundant and tasty.

Imola displayed his prodigious food consumption skills and Casten and Nalfey stared daggers at each other throughout the meal.

He came to collect them after an hour and led them up the stairs up to the room of their group, the highest room in the dormitory tower.

That first night in the Legion, Casten and Nalfey pointedly ignored each other but in the nine days since, they snapped at eachother like wolves.