"Assumed Dead - 03, The Choosing" by Melia Arney

The meeting hall of the main Dejine Sanctuary in Holdfast fell silent as Savant Drayo Haff stepped onto the dais. A tall man in his early forties, Haff had worn the yellow robes of a Dejine Savant for more than ten years. Spending most of that time serving as headmaster of the Dejine Academy in the Dahess Enclave accounted for the early gray sneaking in around his temples. He hoped that the Initiates gathered today to be advanced to the next level of their training would prove better behaved than the last bunch of Acolytes.

Haff raised his hands needlessly to ask for quiet he had already received. "Fellow Savants of the Dejine Order of Casters, today we honor a tradition that has been passed down through our ranks and the ranks of our predecessors for over three thousand years. Today we pay tribute to our past by pushing forward with our future. Allow me to introduce you to this year’s graduating class of the Dejine School of Initiates and let the six thousand nine hundred and seventy-third Choosing begin."

There was applause from the gathered Casters in front of the stage, but only nervous fidgeting from the children behind the curtain to his right. There were not many this year, not even quite seventy, but it was one of the more talented groups he had seen for some time. Savant Haff looked forward to getting to know them better during their time of study on Dahess. The next few years were going to be interesting, he thought to himself as Savant Issol, Headmistress of the School, ushered the first of her charges onto the platform.

The girl glanced at the assembled Savants shyly and tugged at the fringe on her dress uniform. Haff offered her a reassuring smile and began the recitation.

"State your name, Initiate."

"H…Holli Korline Vishkin," the girl stammered.

"I present to you Initiate Holli Korline Vishkin," Haff said to the audience. "Initiate Vishkin, what is your request?"

Holli took a deep breath and prayed she’d remember all the words. "I seek a teacher to…to guide me in the ways of the Dejine Order, a mentor who will lead me in the…uh…first steps down the path of my life, and a lamp…no, light to banish the darkness I may find there." She inhaled deeply again, having said all of that in one breath in the rush to get it out before she forgot it.

Haff almost laughed, but managed to hide his amusement. He hoped Holli would take the smile that did escape as further reassurance. "You have heard her request; what is your answer?"

A murmur spread through the room. Most of those present had arrived at least a week ago to look over the Initiates and had already decided who they wanted to choose to be their Acolyte, but they still liked to make it seem as if they were deciding right then and there. Initiate Vishkin shifted nervously as the whispers continued. Then a Savant somewhere towards the left side of the room began making his way towards the dais.

"I, Savant Path’alon of the Dejine Order of Casters, accept the responsibility and honor of training Initiate Holli Korline Vishkin."

"Initiate Vishkin, what is your response."

Haff had to wait a few seconds for Holli to remember she was supposed to say something else now. She was currently too relieved that someone had chosen her to even remember where she was. She snapped out of her reverie, though, when Haff cleared his throat and asked for her response a second time.

"What? Oh! I humbly accept Savant Path’alon’s offer to be my teacher. May I not live to see the day that I disappoint him."

"Then I declare to those gathered here today the appointment of Holli Korline Vishkin as Acolyte to Savant Path’alon. All take witness."

Holli followed her new teacher off the stage and stood beside him as the next child walked onto the dais. The process continued on as one Initiate after another were chosen. Behind the curtain, the remaining Initiates were becoming more and more restless, but none so much as Initiate Jaerri Taren.

Jaerri was towards the back of the group, not because she wanted to be the last one on stage, but because every time she worked her way up to the front, Savant Issol would ignore her and choose someone else to go up. She’d resigned herself to the fact that she was going to be the last one out, after all the good teachers were taken. The only thing that consoled her was that her twin sister, Mia, was also being passed by. Jaerri wasn’t sure if she should take this as a slight or that Savant Issol was saving the two Kaesynalics for a finale. If it had just been her, she’d have known it was an insult; Jaerri knew that Savant Issol didn’t like her. Issol had hated her since her first day in the Sanctuary school. However, since Mia was being held back too, she figured it was probably more of a finale thing.

At last, all the other children had been sent on stage and paired. The only two left were Jaerri and Mia, and of course Mia got to go first.

"State your name, Initiate," Savant Haff directed the black-haired ten-year-old.

"Mia Roem Taren," Mia said, the haughty tone of a noble not having completely left her voice after only two years away from the Kaesynalic Imperium.

"I present to you Initiate Mia Roem Taren. Initiate Taren, what is your request?"

"I seek a teacher to guide me in the ways of the Dejine Order, a mentor who will lead me in the first steps down the path of my life, and a light to banish the darkness I may find there."

Mia performed the required lines flawlessly and Haff nodded his approval. It was common knowledge that Mia Taren was ranked head of her class and had a spotless behavior record. She may not be the strongest student in the Arts, but she certainly wasn’t the weakest. Plus, she was the hardest worker and the most responsible. Haff had heard several Savants arguing earlier about who would take her.

"You have heard her request; what is your answer?" he asked the crowd.

The murmurs and whispers started up once more, louder than ever. Beyond the audible discussions, though, Haff could hear the more heated telepathic debates going on. Apparently the battle over Mia Taren hadn’t been fully settled yet. Eventually the noise died down in both his ears and his mind as a woman stepped forward.

I, Savant Ginere of the Dejine Order of Casters, will accept the responsibility and honor of training Initiate Mia Roem Taren."

Haff smiled inwardly. He’d been a little worried after hearing the arguments that whoever took Mia would treat her specially and thereby ruin her. Savant Ginere he knew to be kind, but fair and stern. She’d be a good pairing with Taren. She might even be able to get that superior note out of Mia’s voice.

"Initiate Taren, what is your response?"

"I humbly accept Savant Ginere’s offer to be my teacher. May I not live to see the day that I disappoint her," Mia said, adding an unnecessary bow.

"Then I declare to those gathered here today the appointment of Mia Roem Taren as Acolyte to Savant Ginere. All take witness."

Mia joined her teacher on the floor as Jaerri finally found herself on the dais. It might have been her imagination, but she swore several smiles vanished when she walked up to Savant Haff.

"State your name, Initiate," Haff began one last time.

"Jaerri Tal Taren."

"I present to you Initiate Jaerri Tal Taren," he said to the gathered Dejine, then turned back to Jaerri. "Initiate Taren, what is your request?"

Jaerri stood up a little straighter. She’d spent all of the night before practicing the formal lines and recited them just as well as Mia had.

"You have heard her request; what is your answer?"

This time there were no whispers or murmurs. The room was completely silent. Haff gazed out over the assembly, but no one would meet his eyes. His telepathic queries were not answered except for one person who responded with, "Not on your life."

Haff was shocked. This sort of thing was practically unheard of. It had certainly never happened while he was headmaster of the Academy; it hadn’t happened within the tenure of the last three headmasters. "Will no one accept the responsibility of teaching this child?"

The silence remained. If anything, it grew thicker.

Then, from the back of the room, a female voice rose. "I’ll do it, Savant Haff."

"Savant Uraela, you have already taken on two Acolytes; are you sure you can teach another?" Though he was pleased that someone was willing to accept Initiate Taren, it was his job to worry about the education of all the Acolytes.

"We can’t let one remain, can we?" was her answer. "I will take Initiate Taren if no one else will."

"I see. Thank you, Savant Uraela. Initiate Taren, what is your response?"

Jaerri seemed not to have heard him. Several conflicting emotions were playing across her face and her hands kept clenching and unclenching. Haff was about to repeat his question when Jaerri began without further prompting. "I…hum…humbly…I…"

Haff winced as Jaerri made each word sound like it caused her physical pain to utter.

"I decline."

"What?" Haff was sure he had heard wrong. No Initiate had ever declined an offer to be made Acolyte in the history of the Order.

"I will not be a pity case!" Jaerri said vehemently. Two years in the Order had done much to change her opinion of Offworlders, but little to change her sense of personal pride. "No one’s ever accepted me here, why should now be any different? If you don’t want me then so be it; I do not want any of you!" With that Jaerri ran out of the room and the hereto silent crowd broke into murmurs.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"We haven’t had an Initiate left over in almost forty years," Elder Xaxel Kinot said later that evening as he and Savant Haff walked down a corridor of the Sanctuary.

Kinot had asked Haff to join him on a stroll, though Haff was unsure as to why. It was not uncommon for him to walk with the Elder, but he sensed that there was purpose behind this meeting other than Kinot’s enjoyment of the Savant’s company. He would rather talk about the true reason for his summons than the events of the day. However, if Elder Kinot wished to speak about Initiate Taren, then that is what they’d talk about no matter how Haff might try to change the subject.

"I know it is an unusual incident, but if the stories I hear about this one are true, it is probably for the best that she was not chosen. It sounds like she could use a little more time to grow up."

"Perhaps," came an unconvinced reply.

Haff looked at the older man he respected above all others. Elder Kinot was a kind man and could often see in people what others could not, but his kindness sometimes led him to see things that were not there. "Children like that only cause trouble, Elder."

"Perhaps," he once again consented, "though I remember one who was equally troublesome. Someone gave him a chance, and to this day, Drayo, I do not regret making that decision. You have never let me down."

Haff shook his head. "I do not think that Taren and my situations are quite that similar. I was merely overly energetic with no decent outlet for the energy; she’s angry at the world. Either way I don’t see what this has to do with me," Haff said, hoping the Elder would recognize his desire to speak of other things.

"Well," Kinot began, "I had hoped I could convince you to take her."

"Me?" Haff stopped, amazed by what he’d heard and worried that his former teacher was actually serious. "Elder Kinot, I don’t have time to train an Acolyte, let alone the class clown. I have a whole Enclave full of children to watch over; I simply can’t spare the added effort to teach yet another student one-on-one."

"I have noticed that you hadn’t taken an Acolyte since your last one was promoted to Journeyman. At the time I agreed with your decision, but you have been headmaster of the Dejine Academy now for seven years. Surely you have become acquainted with your job enough in that time that you could squeeze in a student of your own. It would give you a challenge and help you move forward in your own training."

Haff sighed, knowing that Kinot would not stop pressuring him until he acquiesced at least a little. "I shall consider your words, Elder, and perhaps I will take an Acolyte…next Choosing."

The Elder nodded his own submission. If he pushed Haff any further at the moment, the Savant would merely dig in his heels. Haff was a stubborn man; he’d been so since he was a young boy. The best choice in this type of situation would be to let the matter drop and come at it from a new angle. "Then perhaps you would do me another sort of favor."

"Anything."

"Would you at least speak with Initiate Taren. Offer her some comfort."

Haff studied Kinot, suspecting the older man had some kind of trick up his sleeve. "My charges are the Acolytes, not the Initiates. Would it not be better to have Savant Issol speak with her?"

"I fear Savant Issol does not like Initiate Taren much. I believe she’s had to deal with her too many years as it is. She is not happy at the prospect that Taren will be remaining here on Ekarku for another six months at least."

"Alright," Haff relented. "I will speak with the girl." He still suspected that this as a trick, but he couldn’t see any way out of it after agreeing to perform any favor Kinot asked of him. "Where are her quarters?"

"I think you would have more luck finding her on the roof," the Elder answered with a sly grin.

"The roof? When I was an Initiate, the roof was strictly off limits."

"Exactly why I think you will find her there. Thank you for this, Drayo."

Haff shrugged. "It is no trouble to perform a favor for my one-time teacher and forever friend. Though I do not know what good this will do."