If that incident forged us together, it was a different one that shaped and directed us. The ascor don’t generally help those who walk the Path, before or after, so we were lucky. Our usual wandering had brought us to the rooftop that day, and mischief made us interrupt the old ascor called Ernard.
“I dare you,” I said to Sorani.
He hesitated then began to creep forward. It was a game we sometimes played, to try and touch one of the servants without being noticed. We generally stayed away from ascor, so I was surprised that Sorani even accepted my dare. But Ernard was sleeping in a chair with his tea going cold beside him, so there didn’t seem much risk. Frodan, beside me, watched with wide eyes.
Sorani reached the old man without incident, brushed his fingers against the ascor’s robe, and turned to give a smile of triumph.
Then there was a blur of motion and the next thing I knew, Sorani was lying on the ground with the ascor’s hand around his throat.
“Don’t expect to catch an ascor unawares,” he said to Sorani. “Might as well tell the other two to come out.”
I had no idea how he knew Sorani was there, never mind us, but Frodan and I stepped from our hiding place.
“Let my brother go,” I demanded.
“Brother, eh? So you are the three who have declared yourselves brothers.” Ernard released Sorani, who scrambled away. “Come, come, let me see you. I came up here to contemplate the setting of the sun, but I never had much time for scenery-gazing before, and it appears that my recent decision hasn’t changed that.”
We went to stand in front of Ernard. His white beard had grown long and scruffy and the lines of his skin showed both age and a deep weariness. But Sorani could testify to there being both vitality and speed left in the old body.
“Did you watch the Greens march out of Lessard Mansion for the start of the Path a few days ago?” Then, before we could answer, he continued: “Of course you did. You are lucky—another six years before your Path; you’ll be older then. It’s the thirteen- and fourteen-year-old Greens that have no chance. Sometimes...” He shook his head. “It is what it is. Tell me something—are you smart?”
“I am,” I said without hesitation. I was always one of the smartest in my class when we did schooling.
“That’s good,” he said. “Good to think you’re smart when younger, so you only get to recognize your stupidity when you are as old as me. You understand the Green Path, right? Why does it exist?”
“Every six years Helion comes,” I said, pointing up into the sky where the giant purple moon was brightening as the sun fell below the horizon. “It pushes the planet closer to the sun, causing the Infernam, when everyone must retreat to the Refuge or die. With limited room in the Refuge, the teenage sons of the ascor have to walk the Green Path. Fifty days before the Infernam, the Greens are sent from their mansions with nothing but the clothes on their backs. They come from each of the four families: the Lessards, the Raines, the Bellangers, the Greniers. At the end of the fifty days, four of them will be selected by the leaders of the families, the four Guardians. Each of the Selects—”
“Yes, yes, each of the Selects will choose one more. Only eight will survive out of the hundred and fifty or so,” Ernard said. “I didn’t ask what the Green Path was; I asked why it existed.”
That left me stumped. The Green Path just was, there was no reason for it any more than there was a reason for the sun to come up.
“As I thought,” Ernard said. “You’re smart enough to know things, but not enough to think for yourself.”
“The Green Path is a test,” Frodan said.
Ernard smiled. “That’s closer. Go on.”
“We have to prove ourselves worthy,” Frodan said.
“Pssh.” Ernard waved a hand dismissively. “Worthy—what does that mean? You have to prove yourselves valuable. You have to prove yourselves remarkable.”
“Why are you asking us these questions?” Sorani demanded. “You already know the answers.”
“What good is me knowing?” Ernard poked a finger in Sorani’s chest and Sorani took a step back and glared at the old ascor. “I don’t need to walk the Path again. You might think you know something—I bet if I first had asked if you understood the Green Path you’d all say you did. But you don’t. Only if you can explain it fully do you really understand it.”
“Then just tell us,” Sorani said.
“How does that help you think for yourselves?” Ernard asked. “You thought you could sneak up on me like you sneak up on the servants. What didn’t you think of?”
I began to see what Ernard was getting at. “You survived the Green Path.”
“Aha, maybe some potential to think for yourself after all. Go on.”
“Only the best survive the Green Path,” I said. “The Path exists to ensure that the ascor are the smartest and best out of all the Greens.”
“Exactly.” Ernard settled back into his chair with a satisfied look on his face. “Arcandis doesn’t need many ascor, but it does need them to be exceptional. Now go, leave me be. The sun is about to set.”
The last of the sun’s rays were disappearing behind the rooftops and a deep purple gloom was settling down upon them.
“Could you tell us more?” Frodan asked him. “Give us some help, some guidance.”
Ernard snorted, then muttered, “I’m getting soft. I can’t bear the thought of putting up with the upcoming heat for the next several weeks. And, for no reason, I felt an urge to help the Greens when they marched out of the mansion a few days ago.”
He had picked up his tea but he put it down again and looked up at us. “Okay, another few minutes. Tell me of your plans to survive: Wolfling, Shadow, Elect, or Defender?”
Once again I had no answer for him. I knew what each of them were: Greens who fought to the death in the Eye were called Wolflings; those who assassinated other Greens were Shadows; Elects were the leaders among the Greens, such as Grayer; and Defenders were those who followed the Elects.
But it was over six years until my brothers and I had to face the Path—it wasn’t something we needed to think about yet.
But Ernard’s shake of his head said differently. “It might not be too late if you start now. Could you be Wolflings? Are any of you outstanding in weapon practice? One of the best?”
We looked at each other. “Well, maybe not the best—” I began.
“Then the Wolfling’s Path is not for you.” Ernard’s voice was firm. “Only the strongest, fastest, and most skilled have any chance to beat experienced Eye fighters. Could you be Shadows? Could you plan and execute the assassination of a fellow Green? Do you have the stomach for that kind of killing?”
I had to believe I did. The Path was not for the squeamish. But how could I know until the moment came?
Ernard laughed. “Look at you.” He pointed at Frodan. “From the sick look on your face, I know you couldn’t be a Shadow. And I have my doubts about the other two. An Elect, then? A Defender?”
“We are going to work together,” Frodan said.
That much was true, at least. I put one hand on Frodan’s shoulder and the other one on Sorani’s.
Ernard looked at us with an amused expression. “I’m not sure that brotherhood is an appreciated value when the Guardians make a selection. Leadership is—that’s why the Selects are allowed to choose a companion, rather than having the Guardians pick two Selects each. But brotherhood...” Ernard shrugged. “Do you understand the ascorim?”
I was about to say I did when Ernard waved his hand in front of his face. “No, of course you don’t. I’m not sure I fully understand it myself, and I have breathed it for decades. It’s been called the maneuvering for power among the ascor, but it is so much more. The first step to begin to understand it is to wonder at the reason behind every action and every word of an ascor. You haven’t even asked yourselves why I’m helping you, have you? The answer is in that cup of tea.”
I looked down at the tea in confusion. It was full, and surely cold by now. What could be in there that would induce him to help us?
“So you want to form a group, just the three of you,” Ernard continued. “Elect and two Defenders, you can figure out who’s who later on. What’s your plan then?”
I looked to either side, but received blank stares from both Frodan and Sorani. I shrugged my shoulders.
“Having no idea of how to win comes from not understanding the Path.” Ernard glanced around. The sun was now fully set. “My time is nearly done. You have to focus on something and make a success of it.” He picked up his tea, took a sip, and made a face. “Even with honey, it tastes horrible. I guess that’s why no one does it this way. But I don’t want to go out like everyone else.” He took another sip. “Think about how to prove yourselves valuable. For example, the Lessards concentrate on trading, so one way to impress the Lessard Guardian is to find some profitable trades, make some bargains, do some deals. And start your preparations immediately. You’ll only get one chance at the Path, and the odds are against you.” He took one final long sip of tea, then put down the cup and flapped his hand at us. “Now go, tell one of the servants to come and collect my body in a while.”
“Thank you,” Frodan said as we left, but I’m not sure he heard us.