by Kyle West
“Okay,” Fiona said, “but why would he go on his own? He’ll get himself killed!”
“Maybe he’s figured out a way to get there safely.”
“How?” Fiona asked. “No one has returned from Hyperborea alive since the day the city was destroyed.”
“Maybe we can learn more from his notes,” I said.
Fiona dropped everything she was doing to help out. We read quietly for an hour or so. A lot of the notes had nothing whatsoever do to with Isaru’s leaving, but dealt in extreme detail on the workings of the city. Where had Isaru found all this stuff?
“We have to take this to Isandru,” Fiona said.
“If he finds out Isaru’s done this…”
“He’ll find out, anyway,” Fiona said. “Half the Sanctum must know he’s missing already. What they won’t know is where he’s truly gone.”
All I could wonder was what in the world would possess Isaru to do this. Even if he knew for a fact that the Prophecy could be found in Hyperborea, why go on his own?
“That he would risk his life for this demonstrates he truly believes it’s there,” Fiona said.
“He kept this hidden from us all the while,” I said. “Even yesterday with Isandru, he seemed to be going along with the Red Bastion.”
“Isandru must be told,” Fiona said. “This goes beyond the fact that Isaru will be severely disciplined. His life is in danger. And with dragons about in the immediate area, he might not even live long enough to survive the day.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
WE FOUND ISANDRU IN HIS office, and it was lucky that we did because there was no time to lose, because Isaru had left sometime in the night. Already, it might be pointless to try and catch up, so all we could hope for was that Isandru would know what to do.
The Elder listened as Fiona and I explained the situation, but only for a moment. His calm expression became one of alarm, and before we both knew it, he was up on his feet and heading for the door.
“Where are you going?” Fiona asked.
“After him,” Isandru said. “And I have to leave now if there’s any hope of catching up.”
Fiona and I kept pace as he shut the door of the office behind him.
“How will you ever catch him?” I asked. “Why did he do it?”
“I don’t know the answer to either of those questions,” Isandru said. “But the Prince will not reach the city. Let us all hope he comes to his senses before he is killed.”
“Elder…what do we do?” Fiona asked.
He turned to face us both. “You are both to remain here. Fiona, you can be in charge of Shanti’s lessons while I’m gone.”
“I planned on traveling to Sylva as soon as I could,” Fiona said.
“That must be put on hold. I want neither of you to leave the Sanctum until I return. If I’m not back in a week’s time…well, I’ll need you to tell the others what has become of me. For the gods’ sake, don’t tell them where I truly went. Not yet. That would lead to far too many questions. Only say that I went to find Isaru. In fact…no. Don’t even say that much. Officially, you know nothing of my departure, just as surely as no one else will.” He looked from one of us to the other. “Do you understand?”
“Yes, Elder, but…”
“Peace, Fiona. All will be well…you’ll see. There’s reason to believe Isaru might not know the way north, while I do. If that’s the case, when I return, it will be with the Prince in hand.”
We continued to follow him, but he held up a hand, forcing us both to a stop.
“This is where I leave you,” he said.
“Elder…” I said. “Why would he do this? Does he think the Prophecy is really there?”
“Whether it is, or isn’t…it’s no matter. The Prince will die before he reaches the city.”
With that, he turned and departed the Hall of Elders as Fiona and I remained behind.
* * *
There was nothing left to do, so I had to return to my lessons. I walked to the Seekers’ Dome, to Karai’s office, only to find it empty. I went downstairs to the clinic and found her and her students tending to those injured in the attacks. Every clinic bed was occupied, and when Karai saw me, her lesson came to a dead stop.
“Shanti! Where on Earth have you been? Have you seen Isaru?”
I shook my head. “I’ve been looking for him, but he’s…gone.”
Samal and Ret exchanged a look — for the first time, they seemed to be concerned. Karai caught their expressions.
“What’s going on, Samal?”
“It’s like we told you before,” Samal said. “He wasn’t there when we woke up. We just thought he was in the library, and we looked for him there after breakfast. Nothing, though.”
Karai looked at me, her face tight with worry. “Where could he be, then?”
I shrugged, and tried to look as in the dark as everyone else.
By now, Jaim and Nabea had come over to see what was going on. For a moment, it didn’t seem as if Karai knew what to do.
“If I find that boy, I’ll skin him alive. This can’t go unreported any longer.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I must go to the Elders at once.”
“What about the wounded?” Nabea asked.
“Continue doing what you can. Several Clerics should be back within the hour. They were working all through the night and I thought this might be a nice way for them to get a break.” Karai sighed. “It appears that that will no longer be the case.”
“Where do you think he’s gone?” Samal asked.
“Truancy isn’t unknown of in the Seekers’ Sanctum,” Karai said. “I couldn’t imagine why Isaru would feel the need. Let’s just hope he is still on the grounds.”
The initiates’ eyes widened at that; apparently, they hadn’t thought of the possibility of him being outside the Sanctum.
Karai left, and once she was gone, I turned to Ret. “Did you not even hear him leave during the night?”
Ret nodded, seeming a bit guilty. “I did, but I thought nothing of it at the time. He came to bed late, as he usually does, and got up shortly after the final hour. He does that sometimes. One time I even followed him, to see what he was doing. I’ve never told anyone this before, but that night he went to the wall and was talking to a Radaska!”
I felt a stab of anxiety. Ret might know. At least a little bit.
Ret was looking at me. “Shanti…do you think he ran away? He’s been known to fly all over with that Radaska of his…”
I hesitated a moment, knowing I had to take care in how I answered. “I’ve seen him with that dragon, too, Ret. Her name is Jorla. I just couldn’t sleep one night, and I had to hide behind a tower. Maybe he was…planning something.” I knew I couldn’t say anything more than that. “Jorla was the dragon who took Isaru to Colonia when he rescued me.”
“The very same?” Ret asked.
“I can only assume, but the dragon was clearly a Radaska. The only Radaska Isaru would speak to is Jorla, unless he has been keeping even more secrets from me. She might help him get away from here, though I don’t know what would motivate him to leave.”
“They say King Taris is coming to the Sanctum,” Samal said. “And I’ve heard that the king and the Prince don’t always see eye to eye on things.”
That was something I hadn’t considered. Indeed, from the few times I’d seen Isaru speak with his father, the relationship did seem to be a bit strained. Perhaps even more than a bit.
“You might be onto something, Samal,” I said. I wondered if Isandru had caught on to that possibility. He likely did, being more familiar with Isaru and King Taris, but probably hadn’t felt the need to mention it. “That means if he did try to run away, he’ll be gone for a week or two — long enough for the king to depart again.”
“I imagine Taris is coming to take Isaru home,” Ret said. “Only, Isaru likes it here.”
I looked at Nabea and quiet Jaim, both of whom had yet to say a word.<
br />
“I know nothing of this,” Nabea said. “Isaru, though, has his secrets. He looks like someone who carries a lot of secrets.”
Jaim nodded shyly, seeming too embarrassed to say anything himself.
“I thought of anyone here, you might know the most,” Ret said, looking at me. “You seem to know him best.”
I shook my head. “I knew nothing about this. What Samal said made sense, though.”
I also realized that Isaru’s going to Hyperborea and his wanting to avoid his father could be true at the same time.
“What do we do, then?” Samal asked.
“Nothing we can do but wait,” Ret said. “The Elders will probably send a search party after him.”
“Search where?” Samal asked. “The Red Wild is a large place, and with a dragon, he could be anywhere.”
“Good point.”
We all stood there for a moment, until Karai reappeared in the doorway. This time, she was with Eldress Karu and Elder Aurelius.
“I’ll need you all to come with us,” she said. “The Elders have some questions.”
I swallowed, and only hoped I could be as convincing to the Elders as I had been to the others.
* * *
We followed them into the Hall of Elders, at the back of which was a small room with a round table and seven chairs, which the Elders used for private conferences. It didn’t seem like a place others often went to.
Apparently, there was no prohibition against us being there, because the Elders gestured to the open chairs. We took them up, and there were just enough for all of us. Seeker Karai remained standing.
“It is our understanding that Prince Isaru has gone missing,” Eldress Karu began. “Would any of you know anything about this?”
“Nothing, except that he must have left in the night,” Samal said.
“That, and he had access to a Radaska,” Ret said.
Elder Aurelius raised a gray, bushy eyebrow. “Jorla?”
Ret nodded. “I noticed…well, I suppose if it will help you find him. I noticed he would leave sometimes during the night, and one time I followed him. I saw him there on the wall, apparently speaking to Jorla.”
“I see,” Aurelius said. “And when you woke this morning, he wasn’t there.”
“Isaru commonly wakes early, so I didn’t think much of it. He wasn’t at breakfast either, so Samal and I looked for him in the library. He wasn’t anywhere on the first floor, but at that point we had to go to our lesson. Isaru wasn’t there, either.”
“He’s gone, then,” Karu said, the brow of her narrow face furrowed in thought. “He used Jorla to run off somewhere, I’m sure of it. It fits in with his character.”
At that moment, Apprentice Martin appeared in the doorway. “I’ve found Elder Arminius, Elder Tellor, and Elder Draeus. Of Elder Isandru and Elder Lian, I’ve found no sign. The first three are on their way.”
“Good,” Arminius said. “Check the Elder Prophet’s office.”
Martin’s face spoke apology. “Forgive me, Elder, but I’ve searched there already. It’s been a few hours since anyone has seen him.”
“Hm. Well, keep looking. Thank you.”
Apprentice Martin bowed his way out, and Aurelius turned his light brown eyes back on us.
“Is there anything else you can tell me?”
We all shook our heads, and Aurelius’s gaze fell on me.
“Shanti, you know nothing?”
“Nothing, Elder,” I said. “I haven’t seen Isaru since yesterday.”
“Any ideas where he might have gone?”
“He could be anywhere,” Ret said, butting in. “Dragon like that, he could be a hundred miles away by now, if not further.”
“Yes, but where would he go? What motive does he have for leaving?”
“We thought it might have something to do with his father,” Ret said.
“His father?” Aurelius asked. “He’s not due to arrive for another week at least.”
“Well,” Ret continued, a bit awkwardly, “the rumor is that they don’t get along so well. Maybe he wanted a place to hide out for a while…”
“Isaru not being here by the time King Taris arrives would be a disaster,” Karu said. “We’ll need to order some of our Seekers to begin a search at once.”
“How many?” Arminius asked. “We must leave some behind to defend against any potential Mindless threats.”
“While the Prince is out there at risk?”
Arminius frowned, clearly seeing Karu’s point. “We’ll need to consult the Chief Elder.” He then turned to each of us. “Find out what you can, and report back to me. I want you to go through everything in his room, any notes he has taken. Anything that might lead us to his location.”
“Have we considered that he might still be in the Sanctum, somewhere?” Nabea asked. “There are places in the Grove where someone could get lost for days.”
“An excellent point,” Arminius said. “How about you and Jaim search the Grove while Isaru’s roommates go through his room. Go to the library as well; I know he spent a lot of time there, so he might have left something behind.”
I was glad I took Isaru’s notes to Isandru’s office. Hopefully, no one would disturb them there. I also worried that I might have left some notes behind. A single sheet of paper falling between the desk and the wall might be recovered. Whether they could deduce where Isaru truly went was another question entirely. Even sitting where I was, I doubted my own conclusion. Isandru had been quick to believe that Fiona and I were correct, so there was that.
“I want everyone to do as I’ve said,” Arminius said. “Everyone, with the exception of Shanti. I have some more questions I’d like to ask her.”
I did my best to keep my face expressionless, but already my heart was racing. The others cast me a glance as they left the room, until I was left alone with Karu and Aurelius.
“Now,” Aurelius said, “you seem to know Isaru better than the others. Is there something you can tell us? Perhaps something you couldn’t say in front of the others?”
What did he mean by that?
“I haven’t seen him since yesterday. At dinner. Isaru and I have been rather distant lately. He’s…more secretive. I don’t know how to explain it.”
“I see,” Aurelius said. “Have you noticed anything strange in his behavior, other than his reclusion?”
Both Karu and Aurelius were looking at me intently.
“Not particularly,” I said. “He does spend a lot of time in the library, but that’s pretty normal for him. And I know he and Jorla have gone off on adventures like this before.”
“That much is true,” Karu said.
“We have no motive, though,” Aurelius said. “That’s what is missing.”
Aurelius’s eyes looked into mine. I could tell that he knew I was hiding something. I couldn’t say how, but he did.
“I will be blunt, Shanti,” Aurelius said. “I know for a fact that you know something. That is why I kept you behind. My Gift of Insight tells me as much. You seem ill at ease, and what’s more, I sense that you are deeply troubled. Troubled, not because you do not know where your friend is. You are troubled because you do know where your friend is, but feel as if you can’t tell us. Perhaps because you are bound by secrecy?”
My eyes widened, and I mentally berated myself for being so obvious.
“Where is he, Shanti?” Karu asked gently. “You do not need to fear being disciplined…unless you helped him leave, of course, but I don’t think you have. Either way, we require an answer.”
“I didn’t help him,” I said, my voice coming out as a whisper. “And I truly didn’t know about this until today.”
I knew Isandru had instructed me not to say anything, but he had underestimated Aurelius’s abilities. Aurelius was one of the most talented Seekers in regard to Insight. It was a Gift common among Sages, and I knew I had to tell him something to get him off my back. Even if I did tell them the truth, they would probably th
ink I was lying.
“When I noticed he was gone this morning, I went to the library, like Samal and Ret. I believed I would find him there. I went to the second floor, knowing that’s where he likes to study, and there was no apprentice on duty. When I got to his desk, he wasn’t there.”
“His desk?” Karu asked.
“There’s a place he likes to study in particular. By the window somewhere deep on the second floor.”
“I know the place,” she said. “Go on.”
I shook my head. “That’s it. There were some notes, but nothing else.”
“Notes?” Karu asked. “Did you read them?”
I shook my head. “I left immediately. I had to get to my lesson.”
“Those notes must be recovered,” Aurelius said.
Karu nodded. “I’ll see to it myself. Pray to the gods they’re still there.”
I felt bad as I watched her leave, knowing that she wasn’t going to find them. When they came up missing, I would be the chief suspect, and they might even search my possessions. However, they would never find them on me. They were safely in Isandru’s office, though I couldn’t remember where the Elder had left them.
“Elder,” I said. “I was supposed to meet with Aela around this time…”
Aurelius blinked, coming out of deep thought.
“I see. No doubt, Karu and I will need time to go over the notes with the rest of the Elders. If we need you again, we’ll summon you.”
I nodded. That would happen, eventually. For now, I could only be grateful for getting a chance to breathe. “Thank you, Elder.”
After bowing my way out, I walked quickly from the Hall of Elders, my heart racing. I didn’t know how long I could keep this secret. Everything seemed to be out of my control, and the best I could hope for was holding my silence.
One thing I did know: Isaru deserved a good punch in the face the minute he got back.
CHAPTER TWENTY
