by Kyle West
“It’s not often that you see the Elders caught unawares,” Deanna said.
Deanna was right; I had never seen them so nervous before. Not only was Isaru missing, but so was the Elder Prophet.
A couple of times, I caught King Taris looking my way, but each time he did, I hastily went back to my food, hoping he didn’t notice me looking at him.
“You’ve met him before, haven’t you?” Isa asked.
I nodded. “It wasn’t a pleasant experience.”
“They say King Taris is quick to anger,” Aela said.
“Be careful what you say,” Deanna said. “Though we are in the Sanctum, he is a king, after all.”
Aela pursed her lips, seeming to take Deanna’s advice.
“I wonder what’s going to happen,” Isa said.
“There’s nothing we can do but wait and watch,” Deanna said.
WHEN BREAKFAST ENDED, I went throughout the rest of my day — lessons with Judge Kais, followed by Sage Alan, followed by Cleric Karai. There was much less joking and more attentiveness among the initiates, even if the king was nowhere in sight. As I looked around at all the drawn faces, I realized that this could have been for another reason. Many initiates were in the same position as me: utterly exhausted. More and more, I heard talk of quitting. Whenever I heard these snippets of conversation, it only firmed my resolve to be the one who didn’t quit.
So far, no one had left the Sanctum since my arrival. According to Deanna, this was the longest time she had seen that no one had quit or been dismissed by the Elders. I got the feeling that that streak was going to end soon.
Once my studies were done with Cleric Karai, I made my way back to the library for yet more work under Tarman. I resisted the temptation to head to my dorm instead. After training with Tarman, there would be dinner, followed by yet more practicing my letters.
Tarman watched, bored, as I practiced. He had to correct me less often, but I was nowhere near the level of the rest of the scriveners. I rubbed my wrist to give myself a break.
“That should be enough for now,” Tarman said. “You’re getting better, but what confuses me was how excellent your writing was to begin with.”
This was at least the fifteenth time he mentioned it. “I’ve told you, it was some weird flow that I can’t explain.”
“Whatever it was you were doing, try to find it,” Tarman said. “Maybe it’s something similar to Battletrance. Scribing trance? That doesn’t sound as exciting, does it?”
I was too tired to even respond to his joke. Seeming to detect my mood, he sighed.
“Sorry. I think I’m just little on edge right now.”
“Everyone is,” I said. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. I do appreciate you taking the time to train me.”
He managed a tired smile. “I needed a break from my work. Not even halfway through with my current tome, and I have months yet before I can hand it off to Haris. And after, I suspect he’ll hand me more work.”
“Is it even worth it?”
Tarman was quiet, as if he didn’t know the answer to that. “I keep telling myself it is. They say it gets better.”
Tarman didn’t specify who “they” were, and I didn’t ask for clarification.
“Listen...” he said. “I enjoy teaching you, but if we can’t improve more by tomorrow, Haris will be livid. More so at me than at you.”
“I wish I could help you, Tarman,” I said. “I’m going to practice after dinner. I promise.”
He nodded, at least a little placated. “Again, I’m sorry. I know you didn’t ask to scribe, but there’s little either of us can do about it. Rejecting Haris’s generosity would reflect badly on you. It’s better to wait for him to reject you for training.”
“Will that happen?” I asked, hope rising in my chest.
“You’ve already demonstrated your ability,” Tarman said. “Haris is very persistent. He’ll work it out of you if it’s the last thing he does.”
“Too much to hope for then, I guess.”
“Look,” Tarman said. “You do have talent...it’s just a matter of finding it.”
What Tarman didn’t seem to consider was maybe I didn’t want to find it. Spending hours upon hours of my free time transcribing texts might have been Isaru’s or Isa’s idea of fun, but it didn’t really do it for me.
We left the library and headed to the Great Hall for dinner. Though it was time to eat, the Elders had yet to show up. The minutes dragged on until finally they emerged from the Hall of Elders with King Taris in tow. Taris’s retainers sat at a nearby table, still and completely silent; their stark quiet cast a pall on the entire gathering. It was amazing how one person could change the atmosphere of a place, especially when that person was displeased.
As soon as the Elders and king sat down, the kitchen initiates wheeled out the night’s dinner, and it was clear they had put in extra effort to please the king. All the same, it still didn’t seem to be enough to lift anyone’s spirits. Today, it was pork tenderloin with sage and rosemary and plum jam, mashed potatoes with cream and garlic, spiced mixed greens, and crusty bread, all as fine as anything I had ever eaten.
And it was just when people were beginning to loosen up that there was an interruption. The Sanctum doors swung open, reverberating throughout the hall.
As one, everyone turned to see Elder Isandru in his dirty and ragged Elder’s robes, his silver hair wild and in disarray. The lines on his face seemed deeper than ever before. He stood alone.
In the thick, following silence, King Taris stood. He said nothing at first, as if taking in the sight of Isandru and realizing, without the Elder saying anything, that his son had not been found and that Isandru had given up the chase.
EVERYONE WAITED FOR the Elder to speak, and his silence was near-maddening. It was as if he was working for the words to say. I feared the worst. All week I had made myself believe that nothing bad had happened to Isaru.
Now, I wasn’t so sure.
Isandru turned his head to face the Grove, seeming to look at something the rest of us couldn’t see.
“Come along, Isaru,” he said. “You can’t hide out there forever.”
Upon hearing this, the Sanctum broke into an excited buzz. I resisted the urge to stand and go outside, but such a move would have been pointless anyway. Within a moment, Isaru stood beside the Elder, his face betraying no emotion. His gray eyes looked past everyone seated at the lower tables and at last found his father. It was hard to read that expression, but if I had to guess, the Prince was trying to steel himself for whatever harsh words the king had prepared for him.
Taris, however, wasn’t going to get into an argument in front of the entire Sanctum.
“Come, my son,” he said, calmly. “Come sit by me at the table. I’m sure you are hungry, after being away so long.”
Isaru stood still, and after a drawn moment, reluctantly made his way forward. The whispers, like a wind, overtook the Great Hall once again. Isaru walked by my table without sparing me a glance. Whatever had happened, whatever his reasons for leaving, it didn’t seem as if he was in the mood to talk about it.
I looked back at Elder Isandru, who merely watched on the front threshold. After a moment, he stepped inside and slammed the doors against the night.
The Prince stepped up onto the Elders’ Dais, sitting next to his father after the king’s retainers hastily found him a seat.
Elder Isandru walked toward the Elders’ table, and it was only when he was seated and served that Chief Elder Arminius stood to address the Sanctum.
“We are glad for Isaru Annajen’s safe return...” Arminius cleared his throat, seeming to be at a loss for words. I realized he was just as shocked as the rest of us. “Please continue your meals, and refrain from speaking to the Prince until we and the king have had our say.”
Arminius sat, and the buzz of conversation resumed.
“Well...” Deanna said. “He isn’t dead. I wonder how many bets were lost tonight?”
<
br /> “He didn’t look like someone who’s run away for almost a week,” Aela said. “Elder Isandru, on the other hand...”
I remained quiet and watched as Isaru picked at his food. He hadn’t gone hungry on his journey, otherwise he’d be shoveling it in his mouth.
“I wonder how far he got,” I asked.
Everyone looked at me, and I realized I’d made a slip. Saying that he had gotten anywhere implied that I might know where he was going.
“I mean, how far away from the Sanctum.”
Everyone seemed to accept that clarification, thankfully.
“Who knows?” Aela asked. “He’s a fool who clearly has a lot of growing up to do.”
Even if I knew more of the story, I was inclined to agree.
“We don’t know his reasons,” Isa said, quietly. “I just hope the king isn’t too hard on him.”
“He has a lot to answer for,” Deanna said. “If it were anyone else, the Elders would expel him on the spot.”
“They won’t do that, will they?” Isa asked.
“They’ve done it for far less. I wouldn’t be surprised if they did do it, if only to make a point. We’ll have to wait and see if his blood and talent is enough to save him.”
I finished the rest of my meal in silence. Isaru had brought it on himself, and there was no telling if his actions were justifiable. If they were, surely Elder Isandru would intercede for him, and perhaps that would be enough to sway the Elders toward mercy.
Then again, King Taris appeared oddly satisfied. Perhaps he now had the excuse he was looking for to pull Isaru from the Sanctum, if that was his intent.
On that point, we still had to wait and see.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
BY THE TIME ANNA AND her son arrived at the Bunker 40 dig site, Askal was already there and waiting. Michael and Lauren stood in front of their tent with their eleven-year-old daughter, Callie, and their four-year-old, Julian. It had been a long time since Anna had seen them; their duties at the dig site kept them away from Colonia for weeks at a time, and Samuel hadn’t trusted anyone else to oversee the scrapping of such valuable materials. A small, walled outpost had been founded around a nearby spring, and the site was deep enough inside the Great Blight that the dragons were an additional guarantee of protection against the potential of Onyx Black’s raids.
Anna had flown hours through the night to get here, and all she could think of was that Samuel was dead, and in the end it hadn’t been Onyx Black. It had been Colonians, people they had known and worked with, the entire time. There had always been tension in the Senate, but never did Anna think it would come to this.
Quietus landed, and Alex, who was sleeping in her arms, roused. The outpost was quiet and dark — the Sanchez family had taken great care to not wake the rest of the settlement.
Anna dismounted, carrying Alex with her. As soon as she did, Lauren, with tears in her eyes, came up to embrace her. Right then, Anna broke down, unable to control herself. Michael, too, had tears in his eyes.
“We should move as fast as we can,” he said. “We can talk when we reach the dragons’ aerie.”
Anna nodded. “Of course.”
She and Lauren parted, and she felt Alex tug at her shirt.
“Where are we going, Mommy?”
Anna wiped away her tears. “We’re going to live with the dragons for a while, Baby.”
“Why?”
“Why are we leaving?” Callie echoed. “Something’s happened, hasn’t it? No one is telling me...”
Callie Sanchez had her mother’s brown hair and blue eyes. She was growing to be as beautiful as her mother, and as determined.
“Yes, something’s happened,” Lauren said, at last. “We’ll talk about it when we get there, Callie.”
Callie looked as if she wanted to argue for a moment, but thought better of it.
“Lauren and I can take Julian on Askal,” Michael said. “Anna, you can take Callie with you on Quietus. That’s probably the best way to distribute the weight.”
“Dad, I really want to know what’s happened. Is it Samuel? Why aren’t they here?” Callie started.
“No arguing,” Michael said firmly. “I’ll explain everything when we get there.”
Callie’s eyes started to fill with tears, but in the end, she nodded.
Anna didn’t understand why Callie couldn’t be told at that moment — she would find out, anyway, and making her wait would only distress her further. However, Michael and Lauren probably wanted time to figure out how to break the news.
“Come on, Callie,” Anna said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “It’s been a while since you’ve ridden a dragon, hasn’t it?”
Callie didn’t respond. Callie loved flying, but it was clear she could take no pleasure in it now.
When she was settled behind Anna, with Alex in front, Anna felt Callie’s cheek on her back as she was hugged tightly.
“I don’t get it,” she said. “Why don’t they tell me what’s going on? They’re treating me like a five-year-old.”
Eleven is still little, Anna wanted to say, but she also knew that Callie was right, in a way. Eleven was older than a lot of people grew to be in this world. Even Anna, at eleven, had known a life of relative peace; it wasn’t until the Reapers attacked that her childhood had ended.
“Being young is a blessing,” Anna said, still waiting on Michael, Lauren, and Julian to mount. “You never see it when you’re young, and it’s something you only realize when you’re older.”
“You sound so old when you say that.”
Despite everything, Anna smiled.
Callie’s parents had done all they could to shelter her from the Ragnarok War, and were successful, given how much it permeated their daily lives. If one thing was for sure, Callie was more mature than the average eleven-year-old. She had seen things that someone her age should never have been allowed to see.
Soon, they were underway, flying west into the Great Blight. Maybe, Anna thought, this had been inevitable. Maybe it was their lot to return to the place from which they had come. Anna didn’t know how long it would be until she returned to Colonia. There was Ruth and the children. Ruth had insisted that they were going to let her live, but Anna knew Ruth might have just been saying that to get her to run.
Anna didn’t know what came next. There was safety in the Great Blight, but she knew they couldn’t stay there forever. The dragons might know what to do — and until she met with them, Anna wouldn’t allow herself to lose hope.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
MY DREAM WAS INTERRUPTED WHEN a knock came at the door.
I heard Isa stir in her bed. “What the...?”
“Who is it?” I asked.
“Just open up!”
“Isaru?”
“Let me in!” he said. “I think Martin is coming around.”
I didn’t really have time to question it. “Give us a minute.”
Isa squeaked, not wanting Isaru to see her as she was.
“Just hide,” I said. “It’s too dark for him to see you, anyway.”
I got up, opened the door, and as soon as it was open a crack, Isaru sidled in and shut it behind.
“Thanks,” he whispered.
“You have ten seconds to explain yourself before I’m sending you out into the corridor.”
He looked at me. “Shanti...your parents are in danger.”
Now, that I hadn’t expected. It took me a moment to find my words. “Wait...what? How could you know that?”
“I went to Colonia,” he said. “I made a promise to Jorla after I rescued you from there, and I was just following up on it. I didn’t think it would take as long as it did, but there it is.”
“Wait...you went to Colonia? This entire time I thought...”
I trailed off, not wanting to sound foolish.
Isaru nodded. “Yeah. And while I was there, I did a little poking around on my own. Unfortunately, things got complicated.”
“What do you
mean?”
“Well, I got caught. Almost got caught, anyway. The Dragonriders came out and chased Jorla away, so I was stranded in the city for a few days. I thought I might find your parents for a bit of food, because I didn’t have any money and everyone was staring at me because...well, I look a little different from everyone there...”
A little different? Isaru would have drawn every eye, and any amount of time he spent on the streets of Colonia would eventually catch the eye of the Hunters.
“Anyway, I did happen to find your place, with a little asking around. The apartment was completely ransacked. Your parents are gone, Shanti. They’ve taken them to the Red Bastion, and apparently they’ve been there ever since you left.”
“What? Isaru...how do you know that they’re there?”
“I spoke with Naomi. You know her, right? She was your neighbor.”
If anything had happened to my parents afterward, Naomi would be the one to know. The image of my parents locked away in the Bastion’s dungeons was too much to bear, much less the fact that our home had been looted. The thought of Isaru coming into contact with Naomi was hard to wrap my head around, and it took me a long time to recover.
But when I did, I’d already made my decision. “We have to go back. Tonight.”
“That’s why I came,” Isaru said. “Together, we might save your parents. And with you, I might be able to fulfill my promise to Jorla. I had to cut my work short because I was caught sneaking into the fair — the same one where you saw the dragonling. The Prophecy is in the Red Bastion. That’s three things we can take care of in one swoop.”
“Wait,” I said. “There’s saving my parents and finding the Prophecy. What’s the third thing? Your promise to Jorla?”
