It was a long time before weariness overtook her, and she fell asleep, the book still clutched in one hand.
7
She rose the next day and immediately wondered if the previous night had been a dream. But no, there was the Illadar book lying on the corner of her bed. She almost felt the need to leaf back through it and confirm that she had read what she thought she read. But then the bell tolled, signalling breakfast. Jak hesitated. She wouldn’t really have time to read the book again until the evening.
She shrugged off that thought and stuffed the book into her pouch. Maybe she’d find a bit of downtime.
Breakfast was the usual oatmeal with a slice of bread. Not the most amazing meal, but they had some honey to sweeten the oatmeal, and that helped. Jak managed to sneak a peek at the book while eating, carefully keeping it out of sight from other students. But doing so almost cost her her meal, as she wasn’t quite done when Semwei entered and announced it was time for morning chores.
She stuffed the book in her pouch again and scarfed down the rest of the oatmeal on her way out. This morning, her assignment was to scrub pots, not the worst job in the world. She set to work and quickly lost herself in thought.
Apart from accurately describing the Shadow and Bright Fae, the book also mentioned many other varieties of Fae, something she’d seen hinted at in the original copy of the Annals of Adam, but this other book seemed to have much more detail on the subject. What really concerned Jak, was that there was a description of a Water-related variety of Fae, which was spot on. Large fins instead of legs, and most likely brought about by the power of a Relic. It was either a really good guess at what a Water Fae would look like or evidence that the book was, at least in part, real. There was no way that Seph knew about the Water Fae, and the book was too old and worn to have been transcribed after their transformation.
After finishing the pots and doing her best to wash the grime and charcoal from her hands, she heard the bell ring. Time for their first core class. Physicality.
This was the first time she’d been in this class, as before she had always been occupied in the mornings. She lined up with the rest of the students, though she noticed many glancing in her direction. Apparently, no one had forgotten the incident at the church.
“Hey there,” one called at her. “You think you can keep breakfast in this time?”
A chorus of snickering came from the speaker and his friends. Jak ignored them. She could take a little physical exercise and not lose her breakfast, couldn’t she?
Their instructor was a large man who looked like he might have been part of the city militia once. He didn’t introduce himself. He had probably already done so when Jak wasn’t here.
“Listen up. Today, in addition to your laps, we’ll be doing some pushups to build up your upper body strength. One thing you’ll learn about physicality is that you must give place for every muscle in your body, not just the ones in your legs.”
He had an accent Jak recognized from some of the lower classes in the city. His face bore some scars and seemed to be missing a part of his left ear. This man had probably lived a hard life.
He set them running laps around the courtyard, something Jak didn’t mind at first but began to feel winded after the fifth lap. By the fifteenth, she was gasping for air and barely managing to put one foot in front of the other. She wasn’t the only one. Others were gasping beside her, though others were still passing them up.
Blessedly, the instructor blew his whistle and they all ground to a halt. Jak leaned on her knees, seriously wondering if she could keep her breakfast down like the other student had teased.
“That’s enough of that! Now for the pushups.”
Students all around Jak groaned, and she felt the same way. But she hobbled back to the head of the square where the instructor began walking them through a proper pushup, noting the positioning of the hands, the posture, etc. Jak only half listened as she was still busy catching her breath. She hadn’t felt this worn out since Naem had made her walk for miles using combat forms instead of normal steps. Her legs were in great shape, but it had been a while since she’d had that level of workout.
She noticed, with some chagrin that not all the students looked tired. She recognized one girl who seemed almost eager to start the push-ups. It was the same strawberry-blonde girl she’d sat next to at the cathedral. The girl caught her staring, but rather than smirk or look away like Jak expected, she smiled and waved. Confused, Jak raised a hand to wave back.
But just at that moment, their teacher ordered them to get down on all fours and begin. Jak’s upper body was not nearly as strong as her legs, and it only took a few push-ups before she realized just how much this was going to hurt. But she grit her teeth and kept going until her arms literally collapsed beneath her. She looked around as she lay on the floor. Most were still going, though she noticed with a small amount of satisfaction that she hadn’t been the first to collapse. Nevertheless, not training with Naem for the past few weeks had already taken its toll.
Following Physicality, they had a small break to wash and get ready for their next class, Mathmatics. By now, Jak had all but forgotten about the Illadar book, and she was still kneading her arms and legs as she entered a large chamber where they were supposed to have the class. Jak found a seat near the back, not wanting to draw attention, though the eyes of students still followed her, then glanced away when she met their gaze.
“Hey there!” The strawberry-blonde girl sat in the seat next to her. Her voice was cheery, and the girl was not at all worried Jak might vomit on her or something. “I thought you could use some company. Have you been to the Mathmatics classes before? I don’t think I’ve seen you. It’s basically just stuff that the professors think we need to know. I don’t see why they teach it honestly since I can’t see how we would use it in real life. It’s not nearly as fun as the Branding classes. I saw you at one of those, but not at the others. Why is that? I’m Amelia by the way.”
She stuck out her hand to Jak, who took it slowly. This girl seemed to enjoy talking, but now she was staring at Jak, expectantly.
“Uh…Yeah, I’ve had things come up.” Jak said.
“I’ve seen you come in late with my grandpa Gabriel. He says…”
“Wait, Gabriel is your grandfather?” Jak hadn’t realized Gabriel had kids.
“Oh yes, anyway, he said that he can’t talk about anything and that I can’t ask you about it either. But I guess I just did. Sorry! But seriously, can you tell me?”
“I’m sorry but I can’t.”
“I’ll bet he’s giving you private lessons. He won’t tell me anything about you, but I’ve heard rumors, I know something big happened out there.”
Other students were glancing in their direction; Amelia was not exactly discreet.
“Yeah, sure, something like that.”
Amelia nearly squealed. “I knew it! You must be important, I can tell, especially after…” She broke off, probably realizing for the first time how uncomfortable Jak looked. And that talking about that moment in the church would probably not help things.
“That doesn’t bother you?” Jak said. “What happened to me there?”
“Oh no, of course not. I just think it makes you more interesting.”
“Great, now I’m an oddity on display.” Jak couldn’t help but notice all the eyes turning in their direction.
“Oh, I didn’t mean it like that, I just…”
But at that moment the teacher entered the room and began to speak. This teacher was an elderly woman, who looked almost as stern as Semwei, though not as young.
“Welcome class. We will continue today with our discussion of geometry, particularly the triangle and its many unique qualities…”
The woman began to drone, and Jak felt herself become distracted. Amelia was still cheery, looking like she wanted to say more to Jak, but conversely paying attention to everything the teacher was saying. She would take notes and smile at Jak when she c
aught her looking.
As the woman continued in her monotone voice, Jak idly fished in her pouch for Seph’s book. Glancing at the teacher and those around her, she opened it up under her desk and continued where she had left off.
“But as to the creation of Illadar, it has not yet been revealed to me how or when that will take place. But I am sure that such will not be possible without an Oren, a being like myself and my brother who can bestow multiple gifts on a person or object. It is how we made the artifacts we’ve assembled, and it is how Illadar will come into being.”
Jak almost snapped the book shut. Amelia glanced at her and frowned with concern, mouthing “are you okay?” while everyone else kept listening to the lesson. Jak nodded at Amelia, who went back to listening. But the truth was, Jak was not okay. She had just read something she had never expected.
Apparently, this Abel, the author of Seph’s book knew how to give multiple brands. And his brother too. That could explain the Relics, most of which held a lot of markings on them, some of which were definitely recognizable brands. But Jak had thought those were just inscriptions, not real brands. Because, well, more than one brand would have rendered the Relic useless. But perhaps not.
What really bothered Jak, however, was this mention of an Oren, a person who could bestow more than one brand. Until several months ago, she would have thought such a person was a fantasy. Until she had done it herself.
Naem had more than one brand, and Jak had been the one to give them to him. At the time, she had thought it a magical fluke of some kind, some complex process revealed to her at the moment by the Bright Fae’s ability to reveal the truth.
But what if it wasn’t a complex process that anyone could learn? What if it just had something to do with the person who did the branding?
She didn’t like that thought at all. If there was one thing she didn’t want, it was to stand out from the crowd more than she already did. All she had ever wanted, ever since she was a young child, was to be here at the College of Skyecliff studying to be a Gifter and a scholar. And no one would get in the way of that dream if she could help it. Not even the words of a silly book.
But she had bestowed a second and third brand to Naem, there was no getting around that. Perhaps more people could do the same, someone else who could help locate or create this Illadar place. Perhaps multiple people.
That thought made Jak feel a little better.
“Young girl, can you tell me what happens when you multiply each side of the triangle by itself then add the results of the two shorter sides?”
It took a moment before Jak realized that everyone was staring at her? The teacher had drawn a triangle on the board and waited expectantly for Jak to answer the question.
She looked at the board, barely remembering something about triangles from her schooling in Riverbrooke. But with all eyes on her, she could barely think. “Um... I don’t know, ma’am. I’m sorry.”
“That’s what I thought. Perhaps you will pay attention next time.”
“Yes, ma’am. I will.”
As the woman continued speaking in that monotone voice, the rest of the class turned to focus, paying much more attention than before. Apparently, none of them wanted to be the next one called out on their distractions. Jak, her face still hot, joined them in taking all the notes she could. It was difficult to work, this woman was hard to pay attention to, but she wouldn’t risk a repeat of what happened. Why was it that people always seemed to draw the attention of the entire group onto her? When the class ended, the freckled girl, Amelia, caught up with Jak as she exited the classroom.
“Boy, that was embarrassing wasn’t it? I wish they hadn’t singled you out like that, I would have died if it had been me. But I guess you were reading a book, can I see it? What were you reading?
Jak stopped in the middle of the hallway. “Listen, um…”
“Amelia.”
“Yes, Amelia. Do you always talk this fast?”
“Pretty much, my mother says I won’t make any friends because I ask too many questions. Do you think I ask too many questions? Oh wait, that’s a question. Did that bother you? Oh, Relics…
Jak couldn’t help but laugh. “No, I don’t think it’s annoying. Takes a bit of getting used to though.”
“I’ll take that! So, are you a Gifter then? What am I talking about, of course, you are. Just trying to make conversation. So, does this mean we’re friends?” She shrugged and grinned as if asking for forgiveness.
Jak offered her hand. “I think I said this already, but I’m Jak, and sure, I’d love to have a friend. I don’t really have any here.” She thought of Naem as she said it, but she hadn’t seen him since they arrived, and she had no idea where he could be.
Amelia almost clapped her hands with joy, but to her credit, stopped herself before it got that obvious. “We have our Branding lesson next, want to come?”
“Um... I think I have to, it’s on my schedule.”
“Oh right, of course. Well, let’s go!”
Jak did her best to stay on pace with Amelia as she all but ran to the next classroom. This was the biggest room in the complex, save for the entrance dome and the library above. It probably sat two hundred people or so, though only a handful filled the seats now. It wasn’t the first time Jak wondered why there weren’t more Gifters here. This was the only place where they taught Gifting. Anyone who chose Gifting as their brand had to come here by necessity. And yet, Jak had only counted maybe fifty or so in total, and some of those weren’t even Gifters, they were just here to learn other disciplines. But none of them were here for this lesson. This time, the lesson was reserved only for the Gifters.
Another elderly woman took the stage and cleared her throat, indicating that everyone should quiet down.
“My grandfather is supposed to teach this one when he’s here,” Amelia whispered to Jak as they sat. “But he’s been back for several days now and hasn’t taught it once. Not sure what he’s up to.”
Jak stayed silent. She knew what was keeping the old mage, of course, but she could tell no one. Instead, she listened as the teacher began to speak.
“I see a few new faces today. Welcome, I am Professor Gona, and today we’ll continue our discussion of the mental process behind the Gifting of simpler brands.” The woman began. There was a cloth on the table in front of her, and something underneath that formed a small lump. The teacher removed the cloth to show some wood chips sitting there. “You may even get a chance to try a brand for the first time.”
Excited mutters moved through the crowd. Amelia turned to Jak with the most excited look on her face that Jak almost choked. “We get to try a brand! I’ve never tried before.”
“You haven’t?” Jak was genuinely surprised. She had forgotten how most students took years before they could master even the more basic brands.
The professor cleared her throat again, and the room grew silent once more.
“These wood chips have had a knife cut through them, enough to slice through a portion of the wood, but not all the way through. Our task today will be to establish a healing brand in the wood. If done correctly, the healing brand will allow the wood to heal itself from the knife mark. If done perfectly, the chip will form into a live sapling which can then be planted. Like so…”
The professor’s Gifter brand lit up as she imbued the chip she was holding with a healing brand. Everyone in the room stood in awe as the knife mark seemed to sew itself together. After waiting another moment, Jak noticed a few green buds emerging from the stick of wood. She had never known a healing brand could actually revive a piece of wood like that. Soon, the chip flourished with life, and Jak joined the other students in applauding as the professor laid the sapling down on the table.
“Now, before any of you ask questions, no, a Healing brand cannot restore life once it has been taken. But plant life is resilient. It gets its energy from the Earth, and our world cannot die. But try this on a dead animal, and you will see no results. Try
it on a dead human, and you will see worse results.”
A hush fell on the room as they all realized what the professor meant. Demons. So did that mean that some demons could be formed from people who were already dead? If true, that would explain why Jak had fought so many of them at Foothold. Perhaps someone was collecting the dead and turning them into demons. The image alone haunted her.
The old woman went on as if she had said nothing out of the ordinary. “Now, we’ve all practiced the act of activating your brand, and most of you are adept at that so far. But actually, using your Gift to bestow brands on others, that takes more work. Each brand is unique, see. Some require a different thought process to successfully make it work.”
Jak nodded to herself. That went along with what she’s learned about the Flamedancer brand. You had to imagine it dancing.
“The healing brand is among the simplest to bestow, and it is relatively harmless if you get it wrong on an object. Unlike the Flamedancer brand which could explode in your hand.”
A few students chuckled as if she had made a joke. Jak didn’t laugh. She knew all too well how a faulty Flamedancer brand worked. And to be honest, it wasn’t always inconvenient. Sometimes you wanted a good explosion.
“To proceed, all you have to do is envision the Healing brand perfectly, each line exactly as I will show you.”
The woman then proceeded to outline in exact detail what the Healing brand should look like. Jak paid attention to every word, noting each specific contour and angle of the brand. For once, she thought she had a shot of getting something right for once, and she didn’t want to mess it up.
“Now then,” the professor said as she finished her explanations. “Who wants to start?”
Amelia’s hand shot up beside Jak. No surprises there. The professor smiled and bid Amelia come up to the stage. She looked nervous but excited. Taking one of the chips from the table, Amelia stared at it with intense concentration. The brand on her hand activated with a ray of light, and Jak thought she could see something pass into the wood chip. When Amelia’s brand faded, she held it up so everyone could see the black lines etched into the chip.
Growing Ripples: An Epic YA Fantasy Adventure (Roots of Creation Book 2) Page 7
