by NAK Baldron
"He was at a park," Jackie said. "They said he'd been there for hours. Someone called it in this morning."
"What do you mean? What happened?" Kandice asked, freaking out.
"He was shot," Jackie said. "Kandice, it's horrible. They said it looked like he was robbed for his phone and money."
"What?" Kandice asked, melting into a fresh round of tears.
"They found his wallet. All they left was his ID."
Kandice was crying, and her aunt's sobs were growing into hysterics on the other end.
After almost a full minute of crying her aunt asked, "Kandice are you there?"
"Yes," she said through her heaves.
"They're keeping his body," Jackie said. "They made me identify him and said they have to keep it for an autopsy."
"Can they do that?" Kandice asked. "We have to bury him!"
She hadn't meant to yell. Her aunt cried even harder.
"When do we get his body?" Kandice asked.
"They said a few days," Jackie said. "I have to call Mr. Goldsmith."
"I'll do that. We need to plan the funeral though."
"I know. I called Pastor Gerlock. He came by earlier and has gone to get things situated."
Jackie was crying so hard that Kandice couldn't make out what she was saying.
"Aunt Jackie, I'll call you back later."
"Okay," Jackie said. "Kandice?"
"Yes?"
"I love you."
"I love you too."
When Kandice hung up the phone, she looked at Lance. She wiped away the tears and took a few steadying breaths.
"What happens next?"
"If the police view it as a mugging, they'll investigate and try to locate the robber," he said. "They'll either charge the wrong person, or leave it as an unsolved case."
An innocent person going to jail would have bothered her, but she didn't give a shit anymore. The world took her whole family from her. Everyone else could go fuck themselves.
They both got out of her bed and Kandice walked to the bathroom sink to wash her face. Her body was grimy all over, but an actual shower was unappealing. All she wanted was to punch someone.
"What can I do?" Lance asked.
"Nothing," she said. "I've got to plan his funeral now."
"I'll help. Just tell me what to do."
"Just leave," Kandice said, emotionless. "I just want to be alone."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Lance hesitated, but when Kandice wouldn't look at him, he left. When the door closed behind him, she sunk back on the bed and stared at the wall. The thought of killing herself crossed her mind, but deep down, she knew it would be worth living, to kill as many Aether Walkers as possible.
CHAPTER FOURTY-SIX
Amethyst Nation, Fencura
They were disappointed in him. Ren knew it, but he didn't know how to make it right. For three weeks he'd held them back. Managing to annoy Nadia when he barely passed his individual tests while everyone else passed with top marks.
His struggle to read wasn't helping, and despite staying up late into the night, he kept falling further and further behind the rest of the group. The third book list arrived that morning as a rude wakeup call.
Undistracted
Mindfulness through the Ages
The Mind of a Sorcerer
They'd been apprentices for almost six weeks, and the team was counting on him to pull his weight. Beyond their expectations for him he needed to succeed if he wanted any chance of returning to the Pearl Nation.
Thankfully, Brandon wasn't here to see him wasting this opportunity.
Ren knocked on the door to Shaya's room.
"Yes," she called out.
"It's me," Ren said. "May I come in?"
After an uncomfortable moment, Shaya opened the door, welcoming him in.
Her room was across the hall from his, but with the view of the sky out her window, it felt like it was in another city.
Tower be damned, this is a view!
It helps to remind me of home, Shaya transmitted.
Without realizing it, he'd shared his thoughts. Perhaps the magical abilities of Shaya made it easier for her to pick up on them in the first place? Like how sharp hearing can single out whispers in a crowded bar.
"Please, sit." Shaya gestured to the chairs by the window, and Ren followed her lead.
They sat quietly together and admired the clouds outside. The source-light was on the opposite side of the city behind the tower, which cast a warm glow upon the clouds, giving them a welcoming appearance.
One day I want to fly through those clouds like a bird, Shaya transmitted.
Ren looked away from the clouds to her—brought out of his dark thoughts. Yes, it would be nice to feel a cloud.
We've already done that. When the fog rolled in heavy upon the field, and we couldn't see more than three steps ahead of us. I'm confident that was a cloud engulfing the island.
A smile filled Ren's face and with it came a rush of relief. Somehow, she'd known how to pull him out of his thoughts.
If I could fly, I think I would stay out of the clouds. Too cold and wet. I got enough of that back home. I don't need any more of it.
Shaya reached out and grabbed Ren's hand. "Don't worry about the test. I know you're doing your best, and that in a life or death situation you can do it. But you need to learn how to control your powers without the pressure of life and death on you."
Ren's cheeks flushed. He knew she was right, but at the same time couldn't help but admire her beauty. With all the stress of studying and long nights in the library, he hadn't given his attraction much thought. He remembered the promise he made himself. There was no way he would risk Akio's wrath—no matter how beautiful she was. Besides, there was no way Shaya found him attractive. She'd called him a child more than once.
Adaku on the other hand.
Where are you? Shaya transmitted.
"Sorry." Ren pulled his hand away. "Lost in thought. Thank you for understanding. I know you're right. I'm just not sure why I can't focus during practice."
"Have you tried reading up on it?" Shaya asked. "The books Nadia has recommended have proven enlightening, though I didn't have any practice before arriving here."
"Oh, Brandon didn't know squat compared to what they teach here. It's not that the books aren't helpful . . ."
He couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth, and let an uncomfortable silence spread between them.
"Yes?" she urged.
". . . I just need to practice more." Ren stood to leave and gave Shaya a curt bow. Here in the Amethyst Nation she wasn't Kaito-Tanken Shaya, rather plain Apprentice Shaya. Ren needed to remind himself of his oath. A little pressure on his honor might be just the kind of motivation he needed to perform his magic again.
Before he reached the door, Shaya said, "I'm sorry we haven't spent more time together outside of studying."
Ren turned back. "Don't be. We're all being pushed to learn and perform at the highest level. I'm sure you're just as stressed as I am; you just hide it better."
Shaya laughed. "Years of training by my mother."
It was a relief to see her so relaxed. Being a lowly apprentice meant she could follow her passions for once and not be forced to consider the larger political ramifications. Not that Ren had the first clue about politics. But he did know it weighed on her, from their talks back in Shinzo. She considered herself indebted to him for saving her. Ren still considered himself indebted to her, for getting him into the Amethyst Nation in the first place. Without her help, he would have spent the rest of his life rotting in a damn dungeon.
* * *
Dinner was an extravagant feast of wild buffalo from the grass plains of the Emerald Nation—which covered the center mass of the continent; sautéed medley of root vegetables from the Emerald Nation's southern cities: carrots, beets, onions, and potatoes—smothered in goat butter from the Ruby Nation; a dark blackberry wine was served chill
ed—another Ruby Nation contribution; for dessert a cherry pie from the Sapphire Nation. The staff must have noticed their progress this week to provide such food.
Ren's stomach threatened to burst, while the wine made his head feel tight. Not that he regretted the feast. If he could have fit more in his stomach, he would still be eating. The four of them dined together, but after she finished, Adaku tried to join her brother. Ren couldn't blame her for trying to smooth things over with Abaze. He may be an ass, but he was also her brother, and family came first. Or so he imagined. Not having a family of his own, he couldn't know how it worked in practice.
"I can't eat another bite." Goban laid his cutlery on the plate and took a long drink from his wine cup. "My brothers would be envious if they could see me eating like this. Only the king and queen eat this well."
"I didn't know you had brothers," Ren said.
"Oh, yes," Goban said. "I'm the youngest of my four brothers, and I have two younger sisters too."
"There are seven of you?" Shaya asked.
"Yes," Goban said.
"Is that normal in the Ruby Nation?"
"Well . . ." Goban thought about it. "I think so. All of my uncles have five or more children, and my friends all have several brothers and sisters, so yes."
Ren was just as shocked as Shaya appeared to be.
"In the Sapphire Nation, no one has more than four children."
"Why not?" Goban asked.
"It's against the teachings of Sueun," Shaya said. "It would disrupt the balance of the castes. If everyone had as many children as they wanted, the islands would be overflowing with people in only a few generations."
That must be why no one has large families in the Pearl Nation either.
"That seems sad to me," Goban said. "I love having a large family. There's always someone to play with."
Goban let out a high-pitched laugh, which caused his voice to crack, and he ended up coughing. Another large gulp of wine finished off his glass and stopped the coughing fit. Ren was shocked by how much Goban could drink—he couldn't have more than a glass without feeling it, and even then, sometimes a single glass was too much.
"I'm going to get to bed early." Shaya stood and stretched. "Maybe catch up on some reading."
The doors to the dining hall opened, and Nadia walked in. "I have excellent news. Due to your hard work, and the significant progress from most of you," her eyes shot to Ren, "it has been decided you have earned mail privileges. If you write letters tonight, I can show you tomorrow where you can send them from.
"As for your studies, tomorrow will be an off day. The morning will be warm, and the afternoon hot. Feel free to spend the day in the courtyard, many of the sorcerers will, but none of them will cross into the apprentice's section.
"I expect you all to be on your best behavior, and not cause a scene." She looked at Abaze this time. "Prove yourselves responsible apprentices, and you can earn more privileges and freedoms. Perhaps even access to the city at large. Act like immature children, and I will see to it you spend your days locked away in this building.
"Clear?"
"Yes," the five of them said in unison.
"Enjoy your evening." Nadia didn't wait around for them to ask questions—the doors closed behind her of their own accord.
"Well," Shaya said. "New plans. I've been waiting to send mail. Good night."
"Night," Ren said.
Goban burped as he tried to speak, and Shaya cracked the faintest of smiles. This place was helping her to relax and enjoy herself. The fact that she didn't feel the need to wear her face of stone all the time spoke volumes.
"What are you going to do?" Goban asked. "Who will you write to first?"
Ren thought about it. If anyone, he would write to Brandon, but he wasn't sure what he would say. A general update on his lack of progress? That didn't seem like a fun way to spend his evening. No. Ren would do what he'd been doing for the past few weeks—study in the library.
"No," Ren said. "I'm going to use the extra time to study."
"Want some help?"
This wasn't the first time Goban had offered to help him with apparently no strings attached. Pride and fear made him reject Goban in the past, but with the prospect of letting everyone down, Ren didn't really have a choice.
"Yes," Ren said. "That would be great."
* * *
"I can't read these books," Ren said.
Goban stared at him, mouth half-open.
"I don't mean I can't read," Ren continued. "I mean that when I read it's hard for me to focus on the words. It takes me four or five times as long to read a book as someone else.
"Back home it was never an issue. We don't use paper books. We have the technology that allows us to store thousands of books in the size of one."
Goban's mouth hung fully open. "But I thought the Pearl Nation lost its magic."
"It's not magic. It's technology."
"Wait, What?"
Ren realized this conversation was heading down an impossible tangent. There was no way for Goban to understand what he was talking about without visiting the Pearl Nation and seeing it for himself first hand.
"It's not important," Ren said. "The books I read back home were all on a glowing screen. Like a mirror, but the pages of a book show instead of your face."
Goban's eyes lit up with understanding.
"My point is that back home, I had no problem reading, but I'd never needed to read books in paper form until I arrived here, and now that I need to, it turns out I can't. Or at least not efficiently."
A cold fear gripped Ren's stomach as his secret lingered between them. He worried Goban would laugh at him now, and tell the others what a loser he was, and Shaya would regret ever taking him into her clan. Nadia would kick him out of the Amethyst Nation. Brandon would be disappointed in him for wasting his time and money. The Belfrys would see to it that he spent his life as a servant paying off the debt he owed them.
"I can help you," Goban said with a smile. "I'm a fast reader. I can read the books first and then point out the key passages you need to read. The books before now, I can just summarize for you. How far behind are you?"
"Usually, I'm able to read one book from the list and maybe skim the intro of the others."
"Oh." Goban's brow furrowed. "No wonder . . .
"Easy enough. We'll go through the list of books, and I'll summarize them for you. The parts you don't understand, we'll find the book, and you can read the portion you need."
"Really?" Ren asked.
"Of course," Goban said. "We're a team, right?"
Ren held his hand out, and Goban clapped hold of his wrist. They shook and solidified their team bond.
They spent well into the night pouring through books, but Goban managed to help Ren catch up on much of their past reading. He still needed to practice the mindfulness the texts spoke of, and find a way to silence his doubts, but at least he understood the principles. The first step toward becoming the greatest sorcerer the Pearl Nation had ever produced—check! Making a friend for life, check!
For once in his life, Ren's prospects were looking optimistic, rather than dreary.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Texas, Earth
Wednesday, November 2nd
Blake's floor was covered in dirty clothes. Kandice was forced to pile them into the hamper before she could focus on anything else.
Jackie allowed Kandice to be the one to sort through his belongings. She was trying to find anything that would help her grieve. Jackie was under the impression that Kandice was there to find something for the funeral they were arranging together.
Leave it to her to think of the social implications.
Thankfully, her aunt didn't hover as she sorted through his belongings. Part of her felt guilty for violating his privacy, but she reminded herself he was dead and no longer cared.
There was what you would expect to find in a teenage boy's room: dirty clothes, empty soda cans, and stacks of comp
uter games, except there was a distinct lack of porn. Kandice figured it was all on his computer's hard drive, and she hadn't the first clue of how to get into it. Instead she planned to have it wiped and thrown away. Anything he'd done on there would remain a secret he took to his grave.
She slipped into a cleaning mode—tidying up his room the best she could—when she found a journal underneath his mattress while tucking the top sheet. Who knew the last time he'd made his own bed.
Her first instinct was to put it back, but then she remembered he was gone.
Hesitant, she opened the cover:
Monday, January 4th
Hello,
I've never done this before—keep a journal—but I need to now more than ever. Not sure where to start, so I guess I'll start at the beginning.
My name is Blake Scrivener, and I'm a prisoner at the hospital. I'm forced to write this on a contraband cell phone, and it's so old school that it actually has a flip-out QWERTY keyboard. A god damn physical keyboard, with keys the size of grains of rice.
The room they've provided looks like a cheap hotel, furnished with a small desk and a recliner. There's one key difference—I'm locked in at night. Above my bed is a TV which they cut off at 9:00 PM—lights out time—and my room even has a private bathroom. Something I've learned, not all rooms come with one. I'd hate to imagine what it's like to share a bathroom with some of these people.
That's the worst part. Not the being stuck in a room like a prisoner. But the fucking people!
The journal continued for months as Blake documented his experiences.
Tuesday, April 5th
What the fuck! I'm losing my mind. I was out grocery shopping and I saw this thing. It was like a cockroach, but six feet tall and shopping like it didn't have a care in the world. I looked around and there were other people in the aisle, but they didn't see it.
[. . .]
I'm going quiet after this and will do everything in my power to avoid going outside. If I don't see people, then I won't see the monsters!
Kandice's eyes ached—she'd run out of tears. Fortunately, she cried without making a sound. Jackie was still downstairs and hadn't witnessed her breakdown.
