by Lori Hyrup
Zephyron nodded. “You are a brave man, Prince Kiem,” said the Guardian, “to face what you have faced—something not many others have done—and survive.”
“Thank you for saying as much. It means a lot. It has been a long day. If I don’t see you in the morning, I wish you well on your own quest.” The prince turned and left.
After the young prince disappeared from the light of their fire, Aria asked, “What did you do to him?”
“I just eased his fear a little,” said Kharra, “and gave a little boost to his confidence. The decisions he made were his own.”
“Interesting,” Aria responded.
“What are your plans for us?” Kharra asked.
Aria chewed on Kharra’s question. She had long ago learned that if too many things seemed like coincidence, then coincidence likely had nothing to do with it—the dying and damaged shards, the glowing bracelets, the corrupt priests, the strange shard beasts, the dying kruustas, the presence of Kharra and Zephyron, and even the development of her newfound abilities. She’d had suspicions before that certain things could possibly be related, but there was simply too much now to even doubt it. Despite that, she still had no idea how it all fit together. Tanoria was a big place, and there was no way that the three of them alone could follow every lead back and forth across the land.
Aria recalled her dream from the previous night. She knew the shard she had seen in it was the Dragon Shard in Ei’ars’anu, and she knew even that was somehow related. “With the prince and his men out of immediate danger, we can continue with our mission,” she said. She hoped that by continuing, she would finally start getting some answers that made sense rather than more questions.
13
THE ACADEMY OF THE SHARD
Aria reined in Xierex as they topped the crest of Voralan’s Rest, a hill known for an ancient battle that once took place upon its slopes. Voralan, a general of the Quan’li forces from thirteen hundred years before, stood with his soldiers against the overwhelming numbers of the Thorum Crusade. Thorum, a would-be usurper and a butcher of innocent civilians, had marched his crusaders into the Quan’li Province with the intent of toppling the then small capital city of Quan’li’ru and killing its newly ascended child king.
Voralan and his men all perished, but they fought with such strength and courage that they crippled Thorum’s much larger force and delayed the advance long enough for the forces of three orders—Shard, Talon, and Heart—to arrive and rout the invaders. The child king grew up to become one of the best rulers in the history of Quan’li, and as part of his appreciation for the assistance from the three orders against the Thorum Crusade, he set up academies in his city for each of them.
Situated along the banks of the Wan River in the center of the province, Quan’li’ru had grown to become a major trade center, one respected by the other provinces. Behind the city’s great wall lived over five hundred thousand people, and even with such a great population, the citizens enjoyed ample space. Wide stone-paved avenues lined with trimmed trees ran through the heart of the city, allowing for ease of access to any of its dozens of marketplaces. Great white-domed structures intermixed with streets of gated estates. People of the city often found enjoyment in one of its many parks, lakes, or amphitheaters. In the center of the city, the walls of the majestic hippodrome, with its many pennants flapping in the wind, rose above everything else.
Many people considered Quan’li’ru to be a great city. Gazing down over the place where she had grown up as a child of the order, memories came flooding back to her, not all of them pleasant. For that reason she avoided the region whenever possible. Training to be a kruusta had been brutal and painful. They said such training was necessary so the kruusta could grow up to survive against the beasts they were meant to fight, but Aria had always believed in other ways to achieve the same results. She had never voiced her thoughts though. No one had. Questioning the trainers only brought more pain. Despite that, few kruustas reflected on their training with regret or anger. They understood that they had been trained to become powerful weapons, something that could not be achieved by being soft.
“Below is the city of Quan’li’ru, capital of the Quan’li Province,” Aria announced as she dismounted.
Kharra and Zephyron, the latter having already taken on human form, stood beside her to gaze down upon the expansive hub of civilization. “It’s almost as big as Galirna,” said Kharra.
“It’s pretty big,” Zephyron agreed. “It is unfortunate though that you weren’t around to witness Aerous’s splendor before the war. We once had cities so vast they would make this seem a tiny village in comparison.”
Aria tugged on Xierex’s reins and began going down the hill. Isor had finally disappeared beyond the Ferthin Mountains, casting the entire range in a black silhouette as the sunlight struggled to remain. As Isor dipped farther, the light became pink, reflecting off the thin clouds dotting the sky. Across the city below, lights flickered on as the lamplighters went to work and laborers returned home. Aria felt a dull ache in her stomach as they approached, but she forced it from her mind. She scolded herself for being anxious about returning to the place she had spent most of her childhood.
The guards at the gate saluted Aria when they caught sight of her medallion. One even smiled. Unlike other places, the citizens of Quan’li’ru did not outwardly fear kruustas. Having the school located within the city desensitized them to the unusual nature of a kruusta, and the people here had become accustomed to seeing them as humans rather than unfeeling monsters. Aria nodded to the guards, tucked her medallion back under her belt, and continued through.
Though many of the buildings had been changed, replaced, demolished, or upgraded since she had last been to the city, the path to the academy grounds remained the same. Aria allowed her feet to guide her through the streets even though her eyes occasionally doubted the direction they chose.
The Academy of the Shard came into view as the last of the sunlight faded beyond the horizon. The campus faced the wide-open Liolton Square, named after Priest Liolton, the first headmaster of the institution. The hundreds of candles and lanterns that lit up the face of the school’s buildings also illuminated the square. Aria recalled the times she had been assigned to the lighting of different sections, a task each trainee rotated through as one of their many duties. The light cast the academy’s facing in a silvery-golden glow, making its spires and arches shine as bright as the moons. In terms of style and architectural grandeur, the Academy of the Shard in Quan’li’ru topped all but the Temple of the Prime Shard in Aloazai.
Aria’s neck tingled as she peered up at the towering edifice. True, she had a number of bad memories during her years of training, but she had some good ones as well. If nothing else she always found the order’s architecture to be inspiring and uplifting.
Leading Xierex and her companions across the square, Aria noticed they were earning themselves looks from the local passersby. Some of them nodded to Aria, but many stared at Zephyron. Was it the pure white hair, something unheard of on someone who appeared so young? Or maybe it was his height? Aria thought of herself as tall, but he stood more than a head taller. Zephyron never seemed to notice the attention. Xierex also earned himself a few stares. Though zegus were not unheard of, they were considered somewhat exotic. Most kruustas rode horses, but Aria had a reputation within the order as being different.
At the gates of the academy, the trio was greeted by a gangly youth with big ears and freckles. The poor kid would never be able to blend into a crowd. “Good evening. I am First Acolyte Dolson. Do you have an appointment?” The title of first acolyte went to those who were next in line to be raised to full priest. Given his title, Dolson must have been seventeen, though he looked to be thirteen at most.
Aria pulled her medallion from under her belt.
“Oh, Kruusta, forgive me!” he said, flustered. “I didn’t recognize you in the darkness, and I wasn’t informed of additional guests tonight. I will have y
our quarters made up shortly. What is your name, if you don’t mind?”
“Aria,” she said plainly.
The youth’s mouth hung open. “Aria Moonblade?”
“Is there a problem?” She disliked the nickname that people had attached to her, but she had stopped fighting against it long ago.
“No, not exactly. I’ve just read so much about you. The things you’ve accomplished. It’s very inspirational. I never thought I would get to meet you in person, especially after last week.”
“What happened last week?”
The acolyte frowned. “I saw your name on a list in Priest Worrel’s study.”
“Is that unusual?” she asked.
“Well, it was a list of recently deceased kruustas: death in the line of duty, killed by a shard drake.”
Aria glanced at her companions. Zephyron’s deductions had proved accurate. She had not returned to Murali after the drake attack, so Malechi had assumed that she had perished and reported it as fact. “Are any other kruustas here?”
“Yes, there are three others. Kruustas Zai’il and Tual arrived yesterday and Kruusta Rauss just today. They are set up in the east wing.” Dolson looked at Kharra and Zephyron. Smiling politely he asked, “Are you both kruustas too?” Though neither of her companions had a crystal in their hands or carried themselves like kruustas, it was uncommon for those of their profession to travel with anyone other than another kruusta.
Kharra began to speak, but Aria intercepted her. “No, but they are traveling with me. They will also need rooms.”
Dolson’s smile grew wider, particularly when his eyes met Kharra’s. “That won’t be a problem. We have plenty of space. Would you like me to show you there now?”
Aria studied Dolson, disliking that recent events had her suspecting everyone’s motives. A movement to her left caught her attention. She looked to the side and saw Kharra’s slight nod. Aria relaxed.
“I need to stable Xierex here,” Aria replied as she patted the zegu on the neck. “He’s a bit temperamental around strangers. I know the way to the east wing. Why don’t you take my friends here to their quarters, and I will catch up as soon as I tend to Xierex.”
“Certainly, Kruusta,” he replied with a bow. He waited for Aria to remove their packs from the zegu’s saddle and hand them off to their respective owners. Once she was finished, he made a sweeping gesture with his hand and said, “This way.”
Aria watched as the three of them walked out of sight. Just before her companions rounded the corner, she saw Kharra elbow Zephyron in the ribs. Aria shrugged and headed toward the stables.
The stables were simple yet comfortable, with floors covered in packed dirt loose enough to absorb shock but hard enough to avoid slipping. The high ceiling allowed for plenty of air flow. Evenly spaced hooded sconces provided visitors with plenty of light by which to see while at the same time reducing the risk of accidental fire. Each stall was wide and deep and bedded with fresh-laid shavings.
The on-duty stablehand approached Aria as she stepped through the doors. The lad, however, was more than happy to allow Aria to stall her own animal when he realized the visitor was leading a zegu. It was apparent he had never seen such a beast before, but he knew of their reputation. While he did not want to interfere, he hung by close enough to watch. Only a few horses were still awake when they arrived. Their eyes grew wide upon seeing the zegu, not sure what to make of him. Xierex knew what horses were and worked with them without issue, but they did not always share the sentiment.
The stablehand spoke to Aria as he watched her care for Xierex, and she was happy to let him. Frequently, staff personnel like stablehands and servants saw and heard more than people realized. Aria discovered quite a bit of information from the lad. She learned three additional kruustas had died since she had left Targus in Valmont, including Kruusta Jacia, the one Targus was supposed to meet in Tara Gol. Aria also found out the krusword trainees, those who had already obtained their kruswords but had not yet been named kruustas, had all been experiencing recurring nightmares over the recent months. The acolytes and the younger trainees had not had them. In addition to the nightmares, three of the krusword trainees had disappeared over the past two weeks. While it was not uncommon for trainees to run away, they almost always returned within a few days.
With Xierex fed, watered, and brushed, Aria thanked the stablehand and left him with a small sack of sausages from the last village they had visited. She welcomed him to help himself to them but informed him that they were actually treats for Xierex. Zegus were omnivorous, and Xierex had a particular fondness for sausages. Aria left the stablehand with instructions that if Xierex became rambunctious, he just needed to give the zegu a sausage, and he would calm down.
Aria found the guest wing without trouble. First Acolyte Dolson was awaiting her arrival in the hallway and showed her to her room before he excused himself to attend to other errands. Aria searched for Kharra and Zephyron in the rooms Dolson had pointed out, but neither was there.
Dining hall, said a voice in her head. Aria could now easily identify Kharra’s mind seeking.
Uncertain whether she would be heard, she thought, Coming, in response.
Though spacious, the guest wing’s dining hall was nowhere near as large as the main dining hall. Except on special occasions, guests dined separately from the acolytes and trainees. That included kruustas or priests who had journeyed from other temples or provinces as well as any family members of the trainees or important dignitaries who might come to seek the aid of the order. The dining hall had two long wooden tables, each able to hold sixty people total. She found the hall about a quarter filled when she arrived. She spotted all three of the other kruustas sitting together as well as Kharra and Zephyron not far away.
Zai’il leaped from her seat and rushed over to Aria, smothering her in an unexpected hug. “Aria! You’re alive!”
Aria laughed in spite of herself. “Apparently, rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.”
Zai’il had arrived at the academy at the age of five the year before Aria had been named a kruusta. The young girl had cried every night for her family and struggled daily with her training. Aria took a liking to her back then and became her mentor. Later, when Zai’il was named a kruusta, she tracked Aria down to thank her in person for the help, for giving her the strength and courage to succeed through her training. For a time they had even traveled together, though their assignments eventually split them apart.
Aria returned the embrace and then held the dark woman at arm’s length. “Zai’il, you’re looking well.” Her short brown hair, dyed white, resembled the spiky shards of a broken crystal, and her honey-brown eyes radiated energy and vitality.
“You too considering we’d all heard you were dead.”
Aria approached the table where the other kruustas sat and gestured for Kharra and Zephyron to join her. Rauss nodded a greeting from the opposite side of the table, and Tual shook her hand.
Tual was a short man, not much taller than Kharra, with close-cropped dark hair and equally dark eyes; a lean, wiry frame; and muscular limbs. Aria had fought with him once in the past, about ten years before. He had faced his first shard drake in that encounter.
Aria knew Rauss by name, but they had never crossed paths. He was only in his fourth year as a kruusta, and his face still held a lot of its boyish softness. His green eyes, however, were not soft. They had endured kruusta training and had seen much fighting since he had been named. His reddish, short-cropped curls, still wet from a recent bath, clung to his forehead. The traveling life of their occupation meant many days of bathing in creeks, rivers, and lakes, so a real bath was always a treat.
Aria introduced Kharra and Zephyron and explained to the other kruustas that the travelers had hired her to guide them through territories infested with shard beasts, though she left out the specific details. It would not be the first time people—generally the wealthy—had sought the services of a kruusta. It was usuall
y for protection and sometimes just to make them appear more important than they were. The three kruustas were not interested in Aria’s companions. They had more pressing things on their minds. They were, however, concerned about saying too much in front of the strangers.
“Don’t worry, they’re good,” Aria said on their behalf. “They already know some of what’s going on.”
Tual frowned, but he did not argue. He said, “It’s good to see you alive. Five others are still dead.”
“That makes nine in total,” said Zai’il. “What in Tanoria is happening?”
Aria started to answer, but a now familiar voice filled her head. People nearby are listening to our conversation.
Aria gave a slight nod. “I don’t know,” she said in response to Zai’il’s question. “The order is just having a run of bad luck, I guess. Enough of this depressing talk. We’re travel-weary. Zai’il, let us head back to my room, open a bottle of that fine liquor you favor, and reminisce about old times.” Many people knew Zai’il and Aria had once traveled together, so such a request would not seem out of place.
Zai’il raised an eyebrow, knowing it was unlike Aria to dismiss something of importance. Aria gazed at her intently and pursed her lips. She then flicked her eyes to the side quickly. All three of the other kruustas indicated they understood. Tual, Rauss, Kharra, and Zephyron each announced they were retiring for the evening while Aria and Zai’il planned to meet in Aria’s rooms.
Aria headed to her quarters. Intended for extended stays, the guest rooms were designed to be a home away from home for visiting kruustas, priests, dignitaries, family members of trainees, and merchants doing business with the order. Each guest’s quarters consisted of multiple rooms, including a receiving room, a sitting room with a stone fireplace, a bathing room, a small dining area, and a bedroom. As an added bonus, the walls and doors of the guest rooms were thick and well insulated. If whomever Kharra sensed from the dining hall did not believe their ruse and tried to listen, they would have difficulty hearing anything.
