by Eric Vall
Gallahar nodded. “What about you?”
Sleet stopped then. He straightened his spine and took a commanding stance as he spoke.
“I will return to Varle and continue to put my time into my theories,” he declared.
“Are you sure that’s wise?” Gallahar interjected with a frown. “The first place people will come looking for you is at the Academy.”
“What good am I to the cause if I’m hiding out in a hollowed out tree root beneath a decimated Enclave?” Sleet countered. “I understand your concerns, but I cannot lead by example if my example is to hide here while my students fight for the greater good.”
Gallahar huffed. He knew Sleet was right, we all did.
“Very well,” he conceded, “but know I am not a fan of this plan. If anything happens to you-- “
“Then you better make sure someone worthy of teaching today’s younger generation proper magic takes my place,” Sleet answered without hesitation.
I didn’t want to look away from the exchange, but it felt wrong to gape at them any longer. I tore my gaze away and looked around at everyone else, who seemed to all be in a similar situation as I was. We were all unsure of where this left us, but we knew this was only the beginning of what was shaping up to be a rather long journey.
After Sleet’s declaration, Ashla bid us farewell and made for the southern gate of the Enclave. She’d have to ride to a nearby village and catch a ride on the train. I was certain there wasn’t a train station in Balvaan, but the nearby Enclave would have one. From there, it wasn’t a long ride, if Layla’s journey had been any indication.
Almasy and Gawain left the Underground to proceed with the duties they had been assigned to, and Nehra had been by to pick up Layla.
“You’re a summoner, yes?” Nehra asked Layla upon entering.
“I am,” Layla answered slowly, clearly unsure if that was a defining question.
“I don’t suppose you have anything with venom I could extract?” Nerha asked again
“I have a venotox, if that helps?” Layla answered cautiously.
“A venotox?” Nehra clarified excitedly. “That’s perfect!”
“O … kay?” Layla looked between her and Nia, who shrugged.
“Venotox venom is perfect for creating antidotes and other antibiotics, which we’re going to need,” Nehra explained.
“You make antidotes from poison?” I asked and crossed my arms over my chest.
“You purify the venom with a solution of two basic stabilizers and then--”
“Nehra, please,” Geheim laughed from the entryway as he cut her off. I hadn’t realized he’d accompanied her, but I was glad for the disruption of what I was sure would be a long scientific explanation that would have gone clear over my head.
While Nehra was still there, she examined Arwyn and gave her the all clear, stating she was now battle ready. I wasn’t convinced. She still looked pale, and there was a distant, dazed look in her eyes that she had every time I came back from another near death experience. She said she was fine every time she was asked, but I wasn’t sure I believed her.
Finally, the time came for us to leave. Nia and Orenn had already done most of the planning for the trip ahead of us, and they left no detail untouched. If there was something to know about where we were going, and they had the resources to research, then they would. I offered to help, but both of them insisted I needed to focus on resting and getting better.
Needless to say, it had been a boring, bedridden three days since General Kenefick announced Capricorn was dead, and there still hadn’t been any news of any of the other council members.
“The people are getting restless,” the General told us after a long day of identifying bodies. “They want answers, and we don’t have any for them.”
“As long as they aren’t asking about them,” Sleet motioned to us, “then we’re still in the clear.”
“If you say so, old friend,” Gallahar sighed. “If I may, I think you should be more concerned for yourself, Marangur. Your absence in Varle has people curious, and you know how vicious curious people can be.”
“Indeed, I do,” Sleet chuckled. “Nonetheless, it is most important that these curious onlookers don’t get involved with this lot. I would much rather take the fall in the public eye as a person of interest given my current standing with the council than risk compromising this mission.”
“I only hope you’re right,” Gallahar conceded. “I’ve made arrangements to have them escorted out of town tonight.”
“Where are we going again?” I asked. I knew we were supposed to be headed to where Braden and Varleth’s cipher was located, but where that was exactly, I was unclear.
“It is in our files,” Nia assured me. “We can go over them before we leave, but it looks like their travels led them to Narufey Forest in the north.”
I nodded. “And how far away from here is that?”
“Less than a day’s ride,” she replied. “Orenn and I already mapped out our course while you and Ms. Hamner were recovering.”
“You’ve been busy,” I chuckled and put my hand on her shoulder.
“I’ve been bored,” she corrected with a smirk.
“Make yourselves ready,” Gallahar cut in. “As soon as night falls, we’ll send you on your way.”
“Yes, sir,” the four of us replied in unison.
“I’ll have Nehra stop by with something to eat as well,” he told us. “Can’t send you off with an empty stomach, after all.”
My stomach rumbled at the mere mention of food, and it was then I realized I hadn’t eaten a good meal in days. Being in and out of recovery for the last several days had sucked. I’d started to get a little stir crazy with not being able to get much fresh air. Sure, there was something of an air filtration system, but whatever it was, was old, ancient even. The concept was outdated and needed a serious update.
As we were told, Nehra came by with food, and I drooled before she even took off the coverings. She placed a giant plate of roasted chicken and seasoned potatoes with steamed vegetables on the table before she immediately set to work tending to Arwyn and me.
I’d felt fine over the last day or so, but Nehra insisted she needed to give me a full physical exam before she could release me properly. She poked around my ribs as I devoured a piece of chicken.
“Does this hurt?” she asked.
“Nope,” I replied.
“How about this?” Nehra asked again, and her fingers danced along my back and spine.
“Nope,” I answered again.
“And this?” she smiled sweetly, and I realized it was too late. She pinched at my nipples and pulled.
“Yes! Ow!” I whined and batted her hands away. My chicken nearly fell to the floor, but I saved it at the last second before it could escape me.
“I need you to pay attention,” Nehra sighed.
“Oh, let the boy eat, Nehra,” Nia giggled as she packed her bag for the journey.
“She’s certainly into you,” Nehra muttered under her breath, and I couldn’t help but smirk. Nia’s sister continued her examination, and I waited another five minutes to finish inhaling that chicken.
“What’s the good word?” I questioned after a few minutes.
“You are good to go, Gryff,” she announced happily. “Now get off my bed and eat your chicken at the table like a normal human being.”
I grinned as I followed her orders, and I caught Nia’s eye as I took my chicken over to the small table and ate without all the prodding and poking.
Nia smiled and shook her head. She had lost so much recently, but she still pressed on. It was no wonder she tossed and turned in her sleep, something I noted on one of the other nights I had been awake. On top of everything else, she now had to worry about her home. Thankfully, we were told her house was spared because it was on the opposite side of the Enclave, and her mother was also fine. Still, the stress of losing nearly an entire Enclave was a lot to handle, especially when you w
ere here many months out of the year as a child. Nia was handling it like a champ.
Nehra moved on to examine Arwyn, and I watched in silence as Arwyn sat up straight. Nehra’s expert fingers worked their way over Arwyn’s skin, pressing and pinching in some places, and only pausing every so often to ask if something hurt. Arwyn responded each time with a firm ‘no,’ which seemed to be true, at least. She didn’t wince if it were painful, and her face remained otherwise stoic.
All in all, the whole experience seemed surreal to me.
Arwyn hadn’t said much of anything since she’d woken up. What was more, she hardly spared me a glance. I wanted to talk to her, wanted to ask if there was something I could do for her, but I remembered my conversation with Ashla the other night.
She had said Arwyn looked defeated when she found out I was gone, and that a little piece of her died inside every time I came back from surviving something nearly impossible to come back from. I recalled her breakdown after I’d awoken from my three week coma when we returned from Bathi Highlands.
I sighed and set the rest of my chicken down. I’d make a point to talk to her soon. She looked as though she needed me, and I wanted to be the one she could count on, not the one she was in a constant state of fear of losing.
Nehra stepped back with a smile on her face, and Arwyn returned it in kind, though the light that usually brightened her smile didn’t appear to be there. If Nehra noticed, she didn’t say anything, and she went about doing general exams on Nia and Orenn, just to be sure. While they hadn’t sustained any injuries that I knew of, it wouldn’t hurt to be sure before we set out on this adventure.
Frankly, I was just excited to see sunlight again. It wasn’t that the floaty light orbs weren’t cool, they definitely were. There was just something about natural light that was so much better. Sunshine was good. Sunshine was needed for proper skin nourishment.
As Nehra said her goodbyes to Nia, my eyes wandered over to Layla, who had been hanging around the entryway looking lost.
“Um … ” I faltered as her eyes landed on me, and then I laughed. “I just wanted to say goodbye.”
Layla rolled her eyes and I picked her up into a tight hug. Her arms came around my neck, and her small, plump lips pressed a chaste kiss to my cheek.
“We’re going to be okay,” she whispered into my ear. “Find Braden and Varleth and bring them home.”
Tension I hadn’t realized I was carrying in my shoulders released as her voice reassured me. I’d missed this contact for months, apparently, and it felt better than I thought possible to feel my arms around Layla, even if it was only for a moment.
I put her down, so not to make any kind of scene, and then I pressed a quick kiss on the top of her head.
“You give them hell,” I told her with a smirk.
“Of course I will. Who do you take me for, Gryffie?” She winked, and I didn’t have to see Gawain to know he was rolling his eyes over my shoulder.
“Thatta girl,” I laughed. “Take care of yourself.”
“You, too, and take care of each other,” she added and motioned to Nia and Arwyn.
“You know I will,” I replied with a smile.
With a millisecond of hesitation, Layla twirled away from me and allowed herself to be escorted away by Geheim, followed by Nehra and Gawain.
As I watched her disappear around the corner, I couldn’t help but feel proud of her. She’d come such a long way in the last year, and her leadership skills were much better than she would ever give herself credit for. She’d always said this wasn’t the life she wanted for herself, yet she’d come around and embraced it tenfold. Her heart was in the right place, and her battle skills were remarkable. She’d really go places, and I was glad to have been the person who gave her that push to be the best I always knew she could be.
With everyone gone now, all that remained of us were the response squad and Headmaster Sleet. It was only a matter of time before General Kenefick came by to fetch us, too.
Now, we played the waiting game.
It didn’t take long, however. We’d gone over the route, as well as all of the details we knew about Varleth and Braden’s disappearance, which might as well have been nothing, and retook the inventory we had so we were all on the same page.
“Remember,” Sleet began, “if anyone asks, you’re simply travelers with no affiliations to any one Enclave or Academy. The second you associate yourself, people start to ask questions. Keep anything that might be identifying off your person, so your cloaks, and your crystals … ”
He eyed me, and I sighed as I nodded. It wasn’t a big deal to carry them in a pouch in my bag, but it was definitely more of an inconvenience, especially if we ran into trouble. No summoner wanted to be digging for their main weapon while in the midst of a fight.
“Where do we go once we find them?” Orenn questioned as he came up to stand beside me.
“Take them to the nearest town,” Sleet ordered. “Write me, and I’ll give you further instructions. We can’t have you come back to the Academy if things are too crazy.”
We all nodded, then looked to General Kenefick.
“We’re ready,” Arwyn declared.
“There are horses waiting nearby,” Gallahar mentioned. “We will take them and ride under the cover of night to sneak you out of town.”
“Sir, may I ask you something?” I blurted out and didn’t wait for him to respond before I went on. “Why not announce all of us as dead? Wouldn’t it be easier than sneaking us around?”
“Not at all,” he answered quickly. “We considered the idea initially, but pronouncing the lot of you as dead would make travel even harder. People will think they’re seeing ghosts.”
Oh. Well, that was true, I guessed.
“Anymore questions?” the General asked, and we were all silent this time. “Good, now come along.”
We started to follow Gallahar out when Sleet stopped us again.
“Be careful,” he warned. “Times are changing. Expect the unexpected, and only put your trust in each other.”
The four of us looked between each other and nodded before we set out again.
Now that I was conscious, I was afforded a better look at where we had been holed up. The giant room we were in was only one of a few doors attached to the same hallway. I knew if I took a right it would lead to a small washroom with magically enchanted running water to make up for the general lack of plumbing. There were a few other rooms that way as well, but those were mostly for supplies from what I was able to discern.
There was no kitchen, which I only knew because Nehra would constantly bring us food, though after the first day down here, the food started coming less and less. That was the price to pay for having an Enclave wrecked by monsters. Food supplies became limited.
“So, what was this before the so-called resistance took up residence in it?” I questioned aloud.
“We’re unsure,” Gallahar answered with a light chuckle. “It isn’t marked on any known maps, and the only reason we found it in the first place was by complete accident.”
“That’s a pretty convenient accident,” I joked.
“It is,” the General agreed, “though without knowing its full history, all we can do is be thankful for it for now.”
I nodded as I took everything in. There seemed to be a natural flow of air through the tunnel, a light breeze, if you will. I wondered if that was also magicked to keep the air from stagnating, or if the tunnel was open at one end or the other. The latter wouldn’t make much sense, otherwise if it rained, it could easily flood. We were underground, after all.
I had to admit, though, the architecture of the tunnel was stunning. Just like in the giant bedroom, the entire tunnel had the appearance of a hollowed out tree root. The walls were textured, and some of them even had bark still attached in places. The wood itself didn’t look polished, though. I would definitely get pricked with a splinter if I tried to run my finger over it, but it was smooth. That much I could t
ell.
A few lanterns hung on the walls, but the little balls of floating magic light gave off more energy than the fires within the lanterns. I thought they were more for an aesthetic purpose, but it worked.
“Father, how much longer until we reach the entrance?” Nia asked as she shivered.
It was a bit chilly down here. I supposed it had to do with no sunlight being able to reach it. It might have been summer up top, but down here, it was just cold.
“Almost there, darling,” Gallahar replied chipperly. He led us around a short corner to the right, where we were immediately faced with stairs.
“I had to magic these stairs in since not everyone has been through enchantment classes yet,” he explained, and everyone’s eyes fell on me.
“What? That’s not my fault.” I pouted a little, which earned me a round of chuckles and giggles.
“Soon enough, Gryff of Njordenfalls.” Gallahar grinned as we ascended the makeshift stairs behind him.
He then mumbled some other enchantment, and the dirt atop the stairs spiralled into the air and dissolved like water. Suddenly, we were outside. The smoke had mostly cleared, and I could see the stars. I wasn’t sure which was more impressive, though, the stars or the magic and wonder that this little tunnel had. To think one day I’d be able to make magic that beautiful still boggled my mind.
As we stepped out into the Enclave, we were able to see the damage the rift had wrought. As Gallahar and others had described, it was as though three quarters of the city just never existed. Everything but a few of the nicer neighborhoods and a small fraction of the central part of the city had been bulldozed. Fires still smoldered in places despite the pollution from the smoke having dwindled significantly.
“Take a left at what used to be a place of worship,” Gallahar instructed. “You’ll find your horses awaiting you. From there, take the northernmost gate out of the Enclave. The guard is expecting you, but they do not know your true purpose. As far as they know, you’re off to get supplies from the other Enclaves.”
Arwyn nodded and stepped past the General, only stopping briefly to bow and thank him before she walked away.
