by Kobe Bryant
Rovi was accustomed to sleeping in proximity to other kids. He was used to whispers, snores, and occasional fights keeping him up at night. What he wasn’t used to was going to bed with a full stomach. And he certainly wasn’t used to going to bed happy. On any other night the gentle rocking of the boat and the delicious food filling his belly would have immediately sent him off to sleep. But memories of Ecrof were racing around his head. He was going home. He was finally going home. And not even his anxiety around Janos was going to change that.
He was going to see the famous Tree of Ecrof, one of the Four Marvels of Epoca, which he’d tried to climb hundreds of times. He would race across the green fields and run the obstacle course in the woods. He would find the Visualization Laboratory, where he used to hide in a secret cabinet under one of the long tables while his father designed one of his many experiments. He would explore the different temples that had originally been built by godly grana, that had been turned into classrooms and gymnasiums. Dreaming of all that lay ahead, he reclined in his hammock for hours, enjoying the gentle swaying of the ship until finally he slept.
* * *
Rovi was the first recruit to wake up. He dressed in Ecrof shorts and a T-shirt, and laced up his Grana Gleams before climbing to the top deck. He took a Cyprian orange from his hiding spot in a coil of rope and ate it, flinging the peel toward the blue water and watching as a silvery fish nosed the discarded fruit.
Two seals popped their heads out of the water and watched him curiously with their liquid brown eyes. They followed alongside the ship, then eventually arched their sleek backs and dove down out of sight.
When the seals vanished, Rovi turned his attention toward the horizon, where he thought he could make out the shape of Cora Island rising from the sea like a volcano or a mirage, the only interruption to the endless blue. Suddenly the memories came flooding in even quicker than they had last night—the white-sand beaches below the towering cliffs, the groves of fig and olive trees, the dangerous rocks on the eastern side of the island, which were off-limits to the students, the cool interior of the old temples. He felt that the island was calling to him, summoning him home.
Rovi leaned far over the railing, trying to draw the shape in the distance closer.
“Is that it?”
Rovi startled and staggered back, crashing onto the deck. He looked up and saw Pretia, Princess of Epoca, standing over him offering him her hand. He stood without taking it.
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” she said.
“You didn’t scare me,” Rovi said.
“We’re wearing the same shoes,” Pretia said.
Rovi looked down and saw they were both wearing gold Grana Gleams. He nodded uncertainly.
“My—uh, friend Anara got them for me,” Pretia stammered.
Why did she have to mention the sneakers? “Yeah,” Rovi said, “my brother Issa gave me mine.”
Pretia moved to the railing. “So do you think that’s Cora?”
Rovi stood and shaded his eyes. The sun had risen behind them and the shape in the distance was clearer.
“Come look,” Pretia said, reaching for his arm and nearly pulling him to the railing.
The shape in the distance was unmistakable now. “It is,” he said. “Definitely.”
“How come you’re so sure?” Rovi turned to see that Leo had appeared next to them.
“Because I grew up there,” Rovi said.
Pretia’s mouth dropped open. “You grew up at Ecrof?”
Rovi froze, unsure of whether he should say more. It had just slipped out. But he didn’t want to explain anything else about his time at Ecrof.
“You grew up in a castle,” Leo said, trying to get Pretia’s attention. “That’s got to be a cooler place to grow up than a school.”
“Ecrof isn’t just a school,” Pretia said, looking at Leo. “It’s a school on a secret, sacred island that was the last home of the gods. And,” she added, “it’s the best academy in all of Epoca.”
“Everyone knows that,” Leo said sheepishly.
Pretia turned her gaze to Rovi again. “So did you really grow up there?”
Rovi looked over the turquoise water at the island taking shape in the distance. “Yes,” he said, “I did. It was pretty lonely,” he added, hoping this dismissal would forbid any more questions. “There were no other kids.”
“I know what you mean,” Pretia replied.
Before Rovi could ask how in the world the Princess of Epoca could know what he meant about growing up alone on an island, Leo Apama piped up again.
“I don’t believe you,” Leo said. “No one grows up at Ecrof.”
“You don’t believe what?” Castor and his little crew of Realists—Nassos, Hector, and Vera—had arrived on deck.
“I don’t believe Rovi grew up at Ecrof,” Leo said.
“Why not?” Castor said. “You think he’s lying?”
“Because,” Leo said, “not even you grew up at Ecrof.”
“That’s because I had royal duties on the mainland,” Castor said. “I couldn’t afford to get stuck out on an island.”
Pretia looked as if she was about to say something. But before she could, Castor turned and faced Rovi. “You think that I don’t know who you are, Rovi Myrios?” he said. “Your father was the Visualization Trainer at Ecrof before my father fired him and sent you both away.”
Rovi’s eyes widened and his pulse raced.
“So, wait,” Leo said. “He wasn’t lying?”
“He wasn’t,” Castor said. “But he wasn’t exactly telling the whole truth. Rovi spent a few years at Ecrof when he was younger, but why doesn’t he tell us where he’s been living for the last few years?”
Rovi could feel his blood beginning to boil. “Don’t say another word,” he hissed.
“You don’t want me to tell them that you’ve been living on the streets? That you’re a Star Stealer?” Castor said.
“You’re the Star Stealer?” Leo gasped, jumping back as if Rovi was going to bite him.
Now Rovi could feel his cheeks starting to burn. He hoped his tanned skin from years of living on the streets of Phoenis hid his embarrassment. “I’m not a Star Stealer, I’m a Dreamer.”
“That’s not what I heard,” Castor said. “I heard you were living with a band of Star Stealers under a bridge when the Ecrof scout found you. That’s quite a story for an Ecrof recruit.”
“At least I don’t need to rely on gossip to prove I’m better than anyone,” Rovi said.
Now it was Castor whose eyes opened wide. “What did you say?”
“I said, I don’t need to rely on gossip I heard from my father to prove I’m superior,” Rovi repeated. “I can just prove it on the field.”
“Your father?” Castor laughed. “Your dad was fired after going insane. And the only gossip I heard is about how crazy your father was. He was the worst teacher ever to work at Ecrof.”
“That’s not true!” Rovi shouted.
Castor put a finger to his lips and cocked his head as if he were thinking deeply. “What was it I heard again?” he said.
The Realists all kept their eyes glued to his face.
“Oh yeah,” Castor said finally. “Wasn’t he caught trying to cut down the Tree of Ecrof?”
“What?” Leo yelped.
“No way,” Vera said.
“No,” Rovi muttered. “It’s not true.” His cheeks were on fire now. His heart was pounding. He squeezed his eyes shut until he could hear the blood rush in his ears, drowning out his father’s delusional voice: Kill the tree.
“Your father tried to cut down the Tree of Ecrof?” Vera was staring at him like he’d just stolen her Grana Book. “That’s one of the most holy sites in Epoca.”
Rovi glared back at Vera. “He didn’t. He didn’t do anything to the tree.”
Castor folded his arms over his chest. “I know I’m right. But if you need more proof, we can ask my dad and he can tell—”
Issa and his gang wouldn’t have stood by and let some rich kid taunt them. Before Castor could finish speaking, Rovi lunged at him. He wrapped his arms around Castor and tackled him to the deck.
“Stop it!” Pretia screamed.
Castor fought back hard. The boys tumbled and rolled. Rovi was fast but Castor was stronger, and he slipped out of Rovi’s grasp and pinned him to the deck. Just then the ship hit the furrow of a wave and Rovi slid out of Castor’s hold and went skidding toward the railing, his feet dangling down toward the water. If the ship bucked again, he’d fall overboard.
Castor stood over him. “I think we should stop fighting,” he said. “You wouldn’t want to get expelled before we get there.”
If he were still in Issa’s gang, Rovi would have done something vulgar like spit at Castor. But Rovi had to get control of himself. He wasn’t a Star Stealer and he couldn’t afford to act like one. He was a Dreamer. Now and forever.
Pretia raced to Rovi’s side, pushing Castor out of the way. She looped her arms through Rovi’s and pulled him back on deck. Rovi was too furious to say anything. He’d lost the fight and now he was being rescued by a princess.
“Do I need to call Janos?” A deckhand had appeared from below and was watching the recruits.
“No,” Pretia said. “It was nothing.”
“Janos insists on knowing about any disturbance among the students,” the deckhand said.
“It was an accident,” Pretia said. Rovi watched as Pretia stood up as tall as she could and put on what seemed like her most regal face, looking for once like a princess, not an excited recruit. “I swear on this kingdom that it was nothing more than an accident.”
The deckhand looked doubtfully from Pretia to Castor, then disappeared.
“Gosh, Pretia,” Castor said when the deckhand was out of earshot, “maybe you really are the Child of Hope like everyone is always saying.”
Rovi saw Pretia roll her eyes at her cousin.
“Or maybe,” Castor said, snickering, “you’re a Demigen with no house affiliation.” Then he looked from Pretia to Rovi. “Actually, this is perfect. A Star Stealer and a Demigen. Two people who don’t belong anywhere. Ecrof is going to have to find a special house just for you guys.”
Demigen—half person—was a word Rovi had only ever heard used about the lowest classes in society, people who were too desperate to be loyal to either House Somni or House Relia and intermarried without thought to lineage. But he’d never in his life heard it used for anyone of royal stature, especially not the Princess of Epoca.
Before Rovi had any more time to wonder about Pretia’s heritage, a horn blasted across the ship and a different deckhand appeared in front of one of the masts. “The island Cora,” he exclaimed, pointing across the sea.
All the kids turned and stared at once. Because there it was—the towering white cliffs and the glittering plateau. Rovi had been so distracted by his fight with Castor that he’d nearly missed his first glimpse of home. Except now, it didn’t exactly feel like home anymore.
7
PRETIA
THE PATH
There were many times throughout their childhood that Pretia had almost felt sorry for Castor, always having to watch from the sidelines while she was the center of attention at royal events. But once they boarded the boat to Cora, all sympathy for her cousin, second in line to the throne, second in all royal affairs, vanished. He’d never been particularly nice to Pretia, but she’d just thought that was how cousins were—needling each other about everything. But now that she saw him with other kids, she could see he was a bully, teasing the poor former Star Stealer for no reason other than to prove that he was from a noble family. It horrified Pretia, not least of all because the last thing she wanted to do was draw attention to the fact that she was a princess.
The fight between Rovi and Castor annoyed her for another reason—it had almost caused her to miss her first real vision of the island of Cora. What had formerly been a vague silhouette in the distance had now taken the shape of a small but impressive island. The ship approached from the east where towering cliffs rose from the sea up to a distant plateau. Pretia craned her neck, trying to see if she could make out the academy. But before she could, the boat had circled around and headed into a narrow inlet cut into the cliffs.
At first it didn’t seem possible that the ship could pass between the cliffs on either side—they were so close that the kids were able to reach out and touch the white limestone walls. Only someone with great sailing expertise would be able to navigate this entry.
When the ship had passed through the narrow opening, it arrived in a hidden harbor that ended in the most pristine white-sand beach Pretia had ever seen. At the foot of the beach, just at the edge of the water, stood a giant gate—two towering columns topped by a triangular pediment. Pretia recognized it instantly from the painting in the Gods’ Eye that she had spent hours staring at back at Castle Airim. Cora, the Goddess of Love, was lingering in this very gate, staring back over her shoulder at something in or near one of the cliffs.
As the water got shallower it turned the most extraordinary light blue—like the precious gemstones kept deep in the vaults of Castle Airim. On either side of the inlet rose craggy cliffs that were topped with scrubby trees. These cliffs reached far into the ocean and hid the harbor from view of the open water.
Pretia had traveled all over Epoca. She’d been to the Rhodan Islands and to the sacred temples on top of Mount Oly. She’d been to the Port of Hydros and the rolling hills of Megaros, where the best grapes grew. But she’d never seen anything as beautiful as Cora. It was clear why the gods had chosen it as their final home before departing the earth once and for all.
Two docks stretched out from the beach into the bay where two smaller boats were pushing off, on their way to meet the Ecrof ship, which had dropped anchor.
Janos appeared on deck and blew his whistle. The recruits assembled in front of him.
“Welcome to Cora,” he bellowed. “Welcome to your new home.”
A cheer rose from all the recruits at once except for Rovi, who was standing off by himself, not even bothering to look at the majestic island.
“These small rowboats will take you to shore. Your luggage will follow you to Ecrof.” Janos paused and looked down the line of recruits one at a time. “That is, if you can find Ecrof.”
Pretia winced as she thought of the dozen or so bags Anara had packed for her.
“What do you mean, if we find Ecrof?” Adira asked.
“The first challenge you will face as a student of Ecrof is finding the academy itself,” Janos explained. “I only have one hint for you. The campus is on the south side of the island. The rest is wilderness. I suggest you don’t get lost.”
“Isn’t it just on top of that hill?” Leo asked.
“Perhaps,” Janos said. “But how do you get there?”
Castor and his little crew of Realists had pulled away from the group. Vera and Castor had their heads bowed together, obviously plotting how to find the academy. Pretia had to admit those two had a leg up on the rest of them. Castor had visited Ecrof once or twice, and Vera’s brother had been a student at the academy for seven years.
The recruits scrambled down rope ladders toward the waiting boats. The Realists took one boat, the Dreamers another. Only Pretia remained on board the large ship, looking anxiously at the two boats.
“Maybe you should swim,” Castor called.
That settled it. She chose the Dreamer boat.
Virgil and Adira babbled incessantly as they were rowed to shore. Rovi sat in the stern of the boat, his back to the rest of the Dreamers, staring not at Cora, but in the direction of the open ocean.
The boats were pulled onto th
e beach and the recruits clambered out. Pretia surveyed her surroundings. From the beach, the looming cliffs seemed impenetrable. Several of the recruits began to tour the beach, looking for a way through. To Pretia’s annoyance, Castor found the path that led from the beach up toward the island. He led the Realists through. The Dreamers followed.
The path was steep, like it had been designed for nimble-footed goats, not people. It was rocky and slippery and dotted with small, spiky plants like sea clover. Up, up, up they climbed until the boats in the harbor were tiny specks, no larger than ants. Below, the blue sea crashed on the shore.
“Ecrof is the most magnificent place on earth,” Castor boasted. “And trust me, I’ve been in every castle in Epoca.” He raised his voice so it echoed loudly down the cliff. “Even Castle Airim has nothing like Ecrof’s campus.”
Pretia bit her lip. She knew Castor hadn’t been in every castle in Epoca. But she said nothing and instead concentrated on the climb, Castor’s voice grating her ears the entire way. Soon he was bragging about his visits to Ecrof, about how he was definitely going to be House Captain, how the Realists were certain to win both House Field Days that year. He also assumed that he’d get chosen for the Epic Elite Squad—a group of specially selected athletes who were taken to train in secret for most of the year in order to prepare for summer competitions with other academies.
“You think his father told him about the path?” Adira asked.
“Would Janos do that?” Virgil asked.
Both kids turned and looked at Pretia. “My uncle wouldn’t cheat,” she said.
Pretia could hear Castor’s boastful voice up ahead. “Ecrof is the best place in all of Epoca. It has tons and tons of secrets that only some of us know.”
“Like the Infinity Track,” Vera chimed in.
