by Sever Bronny
“And what have you learned, young Mr. Okeke?”
Jengo jumped back out. “Oh, uh …” He glanced over at the trio and Haylee. “That courage doesn’t mean you don’t feel fear. It just means you won’t let it stop you.”
“Very wise,” Mrs. Hawthorne said amidst more polite clapping.
The students next turned their gaze upon Augum. He cleared his throat gently and stepped forward. “Hi. Uh, I’m Augum Stone—”
Almost all of the students smiled broadly and nodded appreciatively.
“—and I’m fifteen, uh, 4th degree, lightning.” He swallowed away the awkward silence. “I … I thought myself an orphan once, but then came upon Mrs. Stone. Bit of a coincidence, actually.” A huge one, still unexplained. “From there I discovered I had a father who happened to be the worst person alive.”
The students stirred but continued listening attentively. Meanwhile, Augum felt his palms sweat. Great, he had just reminded them that he was the son of the Lord of the Legion.
“Uh, that’s when I met Bridget and Leera, whose parents my father murdered before our eyes—”
“—we didn’t know that,” bad boy Brandon Summers blurted, suddenly serious. “That he killed them, let alone in front of you.”
Augum thought he saw kind warmth in the boy’s eyes. “That’s right, I … I witnessed my father murder a whole village, including the parents of Bridget and Leera.” He dropped his head, absently rubbing his sore elbow. “And their friends.” He thought of intelligent Tyeon Sharpe and his dignified family. He raised his head again. “I guess part of me feels it my duty to try to right the wrongs of my father. A lot of people have sacrificed themselves to give us that opportunity—” Faces flashed before his mind. His great-grandfather, Thomas Stone. One Eye. Miralda Jenkins. “I feel I owe it to them to try my best. I guess that’s something I’ve learned … that all we can do is try our very best.”
Most of the students nodded slowly, faces grave.
“Anyway, uh,” and he glanced to Bridget and Leera, who looked upon him warmly, “we’ve been through a lot together. They saved my life numerous times—”
“—and you ours!” Leera blurted with a broad smile, punching his shoulder, which seemed to ease the tension as people snickered.
“Right, uh, as I was saying, we’ve been through a lot together. Feels strange to say that, I guess, because I think without each other we would have certainly died.”
Many of the students went Awww softly.
“And along the way, I, uh, I fell in love with this one—” He pressed a finger into Leera’s shoulder, and the crowd went Aww even louder, many of the girls leaning on each other, while the guys stirred uncomfortably. Leera’s face was as bright as fire, but she was smiling.
For his part, Augum regretted saying so much. He felt like an idiot fool and quickly blurted out the last bit. “And now we’re readying to do some crazy things, but we’re very happy to work with you all—” and he suddenly jumped back in line.
But there still came a round of clapping and even some whistling. When it finished, Leera took a dramatic step forward.
“Thanks for that, jerk,” she said, and the crowd laughed. She gave a floppy wave. “Uh, hi. Leera Jones, fifteen, water, 4th.” She nodded at Augum, “And it’s true, I’m in love with that fool there—” More relaxed laughter. “Uh, people sometimes think we’re too young to fall in love.” She shrugged. “I tell those people to stuff themselves.”
The students roared. Even Mrs. Hawthorne was beaming.
Leera smirked. “Guess there’s not much else to say, really, other than I know some of you a little bit, and if I hear you sing that song—” She made a strangling gesture, much to further amusement of the crowd. Augum remembered all too well how Haylee had crafted a song about Leera, back when they had been enemies in the academy, and had the whole school sing it.
“I jest, I jest,” Leera continued, chortling to herself. “Haylee and I are friends now.” She flashed Haylee a kind smile and saw it returned. “I’ve changed a lot since the academy, and the little things don’t bother me as much. As to what I learned …” She stared at the ground contemplatively. “Life is short and fragile. Like, ridiculously fragile.” She smiled bittersweetly to herself before glancing up at them. “Anyway, I’m proud to be part of the Resistance, and I hope to get to know you all better in time.” She stepped back to much applause. Her hand found Augum’s and their fingers intertwined, again to more Awwws.
Bridget took her turn next. “Hello. Bridget Burns, fifteen, 4th, earth. I’m the one who has to keep these two rascals—” She flicked an idle hand at Augum and Leera, receiving a round of snickers for it. “—in check. But I’m very proud to call them friends. Augum is like a close brother and Leera a close sister. We’ve gone through a lot together, and I love them both for it.”
She smiled at Augum and Leera holding hands before allowing her gaze to wander. “I guess the most important thing I’ve learned is that true friendship is powerful, more powerful than a spell, and even more powerful than a determined enemy.”
The hearty round of applause Bridget received waned to silence as it became apparent it was Lord Bowlander’s turn to introduce himself next.
Except he didn’t. Instead, he just stood there awkwardly. And no one seemed to want to come to his rescue, not even Bridget, who was glancing between him and the cold reception he was receiving from the students.
Tales
“Lord Bowlander,” Mrs. Hawthorne finally had to say in deliberate tones, brows raised, arms crossed. “Care to tell us a little bit about yourself and what you have learned?”
Lord Bowlander cleared his throat. He didn’t even step forward. “Hi, uh, some of you may know me from the academy. I, uh, had to leave due to unfortunate circumstances, but, uh, I’m very proud to be part of the Resistance now. I hope that, uh, we can start a new life together … and stuff.” He swallowed hard, avoiding everyone’s gaze.
There was a marked silence.
Alyssa smirked as she slowly shook her head. “What did you tell them?”
Bowlander wrung his hands.
“Tell us what, Lord Bowlander?” Bridget asked in a slightly wavering voice.
Bowlander’s shoulders dropped. “I … I may have not told you the complete truth, sweet Miss Burns.”
Bridget’s mouth fell open slightly as she searched his eyes.
“Please know I did not want you to judge me, for I have started a new life. I am a new man.”
“Tell us then,” Bridget said.
“This should be good,” Alyssa said, folding her arms much like Mrs. Hawthorne.
“Back in the academy, I was … a little more carefree. I came across a recipe to an arcane concoction. Some old fun potion.” He shrugged. “So I did what any party boy would do and … had a go at it.”
“Then you started selling it,” Elizabeth added, head cocked and brows furrowed sharply.
“I … I was short on funds at the time,” Bowlander said with a forced chuckle. “Student life is difficult, after all, so I thought I’d make a few extra coppers—”
“—but you’re rich,” Cry noted in a bland voice.
Bowlander ignored the droopy-eyed boy. “Bridget … You have to understand that people really enjoyed the concoction—”
“—I can attest to that,” Brandon threw in, raising his hand. “Made everybody look like a fat bloated toad, and voices sounded squeaky like mice. I swore I actually floated through the halls. Anyway, whole adventure was hilarious, couldn’t stop laughing.”
Olaf gave him a light-hearted shove with his meaty hand. “You’d try anything.”
“This is true—”
“Go on,” Bridget interrupted, never taking her eyes off Bowlander.
“Well, one day, one of the, uh, students, got quite ill—”
“—try almost died,” Alyssa corrected, turning her head down the line of girls. “Ain’t that right, Laud?”
Laudine Cooper
, who usually wore a goofy dimpled smile, dropped her head and nodded.
“Laud was in hospice for a tenday,” Alyssa continued, glaring at Bowlander, arms still crossed. “And you denied selling it to her, didn’t you?”
“I panicked,” Bowlander blurted. “Oh, beloved Bridget, please believe me I have changed—”
Augum elbowed Leera, mouthing, “ ‘Beloved’? You kidding me?”
“—I am not that person anymore,” Bowlander continued. “Sure, I still enjoy having fun, but … I have found that my heart now searches for …” He swallowed once more, his chiseled features softening. “… other, sweeter things.” Then he mouthed, “Please believe me.”
Augum had to hold back a derisive snort.
Bridget continued to search his sorry blue eyes in the dead silence. “We do not appreciate being lied to, Lord Bowlander,” she said at last.
Bowlander dropped his head, nodding.
“However … the past is the past and it appears that you are remorseful. Unless there is something else you feel we need to know, I do not see why you cannot be given … another chance.”
Augum noted that her voice was strained. He got the impression she was doing it out of compassion more so than for herself. Nonetheless, to him, Bowlander had totally blown it, and he was definitely not going to be “friends” with him now.
“I did get expelled,” Bowlander quickly threw in. “Left the city in disgrace. I’ve been trying to make it up to everyone ever since.” He turned to the students. “Please, don’t take this away from me too. Give me a second chance. Please …”
They all refused to meet his gaze.
“Maybe I should go,” Bowlander finally said, staring firmly at the corridor leading to the exit. He waited.
Bridget sighed. “Stay.”
Bowlander beamed at her as he took both her arms in his own, saying, “Thank you,” before letting go with a proud nod at the student group, who mostly pressed their lips or shook their heads.
“On to other matters,” Mrs. Hawthorne said after an awkward silence. “As you may know, the Academy of Arcane Arts is held hostage under the Legion regime. Almost all the old teachers have been run out of town, murdered, or recruited for the army. New teachers have been selected for their loyalty to the Legion, as well as for their cruelty. It is not a joyous place, and many of our most noble and proud traditions have been set aside. We are only able to come here because the Legion looks down upon these Trainers, preferring necromantic versions.
“The Legion have also scrapped all elemental training, and thus it can only be performed in secret. Necromancy teachings are being fast-tracked, meaning much of the nuance of arcane scholarship is lost in the current scholastic climate. I am sure Mrs. Stone is glad not to be presiding over such a historical travesty.”
Mrs. Stone inclined her head in agreement.
Mrs. Hawthorne focused on Augum’s group. “Our own Headmaster is a cruel man and takes his orders directly from Lord Sparkstone. He, along with the other staff and students, do not know we are here, and as I said before, these students before you, despite being rowdy and undisciplined, are some of the brightest and most loyal to the Resistance, as are their families. I wanted you to get to know each other a little, for we shall be working together to defeat the Legion in a coming uprising.”
The students and the trio stirred. Uprising? What uprising?
“That is correct,” Mrs. Stone said at last, stepping forward while leaning on her staff. “Mrs. Hawthorne is referring to a Resistance effort we will require your assistance with in starting an uprising at the academy. It is dangerous, but the aim will be to draw the enemy away from their headquarters.”
“You mean the Black Castle?” Cry asked. “That’s stupid, it’ll never work—”
“Shut up!” the boys hissed, one even giving him a shove.
“Of course it’ll work,” Brandon snapped, “we already prank those idiot guards … they’re almost all Ordinaries anyway. Ugh, Mrs. Hawthorne, why did you bring him? All he knows how to do is whine—”
“—no I don’t!”
“Uh, yes, you do—”
“Quiet, both of you. Slimwealth’s family requested his involvement, and they are providing the Resistance with valuable information on the Legion’s finances. I hope he will find a way to contribute, as I hope you all will.”
Cry shook his head, muttering, “This is so stupid …”
“This will be a secret undertaking, so be careful who you trust with the information,” Mrs. Stone added.
Isaac snorted. “There are girls involved. Whole school will know about it by sunset.”
The boys chortled while the girls rolled their eyes, muttering complaints like “Loon” and “Curly-haired pig”.
Mrs. Stone’s lips thinned. “I pray that you are wrong, Mr. Fleiszmann, for lives are at stake,” and that silenced the students. Her words seemed to carry great weight among them.
Mary raised her hand.
Mrs. Hawthorne nodded at the petite blonde. “Martel.”
Mary stepped forward, clearing her throat. “Uh, hi again, Mrs. Stone. Nice staff. Is that the scion on top of it?”
“Mind yourself, Martel,” Mrs. Hawthorne snapped.
“Sorry, I guess that was rude. Anyway, what I want to ask is, how will we know when to do this … uprising at the academy and stuff?”
“That is as yet to be determined,” Mrs. Stone replied. “And to answer your first question, child, yes this is indeed the scion.”
All eyes went to the ancient crystal globe, the final artifact that would complete the Lord of the Legion’s Great Quest. As if sensing their gazes, it clouded over, flashing with silent lightning. There were some Oohs and Awws.
“I can give them my Exot ring,” Augum said, holding up his hand. “That way our two groups can communicate. We still have spares back at home. Bridget has the matching Exot orb.”
“Whoa, how you have Exot ring?” Sasha asked in her harsh accent. She cocked her head like a warrior about to pounce. “Do you have set?”
“We acquired it in Antioc,” Bridget replied curtly. She dug out her Exot orb and showed it off. “And yes, we have a whole set—ten rings and an orb.”
The students all spoke at the same time.
“Incredible—”
“Told you they’re good—”
“They’re probably fake—”
“See, it’s not impossible to nab one—”
“Settle down,” Mrs. Hawthorne said. “Now, who will accept the responsibility of communicating with Mrs. Stone’s group?”
Everyone but Cry stepped forward, eager for the honor.
Mrs. Hawthorne stared at the group contemplatively a moment. “Beaumont. As Head of Student Council, you will assume the responsibility.”
“Awesome,” Elizabeth sang, shoulders dancing as she did a graceful twirl.
Mrs. Hawthorne turned to Bridget. “I hope Miss Burns will instruct Miss Beaumont on how to use the Exot ring.”
“I certainly will, Mrs. Hawthorne,” Bridget replied.
Augum strode over to Elizabeth, handing the ring over.
“Thank you, Champion,” and she winked.
The student girls giggled as Augum, red-faced, strode back to his place beside Leera, who made a small show of entwining her hand with his.
“All right, Mrs. Stone and I need to confer on a few important matters,” Mrs. Hawthorne said. “Take a little bit of time to acquaint yourselves, then we shall conduct group training contests and exercises.”
The students seemed to find this thrilling.
“Really? We get to train with them? Awesome!”
“Bet you they’re good.”
“Real good.”
“I saw Augum in the tournament. Trust me, he’s good.”
“I know, I was there too, doofus!”
“All right already, dismissed,” Mrs. Hawthorne said, taking Mrs. Stone aside to converse in quiet and serious tones. Kiwi went right to Jengo a
nd the pair struck up a dense and jargon-infused conversation on the healing arts, while all the other students practically ran over to the trio’s group, avoiding Bowlander like the necrotic plague. He made room for them, stepping away to stand quietly. Augum caught Bridget about to say something more to him before she was overwhelmed by giddy girls.
“Unholies be damned, you are so bad,” the beefy Olaf said, shaking Augum’s hand. “Is even half the stuff true that they write about you in the Heralds?”
“Not even a tenth,” Augum replied, chuckling. “But why do you think we’re bad? In what way?”
“Sorry—?”
“It’s another city expression, silly,” Leera whispered into his ear with a giggle.
“Oh, like ‘cool’, right?” he whispered back.
“Exactly.”
“Hey, ‘rena warrior,” Alyssa said to Augum, shadow-boxing him a little. “Heard you slapped the Lord of the Legion at the tournament. That one true? How’d it feel to smack your own evil father like that across the gob? Must felt good, huh?”
“How’d he let you get away with that?” Isaac asked, making a chopping gesture. “Did you use some sort of extra cool power on him or something?”
“Uh, well, I didn’t slap him or anything like that,” Augum said. “But he did almost kill me a whole bunch of times. I barely got away really.” He unconsciously rubbed his jaw as he recalled smashing against the wall of the arena tunnel.
“What about that evil witch Erika Scarson?” Brandon pressed. “Heard you simulcasted her to smithereens—”
“—that definitely didn’t happen. No way can I simulcast.”
“But you can chronocast really well, right? And perform Feats of Legend?”
“Uh, well, I guess I chronocast now and then, but what’s a Feat of Legend?”
“A Feat of Legend is when you successfully cast a powerful spell way above your degree,” tiny Kiwi said in a bookish voice.
Laudine squeezed between Alyssa and Kiwi. “Like in the arena when you used Teleport in front of thousands of people—” She made a dramatic explosive gesture. “—right before the spot you had been standing in got destroyed by an earth-shattering meteor.” She implored skyward with two closed fists. “ ‘A mortal blow, aimed at the heart, had thus been thwarted most spectacularly.’ ”
