by John Corwin
She giggled and kissed my cheek. "Wonderful, right?"
"Absolutely." I consulted the phone map and saw the line leading to a set of double doors a little ways behind us. "Why don't we find the house and rest? We can explore later."
She tore her gaze from the spectacle and nodded. "You're right." She rubbed her stomach. "I'm hungry."
I realized how hollow my tummy felt and agreed with her. "I need to find out how to withdraw money from the bank."
"We have money?"
I told her the good news. "We should be able to live off it for some time, unless the cost of living is high."
Her forehead pinched. "This was Levi's money."
"Yes." I wasn't sure if I should feel guilty or not. The man had wanted to kill me. I'd defended myself. Yes, by sneaking behind and hitting him with a shovel. "For better or worse, the money is ours now, Ambria. I don't know how to get more."
She hugged me. "I'm sorry, Conrad. I don't mean to be difficult." She took a step back. "I'm simply overwhelmed."
I smiled, unsure if I should give her a comforting touch on the shoulder, or keep my distance. I was new to friendship and didn't want to overstep my bounds. "Me too."
We walked through the crowd, our eyes wandering this way and that, our necks craning to take in the inexhaustible supply of oddities. A pair of men dressed like palace guards complete with large, black, fuzzy hats stood in front of the doors. They were such a spot of normalcy, I hardly even paid attention to them. When we approached, they stood aside and opened the doors.
My next step faltered at the sight before me. There was a world beyond the doors. A field of grass, a blue sky, and warm yellow sunlight. I turned to ask one of the guards a question and nearly choked on my own breath. His face looked like carved wood. His eyes were painted on. This was no man, but a wooden puppet!
Ambria shrieked and gripped my arm. "What are they?"
"No idea." I guided her quickly through the doors so we didn't make another scene. The puppets closed them behind us. "I think they're some sort of remote-controlled robots."
"They were creepy." Ambria blinked and looked up into the sky with pure bewilderment. "Aren't we underground?"
A gentle breeze disturbed that notion, but I nodded anyway. "They must have an artificial environment." The sun warmed my skin, and clouds drifted lazily across the sky. "It's very convincing though."
"It's amazing." She pointed to a gleaming building atop a mountain cliff to our right. "What's that?" Her finger abruptly shifted to the cliffs on the opposite side of the wide valley. "Look, there's a really huge building up there, too. What is it?"
A group of other people waiting at a nearby building looked at us curiously. What could only be described as a small pirate galley, complete with a Jolly Roger flag drifted through the sky and down toward the building on our left. A bright silver rocket ship jetted flames as it departed the building to our right and flew up toward the buildings on the cliff.
"I feel like such a tourist," Ambria said. "Absolutely everything here astounds me."
"Perhaps we should pretend not to be surprised," I said.
"I completely agree." Her eyes went huge again. "Oh, it's so lovely!" Ambria gazed adoringly at the city in the center of the valley. "What is that place?"
So much for pretending we're not tourists.
Though I could only see the fringes of the town, it looked very British. Thankfully, the schooling we'd received at the orphanage had included history. I remembered seeing pictures of buildings like this, but couldn't remember the time period.
The map on the phone pointed to the town directly ahead, so I assumed that was Queens Gate. Unfortunately, I saw no method of transportation to get us there. I stopped a man in blue robes as he rushed toward the pirate ship. "Sir, is there a bus we can take into town?"
His forehead pinched and he looked at me as if I were mental. "A bus?" He looked at the rug under my arm. "Just take your carpet, boy." With a huff, he resumed his march as the pirate ship docked with a wide deck atop the building.
I felt foolish for asking such a question. In a place where a flying pirate ship and a rocket were common means of public transportation, a flying carpet was probably ordinary. I leaned down to unroll the carpet on the ground.
"Look out!" Ambria shouted.
I looked back just as someone carrying a large stack of books tripped over me. Leather-bound tomes scattered everywhere. One of them bounced off my head and stars danced in my vision. When my senses cleared, I pushed up and saw a boy about my age giving the two of us a dazed look.
"You should look where you're going," Ambria chided. She leaned down. "Are you okay, Conrad?"
Though I felt a bump growing on the back of my head, I nodded.
"I'm sorry," the boy said. He pushed a mop of blond hair from his face and looked at us with sad green eyes. "I'm such an idiot." He pushed himself up and held a hand out to me.
I took it and let him pull me up.
He shook my hand vigorously once I was on my feet. "I'm Max Brimble."
With some effort, I freed my hand and nodded. "I'm Conrad." I hesitated to use the last name Levi had given me, at least until I confirmed it was my real name.
"I'm Ambria." Smiling brightly, she gripped his hand in both of hers and gave it a good shake.
"Are you students?" he asked.
Ambria and I looked at each other. "Students?"
He pointed up at the left cliffs. "At the university." Max looked at our clothes. "You certainly look like a couple of noms or is that the new fashion?"
"Noms?" I asked.
He frowned. "Don't you know anything?"
Ambria put her hands on her hips. "No, we don't."
He grinned. "I know everything there is to know about this place."
She held up a hand. "I hate to be rude, but we haven't had breakfast and need to go into town."
Max's face brightened. "Breakfast?" He began gathering his books. "I'm starving and I know a great place in town." He nodded toward the flying carpet. "Could you give me a ride to my uncle's house and then we can go eat?"
I looked at Ambria.
She shrugged. "Well, I suppose it would do us some good to have a know-it-all with us."
Max laughed. "Then let's go."
By the time we stacked the books on the carpet and secured them with a strap, there was barely enough room for the three of us. I let my legs dangle over the front of the carpet. Ambria sat behind me, and Max sat in front of his books. I eased the carpet forward, but the books seemed secure enough to go faster. Flying high, we zipped into town.
Tightly spaced row houses lined the outskirts of town. Quaint cobblestone streets boasted ornate houses of all shapes and sizes. Two massive domed buildings claimed the center of the city and a clock tower reminiscent of Big Ben loomed above them. It all seemed like the glorious reproduction of an era long past mixed with the new. People dressed in a wide variety of clothing walked below. Old-style horse-drawn carriages rolled through the streets, though many of them actually had no horses pulling them.
"Queens Gate is lovely," Ambria said, her warm breath on my ear. "I'm so glad we escaped, Conrad." She squeezed her arms around my chest. "I'm so grateful to you."
"You're welcome." I wasn't sure what else to say.
"Ooh, take a left here," Max said.
Since we were flying over the city, I wasn't sure how much of a left I needed to take. "Hard left?"
He pointed to a road leading toward the outskirts of town. I followed it all the way to the end where a small cottage nestled against the towering cliff face.
"This is my Uncle Malcom's house," Max explained as I landed the carpet. "I'll just run these books in if you don't mind waiting."
A middle-aged man with a crop of white-blond hair emerged from the cottage. He wore a loose gray robe and held a crooked stick in his hand. "Who are these people, Max?"
"Friends from school." He got off the carpet. "This is Conrad and Ambria."
"I just need to run my books inside," Max said. He took one stack and entered the house, returned, and took the rest. All the while, Malcolm stared at the two of us as if we might sprout claws and fangs and attack him.
Max came outside and rubbed his hands together. "I'll be back later, Uncle Malcolm."
"Don't let those two get you into trouble." Malcolm narrowed his eyes at us. "Looks like you picked up a couple of beggars."
Admittedly, our plain gray work clothes did look rather lowly, but it seemed mean for the man to make such assumptions about people he didn't know. I felt a strong urge to get off the carpet and confront him. To get in his face and challenge him to call me a beggar again. How dare this lowlife insult me?
I felt my fists clench and looked down at them. Why am I so angry? It reminded me of the other evil impulses I'd felt. The mood abruptly faded and I felt like myself again. I didn't remember having such a touchy temper during my idiot days.
Max climbed onto the carpet. "Just follow this road back to town and take a left at the end."
I did as instructed, keeping the carpet just high enough to fly over the other traffic. Following Max's instructions, we soon arrived at what could only be described as a large wooden egg with windows and a wide deck on the second story.
A sign dangling by chains on the front porch bore the name of the place—Chicken Little.
Ambria crooned. "How adorable."
"Best breakfast in town." Max hopped off the carpet.
I suddenly realized I'd forgotten something. "Where can I withdraw money?"
"Ah, over here." He led us down the street to a tall black building with golden trim. "Miser Bank."
"Why don't you two go into the restaurant?" I said. "I'll just be a moment."
"See you there," Max replied.
Ambria raised an eyebrow at me then turned and followed our new companion.
Once they were out of earshot, I queried the phone. "How do I withdraw money?"
"You may enter the building and speak with a teller, or use the crystal ball."
I noticed a crystalline sphere on a pedestal and approached it. "How do I use this?"
"Place a hand on the crystal ball," the phone told me. "Then you may request a withdrawal."
I did so. A light flashed in my eyes. Welcome to Miser Bank, said a voice in my head. How can we help you?
I had no idea how much money breakfast would cost or what other expenses we might incur, so I asked for a large sum. "A hundred tinsel, please."
Authorized. A section of the pedestal opened and a wad of silver currency emerged. I took it and rubbed one of the bills in my hand. It felt smooth and light as silk, but was stiff enough to keep it neatly stacked with the others. I shoved the money in my pocket and went to Chicken Little.
Max and Ambria waved to me from the second-story deck.
"Come on up," Max called down cheerfully.
I went inside. Patrons crowded the tables. Many were dressed in the sort of robes that seemed to be favored by the locals of this strange town. The odor of pancakes, bacon, sweet pastries, and more delighted my nose. My stomach reminded me with a growl that it was every bit in need of delighting as my nose. I walked up a set of stairs that curved with the egg-shaped building and joined the others at the table.
"The blueberry walnut pancakes are my favorite," Max said.
My mouth watered so much at the thought of pancakes, I had to keep it closed so I didn't drool.
The prices seemed reasonable relative to what I'd seen in the outside world, though I'd rarely been invited to eat out with my foster parents. I'd had plain pancakes a few times, and had once even enjoyed leftover bacon before the family dog snapped it up.
When the waitress came, I ordered pancakes, bacon, eggs, orange juice, and even coffee.
"How do you want your eggs?" she asked.
I stared at her blankly. "I don't understand."
"Scrambled, sunny-side up, over easy, over medium, hard, poached—"
"Sunnyside up sounds good." I smiled and looked at the lovely clear weather overhead.
"Got it." She turned to Ambria and took her order. Ambria ordered her eggs scrambled.
"You two sure eat a lot," Max said after he ordered. He grinned. "I like you already."
The waitress delivered our drinks a moment later. Ambria and I took sips of orange juice and sighed in unison.
"I could drink this all day," she said.
"It's so good," I agreed.
Max's forehead wrinkled. "You two act like you've never had a proper glass of OJ. Where are you from?"
I choked on my next sip and coughed. What do I tell him?
Ambria smiled brightly. "What were all those books for, Max?"
He made a face. "School. I'm preparing for the entrance exam."
"High school?" she asked.
His frown turned to slack-jawed confusion. "A what school?"
"What's the name of the school?" I asked.
"Ah." His eyes brightened and he pointed toward the top of the cliff in the distance. "Arcane University."
"Arcane?" I blurted before I could stop myself.
Instead of giving me a suspicious look his eyebrows rose as if lift by realization. "Ah, yeah, I forgot they were thinking of renaming it to Overworld School of Magic or Arcane Academy." He pshawed. "Of course, then it would be too close to Science Academy."
Ambria and I exchanged wide-eyed looks.
I decided to be partially honest. "Max, I have to admit we're new to Queens Gate and there's a lot we don't know."
He didn't look concerned. "Oh, that's all right. A lot of people go to the other magic schools and are completely shocked when they get here." He gave us a conspiratorial look. "How about I give you a tour after we eat?"
Though I hadn't slept much, I found this new environment invigorating. There was so much to see and explore. It was also time I accepted a fact I'd tried to avoid.
Magic exists.
Chapter 12
I'd tried to rationalize Levi Baker's control over animals as science, and explained away the flying carpet in a similar manner. Even this underground city complete with sun and sky defied scientific explanation. Unless Max was delusional, there were several schools devoted to the study of magic, and even a university here in Queens Gate.
Ambria and I were ignorant of this underground society. I wasn't sure if that could put us in danger, but didn't want to take the chance.
"A tour would be great," I told Max.
The food came a moment later and I dug into it with abandon. The food was so rich, so delicious, I felt full after eating less than half. My body had grown accustomed to plain, tasteless foods over the years. I reigned in my enthusiasm and surrendered. Ambria ate even less than me, though she obviously enjoyed it just as much.
"I wish my tummy was bigger," she complained. "I hate the thought of wasting so much food."
"Where do you live?" Max asked as he swiped a final slice of pancake through a puddle of syrup.
"At our cousin's," Ambria said.
"What's his name? I know a lot of people here in town."
I wanted to stop her from answering, but didn't know how to do it without alarming Max.
"Levi Baker," she replied.
Max's nose wrinkled. "Oh. I don't know him personally, but I've heard he's absolutely mental."
"Mental?" Ambria said.
I thought it described the man perfectly.
"He used to be a teacher at the university, but I heard he did some bad things and they kicked him out." Max tilted his head. "If he's your cousin, does that make you two brother and sister?"
Ambria and I looked nothing alike. Adding another layer of fiction on top of this would only make it harder for us to keep our lies straight. Besides, if we were related, we'd have to come up with parental names and weave a tremendous background story.
I shook my head. "We're orphans. Ambria and
I have been friends a long time, and her cousin invited me to come here too."
"Why'd she say 'our' cousin then?" he asked.
"My mouth was full." Ambria crossed her arms. "Really now, are you the sort of person to nitpick every little thing?"
Max put up his hands in surrender. "No, not at all. My uncle always says I'm too curious for my own good." He looked down. "I'm sorry to hear you're orphans." His frown brightened into a smile. "I have a huge family. You're both welcome to come to my house."
What would it be like to have a family? A sharp pain pierced my chest and I fought back a wave of tears. Cora had been the closest to a mother I would probably ever know.
"That would be wonderful," Ambria said. "Where do your parents live?"
"They live out in the country a ways." He didn't expand on whether he meant England or here in Queens Gate.
Outside of the restaurant, the cliff loomed in the distance. "Should we take the carpet up there?" I asked.
Max nodded. "It'll be faster than waiting on a shuttle."
"By shuttle, do you mean the pirate galley and the rocket back near the entrance?"
"Yep. One goes to the university and the other to the academy." He pointed to another silver rocket flying far above the town. "There are two shuttles that go back and forth between the schools."
We climbed aboard the carpet. I flew it up toward the ledge of the cliff. From this height, the valley looked like a huge green bowl with trees and sheep dotting the countryside like cotton. Dirt roads led to large manors and thatched cottages. Far in the distance, the underground realm ended in a solid wall of rock rising all the way into the sky where it met with the other two mountains forming the valley.
"We're so far up." Ambria's arms tightened around my waist.
I looked down and felt dizzy. We were on level with some of the clouds, probably a mile above the ground with only a thin carpet between us and a terrifying fall. It was with some relief we crested the rise and flew over solid ground. An expanse of tall trees lay before us.
Willing the carpet higher, I took in a magnificent sight. A white castle stood proudly in the center of a large complex of buildings. Four round towers pierced the sky, with roofs shaped like arrow tips. Someone had carved intricate images of people into the stone, each one with an unfamiliar symbol beneath it. Something about the symbols tickled my brain, but I couldn't recall where I'd seen them before.
