by N. Saraven
“If this is the eleven’s B class, whose today’s, Wednesday’s, first class is biology with Jonas Axe, then this class has its first class with me.”
Jonas looked out the window with a far-off gaze, which meant he was trying to solve Life’s Big Questions. He was perfectly correct nonetheless, so when he acknowledged it, he dived into teaching with a wide grin.
“So then … let us begin, my darlings,” he started as he put on a serious expression that made the class immediately aware. The students hurriedly opened their books and exercise books, grabbed a pencil, then glanced at their teacher. Everybody tried to listen and perform well, even those who did not like biology. They just liked Jonas Axe that much.
The teacher was fast, brief, yet thorough. As a result, the class usually had a little time before the bell. Today proved to be no different, so when he finished, Jonas Axe asked his students about what they would like to hear. In these cases, they could ask him anything—regarding biology, of course. Sometimes they asked something profound, just to tease Jonas Axe, although he always answered with such sincerity that it made even the most mischievous young man let go of these jokes.
“So … what shall we talk about?” asked Jonas Axe with a playful spark in his eyes. But nobody answered. “Then … maybe Ms Bowman will tell us!” He spun around frantically and pointed at Rita, who winced in surprise.
Everybody glared at Rita, who immediately reddened and started to wiggle. She cursed herself for letting the Feeling bubble to the surface. In truth, for some time now she did not even know what was happening in the classroom. She just did not care. So when Jonas Axe called her name and made everybody look at her, it was the worst thing that could happen for her.
Rita detested her classmates, and they her. She hated even more when, for whatever reason, she was the centre of attention. Presentations and such proved to be her worst nightmare. On the other hand, for a while now, a new kind of nightmare emerged—when the teacher put her in her place before the whole class because she was not paying any attention. Which had become more and more common in the past three weeks since school had started.
Rita just stared at Jonas Axe, frozen in her seat as if she looked away the world would end. She was completely mute, nor did she blink. The silence grew as time passed. It started to turn awkward, thus the teacher hurried Rita. Finally, she just lowered her gaze and muttered something about not knowing while she wished she just could turn invisible. She was ashamed to the core. Especially because she knew Jonas Axe would surely make a sharp joke about this so that everybody would laugh at her.
And that was exactly what happened. Everybody, save for Rita, was obviously excited and satisfied with the turnout. She wished for this situation to be over already; alas, it was not. When the bell rang, ending the class, Jonas Axe made a slight detour to her seat as he was leaving the room and asked her to join him in the staffroom next door.
Rita had to obey.
“Wow, Rita, be careful! You should take it easy; there will be an ethics class later,” teased a young man just loud enough for her to hear but not Jonas Axe, which made some of the others chuckle and join in the mockery.
Rita blushed again, albeit she did not say anything back. It was better this way. Meanwhile, Jonas Axe opened the staffroom door, then stormed in. She followed him slowly, closing the door silently. The teacher just tossed some papers around for a few seconds, then turned to Rita.
“Ms Bowman! What happened to you?” he asked with a tone what could belong in a Greek tragedy.
“Beg pardon …?” Rita blinked in surprise.
“I asked, what happened to you, Missy?” He started to wander around the small room. With one hand he delved into his suit-coat pocket; his eyes darted around purposelessly.
“I don’t really understand …” muttered Rita.
“Of course, you do, Missy,” cut in Jonas Axe as he frantically gesticulated. Worry shone in his eyes. “You are only a shadow of your former self, Ms Bowman. Since this year started, you rarely pay any attention in my class. Your last exam was a complete mess!” whinged the teacher, then he started to look through a pile of papers. “Wheely … no … Black … Treasure … Bowman! Here it is,” he cried out, giving the paper to Rita.
She looked at her exam, and she started to feel lost. She had studied so hard! Yet she got a bad grade. Jonas Axe saw the pain in her eyes, so he continued with a more understanding tone.
“Did something happen? Maybe family problems? I know it can be hard for you, but so far you have never let yourself go like this. Did you have enough rest in the summer?”
“Yes, Mr Axe. I don’t know what happened. I will be more prepared next time,” replied Rita absently, giving back the exam. Jonas Axe nodded.
“I would not expect any less. Especially if you want to study in the field of biology in the future.”
“Yes, I would want that.”
“Then good day, Ms Bowman. See you tomorrow!”
“Goodbye, Mr Axe.”
Rita left the staffroom with a sigh, but she did not want to go back in the class yet. Confusion ran over her. She studied; still she got a bad grade. With a small moan she sat down on the pavement of the school floor, leaning against the wall. She rested her head on her pulled-up knees. She had no clue what went wrong with that exam. She remembered how hard she concentrated during the exam itself, and to fail this badly filled her with disappointment. A few seconds later, however, it turned into restlessness. Her fingers twitched, her legs became sore, as if she had been sitting there for hours.
She started to feel uneasy again.
The more she thought about it, the more she realised: she did not belong here, at the school. She was never really accepted, and she refused to behave the way others would have liked her to. Through her misspoken mistakes, or when she did not participate in a casual conversation, she slowly became an outcast.
At first it bothered her, since nobody wants or likes to be alone. Then she realised it was better to be alone than to feel alone in a crowd. So she had learned to shut out those obnoxious noises, like other students’ stupid conversations. She even knew how to stop herself from rolling her eyes or snorting when in recess some girls talked about sex. They shared with each other a very valuable lesson: “Don’t do it on the washing machine because it is uncomfortable.” In these times Rita just went to her happy place, or to another class where she had some friends.
Smooth sailing it was. Until this autumn, when the Feeling came again with a different strategy. Since then, she started to change somehow.
Rita became too easily annoyed, which rapidly escalated into anger. Things that she earlier easily let slide now made her rather furious. And when she became irritated, she could not hold her tongue. She argued more and more with her hated fellow students, who then made her feel even more abandoned.
As she sat on the somewhat cold pavement, Rita started to feel as if her train of thoughts crashed into something. Suddenly the Feeling bubbled up again from somewhere very deep, like a fountain. And just like real water, it started to flood her, filling her mind completely, pressing her head from the inside.
Rita became very dizzy; her body refused to move even though she tried to command it to. After a few seconds she started to feel wary, frightened even; however, she did not want to fight against it. It was a strange feeling, and not a really pleasant one at that, but she had nothing to lose at that point. The whole experience reminded her of a bumpy road taken with an old car.
She had had just enough of that, so she surrendered.
The Feeling almost instantly became smooth, although it still seemed to boil. Then it broke through her mind’s barrier and ran down her body. Rita got goosebumps; her skin tingled. It seemed that even the air around her changed. It became thicker, making it harder to breathe, and her heart throbbed. Rita could hear the rapid heartbeat filling the sudden silence in her ear. Her blood started to boil, her senses sharpened, and it seemed to her that she heard some kind of
a popping sound.
The whole happening was so frantic and unexpected that Rita could do nothing. Not that she wanted to. However uncomfortable she felt physically, somehow it all made sense and calmed her down. She forgot her former fears, or the ‘what ifs’. She felt safe for the first time in a while. She knew it in her soul that she only must adjust to these happenings, to the Forces. So she tried to relax, although it was not easy.
Rita started to concentrate on the popping sound, while she thought her head would explode from the pressure inside. The Feeling utterly filled and surrounded her, as she sank further and further into it. She had no idea what was going on, just that it was supposed to happen like that. Everything was fine.
Abruptly, Rita felt a breeze on her arm, filling her with excitement. It was like when the spring Sun shone too hot, and then the air finally moved, cooling down the landscape. Then some kind of faint music caught her ears. Its volume changed by the second; sometimes it was louder, then it faded away. Rita could not separate it completely from the popping sound and her heartbeat. She tried to concentrate on it more, but she was not strong enough yet.
Suddenly, something startled her awake, making her jerk up her head.
Rita just blinked, confused and lost. At first, she did not recognise anything around her, which made her almost panic. She tried to remember, to put together the last few moments. But during those few seconds, she was more terrified than she had ever been before. She felt utterly lost, not remembering anything.
Then in the next second, everything suddenly fell into place. She sighed in relief, although it soon changed to exhaustion and disappointment. Rita still sat on the school floor, trying to find out what just happened. Whatever it was, apparently it took only a few minutes. But it felt like years to her.
“Hey, girl, is everything alright?” Rita heard a voice, so she turned to it. At first she could not recognise the face, framed with black hair. Then, slowly, Rita remembered who spoke.
“Helloooo, Rita? Are you okay? Should I call somebody?” asked her sole friend in the class, Anna Black.
“Yes, Indi, I am. No need for anything,” Rita replied slowly, almost half asleep. Her own voice sounded strange now, somehow distant. Anna made an unsure grimace.
“How long since you’ve slept? You look awful,” she announced, making Rita raise her glance.
Rita felt dizzy, as she slowly comprehended the surroundings again. However, the noises of the school seemed off now, as the peculiar music sounded unique at first. But she liked that unknown melody immediately, while these noises still hurt her ears.
“The song …” she mumbled, confusion sitting in her eyes. “What happened?”
“Well … that’s what I’d like to know as well. When Axe summoned you, everybody started to party, you know how it is. I thought to visit the C class, maybe they’d know some good gossip or somethin’. But they didn’t, so I came back because recess was almost over. That’s when I found you crouching on the ground. I thought you were sleeping. Probably you were, I dunno. But when I tried to wake you, it wasn’t that easy, I can tell you that. But come now, here comes Maria.”
Rita let her friend help her up. She stood unsteadily, so Indi walked her to their place, next to the windows at the back. She could not really comprehend what was going on after she sat down. She just looked out the window, musing on what had happened in the corridor. She vaguely saw when the teacher sauntered to the front, so she leaned on the table to stand up. She did not know at all what the teacher said or did. She just humped down, when they were allowed, grabbed a pencil, and opened her notebook. Her body switched into ‘robot mode’ as her mind became completely absent, as if it were wandering in another world.
What was that …? Did it mean anything? she mused. Rita tried to copy everything correctly from the chalkboard, while she thought things through. When she recalled the peculiar Feeling, suddenly she felt the breeze on her arm again.
Rita winced and looked around. All the windows were closed, as was the door. She felt the breeze, nonetheless, that made her think of a meadow full of flowers. She could hear leaves rustling, albeit when she looked out the window, everything stood dead still. Not a single branch or leaf moved in the autumn sunlight.
On the other hand …
Rita felt it again—the light breeze that brought the news of spring.
Her heart started to pound again, her blood boiled, and she got goosebumps all over. She tried to restrain the Feeling because it was not a good time for it to take over. While she struggled to do so, she wondered what this whole thing meant …
3. The Rim between two worlds
It was a beautiful spring day on Nimron. The winter snow had already melted; only the sulking ground and flooding rivers had memories of it. The arrival of the warm weather awakened everything again—plants sprouted, trees and bushes bloomed, insects buzzed. The breeze carried bird songs on its back. Big herbivores moved around in the greenery looking for fresh growth to eat, while the smaller ones whooshed swiftly through the thicket or the branches.
The Dark Heart forest sighed deeply in the warming sunlight. Seemingly nothing suggested its grim name. It lay silent and majestic, like every other wilderness. Once it was called Pure Heart forest because it held a home to the elvens. But the Dragonwars ten circles ago had changed everything.
The Wars brought a time of turmoil and chaos. It lasted for circles, although technically it meant three different war periods. In each war the forces of Evil collided with the armies of Good. The former was led by the Overlord, facing everybody who had the courage to stand up against him.
The battles between the sides made an everlasting mark on all.
In the first Dragonwar an army of demons made the elvens flee their lands. The invaders came from unknown lands and, for some reason, became unheard of ever again after the war. They obeyed the Overlord without question and made a fairly good pair with the black-scaled shadow dragons. Their attack came without warning and forced the surprised elvens to move. The price they would have had to pay to defend their land was just too high.
The dark army then turned against the humans.
After quite a bloody war, the demons were stopped, but the damage was already done. The newborn chaos gave opportunities to other entities, who gladly took them. The humans on Nimron could not even enjoy their freedom before trouble came again, this time in the form of dark mages, who belonged to an ancient caste, the Order of the Shadows. Their number was scarce yet just enough. They popped up one day and declared that from then on, everybody was under their control. The Order took notes of everything and everybody. Nothing was amiss.
Whether the inhabitants liked it or not.
At first, the mages only took control of the mostly human-populated, biggest town, the city of Nar. After the dark Order managed to solidify its power there, the surrounding villages were merged to its little forming empire. The farms and small villages had nobody who could fight for them, so they fell, one by one. The timing could not have been any better to do such a thing. Supposedly, that was why the Order had appeared at that particular time …
At the beginning, the Order’s limited number of members meant no problem. Maybe the mages’ methods could have used a little more tenderness, though. Some inhabitants objected to their decisions and to how the new rulers actually managed things. On the other hand, the dark Order did successfully rebuild the city of Nar after the first War, while the other world, Caracen, was busy with the second and third Dragonwars.
Because Nimron, and thus Nar, was left in peace, the Order had slowly erected the illusion of a perfect, peaceful place. This picture worked surprisingly well. Many new settlers had arrived beside humans—kobolds and elvens too. Although nobody knew what made them come to the city. Also, nobody asked. Only one fact remained certain: as soon as somebody stepped through the gates, the trap closed.
The Order never let anybody leave because it did not want the truth to be discovered. Especially after th
e point when the town slowly but steadily grew big enough for the mages to need help securing their power. Bluffing around with their magic was not enough after a while. And because they wanted a solid empire of their own, they started to search for allies. Thus the werewolves came to Nar.
This species originally lived on Caracen, a different planet from Nimron. It was divided into two major parts: one where most of the human population lived, and the other which belonged to the werewolves. They were separated by the Ringed-mountains, like a natural border that tried to maintain peace between them. The wolves grabbed the opportunity that the Wars created and tried to invade the ‘Whitelands’, as they called it, in the second and third Dragonwars.
Unsuccessfully.
After each war, some of them remained in the Whitelands. These were the wolves who then somehow wandered to Nar and entered into an alliance with the Order of the Shadows. Nobody knew why exactly. No magic could work on them, except the ones that caused physical injuries. Thus the wolves had nothing to fear in the city, not even the Order itself. They thought of themselves as a transcendent race because of this, so they behaved very condescendingly towards every other species.
So the mysterious fact remained as such, since nobody dared to ask. According to the most common theory in the subject, they did it for fun and because they had nothing better to do, not even go back to their Homeland. As a result, the wolves had become the most feared execution and interrogation force. Their job was easy: make those disappear whom Indrek, the Ruler of the city and the Order, thought could be dangerous.
The black mages also levied high taxes, as if taking the inhabitants’ freedom was not enough. They could do this because the surrounding lands were very fertile, and many of the townspeople worked as farmers.
