by Hoyt, Joshua
John winked and Tom smiled back at the older man. Tom felt like he belonged somewhere for the first time in a long time.
Sam turned to check on his inventory. “Tom, keep your nose clean and listen to your roomy. He’ll keep you out of trouble.”
“Thank you sir,” Tom said as he turned to follow John.
“See ya around,” John said.
John turned and waved for Tom to follow. He headed up the stairs taking them two at a time as Tom struggled up the stairs. When Tom got to the top of the stairs he saw John heading to the fifth door on the right.
John knocked and then opened the door without waiting for a reply. “Cody, we have your new roommate.”
“It’s about time, what took so long? After my last roommate left I’ve been stuck alone for nearly two weeks.”
Tom looked past John and saw an average sized kid with a muscular build that reminded him a little of Jacob. He cringed at the thought, but when he saw Cody smile he knew that he could never be the same.
Cody pushed past John and stuck his hand out. “Hi there, I’m Cody, your new roomy. How do you like the place?”
Tom swallowed as he nervously wiped his hand on his pants and then took Cody’s. “Hi, I’m Tom. It’s a nice place.”
Cody looked around in surprise, and then said, “Nice? Is that what you call this place, nice? You must have come from quite the place if you think that this place is just nice.” He laughed. “They had to drag me around for about a week when I first got here because I was in shock at how huge the place was.”
Tom turned red and John grinned. John walked past Tom toward the stairs. “Cody, you’re in charge of Tom for the time being. Make sure you teach him the rules and show him the ropes. For the first two weeks if Tom messes up it is your hide that will pay.”
Cody snapped to attention giving John an exaggerated salute saying, “yes sir, anything you say sir.”
Cody couldn’t hold the pose for long because of the explosion of laughter that escaped his mouth. Tom couldn’t help but join in. John just shook his head.
John stopped for a moment then turned and walked back to the boys.
Oh no! Now I’ve done it.
John put his hand on Tom’s shoulder. “The choices you make today affect your future but they do not decide your end.” With that John left.
Cody looked after John for a minute. “So Tom, lets get down to business. First, I guess I better give you the run down of how things work around here. That’s your side of the room. If it doesn’t have a name engraved on it with blood then its fair game.”
Tom looked around the room.
Cody continued, “There are room inspections weekly by Sam. He is a stickler on the rules but if you follow them he will be the first one at your side. We have school from seven in the morning until three in the afternoon. That means you need to be up and dressed by six thirty so that you can eat and get to class on time. Lights out at ten.” Cody counted off the rules with his fingers.
“How old are you?” Cody asked inquisitively.
“I’m thirteen, sir,” Tom said.
Cody broke into laughter again. “Ok, that’s another rule don’t call me sir ever again.” He thought for a second. “Thirteen, hmmm, ok that means that after classes you will be trained in weapons and warfare. You will do that from four until seven and then you have free time until lights out.”
Tom’s eyes widened.
Cody looked at him and smiled. “Don’t worry too much about it Tom, I’ll keep you on track until you get the hang of things.”
“Cody,” someone shouted from outside in the hallway, “you better get out here quick.”
Cody’s face was serious as he left the room. Tom sat the bag down and trailed after him. There was a commotion coming from down the stairs and Cody was taking the stairs two at a time. As Tom descended the stairs things were getting louder. When he got to the bottom he saw a boy’s head jerk back as another boy’s fist slammed into it. The kid staggered back almost going down, he tried to regain his balance but he was too slow. The other boy came at him again slamming his fist into his face once again. This time the blow was too much and Tom heard the boy hit the ground with a thud. Cody jumped in front of the boy on the ground and held the other boy back.
“That’s enough Joe,” Cody yelled pushing him back.
Joe was red with fury and he had blood dripping from his knuckles and lip. Even though Joe was at least a head taller than Cody he was unable to push past him. Tom suspected that if Joe was able to get past Cody, the other kid on the floor would be dead for sure.
Joe tried to push past Cody again. “Cody, he started it, I’m going to kill him.”
“And you ended it Joe.”
Cody pushed Joe back farther from the kid bleeding on the ground. Joe started to relax and his natural color began to return.
“Help him up and get him looked after. Joe may have really killed him this time,” Cody said.
A kid helped the limp form up and with the help of two other kids they were able to get him up the stairs. Cody helped Joe sit down on the couch and he sat across from him on the coffee table. He looked at the rest of the kids with a smile. “I know it was fun but the shows over, everyone get back to whatever it was you were doing.”
Tom decided that he probably had better get back to what he was doing, which he didn’t exactly know what was, but it wasn’t staring at Cody in awe. He decided he might as well go upstairs and see what was in the heavy bag that Sam had given him.
Tom entered his room and put the bag on his new bed. He opened the bag and took the contents out one at a time. He found that there were enough changes of clothing for three days, toiletries, a book that was titled in bold letters “Rules of the House,” and another book with “Skills and Crafts” written on it.
So much had happened in such a short time that he couldn’t grasp the details of it all. Tom couldn’t understand even how this had happened to him. Why me? What am I doing here? How did I get into this? He thought about the night that he had met Archelaus and the old man in the alley. It seemed like it had been so long ago. Archelaus seemed to radiate power from his very being. Why had the old man smiled at me in the end, was he smiling out of understanding or was it because he had a secret? Tom continued to think about the events of the past few days as he slowly sat down on his bed. Exhaustion finally overtook him and he fell asleep.
Chapter 6:
Tom woke up bewildered, not knowing where he was. He looked around, memories of the past few days flooded back and he remembered that he was in his new room. There was a simple dresser next to his bed that he assumed was his. A blanket was folded at the head of his bed and on top of it was a pillow. Tom rubbed his hand across the crown and crossed swords embroidered on the white pillowcase.
Tom took the clothes from the bag and neatly placed them inside the dresser. He then took the toiletries and placed them in a separate drawer. The two books he placed at the desk that was next to his dresser. He noticed that there were paper pads and pencils on the desk, neatly arranged on top. He started to look through the drawers of the desk when Cody came back in.
“Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of time to fill those up with needless assignments and other fun things to keep you much too busy,” Cody said. Cody sat on his bed. “So, Tom, where do you come from? Tell me a little about your family and the home you’ve left.”
Tom closed the drawer and walked over to his bed. “I came from an orphanage outside of Davenport. Before that I don’t remember.” He looked down while he nervously wrung his hands. He could not remember the last time someone had asked him where he was from or anything else about him for that matter. “I didn’t like the place I came from much, there was food and shelter but that was about it.”
Cody smiled. “Wow, Tom it sounds like a great place to build character,” he said then punched Tom softly in the shoulder. Cody looked around. “Well, this place is a lot better than where you came from but it has s
ome draw backs. There are of course the rules and then there is Sam, he’s a tough one and of course there are the other boys, they can be a real pain in the butt.”
Cody laughed at Tom seeing the nervous expression on his face. “I’m just kidding Tom. This is a great place to be.”
Tom relaxed and smiled as Cody stood up from the bed.
“Well, it’s about time for lights out so let me show you where you can brush your teeth and get ready for bed,” Cody said.
Tom followed Cody out of the room and down the hallway to a door at the end. There were boys laughing and joking from within. Many urinals and stalls were on one wall and on the other wall there was one long sink with faucets coming out of the wall above it. Several boys were brushing their teeth and joking with one another. I can’t believe no one is coming to yell at them. He slowly walked to the sink and then remembered that he hadn’t brought his toothbrush.
“Cody, I need to get my toothbrush, I’ll be back.” Tom ran out of the bathroom and down the hall to his room. He grabbed his toothbrush out of his drawer and started toward the bathroom. While he was leaving his room he heard someone talking in an angry and hushed tone down the stairs. “Why did you bring him here? You had a chance to get him away, somewhere safe. Now you have put everyone in danger.”
The other voice was calm but forceful. “You will keep him safe Sam, don’t underestimate Archelaus’s power. He will stay here until he is old enough to understand his mission and he is able to do the master’s bidding.”
There was silence for a long moment and then he heard the front door close. Someone began to ascend the stairs and Tom took off down the hall.
Tom brushed his teeth quickly and then went to his room. Who could they have been talking about? I wonder if it was one of the boys who arrived after me. And who is Archelaus really? What kind of power does he have? Tom thought about these things until he drifted off to sleep in which he had a peaceful dream for the first time in years.
The next morning came much too early for Tom.
Cody said in a sing song voice, “Rise and shine sleepy head.”
Tom groaned but slowly rolled out of bed and onto his feet. Cody was already by his dresser getting clothes out. “K, first thing is to get showered and dressed then we’ll eat.”
Tom hurried to his dresser and pulled clothes out quickly so that he could catch up to Cody who was heading down the hall. Cody whistled a strange but peaceful tune as he walked. Several of the doors began to open as he passed and boys began falling into line behind them. The boys were yawning and stretching as they continued down the hall to the bathroom.
Tom learned that the morning routine needed to be done quickly in order to keep up with Cody and to stay on schedule. By the time Tom had finished his shower, Cody was already dressed and waiting for him. Tom hurried out of the shower dried off a little and then got dressed.
They headed to the mess hall which was on the bottom floor. Sam was behind the food counter encouraging the staff to hurry up and to get the food ready. The entire time he was yelling at the workers, he was also smiling. Just like Cody had said, Sam was a stickler on the rules but he was easy going.
Tom and Cody were the first ones in line and they sat down with their food before anyone else had even entered the mess hall. “Wow, do we eat this way at all the meals? This is a lot better than the porridge I ate at the orphanage,” Tom said.
Cody smiled. “We sure do, you won’t find a better meal anywhere.”
Tom finished eating and watched other boys eating and hurrying in. Their table filled as boys maneuvered to get as close to Cody as they could. Boys would talk to Cody and joke with him as they walked up to the table. Cody would reply using their names and commenting on their past troubles and successes. Tom was amazed at how Cody knew all of the kids’ names and knew about their lives.
Joe came up to the table and sat opposite Cody. “How’s it going Cody?” Joe asked. His deep voice sounded like a bass drum.
“Things are going great, how ‘bout you Joe?”
Joe rubbed his jaw. “I’m ok, but Tim sure has a strong right hook. I thought he had me for about, a full 2 seconds,” Joe said. He kept talking with a mouthful of food. “I can’t believe he called my mom a witch. He’s lucky you showed up or he would be dead.”
“Him and you both,” Cody said, “Do you know what Archelaus would do to you if you had killed him? You’re in big enough trouble just for beating him up.”
“I know, but it just isn’t fair that he can get away with it. It’s no wonder no one likes him. Do you know what he did the other day to Jake?”
Cody shook his head as he took a bite of his egg.
“Well I’ll tell you what he did,” Joe said, “He took Jake’s work and copied it then he told the teacher that Jake had copied his work. Jake is now cleaning the bathrooms every day for a month.” Joe shook his head in disgust taking another mouthful of food.
Cody nodded his head in agreement and then continued eating. After shoveling his food in his mouth he said, “Well, time for class,” Cody said. He jumped up, back to his old self and rushing to drop his tray off.
“Dang, I never have enough time to eat,” Joe said, jamming food into his mouth as he got up. Tom hurried after Joe who was heading out the front door.
They followed a path that led down a green hill toward a large brick building. The building had many windows and several entrances. They entered the building and stopped in front of an open door.
“K, here we are. I’ll pick you up after class. Have fun and remember that the better you learn your lessons the better off you’ll be,” Cody said as he hurried down the hall.
Tom entered the classroom and a woman walked toward him.
“You must be Tom. You can sit over there.” She pointed to a desk at the back of the class and handed Tom a large binder. Following Tom, she said, “My name is Ms. Sarah and I will be your teacher for the next few weeks.”
Tom sat and Sarah opened the binder to the first page.
“This is what you’ll be learning for the next few weeks, feel free to work ahead.” Sarah closed the binder. “If you have any questions you’ll need to talk to me after class.” Walking to the front of the class she said, over her shoulder, “We work quickly and have a lot to cover.” Once she had reached the front of the class she turned and pointed at him. “Stay quiet and sit still while the lecture is being given.” She lowered her arm. “After the lecture there will be time to apply the lesson and a short break after that.”
Other kids began to file in and Tom felt much better now that the attention was off him. The other kids went straight to their desks and remained absolutely quiet. Tom figured that he had better follow their example. He also figured that Sarah’s scowl was permanent.
Sarah started the lecture promptly and Tom had a very hard time trying to keep his eyes open through it. It was on history of some sort and was very dry. But to his surprise he stayed awake the entire class. Mercifully, the first lecture finally ended but regrettably the break was short. He had only enough time to stand and get a drink, then it was back to the dry lecture. The parts he was able to pay attention to talked about the counsel. The counsel was created many hundreds of years ago and they were charged with protecting the sacred laws of the land. The counsel was made up of seven men who could trace their lineage back to the original seven men. During the years much had changed and much was lost as to why the counsel was created and by whom. According to Sarah the counsel had been growing weak and many of the laws were being misinterpreted and changed by them. More recently it was rumored that witches had infiltrated the counsel by way of one of the councilmen, but no one knew if this was just rumor or real.
Sarah finished the lecture by talking about Archelaus and his role. Archelaus is a member of the counsel and had been there for a short time. He pushed to change the antiquated laws. Some of the other councilmen fought him on this issue and strived to restore the lost laws. Sarah seemed to blush whene
ver talking about Archelaus and it was the only time Tom ever saw her smile.
When the lecture finally ended Tom was holding his head up with his hand and he had to blink his eyes frequently to keep them open. He looked at the door and saw that Cody was standing there smiling at him. Tom shook his head and hurried to the door. “Hi Cody,” he said.
“Hi there, how was your first day of class.” He rubbed Tom’s head. “It looks like it was pretty rough.”
Tom smiled back making a grunting noise.
Cody laughed. “Sarah loves to lecture and she loves history.” He started down the hall. “Well, it’s time for weapons training, which will definitely wake you up. What’s your favorite weapon?”
Tom stopped. “Weapons? I-I have never held a weapon before.”
Cody looked at Tom with his mouth open. “What? Never held a weapon?” Cody scratched his head a little then said, “I thought they only brought in boys who had already been trained a little.”
Tom shrugged. “Maybe they made a mistake. What kind of weapon do you use?”
Cody shrugged and started walking again. “I figure the bigger the weapon the more damage it can do so I chose the two handed sword. I also have had a lot of training with the pistol. They also like me to train in leadership. I guess they think I have a way with people and I can usually convince others that my way is the better way.”
They continued out of the building and followed the path to the right that led to yet another building.
Cody led Tom to an entrance. “Here we are. Hi John. We’ll, I better get going.”
Cody waved and started up the hill. “See ya tonight.”
John opened the door. “Hi there Tom,” he said as he held the door. “We need to get you a little more capable if you are going to be of any use to us.”
Tom entered the building. “Hi John.”
“Archelaus would like you to become acquainted with combat leadership. You will learn to use a weapon here and you will be trained in leadership skills during class,” John said.
