Conrad Edison and the Anchored World (Overworld Arcanum Book 2)

by John Corwin

  Something popped and a chorus of shouts rang out. Brilliant light flashed somewhere near the gate, and then a loud boom thundered through the air.

  Before I could react, the herd of parents and students turned into a stampede. Bodies pressed against me, jostling me this way and that. Ambria shrieked. I grabbed her hand and pulled her close as panicked people sprang like deer from the explosions and static crackle of energy. A heavyset man, eyes wide and frenzied, slammed into me. Ambria and I tumbled into Max and we sprawled in the dirt.

  When I got up, I saw two men exchanging crackling bolts of magic with three security guards. One of the guards screamed and flew backwards, smoke trailing from his chest. His body slammed into a low stone wall next to the gate and bounced off. The other two guards ducked behind the barrier, occasionally rising high enough to fire another shot with their wands.

  The attackers wore slim-fitting black leather robes and used long staffs instead of wands. Every attack from the guards splashed harmlessly against an invisible shield in front of the men.

  The taller of the two laughed. "This is security for the mighty Arcane University?"

  The other man thrust his staff forward and jagged light exploded against the wall, blowing chunks of rubble in all directions.

  I realized with a shock that I recognized the men—or at least the soul fragments of my parents recognized them. Calvin Fain and Eolius Bane. Fain, tall, blond and bearded, looked like a Nordic Viking. Bane stood much shorter and thinner. Images flashed through my mind—Bane incinerating a screaming man, Bane slicing through a pleading woman with a blade of white-hot energy. I squeezed my eyes shut, but that only made the images more vivid.

  Fain might look large and imposing, but my parents' memories proved Bane was the deadlier of the two. Neither placed much value on any life except their own.

  An alarm wailed in the distance. Bane whirled his staff. Brilliant energy discs hummed in all directions. I dropped to the ground as several sang past my head. Thankfully, the crowd of students had all but vanished by now, so the discs exploded against trees and the ground instead of people.

  Fain grinned and destroyed another chunk of the stone barrier protecting the guards. Without a word, the attackers ran to the left and into the trees just as a dozen people in dark blue security robes arrived at the gate.

  I pushed up to my knees and looked around. Max and Ambria lay prone next to me. People peeked cautiously from behind trees and boulders. The guard who'd been hit moaned.

  They're terrified, Della whispered in my mind. How delightful.

  I felt smug and realized it was my father's soul fragment reacting to her words. And so it begins.

  Chapter 18

  The extra guards quickly disabled the security wards near the gate and ushered the crowd inside just in case of another attack, but Fain and Bane didn't return.

  "Why did they attack?" Max asked for the third time. "It doesn't make sense."

  Ambria voiced a question I'd heard several times from the people around us. "Who were they?"

  I knew the answer to Ambria's question, but solving Max's question might be far more important. The attack had been about something besides terrorizing everyone.

  Ambria gripped my arm as we followed the crowd into the main entrance. "You know something, don't you?"

  I nodded. "Those men worked for my parents," I whispered.

  Max leaned close. "What did you say?"

  Ambria whispered in his ear and his eyes bugged.

  He opened his mouth. I shook my head. Max clamped his mouth shut and nodded. The guards herded everyone into the main dining hall. The three of us took a table on the far right to keep us out of earshot of anyone else for the moment.

  "Ever heard of Calvin Fain and Eolius Bane?" I asked Max when we took our seats.

  He frowned. "They were two of the Overlord's top battle mages."

  "Their names certainly rhyme," Ambria added. "Did your parents tell you who they are?" She tapped her temple to indicate she meant the soul fragments.

  I nodded. "Vic said 'And so it begins.'" I bit my lip and shook my head. "I don't know what he meant by that."

  "Maybe your parents want to scare people away from the university," Ambria said.

  "What good would that do?" Max pressed his lips together. "Maybe they were trying to break in. Not even battle mages can get past the shield around the university without a charm."

  "Then how did Conrad's parents and Serena get past it?" Ambria said.

  "The barrier doesn't go all the way to the Fairy Garden," Max replied. "They probably went around the edge."

  "How far does the shield extend?" I asked.

  "According to my uncle, it stops somewhere around Colossus Stadium." He traced a circle on the table as if illustrating it.

  Ambria looked relieved. "Well, the battle mages didn't break into the school, so I guess they failed."

  I wasn't so sure. "There's more to it, I think."

  Max leaned forward. "What do you mean?"

  "That's what I'm trying to figure out." Unfortunately, Vic and Della weren't giving me any clues.

  Ambria looked around at the frightened faces of parents and children. "Well, whatever the reason, they certainly made a point these people won't forget."

  "Neither will I." Max dropped his forehead on the table. "There must be a safer place to go to school."

  "That may be true, but there's only one Arcane University," Ambria said. She patted him on the shoulder. "Now, now, don't be such a ninny, Max."

  He sat upright and gave her a dirty look.

  Harris and his friends entered the dining hall. Baxter jumped up on a table and looked around the room. His eyes flashed when he saw me. He pointed in my direction then hopped off the table.

  "Oh, goodness, I really don't feel like dealing with Baxter today," Ambria said. She took a deep breath and plastered on a smile.

  "Maybe you should frown instead," Max said. "That keeps everyone away."

  She sniffed. "You're the one who keeps people away with your bad breath."

  Harris strode toward us, face red, teeth and fists clenched.

  "Goodness, the attack must have really wound him up," Ambria said.

  Max grunted. "He does look a bit irritated."

  I wished Harris and the others would sit elsewhere since I wanted to talk in private to Max and Ambria, but after the cookout, I'd actually grown to like him and Lily, though I could still only tolerate Baxter. I forced a smile, held up my hand, and waved.

  Harris punched me in the face. My chair flipped backwards and crashed into the floor with a loud clatter. A metallic taste bit into my tongue and the world went hazy. With a roar, Harris leapt toward me. Max got up, but Baxter grabbed him from behind, trying to keep him in place. Lily's typical pleasant demeanor was gone, replaced by a scowl.

  Harris's weight pressed against my chest. He swung his fists wildly at me and it was all I could do to deflect his blows with my arms.

  "Stop it!" Ambria cried. "Have you gone mental?"

  Lily slapped her. "Shut up, you dirty little liar!"

  Ambria screamed with fury and leapt toward the other girl.

  Harris's fist connected with my temple and everything went black for a split second. I heard shouts and the scuffing of chairs against the floor all around me. Tasted more blood in my mouth.

  "What in the world is going on here?" someone roared.

  The weight vanished from my chest. I blinked open my eyes and saw Gideon Grace standing over me.

  "Get off the floor, boy." He turned his glare from me to Harris. "You'd better explain yourself."

  Harris struggled in his grasp, face crimson, and eyes burning with hate. "It's him!" he yelled. "He shouldn't be here!"

  I rolled out of the toppled chair and pulled myself up by the edge of the table. Rhona Trask held Lily and Ambria apart and Galfandor held Baxter firmly by the ear while Max nursed a bleeding nose.

  "Calm yourself, boy," Gideon said in a low cold vo
ice. "Or I'll calm you myself."

  The fight went from Harris, doused like a fire, but it was obvious the cinders of his anger still smoldered. Gideon finally let him go.

  The dining room fell silent. I felt all eyes on me and confirmed it by simply looking around. Everyone seemed to have moved on from the shock of the violence outside and was now entranced by the violence inside.

  Harris jabbed a finger toward me. "That boy lied about his last name. It isn't Edwards." His body trembled and his hands tightened into fists. "His last name is Edison!"

  His shout echoed across the dining hall.

  For those who hadn't figured it out, Harris filled in the blank. "His father was Victus Edison, the Overlord!"

  Gasps of disbelief and cries of outrage rang out in the room.

  "Can't be true," I heard a woman say. "Their only child died."

  Harris turned his finger on Ambria. "She lied about her last name too. She's the daughter of Cyphanis Rax."

  "Now we know why they hung out with Cryberius," Baxter said. "Old man Tiberius was best buddies with the Overlord."

  The rumblings around us grew in volume like a distant waterfall growing closer and closer.

  Gideon's lip curled into a sneer. "Is this true, boy?"

  I gulped. My insides went cold and my heart felt tight as a drum. I didn't know what to say, what to do. I met Ambria's frightened, tear-stained eyes and knew there was no way out of this.

  "It's true," Galfandor said loudly.

  Gideon and Trask looked at the headmaster with shocked expressions and even more gasps puffed from the crowd.

  Galfandor stepped up onto a chair and waved for the crowd to sit down. When the room was once again silent, he spoke. "Conrad Edison and Ambria Rax were sent to an orphanage at young ages. Only recently did they find out who their parents were, or even discover the Overworld."

  "It's a lie," Harris growled.

  Galfandor arched an eyebrow. "Why, Mr. Ashmore, are you accusing me of lying?"

  The boy blanched, suddenly realizing who he'd insulted. Son of prophecy or not, there were some people who wouldn't put up with his self-importance. "I'm sorry, sir. I mean Conrad is lying."

  The headmaster simply looked at him until Harris lowered his head and shut his mouth. Then he continued. "Conrad and Ambria came to me, concerned their last names might start a witch hunt. I agreed that they could use different last names." Galfandor looked around. "I expect everyone here to treat them the same as any other student. Here at Arcane University, we don't judge a child by the sins of their parents."

  I spotted several scowling, narrow-eyed people in the crowd around me who apparently didn't agree with that statement one bit.

  "But, Headmaster, his parents murdered mine," Harris said in a plaintive voice. Tears pooled in his eyes. "He tricked me into thinking he was my friend."

  Galfandor's eyes softened. "I'm sorry for what happened to your parents, Harris, but fighting with Conrad won't bring them back."

  "No good will come of this," Grace said in a low voice. He frowned at me. "You'd better believe I'll have my eyes on you, Edison."

  I had no doubt he wouldn't be the only one.

  "Professor Grace, kindly escort young Ashmore and his companions to a table across the room," Galfandor said.

  "Very well." Grace motioned for Lily, Baxter and Harris to move ahead of him.

  Harris gave me one last glare and went with the professor. His status as future savior protected him and his friends from any punishment.

  Galfandor sighed and gave me a wan smile. He leaned forward and whispered in my ear. "I'm afraid you'll have to be more careful from now on." Then he straightened and walked toward the podium in the front of the room. Rhona Trask, Gideon Grace, and a third professor I didn't recognize sat at a table to the left of the podium.

  The fight was over, but I felt exposed and naked in front of these people and their judgmental eyes. A mother and father stole glances at me and whispered something to their child. One woman gave me a sympathetic smile, while the woman across the table from her stared daggers in my direction.

  My face burned and my body prickled with cold. I wished the ground would swallow me up and drop me straight into its volcanic center. Burning up in an instant would be preferable to this. I righted my chair and sat down, doing my best not to tremble. Ambria rubbed her wet eyes and took the seat next to me. Max wiped at the trickle of blood under his nose and sat down next to Ambria.

  I reached under the table and squeezed Ambria's hand. She whimpered and buried her face on my shoulder.

  "How did he find out?" Max hissed. "I don't understand."

  I shook my head. "Neither do I."

  Galfandor stepped onto the podium and put his wand to his throat. When he spoke, his voice echoed clearly all the way to our table at the back of the room. "To say that this year has gotten off to an interesting start would be quite the understatement."

  The room rumbled with uncomfortable laughter.

  "This school has seen more than its fair share of troubles." He swung a finger to point to his right. "Colossus Stadium still bears witness to the violence that shattered the Overworld over six years ago, and yet, here we have today the largest group of students Arcane University has seen in years." Galfandor swung his solemn gaze across the crowd. "There will always be malignant forces eager to sow chaos and confusion in an orderly society. It is our responsibility as citizens to remain steadfast against such evils and to push for progress."

  Murmurs of agreement broke the silence and drained some of the tension from the room, though I still felt the weight of a hundred crushing stares.

  A short man with curly brown hair rose. "If we're to stand against evil, then why were you protecting the scions of Edison and Rax?" He jabbed a finger toward our table. "After what the Overlord did to us, they have no right to be here."

  "Our tax money is paying for them to go to school!" A thin woman in a knit robe leapt up beside the man. "They should be banished."

  Galfandor pursed his lips. "How many of you agree with these two?"

  A scattering of hands shot up. Some people looked toward us uncertainly, but left their hands down.

  The headmaster nodded. "Good. There aren't as many as I'd feared." His face darkened and his voice grew harsh. "For those of you who would banish children, and orphans, no less, you should be ashamed of yourselves." Galfandor's eyes hardened. "Charles and Eleanor Peeves, given your son's poor conduct rating from his previous school, I suggest you worry about things closer to home."

  "Well, I never!" Eleanor huffed. She mustered a defiant glare that withered like a dandelion in a forest fire beneath Galfandor's steady gaze.

  Charles scowled but sat back down.

  The pressure in my chest loosened and the sick feeling in my stomach faded a little. I honestly hadn't expected Galfandor to rise to our defense, at least not in such a blunt way. He'd left us to do our own thing when fighting the Goodleighs and hadn't even committed to helping me against my parents. His words were unexpected, but welcome. Even Ambria stopped crying and looked up at the headmaster with surprise.

  "Now, let us return to the business at hand," Galfandor said. "Security is paramount here at Arcane University. To ensure this, the security charms will be changed frequently, and the perimeter will be expanded to encompass the entire plateau all the way to the security gate near the sky car dock. I would encourage students not to leave the campus during the school year but to check out with security if they must go into town for some reason."

  Nobody seemed surprised at this and I wondered if it had always been this way at the school.

  A man a few tables over raised a hand and said in a loud voice, "How do these charms work?"

  "The security barrier cannot be penetrated by anyone without a charm," Galfandor replied. "If a section is breached, the wards will alert our security staff."

  The man didn't seem reassured. "Can just anyone get a charm at the gate?"

  Galfandor sho
ok his head. "The charms will penetrate any disguise and reveal any dangers."

  "No wonder it made me tingle," a woman at the neighboring table said to her husband.

  "That's awfully intrusive," someone across the room shouted.

  The headmaster nodded and smiled. "It's intrusive, but it won't work without the full consent of the person being given the charm." His smiled vanished. "Would you rather the school be safe, or your personal liberties left intact?"

  Murmurs filled the room and quickly faded.

  The headmaster waited a moment. When no one else raised objections to the security measures, he continued. "Now that I have covered the unpleasant issues, I'll move on to more positive developments." He removed a parchment from his robe. "The Arcane Council, in cooperation with Science Academy, has announced new funding for repairs to Colossus Stadium."

  A chorus of cheers and claps filled the room.

  Galfandor smiled and nodded, waiting for the noise to die down before continuing. "By the end of the year, it's possible we'll once again host the first Grand Melee since the end of the Second Seraphim War."

  More cheers erupted.

  The headmaster held up a hand and the room grew quiet once more. "Kabash League games will start in two weeks. Science Academy is fielding three teams this year so competition will be tougher than ever."

  The earlier cheers were replaced by boos.

  "Science Academy shouldn't be in our league!" someone shouted.

  A woman pumped her fist angrily. "Magic will always beat science!"

  Galfandor smiled politely. "Yes, well, let's prove it on the field."

  For the first time since being punched in the face, Max grinned. "I hope I can qualify to play."

  "What's the Kabash League?" I asked.

  "It's like fighting a war on broomsticks." He leaned in front of Ambria. "Your team has to destroy the enemy base with a flying disc."

  It certainly sounded interesting, but I doubted I'd have time for fun and games.

  "Last but not least, I'd like to introduce the new teachers who will be educating our fine students this year." Galfandor waved a hand to the table, indicating a lean man with a shaved head. "Professor Sideon hearkens from the land down under and will teach Enchantments in the place of Professor Cruikshank who is out due to illness in the family."