Luke slumps in his chair and tries to stutter out an explanation, but nothing he thinks of sounds like it would work. He gives up, crossing his arms and legs as he looks down at his feet.
“Even your friends agree with me on this, Luke,” Selenia remarks with a smile of victory.
“I am staying neutral on this. As much as I agree that Luke should have been less reckless, I agree with some of his argument,” Aedyn calmly says, clasping his hands in his lap. “You were trying to protect him without letting him do what he felt he had to do. Ms. Hamilton, I believe that you need to learn to put as much trust in your students as they put in you. Aside from this personality flaw, I feel that you and your academy are highly acceptable as a battle priest training facility. I will send the acceptance message to my superiors within two days when I have finished my complete report on your academy. I will tell you that the events revolving around Luke have helped in my decision. I heard that your students defended themselves very well against the spadix and cyclopes even though few of them are fully trained.”
“Thank you for your honesty and your trust. I will do my best to help those that your temple decides to send here,” Selenia promises, bowing toward Aedyn. Her expression is a little softer as she looks back at Luke. “Now as for our young hero with no restraint. I still have to congratulate you on surviving all of this and becoming an academy legend. You have done a good job with your first adventure. You were unconventional and idiotic at several points, but a good job. So, don’t let me down and flunk out.”
“Funny, but I think I’m going to rest and enjoy being in the forest,” Luke claims, leaning back in his chair and putting his hands behind his head. “Now that Kellia is safe and the Lich is momentarily crippled, I can go back to being a carefree forest tracker. No more classes and grades for me to deal with.”
“Think again,” Selenia says with a cruel smile. “Duke Solomon paid for you to take a full semester of classes and graduate. This was what the messenger wrote in your enrollment in my academy letter and the Duke has made good on the payment. Even if this started out as a lie, your enrollment is a reality and you must graduate by the end of this semester. This means you will do the morning run every day, attend all of your classes, and abide by all of my rules. No more carrying your sabers around and I will be keeping a close eye on you and Miss Grasdon.”
With every word, Luke feels more and more defeated until he is sitting limply in his chair with his head hanging down. He eventually sits up when Kellia enters the room and hands him a wax-sealed scroll. She gives Luke a quick kiss on the cheek and a big hug before she takes a seat next to Selenia. A loud crash from outside and the sound of several soothing voices whispering suddenly come through the window. Luke laughs as he breaks the seal and opens the scroll. His laughter stops as he reads the royal proclamation, dropping the scroll into Nimby’s waiting hands when he’s done.
“Gabriel must be watching over all of us,” Nimby states as he reads the scroll and nudges Luke’s leg. “These are royal orders for Luke from Duke Solomon. Not some fake ones that he made up to get famous. Guess it has a different effect on him when they aren’t forgeries.”
“He’s broken,” Fritz suggests when Luke still doesn’t stop staring at the place where the scroll used to be in his hands.
Kellia calmly waits for them to stop poking and pushing the stunned half-elf. “My father has given orders for Luke and four other adventurers to escort me back to Gods’ Voice at the end of the semester. These orders come into effect in three months upon my graduation. I understand that the rest of you might not want to leave the academy, but there is a monetary reward for those who accept the offer. Before you suggest Fizzle as your final member, his participation will not be counted as one of the four. We are unsure if he will remain with us even if he agrees to help in the first place due to drites being notoriously fickle. So, my father will choose your fourth companion at a later date. We will tell you where this person can be found when we have made a decision. Is there any problem with this mission, Luke?”
Luke finally snaps out of his trance and bows to Kellia. “No problem at all, your highness, but I won’t force the rest of you into this. I understand that Nimby and Fritz are teachers here and Aedyn has to consult his temple. If you guys have something else to do then I can find someone else to go with me.”
“I will ask my superiors to grant me leave from my duties until my mission for Duke Solomon begins. My superiors will see no problem in me going with the Duke’s heir and a young Callindor when the time comes,” Aedyn explains, clapping Luke on the shoulder with a wide smile across his face. “Besides, if your past actions have taught me anything, you will need a healer on your journey.”
“I have some plans that I wish to run past the Duke. It’s not every day that a gnome with my brains gets a royal summons,” Fritz declares. He already has one of his notebooks out and he is slowly thumbing through the pages. “Well, some of us do, but if you don’t count getting called in as a result of property damages then it doesn’t happen too often. In about three months, it should be time for me to once again entertain the women of Windemere anyway. Count me and Bessaria in.”
Luke looks down at Nimby who is still reading the scroll, looking for secret messages hidden in the wording. The halfling is oblivious to the quiet until he notices that everyone is staring at him. He grins before tucking the scroll into Luke’s boot.
“What kind of friend would I be if I said no?” Nimby asks in mock surprise with a dramatic hand on his chest. “Now, I reserve the right to change my mind if something else comes up. Not that it will since I get bored rather easily around here. You don’t mind losing your best carpenter, Selenia?”
Selenia stands up to leave before responding to Nimby. “I think the academy can survive. If anything, things would stop disappearing and we’d be able to make our supply of apples last longer. You and that drite must be keeping the apple farmers of Windemere employed and wealthy. Now, I want all of you to get back to your classes. You may choose some classroom courses to keep yourself busy once you finish your report, Aedyn. Three months is a long time. Duggan is waiting for you at the forge, Luke.”
“Thank you for the offer, Ms. Hamilton,” Aedyn says with a small bow.
“Understood,” Luke says, following the others out of the cafeteria. A few cheers fill the courtyard when the nearby classes spot Luke.
“What are you thinking, Luke?” Kellia asks, walking next to him.
“Honestly?” he replies.
“I would hope so,” she states, eyeing him suspiciously. “I’m royalty and it isn’t polite to lie to someone who will rule a kingdom one day.”
Luke takes a look around the academy and lets out a gentle sigh. “I think I’m going to like this hero thing. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to sneak out. See you for dinner and good luck telling Duggan why I can’t make it to class. Thanks, Kellia.”
With that, Luke makes a sprint toward the academy wall, racing out the front door before anyone can move to stop him. He is so focused on the forest that he doesn’t see Selenia and Kevin watching him from the top of the wall. Both of the warriors watch him and nod to each other as the young forest tracker disappears into Visindor Forest.
“Think he’ll make it?” Kevin asks.
“I think I’m starting to understand what my mother was talking about. There are dark forces at work in Windemere and Luke is going to face them. I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Selenia answers, her voice gentle and kind. She notices Kevin smirking and punches him in his good shoulder. “Though, I’m not sure if he’ll graduate if he keeps this up. Tell Duggan that Luke is sick and recovering in quarantine. Mention a contagious disease that prevents drinking alcohol and he’ll not even bother to check in on the boy.”
Kevin lets out a guttural laugh before slowly making his way down the ladder. Selenia continues watching the area around her academy. She can’t help but smile as she absentmindedly fingers a large, zigzag scar over her h
eart.
*****
“Do you feel like you failed me, Lich?”
“Yes, master. My sincerest apologies are not enough to stay your hand. I promise to get the heir like we originally planned.”
“Your memory has been damaged by that drite. The heir was not our true intent. The true target of our plans has appeared as I was hoping it would. I trust that you will see to it that the boy does not grow.”
“Yes, master.”
Luke’s adventures continue in
Prodigy of Rainbow Tower
Beginning of a Hero (Legends of Windemere) Page 41
