Rise of Shadows

by Vincent Trigili

  He smiled widely and said, “Nope, I will be on a different track this semester.” I wondered what he meant, but we needed to get our bags and transfer to the shuttle that would take us on our final leg home. Once we were settled into the shuttle for the trip home, he sent to me, “Shadow made me the same offer as he did to you, and I plan to take it.”

  “Who else did he offer it to?” I asked.

  “So far he has picked you, me, and Flame,” he sent.

  Flame was an obvious choice. She would never let him get away with not bringing her, that is for sure. If Phoenix joined them, that meant I would be left without any help in my classes, and without Master Shadow to defend me I worried about my chances at passing the upcoming semester.

  “How many wizards is he going to invite?” I asked.

  “I do not know, but there are seats for four crew and one captain on the bridge of the Dust Dragon,” he sent.

  “So that whole ‘risk of death’ thing does not worry you?” I asked.

  “When have you known me to worry?” he sent. “Which brings up the question, did you tell Shadow ‘no’?”

  “No, I told him I wanted time to think about it,” I sent.

  “Well, then, what is stopping you from accepting?” he asked.

  “That whole ‘risk of death, capture, or worse’ thing that he mentioned,” I sent. That and the fear that I was not really ready, and I would fail them, I thought to myself.

  “That comes with being a wizard,” he sent. “I want you to join us. The four of us are a team, and I’d hate to see it broken up.”

  I did not have a chance to respond to that, as we entered jump space as soon as he finished that thought, leaving me with a mixed pile of emotions. On the one hand, I wanted to jump at this opportunity, but on the other hand, as depressing as my time in the Academy was, it was my home for the last two decades. It was not all bad either; there were many good times along the way. If I could just get my mind around the academic side, it would be fine. That would be much harder with my three tutors leaving the school, but I was sure the school could find me new help; after all, it is not as if I was the only student that was struggling.

  Soon we were in Alpha Academy’s spaceport and had to work our way through the crowds to get our bags and be readmitted into the school. Phoenix noticed that it was about breakfast time when we landed, so he dragged me over to the mess hall.

  When we arrived, Flame and Master Shadow were there, eating and laughing about something. They stood to greet us as we approached the table, and soon we were all eating and chatting about our breaks. Flame and Master Shadow were still not permitted to leave the planet but apparently found some caves and got lost in them. So lost in fact that Shadow was forced to travel through jump space to get them safely home. Those caves sure sounded interesting though. I put them in the back of my mind to check out sometime.

  Phoenix started to tell them about our trip when Flame cut him off and said, “Wait, hold on! Dusty, you took a vacation to Okeanos?”

  “Aw, come on,” I said. “Don’t sound so shocked, it’s not like I never go anywhere!”

  “Actually, Dusty, it is exactly like that,” laughed Master Shadow.

  “Well, that explains the beautiful blue-green tan you have!” said Flame.

  I was a little embarrassed by that remark and really did not know how to react. Thankfully, Phoenix stepped in to rescue me and told the tale of our vacation. It was one of the best meals I had ever eaten at the school. For once, I was taking part in the conversation as one of them, and not as their student. It was then that I realized I had no choice; I would join them on this crazy quest.

  “Master, I would love to join your crew if you still want me,” I sent to Master Shadow.

  “Of course, Dusty!” he said aloud. “Meet us tomorrow for breakfast, and we will start your training.” This seemed to truly please all of them. They really did want me on their crew.

  Shortly after that, I headed up to my room for a brief nap to sleep off some of the travel weariness and then headed outside to practice my spells some more.

  Chapter Five

  The following day I met up with Master Shadow, Phoenix, and Flame as planned. We had a big breakfast and conversation was light. Eventually breakfast time was over, and we headed back down that corridor to the locked and guarded door.

  “During training we will be spending a lot of time down here, and I will not be able to run out constantly and get you. So now that you are members of my crew, this door will open for each of you,” said Master Shadow.

  We walked in relative silence until we reached the Dust Dragon. After telling us that the Dust Dragon would respond to our commands as well as his, he opened the door and we boarded via the same staircase that I had used previously.

  Once we were all on board Master Shadow said, “Now, these robes are the official uniform of the school, but they are insufficient for our new role. I have specially crafted armor that each of us can wear under our robes. This armor will serve several functions. It is an environmental suit that will protect us in the event of a hull breach and allow us to operate outside of the Dust Dragon should we need to. Second, the armor is very effective at stopping energy-based and magical attacks.”

  After saying that he pulled out three red suits of armor for us. They were made of some heavy cloth that had a metallic feel to it, but were soft and pliable. They were completely bare of any marking, which gave them an almost sinister look. We each went to separate rooms to put them on and, just as our robes did, they adjusted themselves to the perfect size for each of us. The armor was extremely comfortable to wear despite being form-fitting.

  “The armor will maintain your body at a comfortable temperature regardless of the temperature around you. Wear these from now on so that when we get out there you are used to them. Remember when you leave this section to put your robes over them so that you still fit into the dress code of the school,” said Master Shadow.

  Master Shadow spent the rest of the day going over the basics of life in space. He expected us to be out there a very long time, it seemed. I could not help but notice as we went through everything that we appeared to be one person shy of a full crew. Therefore, while we were eating dinner aboard, I asked Master Shadow about it.

  “Yes, we need at least one more, but I have not yet found anyone. Do you have someone in mind?” he asked.

  “Yes, Master, Spectra. But I would like to talk to her first and see if she would be open to it,” I said.

  “Sounds good. I will look up her records while we wait to hear from you about her. Before we continue let me say this: once you board this ship, you can drop the ‘Master’. We are forging a new order here; we will need to come up with new rules. All of the rules of the school are based on the old world order from Korshalemia, but Grandmaster Vydor sees us as pioneers into what it means to be wizards here,” said Shadow.

  “Korshalemia?” asked Phoenix.

  “Oh, sorry, that is the place we commonly call Mantis’ realm,” said Shadow. “Recently the two wizard councils decided to meet and formalize a name process, and it was decided that each realm would be named for the current standing grandmaster. Since Grandmaster Korshalem is theirs, Korshalemia became the name of their realm. Ours is called Vydoria.”

  “Well, it’s about time,” said Flame.

  “So, then, how do we handle rank?” asked Phoenix.

  “We will have to develop a rank system. Until then, please just call me Shadow,” said Shadow. “Now, Dusty, about your friend: use your best judgment when you talk to her. We are keeping this program on the quiet side for now, but it is not really secret.”

  “I do not understand. Keep it quiet, but it is not secret?” I asked.

  “Yes, exactly. We do not want to draw any attention to the program right now, but in time that will change,” he said.

  That did not clear it up at all, but I decided to let it go. I would treat it as
if it was secret and leave it at that.

  “As we will be training so differently, we will need a new name for our group. How about ‘The Alpha Academy Barbeque Squad’?” asked Phoenix.

  Flame chuckled and rolled her eyes.

  “Sure! It’s perfect,” he said. “It encompasses the core values of food and fire!”

  “Uh, no,” said Flame.

  Shadow just smiled and shook his head, then said, “I think that we would need something more generic.”

  “Oh, yeah, ‘cause Dusty is ice. Umm how about ‘Alpha Academy Barbeque and Ice Cream Squad’?” asked Phoenix.

  Flame bemusedly shook her head, and Shadow said, “No. We will not name ourselves after food.”

  “Aw man, but…” started Phoenix, but a look from Flame stopped him up cold.

  “Why not just refer to us as the Alpha Academy Navy?” I asked.

  “It is not clear yet if we are the start of a full navy, or even if wizards need a navy, but still that is a very practical suggestion,” said Shadow.

  “Ok, I get it, then how about we go with the navy name, but instead of crewmen we can be chefs?” asked Phoenix.

  A moment later, a fireball from Flame hit him in the side of his head, and I think she was getting ready for a second one when Shadow stepped in to break it up. After a bit more good-natured joking, we decided we’d had enough for one day, and I headed back to the school.

  As I walked back, I wondered how I got here. Years ago, when Phoenix was my history tutor, I always envied this group and their relationship. Now they were inviting me to be one of them, and all I could do was worry that I would let them down at some key time.

  Chapter Six

  It was a little past the dinner hour when I reached the school alone. Flame had stayed behind with Shadow, and Phoenix went to the practice chambers. It had been a light day on the Dust Dragon, so I was not ready to head back to the dormitories for the night. Instead, I decided to go find Spectra. Most of the rest of the students found her to be an odd character, and she rarely paid much attention to anyone besides herself. She seemed to coast through her classes at school, not really excelling, but she never really seemed to try much either. It was not that the classwork was too hard. It was more like she just did not bother to push herself.

  I decided to head for the mess hall and see if she was there. Spectra always went to dinner late so that she could eat alone. I would occasionally join her in order to avoid the teasing from my classmates about failing yet another test. She never said much when I was there but did not seem to mind my presence.

  When I arrived, I saw her in her usual spot. She liked to sit in dark corners whenever possible. I suspect that was because her flat black fur made her hard to see in the shadows. She made no indication that she knew I was there when I walked in. I knew she sensed me because she always did. I took a plate of dessert to use as an excuse for being there and sat across from her.

  “Hey, Spectra,” I said as I sat down.

  “Hi,” she said.

  “So, umm, what are you reading?” I asked.

  She looked up at me with her emerald green eyes for a moment as if to say, “If you can see I am reading, why are you bugging me?” but instead said, “Lialiam’s Compendium of Spirits,” and went back to reading.

  I sat in silence for a while after that. I ate my dessert as slowly as I could. I was hoping she would be ready to leave before I was done so that I would not have to interrupt her reading again, but she showed no sign of being ready to move. Instead, I was sitting there awkwardly with an empty plate.

  “Spectra?” I said.

  “Yeah?” she said.

  “Umm, I want to talk to you about something. Can you spare a few minutes for a walk?” I asked.

  She looked up at me again, just as before, and seemed to think about it for an awkwardly long moment, then said, “I suppose so.”

  Sometimes I was sure she welcomed my company, and other times it was more a case of, “I feel sorry for you, so I will pay attention to you.” I have tried to understand her and guess what she thought of me, but so far it has been impossible to judge. I felt bad for her. While I might be unpopular, she took that to a completely new level. To the best of my knowledge, I was the only person she interacted with at all. I wondered if that meant she considered me a friend.

  Once we were far enough away from the dining hall for me to feel comfortable talking I said, “Well, I will not be taking any classes this semester.”

  “Oh, no,” she said with a slight catch. “What happened?”

  “Nothing bad. I am just being moved to a different school of sorts,” I said.

  “Different school?” she asked.

  “Yes, at least that’s the best way I can think of to explain it. It is still connected to Alpha Academy, so I guess it is more like a branch school than a new one,” I said.

  “Oh?” she asked.

  “Yeah, basically it is more of a vocational focus than an academic one. More of a hands-on approach,” I said.

  “Well, that sounds perfect for you,” she said. There was something in her voice when she said that. It was the slightest hint of emotion in her normally emotionless voice, but I could not discern what it was.

  “Yes, well, there is one more slot open, and I asked if I could offer it to you,” I said.

  “Why?” she asked.

  “Well, first I should say that right now this new school is being kept quiet. I think that is because they want to keep it small while they work out the details,” I said. “It is radically different compared to the rest of the school, and dangerous.”

  “Dangerous?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” I said. Then I told her about the Dust Dragon and the plan to attack the pirates. She listened intently without so much as making a sound while we walked. When I had finished she said nothing. We continued to walk for a bit in silence. Eventually I said, “So, what do you think?”

  “Sounds interesting. You said you asked them if you could offer me the spot; does that mean I am already accepted, or will there be a test?” she said.

  “Oh, I am sure Master Shadow will want to interview you at least. He will pull your school records for review and that kind of thing. All I have permission to do is to tell you about the spot and encourage you to apply,” I said.

  “Can I see the Dust Dragon first?” she asked.

  “I guess so. Master Shadow and Flame were on board when I left, so they might still be there. I could take you now if you want?” I said.

  “Sure, let’s go,” she said. “If they are there, then you can introduce me and get that out of the way at the same time.”

  As we walked, I tried to assemble all I knew about her and realized I did not know much. I started to wonder how wise I was being. Shadow picked me for this team because he knows and trusts me. If I recommend her and she turns out to be a bad choice, that will hurt his opinion of me.

  Eventually we made it to the door guarded by the Zalionians, who parted to let us through. I opened the door as Shadow taught me and heard Spectra gasp as we walked through into the modern section of the school. Once the door was closed behind me I said, “A bit different from the rest of the school.”

  “It’s beautiful,” she said with a hush.

  I looked around at the metal walls and floors that reminded me more of the interior of a spaceship than anything anyone would call beautiful and said, “Well, there is a lot more of this to show you yet.”

  I led her through the corridors to the hangar where all the ships were. She looked around the room with a slight touch of wonder in her eyes. I had never seen this much emotion in her before. She reached out and put her hand on my shoulder and started to say something when she felt my armor.

  “Whoa, that’s new,” she said.

  I took off my robe and said, “Yes, this is our uniform. We wear the robes in the school, but here we will always be in armor.”

  “This place
is amazing. Which one is the Dust Dragon?” she asked.

  “This way,” I said and walked her over to the cruiser.

  She caught her breath and said, “That is a Dark Conure!”

  “Well, yes, it is,” I said. “How did you know?”

  “Oh, there have been rumors for years of this beauty being built, but I never believed them till now,” she said.

  “Come then, there is yet more to see,” I said as I turned and gave the command for the Dust Dragon to open its hatch and deploy its staircase. Once aboard I gave her the grand tour, at least as much of it as I could remember. She seemed to know more about the ship than I did. Each room we went in she would point to things that I couldn’t identify and call them by name. She didn’t usually show much emotion, but here she almost seemed to be struggling to contain herself.

  “Come, let’s head up to the bridge,” I said.

  “Oh, yes!” she said, then seemed to catch herself and said, “That would be nice.”

  I smiled and said, “I’m safe; you can be excited around me,” and then led her up to the bridge.

  Chapter Seven

  When we arrived on the bridge, Shadow and Flame were there and obviously waiting for us. I could not tell if they were upset with me for bringing her aboard or not. Flame grinned and winked at me when Spectra was not looking, but I really do not know why.

  “Shadow, Flame, this is Spectra,” I said. “She is the one I mentioned earlier.”

  “Excellent. Welcome aboard, Spectra. Feel free to look around the bridge,” said Shadow.

  “Thank you, Master,” Spectra said as she reverted back into her emotionless shell.

  “Dusty, Flame and I will be in the captain’s lounge. Come have a drink with us when the two of you are ready,” said Shadow.

  As they left, Flame again shot me a smile. I wondered what she was up to and started to worry that she was trying to soften some coming blow.

  I watched in silence as Spectra went from station to station looking over every control. Her emotionless shell stayed tightly in place, but I had seen enough this day to know that it was a sham. She was very excited about this spaceship and spaceport, but I could not even guess why.