“Don’t you think you’ve done enough to the library?” One of the students with Mia asked.
Sam thought that he had seen the young man before, recalling his name.
Toby. He was friends with Gresham; he probably felt as if he needed to impress him.
“I just wanted to see my handiwork,” Sam said.
Toby snorted, sitting down beside Mia. He looked over to the other girl, and the two of them exchanged a knowing look.
“I’m surprised they let you in here,” the girl said.
Sam didn’t know her name. There were quite a few within the sharan tower that he didn’t know.
“I’m surprised they let you in here, too, especially as I can’t believe that any sharan student really cares much about learning.”
As soon as he said it, he saw the darkness flutter across Mia’s face, irritation that passed over her features. He felt bad and wished he’d said something else.
She stared at him, and once again, it seemed as if she were trying to send him away.
He couldn’t say anything to counter that.
Instead, he turned away and heard one of them say Barlands boy.
Hopefully, they didn’t learn about Mia.
As he started away, he heard her speak, though, and he froze.
“I can’t believe that he would’ve destroyed the library,” she said.
“And then to try to blame the Nighlan,” the girl said.
They all started laughing.
Sam stepped out of the library, breathing slowly, trying to ignore the frustration bubbling within him. He needed to go to Havash. He needed answers.
Sam paced in front of Havash’s room, scanning the length of the hallway. Every so often, he could swear he heard movement, though there was nothing, and he knew there wouldn’t be. Once again, he thought he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, a hint of deep green light that faded. It was just his imagination. Given what he’d gone through and what he’d seen, of course, he would start imagining alchemy light everywhere.
“Samran,” a voice called out from behind.
Sam turned to see Chasten coming toward him.
Chasten was dressed in a heavy cloak, and it looked as if he had been out of the Academy. He touched the key, already beginning to feel the slight pulsing in his hand, and he realized that maybe there were questions that Chasten might be able to answer.
But first, there was something else that Sam needed from him.
“Have you seen Havash?” Sam asked.
Chasten frowned at him. “I have not. Is everything all right?”
Sam let out a long sigh, running his finger along the vrandal on his palm. “No, I don’t think it’s all right at all.” He looked up. “You are an alchemist.”
Chasten nodded slowly. “I am.”
“Do you know about alchemists fighting the Nighlan?”
Chasten watched him for a moment and then touched him on the shoulder. “Come with me.”
He guided Sam down into the alchemy tower, into the common area, and to the table, where he took a seat and motioned for Sam to join him.
“Tell me what you saw.”
“There was a man with a vrandal.” Sam watched Chasten’s face as he said it, which remained neutral. “His name was Daven. Do you recognize it?”
“Should I?”
“He’s an alchemist. And he’s with those defending alchemy from the Nighlan. I just thought you might be with them.”
“I wasn’t a high-ranking alchemist,” Chasten said. He looked around. “There are secrets that were not revealed to those who were not a part of the heart of alchemy.”
Sam sighed. “I went to get help from the Grandam, but—”
“You went to the Grandam and not to Havash?”
“Havash wasn’t there, so I found the Grandam instead,” he said. “I went with her out into the city to show her what happened, but she sent me away.”
Chasten pressed his lips together. “This is a problem,” he said softly.
“Why?”
“We know they were after the almanac.”
“That’s not what Daven thinks. At least, not what he thinks they might be after now. He doesn’t know.”
“If they are defending alchemy from the Nighlan, then the almanac is the only way that the Nighlan can learn how to use it.”
Not the only way, Sam thought, already starting to work through what he knew. He couldn’t help but feel like Havash’s interest in Sam trying to interpret the symbols for alchemy might be tied to something. And if that were the case, then was his attempt at trying to understand it going to be helpful to the Nighlan?
He reached for the almanac, raising his hand along the surface.
Chasten watched him. “I don’t know. When the others were killed, they took their secrets with them. We are all learning together.” He got to his feet and started out of the common area. “Wait here for Havash.”
Sam was left alone. He sat there for a moment before heading over to the almanac. He flipped through the pages, scanning them as he did every time he came here. Sam focused on the patterns within the almanac. He didn’t see anything familiar to him, and certainly nothing that he thought he might be able to use, but as he stared at the book, he decided that he needed to try to see what he might learn. If he could activate aspects of the almanac, he might learn something.
He focused, and then he triggered it.
It took a moment, but then as he did, he pressed his hand down on top of one of the pages.
He lifted his hand as he watched the symbols shifting.
There was a pattern.
He turned page after page, setting his hand down, using the vrandal to shift the symbols before raising it again.
He felt a soft breeze as a door opened, and Havash stepped inside.
“You disobeyed me,” Havash said.
Sam straightened. He hadn’t expected it to start quite like this, but perhaps Havash had no intention of delaying the confrontation.
“I wasn’t disobeying you. I did what I needed to do. There are answers out there. I know you want me to be safe because I hold the key, but I also need to have a chance to learn what they mean. If there is someone here who can help me, shouldn’t I go to them?”
Havash regarded him for a long moment. His mouth pressed tight into a line, and the corners of his eyes twitched. Sam had seen that reaction from him before when he was angry, and though he didn’t want Havash’s anger turned at him again, he wasn’t going to flinch from it.
Finally, Havash sighed. “Chasten told me what you encountered.”
Sam nodded. “I haven’t gone back to the Grandam to see what she might’ve found, but there has to be something.”
“I’m sure there is,” Havash said. He pressed his lips together and studied him.
“He knew you, the man I met. He said he did, anyway. He didn’t think you could teach me how to use this,” he said.
Havash leaned back. “Perhaps not as well as I would’ve liked. I’ve been trying to gain as much understanding of it as I can, but unfortunately, there are limits to my ability. As you have undoubtedly learned, I’m not a true alchemist. I am a master of the arcane arts. A true master.” He said it with no hint of arrogance. “But I decided that my time might be best served outside of the Academy, especially as I discovered there was something more taking place. The Council did not want to confront the danger of the Nighlan, and this despite many suggesting that they needed to pay close attention to it.” He took a deep breath. “Mostly the alchemists. When I followed that thread, I realize that they might be the only ones who truly understood the danger. And so I went looking for answers.”
“You don’t want to use the key and the almanac?”
“Oh, I can’t deny an interest and curiosity and whether or not I might be capable of understanding the true power of the almanac, but as I’m not an alchemist,” he said, looking at Sam with a strange intensity in his eyes, “I will be unlikely to do so.”
“I’ve seen alchemy.”
“I’m sure you have.”
“I don’t really understand it.”
“Perhaps that is something that we must rectify. What do you see when you look at this?” Havash asked as he held up one of the items on the desk. It was a circular piece of stone, though it appeared to have a band of metal around it. Other symbols marked the sides. He handed it over to Sam.
Sam examined the heavy object, suspecting that the weight came from the stone. The narrow metal band wrapped around it, cool along the surface.
“Nothing,” Sam said finally. “What should I see from it?”
“This is an early use of alchemy. You can obviously identify the stone and the metal, two different forms of earth bound together. What you need to understand is the reason behind the binding and the way they’re tied together.”
Sam held onto the stone, squeezing it in his hand for a moment before looking over to Havash. “I have seen different forms of alchemy in the books in the library.”
“You have seen the edge of alchemy. That is what most who training in the Academy learn. Just the basic concepts. Very few truly understand real alchemy. Even I didn’t learn about it until I left the Academy recently and pursue something else. A different kind of knowledge.” Havash looked down at the almanac. “You may not have any connection to the arcane arts, but you are bonded to the key. We must try to understand why.” He looked up, holding Sam’s gaze. “And we must understand what else they might be after. Perhaps other items of alchemy.”
“What about the other items?” Sam asked.
Havash handed him a long, slender cylinder. It looked to be made of metal, but it was incredibly light. Sam rolled it in his hand, turning it from side to side.
“This is another construct,” Havash said. “You will notice that it’s different than the others.”
Sam nodded. “What is it made of?”
“What would you think it’s made of?”
He shrugged. Sam hefted the device, tracing his fingers along the surface of it. “It’s a type of steel, though the silver is quite wrong for it. It’s a little too dull to be simple steel. I suppose it might be a mixture of…” He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to think of the various options, before shaking his head. “I don’t know. The answers are in my mind, but I’m not coming up with them.”
“There’s a difference between what you read and what you can experience.”
“What does it do?”
Havash smiled. “When used by someone like me, there is a distinct benefit to the power within it.” He took the cylinder back and held it up. He twisted his hand, moving his fingers, and power flowed from him into the cylinder. It surged with a flash of white light and then began to glow. “I am channeling the barest trickle of arcane arts into it. You see how the alchemy construct takes that power and concentrates it. This is the value of alchemy.”
“Are these the kind of items that are used to defend the city?”
“This, other artifacts that have been generated over the years by the true alchemists, and as much of those who are masters of the arcane arts as can be.” He smiled. “You do not need to fear. The city will be safe.” He nodded to the constructs. “Take those. See if you can’t learn any aspect of alchemy from what you can study with them. You already understand the key, so you might as well understand other parts of it now too.”
Sam sighed and left the room. He stuffed the constructs into his pocket, heading through the halls. He hadn’t gone far before he decided to go up the stairs. He paused at the kitchen and glanced inside, where he saw Okun speaking with one of the other cooks. She was an older, gray-haired lady who was speaking quickly and waving her hands. It wasn’t a good time to interrupt Okun.
Sam was hungry, but he thought his time would be better spent doing as Havash suggested and studying the constructs. He reached the main hall, where he knew there was an entrance to the hidden corridors. He heard the sound of footsteps behind him and turned to see the Grandam striding toward him.
“Did you find—”
She raised her hand, cutting him off. “Come with me, Samran,” she said firmly.
She marched on, heading to the wide staircase leading to the second level of the Academy. He followed, glancing around for a moment before hurrying after her. When he got to the next level, she marched along the hallway until she reached her office.
When he followed her into the room, she motioned for him to take a seat. It was a massive office, and a thick maroon carpet covered the floor. Shelves lined one wall, reminding him of Havash’s office. There were strange artifacts shoved into the shelves, and he suspected they were Alchemy constructs much like the ones in his pocket. Portraits hung on the walls near the ceiling, circling the entire office. Most of them depicted the previous Grandams, with faces that looked sternly down at him. Havash was one of them.
“Did you find anything?” he asked.
She sat at her desk, which was much cleaner than Havash’s. When she shifted in place, Sam thought something seemed off about her. “I nearly had him, but he got away,” she said with furrowed brows. “If it was Luthian, he had help, and I fear we now have someone in the Academy itself who threatens us.”
They’d worried that might happen, but to hear the Grandam admit it…
“I saw Luthian,” said Sam. “It was him.” He did not doubt who it’d been, and now Luthian had Daven. Whatever help Daven had called for hadn’t made a difference. He’d ended up captured and taken from the city.
“Luthian should not have remained in the city,” she said. She sat up, resting her elbow on the table. “And the other…”
“He was an alchemist.” He touched the vrandal, keeping it in his lap. He looked up at the Grandam but avoided meeting her eyes. “He told me he was.”
“Told you?” She shook her head. “That could mean nothing, Samran. Many have claimed to be alchemists in the past, and considering the attack on the Academy, I would think you would be much more cautious with throwing around that term.” She frowned at him. “Why are you fidgeting?”
Sam glanced down at his hand, realizing that he was playing with the vrandal. It was a nervous habit he’d developed, even though he knew he shouldn’t do it, especially around the Grandam. “I’m sorry.”
“You really should allow me to help you with that,” she said.
He shook his head. “Havash has been working with me.”
She grunted. “I’m sure he has.” She flicked her gaze past him, and Sam turned. It seemed there was a figure waiting for her in the hall, but they disappeared when Sam turned toward them. As he looked back at her, she got to her feet. “Now that we have that resolved, it is time for you to return to your studies. I would caution you to be careful with them, but I suspect Havash has told you the same. Be diligent, Samran. The city and the Academy are in danger. It is only through those who will work with us that we will withstand it.”
The Grandam stood up, motioned for him to follow suit, and left him. She hurried along the hall to a staircase that led up and away. Sam watched her go, and for a moment, he considered following her but decided against it. Instead, he needed to do as she and Havash suggested, to return to his studies. He needed to be prepared. The problem was that he had no idea whether he would learn enough—and quickly enough—to be of much help given the continued attacks on the city and the threat to the Academy.
By the time he got into the Study Hall and found Tara, she was pacing in place. “You still want to go and see what happened.”
“It’s probably already too late, but I want to know what you saw. We need to know what’s there, especially if you think this person can be helpful.”
“He can be helpful,” Sam said.
She watched him but didn’t say anything more. He sensed she didn’t believe him about Daven, though Sam thought that she understood. She didn’t know Daven, but it was more than that. Sam needed to have access to something more. The vrandal allowed tha
t for him. Or it could.
They headed through the Study Hall, then snuck to the door to the Academy and then out. Out in the night, he moved carefully through the garden. He watched for signs of power, hoping there wouldn’t be another attack. When they reached the gate, he slowed.
“Do you think they’ll restrict access to the city?” Sam whispered.
“I might know a way around it if they do,” she said.
They passed a small gate, and she nodded to it before ushering them further along the wall. At one point, she had to sneak behind a row of shrubs, but when she did, she raised a finger to her lips to silence Sam.
“Do I want to know how you found this?” He asked, leaning close and whispering to her.
“Maps,” she said.
She reached a section of the stone wall that looked slightly irregular, and then with the tracing of the arcane arts upon it, the wall started to slide away. She looked over to him, a triumphant expression in her eyes. “It’s not complicated angulation, but it is the kind that not many people bother to learn.”
“I’m sure.”
“What?” she asked.
He shrugged. “I’m just saying that it’s probably more complicated than you admit.”
“I don’t think so, but thank you.”
They stepped out of the door, which she then used her hint of angulation too close.
“It’s like the Study Hall,” Sam said.
“Exactly,” she said.
“I have a feeling that the Study Hall is older.”
“Because it is.”
When he reached the hill leading up to the alley where he’d found Daven, he started to slow. He watched for signs of movement, but there were none. There was nothing here, no one out in the streets. No green or yellow, or white light filled the night.
“What made you come all the way here?” Tara whispered.
“I’d followed the light I saw.”
“You were able to see it all the way up here?” She looked around the street. The hillside loomed in front of them, and the darkness made everything difficult to make out. “How were you able to see anything here? Were they following you to bring you here?”
As Sam looked around him, he didn’t have an answer. How had he seen anything here? The greenish light had drawn him, but had something else guided him here? He pointedly ignored some of those thoughts as he reached the alley. When they approached the point along the wall where he knew the barrier to be, he paused. Something felt different.
Alchemist Assault (The Alchemist Book 2) Page 17
