by Shanon Chong
Oliver, having come from this side of Arcana, was having the time of his life, bathing in the sun on the roof of the carriage. The teachers kept an eye on him, but they didn’t have to worry about him, though he was wasting ludicrous amounts of water just to cool down. Bethany, who had made similar claims to her origin, wasn’t having the greatest time of her life. She lay queasy on the floor, close to vomiting up whatever she had had for breakfast. However, that might have just been motion sickness created by the constant rocking.
The consistent rumble of the carriage left Vin staring out the window in a daze, no longer trying to make conversation after being continuously interrupted by the loud noise of the metal carriage wheels scrapping over the stone path. Rachel and I remained silent, knowing the futility of small talk on our journey south toward the mission; we both regretted our lack of preparation concerning entertainment. The place we’d spend the night would be divided by gender, which a was wise and well-planned choice made by the principal, whom, normally, I wouldn’t praise for smart decisions.
Every group screamed in joy as the halfway point approached. Our cries of relief slowly lost their strength as we wheeled to the front of the rest stop. Students leapt out of the now-slow-moving carriages, and the few that didn’t trip and fall as they landed managed to get their water slightly before the rest of us.
Several teachers collected bottles from students and refilled them for us. The small inn-like establishment held a large barrel with enough water to hydrate the entire first-year student body. A teacher whose name I had forgotten explained the barrel’s ability to transport fresh water from an isolated lake. Our group listened halfheartedly as we savagely gulped down the sweet liquid.
Oliver returned to the interior of the carriage for the remainder of the trip. His already dark skin now had an even darker undertone after tanning in the sun for several hours. Giving us random topics to talk about, he eased the boredom we had felt during the earlier half of the trip.
Several hours later, we reached the accommodations we would be staying in for the night. An assortment of tents and tall tower-like buildings were within the military camp’s compound. Unmanned crossbows and additional weapons were mounted on the taller buildings, giving the advantage of height over an opponent.
A single prominent seal remained obviously printed on each and every tent: that of the Southwatch clan. Its strange, torch-like design made it clear who was funding and supplying the encampment. Two flags were hoisted up when we entered the camp: the Arcanan royal seal and the Southwatch clan’s detailed regalia.
“Why the towers…” I muttered, staring at the solid mass of material that had mad the since spire like building. I sighed as I walked up the stairs to the room I had been assigned to with Vin and Oliver. The stairs had been placed on the outside of the building, making the only way to get to my room feel like a hidden exit. Reaching the fifth floor, I opened the door and saw the large communal area that we would be using for social interaction for the two nights we would be staying.
Avoiding whatever contact I could, I opened my room’s door, which didn’t have a lock. Rachel, Bethany, Vin, and Oliver sat on the floor, playing cards.
“Hey, Theo,” Rachel greeted as I entered. “Close the door, please.”
“Aren’t the rooms separated by gender?” I asked as Rachel grabbed a cup of water and gulped it down in a single swig. “If a teacher finds out, we’ll be in trouble.”
“Ah, that’s fine…” Rachel replied. “You want to play?”
“No thanks,” I murmured as I carried my pack to the one bed in the corner that hadn’t been taken.
I didn’t speak another word until dinner was called that night, where I began another conversation with Rachel.
“What, Theo?” she asked, holding her cutlery awkwardly. After deciding what food would be most appealing, she attacked the dish, shoving food into her mouth. I quickly formulated a question that she would probably have the answer to.
“Why are the barracks so tall?”
“Hmm? You mean the tall tower-looking building?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, It’s a defensive measure. The height of the building works as a waypoint for allies to search for,” Rachel explained quickly, still gulping down food. “The dark colour scheme makes it hard to see at night, giving us an advantage over the clueless enemies that walk past.”
“Okay, but can’t enemies see us clearer during the day?”
“There’s camouflaging magic that keeps it relatively hidden… I mean, if they touched it, they’d know it was here, but they’d instinctually avoid the building.” Rachel sighed. “No more, okay? I want to eat.”
The remainder of the day included the thirty-second shower we were given before sleeping. Of course, the moment the thirty seconds were up, soldiers piled into the public showers that were kept in a tent outside of the barracks. We returned to the barracks, climbing up the exterior stairs. Returning to the clean and refined interior, we found it had now been lit up with an assortment of lamps, and we were able to see the pure white walls. The large rooms and wide sleeping areas contrasted the stories filled with cramped and tiny military encampments. A beige fur carpet covered the floor, and a small shoe rack stood beside the door.
The peaceful night opened to the early wake-up call for every occupant of the barracks. Our mission started at the tiring time of five in the morning. Well, started was an exaggeration of sorts, we’d be getting onto the carriages toward the mission now. Our carriage came, no longer armed with just the simple wood and leather tarp to protect us. Now the upgrades were obvious: the metal plates and grills for windows had already given us a possible invalid preconception of the interior. The benches were made of wood, with wool cushions placed upon them. A red seal had been imprinted into several tools we had been given. Items such as the hub had large seals and the beads for communication had something equally miniscule for their size.
Harrold stood and watched our carriages come to a stop. “Okay, you have the blue glass bead we gave you in the morning, right?” Our quiet nodding brought a small smile to his face as he held his bead up. “This will give you some basic communication functionality, and we’ll have the hub ready to go in a building when the mission starts.”
“So, what kind of communication does this device achieve?” Vin asked, fiddling with his small bead and examining the sigil imprinted on the back.
“It transfers voice and visuals if you leave it exposed to sunlight,” Harrold replied, holding his own out the small metal grill, exposing the bead to a sliver of sun. A full magical image came into being, giving our basic positioning and vital information. “Pretty cool, right?”
“Yeah, cool,” Oliver replied. “When does mission start?”
“Soon. Give it a minute. The teachers will clear the first building to give us somewhere to set up.” Harrold returned his bead to a pouch within his robes. “Follow closely behind.” He opened the carriage door and jumped off the slight lip running around the militarised form of transportation.
None of us spoke as we ran through the forest of buildings. There were only three points on the map where the teachers would get involved in the fighting: D1, D2, and D3. All of them housed elite soldiers from the Anti-Magic army. The political tensions between the two nations had escalated massively after the Essence Wars. However, students hadn’t really ever been involved in a military expedition outside of the Royal Arcanan Armed Force’s area of control.
Harrold disappeared the moment we approached the first building. Flashes of magic could be seen through the ruined windows. The sleeping, bound bodies of the Anti-Magic soldiers were slowly filling the balconies. Harrold appeared at the door moments later, casually dusting off his hands, “Hey, welcome to the command centre,” he said, holding open the door for Rachel, Vin, and Bethany to enter. “Theo, Oliver. Prepare to begin the mission.”
“Yes, sir,” we replied energetically as we readied our tools and weapons.
“Please place your communication bead in your breast pocket,” Harrold commanded, and we followed his instructions willingly. “Rachel, Bethany, and Vin will handle all communications, so listen carefully.” Harrold pointed to a large cylindrical item that was slowly being hauled into the building. “That’s the hub. You probably won’t see it again.” The two ends of the cylinder had detailed golden tops and carefully carved holes for holding communication beads. The centre of the hub was made of the same blue glass as our beads.
Rachel stared at us from a high balcony on the building. “We’ll set up. Go ahead and get in position.” She chuckled. “Let’s clear up this overextended military camp.” She re-entered the building jovially.
Harrold grimaced as he closed the door to the building. Oliver looked at me, neither of us speaking. Our relationship was a quiet one that didn’t need further explanation. With a quick nod, the two of us began running to the first location marked on our paper maps. Sticking together, we found a simple stone building made solely for containing the weapons and arms of our opponents’ military.
A crackly transmission resonated through our bodies as the bead vibrated slightly. “Okay, can you hear me?” Rachel asked.
“Loud and clear.” I raised the bead to my mouth before speaking. As we waited for a response, Oliver and I stood bored beside our target. Rachel didn’t reply for several minutes.
Finally, after clearing her throat, she said, “Sorry about that. That should be better now…” It sounded like she was fiddling with a device. “Okay, mission start. Enter the building through the back door.”
Rachel guided us carefully, and a sheet-metal door of weak construction opened easily when she told us to enter. The building remained dark even with the opening of the door. I surveyed the room, only to see boxes upon boxes of stone-like arrows stained pitch black. To the back of the room, on wooden racks, the weapons ranged from arrows to short swords and then to spears. As Oliver slowly reached over to touch an arrow, a sudden shout halted him fully.
“Stop! Do you want to be crippled?” Vin’s outraged scream echoed through the bead. “If you don’t have enough internal energy, you’ll never use magic again in your life!”
Oliver jerked his arm away from the arrows. I stared at the multitude of weapons within the concrete box, wondering what we had actually been tasked to do.
“So, how do we dispose of these?” I asked, speaking into the bead. “I mean, we can’t touch them. The crates look flammable, though.” I stared at the well-built crates that housed the Anti-Magic weaponry.
“Well, we want you to light a fire somewhere,” Bethany said. “Spread the fire so it burns quicker.”
“There’s still two more floors,” I replied, looking at the stairs at the back of the room. “My eyes have adjusted to the darkness. I think there are more weapons in this building.”
“Just burn the weapons on the bottom floor. Based on the scouting reports, the door to the upper floor is closed,” Bethany replied. “We’ll let the fire burn for a little before sending the building sky high.”
“Want me to leave a material transportation rune on the floor?” I inquired, placing my finger to the ground as Oliver ran around the room, igniting everything.
“Yes, please. We’ll feed some flammable gas through your rune. Could you tell us the transport rune’s signal?”
“The signal rune is ‘safety,’ from the post-ancient runic revolution.”
“Thanks. Please move on to the next building. We’ll be separating communications, Theo, so you’ll have Rachel giving you your instructions,” Bethany relayed efficiently.
A quiet crackling echoed outside the next building as the hub changed frequencies to communicate to Rachel. Oliver and I had split up, deciding that we could cover more ground separately.
“Hey, Theo, you hearing me?” Rachel said, waiting for my response.
“Yeah, I can hear you,” I replied casually. “I hear two people inside the building.”
“Who shouldn’t be in there!” Rachel declared, dragging the “who.” “If they try to pass themselves off as Arcanan soldiers, lull them into a false sense of security.”
“Sure, thanks,” I replied, opening the door into the building. Two soldiers crouched on the floor, holding small paper booklets and writing information down. They were wearing Arcanan uniforms, and I had little reason to doubt their identities; however, Rachel had already told me they weren’t supposed to be there. Having nothing of significance within my arms, I placed my hands in my pockets and observed the two soldiers.
“We should probably leave and get reinforcements…” one muttered to the other, holding up his booklet to show his friend.
“Yeah, let’s get out of here… The Arcanans won’t even notice we’re with them,” the other replied. He stood and turned to face the door. “Hey,” he muttered, looking at me uncomfortably. “Did you just get here?”
“Yeah…”
“Well, we’re your superiors, so leave this place to us,” the other ordered as he watched me approach them. “We’re moving on to the next building soon.”
“Would it be possible to give me your names and ranks?” I asked, taking a step back as they attempted to approach the door. Being reasonably tall, they didn’t seem to question my lack of uniform or my young face.
“I’m Officer Gary Uni, and that’s my brother, Commander Harry Uni,” one responded quickly, holding up two seemingly stolen IDs.
I chuckled slightly…I was going to have fun with this.
“Well, I think you made a mistake when you claimed you were of a higher rank than I am.” I sighed, seemingly disappointed. “I’m a general of the First Brigade. Maybe you don’t know me?” I lied, looking down on them. “And I’m sure when you said commander, you meant colonel.”
Cursing under his breath, he looked me in the eye. Then he reached behind his back. “I’m sorry; could I have your name?”
“Would you order your senior around?” I exclaimed, outraged, and then I stormed up the stairs, searching for an area where I could talk to Rachel without them hearing. Footsteps echoed behind me as they followed closely. Three floors up, a door to the roof appeared. Gladly taking it, I closed the door behind me and pulled the latch shut. “Rachel?”
“Yes?” her surprised squeal echoed in my ears.
“Give me the name of a general from the First Brigade.”
“Er, say you’re Mr Rhimmage.”
“Why?” I asked quickly. “Mr Rhimmage isn’t even in the military anymore…”
“He was in line for a promotion,” Rachel explained. “Anti-Magic soldiers will know his name.”
“Thanks. I’ve got a situation at hand. I’ll cut communications for a few minutes.”
“Theo!” Rachel screamed as I shoved the bead into my pocket.
“Hey! Tell us your name!” the imposters shouted through the door. “Open the door so we can speak.”
I approached the door and fiddled with the latch making some noise. “Sorry, I think the door is jammed.”
“Tell us your name!”
“Bill Rhimmage,” I said as I looked around the roof. Spotting a small overhang that led to the balcony below, I quietly walked away and slid down to the third floor. The two imposters kept talking quietly as I approached the stairs to the roof. I heard their whispers as they decided to return down the stairs.
“There’s no way that guy is ‘the’ Bill Rhimmage,” one assured the other as they came toward my readied fist. “He looked a little too young.”
“But what he is?” the other responded fearfully. “We could be dead.”
When the two finally appeared fully in my vision, I threw my fist at one’s head, knocking him to the ground. For the other, I held my arm and said quietly, “Cage of water.”
“What…?” The imposter slowly lost his breath within the fishbowl-like cage of water that slowly drowned him. Once he lost consciousness, I ceased my spell, letting him drop to the floor, unconscious.
&n
bsp; “Rachel?” I called as I held the bead to my ear again. “Rachel?” A quiet tapping could be heard through the hub. In an ancient form of communication, Rachel tapped out the words, “Please come back now.”
“Rachel!” I shouted as I kicked open the door to the roof, knowing the severity of the situation. I raised the bead to my lips as I said calmly, “Oliver Southwatch.” A crackling shook the bead as it switched the communication to Oliver.
“Vin? Beth?” Oliver desperately shouted.
“Calm down, Oliver,” I replied. “We need to return to command.”
“Did you get into contact with Rachel? I don’t know what’s happened!”
“We’ll get Mr Rhimmage to help us, okay?” I replied quickly. “We’ll meet at the command centre Mr Rhimmage is supervising.”
I shoved the bead into my back pocket, turning off its functionality as a communication device. I didn’t want to hear Oliver’s complaints about the sudden change of plans. Rachel mattered more than some measly school mission.
I placed my finger to my thigh and drew runes atop runes atop runes as I prepared to get back to the command centre. Navigating through the narrow walkways, it would take me upwards of ten minutes to even return to our initial starting point, so I decided to take a shortcut. I placed my hands to the ground and got down in a sprinter’s stance. Then I ran to the edge of the building and leapt. Suspended in the air, I shifted my legs to prepare for landing.
Once across, and ignoring my fatigue, I redrew the runes on my legs, preparing to jump again. It would take four more leaps to reach Mr Rhimmage. Several enemy soldiers had noticed my presence; however, I didn’t have any time to waste. Letting the adrenaline pump through my blood, I prepared for the next jump as I ran to the edge of the building.