by Luka Petrov
Relief seemed to fall over the crowd of students as they realized that Arne was quite a ways away from Draererth. “Oh, that’s a relief,” one boy close to me said.
“Yeah, good thing Arne is far away,” another replied.
“Despite the location of the attack being far away, I must impart to everyone to be vigilant and watch for anything, and I mean anything that appears to be out of the ordinary. Please report any irregularities you may come across to myself or the Counsel. In the meantime, I will keep a close eye on the situation in Arne. Be prepared to evacuate at a moment’s notice if things look as though they will worsen. Your safety is of the upmost importance,” Wavernjack concluded. He took a breath and said, “Everyone is dismissed.”
The crowds of students dispersed back to their classes, although they appeared to be on heightened alert. I made my way through the moving crowd over to Headmaster Wavernjack. “Headmaster,” I stated.
“Edward! Yes? What is it?” Headmaster Wavernjack responded, appearing to be surprised that I interrupted him.
“I couldn’t help but hear what you muttered under your breath over at my dueling square structure,” I explained.
“Oh? What did you hear?” Wavernjack asked.
“I heard you asking the keepers of the realm of death to keep out Hamon until you could get to him and assist,” I relented, hating the words that I said as I felt I betrayed Seaster and did not want my mentor to crossover.
“You heard correctly, Edward. If today is his day to depart this world, I want to be the one to help with his transition. Hamon has been a dear friend for decades, and it would seem only fitting for me to be the one to assist,” explained Seaster Wavernjack.
“So Hamon is in Arne?” I asked, seeking clarification so I understood what was exactly happening.
“That is correct. After the Demon Lord destroyed our school, and Hamon held him off and banished him once again, I found Hamon near gone. I found him a magic cloister where the clerics have dedicated their lives to the Life Domain. He is in good hands. Well, he was. I hope the Demon Lord’s attack did not disrupt his healing,” said Wavernjack. He paused and said, “I don’t think it was a coincidence that the Demon Lord struck where Hamon was being healed.”
I became astonished at the notion that Seaster Wavernjack freely gave up this information and let me know where my mentor was. “Thank you,” I replied, with the intention to head to Arne immediately.
“Wait! Ed! I told you so you would know the gravity of the situation. Despite Arne being far away, I thought you should know the danger it posed to you and your mentor. As you know, I was Hamon’s mentor, and that bond is strong. However, you mustn’t leave and attempt to rescue Hamon. You are not prepared for it. For some reason, the Demon Lord spared your life, and I fear the next time, you will not be so lucky,” explained Seaster.
“I promise, I will not try and rescue Hamon,” I begrudgingly said, not sure if I even believed the words coming from my mouth. “I must get to class,” I added as I turned to find my friends.
“Very well. Try not to preoccupy yourself with this. Focus on learning magic,” Seaster said as I darted off.
I found my friends close to where I had left them, we were only a few of the students left. The rest had gone off to their classes.
“Hey Ed, what did you speak with Wavernjack about?” Yves asked.
“Remember, I asked you if you heard something that the Headmaster muttered?” I started.
“Right, I didn’t hear it,” answered Yves.
“Well, my suspicions were correct. Hamon is being healed at Arne,” I confessed.
“What?” Cecily interjected. “We know where Hamon is?”
“We do! And we need to go rescue him!” I stated.
“We can’t go,” countered Cecily. “We will never survive another run-in with the evil Demon Lord.”
“She’s right,” said Yves, conforming to Cecily’s assertions. “There’s no way we should go. Under no circumstance.”
Walter calmly said, “Ed must follow his heart and we must follow Ed. That is the only way we will complete our circle of duty.”
All three of us looked stunned at Walter, with mouths gaped open. “Well, I guess we’re heading to Arne,” concluded Cecily.
“We are going to need to bring canteens of water with us,” suggested Yves. “From the sounds of it, it will be a long trek.”
“I’ll get some smoked meat from the cafeteria during dinner tonight. That should keep for several days,” advised Walter.
“Great idea!” I exclaimed, relieved that Walter talked some sense into Yves and Cecily. “Let’s meet back here during quiet time after dinner,” I suggested.
Yves and Cecily nodded. Walter replied, “Until later, brother.”
I thought it best to make a pass at the library, in case we needed some spell books that I did not have already. I made my way past the scribes and over to some of the ice spell books. Looking at the titles, I was thinking of what I would need for this rescue mission. I glanced at the titles of the ice magic spell books. Icing Out, no. Glacial Magic, no. Snow Way You Could Fail, now, we were getting somewhere. That one sounded good, but I’m sure I could do better. They Don’t Teach You That in Cool, nah. How to be a Snow-Cold Chiller, bingo! I quickly picked up that book. On my way over to the fire spell books, I also picked up Cower Before the Bliz-ard. Both should have some bone-chilling spells.
While I made my way over to the fire spell books, a weird feeling came over me. The feeling of being followed. I checked behind me, and to either side, nothing. Must be my own paranoia getting the best of me, because it appeared that I was the only one in the library.
Perusing the fire magic spell books, a couple caught my eye, Stop Preaching to the Fire, Kick Ash and Make Flames, and Call in the Burn Unit. I reached for Stop Preaching, but before I could grab it a voice came from behind me. “Edward! Edward MacAra! I’ve been following you for the last ten minutes. What are you doing with all of this sneaking around? It’s nearly dinner time and you must be in the dining hall now,” said the female voice from behind me.
“Oh, sorry I replied. I was just doing some last-minute studying for an exam I have…” I turned to see who this was. “Kyna?” I stared, startled to see it was my professor.
“Uh, Mistress Lathurna.”
“Right. Sorry, Mistress Lathurna. I’ll get to dinner now,” I relented.
“Hogwash. Now, tell me what are you up to? Does it have anything to do with the attack on Arne?” Mistress Lathurna demanded.
“It does.”
“And?”
“Wavernjack told me that Hamon is healing in Arne. I must get to him. He needs me,” I admitted, not seeing any reason to hide my plan from her. “Please don’t tell Headmaster Wavernjack,” I pleaded.
“I can’t make that promise. I’m going to have to report you,” replied Kyna.
Feeling defeated, my shoulders slumped. “I understand,” I acknowledged.
“But I don’t have to report you until late tomorrow. You know, to give you time to get everything you need and to leave,” she said as she walked off. She turned around and said, “Oh, and don’t forget the horses. That way you’ll get there quicker.”
“Thank you, Mistress Lathurna,” I shouted as she walked off, her heels making clacking noises as she no longer looked in my direction.
Horses! I must go to the stables and get the horses! I scurried over to the stables.
“The horses won’t be ready until the morning,” the stableman replied.
“But I need them tonight,” I reiterated.
“I’m sorry. They’ve been out all day and just had their feeding. They must rest, but they will be ready to go first thing in the morning,” the stableman explained.
“How many can I get?” I asked.
“I can only loan you three horses,” answered the stableman.
“That’ll do,” I responded. Cecily and Yves would have to share. “I will be here at the firs
t dawn,” I said as I walked off. “Have them ready for me then.”
“As you wish,” replied the stableman, reluctantly.
I made my way to the dining hall, well aware that dinner had just finished.
“Ed!” Walter shouted, catching me off guard while I looked for them amongst the crowd so students who were filing back to their dorm rooms for quiet and study time.
“Walt!” I shouted, noticing he was with Yves and Cecily. “We are not leaving until the morning,” I started.
“Oh good, that’ll give me some time to get some breads during breakfast for us to pack,” admitted Walter.
“I arranged for us to ride horses, it will cut down on our travel time,” I explained.
“Wonderful idea!” Cecily shouted.
“Ssshhh!” I hushed, putting my index finger to my mouth. “Mistress Lathurna knows of our plan, but she’s not going to report us missing until after we are long gone.”
“Oh no!” Shouted Yves. “I cannot afford to be expelled. I’d have no other magic academy to attend.”
“Relax. None of us can afford to be expelled. Now, calm down. We will leave in the morning,” I soothed.
Yves turned her head in a huff and said, “I don’t like this.”
“Until the dawn, brother,” whispered Walter.
“Right, see you in the morning," confirmed Cecily.
“All right, all right. I’ll be ready in the morning,” relented Yves.
“Thanks guys, I appreciate this,” I said. “We will meet at the stables.” The three nodded, and I had to make my way over to the Headmaster’s office.
Heading over to the Headmaster’s office, I needed to find out more information regarding the situation in Arne. The only one who had been there was Wavernjack’s messenger, Neils. I was hoping to catch him outside of Seaster’s office.
As I turned the corner of the hallway where all the administration offices were, I caught a glimpse of him. There he was, sitting outside of Headmaster Wavernjack’s office going through parchment papers on a bench.
I approached him, careful to be quiet as I did not want to let the Headmaster know that I what I was up to.
“Hey, Neils,” I whispered, just outside the open doorway of Wavernjack’s office.
“Oh, hey, Edward,” answered Neils in an upbeat and loud voice.
“Ssshhh!” I hushed. “Please be quiet. Come with me,” I said while I motioned Neils over around the corner to the other hallway.
Neils complied with my strange suggestion, thankfully, and followed me over to the other hallway. “What is all this about,” asked Neils as he neared me.
“Sorry to bother you. I heard about the attack on Arne, and I have, uh, I have an uncle that lives there. Is it bad?” I asked.
“Yeah, it’s bad. Where in Arne does your uncle live?” Neils asked.
“Uh, that’s not important,” I sharply replied. “How long has the attack been going on?”
“The attack happened two days ago. We had gotten word, and Headmaster Wavernjack sent me down there at midnight yesterday on horseback to find out the situation. I road all through the night,” explained Neils.
“And, what did you find out?” I asked.
“I met with the town’s elders. They know they can hold the attack for at least a week, but after that, they are not sure,” said Neils.
“So, what is their plan?”
“They are hoping for reinforcements, but Gilmore wasn’t able to loan any soldiers to them,” responded Neils.
“Gilmore? Why were they wanting reinforcements from Gilmore when they are at least three day’s ride away?” I asked, confused that Gilmore would be involved with this.
“Well, there was this Eldritch Knight named Balfomeir. Old, but looked capable as a martial artist and magic user. He had ridden into Arne to confirm that Arne had been attacked. Similar to why Wavernjack sent me,” answered Neils.
I perked up at the sound of Balfomeir’s name. “You spoke with Balfomeir?” I clarified.
“Correct. Balfomeir agreed to fight on behalf of Arne along with a few of his personal guards as Gilmore was not in the position to spare any soldiers,” explained Neils.
“Thank you,” I whispered, darting off back to my living quarters. On my way back to my dorm, I began contemplating the ramifications of being in the same town as Balfomeir. Last, I remember, he chased my father who was later beheaded for assisting in my escape. This may prove to be more difficult than previously anticipated.
The following morning, I woke before the dawn to prepare for the journey ahead. After gathering the spell books, my clothes, and some other items, I made my way down to the stables.
Once at the stables, Yves, Walter, and Cecily were already there waiting for me. “The horses are ready,” announced Yves.
Walter, who was responsible for gathering most of supplies said, “Here, let’s divide these among our horses.” He allotted between the three horses, eight cuts of pork loin with a side of gravy, elven bread, smoked salmon, and four lobsters with tomato cream sauce.
“Walter, where did you get all of this? We won’t be able to take all of this with us!” I exclaimed.
“Sure we will. And I gathered it from the dining hall. I’m friends with the chef, so he gave me whatever I asked for,” explained Walter.
“Of anything you asked for, this is what you requested?” I stood in amazement. Couldn’t he have asked for something that would travel better than full lobsters?
“Wouldn’t you ask for lobster if you were asked whatever you wanted to eat?” Walter countered.
“Point taken,” I relented, seeing that I was not going to win, however, he did have a good point.
The stableman brought over the horses who were saddled up. “All right, here they are like you requested. These three are the strongest and fastest horses we have at the Draererth Stables. Where do you plan on going?” the stableman asked.
“We are going on a field trip to Whispering Pines where we are going to study with a master conjuration wizard. It’s for an assignment,” I explained.
Cecily whispered to Yves, “Whispering Pines is in the opposite direction of Arne. What’s wrong with Edward?” Yves just stood next to Cecily, stoic and not saying a word, but the look on her face was priceless. She nearly rolled her eyes out of her skull.
Cecily couldn’t take the misinformation anymore and blurted, “No, we are headed to—” Cecily was interrupted by Yves.
“Ssshhh!” Yves hushed Cecily. “Right, we must learn three conjuration spells from this master mage.”
“Right,” confirmed Walter. “It will take us several days to get these spells down,” he added.
The stableman helped us onto our horses and assisted us with tying on our supplies. “Very well,” said the stableman. “You kids are ready to go. Hope you learn the spells you need to,” he added. “Oh! And since you’re carrying more than normal, keep at a steady, but slow pace for these beasts. They’re strong and fast, but you all are carrying a large load with all of these supplies, books, and clothing.”
“Thank you, sir. You have been the most helpful. We will take great care of the horses,” I said as I led Walter and the girls’ horses out of the stables.
We headed to Whispering Pines, which was in the opposite direction of Arne. After we were outside of the barrier of the school and definitely out of earshot of the stableman, Walter said, “Great cover Ed, a field trip. Really slick!”
“Thanks Walt. Also, thanks for catching on and keeping up with the cover,” I responded.
“That was sly to say we were headed in the opposite direction then where we are really headed,” added Walter.
“Right! That way if they come and look for us, we will misdirect anyone looking for us,” I added while we trotted on the horses.
Yves shouted from her horse, “Hey guys, we are out of sight from Draererth now!”
“Thanks Yves!” I shouted. “All right, we need to start heading in the opposite directio
n soon. Let’s make a turn at the next path and begin our journey to Arne.”
Chapter Six
“We’ve made it almost to the outskirts of the Enchanted Forest,” said Walter as he rode next to me. We were nearing the edge of the Enchanted Forest, and it had been a good morning of riding, as we were making great time.
As we found the edge of the forest, the think, and lush vegetation became sparser as the trees and their foliage thinned, opening up to acres of rolling farmland.
“Hey Cecily, you have the map, right?” I asked. I knew this much, but after we found ourselves outside of the Enchanted Forest, I was not certain which way to go.
“Yes, I have it right here,” she replied, reaching into her saddle bag, maneuvering her hands around Yves’ legs. “Yves move your leg for a moment,” she requested. “I need to get in here.” Yves complied and Cecily secured the map, a large piece of parchment paper. Good thing Walter collected the map from the administration building before we departed.
“We must head west at this point,” directed Cecily.
“All right, onward,” I commanded, kicking my horse into a gallop as we headed ourselves westward.
The horses were very strong, and we did not have time to walk slowly as instructed by the stableman. The horses seemed to be adjusting to our weight and speed that we were traveling.
We moved effortlessly across the farmland and rolling green hills, barely saying a word to each other, as time was of the essence and we needed to hurry.
Several hours later I asked my friends, “Should we set up camp soon?”
Walter answered, “I believe that is a good idea, I’ve been starved ever since we started this journey.”
“Very well, I see an enclave in the hillside here, let’s set up there,” I suggested, leading the two other horses over to the hillside. There we could survey the land and the next part of our journey. We traveled up the hillside, the horses taking the incline in stride.