When he spoke, his voice sounded like gravel being scraped by the sole of a boot.
“Sev, my boy. How are you?”
“Aw, Pop…” Sevarin sobbed. He bent over Ascher’s blanketed form and took hold of one of the man’s cold, limp hands. “You gotta be okay. You gotta.”
“Don’t worry.” Ascher nodded weakly. “I’ll live. They say.”
“You will, Pop. You’ll live and get better.”
Sevarin wiped his eyes on his shoulders, not letting go of Ascher’s hand. He squeezed as gently as he could without hurting him. Like holding a baby bird, he thought. He told himself this any time he shook a non-Sargonaut hand. Like holding a fragile baby bird.
And yet, he still always managed to fail.
“Sorry,” he said, and let go as Ascher’s eyes crinkled with pain.
“No. Take my hand again. Come on, son. I was hurting somewhere else.”
Sevarin sniffled as he took Ascher’s hand again, this time cradling it.
Like holding a baby bird. A sick, dying, wasted baby bird…
“What did you want to tell me, Pop?”
“Something you don’t want to hear. I won’t be going with you. Emmanuel has plans. You’re going to a better place, to learn…” Ascher broke into a coughing fit. Sevarin grabbed a towel on the bedside table and wiped yellow phlegm that had spilled over his lips.
“Thank you.”
Sevarin nodded, still sniffling like a baby. Sargonauts weren’t supposed to sniffle, and they definitely weren’t supposed to cry. But he didn’t feel like a Sargonaut. Right now, he felt more like the baby bird.
He let the towel fall from limp fingers and draped himself over Ascher’s body. Ascher patted him on the back soothingly. Even now, with his body wasting away, he was fine with offering the comfort Sevarin had always expected, and had never fully appreciated.
Holding back another crying spell, Sevarin forced himself to stand perfectly straight, like a soldier. Like a dam about to burst.
“Have to do this,” Ascher whispered. “Won’t make the trip.”
“But where are you gonna go?”
“I can’t tell you, son. Coral and I, we’re taking the young ones. Can’t tell anyone where. Emmanuel set us up, somewhere safe.”
“Will you be all right? I mean, the poison and all…”
Ascher nodded. “I’ll be fine. Might never walk again. Won’t be changing into a bear again, that’s certain. But I’ll live. Maybe, someday…”
His voice trailed off as he met Sevarin’s stare with a hopeful one of his own. They joined hands again, Sevarin understanding fully.
“But not for a while,” Sevarin said. “I got it. So long as you’re alive, I’m good. I can live with that. But don’t expect me to leave your side for the next few weeks.”
Ascher shook his head. “Not an option. I’m going into hibernation. A chamber. The magician built it. Should dilute the poison, or something Savant-y and complicated like that. Will you be strong? For me?”
Sevarin nodded, on the verge of tears again. A baby bird. He was a baby bird, watching his father bird glide away…
“It’s not over yet, Pop. Like you said. Someday…”
“Someday.” Ascher nodded once. “I love you, son.”
His lids began to close. Sevarin patted his belly, smiling sadly at him, at the man who had rescued him from that street in West Baltimore all those years ago, who had been the father Sevarin had never known.
“I love you too, Pop.”
By then, Ascher was asleep. Sevarin bent over and kissed his forehead. He left the room, making sure the door slid shut behind him, and then he punched the metal wall hard enough to leave a dent in several feet of pure steel. He punched it again, harder this time and with an angry grunt, feeling not a bit of pain at the impact. The bangs rang like gunshots in the corridor.
He ran. Ran through the corridors, sliding around corners, going in circles, avoiding the areas where his friends were likely to be. As his feet pounded the steel floor, he gave in to violent, vengeful thoughts in which he ripped the Pestilent woman’s tail off and beat her with it. He ran for hours, until he heard his name called over the intercom. Emma’s voice.
“Sevarin, come back. It’s okay. You can come back now…”
Ignoring her, Sevarin wiped tears from his eyes and ran some more.
“Someday,” he kept saying to himself, swinging around corners, fleeing. “Someday. Someday…”
WHEN IT CAME time to choose, one orphan did not rise with the others.
Calista sat with her elbows on the table, chin resting on her palms. Her expression was one of defeat. She could not even look at the other orphans. Emma wanted to hold her friend’s hand, provide what comfort she could, anything to ease her off the bench. But this had to be Calista’s decision.
“Come on, Cali,” Sevarin said. “Get your butt off the seat.”
She shook her head, all dark features and white skin, her eyes hooded and sad. Her tail lay curled up on the bench next to her. Across the cafeteria, the door opened and Coral walked in, wiping her eyes in silence.
“I don’t belong with you people.” Calista looked at Sevarin, then Emma, then back at Sevarin. “There’s nothing I want in Theus, or here.”
Emma felt flush with embarrassment. Calista couldn’t have been more obvious about her jealousy. Emma wished she could reassure her that nothing was going on between her and Sevarin.
“Come on,” Owen said. “We could use a fighter like you. You’re fast.”
“If it’s because you’re a Feral,” Gunner said, “then you don’t have to worry. People in Theus accept your kind.”
“I know that, idiot.” Tears cupped her eyes, and she gave a wet sniffle. “I just don’t belong in this group. I’m not a demigod, I’m no fighter. I don’t care what happens to Taradyn or the rest of the world. I’m not even an orphan. My parents live in Valestaryn. See what I mean? I’m different!”
She had shouted that last part, startling the orphans.
Milo walked slowly around the table in her direction. “No one holds it against you. Just tell us where you want to go, and we’ll make sure you get there in one piece. But also, know this: we’re here for you, and we would never…”
“I want to go home,” she said. “To Valestaryn.”
Coral had just sat down with the other adults. When she heard what Calista said, she slapped her palms against the table and heaved herself up.
“Calista! You remember what happened the last time you were there.”
“I know, but I’m older now. I can take care of myself.”
Coral, seeing the way the girl’s face was about to collapse in grief, shuffled over and embraced her. Calista cried into the woman’s chest.
“I’m sorry,” Calista said, curling her tail around the bench. “I’m so sorry.”
Emma stepped forward.
“We’ll be there for you, Cali. You’ll always have friends, okay?”
Calista pulled away from Coral, gently, not in anger. She spoke in a meek voice. “You promise?”
“I do,” Emma said.
Lily stepped forward. “And so do I.”
The others nodded their agreement. Barrel came forward in his courtly way, put his hands on Calista’s shoulders, and kissed her on the forehead.
“When you’re ready,” he said. “I’ll find you.”
She nodded. “I just need some time.”
With that, Calista turned and ran across the room, phasing along the way into her cat shell. They watched the small, agile creature dart through the door and disappear into the corridor.
CHAPTER 82
“Y ou’re going to military school.”
Emmanuel’s sunglasses flashed as he took in the enormous space around them, the shuttle off to one side. Housed in the garage levels of the vault, this was the biggest vehicle Milo had seen so far. He had noticed while climbing in earlier that laser guns were mounted on the sides.
Among hi
s friends, Milo saw puffy eyes and sleep-heavy faces. They had all just woken up, and had eaten a breakfast of something resembling oatmeal with fruity berries that changed color every few seconds. The orphans jokingly called it “snot of the gods” and laughed about it, though Emmanuel had designed it to be maximally nutritious. Milo had eaten the stuff many times since he’d arrived. To him, the vault was home; he’d almost forgotten what it was like at the ranch.
Lily stood next to him. He smiled down at her, taller by at least two inches. It felt good to be taller than her, finally.
“Don’t look,” she said, averting her face. “I look like a frog in the mornings.”
Aside from a slight puffiness around her eyes and a disheveled mane of hair that fell around her shoulders, she looked as pretty as ever.
“You look fine,” he said.
“So you don’t think I look skinny anymore?”
Wow! Milo was slammed with the memory. That Sunday brunch felt like such a long time ago. A whole two and a half years!
“Your hair is a little messy,” he said, “and your eyes are kind of puffy, but that doesn’t change what I see when I look at you.”
“What do you see?” She tilted her head a little. Milo drank in the sight of her eyes.
“I see the girl I’ve been thinking about for the past two and half years.”
Lily blushed. “I can’t believe you were by yourself for all that time.”
“I was never really alone. At least I didn’t feel that way.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re back.”
“Me, too.”
She placed a hand on Milo’s arm, and then quickly pulled it away. He blushed. Together, they faced the group, trying hard to hide smiles of embarrassment.
The group now consisted of Oscar, Sevarin, Milo, Emma, Lily, Barrel, Owen, and Gunner. They all waited for Emmanuel to continue. Milo heard Owen whisper, “Military school? Sweet!”
Gunner said one word. “Mechas.”
The only other adult present was Andres. He sat in the back, hunched over his knees, looking down at the floor. Milo sometimes felt sorry for the man, who always seemed to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“Military school?” Emma frowned and gave her wings a violent shake. “You mean, get up at the crack of dawn, stand in a straight line, salute your drill instructor, and shave your head military school?”
Emmanuel took off his sunglasses and examined her with his frosty blue eyes. What he said next really made Emma think…
“IF THAT WERE THE CASE,” her uncle said, “could you handle it?”
Emma dipped her head a little in shame and backed into the group. She didn’t know for sure if the answer to his question was a yes or a no. Would she really fit in at a place governed by uber-strict rules and even stricter men in uniforms? She would have to wait and see. At this point, there was no turning back.
“Don’t be afraid,” Emmanuel said, looking over their faces. “Theus is a peaceful city. It’s also the most technologically advanced city in both realms. You’ll be protected.”
He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small disc. He tossed it forward with a flick of his wrist. It landed without touching the floor and hovered. Emma had never seen anything like it, except in movies.
Using a remote control, her uncle dimmed the lights. Colors sprang from the disc and took shape before her eyes, forming a three-dimensional image that reached across the width of the shuttle. A world in miniature had sprung to life before their eyes.
Her uncle stood behind it, awash in colored light.
The camera (or whatever had recorded the image) started hundreds of feet above an ocean, then panned toward a mountainous coast. A city sprawled along the shore, facing the water and backed by the mountains in the distance. The camera zoomed in on the city, and the orphans gasped.
Tall, shining skyscrapers rose in clusters with lines of flying cars weaving among them, the silvery backs of those cars reflecting the colors of massive advertisements that hovered in the sky, three-dimensional holographic videos of men and women using various skin products and drinking soft drinks with names like Ambrosia and Nectola. The place was like New York City a thousand years in the future, and a thousand times shinier.
The camera slid further into the continent, toward the mountains, until it reached its destination. The orphans had thought Theus was impressive, but this place really blew their minds. The more Emma studied it, the more she realized that it was totally different from anything she’d ever seen.
It was like its own city, white and stony, built in a flat valley surrounded by protective mountains. Gentle, man-made streams wove among the footpaths and buildings, and there were dozens of bridges that arched over the water. Students crossed them, carrying books and occasionally stopping to gaze down at the tiny fish.
Elevated train tracks rose on the outskirts of campus, with some sections built into the mountainsides, others arching over empty air like rollercoasters. The trains stopped at towering stations where glass elevators floated the students up and down. All of it looked modern and sleek, and formed a sharp contrast against some of the more ancient, castle-like buildings below.
“Theus Academy,” Emmanuel said. “Consisting of six schools where members of every race can develop their abilities and become world-class warriors, doctors, engineers, and scientists. Some of the most famous people in Astrican history studied here in their youth.”
Emma was wonderstruck. The school’s biggest building was actually a stone castle built into the mountain, its front and sides surrounded by thick walls. Stretched out in front of it was a grassy field with a granite fountain in the center. Water gushed up and fell back into the fountain bowl in misty streaks. Emerging from the fountain was a golden statue of a lean, heroic-looking woman with wings, holding a ball of fire toward the sky. The fire was an actual ball of shivering flames that hovered above her open palm.
Emmanuel spoke in a serious tone. “Each and every one of you will be enrolled, regardless of age. As far as I’m concerned, you’ve already passed the entrance exam.”
“You get to decide that?” Lily said.
“Of course. I’m the dean of students. On paper, at least. But that’s neither here nor there. The important thing is that you all remember the danger you’re in. Someday, Kovax and Iolus will come for you. When that happens, you must be ready. Theus Academy is no vacation. You will undergo the most intense training of your life, all to prepare you for battle. Some of you may not survive to see graduation.”
Emma spoke in a tiny voice. “You—you mean, we could die?”
Emmanuel nodded slowly. “It happens all the time. This is a military school, after all.”
There was a moment of silence in which the orphans all bowed their heads and considered their options. They looked at each other, and an unspoken message seemed to pass among them.
There’s no turning back now.
MILO WAS the only one among them smiling.
He was thinking of all the different ways in which his life would change over the next few years. He was actually going to study at Theus Academy! Where his grandfather, Prestocles, and his uncle, Emmanuel, and all the other magicians and sorcerers of legend had gone to hone their craft. It was a dizzying thought.
Emmanuel’s glasses shone like twin moons above the landscape of the hologram. “I know you all have questions, but for now we must get going. Everyone find a seat against the wall and buckle yourselves in for liftoff.”
The hologram switched off, leaving the inside of the shuttle dark. Tiny bulbs turned on above the rows of bucket seats in the back.
The orphans buckled themselves in. Andres snapped his buckles together after a few tries and smiled at his son, but Oscar didn’t notice. The boy stared ahead, taking deep, nervous breaths.
Milo sat to Emma’s left and helped her accommodate her wings. She had to spread them out, which meant that Milo and Lily, the latter of whom sat to Emma’s right, woul
d have feathers brushing against them the entire time.
Sevarin sat next to Barrel and wouldn’t shut up about learning the art of war. He asked Barrel one question after another about the Dreadnought program, which was where Sargonauts trained to become fearsome warriors. Barrel kept rolling his eyes and saying, “I don’t know, Sev! I’ve never been there, remember?”
Owen and Gunner took their seats behind Milo. They sat hunched over an action figure they had found somewhere in the vault. It was a toy mecha, complete with red armor, a spiked helmet, and a mechanical-looking sword hanging off its belt. There was a laser rifle strapped across its back.
“Milo, check it out,” Owen said, showing it to him. “They have a school at Theus Academy called the Metalsmith Institute of Mechanized Warcraft, and only Humankin can attend…”
“Yeah, yeah!” Gunner said, “and we get to link up to giant fighting suits like this”—he held up the toy—“and fight practice battles in the mountains!”
“And they say the school is inside one of the mountains!” Owen said.
“Nice,” Milo said. “Kind of makes you want to be Humankin.”
“No doubt,” Owen said. He and Gunner high-fived and went back to worshipping the action figure.
The shuttle rumbled. Their bottoms vibrated against the metal benches. A pleasant chill gathered in Milo’s stomach, as if he were on the world’s most exciting rollercoaster, about to take off.
Through the windshield, he saw a metal door slide open at the opposite end of the garage, exposing a rocky tunnel that stretched into infinity. There were yellow lights along the ceiling that made it look like a mineshaft.
Emmanuel sat at the controls. They blinked to life as soon as he touched them.
“Get ready for takeoff.”
The shuttle lifted, and Milo felt a dropping sensation in his belly. The flight was smooth and steady. When they entered the tunnel, the inside of the shuttle blinked from the passing lights above them. Milo noticed Emma’s wide-eyed expression of anxiety and took her hand. She gave him a worried look and inhaled deeply.
Savant & Feral (Digital Boxed Set): Books 1 and 2 of the Epic Luminether Fantasy Series Page 45