Menacing Misfits: An Epic Fantasy Adventure (Darkthorn Academy Book 1)

by Robyn Wideman

  “It really is, but that isn’t what I’m here to show you,” Colin said as he led Jack through the library. There was rows and rows of shelves containing more books than Jack had ever seen.

  “Wow, I can’t believe how many books there are.”

  “This is just the boring stuff. They have several rooms filled with the more interesting stuff, but you have to pass a test before you can go in those rooms.”

  “You have to pass a test before you look at books? They have tests for everything, don’t they?” Jack said a little louder than he should’ve.

  Colin laughed softly. “Shh, keep your voice down. Yes, the school does love tests, but this one is different. Most of the things found in the Ancient Lands are… well, ancient. They need to be handled with care. So, a librarian or artifact caretaker will teach you how to care for items before you’re allowed to handle them yourself. I’d just passed my first tests when I had to leave last year.”

  “That must’ve been hard, leaving during the year.”

  Colin nodded. “Yes. It was. I really didn’t want to leave, I loved it here at the Academy. But my family needed me. Someone had to take care of the business while my father was with the healers, but they couldn’t help him. You’d think with all the magic available that healers could cure anything, but that isn’t the case.”

  “I know, my grandfather took me to a healer after I got into a bad fight, she was able to do amazing things to me, fixed my ribs with just a little effort, but she couldn’t do anything for my grandfather. I didn’t understand at the time, but once he got really sick, I understood. It sucks.” Jack didn’t mention that his grandfather hadn’t died from the sickness—it didn’t really matter. The fact was, losing a family member sucked. It didn’t matter how it happened.

  “I agree,” Colin said as he stopped at a section of shelves. “Here we are. This is the secret that no one will tell you about first year. These are all the first-year books that teachers use. The teachers all have stacks of these books that they hand out, but these ones are from students that have previously taken the courses and many of them have handwritten notes in them about the classes. Once you know what classes you’re going to be in, come back here and go through the books. Read the notes that the previous students have written, and compare them. You’ll find some of the notes are particularly detailed. Many of the kids that went to prep academies are taught to take meticulous notes.”

  “Oh, that is brilliant,” Jack said.

  “Yes. And of course, I’ll give you my notes on the classes that you take where I was already in them. The list of first-year courses is pretty broad, so it will depend on your testing which classes you are in, but I’m sure there will be some overlap.”

  Jack grinned. “That would be awesome. I’d share with you, but I don’t know anything, and the only real skill I have is sharpening knives and weapons.”

  “Don’t worry, that will come in handy. I am hoping to take a few combat classes this year. I did much better in them than I thought I would last year. I prefer the books and library to fighting and swords, but to become a dragon rider it is good to take some type of combat class. It increases the odds of achieving rider status.”

  “Dragons, I can’t believe I might get to ride a dragon one day,” Jack said with a big grin.

  “Wait till we do orientation. You’ll soil yourself when you see a dragon up close.”

  Jack scrunched his face up. “I better not. I only have the one pair of clothing with me.”

  Colin laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you won’t. Besides, you will have uniforms. Actually, I need to get my new uniforms as well. I’ve grown since last year and all my old ones don’t fit anymore. I was as short as you last year but my shoulders weren’t nearly as wide. I was a little twig.”

  “Are you calling me little?”

  “Of course not. For someone with dwarven blood, you are actually fairly tall. Now if you were part orc, I’d call you a runt.”

  Jack laughed. “That is true.”

  “Anyways, what I was trying to say before you got all defensive about being called a shorty was that we should go to the commissary and get our uniforms. They may have to tailor yours. Although some of the warrior students are pretty muscular. Maybe they have some for them.”

  “Or for the runt orcs,” Jack said with a wink.

  “Exactly. Come on, I’ll show you more about the library once you know what classes you’re going to be in.”

  Jack followed Colin out of the library; thankfully, they didn’t run into Isaac or anyone else intent on commenting on Colin now being a scholarship student. In fact, they hardly ran into anyone as they crossed the campus towards the next building. “It’s pretty quiet. I thought the school would be busier.”

  “Tomorrow it gets busier. Most of the new students don’t show up until tomorrow, and the older kids come back the day after. They already know what classes they are going to be in for the most part. Most of the testing and orientation day is about us first-year students.” Colin opened a door and entered it. They were in a little room with a couple chairs against the walls, and on the far wall was a booth. Inside the booth was an elven man.

  “How may I assist you, young gentleman?” the elven man said.

  “Hello, Master Horton. We need uniforms. We’re both scholarship students,” Colin said.

  “I see. Names, please.”

  “Colin Bentley and Jack Vance.”

  The elven man pulled out a list. “Yes, I see you are returning to first year, Mister Bentley. Good to have you back. It appears that you’ve grown since last year.”

  Colin grinned at Jack. “I told you, I was a skinny little runt.”

  “And Mister Vance, I don’t have any information on you.”

  “He just arrived. Miss Cyr is his sponsor,” Colin said.

  “I see, I shall confirm with Miss Cyr, but I’m confident Mister Bentley here wouldn’t lead me astray. I shall get you both three sets of uniforms to start with. You can always come back for more as the need arises.”

  “Jack will need casual wear for Sundays.”

  Master Horton looked Jack over. “Yes, those clothes have seen better days. I’ll include a few pairs of essentials such as socks and underwear, along with a couple pairs of trousers and shirts. I’ll be right back.”

  As Master Horton turned and disappeared behind a curtain, Jack turned to Colin. “What’s wrong with my clothing?”

  “Nothing for traveling, or for a tinker, but for an Academy student they are a little on the rough side. As you know, students here are a little stuck up, and you’ll stick out like a sore thumb wearing them. And when you go into Ansby you’ll want to look like you belong at the school.”

  “I suppose.” Jack wasn’t sure that he really needed new clothes, but if it would help him fit in better then he might as well get them. It was good to have a friend who knew how to act and dress to fit in. So far Jack had met two first-year students, one was now his friend and the other looked like he might be trouble. He needed to avoid getting into confrontations with students, or Miss Cyr would kick him out.

  “Here you go,” Master Horton said as he returned with two bundles. He handed the smaller one to Colin and then a larger one to Jack. “You’ll find everything you need in there. If you have need of any other personal items, or would like someone to do something with your hair… please feel free to come back.”

  Jack looked at Colin. “My hair?”

  Colin shrugged. “It is a little long. You might want to have it cut if you don’t want to stand out.”

  Jack sighed. “If you don’t mind, Master Horton, I’d like to get my hair cut.”

  “I thought you’d never ask.” Master Horton pulled out a pair of scissors. “Don’t move.”

  The scissors came out of Master Horton’s hand and floated through the air.

  Jack’s eyes went big. He’d never had a magical haircut before.

  The scissors went around Jack as if they were s
tudying him, then they started cutting. As each strand of hair was cut, the clippings disappeared. The scissors moved incredibly fast, it seemed to Jack. He could only see them when they came around to the front, but he could hear them snipping at a furious pace.

  Seconds later, Master Horton produced a mirror and handed it to Jack.

  Jack looked in the mirror. The magical scissors had given him a nice haircut. The sides were short, almost to the scalp, but his bangs were still almost down to his eyes. Jack wasn’t sure what the style was in Darkthorn Academy, but to him it looked good. He turned to Colin. “What do you think?”

  Colin gave him two thumbs up. “The scissors are never wrong. This is how you should always do your hair.”

  “Really?”

  Master Horton nodded. “The magic scissors were designed to do functionable haircuts. However, we’ve found that they have a mind of their own and tend to focus more on cutting the hair to achieve the most desirable look for attracting the opposite sex. I’ve yet to see a student have a haircut that they regretted. Many of the female students swear by the scissors and will only get their hair done here.”

  “It looks good. The ladies will love you,” Colin said. “Wide shoulders, big white teeth, and those big eyes. You’ll be a hit.”

  Jack shook his head. “Ya, right. No one is going to want a half-dwarven guy.”

  “I think you’ll find many at the Academy open minded towards other races. Darkthorn Academy students don’t just come from Westdrift. We cater to students from all the kingdoms.”

  Colin nodded. “Lots of mixed-blood students here. Some of the kingdoms don’t like mixed blood but Westdrift is an open-to-all-races kingdom, officially if not in practice. You’ll meet students from everywhere. Besides, people at the Academy are far more elitist than racist. Money and power matter more than your race.”

  “Interesting,” Jack said. It would be cool to meet people from other kingdoms, and the idea that Darkthorn Academy was elitist wasn’t a shock to Jack. He’d already seen how students were treating Colin. Seeing as he didn’t have much money, Jack knew he’d still be at the bottom of the social ladder. But being picked on for being poor would be a change from what he was used to.

  “I have to go meet my sponsor teacher. Why don’t you go get changed into one of your uniforms and then I’ll meet you at the cafeteria for supper,” Colin said.

  “Where’s the cafeteria?”

  “It’s right here, next door over. You can’t miss it.”

  “OK.”

  “See you in thirty minutes,” Colin said.

  Jack turned to Master Horton. “It was nice meeting you, sir.”

  “Likewise, Mister Vance. If you have any questions about the Academy, feel free to stop by. And any supplies you need, we will have. It might not be as shiny and new as some would want, but I can assure you of the quality of everything we provide.”

  When he returned to the room, Jack changed into one of his new school uniforms. The black pants, white shirt with black thorns going up the body of the shirt towards the heart was unique.

  Done changing, Jack started heading towards the cafeteria. Not wanting to keep Colin waiting, Jack rushed out of his room, and ran straight into another student. The collision sent Jack crashing to the ground.

  “I’m sorry,” stammered the other student.

  Jack looked up, the student he’d run into was huge. Jack hadn’t met anyone that big before. Judging from the man’s features he was definitely part orc. The pale green color of his skin was a dead giveaway that he wasn’t completely human, but he didn’t have the huge tusks, or the flat wide nose of a full-blooded orc. Jack was also surprised by the timid voice and apology. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I was in a rush and wasn’t looking where I was going.”

  The boy gave a half-smile and offered Jack a hand up. Jack accepted the hand and was easily picked up off the ground.

  “I’m Jack Vance.”

  “Stannerios Morwerk.”

  “A pleasure to meet you, Stannerios. I’m guessing you’re a first-year student as well.”

  Stannerios nodded. “Yes. I got here this morning.”

  “I’m just going to the cafeteria to get some supper. What are you doing?”

  “Same.”

  Jack got the feeling that Stannerios, despite his size, or because of it, was fairly shy. But he seemed nice. “Care to join me? I’ll introduce you to my roommate Colin.”

  “I’d like that.”

  “Come on, then, I don’t know about you but I’m hungry.”

  Jack and Stannerios walked to the cafeteria in silence. When they got there, Colin waved them down. “Over here,” he said.

  “I see you’ve met a new friend,” Colin said as he held out his hand to Stannerios.

  “Colin, this is Stannerios. I literally ran into him coming out of our room.”

  “I can guess how that turned out.”

  Jack nodded. “Ya, with me on my back. Stannerios here is as strong as a bull.” Jack turned to Stannerios. “You aren’t part bull, are you?”

  Stannerios laughed. “No. I’m three-quarters orc. My father was half orc, half human.”

  “Interesting,” Colin said. “Don’t see many half-blooded orcs.”

  “My grandfather was a very strong and powerful man. He could handle an orc wife.”

  Colin grinned. “He must’ve been. I see you’re a scholarship student. Did you win it for combat?”

  Stannerios shook his head. “No, I got my scholarship because my father was a Darkthorn graduate. Nikko won the combat challenge. But I placed second.”

  “Ah, I see.” Colin said.

  Jack frowned. “What do you see?”

  “Darkthorn allows every kingdom to send students based on challenges. Mosh Dagh, the orc kingdom, only sends students who win combat challenges. But since Stannerios’s father was a student the school allowed him to come despite his not winning the challenge.” Colin frowned. “I bet that made some orcs very unhappy.”

  Jack thought about his own situation. It was obvious the only reason he was in the school was because his mother had graduated the Academy. If not for that, there was no way he’d be there.

  Stannerios nodded. “They thought I shouldn’t accept the invitation. That I am dishonoring my people by not being a combat champion. But my mother forced me to come. She says they also pick on me for not being a full-blooded orc, so they can’t get mad when I don’t accept the orc way. I don’t care what the others say, when she told me I had to come I listened. I’m more afraid of her than any other orc.”

  “Well, glad to have you, Stannerios. You’ll fit right in with this gang of outcasts. Jack and myself are kind of outcasts ourselves. Jack’s half dwarven, and I’m doing my first year for the second time.”

  Stannerios looked at Colin. “But you’re Jack’s roommate. How can a scholarship student be here two years without passing?”

  “I wasn’t a scholarship student last year.”

  “I see. You two really are misfits.”

  “Misfits. I like that,” Colin said. “Of course, that means you’re kind of one, too.”

  Stannerios shrugged and nodded.

  Jack and Colin laughed. Despite his shy demeanor, it was obvious Stannerios was smart.

  The smell of fresh-baked bread caught Jack’s attention. “Can we eat now? I’m starving.”

  “Yes, let’s eat,” Stannerios said.

  Colin chuckled. “Sure.”

  12

  The next morning Jack woke to the sound of Colin doing pushups.

  “Ugh. What are you doing? It’s too early for that.”

  “I try to exercise every morning. I learned the hard way last year that you need to be in good shape. Trust me, you want to do some exercises, too.”

  Jack thought back to the routine Ramy had given him. Maybe he needed to start following it again. He sighed. “Fine. But I’m not running behind any wagons.”

  “What the heck are you talking ab
out?”

  “Nothing,” Jack said as he got on the ground beside Colin and starting doing pushups.

  “We can find you a wagon if you really need one,” Colin said as he matched Jack’s efforts.

  “No. That’s quite fine. My grandfather started training me, and he’d make me do squats and pushups, and then once we broke camp he’d ride on the wagon and make me jog behind it.”

  “Well that might be tricky to find. But if you need motivation to run, maybe we can get one of the older students to lend us a dragon. They can chase you around the campus.”

  “That sounds more like torture than motivation,” Jack said.

  Colin grinned. “Aren’t they the same thing?”

  “I hope you never become a teacher. You’d be the worst teacher ever.”

  “You mean the best. I’d have all the students whipped into shape in no time.”

  “The ones who didn’t get eaten by dragons.”

  “A minor detail.”

  Jack shook his head as he stood up. “Can we go get breakfast now?”

  “Yes. Today is orientation. Most of the students will be arriving right now. We’ll eat and then take the tour and then it will be testing time.”

  Jack was nervous about the testing. He wasn’t like the other students. He hadn’t been trained to come to the Academy, he had no real skills that applied to the Academy. What if they realized what a mistake it was for him to be there? Would they throw him out, or worse, return him to the jail in Sunder?

  “Hey, you going to stand there all day or what?” Colin said.

  “Sorry, I was just thinking,” Jack said as he followed Colin out of the room.

  “Relax, testing day isn’t that bad.”

  “That’s easy for you to say, you’ve done it before, and you came from a prep school.”

  “Honestly, Jack, you just need to stop thinking about it. What is the worst that can happen? They find out you don’t have magic and you just end up in normal classes and not magic. That isn’t that bad.”

  “I’m not sure what’s worse, the idea that I might have magic, or that I don’t,” Jack said.