A Warden's Purpose (Wardens of Issalia Book 1)

by Jeffrey L. Kohanek

  Everson’s eyes narrowed. “Tell me about it. What’s it like?”

  “Well, I had to get myself real angry to feel it. They say fear works, too, but I haven’t had luck trying that route. Today, I focused on anger. Real, hot anger. When I felt enraged, I closed my eyes and sensed something feeding the anger, something around me. It was almost tangible. With my mind, I reached out and grabbed onto it and drew it inside of me.”

  Jonah’s tone softened. “I had no idea how it would feel.” He shook his head in wonder. “It was as if I had swallowed a thunderstorm. The heat, the energy…I feared I might explode. I then concentrated on the Light rune, and it flared to life. The next thing I knew, the rock I held shined so brightly, I couldn’t look at it.”

  “How did you feel, you know…afterward?”

  Jonah sat back on his bed with his shoulders against the wall. “It left me drained. Exhausted. I sat on a bench until the sun approached the horizon while I waited to recover.”

  Everson’s brain worked the puzzle, tilting and twisting it as he sought to determine what was possible…and what was not.

  “So, you could not perform this type of magic again for some time without rest.” He stated it as a fact. “Could you perform more than one augmentation at a time by pouring some of the energy into one rune and the rest into another?”

  Jonah’s blinked at the question. “I…I don’t know. Maybe.”

  Questions spun in Everson’s head. “Well, how long does the effect last?”

  Reaching for his pack, Jonah dug out a stone the size of his fist. It emitted a dull blue glow, dim as a dormant glowlamp. “This was a bright light over an hour ago, perhaps an hour and a half.”

  Everson stared at the rock. “When did the rock begin to dim?”

  Jonah shrugged. “After about an hour, I guess.”

  Everson’s eyes narrowed. “When we first arrived here, you mentioned enchanting – a way to make the magic last forever.”

  Jonah shrugged. “That’s what I’ve heard, but I don’t know how it works.”

  “What else have you heard? Do you know how it’s been used?”

  “Well, I heard that enchanting an oven can make it hot forever. No need to even light a fire or feed it with logs.”

  “Interesting.” Everson considered the idea. “I wonder if the ovens here are enchanted.”

  Jonah’s eyes went wide. “I bet they are.”

  Everson’s grin matched Jonah’s. “We should investigate.”

  “My thoughts…”

  A knock on the door interrupted their conversation.

  “Are you expecting anyone?” Jonah asked.

  Everson shook his head. “Who is it?”

  A muffled voice came through the door. “Messenger. I have a letter for Everson Gulagas.”

  Jonah slid off his bed and opened the door. A boy, tall and thin and dressed in a blue coat with white piping stood in the doorway.

  “Everson Gulagas?”

  “That’s me.” Everson said, waving from his seat on the bed.

  The boy moved past Jonah, handed an envelope to Everson, and disappeared down the corridor. Jonah closed the door and turned toward Everson.

  “Who’s it from?”

  Everson read the outside of the envelope, seeing his name written in poor handwriting. He smiled. “It’s from my sister.”

  He opened the letter and scanned the contents. After a bit, Jonah spoke, interrupting the quiet moment.

  “I don’t suppose you care to share what it says?”

  Everson lowered the letter and glared at his roommate. “Is your curiosity so strong that you would ask about my private family business?”

  Jonah shrugged. “No sense in denying it.”

  Everson chuckled. “In that case, she says that things are going well. Like us, she has three days off after the fifteenth week of training. She plans to come see me during the first break.”

  “I can’t wait to meet her.”

  “Don’t get any ideas, Jonah. I’d hate to see you hurt.”

  “Are trying to protect your sister?”

  Everson grinned. “Not at all. I’m trying to protect you from her.”

  Jonah laughed and Everson joined him. He then grabbed the desk chair, slid it out and lifted himself onto it.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I need to write a note back to her.”

  Everson pulled a pen from the drawer, its glass body half-full. He tested the ball at the tip, which left a black streak on his thumb. As he stared at it, he considered the convenience of not needing an inkwell. The pen was another creation of Nindlerod’s, invented years earlier.

  “What about the ovens?” Jonah asked.

  Everson turned toward him. “Don’t worry. We’re definitely sneaking into the kitchen tonight.”

  Jonah smiled. “That’s what I wanted to hear.”

  Holding the paper up to the glowlamp, Everson read the letter to ensure he had not forgotten anything.

  Quinn,

  Thank you for writing me. It was wonderful to hear from you and I look forward to seeing you during our break. Perhaps we can journey to Fallbrandt and visit Mother and Father for a couple days.

  I’m glad that your training is going well. Things are going well for me, too. My roommate, Jonah, and I are becoming fast friends. To my surprise, Torney and Rena are here, and I see them a few times a week. Both are training to be magic users, as is Jonah. I have even become friends with two fellow engineers – a boy named Donnell, and a girl named Ivy.

  In the mornings, I attend Chaos Theory class, where I learn about magic abilities and how to utilize them with engineered creations.

  Engineering training consumes much of my time. I spend half my morning in a classroom each day and my entire afternoon in The Foundry. You would love the place. It’s like father’s smithy, but a hundred times larger and far more impressive. I have learned numerous new skills, and I plan to craft some amazing things.

  Take care of yourself and stay out of trouble. I will see you soon.

  -Everson

  With a nod, Everson folded the letter and slipped it into the envelope. He put the envelope on the desk, turned toward Jonah, and poked him in the shoulder.

  “What?” Jonah jerked awake with a start, blinking as his head rose from his pillow.

  “You fell asleep.”

  Jonah rubbed his eyes and sat up on the bed. “What time is it?”

  Everson grabbed his pack and opened it. “It’s time to go. The sun set over an hour ago, so the kitchen should be quiet.”

  Standing, Jonah arched his back as he stretched. Everson grabbed the glowlamp and slid it into his pack, plunging the room into darkness. He then gripped his canes and stood as Jonah opened the door. The blue light of the glowing floor tiles in the corridor lit the opening as Everson shuffled through. With the door closed and locked, the two boys headed down the hallway.

  Despite the illuminated tiles to light the way, the cold interior of the massive building felt eerie and lonely – an empty husk bereft of a pulse. They passed through the main hall, entered the central corridor, and tested the doors to the dining hall.

  “Locked,” Jonah whispered as he dug into his pockets. He pulled out a long needle and a flat strip of metal.

  “You know how to pick a lock?” Everson asked in a hushed voice.

  Jonah shrugged. “Effects of a misspent youth.”

  He then knelt and slid the needle into the slot, twisting and wiggling it. Everson glanced down the hall nervously as the sound of metal scraping metal echoed in the quiet of night. A click sounded and Jonah slid the flat metal piece into the lock, grimacing as he used it to turn the bolt.

  “Done.” He turned the knob and the door swung open.

  A voice came from behind them. “What are you guys doing?”

  Everson stared at Jonah with alarm in his eyes and swallowed before turning. With arms crossed, Donnell stood a few strides away.

  “Donnell,” Eve
rson stammered. “What are you doing here?”

  “I was studying in the lounge, and I spotted you two heading down the corridor as I was returning to my room. Are you breaking into the dining hall?”

  Jonah stood and turned toward Donnell. “It’s no big deal. We aren’t stealing or anything like that.”

  “So, why do it?”

  Jonah glanced at Everson, who shrugged.

  “We want to investigate the ovens.”

  Donnell’s eyes narrowed, his head tilted to the side. “The ovens?”

  With an exasperated sigh, Everson waved Donnell forward. “Just come with us and you’ll see. Regardless, we need to get out of the hallway.”

  Everson shuffled inside, as did Donnell, while Jonah pulled the door closed behind them.

  When the room fell dark, Everson handed his pack to Jonah.

  “Take the lamp out so we can see.”

  Jonah extracted the glowlamp and blue light bloomed, casting long shadows across the room. The three boys slipped past the tables and made their way to the kitchen. They circled the long counter that normally divided the students from the cooks, and the ovens came into view. The air grew warmer as they edged closer. Three massive brick ovens hugged the back wall, each with a heavy cast iron door. Jonah reached for the nearest oven door and yanked his hand back with a yelp.

  “Ouch!” His fingers went to his mouth. “I burnt myself.”

  Everson found a pair of heavy leather mitts on a nearby counter. “Put one of those on.”

  Jonah slipped a mitt on his hand and he tried again. The door squeaked as it opened and blue light filtered into the opening as raw heat poured out. No fire could be seen. In fact, there was no chamber at the bottom to allow a fire.

  The interior was large enough for Everson to squeeze inside, rows of metal racks dividing the oven into four even levels. With the lamp held beside his head, Jonah peeked in.

  “Do you see anything?”

  “Yes. Come and look.”

  Everson squeezed in close to Jonah as Donnell did the same. The heat made Everson blink at its intensity. And then, he noticed what Jonah was pointing toward.

  Runes marked the metal interior walls of the oven, dozens of them. All the same.

  “Do you know that rune?” Everson asked.

  Jonah shook his head. “I haven’t seen it before.”

  Donnell added, “Me neither.”

  Everson stared at one of the runes for a moment, memorizing the lines and storing the image away in the vault of his mind. He then stepped back, relieved to be away from the heat.

  “Close the door. We’re done here.”

  As Jonah closed the door, Donnell looked at Everson in confusion. “What is this about? I still don’t understand.”

  “You saw the runes, right?”

  Donnell shrugged. “Yeah. So what?”

  “You felt the heat?”

  “How could I not?”

  “Where’s the fire? Where are the coals?”

  Donnell frowned while staring at the oven. “I…don’t know.”

  “That’s because there is no fire. There are no coals.”

  “Where’s the heat coming from, then?”

  “From the rune-marked steel plates.” Jonah grinned. “They’re enchanted.”

  21

  Quarry

  A bead of sweat clung to Everson’s forehead. He resisted the urge to itch it as he focused on his task. The bead broke loose and tracked down, past his brow, and into his eye. The sting forced him to squeeze his eye closed and blink in an attempt to clear it. All the while, he watched the forge’s heat attack the bronze ingot. What began as a solid chunk of metal soon liquefied, filling the heavy cast iron ladle. Lifting it carefully, Everson turned toward the adjacent workbench and poured the melted bronze into the casting, filling the cavity to the top.

  “Okay, Donnell.” Everson wiped his brow dry with his sleeve. “Set the casting into the water. Please don’t drop it. That casting took hours to machine.”

  Donnell gripped the casting with a large pair of tongs. He placed the metal block into the shallow tub of water and a hiss of steam rose into the air.

  While the casting cooled, Everson slid off his stool and shuffled to the next workstation. With her long dark hair tied back and pair of magnifying spectacles strapped to her head, Ivy leaned over the benchtop as she worked. Everson eyed the hard wire strand as she heated it and coiled it about the rod.

  He grinned at his idea taking form. “You’re doing great, Ivy. It was clever of you to use the rod as a core for the coil.”

  The hint of smile flickered at the corner of her mouth, but there was no other reaction. Movement in his peripheral vision caught Everson’s attention. He turned to find Jonah approaching with a grin.

  “What crazy ideas are you guys bringing to life?”

  Everson shook his head. “It would ruin the surprise if I revealed it before we’re finished. Besides, I’m not positive it will work.”

  “I figured you might play it that way.” Jonah shook his head. “You and your secrets.”

  “I guess we all have secrets,” Donnell said.

  Everson glanced at Donnell and found him staring at Jonah. “What are you doing here, Jonah? Aren’t you supposed to be meditating or something?”

  Jonah shrugged. “You know the rune we learned this morning in Chaos Theory class?”

  Everson tilted his head. “The one that increases gravitational effects? What of it?”

  “I thought you might like to join me outside, and we can test it before dinner.”

  Having never seen arcane arts in use, Everson’s curiosity demanded that he accept Jonah’s invitation. Grasping for restraint, he tried to hide the anticipation churning inside.

  “We are about done for the day, anyway.” He shrugged. “Why not?”

  Jonah smiled. “Great.” He then turned toward Donnell. “Do you want to join us, Donnell?”

  The boy’s eyes narrowed as he visibly considered the offer. After a moment, he shrugged. “Sure. That would be great.”

  Everson turned toward Ivy, still busy coiling the heated wire. “Would you like to join us, Ivy?”

  The girl removed the wire from the flame and stared into space for a long moment. She then gave a slight shake of her head. “No. I’ll finish this. You boys go on.”

  “All right. Please join us if you change your mind.” Everson turned toward two boys. “Let’s go. We can exit through the Foundry Yard.”

  Shuffling down the center aisle of the long building, Everson led Jonah and Donnell toward the exit. The boys passed clusters of students working throughout the building, crafting components and assembling creations. One particular invention caught Everson’s attention.

  Similar to his father’s grinding wheel, the creation contained a foot pedal attached to a cam and a rod. Above it was a benchtop and a metal armature that held a needle. When he noticed a rod beside it holding a spool of thread, Everson realized that the contraption was designed to make sewing easier. The lead student on the project was Henrick Todd, a third-year student. Everson nodded in admiration, thinking that the creation was quite useful and would win Henrick much praise.

  They reached the end of the building, and Jonah opened the door, holding it as Everson and Donnell passed by.

  A chill autumn breeze struck them, cooling the sweat in Everson’s damp tunic. He had forgotten to grab his academy coat and briefly considered heading back to retrieve it. The sun hovered in the western sky, above the high mountain peaks. Its rays balanced the breeze enough that Everson decided he could survive dressed as he was.

  “Come on. Let’s move farther from the building.”

  Jonah waved them forward as he headed past the stockyard of raw building materials and toward the engineering outbuilding.

  “Why do we need to be out here?” Donnell asked. “The augmentation seems harmless enough. We could have done the experiment inside.”

  Jonah spun around, walking backw
ard as he grinned at his companions. “That’s true, if we were using an approved rune.”

  Everson’s eyes narrowed. “You want to try the rune from the ovens, don’t you?”

  With an even wider grin, Jonah nodded.

  “Are you sure it’s safe?” Donnell asked. “I don’t really trust any of this Chaos stuff…it seems so…unnatural.” Everson looked at him with a furrowed brow, as did Jonah. Donnell quickly added. “Besides, we don’t even know what this one does exactly.”

  Spinning about to face forward again, Jonah spoke over his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll take precautions.”

  They circled behind the outbuilding and passed by the closed stall doors. Everson noted that the end stall was twice the width of the others, marked with the number fifty. A plaque beside the number said. Birthplace of the Hedgewick Flyer.

  “That must be where Master Hedgewick built the first flying machine,” Everson said.

  “I guess.” Donnell shrugged.

  “Have either of you seen him yet? Have you met him?”

  Jonah shrugged “When would I have met him?”

  Donnell shook his head. “Not me.”

  Everson wondered what kind of man Master Hedgewick might be. “I hear that he does guest lectures and sometimes holds Engineering classes for the senior students.”

  “You’ll meet him eventually,” Jonah said. “I’m sure of it.”

  They passed over a small rise and descended into what appeared to be an old quarry cut into the base of a mountain. Surrounded by pale gray rock that matched most of the buildings within the academy, Everson determined that this is where those walls originated. Geometric corners and depressions gave an unnatural shape to the quarry, an indication that man had claimed dominance to the location.

  Jonah crossed the rocky ground and stopped before a stone twice the size of his head. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small chunk of pale blue rock from one pocket and a folded piece of paper from the other. Everson immediately recognized the paper as Jonah unfolded it, marked with a rune he had drawn himself.

  Kneeling, Jonah began tracing the rune upon the flat face of the rock. When done, he turned toward Everson, whose nod confirmed that the rune appeared exactly as he remembered. Jonah stepped back as he pocketed the chunk of glowstone.