School of Swords and Serpents Boxset: Books 1 - 3 (Hollow Core, Eclipse Core, Chaos Core)

by Gage Lee

  “Thank you, honored Elders.” I really was grateful for their help, even if they hadn’t been able to offer me a cure. At least now I knew what was happening. That was better than nothing. “I have much to consider. How can I let you know about my decision?”

  “Hagar can reach out to us,” Sanrin said. “We look forward to hearing from you.”

  To my surprise, Sanrin took my hand and squeezed my fingers. His eyes were filled with real concern, and he looked like he had something else to say. Instead, he patted the back of my hand, then stood and left the room. Brand followed him, pausing only to shoot me a thumbs-up before he closed the door.

  “We’re all worried about you, Jace,” Hirani said. “I know it may not seem like we’re doing anything, but we’ve put our best people on this. We’re looking out for you, I swear.”

  “I understand,” I said.

  And I did. That didn’t keep me from feeling alone and confused, though. Brother Harlan seemed certain I was bound up in a big change in the Grand Design. Cruzal insisted I was the only one who could guide the new initiates down their paths.

  My mother was still out there, too. The heretics were up to something, and I might be able to stop them.

  It was all too much.

  “Your clothes are in the closet,” Hirani said as she plucked the medallions from my chest. “I don’t think you’re in any danger of another attack if you don’t push yourself. Take it easy, Jace, until we know how to help you.”

  The elder removed the adhesive pads attached to my head and coiled the wires connected to them into a neat bundle. She put them on top of a machine next to the bed and ruffled my hair with her delicate fingers. Her touch sent tingles racing across my scalp and eased the tension I’d carried in my shoulders.

  “Thank you,” I said. “I mean it.”

  “When you’re dressed, the door to the left of your bed will take you back to the upperclassman dorms,” she said. “It’s close to dinnertime. You can still get a decent meal if you hurry.”

  The elder smiled at me, and for a moment I thought she had a tidbit of wisdom to offer in my time of need. Instead, she favored me with one of her dazzling smiles, then left me alone to get dressed.

  The Decision

  MY LEGS WERE STILL a bit wobbly, and it was a little hard to catch my breath when I made it back to the School. Fortunately, the dorm hall was empty, and by the time I reached the grand hallway I almost felt normal.

  As long as normal meant staying very close to walls or railings I could grab onto if one of my legs decided to give out on me.

  “Hey, champ,” Hagar called out when I reached the bottom of the stairs. She’d been leaning against the wall next to the dining hall’s entrance and pushed off to head in my direction. “I heard you might need a little help getting around.”

  “That depends,” I said. “Are you here as my friend or my handler?”

  She stopped a few feet away from me and crossed her arms over her chest.

  “That wasn’t very nice,” she said. “And the two things aren’t mutually exclusive. If it makes you feel better, though, I’m here as your friend. I’m worried about you.”

  “Thanks.” I felt terrible for accusing Hagar of putting the clan’s interests above mine. It had been more than a year since she’d tried to kill me, after all. “I’m sorry. This whole thing has me messed up. I don’t know what to do.”

  “Let’s get some food in you, then we’ll figure it out together,” she said. “Clem, Eric, and Abi are already at a table. Let me get you to it and bring you a plate.”

  “I can walk,” I said.

  “You can, but it’ll be easier if I help you.” Hagar took my arm, cleverly making it look like she was leaning on me while actually supporting me. She really was a good friend. “You need calories and rest. I’ll get you both.”

  We crossed the room without incident, and I didn’t feel too many eyes staring at us. I couldn’t have been the first person to get sick in class, and I certainly wouldn’t be the last.

  “He lives.” Abi scooted his chair away from the table and pulled one out for me with an exaggerated flourish. “The way Eric and Clem were talking, I thought you’d look like a zombie.”

  “Nah.” Hagar slipped her arm away from mine, and I dropped into the chair. “He pulled through all right. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  She squeezed my shoulder and then headed off to grab my food. I didn’t know what she’d bring me, especially since she didn’t eat much herself. Hopefully there’d be more on my plate than ham and burned hash browns.

  “How are you really doing?” Clem asked quietly.

  “Better.” I explained as much about my condition as I could and laid out my options. Going to Bogotá might get me fixed up and back on my feet, at the cost of being away from my friends and the hollow initiates for weeks or months. If I stayed at the School, though, there was a risk my core would delaminate and kick me back to having a hollow core. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Go to Bogotá,” Clem said without hesitation. “You have to get on top of this, Jace.”

  “Maybe,” Eric said. “But the hollows need him. If he’s not around, what will happen to them?”

  “Jace did all right on his own,” Abi interjected. “The hollows will find their own path if it is meant to be. The Grand Design will guide them as it wills.”

  Abi’s words sent a chill down my spine. This could be the convergence that Brother Harlan had told me about. If it was, then he’d want me to go to Bogotá and let the chips fall where they may.

  “Your core seems stable enough.” Hahen had materialized in the center of the table. He deftly snaked his tail between the plates without disturbing any of them. His finger jabbed me in the chest, and a pulse of jinsei washed through my channels. My core tingled at the sacred energy’s touch, and I braced myself for a wave of pain that didn’t come. “Perhaps if we work together, we can figure out what others have failed to discover on their own. There’s no one living with more experience in this area than you and me, my friend.”

  It was great to talk to everyone. It would have been even greater if they didn’t all have contradictory advice to give me. I was just as confused now as I had been when I’d left the recovery room. Abi and Clem thought I should go to Bogotá. Hahen and Eric both thought I should stay at the School.

  “Thanks,” I said with a rueful chuckle. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. Maybe I should have stayed at the Temple and let the inquisitors poke me for a while longer.”

  “That’s probably not a great idea,” Clem grumbled. “They shouldn’t have taken you in the first place. If you’d broken any laws, that’s a job for the Adjudicators. The priests had no jurisdiction over you.”

  “The priests have jurisdiction over the Grand Design.” Abi leaned back in his chair. “Jace has already played an important part in that.”

  Clem bristled at Abi’s defense of the Inquisition. She was about to tear into him when Hagar arrived with a plate mounded high with crispy French fries, a juicy hamburger that looked as big as my head, and a trio of apples, each the size of my fist.

  “Eat up.” She put the tray in front of me and took the seat to my right. She lifted a mug of coffee off my tray and took a sip. That left me with only a glass of water to drink.

  I really wanted that coffee. “Nope,” she said when she caught my longing gaze on her cup. “No caffeine. Eat, then march yourself up to bed and get some rest.”

  “I’m dying, though.” I gave her my most pitiful sad face. “I think the coffee would make me feel better.”

  “And I think you should eat your burger.” Hagar rolled her eyes. “What were you talking about before I interrupted?”

  “About whether I should stay here or go to Bogotá.” I took a big bite of the burger and found it tasted even better than it looked.

  “That’s easy,” Hagar said. “Go to Bogotá before your core splits in half.”

  “It’s not going to sp
lit in half,” Hahen said. “It will come apart in layers, like an onion.”

  Eric laughed. “Because that sounds so much more pleasant than splitting in half. What happens when all the layers come apart?”

  “No one knows,” Hahen said. “At least, I’ve never heard of this happening to anyone before. Perhaps once the delamination is complete, you could fuse with another core. We just can’t predict the outcome.”

  “Which is why he should go,” Clem snapped. “The experts should handle this.”

  “There are no experts,” Hahen said calmly. “The last...”

  The conversation swirled around me while I devoured my burger. My friends had all made excellent points, and they all conflicted with one another. At the end of the day, none of them could help me make this decision.

  I let them talk while I gulped down the calories. The burger was juicy and savory, seasoned just right, with crispy strips of bacon layered over a cap of gooey melted provolone cheese. It was topped by sweet tomatoes, sharp onion, and fresh, crunchy lettuce. The fries were just the way I liked them, the outside charred crispy, while the inside was still light and fluffy. The more food I put in my stomach, the easier it was to think.

  “What are you going to do?” Clem finally asked, exasperated by the arguments that had bounced back and forth across the table.

  “I won’t be any use to anyone if I delaminate.” I hesitated to say the words. “I have to go to the hospital.”

  My friends all nodded sadly, and Hahen shook his head.

  “I have elixirs, powders, and more knowledge than most,” he said. “Stay here, with me. We can work on this together. It will be like it was before.”

  There was a sadness in the rat spirit’s eyes that hurt me more than my wounded core. He had every faith he could fix what was wrong with me. He’d been around for hundreds of years and had studied alchemy and the jinsei arts longer than almost any human alive. Did any of the doctors in Bogotá really know better?

  I had to go to find out.

  Maybe it wasn’t the right decision, but it was a decision. Sometimes, you have to make a move even if you’re not sure it’s in the right direction.

  “We’ll miss you,” Clem said.

  “Not as much as I’ll miss all of you,” I said. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

  “Hey, guys,” Hagar said.

  “Sure,” Eric said. “Before we know it.”

  “Guys.” We all ignored Hagar as we said our goodbyes.

  “The Flame will guide you,” Abi assured me. “Your feet are on the right path. Trust that.”

  “Guys!” Hagar almost shouted.

  “What?” I asked her.

  She pointed toward the doorway.

  “Is that a dragon?”

  The Gauntlet

  IT WAS, IN FACT, A dragon.

  A big one with scales the color of burnished gold and a long, sinuous body with a wiry, feline flexibility. All conversation died away, and the creature made his way into the dining hall. His body took up most of the door, and he had to step carefully to avoid overturning tables with his enormous claws.

  “I am Elushinithoc, Lord of the Scaled Council, Wyrm King of the Golden Flight,” the dragon said. “I have come a very long way on a matter of great importance. Come to the courtyard.”

  The professors in the dining hall exchanged nervous glances and stayed in their seats as if glued to them. The students followed their lead and froze like rabbits under a hawk’s shadow.

  “Or,” the dragon continued, “I can incinerate everyone in this room for wasting my time. You have three seconds to make your decision.”

  That got everyone moving.

  The professors scrambled to their feet and kept our exit to an orderly hustle rather than a dangerous stampede. Elushinithoc had cleared out, and no one wanted him to come back.

  My friends and I hurried out of the dining hall. The burger had refueled me, and I no longer had to lean on anyone for support. Hahen had even decided to ride on my shoulder rather than risk getting trampled by the crowd. If he trusted me to keep him safe, maybe I’d be all right after all.

  As it turned out, Elushinithoc was an excellent guide. The school bent around him, opening doors so wide he didn’t brush the tops or sides, and we reached the courtyard in a matter of minutes.

  The dragon uncoiled himself directly between the enormous statues I’d seen earlier. He stood patiently until we’d all entered the courtyard. It was a tight fit, but we all squeezed in and waited nervously for Elushinithoc to continue. Before he could speak, though, there was a new interruption.

  “What is the meaning of this?” Headmistress Cruzal demanded. She’d entered the courtyard through an upper-floor balcony and glided toward Elushinithoc surrounded by an aura of blue light.

  “The Scaled Council has sanctioned my appearance here,” Elushinithoc explained with a dismissive wave of one claw. “Disruptions in human society have impacted the Grand Design beyond our tolerance. As is our right, the leaders of dragonkind have petitioned the Empyrean Flame for the trial of worthiness.”

  The professors all let out an audible gasp. Cruzal went visibly pale at the mention of a trial, so I cleverly deduced it must be a very bad thing. The past twenty-four hours had been so filled with bad things, though, that I couldn’t muster any real concern over one more.

  “The Compact has stood for millennia,” the headmistress declared. “Why would the Flame wish to change the agreement now?”

  “Because humanity has failed at its charge,” the dragon growled. “Your stewardship of the Grand Design has been inadequate. The Scaled Council is in a much better position to protect the Flame’s plans from these heretics.”

  “Oh, no,” Clem whispered to me. “That can’t be good.”

  That seemed like an understatement. I still didn’t understand everything that dragon was talking about, but it definitely sounded like humans were about to get dropped several notches down the food chain.

  “This is preposterous,” the headmistress scoffed. “Where is the—”

  The dragon snapped his fingers and a parchment scroll appeared in the air before Cruzal.

  “You may review the Writ of Declaration at your leisure,” Elushinithoc said. “For now, please allow me to continue my announcement without further pointless interruption.

  “First, the Empyrean Gauntlet will be held at the School of Swords and Serpents. As one of the oldest and wealthiest training academies for young Empyreal citizens, it is only right that your judgment take place here.

  “The Gauntlet will consist of three challenges, spaced evenly through the year. Each school that attends must select a single team to represent them.

  “If the Scaled Council’s team is victorious, the Empyrean Flame will restore us to our rightful positions as the rulers of Earth and protectors of the Grand Design. If any human team is victorious, then you will be allowed to continue with your foolish schemes that endanger the Grand Design.”

  That was a lot to take in, and several of the professors were talking to one another in low, urgent tones. Professors Song and Ishigara were even talking, and those two didn’t have many kind words for one another. Headmistress Cruzal hung in midair, her shoulders slumped, her eyes wide with shock as she studied the unrolled parchment that floated in front of her.

  “Thank you for providing us with advance notice of the Gauntlet,” Cruzal said and bowed to the dragon. “Please convey our acceptance of the terms to the Council, honored Emissary.”

  A wicked smile curled Elushinithoc’s lips, and his ears twitched and stood upright alongside his head. He returned Cruzal’s bow with a graceful twist of his spine, then straightened and held his arms out wide.

  “You are blessed, children of men,” the massive creature intoned. “Whosoever completes the Gauntlet will be rewarded beyond their wildest dreams by the Empyrean Flame. Prepare yourselves. We certainly have.”

  And with that, the dragon spiraled up into the sky, a golden cork
screw that revolved around and around until it disappeared through the clouds.

  The Debate

  ABI CAUGHT UP TO CLEM, Eric, and me not far from the School’s administration wing. He looked as shocked as we all felt.

  “That was insanity,” he said. “A dragon. In the School.”

  “I’m a dragon.” Niddhogg spat a narrow tongue of flame toward the ceiling. His furiously flapping wings scattered the fire, though, somewhat spoiling the effect. The dragon dropped back behind us to sulk.

  “Oh, good, you’re here,” Clem said to Niddhogg. “Help us talk Jace out of getting himself killed.”

  “No one’s talking me out of anything,” I said. “I have to do this.”

  “At full strength, there’s no doubt that you’re the man,” Eric said. “But you’re hurt.”

  We’d reached the door to the headmistress’s office, and I banged on the heavy wooden barrier.

  “It’s Jace Warin,” I called. “We need to talk.”

  “Clem’s right,” Abi said. “Your core could delaminate at any time. The Gauntlet will run for the whole school year. It seems unwise to delay any possible treatment for so long.”

  “Everyone told me I’d never amount to anything with my hollow core,” I said. “And they were all wrong.”

  “This isn’t the place for us,” Hahen said to Niddhogg. “Leave the mortals to their decision.”

  “Jace needs me,” the tiny dragon grumbled.

  “Come. With. Me.” Hahen leaped off my shoulder, grabbed the dragon’s tail, and pulled him down the hallway.

  My friends chuckled at the rat spirit’s antics. I had bigger things on my mind, though.

  I raised my fist to bang on the door again, and it swung open to reveal Elder Brand.

  “Speak of the devil.” Brand stepped back to let us into Cruzal’s office.

  The headmistress certainly worked in style. The office was big enough to hold fifty people with space left over for a full buffet. A heavy desk twice the size of my bed squatted in the far-right corner, mounded high with papers. The other side of the room held a seating area with a variety of comfortable-looking chairs and sofas. Most of those looked like sturdy antiques that had been well used during their long lives. Bookshelves lined the walls, filled to overflowing with heavy tomes and sheaves of loose papers stuffed into every available space. The thick carpet and low ceiling seemed to dampen the conversation taking place in the seating area.