The Shrine of Avooblis

by Charles Streams

  “Cross-over classes!” Earl exclaimed. “Today, I’m a rogue!”

  Earl already had his boots and sword on, Dagdron saw, which would at least make for an entertaining class period.

  After breakfast, all the second-year students, rogues, warriors, and magic users alike, met in the entrance hall. Dagdron, wondering how the silent rogue teacher could handle the rowdy fighters and intellectual magic users, wasn’t surprised when Scar was in the entrance hall, and a shorter version of his rogue gauntlet had been constructed on one side of the chamber. The bald, stocky teacher sent the group of first-year rogues on their morning run, before bellowing for all the second-year students to gather around the statues in the center of the chamber.

  The students naturally grouped together based on their form of adventuring, the warriors and lady warriors on one side of the statues, the enchanters and enchantresses on the other. The ten rogues were in the middle, with Earl in the center of them.

  “Today, you are rogues,” Scar announced.

  “Yes,” Earl said to Dagdron. The other rogues glanced at him, but Earl gave no notice.

  “That means,” Scar continued, “while I realize fighters are inclined to battle out of any situation, and magic users can gain advantage with a spell, cross-over classes are held to give you extra options because you never know what circumstance you will find yourself in as an adventurer. That means there will be absolutely no swords or spells. If any sword is unsheathed or if any magic ball comes out of a hand, Headmaster Gwauldron has given me permission to require the offender to have personal rogue time with me.”

  Scar paused, glaring at the fighters and magic users as he let his threat set in.

  “The rogues are going to give a proper demonstration first,” Scar said. “Watch and learn.”

  Scar motioned for the rogues to head to the gauntlet while the warriors and enchanters got in position to watch. Earl followed the rogues so he had a front row view. Scar ordered Dagdron to start them out, so the young thief crouched in sneaking position and entered the gauntlet. The activity was too easy for him. There were only two mannequins and a few traps along the way. Dagdron tread lightly enough that he didn’t set off any traps and successfully grabbed both pouches without a hitch. The other rogues followed suit and even Cort didn’t have any problem getting through.

  “See how easy that was?” Scar said. “Who would like to go first?”

  Earl’s hand shot up in the air enthusiastically. Since all the other fighters and magic users were looking at one another to see who dared, Scar pointed to Earl.

  “This is what I’ve been practicing for,” Earl said to Dagdron. The rogue didn’t reply and watched as Earl got into sneaking position.

  Squish-clank, squish-clank.

  Earl’s boots and sword sounded as he entered the gauntlet, and then he set off the first trap. The nearest mannequin came after him, and Earl panicked, twisting around as he tried to avoid the hands seeking to choke him. Earl made one last effort to get back into proper sneaking position, but he ended up tripping over his boots, falling down, and getting wrapped in the net in the gauntlet. Both mannequins reached him and would have choked him if Scar hadn’t pulled Earl out.

  “Get rid of that sword!” Scar yelled. “You’re a rogue now!”

  “I don’t need to take it off,” Earl said.

  Scar lunged forward, grabbing the warrior’s scabbard. Earl, panicking as he saw his newly enchanted sword in the hands of someone else, clutched the sheath and yanked it back from Scar. Earl had pulled with such force that Scar, his face furious, had to take a couple of steps back.

  “Earl, here,” Dagdron said, darting forward.

  Earl, stunned from what he had done, gave his sword to Dagdron.

  “Get in the gauntlet,” Scar said, stone-faced.

  Earl hurried back to the entrance and began his second attempt, which ended in the net again. This time, Scar allowed the mannequins to pummel Earl for a few minutes before he rescued him from their clutches.

  “I didn’t do too badly, did I?” Earl asked Dagdron.

  “Your practice showed,” Dagdron said without looking at his friend.

  Earl didn’t react but, after the rest of the warriors and magic users took their turns, his confidence grew. The other non-rogue students had just as much, or more, trouble as Earl. Only a few petite enchantresses successfully avoided some of the traps, but none of the students made it through unscathed and with both pouches.

  Scar, used to verbally motivating the rogues with his deep voice, quickly showed signs of impatience when the warriors and magic users didn’t react well. The warriors didn’t appreciate having their skills insulted when they weren’t allowed to retaliate against the mannequins with swords. A few of them argued with Scar, and he put them in their place. The magic users, while not prone to arguing, were daunted by Scar and some of them cried.

  Once each student had gone through the gauntlet one time, Scar called the class to an early end.

  “It’s going to be a long month,” Scar mumbled as he passed Dagdron on the way out of the entrance hall.

  For Dagdron and the rogues, December was an easy month. They had normal classes twice a week, but met with the warriors and magic users the other three days. The silent rogue teacher was making their regular classes even more dangerous with more and more daggers, smaller targets, and more perilous obstacles to climb over, but during Scar’s sessions, the rogues stood around watching most of the time. Scar led them in sneaking, dagger throwing, and snatching drills, aimed at teaching the students how to quickly make off with an object without attracting too much attention.

  Even with the heavy snow that had fallen, Dagdron was spending his evenings in his leafless tree. Earl and Lita joined him many nights, not only sword fighting, but also practicing their new rogue skills. Elloriana had been attending cross-over classes, but other than that, Dagdron hadn’t seen her since the mayor’s house. Earl had told him that her parents had let her stay at the academy to not bring further scandal upon their family by withdrawing her, but she hadn’t been studying under the quest tree like she usually did. While Dagdron had accepted her presence, it was nice not to have the richy wench below him all the time.

  Toward the end of December, Elloriana finally appeared at the quest tree again. She was dressed warmly and laid out a blanket on the side of the trees where her quests were tallied. She sat down and took out her magic books to study.

  Earl and Lita had been sword fighting nearby, but came back to the tree.

  “Hey, Dagdron,” Earl called up to him. “Will you watch me and Lita’s sneaking form and give us suggestions?”

  “No,” Dagdron said.

  “You could really help us, you know?” Dagdron didn’t answer this time. “Fine, but Lita and I are going to practice sneaking around the academy.”

  Dagdron couldn’t help glancing down as Earl and Lita, crouching awkwardly with their large body frames, crunched loudly through the snow toward the side of the academy. From below, Dagdron heard muffled laughter. He looked down to see Elloriana covering her mouth to stifle the sound.

  “Be quiet, wench,” Dagdron said.

  “I’m sorry, but Earl sneaking is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen,” Elloriana said, laughing more out loud. “It’s not even that he’s worse at it than the other warriors, but he’s so excited about it that it makes his body bounce in a funny way.”

  Dagdron, though he agreed with Elloriana’s assessment, didn’t respond.

  When Earl and Lita came back around the academy and started their second leg of sneaking, Elloriana stood up. Dagdron, happy, thought she was leaving already, but she walked to the other side of the tree.

  “Why do you and Earl have an extra tally?” she asked.

  “We fulfilled a quest for the bartender at the Bodaburg Tavern.”

  “What quest?”

  “We rid the tavern of Kemp.”

  “That’s not a quest.”

  “
If Earl says something is a quest, it’s a quest.”

  Elloriana couldn’t argue with that criteria and stood in silence for a minute.

  “Dagdron, can I ask you something?” the enchantress said, looking up into the tree.

  “No.”

  “Please. I know we don’t like each other, but I’d really like to ask you about something.”

  Dagdron, surprised at the sincere tone coming from Elloriana, shifted in the tree to look down at her.

  “Fine, but stop staring at me.”

  “Why did you give those Broodavian amethysts to Earl?”

  “I didn’t,” Dagdron said.

  “Earl told me you did,” Elloriana said, scoffing. “I felt so bad about what happened to his parents, so he explained everything as long as I promised not to tell anyone.”

  “Then why are you telling me?”

  Elloriana ignored the comment and continued. “You could’ve been rich for the rest of your life with those gems, if you managed them right. How can you not care about money that much?”

  “What would I have done with all of them? I’m never going to buy house. I’m never even going to buy a bed. I can steal food whenever I need it. I don’t want to have to take hundreds of trunks like Earl does whenever he goes anywhere.”

  Elloriana chuckled.

  “I’ve see all the junk you buy in Bodaburg. You must have thousands of dresses.”

  “I know,” Elloriana said more quietly. “But that’s why I’m asking. How do you not care about possessions? I really want to be an adventurer, but sometimes it’s hard thinking that I won’t have all my luxuries. I don’t know if I can even just sleep on the ground.”

  “Earl got used to it,” Dagdron said. “Even though he did have a bulky bedroll. Don’t most adventurers stay in inns, anyway?”

  “Yeah, but I want to be prepared in case that’s not an option. I don’t want to just take convenient quests. I want to be able to help anyone, even if I have to sleep in a barn or on the ground.”

  Dagdron, quickly tiring of the conversation, shifted in the tree. “You’re obviously not happy with your richy lifestyle, so just give it up. It’s not like you have to sell all your dresses. You can go on a quest and then take a break in your mansion. From what everyone says, adventurers seem to vacation in Coastdale. Even though I have no idea why.”

  “You’re right,” Elloriana said. “That’s a really good way to look at it.”

  Dagdron, hoping the conversation was finally over, turned away from the princess.

  “Can I ask you one more thing?”

  “No.”

  “Why don’t you want to be an adventurer?” Elloriana asked anyway. “I don’t mean to sound like Earl,” she quickly added, “but it’s obvious that you’re the most talented of the second-year rogues. You’ll be able to fulfill so many quests once we graduate.”

  Dagdron, debating whether to answer or not, was silent for a couple of minutes. “I’d rather live alone and far away from any people.”

  “But that’s exactly why I want to be an adventurer. That way, I would be free from having to act royally all the time, with all eyes on me. I wish I didn’t care what people thought about me. How do you do it?”

  “Do what?”

  “You don’t care what anyone thinks of you.”

  “Why should I? I don’t know them, and they don’t know me. And that’s the way I like it.”

  “That’s what I mean. How did you stomp out of the Mayor Rigo’s house like that? If I did that, it would be a complete scandal.”

  “You don’t seem to care about people that much. You’re always pushing your richiness, even though it inconveniences other people. It doesn’t bother you that people think you’re a snob.”

  “Because I have to act like that; because people expect it of me.”

  “That’s stupid.” Dagdron started tossing his dagger in the air.

  “Why do you think Lordavia and Broodavia have all these problems now? If I had let Earl take the blame, then all that would’ve been averted.”

  “Maybe, but that’s the same reason richies deserve to be sliced.”

  “I know,” Elloriana said, taking a deep breath. Dagdron glanced back down at her. “Not that they should be sliced, but that’s why I want out. I want to live the life of an adventurer. It would be so nice to be free to worry only about completing my next quest.”

  “Are your parents ever going to let you be an adventurer?”

  “No, but they still don’t know my plans. I was worried they’d figure it out when I stood up for Earl, but they just thought I was being silly to attract Byron’s attention. They considered withdrawing me from the academy, but decided that would tarnish the Loftloomburg name even more.”

  “Your parents aren’t very smart,” Dagdron said.

  The typical glower returned to Elloriana’s face, but she didn’t take the bait.

  “I deliberated telling my parents about my suspicions about Byron, but I doubt they would’ve believed me. And if they had, they probably would’ve accused the Fortigroffs publically, and that would’ve caused more problems. I don’t know what to do now, because Byron is forbidden from talking to me. Not that I mind,” Elloriana quickly added at the end.

  “All that time you spent with Bryon and you never found out anything?”

  Elloriana shook her head. “I’m sure he was spending time with me to get information about Lordavia. Did you ever figure out why he was following you in the forest? I swear I didn’t tell him anything about the arches.”

  “No. I haven’t seen him sneaking out again either.”

  “If you ever discover anything about what he’s planning, will you let me know?”

  “We can break into his room again.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “I already feel trapped in the academy. I need to pick a few locks during the winter.”

  “When can we go?”

  “During the beginning-of-the-year party will be our best chance. I’ll run it past Earl.”

  “Is he your quest manager?”

  “He thinks so.”

  Elloriana chuckled just as Earl and Lita came around the corner of the academy on their third lap of sneaking.

  “Thanks, Dagdron.”

  “Quiet, wench.” Dagdron focused back on his dagger throwing, and Elloriana, rolling her eyes, returned to her blanket to study.

  Chapter 19: Cave Hoard

  Earl was completely supportive of breaking into Byron’s room. At first, Dagdron thought he was just keen to try out his newly acquired rogue skills in a real-life situation, but then Earl explained to him and Elloriana that they should take a more active approach to find out what Byron was really up to.

  Sneaking out of the beginning-of-the-year party was much easier than they expected it to be. Enchantress Higgins threw the party each year, inviting the inhabitants of Bodaburg, in order to raise the dreary spirits while the snow kept the valley isolated from the rest of the land. She always had the eating hall decorated in bright colors, but this year, when Wendahl added his own magenta decorations, Enchantress Higgins took issue with it. She kept ordering magic-user students to remove the magenta balls, but Wendahl kept replacing them. This entertainment, along with the delicious food that Chef Barig always prepared, allowed Dagdron, Earl, and Elloriana to leave the party. Lita wasn’t happy about staying behind, but she agreed to keep watch on Byron in case he headed back to his room.

  “I think those richy women were offended when you left in the middle of their conversation,” Dagdron said as he, Earl, and Elloriana climbed to the fourth floor of the boys’ tower.

  “I know,” Elloriana replied, feeling rebellious. “But don’t talk about it. I can’t help wondering what my parents will say if it ever gets back to them.”

  “We’re snowed in for the winter. How will they find out?” Dagdron said.

  “Stop talking about it!”

  “Elloriana, you should be sneaking,” Earl said.

/>   “Why? No one else is up here.”

  “I know, but we don’t walk as quietly as Dagdron. We don’t want to attract attention if we don’t notice someone up here.”

  Dagdron and Elloriana still walked normally, but Earl continued sneaking in spite of his squishing boots and clinking sword. When they reached Byron’s door, Elloriana was about to cast an open spell, but Dagdron jumped in front of her to pick the lock instead.

  Byron’s room was much like they had found it during their first year at the academy. Dagdron and Earl had broken in then when they thought he might be involved with the theft of one of the Arch of Avooblis crystals. Elloriana had followed them uninvited that time.

  Elloriana and Earl were much less reluctant this time, Dagdron noticed, and they set about searching the room straightaway. Dagdron went right to the bed and shimmied up one of the posts, checking on top of the bed hangings where they had found the satchel the year before. This time, finding a painting, he grabbed it and slid back down to show his companions.

  “Look at this, Earl,” Dagdron said.

  “Is that the painting we saw in Mayor Rigo’s house?” Earl asked.

  Dagdron nodded. The painting depicted a castle on a hillside with a large city surrounding it.

  “Have you ever seen this castle, Princess?” Earl said. “I’m pretty sure I know all the castles in the land, and that doesn’t look like one of them.”

  Elloriana examined the picture, shaking her head. “Why would he have a painting from the mayor’s house?”

  “And why is he hiding it?” Dagdron added.

  “If it was just any painting, he would hang it up,” Earl said.

  Dagdron checked the back of the painting, searched the edges, and shook it, but found nothing out of place.

  “There’s no castle built on a hill somewhere?” Dagdron asked.

  “No,” Earl said. “The only well-known hillside in the land is at Central Crossing. And you saw how there’s nothing there.”

  Dagdron shrugged his shoulders and returned the painting. They spent a while longer searching everything in the room, but they didn’t find anything dealing with Lordavia or what Byron might be up to.