by Andrew Rowe
“Patrick, do you know where Sera is?”
He shook his head, looking pained. “No, sorry. Haven’t seen her since the morning.”
Oh, resh. That’s bad.
A part of me wanted to break off from the growing crowd — more classes were falling into columns near us — and search for her. I didn’t have any idea where to begin, though. More importantly, if these things were here for me, being near Sera might have actually put her in more danger.
I hoped she found one of the other shelters. They seemed like our best chances to survive.
Seeing Mizuchi’s shape dip below the line of the clouds again, though, I had to wonder if even the shelters would be enough.
We were approaching a large stone building and the teachers at the front of the lines were beginning to point and talk to each other. I couldn’t quite hear what they were saying, but I got the impression we’d just reached the shelter.
“Stop here,” Conway instructed. “There’s only one entrance, so the classes are going to file in one at a time. Don’t worry, there should be plenty of time—”
A figure slammed into the ground in front of the entrance, cracking the pavement. At least eight feet tall, with a wingspan broader than his height. His skin was dark gray like the stone of the gargoyles, but this was no cumbersome beast of rock.
A karvensi. Tiny rocks were floating in the air around him, and I thought I could see the crackling of electricity a few inches from his body.
“One moment,” Conway told us, then spun on his heels.
Students and other professors alike backed away from the creature as it stood up to its full height, stretching its wings.
Professor Conway walked right up to it, turning his head upward to meet the creature’s golden irises.
“You, sirrah,” Conway said, “are blocking our way.”
The karvensi stared down at him, leaning in closer.
Conway stood up a bit taller. I could feel a pressure building in the air, like the tension between them was forcing the air out of my lungs.
It lasted several moments before the karvensi turned its head away, scanning the crowd, and then ducked and launched itself back into the air.
Professor Conway watched the creature depart, and then waved to another teacher. “Professor Vanway, you may lead your students inside.”
We cheered and clapped at the display, but Conway quickly silenced us with a gesture. “No time for celebrations. We will proceed in an orderly fashion.”
And we did. It took several minutes for each of the gathered classes to file inside. Once within the building, we were guided toward a stairway that led downward, into a large underground tunnel system. Runes flashed on the walls of the tunnels as we approached, lighting mana-burning lanterns that looked ancient and disused.
We began to pass doors on either side of the tunnel, but they were locked shut and covered with a broader variety of runic etchings. There were more there than I’d seen outside the doors of the tower itself. I wanted to stop and write them down for later study, but the crowd was moving at a steady pace.
We eventually reached a fork in the tunnels, taking the left passage, and proceeded through an open doorway into a huge chamber. Filled with wooden desks and benches, but with the walls covered with pristine tapestries symbolizing the various god beasts and visages, it reminded me of a cross between a mess hall and the audience chamber of a king.
There was no king here, however, nor any sign of Chancellor Wallace. Most of the few teachers gathered looked as nervous as the students, but Conway still looked taciturn.
There were students coming in through three other entrances to the chamber, but even so, those present only represented a fraction of the school’s population. I hoped there were several other safe houses — or whatever this was — throughout the school.
The teachers guided us toward seats. I scanned the crowd for Sera, Roland, and Jin, but I didn’t find any of them.
I was just about to take my seat when the room began to shake.
Dust and pebbles rained from the ceiling, and the tremors stopped as quickly as they had started.
Students exchanged nervous whispers. Patrick and I looked at each other, but remained silent.
This place must have magic to keep it stable in case of an attack, otherwise it wouldn’t have much of a point.
As much as I tried to reassure myself, though, the tremor had scared me more than even the sight of Mizuchi. Being crushed to death beneath thousands of tons of rock was not my idea of a good way to go.
I tapped my foot, trying not to contemplate the horrible ways this could end.
What am I doing here? Monsters I can deal with, but there’s nothing I can do if this place collapses.
I could hear a few people taking the situation worse than I was, crying into a friend’s shoulder or refusing to sit down.
A cluster of teachers had gathered near the front of the room, discussing in hushed tones. After a second bout of shaking, one of them stepped out of the circle. Teft.
He flickered, and then there was another Teft nearer to me. And another across the room... and a few more. They tapped their canes on the floor in unison, creating an echoing rap that silenced the students.
The original Teft was the one to speak, but I could hear his voice emanating from all of the others, presumably to make sure everyone in the room could hear him. A neat trick.
“Students. Do not be concerned. The creatures in the skies above us are all specialized in observation — that is, they’re not here for battle. They are simply looking for something. At this time, we do not believe that ‘something’ is a student. Once they find what they are searching for, they will most likely leave. That said, rest assured that the Valian military has been contacted and will be arriving here in full force within the hour.”
With that, his duplicates faded, and Teft simply turned his back and returned to the group of teachers. Student murmurs resumed a few moments later.
“An hour? You really think they can get an army here that fast?” Patrick looked about as nervous as I felt. His hands were clenched into fists.
I shrugged. “It’s not going to be the entire army. I think he was being hyperbolic when he said ‘full force’. A few thousand troops, though? Possible if they’ve got some sort of teleportation system set up, which they almost definitely do.”
Prior to the invention of trains, I knew some individual attuned used to serve as couriers via teleportation, but there were no teleportation-based mass transit systems. That probably implied that the enchantments were too costly to use regularly. Or perhaps that the military simply didn’t want teleportation to be easily accessible to the public, due to the potential dangers. If Valia was one of the only nations with access to teleportation, for example, it would be unwise to let it fall into the hands of other countries.
I really needed to study foreign attunements soon. I didn’t even know if other countries had anything equivalent to an Enchanter.
“Would the army really be able to stop those things, Corin? There were a lot of them up there. And Lord Teft, what he said about them scouting? That’s true for the little ones, but what about Mizuchi?”
I didn’t know what to say to that. Patrick seemed better versed in the monsters than I was. I’d focused on studying the Judgment specifically, and these kinds of monsters were from other parts of the tower. “I think we’re going to have to trust Teft on this.” It felt awkward to say that, considering how deceptive he’d been in class, but that extreme behavior was probably for our own benefit and amusement. Probably.
“Al... All right.” He stood up for a minute, looking around, and then sat back down. “I still don’t see the others.”
I’d sort of given up on that. “They’re probably in another shelter. We just need to—”
There was a flash of light, and then a feeling of pressure. It was similar to what I’d sensed when Conway had faced off against the karvensi outside, but stronger. I could
feel the source before I saw it — a floating figure in the center of the room.
A cloaked and hooded figure, the hood seemingly empty. I knew immediately what it reminded me of, but it wasn’t quite the same as the form the Voice had taken.
The robes were tattered and worn, but stitched with golden runes. It was huge; it would probably have reached fifteen feet in height if it had been standing straight. Instead, it hunched over, as if bearing an invisible burden.
I activated my attunement. My eyes burned from what I saw.
The floating creature radiated with malevolence. The aura was a sickly green, pulsating, extending several feet out in every direction from the monster’s body. I’d never seen an aura that felt so powerful.
Teft flickered and appeared below the creature with his cane raised a moment later, but he didn’t attack. His own aura was brilliant gold. The hooded figure continued to hover in the air, a good twenty feet above Teft’s position.
I saw Conway hop onto a table, too, but he didn’t seem to have teleportation magic; he made his way closer at a running pace. He glowed with a field of yellow-orange.
I deactivated my attunement. The sheer number of auras in the room was making my head swim.
The cloaked figure turned its head, scanning the room. I saw no face within the cowl, consistent with the experience I’d had with the Voice.
Nearby students had risen from their tables and were beginning to scatter, and I heard a scream or two. One student even fired a bolt from a dueling cane at the thing, but the attack glanced harmlessly off the creature’s robes.
The hooded figure turned, glancing at the source of the attack. I saw the student wither at its gaze, taking a step backward... and then his dueling cane snapped in half. No action was visible from the cloaked figure or the student — it just broke apart.
The student retreated into the crowd and the hooded figure turned away. No other students risked an assault.
Conway finally reached the center of the room, hopping onto a table next to Teft. I could see another professor nearer to the back of the room standing on another table — was that Meltlake? I couldn’t tell, she was too far away.
I hoped it was. If a battle broke out, I didn’t think any one of the other professors had the kind of firepower that Meltlake did.
And, just like it had appeared, the creature unceremoniously vanished.
I felt little comfort at that.
Clearly, if some of these monsters could teleport, our little hiding spot was not secure. The teachers must have sensed that, too. I saw Teft clench his fists as the creature vanished, then begin to draw on the table below him with his cane.
Making runes? Something to block enemy teleportation, maybe?
I watched with interest, but Teft was too far away for me to see any details.
The next several minutes were tense, until Chancellor Wallace appeared on a table near Teft, flanked by a pair of soldiers. Teft walked over to the chancellor and exchanged words.
Chancellor Wallace moved to the center of the room, waving a hand and creating a glowing golden symbol in the air. I’d never seen anything quite like it. It bathed the chamber in a warm, comforting light.
“My students.” Her voice sounded like it was coming from right next to me. That was an even better trick than Teft’s. “We have determined the cause of the monster incursion and addressed the issue. They will be returning to the tower shortly. We will keep you down here for another couple hours, just to be certain that the school is completely cleared of any potential threats, but the problem appears to be resolved.”
Most students seemed relieved. Even I was, in spite of my concerns...
...Which made me suspect that the symbol in the middle of the room was more than just a pretty glowy thing.
Mind magic. Something to soothe us.
It made sense; she’d want us to be calm and prevent any further problems.
But there was clearly something wrong. The problem appears to be resolved? What is this ‘problem’ she’s being so vague about?
I had a few ideas.
Keras Selyrian was at the top of the list.
If he’d escaped the tower, I’d bet anything that Katashi would be sending monsters to figure out where he’d gone.
I didn’t know how to feel about that.
I’d more or less sided with Keras in that conflict, but I still knew virtually nothing about him. He was a foreigner, obviously. He might work for the Tyrant in Gold, but I couldn’t be sure about that. It was only a rumor.
It had been my instinct to protect Vera and the child — who I also knew virtually nothing about — that had made my decision. Katashi seemed like he was perfectly happy to leave me alone.
But why was Katashi even in this tower in the first place?
The Serpent Spire was Tenjin’s territory, not his. Were they working together on something?
I needed answers and, even more than those, ways to protect my friends.
I was done with being idle.
I seethed in silence for the remaining hours before they sent us back to our rooms. Classes were cancelled for the day, and for the following day.
That was good. I had work to do.
Chapter X — Commissions
As soon as we were released, Patrick and I went to check on Sera. We found her back at her room, unharmed and unconcerned. We were both pretty relieved.
After that, Patrick and I parted ways to head back to our own dorms. I found Jin right outside our dorm building. He wasn’t hurt, either, but he was in an even less talkative mood than usual. Maybe he was a bit shaken by what had just happened. If so, I couldn’t blame him.
When I made it back to my room, I was surprised and relieved to see that the ceiling had already been fixed. Maybe the academy guard had seen the hole and sent in the request, or maybe Professor Orden had handled it herself in spite of her protestations. I’d find out later, but for the moment, I had a more pressing priority.
I opened a very familiar book and began to write.
Dear Voice of the Tower,
Residents of the tower are currently scouring the Lorian Heights academy for something. One of the creatures I saw looked a great deal like the form you used in the tower, but bigger. Was that you? Are you here?
-Corin
My heart pounded while I waited. I had no evidence that the Voice was outside. Its name implied that it probably wouldn’t be... but the similarity between that robed figure and the form the Voice had chosen was worth investigating.
I didn’t get an immediate reply. I ended nervously skimming through some of my text books and periodically checking back until I finally saw a response a few hours later.
Dear Corin,
So formal. I preferred “Mysterious Book Entity”.
The creature you speak of was not one of my forms, however, I do have a limited presence outside of the tower at this time. Communicating through this method has limitations, however, and I will not be able to speak with you regularly.
The creatures loosed from the tower were not under my command. Steps will be taken to ensure this does not occur again, but you must play your own role in fixing a problem you helped to create.
How much does Lyras know?
Yours,
Book
My hand trembled as I pondered my reply.
The Voice is nearby and he holds me responsible for part of this. That can’t be good.
I guess this more or less confirms that freeing those prisoners started this situation. Or at least contributed to it.
At least maybe I can finally get some more information, though.
I told her about Keras being loose in the tower, his conflict with Katashi, and your instructions for her to meet with you.
Good. Does she know about the book?
I haven’t told her, but she does seem to be watching me fairly closely. Should I tell her?
Under no circumstances. If she finds the book, I will handle the situation. For no
w, it is best if she simply meets me in the tower at her soonest convenience.
I bit my lip. Well, that’s not suspicious or anything. If she’s one of his contacts, why not share the existence of the book? What’s the significance of it?
I will keep the book hidden. I could use some guidance about this situation in general, though. Why was the tower sealed to prevent anyone from exiting? Is Katashi guiding those creatures? Are they looking for Keras? For Vera? What should I be doing if I see one of them?
Don’t worry, Corin. Lyras and I will handle things from here. If this is not resolved by the time you enter the tower again, I will provide you with further instructions. In the meantime, focus on making yourself strong enough to survive.
-Mysterious Book Entity
I set the book down. The chastising tone signaled a clear enough end to the conversation.
I hated being kept ignorant, especially when I was being blamed for something. If he, she, or it wanted to leave me out of things, I’d have to find my answers through other means.
Before even that, though, it was long past time I started properly protecting my room.
I spent the next few hours shopping. The first few things I picked up were mundane: a chain for the door to replace my wooden plank; tools to fasten the chain on; and bell to ring if the door was somehow opened.
After that, it was time to finally pick up some enchanting supplies.
As it turns out, I couldn’t afford many of them.
I had a total of twenty-two silver sigils after saving a little bit of money from the first week, my stipend from the subsequent two weeks, and the handful of coins that Professor Orden had given to me. As an Enchanter, I’d eventually get some materials to work with for class, but not until later in the year.
There were three enchanting supply shops on the main campus, and one in the “old university” area nearer to the tower. Of them, the ones on the main campus were all similarly priced. The one in the old university was more expensive, but had a broader variety. Apparently, climbers often sold their findings from the tower there, and the shopkeeper resold them at a profit.