Ethan Wright and the Curse of Silence

by Kimbro West

As the five of them walked toward the school, Availia leaned in toward Auren. “At least you don’t need to find armor now,” she teased.

  “Funny,” replied Auren.

  “So, where is the school anyways?” asked Ethan as they walked.

  “Well, it is right up the street actually. Right around the corner up ahead … big stone building — oldest in the city, you can’t miss it. Sort of an amazing story really. This building has withstood centuries of war, been under bombardment and even internal ridicule of practices contained within its doors. In fact, this school was one of the few buildings that existed before Tirguard itself existed … before mankind even discovered the Oroborus. It has withstood all of that, and here it is waiting for us to walk through its doors,” he said as they approached a stone overhang affixed to the large building. Under the overhang there was a large door, also made of stone. Edison put his hand on the door, gave a slight push, and walked right through.

  “What?” exclaimed Ethan.

  “Where did he go?!” asked Auren.

  “He just … walked through the door,” stuttered Availia.

  “Stanley soundly submits severing stone,” said Stanley as he followed the professor through the door.

  Ethan put his hand to the door and pushed, followed by Availia, and then Auren — but nothing happened. Auren continued to push on the door, trying to force it open, but it did not move.

  “What just happened?” asked Ethan.

  “Dunno,” answered Auren.

  Then Edison’s head came through the door. “Did I mention that you have to be an alchemist to enter?” The large stone door swallowed Edison’s chubby, wrinkled face. The remaining three looked as if they had seen a ghost as they continued to examine the door. Edison stepped through and startled all three again. This time he was carrying two sleeping bags, which he tossed on the ground. He reached through the door and pulled Stanley, who was also carrying two sleeping bags, back outside.

  “Training starts tomorrow, you will all do it together as a team,” announced Edison. “Night!”

  “Ah … wait!” said Ethan. But it was too late; Edison had vanished through the door. Ethan turned to Stanley. “Stanley, how did you get through the door?”

  “Ngghhh, ngghhh, sttt … Sanctuary … Stone Sanctuary,” he answered.

  “What’s the Stone Sanctuary?” asked Availia.

  “Ngghh ngghhh, difficult … nghhh ttttt, nghhhh … to … explain,” he stuttered.

  “It seems we have all night, Stanley,” replied Ethan. The four unrolled their sleeping bags on the cold ground underneath the overhang of the old stone building. Ethan and Availia listened to Stanley’s explanation as Auren grew bored and went to sleep. Not entirely satisfied with the information obtained, Ethan and Availia soon followed, as did Stanley.

  Chapter 13

  On Sabbatical

  “The Stone Sanctuary is where an alchemist of Tirguard is born. Just as you use your sword …” Edison looked over to Availia, “or your strength …” he peered at Auren, “your determination …” he placed his hand on Ethan’s shoulder, “or your resourcefulness …” he nodded to Stanley, “you will use, combine, and protect yourself with all the options that alchemy has to offer. It will become a part of you, an extension of your body, infused in your mind, and course through the very fabric of your nerves,” said Edison as he picked up a set of black jackets, much like his own, and handed them out. “And it all starts with these.”

  “Jackets?” asked Auren incredulously.

  “Armor,” corrected Edison.

  Ethan examined the garment. It was coarse and hard in some areas, and less restrictive in others where movement might be a necessity. It had a particularly tall collar that he felt would cover his chin if buttoned all the way up. There were small metal fasteners that would clasp the front of the jacket closed. The back had a single thick grey bar that ran vertically down the center.

  “This is armor?” asked Availia. “But my own armor is …”

  “More restrictive? Heavy? Unable to conceal a weapon, tool of surprise, or method of escape?”

  “Well yeah, but this can’t take a direct hit from a sword,” argued Availia.

  “Then draw your sword, Availia, and we shall put your theory to practice,” said Edison.

  “But … isn’t there another way to demonstrate?”

  “Unfortunately not. And as your instructor, I realize I have not yet earned your respect or trust — now is as good a time as any.” Edison fastened the top clasp of his alchemy jacket. The hardware sank down in the fabric, locking into place. The rest of the clasps fastened, one by one, down the length of the garment without the assistance of Edison. Each fastener was absorbed into the fabric, to look like small metal bars that held the front seam of the jacket together.

  “Anything you see or learn here is between us or other students of alchemy under my instruction only,” said Edison, placing both hands behind his back and putting weight on his front foot. “Now then, thrust your sword into my chest. Please take care to aim as the collar can deflect upward strikes, however, I’m not wearing any protection on my face.”

  Auren stood with his mouth agape at the events unfolding. Availia handed her alchemy jacket to Ethan, leaned down, and pulled a sword out of her pack. She slowly unsheathed the thin double-edged blade.

  “Are you sure?” asked Availia.

  “Don’t be afraid, you won’t hurt me,” reassured Edison.

  Availia leaned forward and thrust the lightweight sword against the chest of their new instructor. Ethan stood in amazement as the garment reacted, pulling tight when struck, pushing the instructor back a few inches, but not piercing the jacket. The fabric seemed to contort to absorb the blow.

  “What? How did …?” asked Ethan.

  Edison touched the top clasp of his alchemy jacket and all of the fasteners opened. He pulled his spectacles from his front shirt pocket and examined them. “That was a very sturdy strike, Availia. I thought for a second that you may have damaged my favorite reading glasses, but they appear to be intact,” said Edison, tucking the spectacles back into his front pocket.

  “Whoa!” exclaimed Auren, unfolding his alchemy jacket and jamming his fists down the sleeves.

  “Yes yes, try them on. Get used to wearing them, as they were a great personal expense; I expect you will want to wear them often, and of course, every day in class.”

  The four put on their alchemy jackets. Auren clasped the top fastener on the collar and stuck his arms out to the side, waiting for the rest of the clasps to close on their own, but they did not. He peered downward to check the progress and lifted his head in anticipation for the miracle garment to close itself.

  “Problem, Auren?” asked Edison.

  “I think mine’s broken — it’s not doing the thing,” he exclaimed.

  “It’s not? Defective maybe?”

  Ethan and Availia were having the same issue, but unlike Auren, were not making a production of it. Stanley’s, on the other hand, fastened down as expected which left Auren frantically clasping and re-clasping the top fastener of his alchemy jacket.

  “So, last night Stanley could get into the school. He walked right through the front door. And today, Stanley has control over his alchemy jacket — they fasten from top to bottom faster than you can wink an eye. So, what does Stanley have that you don’t?” asked Edison as he paced back and forth in front of his students. Stanley held out his hand.

  “Exactly!” exclaimed Edison, walking over to Stanley and examining his right hand. “Stanley bears the mark of the Stone Sanctuary. The mark of an alchemist — come and have a look. You see here, a curve upward and a curve downward, almost like the letter ‘X,’ but not quite. This is the symbol for tin, which is viewed as the symbol of life, and also serves as a reminder that standing together is stronger than standing apart — as when you combine other elements with tin they immediately grow in strength.”

  “Does that mean that Stanley can contro
l tin?” asked Availia, puzzled.

  “Perhaps … but at the same time that is not the conclusion one should make,” replied Edison. “That symbol means a lot of things, many of which reflect on strength, courage, and compassion. The alchemical secrets this symbol unlocks is part potential of the user and part mystery.”

  “What symbol do you have, professor?” asked Ethan.

  “Ethan, my boy, we will get there, I promise … we will get there. But first, however, we will start on lesson number one. We have just under four hours ‘til your required course of sword basics begins, and it’s best to get there a bit early.”

  Ethan nodded and the four lined up, awaiting instruction. Auren was still fidgeting with the top clasp of his jacket, but was paying attention nonetheless.

  “First I will have you sit down and cross your legs like this.” Edison sat down and folded his legs. He rested his hands on his knees and held his back perfectly straight. “Back straight, Auren. That’s great, Stanley,” he commended. “Now close your eyes and breathe deeply, in and out everyone.” Edison got up and paced back and forth, occasionally making comments to ‘relax your arms,’ or a reminder to ‘keep still.’ But soon Auren lost all patience and broke his position, leaning back on his hands.

  “Is this it? What exactly are we doing?” asked Auren.

  “Meditation,” replied Edison. “And you gave out rather quickly. It’s only been twelve minutes or so.”

  “My body just isn’t built for this,” whined Auren.

  “Think of it as a personal challenge, Auren — the longer you can hold that position, the stronger you will be to defeat an opponent.”

  Auren straightened his back and closed his eyes. “I can do that,” he murmured.

  Several hours passed. Auren was now lying on his back looking at the sky and Ethan had just given up as well. Availia was barely holding on and even Stanley was struggling to sit still.

  “That’s enough for today. You have forty-five minutes to get to sword basics. It’s held in the yard behind the orientation building. After that, another mandatory class taught by me. Stop and get some food beforehand if you wish.” He handed the students some coins. “I expect Heinrich will try to wear you out, but save some energy for my class if you can.”

  “Heinrich?” complained Auren.

  “Contrary to what you may think, he is a very good teacher — do pay attention.”

  “Professor … I thought you didn’t like Heinrich,” challenged Ethan.

  “Of course I do,” corrected Edison. “But I also despise him — he is my nemesis. I would be lying if I said it didn’t please me to infuriate him on occasion. But without him, there would be no challenge to overcome, no adversary to confront — when it comes down to it, what fun would it be without the Heinrichs of the world?”

  ***

  The four were finishing up meals they had purchased from a cart selling turkey legs. Auren, having finished his long ago, was chewing on some Lippy’s brand Lickable Dragon Eggs that he had purchased from the candy store just across the street from MacArthur’s hut.

  It had been a full day since the news of MacArthur being hauled off to prison. Ethan was wondering if MacArthur was all right, if he would be set free soon and how they would get home. He had difficulty believing he could simply make an appointment with Heinrich. The large-nosed captain seemed to have quite a dislike for Ethan and anyone he associated with.

  “Looks like the class is going to start soon — look, everyone else is wearing armor, well … at least a chestplate,” said Auren as he tossed another Lickable Dragon Egg into his mouth. “Here we are, wearing jackets that look like pajamas.”

  “They probly have extra practice armor they’ll let us use. Let’s just go already,” snapped Availia.

  Heinrich strode to the front of the group. He wore dark brown leather armor with a black metal chestplate in the center, and a pair of vambraces on his forearms. His hand rested on the hilt of a sharpened practice sword affixed to his belt.

  “Today we will get acquainted with the sword,” bellowed Heinrich. But he stopped his introductory speech when he spotted Edison’s students dressed in their alchemy jackets. “Is this some kind of joke? You dare to show up in my class unprepared? Wearing pajamas nonetheless!”

  “Armor,” mumbled Auren as he tucked the box of Lickable Dragon Eggs into the inside pocket of his jacket.

  “Did you say armor?” Heinrich drew his sword. Marcus, with a curled lip and a slight grin on his face, pushed his way to the front of the group to watch the display.

  “Wait a minute,” argued Ethan.

  Heinrich stepped a bit to the side and slapped Auren in the chest with the flat side of the blade.

  “Ouch!” yelped Auren as he rubbed the spot that the sword had hit.

  “Armor indeed. Have a seat over there.” Heinrich pointed to a bench several paces away. “Next time, if you don’t show up prepared, do not bother showing up at all!”

  Heinrich went back to the head of the class and disregarded the presence of Edison’s four jacket-wearing alchemy students. The instruction went on for two painstaking hours of sword thrusting and defensive maneuvers. Heinrich made all of his students drop their swords and quickly pick them back up to defend themselves. He then paired everyone off and had them repeat everything for the remainder of the class.

  “Well, it sure looks more practical than the meditation we’ve been doing,” muttered Auren.

  “It sure does,” said Availia miserably.

  “Hey Availia, I’m really sorry you got involved in all this,” said Ethan sincerely. “I didn’t mean for you to get caught up in Auren’s and my investigation.”

  “Don’t be sorry, Ethan … I’m not,” replied Availa. “I know this isn’t exactly what I had in mind. I really just wanted to follow my sister’s footsteps and make my parents proud. But honestly, if being in the Guard means I have to put up with Heinrich as my instructor, I would rather not. So, let’s just focus on getting ourselves in that record department.”

  “Yeah,” agreed Ethan.

  “Ngggh ngggh … class is, nggggggggh … over,” said Stanley.

  The students were dismissed and started gathering at the back of the practice field. Marcus and his group went out of their way to walk past Ethan.

  “Did you have fun watching?” asked Marcus smugly.

  “Nice pajamas,” commented another.

  But just then Edison walked by. “Alright then everyone, to the back of the orientation building. Yep, right this way. Marcus, you as well. Ethan, Auren, Availia, and Stanley — what are you waiting for, let’s move it,” hustled Edison as his class gathered. Meanwhile, Heinrich had another class starting, which meant more swordplay for them to watch. Edison nodded to Heinrich as they taught their classes practically back to back from each other; a slight nod was returned.

  “Greetings, students — it’s so nice to get everyone gathered outdoors in the fresh air. Everyone have a seat on the ground please, anywhere is fine,” said Edison as he motioned with his hand.

  “Oh great, more meditation,” whispered Auren.

  “Quiet,” shushed Availia.

  “This is, primarily, a onetime mandatory course to prepare you for spending time in Tirguard and its surrounding areas. If you look around the class you will notice that most of you are not from Tirguard — some of you are … but most are from Whitehaven. Those of you from Tirguard will also make use of the factual information I will share with you today. I will start by telling you a bit about myself … my name is Professor Edison Rupert. I am by trade a historian of mythology, Mitan culture and philosophy, and the inception of Tirguard.”

  “A historian?!” whispered Auren in shock. “This just keeps getting better.”

  “Shhh,” snapped both Ethan and Availia.

  “In my many years spent in Tirguard I have noticed a very large misconception. It’s an easy misconception to make — simply put, that all Mitans are evil hunters of man. There are Mitan
who would wish to cause harm to us; but before listening to any rumor and passing judgment, I would recommend experiencing the temperament of the Mitans yourselves.”

  Marcus sneered at Edison’s comments and started whispering to his subordinates. Edison ignored the side conversation and simply continued.

  “Now then, let us discuss the typical Mitan, shall we?” continued Edison. “Their bones are more than twice as strong as ours, and can be flexed slightly or made rigid at will. This enables them to jump further, land harder, and exert their bodies more than any human. They are free from defects that could give them or their offspring poor eyesight, deformities, or even baldness,” he chuckled. “Some believe this has to do with the mating cycle, which happens every five hundred years. Yes, you heard correct — all Mitan couples have one child per five hundred years — they do not elect out of it. The average Mitan couple will have three children in their lifetime, as they generally live to be two thousand years old. That is an incredibly long time to study history, mathematics, and even the art of combat. Every Mitan should be treated equally as a supreme warrior and a master poet, because they have the time to train for both,” he continued. “The Mitans’ appearance is very humanoid. The key method for identifying a Mitan is spotting the distinct blue glow around the left eye. Some say these markings glow more profusely in accordance with the future lifespan of the individual, hence, the more brightly the markings glow, the longer the Mitan will live. There are also a few documented cases where the markings were identified as being of a dark purple or almost black glow. We have very limited details on this type of marking. Since the glow makes a Mitan quite visible in the dark — they often wear a mask at night if they wish to avoid detection.”

  Marcus raised his hand.

  “Yes, Marcus?”

  “You make them sound superior to us in almost every way. How is a Mitan compared to a Tirguard soldier?”

  “That is a fair question. Their dexterity, senses, and reflexes are far superior to any man. So, today … if a Mitan and a human were in a fighting scenario, you could say that one Mitan would be equivalent to five, or possibly more, trained human soldiers.”