“A king is coming?” Maren asked. “But we have a king. That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Tell me about it. Nothing the boy said seemed to make any sense to me. He was afraid of whoever it was, though. And then he tried to keep the figure away with a spell that created a wall or something.”
“This sounds vaguely familiar,” Maren said.
“It does?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “I heard something about it in my history books.”
I closed my eyes and tried to remember the sequence of events in the test. The woman gave me the coin. I tried to give it to the boy. The storm came. The boy said ‘he’s coming.’ My eyes snapped open.
“I remember now. He said ‘the False King is coming.’”
The look on Maren’s face made the hairs on my arms raise. It was almost as if she was seeing a ghost behind me. I ran my hands down my arms, pushing the hair down and trying to ignore the odd feeling of dread in my stomach.
“What?”
“Don’t you know who the False King is?” Maren asked.
“I don’t think so?”
“How do you not know, Eldwin? The battle your father died in was against the False King.”
I’d honestly never heard the name before, but suddenly knowing that he was the cause of my father’s death made me hate him, and I didn’t even know who he was.
“Who’s the False King?” I asked.
11
Maren stared at me in disbelief.
“You really don’t know the story?” She sighed and shook her head. “It’s a long tale, but I’m not going to tell it to you. Do you know how to read?”
“Yes,” I said.
“Good. You should go to the library and find the books about him and find out for yourself who he is.”
Obviously, I’d rather she just tell me, but considering I had already learned how stubborn she could be, I conceded.
“That’s a good idea,” I said.
“Those are the only kind I have,” Maren said with a smirk.
I rolled my eyes. “You looked worried when I mentioned that king,” I said.
“Once you learn about him, you’ll understand why. If the chamber was warning you about his return, I think you should tell the master.”
“I tried to,” I said. “He wouldn’t let me say anything about my test, though.”
Maren frowned. “Something is going on, but I’m not sure what it could be. Didn’t Master Pevus seem stressed all day?”
“Yeah,” I answered. “But I think it’s because he was dealing with the testing.”
“Possibly, but we need to find out for sure.”
“We? We don’t need to do anything, Maren. You’ve got to stop breaking the rules or you’ll be kicked out of the school.”
She continued talking as if I hadn’t said anything. “Master Pevus and the Curates hold a daily meeting early in the morning, before the first bell. I know a spot where we’ll be hidden but can hear everything.”
“Maren, I told you—”
“Yes, yes. You don’t want to be kicked out, I got it. I’ll just go by myself, then.”
I knew I couldn’t let her do that, but I was afraid of getting caught. And I certainly wouldn’t want anyone reporting her to Curate Anesko. I heaved a sigh. “Where is this hidden spot?”
A few hours later, before the sun had yet to rise, Maren and I stood before a stone wall beside the school’s council chamber. She was slowly feeling along the stones, but I wasn’t sure why. As I was about to open my mouth to issue a complaint, she stood up straight and said, “There!”
There was a grating noise, then a section of the wall pulled back and slid to the side. There was a small room, roughly large enough to hold about five or six people. Maren ushered me inside and the wall glided back into place behind us.
“What is this place?” I asked.
Maren clamped a hand over my mouth. “Ssh! You have to be quiet in here or they’ll hear you,” she furiously whispered.
“Sorry,” I mouthed.
“They’re already talking,” she said. Maren knelt and motioned me to do the same. I obeyed and sat on the floor beside her. She pointed at the wall and leaned closer to it. I didn’t know what she was doing, but I mimicked her. To my surprise, I was able to see through part of the wall and into the council room.
“I saw it as well,” Curate Anesko said.
“We all saw it,” Master Pevus replied. He looked more haggard than he had earlier if that were possible.
“Yes, but what does it mean?” another Curate asked. I was fairly certain her name was Josephine.
“I’m not sure,” the master said. “The magic was warning us, but I don’t see how the False King could still be alive. He and Matthias fell in battle. I was there.”
“They’re talking about your test,” Maren murmured. I thought so, too.
“Perhaps sending a scout or two to check things out would do well to ease our fears?” Anesko suggested.
“That’s a good idea,” Master Pevus said. “Send two dragoons who ride blues. Their speed will get them there and back within a few days.”
“Let’s hope that we’re just seeing monsters in the dark that aren’t truly there,” Josephine said.
“Yes, let us hope so.”
There was silence for a moment, then Master Pevus changed the subject. “What of the manual testing? How did that go?”
“Very well, considering we’ve not done it in my lifetime,” Anesko replied. “They both passed, according to the documents.”
“That is good news. Based on the chamber tests, are we all in agreement on those who passed and those who failed?”
The Curates all spoke at once, but the consensus seemed to be agreement. I wondered who had failed. Was I one of them? My stomach churned with anxiety.
“There is one final matter to discuss before we dismiss.” The master leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes while stifling a yawn. “The girl.”
The room went quiet. I glanced at Maren, but she kept her eyes on Master Pevus.
“Her identity is unknown to the others,” Anesko said. “I’ve listened to the conversations all day. No one is talking about her.”
“It’s bound to come out sooner or later,” the master said. “I’m not worried about that, but I am concerned about her safety. If something happens to her …” he let the words hang in the air. The Curates glanced at one another, but no one spoke.
“She knew the risks in coming here,” Anesko said. “The power she has doesn’t change that. And it doesn’t change how she is tested, either.”
“I agree,” Master Pevus said. “Her father is the one that poses the most problematic if something goes wrong. From the reports I’ve received, he doesn’t even know she’s gone.”
“Then we feign ignorance if he finds out she’s missing and that she’s here,” Anesko said. “Politics have no place here.”
The master laughed. “You still have much to learn if you believe that.”
Anesko folded his arms. “Our task is to train dragon riders. So long as we are doing that, I don’t see what her father would take issue with.”
“I don’t disagree with that,” Master Pevus replied. “Regardless, we all need to agree with her presence here.”
“I see nothing wrong with it,” Josephine said.
“Neither do I,” Anesko added.
The other Curates agreed and Master Pevus stood up.
“It’s decided, then. She stays and will take the tests like any other potential. If her father becomes a problem, I will deal with him.”
That last part didn’t sound threatening, but more a statement of fact. I wasn’t sure who they were talking about. My first thought was Maren, but the only thing different about her than everyone else was that she was a sorcerer. Maybe her father was also a sorcerer, a powerful one, and they feared his anger if he found out she was here without permissio
n?
“The council is dismissed,” Master Pevus said.
Maren and I waited until the room was empty and we didn’t hear anyone in the hallway before exiting the hidden chamber.
“Who do you think they were talking about?” I asked.
“We didn’t learn anything we didn’t already know,” Maren huffed in disappointment. “Maybe their scouts will bring back some news that confirms the return of the False King.”
“Based on what I’ve heard so far, I hope he’s not back.”
“That’s something I think everyone would agree with,” Maren replied.
We parted ways at the end of the hall, and I headed back to my room. It was still early, and the first bell hadn’t rung yet, so I didn’t pass anyone else on my way. There was so much going on already and I had only been at the school for a few days. It seemed that more mysteries developed by the moment, and there were more questions than answers.
I made it to my room and paced back and forth, replaying the council meeting over in my mind. The magic of the testing chamber had spoken to me, that was clear. And it had given me the coin. I retrieved it and held it up, staring at its engraving. Maren had said that magic was like the wind and none knew its course, so how was I supposed to know what the coin was for?
“What is your secret?” I whispered. The coin remained silent, as I expected. If it had replied, I would likely have woken the entire school by screaming. I put the coin back in my purse and put on my robes. I yawned and considered how messed up my sleeping schedule had become. Hopefully, it would get back to normal soon.
I needed to find some time to get to the library and read about the False King. Maren had given me almost no information, and my curiosity was rising like a wave. As impatient as I was, the time passed quickly and the first bell clanged, signaling it was time to wake up. I joined my fellow students at the bottom of the stairway, and we found Curate Anesko waiting for us.
“Good morning,” he greeted.
“Good morning, Curate,” we sounded off.
“This year’s potentials are having an easy beginning. The master has declared today a free day, but do not get lax. Tomorrow the testing resumes, and it will be an interesting time. Remember the rules you agreed to and stay away from the dragon stables.”
The Curate left and the other potentials scattered throughout the Citadel. It was time to find out who the False King was.
12
The library was located at the far north end of the Citadel. Maren had given me directions during breakfast and I only got turned around twice before reaching the wooden doors that marked the entrance.
I stepped inside and was surprised to find that the place was immaculate. Hundreds, if not thousands, of bookstands were lined in orderly rows. There were several tables and chairs near the windows, where natural light slanted in through the glass panes. A few students were sitting at some of the tables, large tomes opened in front of them. The most notable thing about the library was the silence.
A robed woman sat behind a large desk. She was slowly flipping pages of a book as I walked up. She paused and looked up at me. I remembered her from my first day.
“Surrel,” I said, smiling at her.
“Son of Matthias,” she replied. “How are you finding the school so far?”
“It’s different from what I’m used to, but in a good way.”
“That’s good to hear. I’ve been a student for almost a year and I can’t say I’ve had a bad experience yet. How about your testing?”
“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “I think I did well with Compassion, but we haven’t heard our results yet.”
“No news is good news, as they say,” Surrel said. “Normally, the tests are done over three straight days. I’ve heard there have been some complications, and the testing has been pushed back?”
I nodded. “Yes, our next test will be tomorrow.”
“Well, I wish you luck. Have you been to the library yet?”
“No,” I said.
“I think you’ll like it. We’ve got the largest collection of books in the entire kingdom,” Surrel said proudly. “If you are looking for books on a specific topic, you can search the index for book locations. Here, let me show you.”
Surrel stood and walked around the desk. I followed her to a cabinet with hundreds of small drawers. Each drawer was labeled with a metal plaque inscribed with letters.
“Everything is arranged in alphabetical order. So, if you are looking for a book on felines, you will open the drawer that has ‘FE’ on it. Then you’ll flip through the parchments until you find the word you are looking for. Don’t remove it from the order it’s in. If you do, the Librarian will have a fit.”
To show what she meant, Surrel found the parchment labeled feline and lifted it, but not completely out of the drawer.
“Listed on the parchment will be the locations of any book that covers the topic.” She pointed to the writing. “R Six-C Three-S Two is the location of a book.”
“Am I supposed to memorize that since I can’t take the parchment out?”
Surrel giggled. “No, of course not. We have blank parchments, quills, and ink wells available for use. You’ll just write down the locations, then take your parchment with you to find the books.”
“I can take books from the shelf?” I asked.
“Yes, so long as they are not chained to the shelf. If they are chained, you’ll have to read the book there. Chained books are too valuable to be removed.”
“Do I have to put the books back when I’m done?”
“We prefer that you didn’t,” Surrel said. “Just leave the books on the table when you are done and we will ensure they get put back in their proper place.” Surrel looked past me to a student who was standing at her desk. “Feel free to start looking through the library. If you need anything, you can find me at the desk there unless I’m helping someone find something.”
“Thank you, Surrel. You’ve been very helpful.”
She smiled and walked away. I looked at the vast number of drawers and was glad that my mother had taught me to read and write when I was younger. I found the drawer marked with FA and flipped through the parchments until I found what I was looking for. False King. I retrieved a blank parchment and dipped a quill into an ink well, then took them back to the cabinet and wrote down the first three locations of books.
I closed the drawer and walked along the shelves, completely confused. I had no idea what the locations meant, and there were no obvious markings on the bookstands. After several frustrating moments, I gave up and went to get help from Surrel. She was sitting at her desk scribbling notes. She looked up as I approached.
“I’m sorry for interrupting you,” I said, “but I can’t seem to figure out how to find these locations.”
“Oh! I apologize!” She said loudly, then quickly lowered her voice in embarrassment. “I forgot to explain the locations. Let me see your parchment.”
I handed it to her and she pointed to the first one. “The first set of letters and numbers is the row number. You can find the row numbers at the top of the bookstand, on the upper left-hand corner. So, ‘R sixteen’ stands for Row Sixteen. The second set is the case number, which is the section. So ‘C twelve’ stands for Case Twelve. And the final number is the shelf position on that case.”
“Now that you’ve explained it, it makes sense. I don’t know how I didn’t figure that out on my own.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Surrel said. “Most of us never figured it out on our own.”
“Thank you again,” I said.
Armed with new information, I easily found the first location. The shelf contained about fifty books, but none of them were about the False King. Assuming someone already had that book, I went to the second location on my parchment but found the same problem. The third location was also lacking the book I needed.
I scratched my chin and headed back to the cabinet to fi
nd more locations. I wrote down three more, then searched those locations. Again, each shelf was lacking anything about the False King. Growing frustrated, I went back to Surrel’s desk. She was absent, so I waited for her to come back. A short moment later, she returned.
“I’m not sure if I’m looking incorrectly, but I don’t see the books I’m looking for in these locations.” I held out the parchment to Surrel.
She took it and looked at, then motioned for me to follow her. I was worried I had searched erroneously and she was going to make me look like a fool. However, she went to the same location I had and perused the books on the shelf.
“Someone may have this book,” she said softly.
“That’s what I thought,” I replied. “Yet I looked for six different books and none of them are here.”
“That is a little odd, though someone may be researching the topic. Let’s check a few of the other locations.”
Surrel and I went back to the cabinet, and she wrote down a few more locations. Her handwriting was much smoother than mine. She led the way to the various locations, and each time we encountered the same thing. She seemed to be growing frustrated.
“Let’s go to the chained books,” she suggested.
The rows of bookstands with chained books took up much less space in the library than the regular books. We went to the location and Surrel frowned.
“Now this is odd,” she muttered. She pushed a few of the books apart. Hidden behind the books was a piece of a broken chain. A gasp escaped Surrel and she looked at me, her eyes wide.
“This is bad,” she whispered. “Very bad. The Librarian is going to be furious that someone took a chained book.”
I was less concerned about that than she was and more concerned that every book on the False King was inexplicably missing from the library. Surrel left me to find the Librarian, and I checked a few other locations with no luck. Giving up, I left the library and wandered around the Citadel, letting my thoughts drift. Maren knew about the False King, so I started looking for her. I had a feeling she was down in the dragon stables, and I wasn’t going down there.
Trial by Sorcery Page 6