CS - Chapters 6 to 10

Chapter 6

Commander Jase faced Dad. “You trust me with your son?”

“Completely,” Dad said.

“You are an idiot.”

Dad nodded but remained silent.

Commander Jase faced Gavyn. “Trah’Vadha woke?”

“Just long enough to destroy the floor hiding the, um, sword,” Gavyn said.

Jase pointed at the book Yulth held. “What does it do?”

Yulth bit her lip. “We’re not confident which sword it is yet.”

Gavyn nodded at Yulth and then faced Commander Jase. “We’ll do more testing tomorrow to confirm.”

Commander Jase turned toward me, and I took a step backward from the man’s glare.

“Show me again,” Commander Jase commanded.

I didn’t like this man. He hated Dad for some reason and said he didn’t want to train me. Part of me wanted to hide Lid behind my back, but after a moment I decided I shouldn’t make things worse. I shifted Lid so that he lay in my right palm and held it up.

Commander Jase leaned down and studied Lid for three seconds, and then he straightened and locked eyes with me.

“I take it back,” Commander Jase said.

I stood taller as hope swelled in my chest.

Commander Jase pointed at Lid. “Comparing this butter knife to my shaving blade is an insult to my shaver.”

My shoulders slumped.

Commander Jase shifted his attention to Dad and raised a fist like he meant to hit Dad, but Dad didn’t react at all. Why did Dad let Commander Jase treat him like this? Commander Jase’s fist trembled before he unclenched it and pointed at Dad’s face.

“I told you I’d kill you the next time we met,” Commander Jase hissed. He glanced at me and then faced Dad again. “If I see you again, break-my-sword, I’ll do it.”

Dad nodded, stepped around Commander Jase, and walked over to me. He waited until our eyes locked and then whispered. “I thought I’d have more time to explain things, but I didn’t expect Jase to show up, and now it’s too late. Whatever you hear about me, remember I’m the same person you’ve always known.”

What had Dad done that was so terrible he couldn’t tell me? Scared of the answer, I nodded.

Dad then spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. “Commander Jase is a good man. A great soldier. Listen. Learn.”

I started to argue, but Dad gave his head a small shake, and I shut my mouth.

Dad looked down at Lid and whispered. “Keep him safe Lidsedokti.”

Lid vibrated in my hand, and before I could react, Dad took a step backward and brought his right arm across his chest, fist over his heart, just like Davot had done.

“You’re a soldier now,” Dad said.

I mirrored Dad’s salute.

Dad turned and marched down the hall toward the far door. Panic exploded inside me. Training here at the Academy meant leaving my family. I’d been so focused on bonding a weapon that I hadn’t prepared for what happened after. Dad had to leave, and I didn’t know when I’d see any of my family again. I was alone now.

Not alone, Lid said.

No, not alone.

I’m scared, I admitted, more to myself than to Lid.

Do you trust your Dad?

Of course.

Then we will do what he said.

The way he acted didn’t make sense.

I know.

He knew your name. You’re both keeping secrets from me.

Yes.

“Cevin,” Yulth said.

Will you ever tell me? I asked.

Yes, the secrets that are mine.

“Cevin!” Gavyn said.

I focused on Gavyn, who pointed at the retreating figure of Commander Jase.

“You need to follow him,” Yulth said.

I nodded, turned, and took a step to follow Commander Jase.

Lid started to shout. Stop! The book. The book. The –

Ugh!

How could I do this without seeming obvious? I didn’t have much time and only one idea came to me. I turned around and brought Lid to my stomach. Stepping forward I hugged Yulth, pressing Lid into the bottom of the book. Lid vibrated in my hand for just a moment.

“Thanks for your help,” I said.

“Congratulations, Cevin.” Yulth responded. “Welcome to the Academy.”

I let go of Yulth and turned toward Gavyn.

The scribe stepped backward and held out his hands to stop me. “You’re welcome. Now go!”

I ran after Commander Jase.

Wait, I feel another book on that desk! Lid said.

Lid had sensed the book Yulth had been reading when I’d entered the room. Stop it! I can’t stop for every book we pass.

Why not?

Because, well, we don’t have time right now.

Fine.

In moments I’d caught up with Commander Jase who had made it to the end of the hall. Merth and Davot still stood at attention, and Commander Jase didn’t even look at them as he passed through the door. I nodded at Davot and the soldier winked at me. The room we entered looked identical to the one I’d come through this morning. I walked five paces behind Commander Jase and tried to understand Dad’s actions.

Do you know why Dad acted like that? I asked.

I can guess…

But you won’t.

It is not my story to tell.

I hate secrets.

That is good, considering what you are.

I don’t think I’m any –

My face struck the back of Commander Jase and my feet tangled with his. I stumbled and we both fell forward. Commander Jase landed hard on his face, and I heard a pop. Rolling off him I jumped to my feet and held out my free hand.

“I’m so sorry!” I blurted.

Commander Jase pushed himself up, slapped my hand away, and then ran a hand over his nose. It bled and looked swollen. Maybe even broken.

“You’re clumsy, too?” Commander Jase asked. “I didn’t think you could get any worse!”

My cheeks burned, and I looked down. “Sorry, Commander.”

“You’re worse than useless, you’re a nuisance.”

I studied the Commander’s boots until he turned and strode away. This time I trailed him by ten steps.

You focus on me too much when you talk, Lid said.

Well, it’s my first day.

Is that sarcasm?

Noooo…

I felt Lid’s amusement. We are going to get along great. But seriously, you focus too hard.

As we reached the end of the long room, another guard slid the door open, and then stood at attention. Commander Jase ignored this guard too as he passed. Sunlight made me squint, and I slowed so I wouldn’t accidentally hit Commander Jase again.

I glanced around to see if Dad might still be here, but I didn’t see him. At least fifty students and adults stood near the door to the armory. They moved apart as Commander Jase strode through them.

“Did you wake the Royal Sword?” a boy called from my left.

A young woman stepped forward as soon as Commander Jase passed, and I veered to the right to avoid her.

“Show us!” the young woman said.

“Where is it?” a man to my left asked.

My cheeks grew hot. A new bonding created a lot of excitement, even without the Kingdom’s most important weapon shooting lightning. We would even hear about them back home if a powerful weapon, or one of the favorites made popular by songs, picked someone. But I knew if I showed them Lid, they would laugh at me. I pressed Lid against my leg, my palm covering him.

I jogged for a few seconds to catch up to Commander Jase, who walked like a charging bear. In moments we passed everyone that had gathered by the door, and I relaxed a little.

The Hall of Glory stood in the middle of the Academy of Living Weapons, and we walked northwest, away from the school’s main entrance. Short grass surrounded the armory in a huge circle and groups of students trained.

To my left, six teenagers each carried a large wooden hammer and metal shield. Four boys and two girls, all older than me and covered in sweat. The instructor, a half bald man who looked almost as wide as he was tall, pointed at the largest young man.

The black-haired teenager immediately leapt forward, swinging his hammer at the teacher. But the teacher stepped to the side, causing the boy to miss. The young man’s momentum pulled him forward, and the instructor stepped on the boy’s foot, locking it in place.

The young man face planted into the grass, but none of the students laughed. The instructor pulled the boy to his feet and then demonstrated it again, but this time slowly, so they could see the technique. Then we were past them.

I focused on the back of Commander Jase’s head and not on Lid.

All these kids look huge, I said.

Silence. Maybe I needed to concentrate on Lid a little.

I’m never going to survive here, I tried again.

Silence. I stopped and my vision glazed over as I prepared to talk to Lid again.

Lid’s laughter struck me. Keep walking!

Did you hear me the first time? I asked.

More laughter.

Again, I jogged to catch up to Commander Jase. That’s not funny!

You worry too much. Lid paused. You are more prepared than you think.

Right, I can run from them.

Lid didn’t catch my sarcasm or ignored it.

Exactly, Lid said. Few in the north practice that skill.

Running isn’t a skill. Everyone can do it.

We left the training lawn and entered a grove of maple trees. The shade dropped the temperature a few degrees and the sounds from the practice green became muted. The wind swayed the tops of the trees, and as we walked deeper into the grove, I heard the faint cracking of the limbs as they moved.

The air smelled like bark and dirt, and I breathed deeply. It reminded me of the acacia groves my sisters took me when they still lived at home. I would play hide-and-go-find with Muir while Beitris dug for mushrooms she would add to some terrible tasting stew. My stomach twisted. When would I see them again?

How long do you think you can run? Lid asked.

I don’t know. Awhile.

All day?

Probably. Mom and I sometimes ran through the night, but she wouldn’t let me go more than twelve hours.

That is not normal here.

Is it normal anywhere? I asked.

In Kahndire.

Kahndire made me think of Mom, and I couldn’t do that right now. Commander Jase already didn’t like me. I didn’t want to add “baby” to the list of strikes against me.

On the trip north for the required visit to the Hall of Glory, I had started to miss the routine I had with Mom. Although I’d never tell her that.

Have you been there? I asked.

I have been everywhere.

I couldn’t tell if Lid was serious or sarcastic. We exited the maple trees and entered another field of grass. Like the grass around the armory, this grass had an even height and reached my ankle. Commander Jase angled north and strode directly toward a large tower three hundred feet away.

The bricks of the square tower had the color of dried blood. It stretched a hundred feet high, and the base spanned half that. The first ten feet around the tower’s bottom had smooth granite with large sword images etched into the stone. Two black doors stood half open, and huge marble swords, one on each side of the entrance, crossed above the doors to create an arch.

Three students sat to the right of the entrance, their legs stretched out in front of them. All three jumped to their feet when they caught sight of the Commander and ran inside the tower.

I had spent my whole life dreaming that a legendary sword would bond with me and I could train here in the Sword Pillar. More heroes came from this Pillar than any of the others. Being part of it meant I would make a difference.

Instead, I had bonded to a bookmark and bloodied the nose of the man in charge of my training. A man who hated my dad and wanted me thrown out.

We strode into the shadow cast by the Sword Pillar, and I hoped my day would get better. It couldn’t possibly get any worse.

Chapter 7

I entered the Sword Pillar for the first time. The Hero of Jasper Pass had walked through that same door and my skin flushed with that thought.

Once inside we entered a large common space. Long tables, benches on each side, stood like rows in a freshly plowed field. To my right, banners hung on the wall, almost covering it. They listed all the years the Sword Pillar had won the Martial Games here at the Academy.

The trophy shelf in the middle of the wall sat empty. The Axe Pillar had won last year, so that meant the pyramid shaped trophy sat on a shelf in their common room.

On my left a smaller table sat apart from the others, and four teenagers stood at attention in front of it. The shortest one, a young woman, stepped forward and saluted Command Jase. She had short blonde hair, eyes the color of damp sand, and a nose covered in freckles. A thin black line down her forehead marked her a Sword Pillar student and the single black dot next to it meant she was important.

Commander Jase slashed the air with his right arm. “Peace, Tip.”

That’s an odd name, I thought.

That is her rank. She is the Tip of the sword and in charge here, Lid responded.

The woman placed her hands behind her back, but she didn’t appear any more relaxed. She never looked at me, as her focus remained on Commander Jase.

“Stick this out of sight,” Commander Jase said, his thumb pointing at me.

 “Of course, sir. To which edge should he be assigned?” Tip asked.

“Don’t bother. He won’t be with us long.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll place him on eight.”

“No, put him up, away from everyone.”

“Of course, sir.”

Commander Jase turned and left without even looking at me. As soon as he exited the tower all four teenagers relaxed.

“I’ve never seen him that angry,” the tall young woman in back said.

“He had blood on his face,” the young man beside her added.

Tip leaned forward and locked eyes with me. “And his nose looked swollen. Care to tell us what happened, Top?”

“My name’s Cevin, not Top,” I said.

“You look seven,” the tallest of the young men said. He was easily over six feet tall, with short brown hair cut so short it shined. He had two black dots, one over the other, and the sword on his forehead had more detail than the simple line of Tip’s.

“Sheathe it, Flasker,” Tip said without turning around. “My friends call me Lylly. You will call me Tip. No one here cares about your name. Until we get new meat, you’re our new Top.” Lylly turned to Flasker. “Tell Shanah to fix her stain, she’s no longer Top.”

Flasker sighed. “Doesn’t seem fair. She’s only been here a week. I’m sick of them always getting off easy and—”

“Mind your tongue soldier,” Lylly interrupted. “Go get the stain.”

Flasker glared at Lylly but stopped speaking and strode through a door behind him. Ten seconds later he returned with a small jar and handed it to Lylly without a word.

Lylly turned back to me. “Step forward, Top.”

“Not much difference between Top and Tip,” I said.

“Just nine floors of steps,” Flasker said with a laugh.

“That blood on your cheek come from the Commander?” Lylly asked.

I rubbed at the dried blood. “No, that’s from before.”

“What happened to the Commander?” Lylly asked.

I twisted my mouth, not sure what to say. The truth didn’t seem like a good idea. Maybe just part of it.

“He tripped,” I said.

“The Commander is a sword champion. He wouldn’t just trip.”

I couldn’t tell them about my dad or how much Commander Jase hated me already. They would only ask more questions that I didn’t have answers for.

“I might have accidentally tripped him…from behind.”

Lylly stood up straight. “What?”

Flasker strode toward me, his face red. “He’s having a go at us. I’ll teach you some respect you little –”

Lylly held out her arm and stopped Flasker. “I think he’s serious. You were able to catch the Commander by surprise and actually injure him?”

I remembered the rage Commander Jase had shown in the Hall of Glory. “He might have been a little distracted.”

“Is that why he wants to get rid of you? Because you embarrassed him?”

I shrugged not wanting to reveal anything else.

“Where’s your sword?” Flasker asked. “Do the book-lickers have it?”

Lylly smacked Flasker in the chest. “Have some respect. Without the scribes we wouldn’t know anything about our weapons.”

“Whatever. Just a bunch of jealous nobodies without weapons of their own.”

I held out Lid, the silver weapon lay across my right palm.

“What’s this?” Lylly asked.

I cleared my throat. “It’s my sword.”

Flasker laughed and slapped the table beside him. The two teenagers behind him laughed as well. Lylly frowned and leaned down to inspect Lid.

“Is it a talker or just pictures?” Lylly asked.

“A little of both.”

“I’ve never heard of anything so small.” Lylly stood up straight. “Are you local or is your stuff at the South Gate?”

“The gate,” I replied.

“Flasker send someone to get Top’s stuff from the gate,” Lylly said.

“Yes, ma’am,” Flasker said. “I’ll tell them to look between six and eight.”

Flasker laughed at his own joke, but Lylly ignored him.

As the other three teenagers left, Lylly stepped closer and opened the jar. The smell of stain made my head spin, and I leaned away from the odor. She handed me the jar’s mirrored top and raised my hand until my reflection appeared.

“Watch closely. I’ll only show you this once.”

Lylly removed a brush from the jar and drew a line down the right-side of my forehead. Next to it she drew an upside-down pyramid of dots; the bottom a single dot, two above it, then three, then four. Next to the dot pyramid she drew a thick line that basically covered the left-side of my forehead.

Lylly used the brush like a finger. “The thin line marks you part of the sword pillar. The ten dots put you in the tenth edge. The final stain labels you Top. You must be stained at all times. Understand?”

My hand trembled a little making my reflection shake. This was the first time I’d worn any stain. My chest warmed, and I smiled a little. Even if it marked me the lowest of the low in the pillar it still meant I belonged here.

It looks good, Lid said.

Thanks.

I nodded at Lylly. “Thank you.”

She took the lid back and placed the jar on the table. “Follow me, Top.”

We left the common room and entered a hallway in the far wall. On my right, about halfway up the wall, hung five cylinders connected to pipes, which disappeared into the ceiling.

Each pipe had an even number; two through ten. The wall on the other side of the door had four cylinders; with the odd numbers from three to nine. I couldn’t stop to study the contraption, and, in a heartbeat, we’d passed them.

Five doors stood open on each side of the hallway. As we passed, I could see they led into private rooms. Every room looked clean, the bed made, and no clutter.

Lylly pointed to the last door on the right. The room looked larger than the previous ones. It had a chair and a small table. “Pillar leadership is in this hall. This is my room.”

Is that a book next to her chair? Lid asked excitedly.

You’ve got to stop it with the books.

Just walk inside and look.

You want me to go into her room?

Yes.

You have a problem.

Lid vibrated in my hand, but I ignored him.

“You’re in charge?” I asked Lylly.

“Technically Commander Jase is, but he never interferes with my decisions here in the pillar.”

I studied Lylly out of the corner of my eye. She looked lean but nothing screamed warrior about her.

“Is that something that’s voted on?” I asked.

Lylly held out her left arm and stopped me. She turned to step in front of me.

“I’m going to tell you my secret,” Lylly said.

I leaned forward. Maybe I could use her secret to make things better for myself here. Repair the damage I’d done.

“You know why I didn’t laugh at your weapon?”

I shook my head.

Lylly leaned toward me until our faces almost touched. “Because I never underestimate something, or someone, because of how they look.”

Lylly took three steps backward, and we faced each other in the middle of the hall.

“Now I’m going to sweep your legs. I’m telling you this to give you an advantage, but you should probably just put your hands out to break your fall.”

I stared at her. It didn’t seem likely she could move the distance between us and sweep –

My back struck the stone floor.

Oh, she is fast, Lid said.

Lylly’s face hovered above mine.

“We each learned something,” Lylly said.

“What did you learn?” I groaned.

We both knew what I’d learned.

Lylly stood up straight, grabbed my hand, and helped me up. “That you are a terrible listener. I told you to put your hands out.”

Lid laughed. I like her.

You would.

I rubbed my sore tailbone.

How did she do that? I wondered.

My vision went black and then a crack of light appeared. Slowly the gap grew until Lylly appeared just in front of me. I tensed to jump out of the way but realized she moved at an incredibly slow speed. She leaned backward and thrust her right foot out toward my feet.

What is this? I asked.

You wanted to know what happened. So I am replaying what you saw.

What? How is that possible?

A lot of ways. I could have used your memories, or from what I saw, or recreated it from the vibrations, or –

That’s amazing.

I am amazing.

So the darkness I saw in the beginning was when I blinked?

Yes.

Lylly flicked my forehead, and I focused on her. She flicked me again. I stepped backward to avoid a third one.

“Are you stupid or something?” Lylly asked.

“You waited until I blinked,” I said.

Lylly lowered her hand and gave me a half smile. “Good. Maybe you’re not as dumb as you act.”

If only she knew the truth, Lid said.

I opened my mouth to give credit to Lid.

Do not tell her about me! You really are dumb.

I closed my mouth and Lylly tilted her head.

“You’re an odd one,” Lylly said.

“I know.”

“Come on, then. It’s a long climb.”

Chapter 8

The tenth floor might take the longest to reach, but it had a great view. I’d opened the wooden shutters on each wall, and now fresh air had replaced the dusty smell. Cots lined the walls, each with a square wooden box at the end to hold personal items.

Two metal pegs stuck out from the wall above each bed. The pegs were there to hold a sword but were spaced too far apart for Lid. In each corner of the room sat a table shaped like a piece of pie with five chairs.

I had chosen the cot furthest from the door and Lylly had pulled blankets from the chest. She’d shown me how to make the bed and said unless I was sleeping, it needed to always look like she’d shown me. She’d told me they would wait on uniforms until the issues with Commander Jase got sorted out. As she left, she had pointed at a cylinder by the door exactly like I’d seen in the leadership hallway.

“We’ll summon you down or pass messages with this caller. When not in classes, each floor needs to have someone listening to the caller.”

That had been hours ago, and now I sat cross-legged on the cot, Lid in front of me.

We need to talk about the danger you mentioned earlier, I said.

Which one?

There’s more than one?

The world is a dangerous place. For instance, there is the danger of your stupidness, the—

Stupidness isn’t even a word.

Oh, so now you are a dictionary? Actually it is a rarely used form of the —

Stop! I just want to know about the thing Wuk’Glea thinks might kill us.

Oh, that. Well, she is hard to hear right now because they have her in the Archive Tower. We should try and get closer.

How far can you hear things?

Depends on where I am. For instance, the stone in this building magnifies vibrations. I am glad they are done eating, that many people in one spot makes it hard to hear anything.

They had dinner?

Over an hour ago.

My stomach cramped. And you didn’t tell me?

Why would I?

Because I’m starving!

Oh, sorry.

I wonder if they called me, and I didn’t hear it. Maybe I should have picked a bed closer to the caller.

I got off the bed, pulled on my leather boots, and headed for the door.

Hey! Lid said.

What? I asked not slowing down.

Take me!

I can’t carry you around all the time.

You do not need to.

You’re too sharp to put in a pocket.

I know. I go on your wrist.

I stopped and turned around. Lid had changed into a silver circle. I walked back and picked him up off the bed.

Are you right or left handed? Lid asked.

Neither, Mom made me do everything with both.

Of course she did. Put me on your left wrist.

Lid looked too big to stay on my wrist, but as soon as I slid him past my hand, he shrunk. He looked like a silver bracelet.

I shook my wrist, but Lid barely moved. It felt odd to wear something on my wrist.

Is this a good idea? I asked.

I only have good ideas.

Frowning, I twisted Lid around but couldn’t find the seam where his ends met. I probably couldn’t get him off now if I wanted.

Lid split, his ends an inch apart.

We have to trust each other, Lid said. If you want to leave me here, I will stay.

I grabbed Lid and half pulled him off my wrist. The soft metal split further and in a blink Lid came off. He felt light in my right hand.

You were serious, I said.

Of course, we are partners.

After a few seconds I pushed Lid back on my wrist and rolled my sleeves down to cover him. I didn’t know the Academy’s rules for jewelry yet, and I didn’t want to cause any more problems.

Does that bother you? Can you still…uh…see? I asked.

Your shirt is thin. I should be okay.

Daylight had all but disappeared, and the faint light from the windows didn’t reach the stairwell which now looked like a dark pit. Standing on the tips of my toes, I reached into the shaker holder near the door. Removing one of the palm-sized spheres, I gave it a quick shake, and the sphere brightened a ten-foot area around me.

I descended the stairs and paused at the first landing, where the stairs turned, and stuck the shaker through an empty doorway. Lylly said these doorways led to the toilets and showers and that the men and women alternated floors. I didn’t know what type this was, but it didn’t matter since I hadn’t eaten or drunk anything since morning, and I didn’t have to use the bathroom.

I passed the ninth floor, which was dark and empty, and then took the stairs down two at a time to the eighth floor. Voices and light escaped from the open door, and I peeked into the room.

A red-haired girl sat in a chair next to the door, balanced on the rear legs, directly under the caller. She yelped when she noticed me and crashed backward. Laughter erupted from the room and the girl glared at me.

Her forehead had eight stained dots, four rows of two. The left side of her forehead looked pink and clean, like she’d just finished scrubbing it. The girl’s cheeks reddened, and her eyes narrowed. I didn’t wait to see what she’d do and ran down the stairs.

“You’ll pay for that, Top!” a girl’s voice echoed down to me.

How did she know about me already? I asked.

The only thing faster than light is gossip. And your entire forehead is basically black stain.

I put the shaker in my pocket, didn’t look into any more rooms, and slowed to a quiet walk past each floor’s door. Between the fourth and fifth levels I passed a pair of young men coming out of the bathroom. I pushed myself against the wall and held my breath, but they didn’t even look at me.

At least I knew what bathrooms I could use now. The one closest to the tenth floor was for women. In just a few minutes I strode through the leadership hallway, and as I passed Lylly’s open door, Lid vibrated.

Are you still thinking about that book? I asked.

It will only take a second.

And if she is sitting in there?

You could –

Stop. I can’t risk trouble.

A moment later I entered the dining hall. Flasker sat at the head table with four others. They were all laughing. Clothes and pieces of paper covered their table. A brown backpack sat in front of Flasker, and I recognized all my things. The laughing stopped as they noticed me.

“What are you doing down here?” Flasker asked. “No one called for you.”

I clenched my hands, my heart thudding loudly in my ears. What right did they have to go through my things? To destroy them?

Cevin? Lid said. Calm down.

My thoughts blurred as anger consumed me. I took a deep breath and tensed, ready to run and attack.

Someone to my left cleared their throat, and I glanced over to see Lylly, but I ignored her. I faced Flasker, who stood and smiled.

The edges of my vision turned white, and I ran.

“Cevin!” Lylly shouted, and her voice pierced my thoughts like a sword through a pillow.

I stumbled and fell to my knees. Pushing myself up, I shook my head. But now someone stood in front of me. Lylly.

“Top,” Lylly said, her voice soft but forceful.

Our eyes locked, and I couldn’t remember what I’d been doing.

“Second Edge Flasker asked you a question,” Lylly said, her voice still odd.

She is bonded to Hal’yorn for sure, Lid said but his voice sounded far away.

I couldn’t focus my thoughts enough to respond.

So much control for her age, Lid continued. She will be dangerous. Lid’s voice remained distant. And your mind is like clay. Your mom would be angry with you. Breathe. One, two, three.

Deep breaths. One, two, three. My heart slowed, and I felt Lid enter my mind like a gust of wind. My reasoning returned.

“What?” I asked.

“You aren’t to come down unless you’re called,” Lylly said, and her voice sounded normal now.

“But –” I started.

Lylly raised an eyebrow. I tried to look past her at Flasker and my things, but she leaned to block my view.

“He needs punishment for coming down,” Flasker said.

I ground my teeth and moved to my right to get around Lylly.

But Lylly slid to the side, blocking my path. “Wait in my room.”

We should listen to her, Lid said.

“Agreed, Flasker. Top will be punished,” Lylly responded without turning around.

“I’ll do it,” Flasker said.

“He’s my responsibility,” Lylly said, her eyes locked with mine. “I’ll see to it.”

“But—” Flasker started.

“I said I’d do it,” Lylly said, her voice quieter.

“Yes, ma’am,” Flasker responded.

Lylly mouthed a single word. “Go,” and then pushed me backward.

I turned and strode from the room before I disobeyed her and made things worse. Flasker had gone through my things and ruined them, and I would get punished? What kind of place was this? My chest burned with rage as I stomped toward Lylly’s room.

The best day of my life had turned into the worst.

Chapter 9

I turned into Lylly’s doorway and slowed my pace as I entered her room. Instead of stopping in the small hallway, I moved deeper into her room. On my right, I passed her private bathroom, and in front of me a chair and table sat in the corner. The book I’d seen earlier had disappeared.

To the right of the table the bulk of Lylly’s room existed. A desk sat under the room’s only window, and a wooden scarecrow, the size of my hand, stood at the desk’s corner. A shaker glowed from the basket at the scarecrow’s feet.

Lylly’s small bed took up most of the remaining space, its headboard centered against the right wall. Above the headboard hung a sword. Its hilt rested between two pegs and the silver blade, thin and long, pointed downward.

The sword’s half-moon hand-guard was big enough to protect Lylly’s whole hand, and the black hilt had small white stars sprinkled on it. A sword like this was made for precision, not to fight against heavy armor. Its narrow blade would slide easily through any gaps however like a deadly thorn.

Best of all, Lylly could lie in bed and look up at her sword.

I knew it, Lid said.

What?

That she paired with Hal’yorn.

I don’t know any stories about Hal’yorn.

The scribes keep him a secret.

Why would they do that?

With practice, and Hal’yorn’s power, she will be able to control people with just her voice. They do not want the Kingdom’s enemies to know that.

Like you can control me? I asked, still concerned about earlier today.

Not even close. If I am a raindrop, Hal’yorn is a thunderstorm. In reality, I can do very little to you. Hal’yorn can make you do whatever he wants.

The odd sound of Lylly’s voice came back to me, and how she’d made me stumble as I raced toward Flasker. My stomach turned, but this time not from hunger. I didn’t like the idea that someone could control me.

We need to be more careful, Lid said in a serious voice. You have given away a lot already.

What?

You resisted her first attempt, which surprised her.

She stopped me in mid run.

Listen…

My vision went black and a moment later I heard Lylly clear her throat as Lid played the sound back for me.

Did you hear that? Lid asked.

No.

Lid played the sound of Lylly clearing her throat again, and I might have heard a humming noise.

The hum? I asked.

Yes! It should have frozen you in place.

Why didn’t you say anything?

Honestly, her attack surprised me. Then you forced her to use your name, raise her voice, and move closer. She probably used every skill she’d learned, and it only briefly stopped you. In the end she had to block you physically.

You called me a clay-head and said Mom would be mad at me.

Lylly should not have affected you at all. I am hoping it was your emotions that allowed her to get so far into your head.

There are already too many people in here.

Agreed, not much room in a brain the size of a squirrel.

Hey!

Lid laughed and then grew serious. You still have a lot to learn, and our time is limited.

Because of the danger?

The danger and other things.

What other things?

The lack of food caught up with my body, and a wave of dizziness struck me. I used a shelf to steady myself, and Lid vibrated, making my hand feel funny.

Stop that, I said.

The vibrations ended, and the pressure around my wrist disappeared. I raised my hand and pulled my sleeve back.

Lid had vanished.

I gasped, stepped backward, and bent down to look for him.

Lid crawled across the floor like a worm. Before I could react, he’d made it to the wooden case I’d just had my hand on. Light from the shaker on the desk reflected off the books that lined the case. Lid started at the last book on the bottom shelf and moved from book to book, pausing for a moment as he touched each one.

Lid!

It will only take a minute. Oh, she has a wide taste. Three books on dreams, one on strategies used at Jasper Pass, a first edition –

Wait, what do you mean by a book on Jasper Pass? Mom said no books existed for that battle. I asked. A lot.

Lid didn’t answer.

Hey, you can’t just ignore –

“Looking for something?” Lylly asked.

I yelped and quickly stood up straight, but my sudden movement made me lose my balance, and I fell onto her bed. I pushed myself up and tried to smooth out the wrinkled sheet, but I only made it worse.

Lylly shook her head and placed a tray of food on her desk. “Eat. There is a cup and water in the hole.”

At the mention of water, I realized how long I’d gone without it. I forgot Lid and strode to the bathroom. A holder to my right contained a dim shaker and neatly arranged jars sat on three shelves to my left.

I grabbed the cup from the top shelf and stood beneath the pipe that stuck a foot out of the ceiling. Placing the cup under the pipe, I turned the valve located near the bottom of the pipe.

Water poured into the cup, knocking it from my hand and soaking the entire front of my body. I jerked backward as the water continued to gush from the pipe. Leaning forward, I twisted the valve closed.  My clothes stuck to me, and I held my arms out away from my sides.

“Be careful, the water pressure is strong this far from the roof,” Lylly said from the other room.

“No kidding,” I whispered.

Picking up the cup, I held it away from the pipe. I turned the valve slowly until the pipe dripped water. One more tiny turn and the droplets became a stream. Not bothering with the cup, I stuck my mouth under the water and gulped it down.

I drank until my lungs screamed for air, and I had to stop, gasping for a few seconds until my thirst pulled me back. Eventually I had enough water that I started to think about the food in the other room. I reached up and closed the valve. Usually I didn’t need much water, but once my body got dehydrated, it absorbed water like a desert dune.

Turning around, I placed the cup I’d never used back on the shelf.

Lylly stood in the doorway staring at me. My clothes were drenched and the front half of my hair stuck to my forehead, dripping water down my face.

“You had a cup in your hand,” Lylly said.

“I was thirsty.”

“You don’t think things through much.”

“I’m working on it.”

Lylly tilted her head and stepped away from the door. I wiped my face with my sleeve but only spread the water around. She motioned me toward her desk. Water sloshed in my stomach as I eased past her and walked to the desk. Aware that she still watched me, I took a moment to look at my food instead of just stuffing it all into my mouth.

Two pieces of rye bread sat on top of a piece of ham, which floated on green beans. Apple slices, brown now, lay half on the ham, half submerged in the swamp of vegetables, like they were trying to pull themselves to safety. Green beans were the worst. No, celery was the worst, but green beans were close. Really anything green tasted terrible.

I made a sandwich with the ham and thankfully noticed the fork before I used my hand to shovel the beans into my mouth. The salt from the ham had spread to the beans and they weren’t as terrible as usual.

Lylly didn’t speak, but studied me like I was some sort of wild animal.

I tried not to look at the sword on the wall or the bookshelf where Lid had gone or Lylly, but failed at all three. The lower half of the bookshelf was blocked from view by her bed, and the part I could see didn’t have a piece of metal crawling on it.

Where are you? I asked.

Lid didn’t respond.

“You like to read?” Lylly asked.

I stopped chewing, looked away from the bookshelf, and stared at my empty plate.

“Thanks for the food,” I said instead of answering Lylly’s question.

My clothes remained damp, and I shivered. Back home they would’ve dried in minutes.

“The Commander stopped by again. He really doesn’t like you.”

“That’s hard to believe. We started out so close.”

Lylly frowned. “Is that a joke about tripping and falling on him?”

I met her gaze and kept my face neutral. “That would be disrespectful.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“I know.”

We stared at each other for a few heartbeats, and then Lylly shrugged. “He is taking you to see the King tomorrow afternoon. To get you thrown out of the Academy.”

“I thought Commander Jase ran the school?”

“He does. But as soon as you bonded a weapon you became valuable to the Kingdom. Getting rid of you got harder.”

“Oh.”

“Grab the plate and follow me.”

Lylly left her room and walked toward the dining room. I could feel Lid near the bookshelf, but I couldn’t see him, so I followed her.

The shakers in the hall hadn’t dimmed yet and my things remained scattered across Flasker’s table. I looked away and followed Lylly through a door and into the kitchen.

It wasn’t nearly as big as I expected. Most of it was just a large island running through the center. An oven sat on the far wall and two large sinks sat on the wall to my left. The right wall was lined with shelves, filled with plates and cups. She pointed at the sinks, and I placed my plate in the first one.

“Doesn’t seem big enough to feed everyone,” I said.

“Everyone usually eats at the school’s dining hall. Today was Sword’s off day and we ate together as a Pillar. The cooks bring our food and put it in here.”

I nodded. That made more sense.

We walked back into the main hall, and Lylly went directly to my things. Nearing the table, the full extent of Flasker’s dislike of me became clear.

My colored chalks littered the floor snapped into small pieces or crushed into powder.

My sketches ripped from their notebooks and crumpled or shredded.

My clothes scattered about.

“Why?” I whispered.

“You’re new and the Commander hates you. That’s enough for those that want to gain his favor.”

I looked at her. “You let Flasker do this.”

“And you’re welcome.”

“What!”

Lylly locked eyes with me. “If I had protected you, this would become ten times worse. Those looking for power are always searching for leverage. Believe me, I did you a favor. This is nothing. These are just things and can be replaced. Nothing important is in danger.”

Lylly closed her eyes for a moment and pressed her lips together. The pain on her face made me swallow my anger. What had happened to her? She looked exhausted.

“Why are you being nice to me if the Commander hates me, and I’ll be gone tomorrow?”

The pain on Lylly’s face disappeared, and for a moment she looked like a young girl, not some dangerous leader, but then it disappeared, replaced by a mask, all emotions hidden.

“Because it’s the right thing to do…and you remind me of my little brother,” Lylly said. “Get your things. Tomorrow afternoon you might get tossed out, but in the morning you’re still one of us. Meet outside the Pillar at sunrise.”

I nodded. She strode away and had almost made it to the hallway before I finally forced the words out of my mouth.

“Thank you,” I said.

Lylly paused, looked down for a second, and then moved again. She spoke without turning around.

“Sunrise, Top. Don’t be late.”

Chapter 10

Back on the tenth floor, I found a clicker in one of the corner desks and wound it up. The clicker in the main hall had read nine forty-five, so I added ten minutes to mine and set the alarm to ring in eight hours. Lid hadn’t answered my calls, and I didn’t know if that was normal. Silence usually wasn’t good though, so I worried.

My things lay spread out on my bed. The anger had passed, and now I just felt sad. I didn’t want to admit it, but I kind of missed my family, too. My sisters, before they’d gone off to fight, would play games with me, or just sit with me. Mom always knew how to make me feel better when I got sad, too.

A single day hadn’t passed and nearly everyone wanted to get rid of me. It was depressing.

Again with the feeling sorry for yourself? Lid asked.

Hey! Where are you? Why did you ignore me?

I was indexing.

I waited five seconds for Lid to explain. He didn’t. What is that?

I linked Lylly’s books to all the other things I already know. It takes a while now.

Why?

Because I know a lot.

Right. Like how many types of soil there are.

Exactly.

I let the indexing thing drop. Where are you?

Lid remained silent.

Where are you? I asked again.

You are just going to get mad.

No, I won’t.

Flasker’s room.

What!

I told you.

I took three deep breaths. Then took another three. Why?

He might have books, too.

Seriously, what is it with you and books?

Knowledge. The first of our two duties.

Our?

We are a team, remember.

And the second duty?

Protecting it of course. You are a Leab’Ayl Ribnor after all.

I knew the words were Kahndirian but they didn’t make sense together. Knowledge Guardian?

It does not translate well. The closest word in Galid is: Archivist or maybe librarian.

I’m a librarian?

Yes. One of three. You are the Silver.

Wait. There are only three librarians?

There are many librarians, but only three Leab’Ayl Ribnor. A red, black, and silver one.

The door to the room slammed shut. Laughter came from the other side, and I immediately got up to check the door.

“Who’s there?” I asked as I crossed the room.

No one answered.

I tried again. “What are you doing?”

I grabbed the door handle. It didn’t turn.

“Hey!” I yelled.

“You shouldn’t sneak around scaring people,” a muffled female voice responded.

I recognized the voice as the red-haired girl I’d accidentally surprised on the eighth floor. I leaned heavily on the door. She had taken her revenge.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

“Save it, Top,” the redhead said.

I pushed on the metal banded door, but it didn’t move. She had jammed it shut from the outside.

“Please let me out,” I said.

“Sure, right after morning muster,” the girl replied.

My stomach turned. Lylly had made it clear that I needed to be at muster when the sun rose. If I missed it, I didn’t know what would happen, but I guessed it wouldn’t be good.

“Hello?” I asked.

No one responded. I put my ear to the door and didn’t hear anything, so I placed my shoulder against the door and pushed. Nothing. I tried to move the door handle again, but it wouldn’t budge. I spent the next few minutes crashing into the door, but it made no difference. Stepping back, I studied the door and thought through my options.

The metal banded door would be impossible to break through with anything I had up here, and I imagined doing that would get me in trouble anyway. Missing muster would get me in trouble for sure, though, so I needed to reach the ground by sunrise. Turning around, I scanned the room to see if anything might help me out of this problem.

How are you at opening things? I asked Lid.

The best. I can shape myself to fit into any lock.

I think this is more of a jammed door thing.

Your door is jammed? How did you do that?

Why do you assume this is somehow my fault?

Is it?

It was a little my fault. Can you help me or not?

It would take me days to reach the tenth floor on my own.

That will be too late. I need to figure something else out.

Oh! Flasker actually has books. I will talk to you in a bit.

I rubbed my face and paced around the room. It felt small now that I couldn’t leave. A cool breeze from the open windows made my skin prickle, and I paused to look out the western window.

The air smelled like burning wood, but I didn’t see any fires. It probably came from a kitchen somewhere. The darkness made the ground invisible, and I wondered how I could get down there.

A terrible idea formed in my head. I ran to the nearest desk, grabbed the dim shaker there, and returned to the window. Holding the light in front of me, I leaned out the window and studied the tower wall.

The bricks that made up the tower were weathered smooth and wouldn’t provide any hand holds, but the mortar between the bricks had crumbled, and I could fit my fingers into the joints.

Sometimes Mom and I would run to a large rock an hour into the desert. Well not really run. You couldn’t run for long in the sand. Mom had taught me how to move quickly on the sand, and it was almost as fast as running.

We would practice climbing on the rock, and while I didn’t like heights, I had stopped freezing up. I had only fallen once, the sand knocking the wind out of me, but not breaking any bones. That had been from fifteen feet. Now I stood over a hundred feet off the ground and hitting the surface would do more than knock the wind from my lungs, it would kill me.

I returned to my bed and sat, avoiding all the broken things still on my bed. My options were limited. I couldn’t get through the door by myself, and I couldn’t wait for them to let me out without getting in trouble with Lylly. She was the closest thing I had to an ally here, and I didn’t want to ruin that. Which left the window.

I bit my lip and studied the shutters. When closed, a small latch kept them shut, which meant the shutters should be easy to force open from the outside. Maybe I only needed to climb down one-story, to the ninth floor, and enter through the window there. It had looked empty earlier, so I wouldn’t disturb anyone. And climbing ten feet was far safer than climbing down a hundred.

The danger came from the height. If I made any kind of mistake, I’d be dead. Was the risk worth it? I would probably get kicked out tomorrow anyway.

But Lid had power and the scribe Gavyn knew that which meant they might let me stay as long as I didn’t cause problems. Problems like disobeying Lylly by not showing up to muster.

I wanted to stay here, so that meant I needed to reach the ground by sunrise. Specifically, on the ground alive, not after a long fall.

I had to risk it. Being here meant I could reach my goals. I wanted to rescue my brother, so I needed the training the Academy provided. Plus, I deserved some good luck today.

My clothes remained damp, and they weren’t good for climbing anyway. They were heavy and a bit tight. I stripped down to my underwear and looked through the other clothes I’d brought with me: two brown work shirts, one pair of tan pants, three pairs of shorts, also brown, some underwear, socks, and two undershirts.

All the clothes looked plain, no bright colors or fancy lace at the sleeves. They were meant to last. Even Flasker and his friends couldn’t do that much damage to them. The undershirts were the thinnest and the only thing Flasker successfully ripped.

Ease of movement is what I needed, so I put on the least damaged undershirt and the thinnest pair of shorts. I left my socks and boots off because they’d make it impossible to get my toes in the cracks.

Picking up the shaker, I started to put it in my pocket, but stopped. The light the shaker emitted, a hundred feet in the air, would be visible for a long way, and I didn’t want to draw attention to myself. I could wrap it up in something to hide the light, but what if it came off? Better to not chance it.

It would be dark outside, but I could see in the dark pretty well, and I needed my hands to keep me attached to the wall anyway. I threw the shaker back on the bed.

Lid? I might be doing something dumb.

Lid didn’t respond. He must still be absorbing and indexing Flasker’s book collection.

If I stood at my bed much longer, I’d think myself out of climbing. I didn’t have any other options, so I just needed to move and stop thinking. If I left right now, in a few minutes I’d reach the ninth floor, and soon after that I’d remove whatever she’d done to my door. Plus, it would leave me plenty of time to get some rest before tomorrow morning.

I moved to the open west window and sat on the windowsill, my feet dangling in the darkness. Taking three deep breaths I pushed back at the panicked thoughts that erupted in my head. It would only take a minute. The sooner I started, the sooner I’d finish.

Rolling onto my stomach I let my legs drop down, and my toes found a grip between two bricks. Slowly, I shifted my weight to my toes until my arms barely held me against the windowsill. My toes hurt from being jammed into the cracks, but they were strong from all the running I did, and I could easily bear this pain.

I moved my right hand under the windowsill and found a crack. I let go of the window with my left hand, ready to catch myself if I slipped. The three points of contact that Mom insisted I always keep when climbing held my weight. I smiled and brought my left hand down under the window. This would be easy.

A light breeze swirled the cold air around me. My shirt, a large rip in the armpit, caught the wind like a sail and I tensed, scared it might yank me off the tower. After a moment the wind settled, and my shirt deflated. I took another deep breath, and lowered my left foot to find the next gap in the bricks.

My foot never caught on anything, and my heartbeat thundered in my ears. I relaxed my arms a little and dropped lower. My toes caught on a gap, and I released the breath I’d held.

I knew this would work.

I lowered my right foot until I found some holes between the bricks. My toes didn’t go in as far on this side, so I tested them by placing a little weight on my right leg.

It held. Easy.

When I shifted my left hand, my right started to slip, the damp stone making it difficult to keep my grip.

The toenail on my right big toe snapped, the pressure too great to hold me. Pain filled my mind, followed immediately by terror as my left foot slipped, and I fell.