The Last of the Sages (Sage Trilogy, Book 1) (5 page)

And without another word, he stormed out of the house, giving his son space to gather his belongings. James huffed as soon as the door closed, feeling like flipping the kitchen table over
.
So that’s going to be the good-bye of my old ma
n
, he thought
.
One last kick to the groin.

“Fine,” he muttered to himself and headed upstairs to his bedroom for the last time. He was barely aware of what he was doing, just throwing a bunch of clothes into a satchel, too angry to think straight.

He finally stampeded downstairs with his satchel over his shoulder, deciding to raid the fridge one last time, grabbing everything he could carry and making sure to break his dad’s precious eggs on the way out. He barely looked back when he headed out the door.

Thankfully it was still warm outside so he wouldn’t have to fight the climate, but where was he going to go on such short notice? Jennings’s parents were clinically insane and would probably end up giving him a beat down just for interrupting their beauty rest. Korey’s parents were no better and Leidy would hurt him personally, especially since she had to wake up early to open the store. She might forgive him this once and let him stay the night since he was on his way out, but he really didn’t want to bother her. For some reason…his father’s words had gotten through to him…as they always did. Suddenly, he felt utterly alone.

There were no benches or conveniently flat boulders to lie on so James knew that he would have to settle for the ground, ladled with hay, mud and hungry critters on the hunt…which also meant he wasn’t going to get any sleep that night. Best to just stay up.

But what was he going to do so late at night? What was his plan anyway? He had never actually thought about where he was going to go instead of the Academy. He had heard there were other Kingdoms but he had no clue of the direction they were in, and the people in the village were so scared of going outside the borders that he figured there had to be danger out there
.
Wouldn’t that be ironic
?
he thought
.
Abandon the Academy because I would get killed there, only to be killed because I didn’t go.

James sighed and started walking toward the carriage station. Wherever he was eventually headed, it was best to start there. It was only a five minute walk, and it was well past dark so no one was up in the village to catch his movements
.
No one to watch my leavin
g
, he said to himself
.
No one to weep over my departure…

When he arrived to the station, the driver was sleeping, snoring and nearly toppling over onto his horses. It must have been a light doze, however, for when James came near, he turned to him as if they had already been conversing.

“Where to, young one?” he asked, steadying the reins in his hand. One horse neighed as if to wake the other.

“I’m not sure,” James said. “But I want to go somewhere far. Are there any Kingdoms you can take me to?”

“Now why would you want to go do a thing like that? Those other Kingdoms will kill you on sight, just for being part of Allay.”

“Why’s that?”

“I don’t know. It’s just what the boss says I should tell anyone that asks. Never been too far outside the walls myself.”

“Okay…so where can I go? What’s the farthest you’ll take me?”

“Edge of the forest. You’d be on your own from there though. It’s pretty dangerous. I hear there’s poisonous snakes by the thousands.”

“Okay,” James shrugged. Supposedly, no place was safe. “I’ll go there.”

“That will be hundred shell.”

“A HUNDRED SHELL?” he yelled. The driver twisted a finger in his right ear.

“That’s right. Times are tough. Nobody travels outside the village anymore.”

“That’s most people’s annual salary!”

“Well, I can drop it to eighty shell if that helps.”

“I barely have five.”

“Wow. Geez. Sorry, son. You’re out of luck then.”

“Where can I go for that price?”

“The Academy. It’s not that far from where we sit.”

“The Academy? Seriously?”

“It’s actually a free ride if that interests you. All those who sign up for the place aren’t charged. Got to be some perks to throwing your life away, right?…but, if you want to hand me the five shell anyways, you know, I do have a wife and child to feed.”

James sighed and closed his eyes, weighing his options. He could always walk to wherever this forest was…but, he honestly had no idea what lay in store. The driver did say it was dangerous…so maybe, just maybe, the Academy was best…for now. It would have a bed and some food waiting for him if he went, and that didn’t sound so bad. Perhaps he could stay for a month or so and then try his hand at the forest. No one said he had to stay at the Academy against his will. And in the mean time, he could find out more about which direction the other Kingdoms were in…but, was this really the right answer?

“To the Academy it is,” he found himself saying. The driver nodded and motioned for him to get into the stagecoach.

“I hear there’s a storm coming in, so I hope you don’t mind if I take it slow. Should be there in no more than a few hours.”

“Thank you,” he sighed and climbed into the back.

For the first time in his adolescence, there was no flood of thoughts rushing into James’s mind once he laid his head down…

But it might have been because he had no pillow…

Chapter 2 – Orientation

James moped over the previous day’s events as he stepped lazily off the carriage. The horses whinnied towards him, as if they were annoyed with his hesitation, and he suddenly understood why. The climate itself had transformed completely over the course of their journey. Warmth had completely succumbed to violently strong and cold winds, howling like banshees all around them, cutting through his clothes like they were made of string and shrieking in his ear like raging ghosts.

The horses whinnied again. The longer he stayed in the wagon, the longer they would have to endure the skin-piercing winds, mysteriously cutting through their thick hides. At least when they were moving, they found solace in their body heat. James rolled his eyes at them and half-stepped, half-jumped onto the wet slush below.

Wait. Snow? When did that happen?

“How long was I asleep?” he asked the driver. It was still dark so it couldn’t have been too long of a ride.

“Just a couple of hours. I know things look strange, but the weather’s different over here.”

“I see,” he said. James handed him the five shell. It was the least he could do.

James clutched the collar of his jacket and tried blowing a ring of vapor from his mouth as the driver nodded in his direction. With barely a wave, the driver snapped the reins and wasted no time in heading back to the village. James didn’t blame him. Being in the presence of the Academy itself had to make anyone uncomfortable and he was doing his absolute best to not think about its intimidating presence.

He blew another ring of vapor, still in awe over how cold it had gotten. Then he decided to blow another, and for a moment, he mused over what the record for blowing vapor rings was when he suddenly shook his head to get rid of the thought. He couldn’t afford to be distracted, not at a place like this. He had to learn how to focus.

He looked around, realizing for the first time how still the atmosphere was. There was no welcoming party. No one to greet his arrival. Not even a doorman. Just the eerie feeling that he was being watched. The wind died down as he glanced up at the colossal steel door towering over him.

He grabbed his satchel and adjusted it over his shoulder until he was comfortable, his thoughts already trailing off. He tried to decide whether to enter the Academy doors looking scared or like he was a force to be reckoned with. After all, first impressions were everything.

He could probably get some sympathy looking like the scared new kid, but then again, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t be made fun of, so that option was out.

Bad boy it is.

He lowered his eyes to appear bored and tensed his jaw as if he were constantly angry. Swinging his satchel over his other shoulder, he tilted his head slightly to the left. Pushing the rusted steel door entrance to the side, he stepped through, trying not to snicker at the thought of what he must look like
.
I’ll just need a chump to be my lackey and I’m good to g
o,
he thought as he surveyed the empty courtyard beyond the doors, flat and barren with only the slush providing contours in the landscape.

Enormous pillars extended down to the main Academy building in two parallel straight lines, lampposts hanging from each one, barely lit. Though the yard had no roof over it, it was somehow darker than when he had been outside its doors, creating an effect that screamed out it was haunted.

Suddenly he was thankful no one was there to greet him. They might catch the fear creeping into his face. 

At least he thought no one was there…

He didn’t see the open palm swinging toward his mouth.

As it struck, he cried out in shock, swinging his satchel in retaliation at the attacker, but he missed horribly. He heard the culprit snicker from the shadows as he grabbed James’s satchel with little effort. James stood there, dumbstruck, and watched as the mysterious attacker used his own possessions against him, swiping his legs from underneath him and forcing him into the wet slush below. The attacker chuckled from underneath his coat as he stepped further into the light.

“You would have gotten more of a welcome acting like the new kid.”

The stranger was tall and skinny, but not lanky. Jet black hair flowed from the crown of his head like it had life of its own, constantly covering his left eye as if he were trying to hide something in his retina. The eye that did reveal itself was piercing, intense, and full of life, but not of excitement. It was searching for something, with a passion that advised caution to anyone who stepped in its path. And James had no doubt that this stranger sought to match his wardrobe with his stare. A long, black trench coat draped his body, finely pressed and only accentuating his cold demeanor. On top of all that, with the dark fabrics clothing him, the stranger’s right eye was only further intensified as it was the first thing anyone saw beyond the black… 

“Who are you?” James demanded cautiously. This was not his father. He couldn’t just say any word that popped into his mind.

“If I tell you my name, you’ll be obligated to tell me yours, and then I might get sentimental when you’re killed in the field, so if it’s all right with you, I’d rather skip the introductions.”

The stranger stared him down, waiting for a reply as James uncomfortably stood up and brushed himself off. Was this a teacher here? Or someone playing a cruel joke? His voice was so foreboding and threatening that it bordered on the line of scary and entertaining. This man spoke with such a matter-of-fact voice that James couldn’t figure out if he was joking or not.

“So, what do I call you in the mean time?”

“Just call him Kyran,” a deep, intellectual voice stated behind them. James instantly figured that the new figure arriving had to be an actual teacher. His voice begged to be heard.

“You’re no fun, Arimus. I wanted to greet this one.” Kyran said with no excitement whatsoever. Every sentence that came out of his mouth was monotonous in its identically sinister tone and pitch.

“You have odd tactics, my friend,” Arimus said. “But I must ask you to spare our company of what you would have dared to call yourself.”

Kyran didn’t say a word and handed James the satchel.

“Make no mistake,” Kyran said to him, leaning into his face. “Arimus is tougher than I. Under that soothing temperament is the grace of a sledgehammer. Mind your tongue in his presence.”

James nodded nervously as Kyran studied his reaction. When he was satisfied, he walked off into the darkness like he was part of its ambience, his dark hair and black trench coat melting into the shadows.

“I know what you’re thinking, James,” Arimus said. “He looks like a black cat.”

He snorted at the thought but then immediately gathered his composure in front of his superior. It was best to go through the motions and wait to see what was acceptable or not before he started playing around. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him.

“You know my name,” he blurted out. It was probably not the most militaristic response, but Arimus didn’t seem to notice. He instead motioned for James to walk with him as they traveled across the stretch of courtyard to the entrance of the school itself. James couldn’t help but be in awe over the man. He had to be about seven feet tall, with a build that was desperately trying to match his height in width. Behind the ancient, wool cloak that covered his body, James had no doubts that this man had muscles as big as his head underneath. There was not a shred of evidence indicating he was fat. Add this intimidating fact to the rugged gray beard shrouding most of his face and his steel blue eyes overflowing with wisdom, and James suddenly found himself listening intently before he realized it. He wasn’t sure why, but this man, in seconds, had gained his respect.

“It was not hard to figure out,” Arimus said assuredly. “Considering only one recruit was to arrive today, and his name was James.”

“True, sir,” he stated mindlessly, not sure what to say.

“You may call me by my proper name. Arimus. You will find that there are few formalities here.”

“R-uh-moss?” he mouthed, like there was a bad taste in his mouth.

“Close. It’s pronounced air-a-muhs.”

“Ah.”

“And the soldier you had the pleasure of meeting a moment ago was Kyran. A little shady at times, but one you can trust with your life. After all, that is one of the requisites of becoming a full-fledged soldier. You must be reliable on all accounts.”

“You trust me with your life, Arimus?”

“No, James,” he stated flatly. ”Not yet. But that is one of the purposes of the Academy. To see if we can. Come, I will show you to your room. There you will find some food and the rest of the night is yours to do as you please. But tomorrow at dawn, the training begins.”

“Can I ask you something?” James said as they reached the end of the courtyard. The winds died down suddenly to a whisper.

“Of course.”

“Where is everyone? I can’t be the only one. Am I?”

“No, of course not. There are others, but before you can join the general class, you have to pass the preliminary course. It won’t take long. Until then, you will remain in solitude.”

“And what is the preliminary course?”

“That,” Arimus mused behind his scraggly beard, “will have to remain a mystery. An important part of the course is its uncertainty, designed to keep you up all night with wild notions of deadly scenarios.”

“How is keeping me up all night supposed to help?”

“So you won’t have the clarity and dexterity you will need tomorrow. If you can’t pass this, there is no point in going further. It would be wise of you to take every test at the Academy with great concern.”

James regretted asking. The last thing he needed was to stay up all night wondering what he’d have to endure the next day, but now that was exactly what he was sure to do. Only one thing comforted him and gave him a sliver of hope. The fatherly tone in Arimus’s voice. From the sound of it, Arimus would be giving the course in the morning, and he didn’t seem like a cutthroat proctor. Of course, that could all be a part of the façade, but there was still something trustworthy emanating from him. James had no doubt the mysterious test would be hard, but he figured that at least his life wasn’t in danger.

“I’ll take it seriously,” he said. Arimus glanced up at the entrance to the fortress that was the Sentinel Academy. The creaking oak doors opened for a second under a gust of the wind and Arimus immediately shut it, giving James just enough time to see that the building inside looked more like a prison than a school. He felt his stomach knot up.

“This will not be a vacation,” Arimus confirmed. “But we do have the bare essentials.”

“I couldn’t have put it any better,” James said under his breath, recalling the abundance of grey colors and dreary decorations.

“This is actually not the original academy building, in case you are wondering. That was destroyed in the siege of ’88. I assume you know a little about our history.”

“My father tells me nothing.”

“You didn’t learn anything in school about the Kingdom? Particularly the siege of ‘88?”

“I can’t say I was an avid listener.”

“Then I will tell you a little about the layout of this Academy for now. We’ll discuss history at a later date. However, if your mind strays, I will bring it back. Agreed?”

James took a deep breath, concentrating on the words that would come out of Arimus’s mouth. He didn’t feel like getting slapped twice in the same night.

“I’m ready.”

“Well, as I hope you know, the Kingdom as a whole is not without its share of defenses. Besides its walls, it is also surrounded by a thick wall of vegetation, filled to the brink with lethal creatures and animals. If an enemy happened to survive the sixty mile hike through the forest, then they would have to somehow make their way through the shield of fog that circles the outer perimeter. Most of the fog is due to the heavy precipitation we receive and the condensation caused by the forest swamps.”

“Is that why it’s so gloomy around here?”

“Mostly. This training facility happens to be right on the edge of the fog shield.”

“Why?”

“This facility is the first line of defense in case of an attack. The south side, where we now stand, is the only entrance that faces out toward the other Kingdoms. The other sides are quite guarded, so unless they are very resourceful, the enemy must enter here, which for them is a very bad thing. The first thing they see as their vision slowly clears is the tint of our blades and their blood spilling violently to the ground.”

James followed Arimus’s eyes back to the colossal steel doors that he had come through earlier.

“The other three entrances are guarded on the outside by graduated sentinel armies. And to climb one of the high walls that surround us is physically impossible, and quite impractical, for even if someone had the dexterity and will to do so, we have archers at the ready at all times, hidden and in waiting.”

“What else is there to stop the enemy?” James asked in awe. He had never realized how protected the Kingdom of Allay really was. And the graduates had to be the best there was. How could someone guard a post for years without ever breaking cover? Without revealing themselves to a single villager?