The Last of the Sages (Sage Trilogy, Book 1) (8 page)

“I’m ecstatic.”

“Okay, well since my job is done, I’m off…Arimus - always a pleasure. Make sure you see me by the end of the day.” And with her message sent, Scarlet jogged through the courtyard gates rather than the academy doors.

“Why is she going that way?” James asked. “Wouldn’t it be easier to go through the main building?”

“We all do it. Not only is it great exercise, but occasionally you come across a stray beast from the forest which makes the walk even more exhilarating.”

“Naturally.”

“James, I want to also let you know that your solitude is now over, though I heard you cut it short anyways.”

James gulped. Was there a reprimand for that?

“You heard about that, huh?”

“Yes, Catherine told me.”

“Oh. So she knows who I am?”

“Not exactly. She just said there was a new recruit that talked too much and had a gigantic bump on the back of his head. She also added that you were quite ugly.”

“I didn’t know the bump was that visible,” James muttered, trying to ignore the last insult.

“I assumed it wasn’t your brain expanding from a wealth of new knowledge.”

“Did she say anything else?”

“She said she’ll see you tonight in the east wing where your new room is. The east wing is where the cafeteria and the dorms can also be found.”

“So that means she wants to see me.”

“Sure,” Arimus said flatly. “But don’t get too attached to Catherine. Relationships are strictly prohibited in the Academy. They’re too distracting from the task at hand. If you wanted love, you should have stayed with the commoners.”

“So you and Scarlet…”

“No,” he stated very firmly. “We entered the Academy together long ago. We’re old friends - which explains our banter. But that’s all.”

“It looked like it could be more than that.”

Arimus scowled.

“Run along, James. You don’t want to miss lunch. The cafeteria is on a tight schedule.”

“Why didn’t you say so?!” James exclaimed as his stomach roared. He ran quickly through the Academy entrance, oblivious to the thoughtful stare Arimus gave…

He didn’t make it to lunch, and he had been so close too. The cafeteria door, just beyond the east stairs, had a sign posted in bold black letters:

Sorry latecomers. The Cafeteria is closed. If you took this long to arrive, you probably need to lose some weight anyways. Love, Kyran.

James decided that Kyran was starting to get on his last nerves.

He’s probably just mad because he’s the lunch lady
.
James laughed internally, envisioning Kyran with a hairnet, his dark clothes masked by a white apron, trying to look cool while serving chicken fingers and tater tots.

“What’s so funny?” Kyran asked curiously as James’s throat closed up. He hadn’t heard Kyran sneak up from behind. He unwillingly thought about the sword that probably lay under Kyran’s coat. “You wouldn’t be laughing at my expense, would you?”

James stood motionless.

“What is it? Cat got your tongue?”

James tried his very best not to smirk as he thought about Arimus’s quip yesterday.

“I can see you still don’t grasp the extent of what you’ve gotten yourself into,” Kyran muttered. “How serious…this Academy is.”

James found a bit of courage and turned around.

“None of the other recruits take it seriously,” he said, thinking of last night’s game. “Why should I?”

“At least half of the recruits will be dead within the month.”

He said it with such surety, such conviction, that James knew Kyran believed his words. And with the way he spoke them, James also knew it would do him well to heed them. James stared at Kyran accusingly, wondering if he would have something to do with the deaths of so many.

“What do you mean by that statement? ‘They’ll be dead.’”

“I see no need to repeat myself. They are naïve. They’re having too much fun while they forget their purpose. Their ignorance will cut their lives short.”

“And what about me? Why do you feel the need to tell me and not all of us?”

“You were late and happened to be here. I was locking up. Don’t think you’re anything special.”

“That’s a horrible thing to say.”

“Why? You’ll probably be the first to die out of all of them. You play too much,” Kyran stated ominously as he turned around and strolled off, hands thrust into his pockets as his trench coat glided with his every footstep. James grabbed the note off the cafeteria door.

“And what’s with the creepy notes?!”

Kyran disappeared into the shadows as he always did and James threw the note down in disgust. Continuing down the hall, he was suddenly aware that Arimus had never told him which room was his.

Maybe it’s labeled
,
he thought as he heard laughs and excited giggles coming from further down the hall. Apparently, the cafeteria was conveniently placed next to the dorms. It didn’t completely solve his room problem but at least he was on the right track.

James looked at every door he passed by, noticing that they were all blank. He began to get discouraged but fortunately, when he made it to the end of the hall, there was a tiny note with his name inscribed in cursive attached to the last door. Grateful it wasn’t from Kyran, James opened the door to what would become his new residence. He was surprised to see how small it was.

Boasting the same gray color as the lobby and having nothing but a bed, a small desk, and a chair, the downgrade from what he was used to was shocking to James. Shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly, he plopped down on the bed and closed his eyes, wondering what new tests awaited him the next day. But then he found himself thinking of Kyran’s words. What exactly did he mean when he said half of the students would die within a month? Was the training really that hard, or would they be journeying outside the Kingdom? It could be fun leaving home and seeing how other people lived for a change. He wasn’t afraid.

Not with the likes of Kyran lurking around, who came off as a complete psycho. It was really the only way to describe him. And then, on top of that, the notes he was leaving around only served to further prove that h
e
reall
y
wa
s
a psycho. What could possibly be more intimidating than him?

“I’ll tell you!” a melodious voice screamed into his face. James opened his eyes in horror to see Catherine grinning from ear to ear. James scowled at her presence, wondering how she had gotten in, but he let it go and sat up as she giggled.

She must really like me
,
he thought. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride
.
I wonder what it is about me
.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“I heard you talking to yourself. I was thinking that maybe you had a concussion.”

“My head is a lot harder than that.”

“Oh I’m sure it is,” she giggled.

“So what do you want?”

“I was just seeing if you finally realized who I was yet.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Sometimes I wonder if it’s even worth talking to you. You seem so clueless, but honestly, I think this is just a façade. Am I right? Tell me the truth. You’ve been playing with me all along.”

“I am really confused right now.”

“Okay, I’ll give you a hint. I’m something of a celebrity. Ring a bell? No? Okay, my father was part of the castle. You know, th
e
castl
e
. Where the king and queen were?”

“Was he like a janitor or something?”

“C’mon…”

“The court jester?”

“Really?” she asked sweetly. Her voice was so soothing. For some reason, James was beginning to feel a little uneasy. What was it about this girl that made him feel so strange?

“I honestly don’t know who you are,” he said truthfully. “Why don’t you just tell me?”

“That’s no fun…” she remarked. Catherine looked up to the ceiling and thought of her next words. “Well, I guess I’ll enjoy your ignorance while it lasts, because when you finally learn who I am, you won’t want to hang out with me anymore.”

“What, you got cooties or something?”

Catherine laughed and shook her head.

“People act like I do, but I can understand why, when I look at it from their perspective.”

“Last night everyone was having a great time being chased by you.”

“They didn’t know who I was last night. You probably noticed the mountain of make-up I had on…but word travels fast. Of course, you were in solitude so you didn’t catch it at breakfast.”

“Catherine, I don’t know what’s going on, but I do know one thing. I’m not just going to stop talking to you because your dad’s a garbage man or something. My dad’s a farmer and he gets a lot of flak for it because he can’t grow anything to save his life. People are always saying he should just join the Kingdom assembly line or something, help make more wagons, make more money, but he likes his farm. He says it helps him build character. I can’t deny someone just because of who they or their family members choose to be.”

“It sounds like you admire your father.”

“No,” James laughed. “But, I am re-considering a lot of things I once believed in. After all, I can’t become a Sage being the way I was.”

“It’s only been a day since you’ve gotten here, James.”

“Who said I can’t decide to change? Why does it have to take years?”

“Well, I will say this. You’re saying that you won’t change our friendship, but I won’t hold you to it. People like making promises of grandeur they can’t seem to keep.”

“I am a man who keeps his word,” James declared, feeling proud. It was a complete lie, but she didn’t need to know that. It sounded awesome. “When I say something, I mean it.”

“Is that you talking, or the Sage you want to be?”

“Both,” James grinned as he heard a knocking at the door. “Come in.”

A boy with hair like a dirty mop opened the door and looked in.

“Hey new guy, I just wanted to let you know that Dominic is telling some of his academy stories eight doors down, okay?” His voice trailed off immediately once he saw Catherine. Catherine pursed her lips, wanting to speak, but she waited for him to say something first. The boy simply nodded his head in her direction and closed the door. James raised an eyebrow at Catherine suspiciously.

“That was strange,” James said.

“You would think I was a monster.”

James laughed and punched her lightly in the arm.

“The way you hit, I think he’s safe.”

“Such a gentleman,” she laughed, as she started for the door. “I’ll see you later, James. I’m supposed to take my next test now. But it was nice talking with you.”

“Hey, I have to know something. How did you find out my name?”

“Arimus told me.”

“So you actually liked me enough to ask, huh?”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” she chuckled sweetly. “I just needed to know what to tell the medic next time you fall like a sack of potatoes after being hit by a girl.”

“Ouch,” James chuckled.

“Why don’t you go to Dominic’s room?” she asked, holding the door. “I’m sure you’ll be very interested to hear what he has to say. He hasn’t graduated yet, but he is of the 1st Class.”

That got his attention. James sat up on the bed and waited to hear more.

“He’s a little zealous about his standing though, so don’t start any trouble. He’s a lot more experienced than you are. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“I’m not afraid of him.”

“You don’t even know him.”

“Doesn’t matter. I can take him down.”

She smirked and walked out the door, wishing James luck. She knew that before the end of the night, he might be complaining about a new bruise…

James left the room too. As he did so he noticed Catherine strolling to the left of his door and somehow around the corner.

I thought there was no more to this hal
l
, he thought
.
That’s strange.

But then his attention turned elsewhere…back to the strange girl that had broken into his room
.
He couldn’t understand for the life of him why people avoided her. It wasn’t like she was hideous or anything. She did talk pretty vague though, like she was being secretive for no reason. That was getting annoying for sure, but not enough to outright avoid her like she had been describing. Was she just making up stuff to keep his interest?

James hardly realized he had been walking away from his room, and before he knew it he had reached Dominic’s door. Immediately, he was forced to become aware of his surroundings. It was like he was in line for the latest Teleport comic book…

He stood in awe at the massive number of recruits standing in front of the upperclassman’s door and had to admit this much: Dominic was definitely popular.