The Shattered Construct (Essence Wielder Book 3), page 10
The comment caught him off guard.
“What do you mean?”
“I thought you were attuned to such things?” Megan said.
“I haven’t really been paying attention to that. I am trying to keep up with my studies, and I do have a project right now that we have been working on.”
“Oh? Which direction have you been taking with your project?”
“You’ll have to wait and see. Assuming that you want to come to our little demonstration,” Dax said.
“I’m not so sure that I will be given entry.”
“Why? Desmond wouldn’t mind.”
“Desmond probably not. But there are others who will recognize me as a Whisper now. It makes it a bit more dangerous. My role is now one of staying in the shadows. Which is really what brought me to you.”
“Why?” Dax asked, feeling a rising suspicion. Was she going to ask him to somehow spy for her? Given his own ability with transference, it was possible that Dax might be able to learn how to make different Whispers, assuming that he had access to the necessary wind. And maybe that was what his sister wanted from him.
“I believe Mother left something for you when you first came to the Academy. I need it.”
“What?” The comment caught him off guard.
“I know that you are going out to the banking sector. That’s why I reached out to you now. I had thought that you were going to keep it secured, and had visited your room thinking that maybe it was there, but…” She shook her head, and then stepped forward toward him. “She left something, and I need it. Father doesn’t know. Can’t know, in fact.”
The gold. That was what this was about.
“I didn’t realize that she left it for you. I thought it was for me, for my enrollment at the Academy, and for any expenses that I might incur while I was here.”
Megan laughed. “Why do you think that you would need money at the Academy? You’re Dax Nelson. They just bill our family. Or the Empire. We serve—or Father serves—the Emperor directly. Everything that we do is considered important.”
He had thought about that, but he hadn’t really known.
“I guess I didn’t know,” Dax said.
She snorted. “Well, since you didn’t know, I suppose I shouldn’t make too much of an issue of it. But she didn’t send you to the Academy with an entire trunk full of gold coins so that you could pay for your tuition. Nor did she send you that money so that you could spend it. It was for another purpose.”
“You.”
“It was meant to assist me once—and assuming—I gained entry into the Whisper Network. There is an admission fee, Dax. They consider it a ‘donation’ but seeing as how it’s required before I can access the full network, it’s not so optional. So I need that money.”
“An admission fee?”
“I don’t have time to discuss it. I’m assuming you put that money into the bank. I’m going to need access to it soon. So when I come the next time, I’m going to need for you to make sure that I have what I need.”
He licked his lips. “Or else what?”
“Or else I won’t be able to access the Whisper Network, I won’t be of much use to the Emperor, and I probably won’t be as much use to the Servants.” She watched him. “And to you, Dax.”
“What do you mean by ‘of use to me’?”
“You want to be able to access that network. Even if it is indirectly. Besides, it’s not like you need the money. So when I come to you the next time…”
Dax nodded. “Of course. I’ll have it secured.”
“Good.”
With that, there was a burst of wind essence from inside of Megan, and she shot upward until she stood up on the ledge.
He hadn’t known that she had such a way of maneuvering, but maybe he should have considered it.
As he looked after her, he started to worry.
How much did she need?
And how was he going to get that money back?
Chapter Thirteen
Dax wiped his arm across his brow, looking over to Professor Garrison. Valor class had changed over the last week. It surprised him that it would, especially as most valor involved working with different fighting styles, but never that aggressively with an essence blade. Now he was wielding his essence blade, testing out how he could draw different essences through it while in valor class.
“Very good, Mr. Nelson. I figured you would understand the basics of the blade.”
He’d carried a blade with him when he had left the Academy with Professor Garrison, so he was surprised he would comment on that.
“Now when you spar, eventually you will begin testing a measure of essence, as well. That is the next step in your training. I’m sure that you will find it a bit more of a challenge.”
Dax wasn’t exactly sure if that was true. There weren’t many people in valor, especially at his level, that posed much of a challenge to him. Gia maybe, but that was about it.
“Do you have any experience with this particular style?” Garrison asked.
Dax nodded.
“As I suspected,” the professor said, waving his hand around him, and grinning. “Experience with a style that is considered a bit arcane. Useful, but unexpected.” He flashed a deep smile. “And here I had thought that is would have to demonstrate it to you, and I was hopeful that you might pick it up quickly, of all people, as you do seem to have a mind for such things.”
Dax didn’t like the compliment, as it only seemed to further exacerbate the difference between him and the other students around him. He did have a mind for such things that came from learning about essence, learning about runes, and it came from the fact that he had been trained like a Nelson.
“I’d like you to demonstrate what you know of this to Ms. Stonewall,” he went on.
Gia was standing with the rest of the class, though off to the side, her blade held downward in something of a bit of a leisurely bit of disdain.
“Just her?”
“This would be too rudimentary to work with the other students. Demonstrate the forms, the defenses and attacks, and perhaps that can be your semester exam.”
Garrison headed away. When he was gone, Gia came over and Dax filled her in on what he was to do.
When she did, she snorted. “It’s not like I haven’t seen that form before,” she said, glancing over Professor Garrison. “It’s just not a fighting style that my family uses all that much.”
“I know,” he said. “There are plenty of fighting styles that my family doesn’t use, as well.”
“Not too many, though. You seem to know all sorts of fighting styles, useful and otherwise. I had heard the stories about your family, and your prowess, but had thought that they were probably the same sort of stories as the ones told about my family. But your family does know how to fight in different styles than mine.”
“My father always thought that valor was more important to learn than other aspects of essence,” he said, keeping his voice quiet.
“You don’t have to be embarrassed about that,” she said. At least she matched his tone.
“It’s not that I’m embarrassed about it,” he went on, though maybe there was a part of it that was embarrassment. “It’s more that I just don’t agree.”
“Are you going to show me this, or are you going to make me wait?”
“Oh, I’m going to show you. I won’t be going to take it easy on you.”
“Of course not. And who better to teach me than the great Dax Nelson?” She hefted her blade. “My family will be so pleased that I had an opportunity to learn from someone of your caliber.”
He laughed, readying his blade.
They spent the rest of class going through the defensive and offensive postures of the Izak fighting style. As Professor Garrison had said, it was a bit more of an arcane style, but his father enjoyed it, partly because it was one that he had claimed that very few people could counter. It was an active attack style, which meant that the wielder of it needed to be skilled in constant pressure, though it did make defense difficult.
When they were done, he looked over to Gia. “Should we show him?”
“He was watching,” Gia said, pointing to Professor Garrison.
“How do you think we did? I mean, this was supposed to be our test.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Sometimes classes like this are the best. Fighting can be easier.”
Dax immediately understood what she was getting at.
“You want to go back.”
“I think we can. And I think we should. Because of how much we’re going to earn the next time we go.”
Having deposited the marker, he was much more confident that they had a place to store the funds. And more than ever, he felt as if they needed to be careful with that money. Especially with what his sister had told him.
“I just like the challenge,” said.
“Is that all?”
“What else would it be?”
“I don’t know. I thought that maybe I was the one who wanted the coin, but maybe it’s you.”
She flashed a grin, but there was something hiding behind it that Dax couldn’t quite tell. What was she keeping from him?
He didn’t have the opportunity to ask, as Professor Garrison strode over, and he tapped his essence blade on the ground, nodding to the two of them.
“Well, you both have done quite well. I’m not at all surprised, and I think that you both can skip this semester’s exam. I didn’t anticipate having any difficulty passing either of you with higher than satisfactory grades. However, I do want to talk to you about next semester. I assume you both are coming back to school for the next term?” Dax and Gia both nodded. “Well, one can’t be too certain, though I was hopeful. You are both the most talented valor students in your class, and among the most talented of any that I have trained. While you have an opportunity to choose your classes, I am hopeful that you will take advanced valor once again, but I would offer you a different opportunity.” He looked back. “You will not be challenged by staying with your peers. While they will eventually catch up, assuming they put forth the effort, I think you would be more challenged attending the third-year class. Think about it. I will send word to the registrar. It is not a requirement. Merely a suggestion.”
He nodded to both of them, and then left them.
“What do you think?” Gia asked as they headed out of the valor yard.
“I guess I should be happy that we are done with one exam, but I’ve not really been challenged in valor.”
“Did you think that you would have been?”
“I guess I thought that even advanced valor would’ve challenged me. I don’t like feeling so different.”
“Different isn’t bad, Dax,” Gia said. “Different is just different. Besides, in this case, the faster you progress, the more you learn, the better you can serve the Empire.”
He looked over. She said it with an enthusiasm that he didn’t necessarily feel.
“We should go meet with the others. We have to get that project done.” He and Rebecca hadn’t shared with either her or Cedrick about Desmond’s request. They needed to, especially because they didn’t know what the others were planning for their term break.
“Are you going back home during the semester break?”
Gia slowed, and for the first time since leaving the valor grounds, she seemed a bit disappointed, or maybe irritated, or perhaps it was something else. Dax couldn’t quite tell what it was.
“I don’t think I’m going back this time,” she said.
“Doesn’t your family want you to come back?”
“Oh, I’m sure they do,” she said, waving her hand dismissively. “I’m sure that your family wants you to come home, too.”
Dax stayed silent. He wasn’t even sure that his family didn’t want him to come home. His mother might not even be there, and she was the only one who even cared if he returned.
“Until I graduate, I’m not sure that they’ll view me as useful. Why don’t you want to go back to your family holdings?”
“There really isn’t anything for me there.”
“Your family is there,” she said.
“My family? My brother. To be honest, that’s part of the problem.”
“So you don’t want to go back and see your family?”
“Well, I’ve told you about my sister, and about my mother, and my father and brother are different”—terrible, he didn’t say—“in their own way. My father was quite disappointed that I didn’t take on fire essence, though I wonder how he would feel if he learned about this transference essence. He might actually approve of it.”
Dax had thought about it from time to time, though never for long. He didn’t have any intention of sharing with his father what he could do with his essence, because he knew how his father might react, and what he might require of Dax. He would want him to return home. That was what he saw as the Nelson duty. To a certain extent, Dax believed his family had a duty and obligation to serve that way, because he understood that in serving, they were taking care of the Empire, and doing what the Emperor wanted of them.
At the same time, he also questioned whether going home would be a mistake for different reasons. It also meant that he might have to deal with dangers along the unclaimed lands, creatures that were there, and the possible issue of their sentience.
“Well, I know Cedrick doesn’t intend to go back,” Gia said, seemingly oblivious to Dax’s distraction. “And Rochelle… well, she kept talking about going back home to meet with her family, and to talk about the kind of healing styles she’s been learning. I guess there’s something in one of her seminars she wants to share with her family.” She shook her head. “To be honest, I don’t really know. Healing is so different than the kind of things that we do.”
Rochelle hadn’t told Gia, obviously.
He and Rochelle needed to talk to both Gia and Cedrick together, but maybe now wasn’t the time.
“So what should I tell her about our next match?” Gia asked when they got to the dorm.
“What next match?” Cedrick asked, coming up behind them. “Something in valor?”
For whatever reason, Dax had been a little bit quiet about what they had been doing, and uncertain about how much they should share about the fight with them, as well. Cedrick would probably be pleased to learn about it, though he knew Rochelle would be upset.
“Well, something a little different,” he said. “Something that Gia and I did.”
Cedrick arched a brow. “Together? Without the rest of us?”
“It’s not our project,” Gia said, “so this is something we can do on our own.”
Dax and Gia shared a look.
“Well?” Cedrick asked.
“What do you know about the arena?” Dax asked.
Chapter Fourteen
The arena looked different.
He had anticipated that Alaria would’ve changed something, though he hadn’t known how easily it would be for her to make adjustments to the arena. It had changed quite a bit, which suggested to him that her construct makers—and he suspected the changes were all tied to her construct makers—who were incredibly gifted at making such changes. The ground had undulating hills and seemed dotted with strange grasses that had not been there before. Everything had a hint of essence, but it was diffuse.
In the stands, he caught sight of Cedrick, but Cedrick was by himself. After filling Cedrick in, they had spoken Rochelle, and she had been less than excited about the possibility of watching them fight, though she claimed she understood what they were doing and why, especially when they talked about how much money they were able to make.
The crowd inside of the stands was unlike it had been before. It was loud, boisterous, and packed. There had to be twice as many people as it had been before.
“I guess word got out about us,” Gia suggested.
“I guess so,” Dax said.
“You nervous?”
“Not particularly.” He looked over to the seats near the doors that opened up and let the creatures in. He figured that was where the construct makers would be seated.
Dax focused on the different types of essence as he was probably going to need to use them during the fight. He could feel, and see, all of the primary types of essence. Some were more potent than others, suggesting that some of the wielders here were more potent than others.
“How much do you think we’re going to make this time?”
“Well, the last time we made about a hundred gold cesarin. That was at five percent, and half the crowd. If we quadruple the earnings, and double the crowd, you stand to bring home at least five hundred. Maybe more.”
She whistled. “So much. If we do well, we can come back more often.”
Dax just nodded.
Alaria strode over to them, and there was a gleam in her eyes.
“Word of your fighting has spread,” she said.
“Like I told you,” Dax suggested.
“Did you, now?” The way she said it suggested that she had planned for this. “I suppose you did.” She turned, looking out at the crowd, and she murmured something else, though it seemed to be under her breath, the crowd roared.
“Are you trying to get them riled up?”
“Oh, there are a few tricks to such things,” she said, shrugging briefly. “As you can imagine. Make sure that our people get a good show, such as it is. We wouldn’t want to disappoint them with everything that we have brought them here for, and I want people to feel like they are getting their money’s worth when they spend with me.”
“Is that ever a concern?”
Her grin deepened. “No, of course not. Especially as word of your exploits during the last match spread. Of course, the challengers found that to be the most interesting part.”
Dax had anticipated that. He and Gia had been practicing, working on fighting side-by-side so that they could be more effective together. It was different than sparring, but it was also better in some ways.
