Realm Leaper, page 12
“WHAT is so funny?” she finally demanded.
He only shrugged, shifted into his bird form, and took flight, circling Sage and Raphael in the sky.
They stayed until moments before dark when Sage finally got the feather to float to the temple’s edge.
“That will do for tonight. Time to go home,” said Raphael, “Well done.”
Sage, who had begun to stand, froze. “Home. That’s the first time someone has said that, and it hasn’t physically hurt to hear the word. What does that mean?”
“Only time will tell, my dear,” answered Raphael softly.
He offered Sage his elbow and he cast them back into his medical ward.
Surprisingly, a moment later, Gavin arrived in the ward. “Dinner?” he asked in Sage’s direction.
“So now you’re going to be nice to me again?” she asked.
“I was never not nice to you today,” Gavin replied.
They argued about who was and was not nice all the way up the stairs and well into dinner. Still, Sage enjoyed Gavin’s company, even if he couldn’t make up his mind about how he felt about her.
✧✦✧
Raphael opened the journal that connected him to the King, and scrawled, “Training with the girl showed promise today. I brought her to the temple of Cerridos. I think you have something there with your theory about the realm leapers. Would it perhaps be time to introduce her to the book?”
He had grown to enjoy Sage’s company— had actually grown quite fond of her. She was intelligent, perceptive, and she didn’t seem to be bashful with sharing her opinions, especially when it came to training. It would be nice to have someone around that didn’t take themselves quite so seriously, although he supposed Gavin fit that bill as well. Keeping the book from her had become a growing point of contention between himself and the King; it seemed important that the girl and the book be united. For what purpose, Raphael couldn’t say other than his practically perfect intuition, and who would argue with that? Raphael waited for a reply.
“The book stays here for now. We’ve just received word from Acantha and Epyllo; a village in Nysa was raided. Several males have gone missing. The spies should be back by the formal reception to give us the full report. Be sure the girl is ready for the reception; I expect her to be in control at the event. After that, we will see whether she’s ready for the book. Trust me, Raphael. We will figure this out.”
Raphael trusted Symon with his life. They had known each other since they were boys; Raphael had been a quiet, serious child whereas Symon and Zeke tended to keep the palace staff exasperated with their constant activity. But Symon had always been kind to Raphael, making sure Raphael was included, or at least invited, to palace events held for the children; Symon was also responsible for Raphael’s life being spared when his parents were captured and executed. Helping Raphael to hide was likely what sent Symon to the work camps, along with his siblings.
He did trust Symon, he just hoped the king wasn’t making the kind of mistake his father would have made, trying to hold on too tightly to control in order to avoid disaster. Trust was a shared pathway, after all.
Raphael closed the book, and looked over his notes from the sessions he had spent with Sage. So far, she exhibited rather good control over her wind and fire power. He turned to a book about wind wielders and ran through a few key points he might bring up at their next practice session.
It was minutes later he realized he’d been staring at the same line without actually reading it, lost in the thought that Sage might be a realm leaper, sent here to help defeat their enemies. He doubted she was dark-born. She didn’t have any warring motivations other than finding her memories, Meliza had been sure to discover that.
Raphael shook his head, set the book down on his desk, and rose to head off to his rooms for the evening. Answers to his questions would have to wait for another day.
10
✧✦✧
Raphael helped Sage settle into place. They’d spent several days attempting to dream walk, but no memories had resurfaced. Nevertheless, both Sage and Raphael remained optimistic.
“I’m feeling good about this one, Raph,” said Sage as he positioned her head in his lap.
“Good. Now, hush, let’s get started.”
Carefully, Sage let herself slip into her mind, drifting somewhere between wakefulness and sleep. Floating through worlds and thoughts, she let herself float along the boundaries of consciousness until something began to take shape.
Sage and Raphael landed in what appeared to be a stadium, hovering somewhere above the crowd. It took a moment for Sage to recollect the setting, her stomach dropping and her heart beating fast when she realized where they’d ended up. Memory-Sage was standing among a vast crowd of young people, ranging in age from very young right up to late teens. They were all peering at a stage where a man stood lecturing the crowd.
“As Principal of Tiernan Academy of Arts and Alchemy, I will preface today’s presentation by reminding you all about the high standards we demand of our students.”
A few boos echoed from one corner of the field, and several older master-level boys were swarmed by nearby faculty members.
“What’s going on here?” Raphael asked Sage.
“This is my old school. I think this is where everything went wrong,” Sage replied. She watched as the faculty members berated the boys into compliance. Memory-Sage waved across the crowd, and another student with brass-colored hair waved back. “There’s my sister,” Sage pointed out to Raphael.
The principal continued, “I expect all of our students to prove to our esteemed guest why Tiernan is the premiere academy of the Metro-Techeduin area. Now, if you will all please stand and salute as we welcome, our very own, President Ranquer.”
The students and faculty let out a collective gasp and stood to salute. The Thuledain national anthem played over loudspeakers as President Ranquer and his assembly of advisors poured onto the stage. Ranquer was dressed in a silver-gray pinstriped suit, his thin cropped hair parted down the center, and his pencil-thin mustache visible on projector screens which slid into place on either side of the stage.
A gasp escaped Raphael, and Sage grabbed his hand. Seeing the President caused goosebumps to pimple her skin, even in the dream world. She was sure something similar occurred to Raphael.
President Ranquer stepped up to the microphone, “Yes, yes, yes. Thank you, students of Tiernan Academy. It is my honor and pleasure to be addressing you today, our future leaders and citizens of Thuledain. Please be seated.” He paused, waiting for the students and faculty to settle themselves into their seats, all the while scanning the crowd with his politician’s smile. “It is my honor to lead Thuledain as your President; over the past eight years of my Presidency, we have seen prosperous gains for our country; achievements that have been made in honor of you, our upcoming generation. Your parents, my cabinet members, your representatives, and your country have devoted themselves to building a wondrous nation for you to one day inherit. But we must never stop pursuing enlightenment. We must never stop striving for perfection.”
The president grabbed the microphone and walked away from the podium. “As I gaze out on this audience, I recognize that I am staring into the face of progress. You, students, are the promise of a better world. We have been fortunate to live in many years of peace, of fortuitous blessings; but our enemies still lurk out there, in the places we cannot see. We must never lose our desire to learn, to discover every single mystery this world offers to us. It is up to YOU—” he jabbed his finger at the audience, “to pick up the torch, and carry us to victory!
“I urge each and every student to throw themselves into their studies. Become the greatest sorcerers that Thuledain has laid eyes on. Become the most recognized alchemists history will ever tell of. The most creative, diverse spell-casters our world will ever be blessed with!” He had reached the podium again, and began banging his fist on the podium. “YOU will be the salvation of our world!” He paused for a long moment.
“I know many of you are too young to have any idea of just how special you can be to our great nation.” He scanned the audience again. “But I have faith that there are those among you who are most gifted, and will bless our nation with their gifts. In order to do this, I and my cabinet have established a special House of Youth Representatives to guide our nation into glory. In order to join this elite establishment, we will be testing each and every student at Tiernan Academy. Those of you who exemplify the standards required will be invited to join us immediately for the swearing-in ceremonies. Your parents have all been informed already, and we will begin the testing ceremonies immediately.”
President Ranquer paused for a moment, then lifted his palms forward and shouted, “For the glory of the world!” The school repeated the phrase back in unison with fervor, everyone rising to their feet in applause.
As President Ranquer and his entourage exited the stage, the students burst into conversation, exclaiming over the prospects of becoming one of the first Youth Representatives.
Memory-Sage engaged in conversation with the girls who sat near her, and the scene began to shift. Shapes and figures blurred as Sage and Raphael were poured into another memory. Trying to grab onto Raphael, Sage gasped as she landed inside the body of herself.
“Raph? Where are you?”
Her voice echoed inside her head, and she winced.
She was in a testing area housed within a temporary, tented facility, with cool conditioned air. Bright fluorescent lights hummed along the lengths of the tent, and attendants dressed in black and white suits strutted along the lengths, checking clipboards, calling names, and directing faculty and students like puppeteers. Raphael was nowhere to be seen, and she recognized the youthful version of her own hands, a Tiernan Academy uniform cloaking her body.
Students, eager for their turn in the interview room, surrounded her, while it was all Sage could do to staunch the growing anxiety in her chest. Her palms felt slick against the schoolbook she clutched, A History of the Gods and Thuledain. She nervously ran her thumb along the spine of the book, trying to displace the fear that crept across her spine. A severe-looking woman called her name, and Sage flinched, bumping into the girl next to her.
“Shit…oh…sorry,” embarrassed, she waved an apology to her teacher, who gave her a look that promised consequences for another slip-up. “Sorry, everyone,” she muttered again, and tentatively followed the woman to the next tent.
What she had thought was simply a second tent was actually a long hallway, extending farther than she thought was physically possible. “What kind of charms did you use for this?” Sage asked, recognizing the tell-tale sign of magic-manipulated space.
“That’s confidential,” the woman answered, not even looking back at her.
In her head, she sought Raphael’s voice again. “Raph? What’s happening?”
“This is unusual, my dear. But don’t worry, I’m here,” Raph’s voice echoed softly in her mind. His voice brought an immediate sense of comfort, and she squared her shoulders to follow the attendant down a long white hallway.
They arrived at an entrance, blocked by curtains, and the woman pulled back one of the curtains and gestured inside for Sage to go through. Sage continued through the opening and found several alchemists in lab coats, and more attendants in their sharp black and white suits.
Sage recognized one of the President’s advisors from the assembly and moved toward a chair in the center of the room. The advisor gestured and she took her seat, trying to appear confident. The advisor wore a crisp brown jacket over a tightly buttoned shirt. His skin glistened with the effects of beauty-magic, and his smile stretched across his face. His eyes shone eagerly, and something nudged Sage to go, get out.
“You are Sage Brennan?” the advisor asked, not sitting like Sage, but standing to the side and staring at a clipboard in his hand. Sage nodded. “We need a small DNA sample from you, to confirm your identity. Don’t worry, it won’t take much, just a small prick of the finger,” he chirped, now circling her chair. “I see here, you seem to be an excellent student, Ms. Brennan.”
An alchemist in a white coat reached for and grabbed her finger; he swabbed something over it, then took a small device and pricked her finger. She flinched. This memory might not be real, but the sensation was. He collected several small beads of blood into a vial. She hissed as he squeezed her finger, working to try and catch a few more drops of blood.
“Honestly, I know my grades could be better. But I’m working on it,” Sage said between her teeth, and the alchemist stopped with her finger as another alchemist walked forward and wrapped her finger in a bandage.
One of the alchemists signaled to the advisor, and he turned to Sage, asking, “Would you say you had any hidden talents?”
Sage pondered the question, trying to find an answer that might make her seem more desirable to the panel. “I have an excellent eye for research; I always get top marks on my research papers. And I’m a hard worker,” she was floundering, grasping for anything that might make her stand out. Inwardly, she tried to take control of the conversation, but felt herself half-shout, “I’m a good dancer!”, then instantly regretted it. She squeezed her eyes shut. Idiot, she thought to herself.
The alchemists muttered to themselves. Peering at the alchemists, the advisor stepped closer to Sage.
“It’s a full match,” she heard an alchemist say, and the advisor clapped his hands together, and rubbed them happily.
He stepped closer to her. “I have excellent news for you, Ms. Brennan. You have been chosen as one of the Youth Representatives. Now, Ms. Dullahan here will escort you to the holding room while we finish up. We will inform your parents of the honor, and the ceremony to swear you in will begin shortly!”
Before Sage could process what had happened, Ms. Dullahan—the sharp, severe attendant from before—scooped her up under the elbows, and half-dragged her through a separate, curtained opening. Within twenty steps, Sage found herself in a room with six other students. The youngest student couldn’t have been older than eleven.
Is it just me, or do these students look awfully young? Raph’s voice drifted through her awareness.
“I don’t think you’re wrong. And I’m afraid it gets worse,” she said out loud, though no one seemed to notice.
Looking around, Sage realized she recognized at least one other student, a quiet girl in her sister’s year. She couldn’t remember her name but could remember her sister complaining about being paired with her the year before. It sounded as if she also struggled with spellcasting.
And that other boy sitting two seats down; that was Jamie, a boy who regularly caused trouble in the school, usually with outbursts of temper or mischief. In fact, there wasn’t a single Exceptional student in the tent as far as she could tell.
A piece of pizza dangled from her grasp. She hadn’t noticed when it appeared, but it felt unappetizing as her wariness grew. Something curled in the pit of her stomach, unraveling itself as realization lurked beneath her conscience. There was something off about this.
Time seemed to creep to a stop. The people around her seemed clueless to the unnatural circumstances. These were not students who should be representing the country. She took deep steadying breaths, and noticed a subtle breeze tickle her ankles. “No no no no…not now,” Memory-Sage was panicking. Even now, experiencing the moment a second time, Sage felt the tremor and willed her memory self to control her emotions. Another deep breath calmed the wind, but she could feel warmth collecting in her center, sweat gathering on her palms.
Before she could entirely get herself together, the advisor from before walked in. “Welcome, Youth Representatives! We are so excited to welcome you; we have finished setting up for the next part of the ceremony, if you will each follow an attendant,” and he waved for the attendants to gather the students.
She stood to follow and was whipped from the scene. Like mist rising from a hot road after a summer storm, her surroundings came into focus. She was in a stiff, white medical chair. Cuffs popped out and snapped tight over their hands and wrists. The cuffs pinched at her wrists as Sage squirmed, trying to slip free.
Panic began to set in, not just in Sage. Fear floated through the room like a heavy fog. Sage’s insides turned into a roiling sea, sweat gathering on her skin.
Other students muttered, trying to ask each other questions, attempting to get the attention of the attendants hovering by the chairs. Their pleas were met with indifference, and the realization that they were in danger dawned on the children.
“Raph- get me out of here. I don’t want to do this anymore.” Sage tried speaking the words out loud, but her voice remained silent. She looked around, but the tilt of the chair kept her vision slight. She couldn’t sense Raphael in the room, in her mind, anywhere. She was on her own.
President Ranquer stepped in then, strutting into the room and examining his collection of students, his expression unreadable.
“Ah, welcome to my new…representatives,” His smile stretched across his face, genuine. Something like a shadow rippled in his eyes before he continued,“You should be proud to know that your service to your nation will become legend; not only will you represent the glory and victory we will achieve, but you, my dear children, will be the leaders of the most glorious era Thuledain has ever seen. Let’s begin, shall we?” and he waved a hand, palm up, across the line.
The attendants, Ms. Dullahan included, stepped behind the students. Dullahan’s cold fingers pressed into either side of Sage’s head, and a tingling sensation skittered over her face, into her mind. She fought to retain her wits, trying to use her water magic to protect her senses, but lost hope as the edges of her vision faded to black.
