Revolution - C M Raymond & L E Barbant Page 9

If she could become as powerful as she had in that small amount of time, then they might just be able to instill some simple skills quickly.

  As far as teaching went, Hannah followed Amelia’s lead. The Dean had suggested that they focus on the basics. If they could master just a small number of the possibilities, they could be of some use in the battle, even if it was primarily from the fringes.

  “Half of you have been taught from your earliest days that you were special,” Hannah shouted into the cold morning air. “The other half were taught that they were steaming piles of ox dung unworthy of and even unable to cast magic. But that didn’t stop most of you from trying. You were once branded as Unlawfuls, and I’m here to help you ignore that law and overthrow the people who’ve enforced it.”

  All the people from the Boulevard, gathered into their own group, nodded in agreement while the nobles, still uncertain of their decision to flee Arcadia, looked at each other hesitantly.

  “Magic resides in all of us. It’s in our blood.” She looked at her neighbors. “I found this out, well, the strange way. Magic burst out of me when I least expected it, and I almost lost my life for it. I was tagged as an Unlawful. If it weren’t for Ezekiel, I wouldn’t be standing here today. But the power that runs through me also runs through you. You just need to learn how to tame it.” She turned to the nobles. “And you! You’re not special. Well, not any more special than the rest of us. But what you do have is a head start. You may not have studied to become fighters, but what you’ve learned about magic in the Quarter will help you get there quickly. Now, let’s pair off.”

  Hannah went through the common folks, counting them off into two groups. Then did the same for the nobles. “Ones, you’re with Amelia. Twos, you’re coming with me.”

  “Always knew I was a number two,” Roland said, drawing laughs from the crowd.

  Ignoring her friend, Hannah turned and led the twos to the opposite end of the lawn. She looked at Sal. “We have our work cut out for us, buddy.”

  The dragon flicked his tongue. She gave him a scratch under the chin, finding his favorite spot. Then she turned to face her class.

  As expected, the group had assembled by rank. The brash, hard-working people from the slums were on her right, the uptight nobles on her left. Hannah wished the new group would naturally integrate, but she knew that the division between these people ran deep. At best, the people of the Boulevard were invisible to the nobles. They never made their way to the lower half of town and had no reason to associate. At worst, they looked down their noses at them, assuming that a life of vice had caused them to be poor and stuck in the slums. And Hannah knew that the commoners were no better. Most of them despised the nobles, blaming them for the systems that kept them in the slums, even if they weren’t actively complicit. It would take time to break down the walls, but, unfortunately, time was not on their side. She’d have to do this the old-fashioned away.

  “Find a partner, someone who grew up in a different part of the city from you.”

  Her class started shifting from foot to foot and staring at the ground. Their hesitancy bit at her gut, and anger welled up inside of her. Without warning, Hannah swung her arms in front of her chest, pivoted, and shot a massive fireball at a row of bushes off to her right. Brown and leafless from the effects of a long, cold winter, the bush burst into fire, and heat washed over all of them.

  The crowd looked up to face her. “Listen!” she yelled. “We aren’t preparing for some noble ball or a day panhandling in the market. There is a madman in our city. He’s going to keep everything you’ve ever loved, and, odds are, he’ll be here within days, not months, to slaughter us. If you don’t stop being a bunch of whiny, divided douche nuggets, we won’t stand a chance.”

  Nine out of the ten of them looked at her in shock and dismay. Roland beamed with delight. “Now there’s the leader we’ve been needing. I’d kick some ass for you right now if it didn’t mean I’d end up on the ground.” He motioned to his missing leg. Then he pointed at a noblewoman in her twenties whom Hannah recognized from the Academy. “I’ll take that one.” He hobbled toward her. “For practice, that is… Unless she’s interested. I’ve always wanted a noblewoman for a dance partner.”

  The other noblewomen gazed at him with disgust in their eyes, but the young woman said, “Let’s start with magic, and see what you’re made of.”

  Standing in front of her, he tipped the brim of an imaginary hat. “Challenge accepted, my lady.”

  The others followed Roland’s lead and matched up with someone outside their social class.

  “Good.” Hannah put hands on her hips. “From now on, there is neither rich nor poor. We are all Arcadians, and we’re all fighting for our homes and our lives.”

  Her theatrics, with Roland’s help, seemed to motivate the assembly. Hannah took some time to reiterate and then refute the lies of the Capitol, and explain the original source of magic. A woman raised her hand and asked if it was true that people could blow themselves up. She had shown some magical talent when she was younger, but never tried to develop it for fear of hurting herself.

  Hannah shrugged. “Not sure. I’ve heard that story too. Problem is, I’ve never seen it happen. Have you?”

  The woman shook her head.

  “When my brother lay dying in my arms, the men who had done it crossed my threshold. Nothing the Founder had taught me until that moment allowed me to stay in control. I blew up that day, in a way. My magic lashed out and obliterated every one of those ass-worms, tore them to pieces. And I’m still here, standing right before you. I’ll teach you as we go, which will help. But I make no promises. Will you hurt yourself?” She scanned the group. “Maybe. But I guarantee that if we don’t increase our power and number of warriors, Adrien and his people will do the job for us. I, for one, will take the chance. But if you don’t want to, you can leave now. There are dirty dishes in the kitchen and beds to be made.”

  No one moved.

  “Good. That’s what I thought. Now, how many of you know even the slightest bit of magic?”

  All the noble folk raised their hands. After looking around the group, Roland raised his.

  “Really?” Hannah asked her friend.

  “What the hell else is a cripple to do but learn some tricks? I don’t know much, but I could light a bowl of the finest herb from the Heights with my pinkie if I could afford it.”

  Hannah grinned. “Good. Well, that one,” Hannah pointed at the noblewoman he had partnered with, “will be able to add more flame to your fire.” She winked at Roland, and the girl flushed a faint pink. A few of the others from the Boulevard confessed to knowing a few things. That was a good start.

  After explaining how she had learned magic from Ezekiel months before, she sent them off to practice clearing their minds and drawing forth their power to create fire. The nobles were to teach their partners everything they knew, and the ones teaching would advance in their own study.

  The pairs moved onto their own patches of lawn, each working at the art.

  Hannah reached down and ran her nails along Sal’s scaly head. “What about you? You been practicing your arts, you lazy lizard?”

  Sal pushed against her ribcage with his head, nearly knocking her over with the strength of his muscular body. He had grown to the size of a small horse.

  “Good.” She laughed. “You can shove around a little woman, but we’re going to need more than that. Get to it, you oaf.”

  She watched as Sal ran down the short decline toward the woods and the River Wren. He flapped his wings, and just before hitting the tree line, his body launched into the air. Her dragon’s movements were jerky and inconsistent, but Sal managed to fly several circles overhead before turning for the tower. Flapping more gently, he floated down to land on the edge of the jagged roof.

  Hannah laughed and waved her hand, showing him that she was, in fact, impressed.

  Raising his chin in the air, Sal opened his mouth and let out a roar like she’d never
heard before. Or rather, it was more like a croak. Nothing that would strike fear into the toughest Capitol Guard, but it was a start.

  Turning her attention back to her group, she watched as they all worked intently. The nobles were showing their partners what they could manage, and then they gave their students the chance to give it a shot. She watched Roland flick his wrists and make flames dance in his palm as he leaned on his crutches. She was impressed. Her old friend had more to him than she had ever expected.

  “And that is what an Unlawful can do!” he boasted to his partner as the flames continued to dance.

  “Not bad,” the girl said with a sly smile. She spun her own hand, and directed it, palm out, toward Roland’s dancing fire. Her eyes flashed black as she pushed toward his flame. It burst forth like a raging arrow, shooting in a straight line. “How’s that?”

  “Damn!” Roland cried. “Glad you decided to join the good guys.”

  The noblewoman shrugged. “I’ve never done it outside of a practice session. I don’t know if I could really hurt someone with it.”

  Roland looked down at his leg, then back at the girl. “You’d be surprised at what you can do when you have to. Now show me how to do that!”

  Hannah walked through the group, watching them practice. She stopped a few times to give instruction, until the sound of a tiny explosion caused her to spin on her heels to find a noblewoman old enough to be her mother with her cloak in flames.

  Hannah ran, twisting her hands in front of her. Eyes blazing red, she spread a thin layer of ice on the woman, which extinguished the flames and made her lips blue.

  Getting closer, Hannah’s saw that the woman’s shirt was singed, but there was little other damage. The woman breathed erratically, gripped by the fear of possible incineration.

  She stammered, “I… I…” She looked down at her clothes. They were dirty from her time in the tower, but otherwise still beautiful. Now they were tattered, with holes singed by fire of her own creation.

  The woman from the Boulevard she was working with looked like a kindly grandmother. Before Hannah could offer any words of comfort, the older woman grabbed the noble’s arm. “Don’t you worry, dear. I’m damn good with a needle and thread. You teach me to fry bad guys, and I’ll teach you to mend your own clothes.”

  The woman’s eyes went glassy, and she nodded.

  Hannah stepped back, realizing that they were going to do just fine learning on their own for the day. She looked up at the sun, realizing she had somewhere else to be.

  “Nice work, all of you. Keep going until lunchtime. Roland is in charge,” her eyes cut to him, “unless he becomes an intolerable shitbag, then you take over.” She motioned to his partner.

  “It’s Claire.” The girl stood a little taller.

  “Of course. I remember you from the Academy.” Hannah offered a smile. “Watch out for that one. He’s more trouble than rich schoolboys drunk on mystics’ brew.”

  She looked over at Roland. “Not a problem. I have a feeling he’s mostly talk. Schoolboys are schoolboys, no matter where they’re from.”

  Hannah laughed as she turned back toward the tower. She was showing her troops how to fight, but that wouldn’t mean anything if she couldn’t feed them. It was time to find Maddie.

  ****

  Gregory knew from his father’s pictures and history books that the old world had once been covered in cities. They were all gone now, and only a few new ones had risen to take their place since the Age of Madness came to an end.

  Arcadia and Cella were the largest cities in the Arcadian Valley, but that didn’t mean there weren’t people elsewhere. Smaller communities of farmers and those brave enough to risk the rural lifestyle popped up throughout the valley, but most felt safer living in groups, which was how the town of Villgen started. As he and Ezekiel crested a large hill, Gregory saw the village clearly for the first time.

  “I think we may rest easy tonight,” Ezekiel said with a smile. “Which is good for us. We’ll need all the energy we can muster for our trip tomorrow.”

  “You’re still not telling me where we’re going?” Gregory asked.

  Ezekiel laughed. “Where’s your sense of adventure? You need to learn to embrace the mystery. Sometimes not knowing is better than knowing.”

  Gregory rolled his eyes as he had seen Hannah do a million times. “I thought you said you didn’t deal in shit.”

  Ezekiel laughed even louder, but he still didn’t answer. Instead, he marched onward toward Villgen.

  Although he had never traveled this far west, Gregory had heard about the town. With a population of over two hundred people, many believed that it could develop into the kind of city that would eventually rival Arcadia as the major center of the known world. Rumor had it the Chancellor was so worried about this that he cut off trade with them. But although they had remained small, it looked to Gregory like the tiny community was doing fine on their own. And by the look of contentment on the face of the guard at the open gate, Gregory assumed they wouldn’t be aiming for world domination anytime soon.

  “Good evening,” the guard said as the two travelers approached.

  He looked them up and down. Gregory could feel the man’s eyes take in Ezekiel’s staff and the simple dagger that hung on his own belt.

  Ezekiel smiled broadly and held out his left hand, palm open, as a symbol of their peaceable passage. “Hello. I am Ezekiel of Arcadia, and this here is Gregory. We are on a journey and are hoping to stay the night. Does Matthias still call Villgen home?”

  The man’s face tensed when Ezekiel mentioned Arcadia and then relaxed at the name that tripped off the magician’s lips.

  “Indeed he does.” The man nodded. “I’m sorry, but I must ask. You are the one they call the Founder, are you not?”

  Ezekiel’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the shaft of his staff. He tried to step inside the man’s mind, but it was blocked. Defenses against the mystical arts had spread throughout Irth, apparently, which was probably for the best, though inconvenient just now.

  “I have been called that.” Ezekiel laughed. “But I prefer the name given by my parents. It is, well, more accurate. Now, if it isn’t any trouble, can you point me toward Matthias?”

  Gregory held his breath, wondering if they were walking into trouble, but the man complied, giving them directions to Ezekiel’s friend's house.

  Stepping aside, he said, “You are welcome here as friends. But I must say, old man, don’t bring your Arcadian problems into our city. We’ve heard about the trouble you all are having back east. We are a simple people, and we enjoy our peace and quiet.”

  Ezekiel patted the man on the arm as they passed. He paused. “A day is coming when peace will rule everywhere, not just here in the shadow of the forest.”

  “It is our prayer, if the Matriarch and Patriarch so will.”

  “Good man,” Ezekiel said as he led Gregory into the town.

  All eyes were on the travelers as they wove through the packed dirt streets, which were lined with modest homes and small shops. Many of the citizens smiled and waved. A few stepped back through their open doors, pulling their children along with them.

  “You said something to that guard about the shadow of the forest. What’s that all about?” Gregory whispered, not wanting the Villgenians to hear what could be a stupid question.

  “The Dark Forest,” Ezekiel replied. “Villgen is the closest human settlement.”

  Gregory swallowed hard. Ezekiel had kept their destination a mystery. Gregory was starting to suspect where they were going, and he didn’t like the confirmation. His heartbeat increased, and he could feel sweat bead on the nape of his neck.

  “The Dark Forest? We’re not going there, right?”

  “Is there another Dark Forest that you know about?” Ezekiel asked with a grin. “So, you’ve figured out our itinerary. Isn’t embracing the mystery fun?”

  “I wouldn’t describe waltzing into the Dark Forest as fun. Foolhardy.
Frightening. Fraught. Those would all be more accurate descriptions than fun.”

  Ezekiel stopped and grabbed Gregory by the arm. Pulling him in, Ezekiel whispered, “Remember the rebellion? Remember that not more than three hours ago you said you would give anything for it? If so, there are no longer any choices, Gregory. You have made the only one that matters. We will speak more of the Forest later. Now you only need to know that Villgen is what it is because of the Dark Forest. Even the remnant know enough not to venture there.”

  Gregory let out a nervous chuckle. “You would think we would be at least as smart as the remnant.”

  Ezekiel shook his head. “They know not to venture there because they don’t know how to venture there. Lucky for you, I make a wonderful guide. We should be safe, relatively speaking.”

  Gregory cursed under his breath and followed his friend down the streets of the new city. No one from Arcadia knew anything about the Dark Forest, not really. But that didn’t stop them from talking as if they did. His whole life he had heard ghost stories about the place, and of the druids that lived there.

  Gregory sighed. There was no way he would be sleeping well tonight.

  CHAPTER TEN

  After asking directions a second time, Ezekiel finally found what he was looking for.

  They stopped in front of a large house with a sturdy wooden door. An emblem of a crow over a set of crossed swords was burned into the grain.

  Ezekiel’s eyes danced. “This must be Matthias’s house.”

  He tapped his staff on the door and waited for a response.

  Gregory clenched his hands into two tight balls as he stood next to Ezekiel. He was at the door of a strange house in a strange land. He glanced at the magician, hoping for some sign of comfort.

  Without looking over, Ezekiel said in a hush, “Calm down, Gregory. Matthias is an old friend. A good man. Tonight we eat, drink, and sleep. Tomorrow will take care of itself.”

  Gregory exhaled. The magician’s words weren’t reassuring.

  The door swung open and an old man, hunched over and leaning on a cane, looked directly at Gregory. His face twisted in confusion until his eyes cut to Ezekiel.