Arcane (The Arinthian Line Book 1) (8 page)

He thought of Bridget’s lit hand; smashing those stones together with his mind; being struck by lightning; Mrs. Stone telling him to work on his fortitude. It all connected somehow.

Then something strange happened. Amidst all that chaos, his mind stilled. In fact, everything fell silent. Time slowed down to a crawl, things began to move in slow motion. He knew the others were screaming, but it sounded so far away …

Augum tilted his head and studied the claw, realizing he had plenty of time to think about what to do. It had long fingernails and moved at a snail’s pace, as everything did at that moment—the vibrating canvas, the shadows, his companions. He felt the space around him warp as the hair on his arms, neck and head stood on end. An electric force began pulling. He decided that, instead of resisting, he would just go with it.

Then he watched himself do something that seemed perfectly natural—reach out to the claw. Upon contact, a monstrous surge of energy passed through him. The pain was excruciating, like being burned from within. Outside, he heard something shriek, echoed by screaming from within the tent.

Suddenly a gut-wrenching blue explosion tore the air and the world went black.

Hangman’s Rock

Augum woke to a damp tent bathed in dull morning light. Wincing from a pounding headache, he sat up and glanced about. Stuff was everywhere, his coat sleeve was singed, and there was a scorch mark on the canvas wall. The others were slumped in sleep, their backs still against each other.

Suddenly remembering the bird, he scrambled for his rucksack, finding it scrunched in a corner. He took a deep breath before opening it, only to find the tiny creature snoozing away. Sighing with relief, he stuck his head outside the tent, digging through the partially buried entrance. Large flakes fell onto snow piled waist high, swirling about in a gentle breeze. It was chilly, the sun muted behind banks of gray cloud that stretched across the sky like a vast blanket.

Well, at least the storm had passed. Hearing someone stir within, he retreated.

Bridget moaned, head lolling.

“It’s all right,” he whispered. “It’s morning now.”

She shot up with a wild look. “What happened? Is … is it gone—?”

Augum reached beside her. “Yeah, it’s gone. Here, have some chocolate.”

She took it slowly, eyes unfocused. The others stirred and Augum broke off a piece for each of them. Robin snatched his piece, eyeing Augum distrustfully.

Leland looked about with a terrified expression. “Mama?”

Bridget put a finger to her lips. “Shh, it’s okay, Little Lee, you’re safe now.”

Leland’s voice was a whimper. “What happened?”

Bridget took a bite of chocolate. “Last I remember is seeing you move very strangely, Augum, as if you were sped up or something—”

“Yeah,” Leland said, “you reached for the claw thingy—”

“—and then the air exploded,” Robin finished, watching Augum closely.

Augum glanced at the burn mark on the canvas. “I … I don’t know what happened exactly. Time seemed to slow down, and then I just …” He looked at them blankly. “I just went with it.”

They stared at him. He looked away, feeling his forehead prickle. Was this how it would start? Was he a freak to be made fun of again? Then he remembered Bridget’s glowing ivy. “That was a neat thing you did with your hand.”

“I cast Shine. It’s the first elemental spell you learn.”

“I’m hungry,” Leland said.

Bridget reached for her rucksack. “Me too.”

Breakfast was a quiet affair of smoked beef sandwiches, hard-boiled eggs and a skin of water. Throughout, Augum felt their eyes on him. Maybe they were looking at him with a kind of pity, or maybe even fear. Regardless, he was happy to eat in silence, preferring not to talk about last night, mostly because he did not understand what had happened.

“I should place the package on top of the rock now,” Augum said after feeding the bird.

Robin gave the parcel an ugly look. “What’s in that stupid thing anyway?”

“No idea. I just have to place it on top to pass the test.”

Leland’s face lit up. “Maybe it’s treasure!”

Bridget began tickling him. “Or maybe a treasure map—”

Robin gave the pair a disgusted look.

“In any case,” Bridget said, fending off Leland’s counter-attack, “it’s not going to be easy climbing the rock with ice and snow on it.”

“I’ll just have to figure something out.” Augum slapped on his mitts and made for the exit, hoping the monster was long gone.

Bridget grabbed her staff. “I’m coming too.”

He was grateful to have company as the two lumbered out of the tent, pushing through the snow. They stared up at the black rock. It resembled a giant tilted egg plastered with frost. Their tent was directly underneath the overhang. He had a vision of a witch hanging there, legs dangling.

They searched the area for tracks but, if there were any, the blizzard had obscured them. However, they did find a bump in the snow a little ways from the rear of the tent, in the direction Augum had channeled that mysterious energy.

They stared at it, exchanged glances and scurried back to the rock.

“See any parts I can scale?” Augum asked after a time.

Bridget shielded her eyes as she pointed at a spot halfway up. “No, but you might be able to snag that small lip there with some rope. If you get that far you could probably climb the rest of the way.”

The only rope they could spare was the tether Augum struggled with in last night’s blizzard. He shuddered to think what might have happened if Telekinesis had failed, or for that matter, if he had bumped into the monster …

He untied the rope and formed a lasso, something he had learned at the farm. On his second throw, the loop tightened around the lip. He tugged on the line to make sure it was secure.

Bridget raised an eyebrow. “Neat trick.”

“Oh, I forgot the package—” He headed back to the tent. After opening the flap, he saw Robin holding the parcel, except that it looked like a hungry dog had got at it.

Robin gave him an incredulous look. “Nothing inside but a bunch of stupid rocks—”

“Give me that!” Augum snatched the parcel from Robin’s hands.

“I told him not to do it …” Leland said, stifling a sob.

Augum flashed Robin an angry look. “That wasn’t yours to open,” and began picking up rocks from the tent floor. Leland quietly helped, a troubled look on his face.

Robin shrugged. “Whatever … so yeah, thanks for almost getting us killed for a bunch of dumb rocks.”

Augum rewrapped the parcel as best he could, cheeks burning. Was Robin right though? Were they almost killed for a bunch of stupid rocks? What kind of test was this?

“What was that all about?” Bridget asked when he exited the tent, Leland in tow.

He avoided her gaze. “Nothing.” He tucked the package in his belt and tested the rope, heaving his weight onto it when he was sure it would hold. Underneath the snow, the rock had iced up. Leland and Bridget gasped each time they saw him slip. Eventually, he made it to the top.

Leland cupped his hands around his mouth. “Any treasure—?”

“No … nothing!” There was hardly any room for a parcel, let alone him. Steadying himself, he took a deep breath, retrieved the package, and carefully placed it on the rock.

Now to get back down …

Robin emerged from the tent, took one look, and guffawed. “What, stuck?”

“Don’t listen to him, Augum, just take your time,” Bridget said.

Robin folded his arms across his chest, “Yeah, because we have
all day
.”

Augum recalled the Penderson brats discovering one of his hiding places in a tree, except they had thrown rocks at him until he fell.

Robin winked. “You be careful now.”

“Hey, why don’t you go and clean up the tent or something?” Bridget said, pointing. “Go!”

Robin snorted. “What, and miss this? Forget it, Broken Bridget—”

Augum hugged the rock and began edging his way down.

“Bet he’s not going to make it,” Robin said.

As if on cue, Augum lost his grip, yelped, and slid down the length of the stone, slamming the ground with his bottom and tumbling backwards.

Bridget’s voice sounded like it was coming from a deep cave. “Augum, are you all right?”

He sat up with a groan. “Can’t believe I lost my grip …” He had always been an expert climber.

Bridget offered a hand. “Well, it
was
icy. Anyway, what’s important is you’re all right and you accomplished your quest.”

Robin laughed so hard he started coughing. “Did you see the way he slid down?” He mocked a face of surprise. Still hawing like a donkey, he went to clear the tent of their stuff.

Bridget watched him depart with narrowed eyes. “Forget him, Augum. You were very brave; there was no way I could have climbed that. Fear of heights and all …”

“Yeah!” Leland said. “And Robin’s just jealous he didn’t stop the monster.”

Augum brushed himself off, giving a half-hearted chuckle. “Guess sliding down backwards
was
kind of funny.” He retrieved the rope and they went off to pack, everyone ignoring Robin.

The Invitation

The added new snowfall made the return journey tedious, though at least the wind had eased off. The group trudged in single file, Augum again plowing in the lead, followed by Bridget, Leland and Robin.

Bridget caught up to him and smiled as they walked side-by-side. “You know, I’ve never seen someone our age use a power so beyond their degree—in any element. Even at the academy, kids only attempted one, maybe two degrees beyond their own; and some even died trying
that
.”

Augum felt his face turn hot. A girl had never complimented him before. “I didn’t have much control over it though.”

“Sure, it
was
wild and uncontrolled, but it also showed real potential. If I were to guess, I’d say that was like a 4th degree spell or something. You just have to be careful, lightning is a dangerous element.”

“That’s what Mrs. Stone said.”

“She your mentor?”

“If I pass the test, yes. After all, she told me
not
to open the package.”

“But it wasn’t you, it was Robin!”

“She won’t care.”

“Oh. So … what do you think about coming to school with us?”

“School?” What would warlock school be like? Were the kids like Robin, or more like Bridget? “Um … I don’t know. I’d have to ask Mrs. Stone.”

“Do you live with her?”

“She took me in after the Legion killed Sir Westwood.”

“Oh … I’m sorry. Who was Sir Westwood?”

“I was his squire. I was supposed to be a knight, even though I wasn’t all that good with the sword. Didn’t start early enough.”

Bridget nearly fell tripping over a buried rock. She reached out to him for balance. Her touch made him blush fiercely.

“Sorry,” she said. “Anyway, warlocks don’t start training until they’re at least thirteen, and sometimes older. So whereabouts do you live?”

“Mt. Barrow.”

“That’s so close to us! Wait—how do you live on a mountain?”

“Don’t know if I should say. Mrs. Stone is a bit … private.”

“Ah, guess I understand.” Bridget secured her staff to her bag and picked up some snow. “Is she a lightning sorceress then?”

Augum nodded as she began forming a snowball.

“What degree is she? How many stripes?”

He shrugged. “Never asked; doubt she’d show me if I did. She’d probably say something about pride, or that I’m being nosy.”

“I wonder,” Bridget said, tossing the snowball back and forth in her hands, “if she knows any Spells of Legend …”

“Spells of Legend?”

“They’re the most powerful tier of spells. The breakdown goes like this—the first five degrees are known as lesser spells, the next five are mid-range spells, the five after that are advanced spells, and the spells beyond the 15th degree are known as Spells of Legend.”

She allowed herself to fall behind while Augum wondered what a Spell of Legend would do.

“So you ever seen someone cast a Spell of Legend?” he asked.

“Once, at the academy. I attended an advancement ceremony where a bunch of students were awarded a stripe with the Convey Degree spell.”

Augum opened his mouth to reply when something cold slapped into the back of his head. Bridget laughed and ran off to re-arm. Glad it had not been Robin, he packed his own snowball, shouted for revenge, and returned fire. Soon, amongst giggles and shouts of attack, a full-on snowball battle erupted, ending with everybody splattered in snow—especially Leland, who had taken one right in the face from Robin.

Cold, tired and hungry, they decided to eat lunch and cleared a space in the snow.

“Can you tell me more about coming to your school?” Augum asked while feeding his bird, who chirped gratefully.

Robin, drinking from his waterskin, spit it out in a gush. “You want him to come to our school—? He’d fry the whole class!”

Leland’s face lit up, cheeks dimpling. “You should really come, Augum!”

Bridget gave Robin an acid look. “Well, the village is still under construction, Augum. We’re building a small school for general lessons and arcane studies. If you live nearby, I don’t see any reason for you
not
to attend.”

Mrs. Stone would probably find plenty of reasons, he thought. “How many students are there?”

“Twenty or so.” Bridget tore pieces of journey bread for Augum and Leland. “Most of us are from the same class.”

Robin raised his chin as he helped himself to a chunk from Bridget’s loaf. “We’re all from the
academy
, you know.”

Bridget rolled her eyes. “Yes, I told him that already, Robin, thank you.”

“I don’t know if I’m cut out for school,” Augum said.

“Oh, it’s a lot of fun,” Leland said, biting down on his bread, “id is agic kool ixed wid ormal kool!”

Bridget frowned. “Don’t talk with your mouth full, Leland.”

Leland swallowed the last of his bread. “I said, it’s magic school mixed with normal school.”

“Ugh. Leland, it’s ‘arcane’, not ‘magic’.”

“Oh. Right.” Leland gave her a cheerful smile.

Bridget ruffled his hair. “Little misfit. Anyway, Augum, lessons won’t start for another few days, not until the school is finished and the proper supplies are in order. We’ll have to talk to the Council of Elders about you though. They’ll need to give their consent.”