The Buried Symbol (The Ruins of Issalia Book 1) (45 page)

When she reached the floor, he stepped forward to meet her. He couldn
’
t resist a glance at the cleavage revealed by the low neckline. Seeing him glance at her chest, she did the same, giving him a shy shrug when their gaze met again. Brock took her hands in his.

“
You look gorgeous.
”
He wanted to pull her close for a kiss, but somehow resisted the urge.

“
Thank you, Brock. You look quite handsome yourself,
”
she replied.

Summoning the will to break his focus from Ashland, he turned toward the room.

“
Everyone, this is Ashland. She
’
s quite special to me. I would appreciate it if you
’
d show her the same hospitality you
’
ve shown me.
”

He turned to face her.
“
Ashland, please meet my good friends, the customers of The Quiet Woman.
”

Ashland flashed a smile to the crowd and waved. Everyone clapped, shouting greetings to the newcomer. Brock led Ashland to her chair at Dory
’
s table, pulling it out for her to sit. As Ashland took her seat, Dory stood and spoke.

“
Now that our guests of honor are here, dinner will soon be served.
”
She waved her hand in the air.
“
Garrett, please pour this young lady a glass of wine. Also, do fill the other glasses as well.
”

With glasses filled, Dory lifted hers high.
“
To Brock and his young love: May Issal guide them to happiness.
”
The women mimicked her words as glasses connected.

After the toast, he leaned in and whispered in Ashland
’
s ear.
“
You look stunning. By the way, have you had wine before?
”

Ashland whispered back.
“
No. It
’
s
…
interesting. Not too bad though.
”

He smiled.
“
Warms you on the inside, right?
”

She nodded, smiling at him. Her hand rested on his leg. He didn
’
t want to move.

“
Brock.
”
Dory spoke over the buzz of conversation.
“
I believe you have a story to finish.
”

“
Yeah, right,
”
he replied, Ashland removing her hand as he stood.

The room quieted, and he resumed his telling.

“
After my rival
’
s team broke the school launch record, it was my team
’
s turn. We wheeled our much smaller catapult to the launch line. My teammates cranked the launch arm and set the heavy projectile into the launch basket. The metal ball,
”
he held his hands a foot apart,
“
weighed about the same as a small adult.
”

“
Everyone stepped back, leaving me alone with the loaded catapult. The judge yelled,
Fire!
I pulled the release and something crazy happened. The coiled energy in the catapult caused it to jump off the ground, higher than the ceiling above you. I dove out of the way, rolling to my feet to see the catapult land right where I had been standing.
”

Brock paused for the buzz that ran through the room.

“
Luckily, I was fine. However, it was now dead quiet. The heavy metal ball was nowhere to be seen. I scanned the field, looking for a sign of the projectile but saw nothing. A feeling of frustration began to grip my insides. I couldn
’
t let
him
win. I searched harder when a cloud of gray dust suddenly billowed into the air. The heavy ball had finally landed, blasting a huge hole in the wall of the Academy, over two miles away.
”

The room erupted in amazement. It continued for a while before Dory could calm the room. Once quiet, Brock continued.

“
Having launched the heavy ball such an amazing distance resulted in our team winning the event. However, we were also required to clean the mess we had created and pay for the repairs. The effort consumed my life for almost a month, which left little time to spend with Ashland.
”

He ended the sentence looking down at his radiant girlfriend. Her smile beamed back up at him. Heartfelt sighs echoed from the women in the room.

“
I
’
m still trying to make it up to her.
”
He returned to his chair.

Applause rumbled through the crowded room, followed by the hum of chatter as the women discussed the story.

Annabelle leaned toward him, putting her hand on his arm.
“
My Brock. As usual, your stories are incredible yet ring of truth. I heard of the damage that struck the girls
’
tower from Abe, but he never told me what caused it.
”

Tina chimed in,
“
Yes. I heard about it from Marcus Sprill and his crew of masons. He described the damage and how lucrative the job was for him. He even mentioned a helpful group of boys assisting with the repairs.
”

Dory nodded.
“
As you can see, while Brock tells some amazing tales, they
’
re neither works of his imagination nor embellishments.
”
She turned toward Ashland as she spoke.
“
I
’
m sure you
’
re aware that Brock is special. He lives a charmed life, on a path that will surely lead to greatness. He could use the support of a strong, beautiful woman at his side.
”

Ashland nodded, realizing that Dory was addressing her.

Their conversation was interrupted as Garrett and Saul began setting plates on the table. The steam rising from the steak and steamed vegetables made Brock
’
s mouth water.

“
This looks delicious.
”
Ashland noted.

“
I
’
m positive that it will taste as good as it looks,
”
Brock replied.
“
Saul is the most talented cook I
’
ve ever known.
”

CHAPTER 72

Shortly after dinner, Brock and Ashland excused themselves to join Tipper and Libby at their table in the back of the room.

Brock introduced Ashland, whom Tipper greeted with a hug. Libby informed him that she was already acquainted with Ashland after helping her with the bath and getting her prepared for dinner. After the greetings, they engaged in conversation over a glass of wine.

As usual, Libby was quiet. Brock noted that her reserved nature was a fair contrast to Tipper
’
s friendly chatter. She eventually interjected, asking Brock a question that had apparently been on her mind.

“
Is it true that your catapult launched a big metal ball over two miles?
”
she asked, tucking her long black hair behind an ear.

Before he could respond, Ashland spoke.

“
I was there and saw the whole thing. The story Brock told earlier, if anything, was understated. When the catapult launched, jumping in the air like that, I feared for his life. I stood as tall as I could, trying to see if he was okay. After seeing him standing with his friends, I turned toward the field to see where the steel ball landed. When it hit the tower and everyone realized what they had seen, things got crazy.
”
She smiled as she spoke.
“
Students still talk about it in the halls. The engineering masters are out of their minds about it, trying to understand how it was possible. They even confiscated the catapult and the ball. Despite dozens of repeated attempts, I hear they can barely fire it more than 1000 feet. The other masters seem amused by their persistence over the whole thing.
”

Tipper nodded, turning toward Libby.
“
That
’
s what Brock told me earlier today when he first described the incident. The story is true.
”

“
But that still doesn
’
t explain
how
it happened,
”
Libby protested.

“
Libby, I don
’
t understand it myself,
”
Brock replied.
“
The engineering masters
’
inability to reproduce the results using the same catapult and ball makes it even more bewildering.
”

The conversation grew quiet with nothing more to say on the subject. Ashland asked a question in another direction.

“
Brock, how did you and Tipper
…
become friends?
”
Ashland asked before turning toward Tipper.
“
Please take no offense, but it is exceedingly rare for an Unchosen
…
to be held in such high regard by someone with a rune, especially if that someone has the mark of Issal.
”

Brock
’
s eyes locked on Tipper
’
s. Tipper was the one person who knew the truth about his past. He had never lied to Ashland, and he didn
’
t want to start now. He cleared his throat, about to speak when Tipper interrupted.

“
I never met my father,
”
Tipper began.
“
As you might expect, my mother was Unchosen. When I was a baby, she decided that selling her body was the only way to support the two of us. She and I lived in a brothel in Lower Kantar for years. It wasn
’
t so bad. I had chores, of course, but I had food and a roof over my head. Men came and went, none ever looking at her as more than a piece of meat. Some beat her. Others fled after the coupling, refusing to pay for what she had to endure. As I grew older, I began to realize that it was tearing her apart, but we never spoke of it. She had no other solution given her limited options.
”

Tipper
’
s eyes were unfocused, distant as he spoke of the past.
“
When I was eleven, she became ill. At first, it was just strange behavior. But it soon became far more than that. It was as if her brain was falling apart. She had delusions, ranting and raving about this or that. In a matter of weeks, became a psychotic animal. We were kicked out of the brothel, left to live on the streets. Two days later, I woke in an alley next to my mother
’
s cold, dead body.
”

Clearly feeling old emotions returning, tears began to cloud Tipper
’
s eyes.

“
I learned to survive on my own, often the hard way. I slept in crates, scavenged food where I could, and somehow made it on my own for six months without ending up dead or in jail. Then a steady round of cold winter rain hit the coast. For days it rained. Try as I might, I couldn
’
t stay dry. Being wet on those cold nights must
’
ve been too much for my undernourished body. I became ill, coughing so hard that I would spit blood. Soon, the fever became too much. Weak and alone, I curled up in a crate to die.
”

Tipper looked down, a tear tracking down his face.

“
That
’
s when Brock found me. I was too far out of it to remember myself, but he took me in to nurse me back to health. I woke two days later, the fever gone and only a heavy cough remaining. With a steady diet of soup and other liquids, I was soon healthy. That
’
s when his father found me hiding in their loft. Brock and his Aunt Ellie had kept it a secret as long as they could. His father told him I couldn
’
t stay and had to be out by sunset, but by that time, I was healthy. Since then, Brock has been my best friend, always watching out for me. He somehow got me out of jail both times I was caught for stealing food. He would bring me something to eat every time he saw me, whatever morsel he could take without his father noticing. He gave me clothes. He gave me his friendship. Thanks to his annoyingly positive attitude, he even gave me hope when I had no right to hope. This past summer he brought me here.
”
Tipper gestured to the room around them.
“
Now I have a job. I have a room of my own with hot meals every day. Best of all, I have a beautiful girlfriend.
”
He squeezed Libby close as she rested her head on his shoulder.