The Buried Symbol (The Ruins of Issalia Book 1) (47 page)

His eyes opened to see Tipper
’
s eyes wide as he struggled for a breath of air. Tipper gasped, his body shivering violently. Brock looked down at his friend
’
s leg. It looked normal other than the dried-on blood.

Tipper was still trying to catch his breath when Brock heard Ashland descending the stairs. Garret burst into the room with a half a loaf of bread and a chunk of cheese, running to where Tipper lay.

Ashland knelt next to Tipper.
“
Are you okay?
”
she asked.

Tipper sat up, looking down at his leg.
“
Yeah. I
’
m fine now. Except I feel like I could eat a whole cow.
”

Garrett held the bread and cheese toward Tipper.
“
Food,
”
he said, his face still white.

Tipper grabbed the bread and bit off a big chunk, chewing heartily.

Ashland looked at Brock.
“
How did you do that?
”

He shrugged.
“
What do you mean? I healed him like anyone else would.
”

Pausing his chewing, Tipper chimed in,
“
That was amazing, Brock. I was afraid it would have to be cut off. But now it
’
s good as new. It
’
s a miracle.
”
Tipper looked at Ashland.
“
You can do this too?
”

She glanced at Tipper before focusing back on Brock.
“
Yes, but I
’
m not this strong. In fact, I don
’
t think anyone is.
”

Brock looked at her.
“
What are you talking about? You
’
re the best healer at the school, except for Varius I guess.
”

Ashland shook her head.
“
You don
’
t know what you did, do you?
”

Brock looked at Tipper, who was taking a bite of cheese, and then back to Ashland.
“
No, I guess not.
”

“
Brock.
”
She stared into his eyes.
“
You forgot to set his leg.
”

A stab of panic hit as the realization set in. She was right. In his desire to help his friend, he had forgotten to set Tipper
’
s leg before healing it. By all rights, it should have healed at an ugly angle below the knee. Even if the bones had fused back together, at that angle Tipper would have barely been able to put any weight on it. Brock could have crippled his friend.

CHAPTER 74

As he stepped into the lounge, Brock scanned the room. Some boys rested on sofas and lounge chairs, while others sat at tables. He crossed the room, heading toward a table near the back. Two familiar faces sat at the table, staring down at thick books and scattered papers filled with notations.

“
Hi guys. I
’
m back,
”
Brock announced.

Benny looked up, smiling.
“
Brock, it
’
s good to see you. We were beginning to wonder if the snow had trapped you until spring.
”

Cam nodded at Benny
’
s statement.

“
For a while, it seemed that way. I don
’
t know if you guys have been out there, but it
’
s chest high.
”
Brock shook his head in wonder.
“
After two days of steady snow, it finally stopped. By then, Fallbrandt was buried. Everyone took turns shoveling, making paths so people could at least get around. That worked for a few days, but it was still impossible to get into or out of town.
”

“
Late yesterday, the academy trailblazer came through town, opening a wide path. Unfortunately, it also left tall piles of snow, burying the paths to the houses and businesses all over again. Around mid-morning today, we finished clearing those paths. And now, here I am.
”
Brock held his arms wide open.

“
Trailblazer? That must be the big steam carriage that was making all that noise outside the other day.
”
Benny remarked.

Brock nodded.
“
That sounds right. It
’
s like a steam carriage with spiked wheels and some sort of snow grinder on the front. It
’
s pretty amazing.
”

Benny nodded.
“
Yeah. It was pretty cool to watch.
”
Then he asked,
“
What did you do with all that time when you were stuck in Fallbrandt? It must have been boring.
”

Brock smiled, thinking about the week and the wonderful time he had with Ashland.
“
Somehow, we survived.
”
Changing subjects, he asked,
“
What about you, did you make any progress?
”

Benny started.
“
What? Oh, Yes. Let me see here.
”

Grabbing a chair, Brock sat as Benny dug through his notes.

“
Ah, here it is,
”
Benny said, turning to address him.
“
First, I
’
ve confirmed that you were correct. The notes from Byland Hedgewick are definitely the key to translating the book. While the two messages don
’
t cover every word and symbol, they cover enough that much of the rest can be deduced.
”

He tapped on his notes, excited.
“
The first thing I
’
ve learned is that
Chaos
is a natural force. It has something to do with change and destruction. It sounds a lot like
Order
, but the opposite if you know what I mean.
”

Brock nodded. That made sense and felt right.
“
Okay. That
’
s a start. Then what?
”

Benny continued.
“
Well, like
Order
, there
’
s a small part of the population that can, or could back then, manipulate it.
”

Brock nodded again, feeling excited by the progress.
“
I
’
m still with you. What else?
”

Benny shrugged.
“
That
’
s all I
’
ve got so far.
”

“
That
’
s it? In
…
how many days?
”

Benny shrugged again.
“
Well, five days I guess.
”

Brock realized he sounded ungrateful.
“
I know you
’
re doing your best. I bet it
’
ll go faster as more words and symbols get translated.
”

Benny shrugged.
“
That
’
s true.
”

“
See if you can find out how it works. Find out how
Chaos
can be used. We
’
ll see where things go from there.
”

Benny nodded.
“
I
’
ll do my best. However, there
’
s only one day left before classes start again.
”

Brock smiled.
“
Yeah, but now I
’
m here to help you.
”

CHAPTER 75

“
Healing will remain your primary objective throughout the year. It
’
s still the single most important resource the Academy can provide,
”
Master Varius explained to the class.
“
However, healing isn
’
t the only ability involving the use of
Order
. While you
’
ll continue to spend one day a week as healers for Paladin training, it
’
s time to cover something new.
”

“
I
’
m aware that most of you have been unable to successfully heal. I expected as much, for it is a rare talent. However, this next ability is far more common.
”

She turned and tapped on a tapestry depicting a pyramid of twenty-one symbols, the rune representing
Order
at the top.

“
These are symbols you
’
ve seen your whole life. The citizens of the Empire are marked with these runes, determining their vocation. They define who they are and how they can best serve the Empire.
”

She stepped forward and continued.
“
Divining is the talent of looking inside a person to identify their potential. Like healing, you must reach a state of meditation and locate your own force of
Order
within.
”

Varius clasped her hands together at her waist.
“
When divining, you must always place your hand on the subject
’
s forehead. When you extend yourself, seeking their sense of
Order
, you are looking for one of these runes.
”
She pointed at the pyramid of runes on the wall.

“
A rune will be clearly seen in your mind
’
s eye. When this happens, there will be no doubt,
”
she said with confidence.
“
Those of you who have a stronger affinity with
Order
may see other runes behind the first, aligned in layers. While the first is the strongest, you may be able to dive deeper and see one or two others. These other runes reflect lesser potential vocations that are inherent in your subject, each a weaker natural ability than the one prior.
”

Brock thought back to his Academy evaluation. Without knowing what he was doing, he had performed divining on Varius. However, when he did it, he saw five runes.

“
Find a partner and pair up for your first session in divining. Take turns attempting this ability until the bell rings.
”

Brock
’
s first thought was to take Ashland as a partner. He waved to get her attention, but she shook her head. Apparently, that wasn
’
t an option. He looked around for a partner, eventually seeing Hamish alone. Pushing his chair from the table, Brock walked over to him.

“
Hi, Hamish. It looks like you need a partner.
”

Hamish nodded.
“
Yes Mister Brock. Will you be my partner?
”

Brock smiled.
“
Of course, Hamish. Would you like to go first?
”

Hamish nodded.
“
I
’
d be honored, Mister Brock.
”

He slid his chair closer as Hamish put his hand in place. Brock felt the warmth of the palm on his forehead. Hamish closed his eyes and began to meditate.

Relaxing as Hamish did his thing, Brock thought about how it felt when divining Varius. He thought about what Hamish might see. That
’
s when he remembered he was Unchosen. A wave of fear struck. What would Hamish see? Would he be undone and cast out of the Academy?

Brock
’
s stomach rolled with anxiety as the minutes slowly passed. Finally, Varius called for partners to switch places. Hamish removed his hand, shaking his head.

“
I have failed again,
”
the odd boy said.

“
Don
’
t worry, Hamish. This was just your first try.
”

“
No. I have failed repeatedly,
”
Hamish replied.
“
I seem to fail at everything I try in this class and all others. The exception is my passion for Lore.
”