Ethan Wright and the Curse of Silence (16 page)

“How long has he been at it now?” asked Ethan, sitting up.

“About six hours now,” answered Edison.

“Do you think he’s getting close?” asked Availia.

“It’s … rather difficult to tell.”

Availia looked over to Stanley. “How long did it take you to pass the test, Stanley?”

“Ngggh, ngghh … dunno, mmmm, mmm … maybe two, nggggh, ngggh … hours,” answered Stanley as he shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s different for everyone. Over the years, I have come to the conclusion that it’s not just the quality of meditation. There are, of course, several known and unknown factors. For example, what type of elements the stone contains, minerals, etcetera…. The unknown factors could be many things. Where does the water come from? Do you produce it with your own energy or does it come from the basin itself? Or what about the person, just how ready are they to be an alchemist? These are questions that alchemists of the stone city have asked for years,” said Edison.

Ethan got up and stood next to Edison. He leaned over the railing of the balcony to watch Auren, now sitting in the dark.

“Can I ask you, Ethan, why did you pass up the first stone for this one?”

Ethan was a bit surprised by the question. “I dunno. What I mean is … I’m not sure how to describe it really. The first stone was fine, but the second one was more like me. Almost like … I’m missing something, like this stone is missing part of it. I’m sure it sounds silly, but it felt right when I held it.”

“It’s not silly at all, Ethan. There are parts to individuals that make them whole, like family perhaps,” answered Edison quietly. Ethan nodded.

Just then a brilliant flash of light came from the courtyard, followed by a loud shout of personal victory.

“Yeah!” yelled Auren as he ran through the dark across the courtyard and headed up to the balcony. The three ran down the stairs as Auren was running up. He looked a little stiff from sitting on the marble tile for six hours. “That was intense!” exclaimed Auren.

“What happened? What was it like?” asked Ethan and Availia enthusiastically.

“Well, it was sort of like … I mean … have you ever had a weird dream that was really weird but … you liked it? But it wasn’t really like that either — it’s hard to explain really,” rambled Auren with a huge grin.

“Availia, you are next.”

“What, now? It’s dark out though,” argued Availia.

“Of course it is — but we came here as a group to overcome this challenge. We’re not done until we’re all successful — no breaks until it’s finished. When you have completed the test, you will find us here waiting,” said Edison as he motioned her down the stairs.

Availia looked disappointed, as she was already exhausted from waiting for Auren to complete his test. But she quickly took the stone out of her pocket and headed down the marble walkway to the basin. Edison followed Availia down. He lit a small torch near the basin, gave her some instructions, and headed back up to the balcony.

“I don’t mind waiting up at all,” boasted Auren. “I have loads of energy; I bet I could stay up all night.”

Two hours later, the meditation continued. Ethan thought it was fairly obvious that Auren was sleeping, judging by the snoring that was emanating from his mouth. Just then, a flash shot through the sky, accompanied by a quick
BANG
. The noise woke Auren up rather quickly, and he joined the others who were leaning against the balcony watching the event.

“That was pretty quick,” said Ethan.

“Yeah, good thing I’m here to stand watch, right?” yawned Auren as he stretched from side to side.

“Yes, Auren, we are indeed lucky,” smirked Edison. “Walk with me, Ethan….”

Ethan followed Edison down the stairs, meeting Availia at the bottom. She put her hand on his shoulder and smiled. “I am glad we did this, instead of the Guard,” said Availia.

“Let’s go, Ethan,” said Edison.

Ethan nodded and followed Edison down the dark walkway. The basin was poorly lit, but Ethan could still see wear marks in the marble from previous students that had taken the same test. He pulled the stone from his pocket and clenched it in his hand.

“Remember Ethan, you need three things to get a reaction. Be one of those things — understand?”

“Yeah, I think so,” replied Ethan.

Edison turned and headed back to the balcony while Ethan sat down on the ground. He felt nervous as he reached forward and placed the stone in the basin. He was surprised that it was empty, since Availia had to fill it with water to complete the test. Light flickered on the bottom of the basin, where he could make out the obvious chunk missing from his stone. He took a deep breath, sat upright, and closed his eyes. He felt as if it were the deepest breath he had ever taken in his life. His heart slowed. It was so quiet that he could hear the echoes from his eyelids closing.

Nervousness had subsided. Ethan’s mind drifted over past dreams and his family. He could almost touch the future. The stone loomed large as light seeped through the cracks onto the surface of the basin. Droplets of water pushed their way through the bottom of the basin as if it were sweat forming on the skin of a living creature. It filled until the stone was submerged. Ethan felt as if he were watching events unfold in front of him, although his eyes were resting shut. The basin was now entirely full of water.

Ethan leaned forward and reached his hand into the water; it was very cold. He thought of what Edison had told him — he needed to make a reaction. The water grew warmer until it was so hot it should have burned, yet it caused him no pain. Ethan realized it was part of the vision he was having — he focused on controlling it. He concentrated on making the water even hotter, until it started to boil. He leaned forward and touched the stone with the tip of his finger.

Ethan was blinded by light that erupted in a quick burst, and suddenly dimmed. The water in the basin exploded and droplets were flung through the air all around him. They seemed motionless as they slowly drifted past his field of view. It was as if time had stopped to observe this one moment in Ethan’s life. He poked several of the droplets with his finger, making them change direction and crash into one another. The basin was now empty except for several water droplets that stuck to the side, and the stone with the crack in it.

As Ethan observed the stone, a small mark carved itself into the shape of a circle. Beams of light emanated from the etching as it was carved, followed by the mark disappearing altogether. Ethan instinctively reached forward and picked up the stone. He opened his eyes.

“Are you alright?” asked Edison in a concerned voice as he leaned over Ethan, now lying on the flat of his back.

“He must’ve flown twenty feet,” whispered Auren to Availia who, along with Stanley, was standing over Ethan.

Everyone looked quite concerned.

Ethan partially sat up. With the stone clutched in his hand he looked up to Edison and smiled. “Never better.”

Chapter 17
Sword Dueling 101

“And once again, I see some have shown up to my class without the proper gear to participate. But … fortunately for me, this will be the last my time is wasted by Edison Rupert’s so-called alchemy squad,” sputtered Heinrich. His voice echoed down the Dueling Hall where ‘Introductory to Sword Dueling 101’ was being held.

The traditional Hall had statues lined up along the walls, all holding up the roof with one hand and stretching a sword to hold up the roof’s peak with the other.

“Why don’t you two put your armor on? At least you
have
armor to wear; you don’t have to get into trouble because of Auren and I,” whispered Ethan to Stanley and Availia.

“Yeah,” Auren nodded, “Stanley, your armor is wicked! Why don’t you use it? No use waiting for us.”

“You can’t
not
wear armor in a dueling class,” argued Ethan.

The veins on Heinrich’s forehead pulsated as his face turned several shades of red. Ethan could swear Heinrich had blood vessels popping out from his rather large nose.

“Get out of my class!” shrieked Heinrich. “I have made arrangements to have you banned from Tirguard if you do not complete the standard classes. And you have all failed this class miserably!”

Just then a young man pushed open the giant doors to the Hall, turned around, picked up a large bag and swung it over his shoulder. The girls in the class swooned and blushed as whispers erupted thoughout the Dueling Hall. Even Availia blushed a bit as the long-haired strapping man approached Heinrich. He was strikingly good-looking and was obviously well-regarded, as even the boys in the class were whispering back and forth. The man reminded Ethan of one of the statues lined up along the wall.

“Sorry I’m late,” said the man as he placed the giant bag next to Ethan; it clanked as it came to rest on the marble floor.

“And who exactly are you?” asked Ethan.

“I am…” But the man was cut off by Heinrich.

“A distraction to my class — tell me something Magnus, do you see me parading around the Stadion as you train for your brainless and quite pointless Stadion games?”

“Stadion Champion, yes …
he’s
the Stadion Champion, I
knew
I recognized him,” whispered one boy. More whispers flooded the vast Hall.

“My deepest apologies, Heinrich, but the city is having its first armor shortage since the Curse of Silence was lifted. I figured if anyone needed…” But once again Magnus was cut off, this time by Auren who was digging in the bag.

“There’s armor in here!” said Auren as he pulled a combination leather-and-steel chestplate out of the bag.

“Yes, Auren, a bit bulky I’m afraid, but it should do the trick nicely,” answered Magnus with a smile. “On loan of course,” he added.

The girls swooned as Magnus smiled and brushed away the long hair from his face. “You’re a fairly strong young man, aren’t you, Auren — there was no exaggeration in your father’s description.”

“You know my
father?
”

“Everyone does. The Mighty Ghislain — only the longest-running Stadion Champion of all time,” smiled Magnus as he patted Auren’s shoulder.

“The
what?
” Auren yelped in shock.

“Champion of the Stadion … your father — you know. Anyhow, if you find yourself interested in the games, I would be happy to instruct you a bit, just let …”

“That is quite enough, Magnus. Recruit the desperate and insecure on your own time,” snapped Heinrich. A snicker came from Marcus Grenwise, pushing his way through the class to get a glimpse of the Stadion Champion.

“Do you mind if I watch for a bit?” asked Magnus politely.

“Oh why not, this class can’t possibly get any worse, can it?” snarled Heinrich as he directed his students’ attention to the center of the Hall. “Let us get right to it then. This is a sparring match with an emphasis on defense — everyone who has paid attention or at least
participated
in my previous classes will understand the basics of blocking. Since I have yet to see anything from the famous alchemist foursome, you will go first. I will start with you, Auren, and how about a partner that actually knows what they are doing … volunteers?”

Marcus Grenwise stepped forward. “I’ll go,” announced Marcus, smirking as he tightened his chestplate and pulled his sword from its sheath. He walked across the marble floor to the center of the ring. The marble outlined a perfect ring and two starting positions, centered underneath the Dueling Hall’s peak.

Auren struggled to get the chestplate strapped on properly and was soon assisted by Magnus. “Just keep your guard high and use quick strikes. I hear this Grenwise boy knows the sword quite well, so be on your toes at all times,” instructed Magnus.

“Um, I don’t have a sword,” whispered Auren.

Magnus flicked his two-handed sword from the sheath and caught it by the blade in mid-air. “Use mine,” he said, offering the hilt to Auren.

“Whoa, thanks!” exclaimed Auren, grabbing the double-edged blade from Magnus. The sword was quite striking in appearance, which seemed fitting for the Stadion Champion.

Auren stepped to the line. Marcus, who stared at Auren with disgust, backed up to his line and held his sword in ready position.

“Remember, this is sparring only — give and take is key. Ready? Begin.” Heinrich lowered his arm and stepped back.

Marcus cocked back his sword and swung with all his might, just missing Auren’s middle as Auren flung his midsection backward. Marcus immediatley pushed forward and lunged his sword toward Auren’s chest. Auren blocked at the last possible second and dashed to the side as another strike came at him. This one aimed wildly at Auren’s unprotected face. He ducked, barely escaping the blow, and leaned forward to shove Marcus back toward the other side of the ring. Marcus lost his cool. He cocked his sword back again and charged. This time Auren was ready and swung back; a soft
ring
came from the swords colliding and several
clank
noises followed shortly thereafter.

“My sword!” yelled Marcus in disgust. “You broke my sword!” Marcus continued to protest as he picked up the other half of his sword from the marble floor. “Do you have any idea how much this cost, you stupid oaf?!”

“I think you paid too much then,” retorted Auren as he walked back to hand Magnus the sword.

“That was fantastic, Auren,” said Magnus while clapping his hands. The other students in the class followed the Stadion Champion’s actions and gave a small applause. This further angered Marcus. He threw the broken sword to the corner of the Dueling Hall where his armor bag rested on the floor.

“That’s enough!” shrilled Heinrich in disgust. “Both of you! I said to spar, not take each other’s heads off. If you can’t control yourself, you will never control a sword. You will both jog laps together until the end of class — fail to do so and you will run laps until the sun sets.”

Magnus winked at Auren as he helped remove the chestplate. A scraping sound was heard on the other side of the Hall, where Marcus slid his armor after his sword. The two reluctantly started jogging together to the end of the Hall and started their laps.