The Buried Symbol (The Ruins of Issalia Book 1) (43 page)

“
Why, why, why?
”
Brock slammed the book closed.
“
Why would he leave this for me if there
’
s no way to understand it?
”

“
I don
’
t know, Brock.
”
Benny sat up, stretching his neck.
“
Remember that the book was put there hundreds of years ago. Maybe the language that
’
s used was common back then.
”

Brock rubbed his weary eyes. They had been at this for a few nights. While Benny made progress in his research on the Banished Horde, Brock struggled. Benny offered to take over, but Brock told him that he felt a connection to the message and that it was something he needed to do.

“
At least
you
’
re
making progress.
”
Brock pointed at Benny
’
s notes.
“
What
’
ve you found tonight?
”

Benny started, as if his mind had been elsewhere.
“
What? Oh, right.
”
He picked up his paper, looking at the notes.
“
Well, I
’
ve pinned down the first recorded sighting of the Horde.
”

Brock
’
s brow raised.
“
That
’
s interesting.
”

Benny nodded.
“
There was a woodsman hunting in the mountains of southern Kalimar who stumbled upon a group of perhaps a hundred of the Horde. He was careful to stay hidden until they moved on. The next day, he reported the sighting to the baron of a nearby coastal city. Of course, the baron called the man
’
s story about such monsters
Either a fantastical tale intended to frighten children or the ravings of a lunatic
. Because the story had been reported during an official court session, a court scribe duly recorded it. It wasn
’
t until years later, in the rubble of this destroyed city, that the records were found.
”

“
Amazing.
”
Brock observed.
“
Such an early warning, totally ignored. Who knows how things could have gone if the baron had just sent a squad to investigate.
”

Benny nodded.
“
The author of this book gathered similar records over the period of eight years following the war. The fact that he was able to gather these pieces and pull together a somewhat cohesive story is amazing.
”

Brock
’
s eyes narrowed.
“
If that was the first sighting of the Horde, how did they get inland without someone seeing them land along the coast?
”

Benny shrugged.
“
I don
’
t know. In fact, the author asks the same question. He confirmed that after all of his research, he could never determine where the Horde came from.
”

That was depressing. Brock had hoped to have that question answered.

“
Well, you keep reading and taking notes,
”
he said.
“
We
’
ll take what we can get from this book and then look for more answers elsewhere.
”

Benny nodded his agreement.

Gazing down at his book, Brock traced his finger around the starburst symbol on the cover. He flipped it open, looking at the messages written inside. One note was gibberish, the other he had read a dozen times over.

“
Why would he leave this for us to find without some way to understand it?
”

As Brock
’
s mind drifted, his tired eyes stared at the pages before him, losing focus in his weariness. The letters blurred until each word became a block of text. He stared at the rows of blurry blocks lined across the page. Two blocks in the first row, twenty in the second, seventeen in the third, and three in the fourth. He glanced over at the other page, seeing the same rows of blurry blocks. He sat upright, leaning closer when he noticed the number of words in each row was identical from one message to the other.

Excited, he grabbed a clean sheet of paper and began copying the gibberish from the first message. After recording the first paragraph, he did the same from the message that he could read, directly above the one he had just written.

”
What is it, Brock?
”
Benny asked.

Feeling thrilled, Brock
’
s pulse quickened with excitement. He considered what he had written, recognizing one of the symbols. He now knew what it meant.

“
Brock? Aren
’
t you going to answer me?
”

He smiled at Benny.
“
I
’
ve got it, Benny. It was right in front of me the whole time. He
did
leave us the key.
”
He tapped on the open book before him.

“
What are you talking about? Did you figure out one of the symbols?
”
Benny asked.

Brock nodded.
“
Yes, and a lot more. I found the key, Benny. Both of these messages are the same. They
’
re
exactly
the same. If you understand one of them, you can figure the other one out. It
’
s the translation.
”

A goofy grin crossed Benny
’
s face.

“
I now know what the book is about.
”
Brock closed the book, tapping on the symbol engraved in cover.
“
This symbol is the title, Benny. The book is about
Chaos
.
”

PART VI: CHAOS

CHAPTER 69

“
I still don
’
t understand,
”
Benny said.
“
What is
Chaos
?
”

Brock leaned across the table.
“
Hush. Not so loud.
”

He glanced around, thankful that nobody but Cam was paying attention. Spotting a novice bringing a tray of food over, he waited to respond. The student with the tray was Hamish, the same boy who had the broken arm healed on the first day of school
.

Brock thanked him as Hamish set the tray on the table. Parker was among the other novices delivering trays to students sitting nearby. When Parker
’
s eyes met Brock
’
s, he gave a brief nod before returning to the kitchen. Hoping to remain in political favor, Parker had opted to continue sitting with Corbin rather than accepting the privilege of eating early.

Left alone again, Brock leaned toward Benny.
“
I don
’
t know what
it
is. However, I hope we can find out soon. Regardless, I suggest we keep
it
secret until we know more. Got it?
”

Benny nodded.
“
Got it.
”
He picked up his fork, holding it above his food.
“
But I wish I knew what
it
was and what
it
means to us. The note makes
it
seem
…
important. Important but dangerous.
”

“
That
’
s even more reason to keep
it
quiet,
”
Brock said.

He looked at Cameron, who nodded while scooping food into his mouth.

“
Stay quiet like Cam here. He
’
s a good example.
”

Benny snorted.
“
If I were to be like him, the only words you
’
d hear from me would be:
I
’
m hungry
.
”
He spoke in a low voice, sitting tall as he mimicked Cam.
“
That is until after I finish my meal and then it
’
s
I
’
m still hungry
.
”

When Benny did his imitation of Cam, Lars burst out laughing.

“
That was good, Benny.
”
Lars pointed across the table.
“
He
’
s got you figured out, Cam.
”

Brock chuckled. Cam shrugged.

Swallowing his food, Brock shifted to another subject.

“
Winter Break starts the day after tomorrow. What are you guys planning for your time off?
”

As usual, Benny responded first.
“
I
’
m staying here and doing some serious reading.
”
He winked at Brock, causing his spectacles to twitch.

Brock looked toward Cam, whose plate was mostly empty. He held a fork full of food before his mouth as he paused to respond.

“
I
’
m just hanging here, I guess. I need to study those books on tactics we found at the library.
”
Cam shrugged.
“
I
’
ll work on my sword forms, too.
”

“
I should
’
ve guessed. What about you, Lars?
”
Brock asked the newest member of the group.

Lars shrugged.
“
Pretty much the same as Cam here. I recently started using the great sword; it
’
s a lot different than the longsword I had been using. I
’
m still getting used to having no shield for blocking.
”

Again, Brock nodded. None of those responses surprised him.

“
What about you, Brock?
”
Benny asked.
“
What are you doing with your time off?
”

He swallowed before replying.
“
I
’
m heading to Fallbrandt for a couple days. I haven
’
t seen Tipper for about three months.
”
He smiled, missing his long-time friend.
“
I
’
m going to ask Ashland if she wants to come with me.
”
His grin grew larger.

“
Oh, Brock. You sly devil!
”
Benny chuckled. The other two boys joined him at Brock
’
s expense.

Out of the group, Brock was the only one who had a girlfriend. He kept it secret for a while, but keeping relationships secret at the Academy was difficult at best. Some would say impossible.

“
Yes. I know. You guys just wait until some girl finds her way into your heart.
”
He quieted, his demeanor changing.
“
It
’
s amazing. You find yourself longing to be with her as if you
’
re missing a limb and aren
’
t whole unless she
’
s with you.
”