The Return of the Titans (22 page)

“Maybe,” Aaron agreed but he sounded
skeptical. “Interesting effect though. My head felt like it was
full of wool.” He was quiet for a moment. “I wonder where they
live?”

Justin looked at him in confusion. “Where
who lives?”

“Them. The gorgons or whatever. You heard
her. She said some of them survived and have lived here ever
since.”

“Yeah, so?”

Aaron looked exasperated. “Justin, it's been
five thousand years! How could anyone live in this place, wherever
it is, for five thousand years?”

Justin had wondered about that himself. He
had also wondered how any organization, like the Guardians, could
last for such a long time waiting for the rebirth of the
Titans.

“I've thought about it, Aaron. And I don't
have any answers.” Justin looked around their room. “But I'm
guessing that we haven't seen even a fraction of Sanctuary
yet.”

Chapter 16

When he entered the runic studies classroom
a few days later, Justin saw Mr. Hunter standing behind the desk at
the front of the room. He motioned for all of them to join him and,
as Justin approached, he saw dozens of bracelets lying on the table
and glistening with a greenish glow.

The teens arranged themselves in front of
the table and stared at the metallic bands. Mr. Hunter smiled at
them.

“As promised, today you will bond with your
bracelet. Again let me say that this bond is for life. If you don't
feel comfortable with that prospect, do not pick up a bracelet.” He
looked intently at all of them.

Aaron glanced at Justin and muttered, “Are
you taking one?'

“Oh course!” Justin looked at his friend
with surprise. “Aren't you?'

Aaron swallowed and looked at the metal
bands. “Maybe,” he said softly.

Mr. Hunter continued speaking. “You may
choose either arm, but I'd recommend the arm opposite your writing
arm. But the choice is yours, of course.”

Several of the teens stepped forward and
then hesitated, looking at Mr. Hunter. He smiled and motioned for
them to continue. They began to pick their bracelets. Justin
grabbed one at random, stepped back and looked at it.

It felt different than the one they had
examined the day before. Justin weighed it in his hand. Was it
lighter, perhaps? Certainly it was smooth and unmarked. He turned
it over and over in his hands. The inside was as plain as the
outside and he couldn't find a break in the metal. He looked up at
the teacher.

“Mr. Hunter? Um, how are we supposed to get
them on?”

The man chuckled. “Well, that's where your
blood comes in.” Justin felt a chill but Mr. Hunter spoke
reassuringly. “As I said, it's just a drop. Because pure titanium,
like these bracelets, absorbs the genetic materiel from your blood,
it will become malleable for a short time. You must slip the
bracelet on to your arm in those few seconds. After that, the
bracelet itself will adjust to fit you.”

Justin looked at his friends. Aaron looked
worried and Gerry seemed excited. But Norm appeared to be puzzled.
He held up his hand.

“Yes?” Mr. Hunter asked.

“Sir, the bracelet we saw the first day was
covered with runes. But these ones are plain. So how can runes be
carved into them once they are on our arms? Especially since they
are made of titanium?”

Justin looked at Norm in surprise. His
friend was right. Justin had forgotten that the old bracelet had
runes all around it. He looked at the teacher.

Mr. Hunter looked impressed. “Good catch.
Okay, this is going to sound a little magical, I suppose, but I
assure you it isn't. The runes that you saw on that bracelet were
the ones that the owner, Dania, knew. And as you learn, each rune
will appear on your bracelet.” He paused for a moment. “From the
amount of runes on her bracelet, I would guess that Dania was very
young when she died. An adept, someone who was experienced in using
runes, would have a bracelet that was so covered with the markings
that you'd be hard pressed to tell one from the other.”

“But sir,” Denise spoke up as she turned her
bracelet over and over in her hands. “How did her name get on
there?”

With a smile, Mr. Hunter turned and picked
up a box behind his desk and put it on to the table. “We fashioned
small metal stamps with each of your names on them.” He reached
into the box and pulled a stamp out randomly. He glanced at it and
said “These small runes together make up your name, Mr. Dalton;
more or less.”

Aaron eagerly looked at the stamp, which was
basically an small piece of flat metal on a stem. “This is my name
in Titanian?” he asked. Mr. Hunter smiled and nodded and put the
stamp back into the box.

“Once you put on the bracelet, I will
quickly stamp your name on it while it is still malleable. Now,” he
looked around at the teens. “Who wants to go first?”

Aaron had picked up a bracelet and was
turning it over and over. As the others hesitated, he tentatively
raised his hand.

Justin stared at his friend. “So you've
decided to wear one?” he asked Aaron.

Aaron looked at him and smiled weakly.
“Well, yeah. I mean, I can't let you guys have all the fun, can
I?”

“Well said, Mr. Dalton,” Mr. Hunter said
heartily. He searched through his pockets and finally pulled out a
long, shiny pin that looked like it was made of titanium. “So just
hold out a finger and, once I prick it, allow a drop of blood to
fall on to the bracelet. As soon as it softens, slide it on to your
wrist and I'll stamp it.”

The other teens watched apprehensively as
Aaron held out a trembling forefinger and Mr. Hunter grasped it
firmly. He gently poked Aaron's fingertip. The teen jerked slightly
but held his hand relatively steady and watch a bead of blood
slowly grow on his skin.

When the blood droplet was about to slide
off his finger, Aaron let it drip on to his bracelet and Mr. Hunter
wiped the blood from the boy's finger.

They all watched, fascinated, as the blood
drop sat quivering on top of the bracelet for an instant and then
was quickly absorbed by the metal. Several of the teens gasped but
Mr. Hunter nodded and said “Wait for it to soften, Mr. Dalton and
then slip it on.”

Aaron didn't answer. He just stood there
watching the bracelet closely. Justin could see his friend's
fingers squeezing the metal, waiting for it to become
malleable.

Suddenly Aaron's eyes widened and Justin saw
the bracelet start to slowly flex between his friend's hands, as
though it was made of hard rubber instead of metal.

“Hurry, Mr. Dalton! Slip it on to your arm,”
Mr. Hunter said excitedly.

Aaron quickly pushed the bracelet over his
left hand and on to his wrist. The teacher held the bracelet and
pressed the stamp against it firmly. He held it there for several
seconds and, as he pulled it away, Justin saw the bracelet shrink
and form itself snugly on Aaron's wrist. The mark from the stamp
was deeply cut into the surface of the metal and Aaron held out his
arm to show the others.

“How does it feel Aaron?” Denise asked
intently. “Does it hurt?”

He shook his head. “Nope,” he said. “It
feels a little warm but if it didn't, I don't think I'd even notice
that it was there.” Aaron looked at Mr. Hunter. “It almost seems to
have no weight now that it's on my arm.”

“Yes, our research indicated that it would
feel like it was a part of you once the bounding was complete,” Mr.
Hunter said. “It's nice to know that we were correct.” He glanced
at the others. “Now,” he said to the eager faces around him. “Who's
next?”

An hour or so later, all of the teens were
admiring their shiny new bracelets stamped with the titanian
symbols for their names. Justin was quickly developing the habit of
tracing the little runes that spelled his name over and over with a
fingertip. He noticed that Norm was still looking doubtful every
time he glanced at his bracelet, but Justin didn't say
anything.

Mr. Hunter finally called them all to order.
“That's it for today. I'm sure you will become accustomed to your
new jewelry fairly quickly. Tomorrow, we will start discussing
runes in depth. Have a nice day.” He waved them out and the
students headed for the exit, all of them talking excitedly about
runes, bracelets and what they might one day be able to do with
them.

The following day, along with the classes on
runes, history and self defense, the teens were separated and sent
to several other types of classes. Depending on what their titan
family lineage was, the teens found themselves being sent to
lessons on medicine, monsters and other specific topics. So the
rest of the first week spent in Sanctuary passed quickly.

Justin learned in his class on medicine that
there were special ways to heal Titans that allowed them to speed
up their regeneration time even faster than it already was. He
found the techniques fascinating but he wondered why Aaron and
Gerry didn't have the same class.

Norm was thrilled with the class and
confided to Justin that he had thought about becoming a doctor when
he grew up.

The class that Justin had been most
interested in was entitled Monsters. Neither Norm or Gerry was in
that class but Aaron was, so it made the class even more fun. But
what they learned from their teacher, a very tall, thin black man
named Mr. Nelson, sobered them up quickly.

Monsters, Mr. Nelson told them, were real.
They had existed in the days of the first Titans and, they learned,
had actually been created by them.

Some of the students wondered why the
ancients had wanted to create monsters but the teacher didn't
know.

“But what we do know,” Mr. Nelson said, “is
that the rebel Titans have found a way to preserve these creatures
and will use them as allies if they can.” He smiled grimly. “And
the only ones who might be able to defeat them are other Titans. In
other words, you. So do pay attention. What you learn here could
save your life.”

The first lesson was on humanoid monsters,
including, Justin was surprised to learn, the gorgons.

“But sir, Ghelena is a gorgon,” one of the
girls said in protest. “She's not a monster.”

“Isn't she?” Mr. Nelson said with a faint
sneer. “Well, perhaps not. But I assure you that she and her
sisters are not human. If you ever see beneath that veil she wears,
you will agree I'm sure. Now, other humanoid monsters like the
centaurs and satyrs are fairly benevolent in nature.”

The teacher continued speaking as Aaron
leaned closer to Justin. “He doesn't seem to like Ghelena, does
he?” Aaron said quietly. “Wonder what she looks like under
there?”

With a quick glance at Mr. Nelson, Justin
replied “I don't know but remember the legends of Medusa? Maybe
they really can turn men to stone.”

Aaron snorted. “Oh come on, Just, that's
ridic...”

“Would you care to share your apparently
fascinating conversation with the rest of us, gentlemen?”

Aaron and Justin both jumped and looked at
Mr. Nelson, who was staring at them down the end of his nose. “If
I'm boring you, please feel free to take over the class yourselves.
Give us some insight on monsters if you'd like.”

Justin felt his face getting hot. “Sorry
sir,” he said. Aaron echoed him.

Mr. Nelson continued to watch them for a
moment, then he turned back to the rest of the class.

“Now, as I was saying...”

After the class, Aaron and Justin met Norm
and Gerry in the courtyard.

“So what class did you guys have?” Justin
asked them.

“Believe it or not, marksmanship,” Gerry
answered. Norm didn't say anything but he looked a bit pale.

“You okay, Norm?” Aaron looked
concerned.

“Um, yeah, sure. I'm fine,” Norm said. He
was blinking rapidly and looked at Gerry.

Gerry grinned. “Norm's never shot a bow
before. And I think he was surprised to find out that he's a crack
shot.”

“Crack shot?” Justin asked. “You mean he's
good?”

Gerry laughed and Norm managed a weak
grin.

“Good? Norm is crazy good! Our teacher, Ms.
Drapeau, had us shooting at targets using arrows with tips made of
titanium, if you can believe it. Norm hit the bulls eye every
single time.”

“Hey, well done Norm!” Aaron patted him on
the back but Norm looked sick again.

“But guys, don't you get it?” He asked them.
The others looked at each other in confusion. “I was using titanium
arrows! That means they're training us to kill other Titans.”

Gerry stopped smiling, as did Justin and
Aaron.

“Whoa, I hadn't thought of that,” Gerry said
somberly. He looked at Justin. “Feels like they're training us for
combat, doesn't it?”

Justin nodded. “I agree. But if Mr.
Fitzgerald is right, we may need those skills one day.” He looked
sympathetically at Norm. “Try not to worry too much, Norm.
Remember, they can't force you to do anything you don't want
to.”

Norm just nodded weakly and they all headed
back to their quarters for dinner.

By the end of the week, Justin's head was
swimming with facts and figures. He was grateful that their
schedule gave them weekends off. He needed some time to try to
organize his thoughts.

On Saturday morning, they were woken up by
Jonathon who informed them that breakfast would be served in the
Court. Both Justin and Aaron were happy to hear this. They wanted
to talk to some of the others and see how their first week had
gone. And Jonathon had hinted that there was a surprise waiting for
them.

After getting cleaned up and dressed, they
hooked up with Gerry and Norm and headed for the Court. Along the
way they ran into Denise and her friend Leona, a pretty oriental
girl with huge eyes and a mischievous grin. Norm became tongue-tied
when he talked to her and Justin and Aaron exchanged grins at
Norm's obvious attraction.