The Sphere (The Magi Series #2) (8 page)

During the night, Elijah dreamed of his upcoming adventure
with his uncle, only instead of being in the forest, they were on a giant
glacier and instead of being with Uncle Stan, he was with Phinneas.  Elijah continued
to plug along urgently, but Phinneas kept needing everything explained to him,
and he was being extremely slow.  The Maliphists, led by Samuel, Elijah’s old
friend who just last year joined the Maliphists, had somehow managed to find
out what they were doing, and the race was on to find the cube and the book. 
Elijah was stuck in slow motion and practically pulled Phinneas along, but they
managed to reach the book and the cube at the top of the glacier.  However, as
soon as they got there, the items melted and turned into the sphere.  Just as
Elijah picked up the sphere, Samuel arrived and began to speak, but no words
came out of his mouth, just sounds.  It started out as a moan, but it slowly
turned into horse sounds just when Elijah was startled awake.

He was absolutely freezing, and it took him a few minutes to
realize his dream had combined with reality.  The horses, tied to the trees
behind the tent, were making low grunting noises.  Elijah rolled over and saw
that Uncle Stan was gone.  He looked around the tent but there was no doubt he
was alone!

Elijah poked his head out of the tent, thinking Uncle Stan
had gone out to sit by the fire or tend to the horses.  But again, he saw no
one.  Elijah caught the outline of his chestnut stallion.  The horse’s ears
were perked.

“Uncle Stan?” Elijah whispered, not daring to make more than
a soft noise.

No answer.

Then, off in the distance, he heard what sounded like
rustling in the woods just beyond the camp.  He sat up quickly and briefly
thought of putting out the fire, which was now only a glow in the dark woods. 
But whatever it was would most likely have seen his fire already, and if he was
in danger, he wanted to see what he faced.

Elijah lit a torch with his hands and held it out in front
of him.  He had to really concentrate to keep the flames down.  He snuck over
to his horse in case he needed to ride away at a moment’s notice.  When he
didn’t hear anything, Elijah moved the torch around slowly, scanning the
darkness.  There again, he heard another rustling this time to his right.  He
held the torch out in that general direction, trembling behind the chestnut
stallion.  The horse gave a low, guttural whinny.

“Do you hear that too?” Elijah asked out loud.  The horse’s ears
turned around lazily.  If he was really in danger, the horse would surely sense
it, wouldn’t he? 

Just before Elijah was about to return to his tent, he heard
male voices.  Elijah’s inner struggle turned into an all-out war.  The voices
could be Maliphists.  Or it could be Uncle Stan.  Or they could be the voices
of two common people.  Leaving camp could be dangerous, but it could also be
dangerous to stay.  Apparently, his feet made the decision for him, because he
found himself quietly walking toward the voices.

Elijah continued keeping the flames from his torch down, and
when he saw two figures, both with their own torches, he quickly snuffed his
own out.

There, by the edge of the stream, his uncle and Master
Roddick faced each other.  From the look of it, they were arguing about something. 
Uncle Stan seemed to be either mad or concerned.  He was gesturing more
animatedly, and his voice was louder, but not clear enough to understand. 
Roddick had his arms crossed and looked down part of the time.  Elijah couldn’t
figure it out.

This went on for another twenty minutes, and each minute
made Elijah’s curiosity amplify.  What were they arguing about?  Did this have
to do with him?  He considered walking toward them, but just then Uncle Stan
patted Roddick on the shoulder and began walking in Elijah’s direction.

Elijah scampered back toward the tent and flew inside,
spooking both the horses.  Soon, Uncle Stan came back to camp and plopped down
to sleep.  Elijah was only able to doze lightly for the rest of the night,
wondering what he just saw.

Chapter 4

UNCLE STAN’S HIDEOUT

To say Elijah didn’t get much sleep that night was an
understatement.  He tossed and turned for hours, but once the dim morning light
outside was just beginning to show, he cut his losses and got up.  The smells
of breakfast being cooked from the nearby camps made his mouth water and his
stomach grumble.  He knew he wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep, so he gathered
a few pieces of wood nearby and rekindled the fire, so his uncle would stay
warm.

Elijah then ventured out to find Master Roddick.  The way he
and his uncle were talking last night made Elijah wary, and he thought maybe if
he talked with Roddick, it would make him feel better.  He passed through
several camps of teachers who greeted him cheerfully and pointed him in the
direction of Master Roddick’s camp.  The smells he passed from cooking
breakfast were intoxicating.  He was half-tempted to invite himself over to
have a bite as he passed each camp.

Master Roddick’s tent was pitched much farther away than the
camps of the other teachers, almost as if he wasn’t really part of the group. 
Elijah walked toward Roddick’s blazing fire.  Master Roddick emerged from the
tent, and he looked at Elijah with a face that was not at all happy or
welcoming.  It was blank.  Almost cold.

Roddick quickly broke eye contact and looked at the fire. 
“It was dangerous for you to leave your camp.”

Elijah was still taken back by the flat demeanor of Roddick.

“I’m sorry,” Elijah managed.  “I just thought…”

He wasn’t sure what to say.  He only wanted to visit.  Just
yesterday, Roddick was joking with him and talking about opening up to his
friends.  Now, he felt like Roddick was mad at him.  Roddick’s eyes softened
slightly, and he approached Elijah.

“You need to go back to your uncle,” Roddick said in a voice
that was as soft as it was stern.  Elijah couldn’t tell if Roddick was mad or
concerned.  “I’m sorry, Elijah.  Please just go back.  I can’t see you right
now.”

“Does this have anything to do with what you were talking
about with my uncle last night?” Elijah said after gathering his courage.

Roddick shook his head.  “Elijah, I don’t know what you
think you saw, but it’s time for you to return to your uncle now.  Please don’t
make this harder than it already is.  I’m sorry, Elijah.  Please just trust me
and leave now.”  He returned to his tent leaving Elijah speechless.

As Elijah walked back to camp, his legs moved slower than
before.  He didn’t feel like talking, even when Uncle Stan greeted him as he returned
to camp.  Not even the sausages Uncle Stan made enticed him the way they did
earlier.  In just a few short minutes, Elijah went from confident and happy to
timid and confused.

“Everything okay?” Uncle Stan asked as Elijah moped during
breakfast.

“I don’t know,” Elijah said.  “I just came back from
Roddick’s tent.  He just seemed…”

Uncle Stan nodded but said nothing.

“I saw you two talking last night,” Elijah said.  “Is he mad
at me?”

“I wouldn’t worry yourself about that,” Uncle Stan said.  He
leaned in.  “Between you and me, he’s just got a lot on his mind.”

Elijah wanted to say that that didn’t quite answer his
question, but he decided against it.  Roddick may have had a lot on his mind,
but yesterday he didn’t make Elijah feel as though he hated him.  Elijah spent
the rest of the morning wondering what could have changed in just a few hours.

The teachers left camp very early.  The sun had risen, but
the birds were the only wildlife stirring as they traveled.  They rode through
the day, and soon began to see signs of civilization from the common people.  They
passed by an abandoned church, a winter cabin, and even an old lumber mill.  Elijah
wondered what the common people would think seeing a group of men riding horses
and wearing peculiar-looking cloaks of different colors.

The teachers must have decided that running into common
people would be a bad idea because they quickly took a turn east and headed
into denser forests.

“It’s only a short distance to the Academy from here,” Uncle
Stan said as they made their detour.  “We’ll be on our own soon.”

Sure enough, in a little less than an hour’s time, the group
of teachers brought their horses to a halt and dismounted.  Elijah studied
Master Roddick intensely.  Roddick gathered his horse by the reins.  He didn’t
even look at Elijah or Uncle Stan.  The other teachers stayed to say their
goodbyes and give words of encouragement to Elijah, but Roddick had already
left the group entirely and disappeared toward Saint Phillip’s Academy alone. 
No one else seemed to notice.

Soon, Elijah and Uncle Stan were alone.  For the next nine
hours as they rode toward the train station, Elijah was bothered by his
encounter with Roddick, not to mention his bruised rear from sitting in the
saddle for so long.  He couldn’t seem to understand what would make Roddick
treat him so poorly.

Elijah first spotted the train tracks at a distance through
a break in the trees.  They were elevated about three feet by a gravel bank. 
Elijah looked down both sides of the tracks.  They were so heavily surrounded
by trees they seemed to cut the forest in half.  There wasn’t anything else in
sight for miles.

Uncle Stan headed east along the tracks for another hour
until they came into an opening where a small, rickety station with weathered overhangs
overlooked the tracks.  Two benches sat in front, but by the look of it,
neither had been used in years.  Even though the station looked deserted, a
large freight train was stopped in front with the engine pointing west.  Uncle
Stan led Elijah to the tree line just before the station and dismounted.

“Here.”  Uncle Stan handed Elijah their two canteens.  “Go
fill these up.  I’ll unpack the food and blankets for the ride.”

Elijah did as he was told.  He found a nearby creek to fill
the canteens.  When he returned, Uncle Stan was alone without the horses. 
Elijah looked around, puzzled.

“They know their way back,” Uncle Stan said of the horses. 
“Trust me.  I’ve taken this train dozens of times.  They always find their way
back to Savenridge.”

Uncle Stan and Elijah scampered down the tree line and found
an open boxcar in the middle of the train.  They snuck in, carefully checking
to make sure they weren’t seen.  Elijah immediately regretted their choice of
boxcar.  Inside were hundreds of crates of onions, piled from floor to
ceiling.  In moments, Elijah’s whole body reeked of the bitter smell.  His eyes
watered profusely, and he had to cover his nose with a blanket to keep from
suffocating.  Thankfully, there were windows and a vent at the top of the car,
and Elijah couldn’t wait to get going so he could stick his head out and let
the cold air whip the stench away.  Hopefully, he wouldn’t have to wait long.

Despite the foul air, their hiding place was perfect.  Elijah
found a corner of the car where two boxes were close together and nestled
himself between them so he was nearly invisible.  Uncle Stan did the same.  If
an inspector came poking around, it would be almost impossible to see them.

While Elijah waited for the train to start, he practiced
igniting a flame between his palms.  He could start a flame already, and if he
could focus, he was getting quite skilled at controlling it, but he needed to
work on speed.  It took him a while to settle his mind enough to focus on an
emotion.

Just before sunset, the train slowly began to move.  He
stood up, excited, and watched as the scenery crawled by at a snail’s pace.

Soon, the train picked up speed, and the trees opened up to
reveal a gorgeous mountain range to the north.  Elijah turned to ask Uncle Stan
what the mountain range was, but he was fast asleep.  The sounds of his snoring
were loud enough to be heard even over the clickity-clack of the train on the
tracks.  Elijah remembered Olivia telling him to get his rest, so after it was
too dark to see, he made a little bed with his blanket and fell asleep to the rocking
of the train.

When he awoke early the next morning, eager slits of sun
rays beamed through the boxcar.  Elijah poked his head around the corner of his
crate and saw his uncle, still sleeping heavily.  He wondered how Uncle Stan
could sleep so soundly.  There were so many things to think about.

Elijah couldn’t stand lying down any longer.  He got up and
looked out the small window on the opposite side of the door.  He grabbed an
onion crate so he could have a place to sit and watch the world whir by.  He
was getting used to the smell, so the potent fumes didn’t make his eyes water
as much.

The forest’s trees didn’t seem as congested here—wherever
they were—as in Savenridge.  He also sensed a temperature change.  Instead of
the crisp chill in the air, it felt warm and muggy.

It didn’t take long for Elijah to become a prisoner to his
inner thoughts.  From the temperature change, he briefly thought about the
weather in Savenridge.  He began to feel a little homesick and wished for a
glimpse of a river just so he could pretend that it was the Savenridge River
and he was just taking a little ride through the land.  From there, his mind
imagined following the river all the way to the barracks, where he would spend
the next nine months.  He couldn’t wait to get back there to meet up with his
friends again.  He thought about his trainings and wondered if Olivia’s lessons
with him would turn into briefings on finding the sphere instead of training
with the elements.

The train stopped twice before the sky became dark.  The
first stop came just on the outskirts of a large city.  Elijah noticed towering
oil derricks and what looked like a power plant to the west.  Ahead, he could
see a city on the edge of a river.  Even though he had wanted to see a river
earlier, this one reminded him nothing of the Savenridge River.  There were no
trees around it, and it reflected a murky color instead of the crystal clear
blue from the sky.