Avondale V by Toby Neighbors

was tempted to take the sleeping herbs that Olyva had given him, but after the dragon’s attack, he didn’t feel he could risk going to sleep for so long. He was tired, but his mind wouldn’t stop spinning with dangers. There was no dawn in the blighted lands. The barrier of mist went from total darkness to bright amber sunlight in an instant. Tiberius slouched against the rail and peered out over the verdant land below.
    “It's really quite amazing, isn’t it?” the captain said.
    “What?” Tiberius asked, surprised by the question.
    “The blighted lands, they’re nothing like I thought they would be.”
    “It’s hard to believe we’ve been so wrong, isn’t it?” Tiberius said. “We’ve been hiding up on the mountaintops, and the world went on without us.”
    “It wasn’t always like this,” the captain argued. “It couldn’t have been.”
    “We’ve seen places that weren’t lush and alive like the plains below,” Tiberius said. “Some places are barren and desolate. We even saw ancient cities that were little more than rubble now.”
    “So some of it is blighted?” the captain asked.
    “My guess is that the places where magical battles were fought are ruined, but there is more than enough space for people to spread out and build a new kingdom.”
    “What about the huge beasts that attack the city walls?”
    “Have you seen any?” Ti asked. “There are some, but they’re few and far between. My guess is that the animals would learn to fear us and stay away. There are herds of tamakas—they’re like cattle and relatively harmless unless you get caught in front of them.”
    “You’ve seen these beasts?”
    “Tamakas, graypees, even the huge beasts the Hoskali call Draccons.”
    “What are Hoskali?” the captain asked.
    “They’re nomadic people who live on the plains.”
    “There’s people already in the blighted lands?”
    “Yes, and soon there will be more, I suppose, if we can stop Leo from destroying Valana.”
    “You really think your own brother is that bad?”
    “How much have you heard about our mission, Captain?” Tiberius asked.
    “That it’s important. The earl said to take you wherever you needed to go.”
    “That’s good. We’re going south, hoping to find the old commune run by the wizards of the Four Orders. Do you know what I’m talking about?”
    “No, my lord. I’m sorry. I never learned anything about magic. My father would have skinned me alive.”
    “I understand,” Tiberius said, knowing that magic had been outlawed in the nine cities for over a century. “Before the cataclysm there was a group of wizards who were very careful about what they taught and how they worked magic. They classified magic into four separate categories that each wizard had to work his way through. For instance the First Order or category was healing magic. They called it Sana Magus . A wizard had to learn the healing arts and prove his mastery of them before he could move on to the next Order.”
    “Sounds like they knew a thing or two,” the captain said. “It’s a little like working through the ranks, from cabin boy to captain.”
    “Exactly,” Tiberius agreed. “We need to find the the village they built to teach new wizards. Our hope is there will be something there that can stop Leonosis.”
    “But surely your brother wouldn’t destroy the kingdom. Why would anyone want to do that?”
    “It isn’t my brother who wants to destroy Valana and enslave us. We think some kind of magical spirit is influencing him. This demon wants to open a portal to another world and let in all manner of foul creatures. We have to stop him.”
    “How can you know all this?” the captain said. “I’ll admit things aren’t what we were taught. The blighted lands, for instance, magic maybe, but I remember you running around the palace with the sword master’s son when you were in short pants. How can you know so much?”
    “I found a book on magic,” Tiberius said. “Yes,