his shoulder as he began for the house on the opposite side of the willow-encircled courtyard.
Once through the front doors, Will noticed candlelight streaming out into a hall to his left. It was the hall leading to Fuladrik’s personal study. That was most likely where Zedgry’s grandfather was. As Will made his way to the study’s door, he saw that it was partially closed. Hushed voices slipped through the door’s cracks. Will slowed his step, wondering if he should intrude. Then, he heard Fuladrik whisper in Eveon, “I cannot believe it. My friend Oldron is dead.”
That stopped Will in his tracks. Oldron the Wise and his daughter Aeorin were the sovereigns of the Relivaynt world. During the attack on the Vrenyx world, many of Dagon’s Nagreth were aiding the Velvitors in capturing Relivaynt. Will had heard nothing of their plight until now.
“Lady Aeorin is now a prisoner of the Velvitors,” King Yrond, Zedgry’s grandfather, replied sadly. “My sources tell me that she has been wed to King Talik.”
Will wasn’t sure who Talik was, but he assumed he was the Velvitor king. He frowned. The Velvitors were Craeles, half-human and half-animal, but not like the Craeles who lived among the Saerds and Eves. Velvitors were allies to Dagon, sworn to support him.
“Then, Relivaynt is lost,” Fuladrik said.
Slowly, Will backed away from the door, keeping his feet silent on the floor. His hand drifted to the shimmer stone, dangling from his neck. It was Legann’s. Will had taken it from him when he’d left him and Olinia with Trenton. It was time for Will to use it once more. The Other Worlds were in need of their princess. True, Dagon and his allies had taken some failure of late, but the fall of Relivaynt was evidence that they were still thriving. Lifting the stone with one hand, Will thought back to when he had last seen Olinia, and then opened a portal.
: : : : :
“Hi, Lillie.” Legann sat down across from her bent white head. Her short hair was, as always, flared out around her thin face. As for her eyes, she was focused on the textbook in front of her on the table.
They were in the cafeteria. It was perhaps Legann’s least favorite room in the high school. Even though the eating area was entirely enclosed, the school had filled it with outdoor metal picnic tables, the type he would find in a park. The benches were cold and uncomfortable.
“Hi.” She didn’t even lift her eyes from the book.
“Should we decide on a poem to study?”
“No.”
Legann rolled his eyes and dropped his books on the table. This was going to be a wonderful encounter. It wasn’t like he wanted to be talking to her either. “Did you forget we have a project to do?”
She shut her book and took off her glasses, revealing teal eyes with contact lenses on. “We don’t need to find a poem.”
“We were assigned to work together.” He was staring at her eyes. It was weird that she was wearing contacts. Why the need for glasses? Were her eyes really that bad? He frowned. “Are you wanting to fail?”
“Hardly.” She grunted, reaching into her bag.
“I’m not doing your work for you.” He noticed one of her contacts looked like it was clear, while the other was colored. Did she have mismatched eyes? Not that that meant anything in Ethon. In the Other Worlds, it was the mark of the Craeles, but in Ethon it was just the random alignment of her genes.
“I never asked you to,” Lillie retorted, tossing him a spiral-bound notebook.
Legann glanced down at it. “What’s this?”
“Our homework.”
He opened the notebook and began thumbing through the pages filled with her handwriting. “When did you do all of this?”
“Last night.”
“How long did it take you?” He blinked.
“A few hours.” She shrugged. “I wish it had lasted longer.”
“Longer? Why?”
“I don’t sleep much. I have insomnia.” She pointed to the notebook. “Doing this gives me something to
Once through the front doors, Will noticed candlelight streaming out into a hall to his left. It was the hall leading to Fuladrik’s personal study. That was most likely where Zedgry’s grandfather was. As Will made his way to the study’s door, he saw that it was partially closed. Hushed voices slipped through the door’s cracks. Will slowed his step, wondering if he should intrude. Then, he heard Fuladrik whisper in Eveon, “I cannot believe it. My friend Oldron is dead.”
That stopped Will in his tracks. Oldron the Wise and his daughter Aeorin were the sovereigns of the Relivaynt world. During the attack on the Vrenyx world, many of Dagon’s Nagreth were aiding the Velvitors in capturing Relivaynt. Will had heard nothing of their plight until now.
“Lady Aeorin is now a prisoner of the Velvitors,” King Yrond, Zedgry’s grandfather, replied sadly. “My sources tell me that she has been wed to King Talik.”
Will wasn’t sure who Talik was, but he assumed he was the Velvitor king. He frowned. The Velvitors were Craeles, half-human and half-animal, but not like the Craeles who lived among the Saerds and Eves. Velvitors were allies to Dagon, sworn to support him.
“Then, Relivaynt is lost,” Fuladrik said.
Slowly, Will backed away from the door, keeping his feet silent on the floor. His hand drifted to the shimmer stone, dangling from his neck. It was Legann’s. Will had taken it from him when he’d left him and Olinia with Trenton. It was time for Will to use it once more. The Other Worlds were in need of their princess. True, Dagon and his allies had taken some failure of late, but the fall of Relivaynt was evidence that they were still thriving. Lifting the stone with one hand, Will thought back to when he had last seen Olinia, and then opened a portal.
: : : : :
“Hi, Lillie.” Legann sat down across from her bent white head. Her short hair was, as always, flared out around her thin face. As for her eyes, she was focused on the textbook in front of her on the table.
They were in the cafeteria. It was perhaps Legann’s least favorite room in the high school. Even though the eating area was entirely enclosed, the school had filled it with outdoor metal picnic tables, the type he would find in a park. The benches were cold and uncomfortable.
“Hi.” She didn’t even lift her eyes from the book.
“Should we decide on a poem to study?”
“No.”
Legann rolled his eyes and dropped his books on the table. This was going to be a wonderful encounter. It wasn’t like he wanted to be talking to her either. “Did you forget we have a project to do?”
She shut her book and took off her glasses, revealing teal eyes with contact lenses on. “We don’t need to find a poem.”
“We were assigned to work together.” He was staring at her eyes. It was weird that she was wearing contacts. Why the need for glasses? Were her eyes really that bad? He frowned. “Are you wanting to fail?”
“Hardly.” She grunted, reaching into her bag.
“I’m not doing your work for you.” He noticed one of her contacts looked like it was clear, while the other was colored. Did she have mismatched eyes? Not that that meant anything in Ethon. In the Other Worlds, it was the mark of the Craeles, but in Ethon it was just the random alignment of her genes.
“I never asked you to,” Lillie retorted, tossing him a spiral-bound notebook.
Legann glanced down at it. “What’s this?”
“Our homework.”
He opened the notebook and began thumbing through the pages filled with her handwriting. “When did you do all of this?”
“Last night.”
“How long did it take you?” He blinked.
“A few hours.” She shrugged. “I wish it had lasted longer.”
“Longer? Why?”
“I don’t sleep much. I have insomnia.” She pointed to the notebook. “Doing this gives me something to
Similar Books
