Calum chatted idly with Brenan in their new classroom as he attempted to draw an accurate image of a focus nut. Once finished, he added a few notes:

—

Focus nut:

- Helps you re-live a memory, but better detail. Effect is similar to the flower box. Connection?

- Only a few left in the bowl Dominic got them from. Low supply, why?

- How does he get them?

—

The tall boy they’d met earlier entered the classroom.

“I gotta admit,” the boy said, “you two might actually be worth something on this team. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anyone solving the box as fast as that. I’d only just begun sparring at the field when a messenger stopped me. Said I’m supposed to be showing you around and getting you started on your first day of training. Remind me your names again?”

“I’m Calum, that’s Brenan.”

“Ah, that’s right.” The boy shook Calum’s hand, then Brenan’s. “In case you don’t remember, I’m Tomas. It usually takes everyone a day or two to get the newbies’ names down, so don’t worry. We’ll know each other very well by the end of this year’s games.” He smiled and turned to leave the room. “Come with me, I’ll show you around.”

A few doors down from their classroom the group approached a large wooden door and Tomas pushed it open. He asked them to step through and followed them in. Inside, large windows allowed plenty of light, revealing a thick circular table surrounded by five chairs with tall backs. “This is our meeting hall,” Tomas said, gesturing to the room. “This is where you’ll get all your meals. It is also the place where we hold any team meetings.”

“When you say all our meals,” Calum began, “Does that mean…”

“Most,” Tomas said, “as long as it’s a weekday, this is where you eat. Gone are the days of spending idle hours at home. Once you’ve joined the team, this school becomes your life. You’re still allowed to go home and sleep, but unless it’s a weekend, you’re expected to be here from sunrise to sunset.”

“You can’t really mean all day?” Calum said. “That’s too much for anyone to handle.”

“I used to agree,” Tomas replied, “I was picked to join this team when I was fourteen, and I thought it seemed impossible. This is my fourth year here, and I can assure you that it isn’t as difficult as it seems. You won’t be coming here and attending traditional school. Classes are still part of it, of course, but for our crew, it’s much more about training than anything. Your time here will be spent practicing various skills, and much of that training is done outside the clan. The question is, do you two think you have what it takes?”

Calum and Brenan looked at each other for a moment, then nodded their heads in a strange mix of confident nervousness.

“That’s the key, my friends,” Tomas said with a smile, “half of getting through your training is simply maintaining the right attitude. Now, follow me. We’ve got a few more places to stop before we start your official training.”

The group left the meeting area and went back into the main hall. They came to a large opening at the end of the hallway. As Calum and Brenan entered, they saw what looked like a mix between a stable and an armory. Two large barn doors sat mounted in place on the far wall. To the left and right were a series of open arches that led outside. Within the room sat two large carts and several barrels. Looking around, they found that the wall behind them held a small arsenal of weapons, armor, and other gear.

“This is a very important room,” Tomas said, “we call it the exit bay. We use this room a lot. Learning where all your gear is located and how to hitch the wagons will help you get on the road faster and ensure you have what you need when you need it.”

Tomas put his fingers to his mouth and produced a whistle.

“What was that for?” Brenan asked.

“You’ll see in just a moment,” Tomas responded with a grin.

Two large creatures came trotting into the exit bay and Calum’s eyes went wide. He’d seen these creatures before, but never so close up. Each one stood on muscular legs covered in different colored feathers. They looked like big feathery horses, though their faces weren’t quite as long.

“Allow me to introduce you to our team’s plumas! This here is Roxy,” Tomas said as he patted a light blue pluma. “And the other one we call George.” He pointed to the other pluma with creamy orange feathers. “They’re going to be taking us out to one of the training facilities in the Green Forest today.”

“These things are incredible!” Brenan said. “Will we be riding them? I’ve heard plumas are supposed to be fast!”

“Not exactly,” Tomas replied. “Riding a pluma takes a considerable amount of strength and skill, not to mention a solid bond with the creature. Plumas don’t like to be bothered by those they don’t know. It can take over a year for a pluma to finally start accepting someone.”

“These big guys?” Brenan said, walking toward Roxy. “They don’t seem like they’d be that difficult.”

“Don’t be dumb,” Calum said, “if Tomas says it’s best to leave them be, you’d better listen to him.”

“No, no,” Tomas responded, “if you think you can handle Roxy there, go ahead, give her neck feathers a stroke.”

Brenan shrugged and continued his approach. Reaching upward, he slowly moved his hand just above the pluma’s shaggy coat of feathers.

“There there, Roxy,” he said, “I know we’ve only just met, but surely you and I will get along, won’t we? Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to place my hand on your neck. Is that alright?”

“Come on, then!” Tomas said. “What are you waiting for? It’s just a pat!”

Brenan glared back at Tomas for a moment, then, without looking at his hand, he brought it down on the pluma’s neck as if he’d known he was safe all along.

“And there you have it,” he said. “Not as bad as you made it out to—” Brenan paused as he noticed Tomas holding up three fingers and mouthing out the corresponding numbers as he put each finger down. Brenan cocked his head as he watched Tomas’s final finger drop then a heavy weight slammed against him, knocking him to the ground and pinning him there. Now on his back, Brenan wiggled and squirmed, trying to free himself, but it was of no use. Roxy was lying on him, and he could do nothing about it.

“Well, would you look at that?” Tomas said as Calum laughed behind him. “She actually likes you! Normally a pat like that would have earned you a hoof to the head! It took me months before she’d only pinned me to the ground!”

“Ge— get her— off!” Brenan struggled to say. “Ca— can’t bre— breath.”

“Alright, Roxy, that’s enough, let’s not suffocate the poor boy! Up you go, come on.” The pluma looked hesitant, then listened to Tomas’s command and stood up. “Consider that your first lesson. I have been around this place for a while. Get up. I’m going to teach you how to get these two hooked up to a cart.”

Brenan smiled at Calum as he stood up and dusted himself off. “Did you hear that? According to Tomas, I’m already months ahead.”

“You just got lucky!” Calum said. “Tomas wouldn’t have let you touch it if he really thought you’d get hurt, isn’t that right, Tomas?”

Tomas chuckled at this comment and said, “Oh no, I most definitely thought he was going to get clobbered. I got a black eye and three broken ribs the first time I met Roxy. Enough messing around, let me hitch these two to the cart, and we’ll get on our way. You might want to watch so you can start learning to do it yourself. It’s pretty simple really, but you’ve got be careful around their neck feathers, those ones can be a little sensitive.”

Tomas finished hitching the plumas and the trio climbed into the cart.

“We like to use plumas because they’re a little smarter than horses,” Tomas said as they sat down, “once they’ve been to a place and learned its name, they can always find their way back to it. By using plumas, none of us has to drive, freeing up more time to study, relax, or talk as we travel.”

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“Incredible!” Calum said. “Do they know many places outside the clan?”

“Yes. In fact, these plumas are specially trained, they know the locations of all ten clans, as well as most training facilities around The Green Forest.”

“You’re not going to make us study the whole ride, are you?” Brenan asked.

“I won’t drill you too hard this time around,” Tomas answered. “I recognize that you’ve likely spent little to no time outside the clan walls, so I’ll let you soak it in this time. Enjoy it while you can. You won’t get many leisure rides like this in the future.”

“Where are we heading today?” Calum inquired. “I know its still morning, but there aren’t very many places we could go within a single day’s journey, are there?”

“For most people, that’s true, but we have access to places most people don’t. We’re heading to a small obstacle course just outside of the clan, so this journey won’t be very long, a few hours at most.”

The first several minutes of their ride went by quickly and quietly. So far, they’d only ridden alongside the Eighth Clan’s wall and hadn’t seen anything worth talking about. The land along the wall was flat and covered with grass while the tree line was so far away the group could only just make it out. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before the cart made a sharp turn.

As they entered the forest, Calum studied the trees. Unlike the trees within the clan, these had thick trunks and extended much higher into the sky than even the greatest of towers . His eyes went from tree to tree and then eventually to the ground. The forest floor was almost completely barren of plants and life.

“Hey, can I ask you a question?” Calum said, looking at Tomas. “All these trees are in excellent condition, yet the forest floor is almost completely empty, why is that?”

“Good observation,” Tomas replied, “I’m not certain, but I think I remember a few potential causes. What do you think?”

Unsure what to say, Calum thought hard about the question. He didn’t really know too much about plants, but he did know the basics. He rubbed his chin as he looked up to the sky. This time he noticed something new. The tall trees above him were so thick with leaves, only a few specks of light could get through the dense tree cover.

“Maybe it’s the amount of light,” Calum suggested. “The trees above us block most of the light that plants on the ground need to grow. See there?” Calum pointed to a spot on the ground where a small patch of light made its way through. “The light hits that spot, and there are small tufts of grass growing there. Everywhere else is either too rocky or doesn’t have enough light for anything else to grow.”

“That fits my thoughts as well,” Tomas said. “Though that can’t be the main reason. If you ever have the misfortune of going into the Burly Wood, you’ll find that even with little light plants find a way to grow. There are parts of the forest there that are dark as night in the middle of the day, yet the ground is covered in vines, bushes, and tall grasses.”

“Hmm, maybe there are more animals here? Like, if there are too many deer, they could eat all the leaves.”

“I see where you’re coming from,” Tomas said, “but I don’t think that’s likely. Besides, the Burly Wood has several hundred times the animal population, and they still have plenty of plants to cover the floor.”

“Could be both,” Brenan said. “Maybe the plants can’t grow fast enough to keep up with the animals eating them.”

“Again, that may play a part, but the real answer is that this forest is not nearly as old as other ones. Look at the soil here, it’s all rocks. In the Burly Wood, you’d have to dig several feet deep or look for a river if you want to find a rock. This is because when the trees die, they are broken down into soil. Thousands of years go by, and enough dead trees, and you get a nice thick soil, ripe for all the other types of plants. There’s a lot more to it than that, but that’s the essential idea.”

“Fascinating.” Calum said, pulling his notebook from his bag. He did his best to scribble in some notes as the cart jostled. After a few minutes Brenan broke the silence.

“I’ve only ever been out here twice, you know. Each time I’ve wanted to see some of the creatures they say are out here, yet no matter how hard I try I’ve never seen anything. Guess you gotta come out here at night for that.”

“Don’t worry,” Tomas said, “you’ll get your chance. Part of your training will be taking you into the mountainous region of the forest sometime this year. It’s hard to go even a few minutes without seeing some sort of life around there.”

Brenan’s eyes lit up at the prospect and just as he was about to ask another question the cart came to a sudden stop. Both boys looked ahead to see a large structure sitting directly in front of them. They hadn’t noticed it before, but now that they were near it, it was impossible to miss.

The structure resembled the great walls that surrounded each of The Ten Clans, though this one was smaller and colored differently. Scraps of dark green cloth were attached all over the darkly painted stones, causing the building to blend in with the environment. Though impressive, the overall look of the wall made the structure feel ominous and dark. Even more discomforting was the lack of any sort of door or window. The road stopped abruptly at the base of the wall, suggesting that travelers could walk right through the stone itself.

“This is it,” Tomas said. “This is where we’ll be doing your first training exercises.” Tomas jumped down from the cart and started walking toward the wall. “Come on then, I’ve got to teach you how to get inside.”

Calum and Brenan shared questioning looks before jumping down from the cart to follow Tomas. As they neared the wall, Calum squinted his eyes in an attempt to get a better view. He scanned brick by brick expecting to find some sort of secret button or lever, but was unable to find any hint of secret devices.

“Obstacle forts aren’t meant for just anyone to use,” Tomas said. “That’s why they were all built without an entrance.”

“If there is no entrance, how will we get in?” Brenan asked.

“Either we go get some shovels and try to tunnel under, or we can do this.” Tomas broke into a sprint. It looked like he was about to plow straight into the wall, but at the last moment, he put one foot against the wall and pushed upwards. Launching himself a few extra feet toward the top, he grabbed a small edge on one of the bricks and scrambled up the remaining wall.

“Your turn!” Tomas shouted.

Without a word Brenan broke out into a sprint of his own, but his attempt wasn’t nearly as elegant, he pushed off the wall and barely managed to find a hold with his left hand, his feet dangling below him. He struggled to find a place to regain the support of his legs but eventually he found a position to keep from falling.

Not wanting to be outdone, Calum walked up to a nearby section of the wall and scrutinized it. Now that he knew what to look for, the path up became increasingly obvious. From base to top he noticed small lips in the stone that could be used like a ladder. Placing his left foot on the first lip, and his right hand on one higher up, he hoisted himself up and quickly made it to the top, passing Brenan as he went.

Looking down below, Calum saw that Brenan was stuck in the same spot he had been when Calum last saw him.

“A little to your right,” Tomas yelled, “you’ve got a bit of a path there. Just take a deep breath and focus on finding edges around you, once you get back on the right path it’ll get easier.”

Brenan did his best to focus and did as Tomas suggested and made his way up the wall.

“Nicely done! Both of you!” Tomas said. “You two ready to get some blood pumping? Check this out.” He gestured to a neat courtyard below them. The space was obviously kept in prime condition and all kinds of strange-looking objects were placed in a grid system. Towers, wooden walls, metallic swings and much more all worked together to give the place the look of an over sized playground.

“How do we get down there?” Calum asked.

Reaching down, Tomas picked up a rope attached to part of the wall. “Find one of these and lower yourselves down. Just hold on to the rope and don’t let go. I’d go backward if I were you. Just watch how I do it, then go on ahead and do it yourself. Shouldn’t be too hard.” Tomas proceeded to walk backward off the wall while holding the rope. Step by step, he lowered himself down into the obstacle courtyard. “Just like that!”

“You go ahead,” Calum suggested to Brenan, “I’ll go last.”

“Suit yourself,” Brenan responded, “don’t fall on your way down.” Brenan grinned at Calum and began down the wall.

Calum watched and a small knot began to form in his stomach as he looked down toward the ground. Deciding he’d psyche himself out if he thought about it any longer, he looked around the courtyard to distract himself. He was very focused on a particular log-like balancing beam when movement caught his eye. He glanced toward it with just enough time to see a black hood disappear from behind the wall opposite him.

“Did you see that?!” Calum called down to Tomas and Brenan, just as Brenan made it to the ground.

“See what?!” Brenan asked, a hint of a smirk growing on his face. “How skilled I am at the rope?! I know it’s impressive, but seriously Calum, it’s nothing to call attention to!”

Calum rolled his eyes. “Not that!” He shouted back. “I just watched someone jump off the wall on the other side of the courtyard!”

“Don’t be dumb!” Tomas shouted. “There’s nobody out here but the three of us! I’d have noticed if anyone else was here, they’d have left tracks! Now grab that rope and get down here!”

Not wanting to press his luck with Tomas, Calum decided to do as he was told. Maybe he had imagined something, Tomas had been right about everything so far. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, took a deep breath, and picked up the rope. Turning around, he placed one foot over the edge and took his first step when something stopped him in his tracks. A deep thrumming noise came from somewhere across the courtyard. Not a second after, Tomas’s voice rang through the air.

“Duck!” he shouted.

But before Calum had time to do anything he heard a solid thud from a nearby tree accompanied by a painful cut on his arm. Stunned, he stepped back onto the wall and held his cut with one hand. Looking into the forest he noticed a black arrow lodged into a tree.

Realizing what had happened, Calum did as Tomas instructed and dropped to his belly. Now covered by part of the wall, he wriggled his way to one side and peaked toward the direction that the arrow had come from. A figure dressed in all black stood on the opposite wall, another arrow ready to shoot.

“Great Owls!” Tomas exclaimed. “You okay up there Calum!? Please tell me that arrow missed you!”

“It hit my arm!” Calum yelled back. “Just a small cut, feels like it should be fine! What should we do?!”

“Just stay still!” Tomas responded. “I’ve got a plan. More than anything, stay behind cover! I don’t know who this mystery shooter is, but something tells me that arrow missed its target!”

As if to confirm his words Calum heard another thrumming noise and a resounding whack in part of the wall directly behind him.

“What are you going to—’’ Calum was cut short when a hand grabbed him by the shoulder and flipped him onto his back. Another black clad figure stood over him, before he could drink in too many details, the figure forced his head sideways.

“Where is it!?” the figure said in a scratchy voice. Calum could tell the person was a female, but he had no time to observe anything else. Before he could respond, the woman leaned in close to his ear.

“Where’s the box!?” She said.

Calum struggled to find a way out, but the woman held him in place. He weighed his options. How did she know about the box? She must have seen the man hand it to him on the rooftops, yet he was certain no one else had been watching. Still, she knew. Part of him wanted to tell her it was in his pack, but Dominic’s warning rang through his mind. He couldn’t give it up.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Calum said. “Get off me!”

The woman let out a short laugh. “Alright, we’ll do it the hard way then, try some of this.” The stranger pulled out a damp cloth. Calum tried to use the opportunity to get free but was unsuccessful. The stranger held him in a way that prevented his arms from moving and forced the cloth over Calum’s mouth and nose. He felt the wetness cover his face and a foul odor filled his lungs. The smell was so bad that he began gagging and quickly built the urge to throw up. He convulsed so strongly that his attacker nearly lost hold. No longer trying to escape, Calum did everything in his power to get the noxious rag away from his face. His eyes teared up so he couldn’t see anything around him. Head dizzy and body shaking, his consciousness slipped away.