Olly Briggs

The four letters of acceptance did come in, and Abigail was right, there was no in-person visit from the Cartographers' Guild Grandmaster Franklin Byrne. Neither Grandmasters Oleg or Alzira came either, but they did both call the house to let him know they were impressed with his performance. As Olly looked at his four options, he realized he hadn’t wavered in his stance. He was going to be a Conductor because he wanted to go somewhere he could feel he belonged. He confirmed his acceptance almost immediately.

On the flip side, things with his uncle had been awkward. They hadn’t spoken in any great detail since their fight, and while Eli wasn’t giving him the cold shoulder, he was doing a poor job at hiding his saturnine mood. Eli did offer congratulations, from both himself and the mayor, though the gesture was strained by the moroseness that had settled around him. Olly found it fell flat, and it did nothing to help his own mood, finding he was souring in tandem. Eli was working later than normal and, if he even came home at an early enough time for Olly to see him, he would quickly retreat to his bedroom.

This went on for a week.

Though he suspected his uncle was not punishing him, and was actually struggling with something unseen, Olly refused to be the one who caved first in this cold war. He had things to accomplish before life at the academy started. In fact, he only had a month before to prepare himself. There were textbooks and uniforms to acquire and pre-reading to complete. There was also an orientation day next week that he was expected to attend. Consoling his uncle over something Olly didn’t understand, or rather, wasn’t permitted to know, was not high on his priority list.

Still, he needed his uncle’s help, so he would have to swallow his pride and ask. If there were a trust, he would need access to it very shortly.

So that evening, he waited to see if his uncle would come home, and when he didn’t come home, Olly decided to go to Hijinks.

He realized, as he walked in, that only about half the regulars were present. This was a bit shocking. He had been away from the action for long enough to notice the changes. The mood also seemed dour, and he wondered if it was contagious. Games were hardly being played, and people were mainly drinking. Nobody stopped him, to congratulate him or otherwise, which was also unusual.

He paused outside his uncle’s office. This was where it all began, back when he had eavesdropped and found out he was going down this path. Back then, he had felt like a boat without a sail, just adrift at sea. Now he felt purposeful, and like he had a direction. It might not have been what his uncle had envisioned, but it was arguably better because he chose it for himself.

He gathered his nerve to knock, but his uncle opened the door abruptly right before his knuckles could make contact.

Eli raised an eyebrow while Olly said, “Erm, hi.”

He opened the door wider and stood out of the way, allowing him to enter.

“Did you know I was coming?” Olly asked, taking a seat.

“No, but I called the house looking for you, I was going to come home when you didn’t pick up,” Eli admitted, sitting opposite him.

They fell into an awkward silence for a minute.

“So what did you want from me?” Olly asked.

“Ah, right, I have something for you.” He retrieved a file from his desk and passed it across the table. Olly looked at it, brow furling in curiosity.

“You can open it here, or at home, but it has everything you need. Any relevant paperwork, such as your birth certificate, information on your parents, trust access, anything of that nature. Do not lose it, I daresay it cannot be replaced,” he explained in a reserved voice.

Olly didn’t know what to say. He was stunned, slightly, but it was typical that Eli would be one step ahead of him.

“Why didn’t you ever talk to me about my parents?” Olly asked timidly. He flipped through the file, and found it contained handwritten notes on who they were, what they were like, with a few photos.

Eli twisted his mouth. “I didn’t know how to bring it up,” he said thickly, “I… I lost a brother. The longer I went without talking about it, the harder it became to face any of it. I still haven’t, but, at the very least, I think it’s long overdue for you to have some of this.”

Olly shut the file carefully, not knowing what to say. “I… Thank you,” was all he could manage. He felt too emotionally conflicted to know what to say anymore.

Eli studied him carefully. “I am proud of you. I hope you know that,” Eli said sincerely.

Eli’s shows of true affection were rare, so while Olly was mollified by his candidness, he was still feeling slightly aggrieved. Olly felt slightly self-conscious over how harshly he had judged his uncle, but while the anger was fading, the distance between them was still there.

They didn’t speak further until they were outside, walking in the direction of home.

Eli was looking up at the sky, somewhat longingly. “Do you ever feel like the sky is suffocating?”

Olly looked up, a little confused at the question. It was the usual inky black sky, no more and no less. The magic in the atmosphere created the day-night cycle, and influenced season and weather patterns. There was nothing else to it, so he wasn’t sure what Eli thought was missing.

“Is being a Conductor really so bad?” Olly asked, side-stepping the unusual question.

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Eli looked back down and shook his head. “No, not at all, usually it would be the biggest boon anyone here could receive. But I guess the only advice I can give you is to be careful out there. There’s a tide turning, I’ve tried to keep ahead of it but I don’t trust what’s coming. Find your allies and keep them close. And don’t trust the Grandmasters, not one of them has your best interests at heart. They’re all playing their own game, remember that.”

Olly frowned. “So what’s the difference between being a Cartographer or a Conductor?”

Eli pulled out a cigarette. “Not much at all. But Franklin would have disregarded you, Abigail won’t let you out of her sight.”

“And that’s a bad thing?” Olly asked, not understanding.

“Depends entirely on what her game is. And because I don’t know her game, as I said, be careful. Once you’re out there, what little influence I have will not be enough. So just promise me you’ll be careful and look out for yourself,” Eli said, looking around, as if afraid of being followed.

Olly looked back up at the night’s sky again. “I promise.”

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Eli accompanied Olly to orientation day; it was to take place at the Academy. Not only would this be the first time he would visit the Academy, it was also the first time he would visit Donnol, one of the other major cities of Flexibilis. As soon as they walked through the tunnel between Occaigh’s first borough and Donnol’s main tunnel station, he was awestruck.

The first borough of Occaigh was already affluent, but Donnol was unlike anything he had ever seen before. It almost felt like he had gone back in time. The streets were cobblestoned and the buildings gleamed with white stucco. They walked slowly, allowing Olly to take in the sights. Prominent buildings stood proudly on the street side. Palatial constructs and flashy department stores; the architecture was unrivalled by anything Olly knew. It was incredible.

To Olly, Eli still seemed slightly on edge, but hid it well under a reserved exterior. He was different here. Back at home he was, usually anyways, more jovial, more engaged. But here it was as if he wanted to blend into the crowd.

“Come on kid, you don’t want to be late,” Eli called as Olly stopped to stare into a men’s wear store featuring expensive looking tailcoats in the window. “And please don’t gawk, you’ll be an easy target for pickpockets,” he muttered as Olly caught up with him.

Olly could scarcely help it, but he did contain his excitement for the rest of the walk. They made their way to a wide open park, seemingly in the middle of the city. It was decorated with beautiful gardens and mapped with a cobbled walkway even finer than that of the main road. The cobblestones dazzled as they caught the daylight, as if inlaid with gemstones. It was gently hilly so Olly could hardly contain his excitement when they crested the largest hill and saw what lay before them.

The Elite Academy of Higher Principles was easily the grandest building Olly had ever seen. Sprawling, imposing, and magnificent, it was crafted from sand coloured stone, polished to a fine gleam. From the front, Olly could see two wings spreading out from the central body of the building. Fine stone steps led up to the entrance, which consisted of archway supported by four columns. At either side of the steps was a statue. As they got closer, Olly could see that they resembled people, though they were much closer to perfection, in both attractiveness and physique, than any real human could hope to be. One appeared feminine and held a quadrant aloft, with the word “Scientia” inscribed on her plaque. The other appeared masculine and held his left hand up before him, stone eyes apparently seeing beyond that of the normal mortal plain. His own inscription read “Magicae”.

The most resplendent feature was the massive domed roof atop the central part of the building. It was made of glass and appeared to have a bluish glow from the outside. There was something large and spherical rotating slowly within it, though he could not yet make it out.

“Wow,” Olly whispered. He felt very small, being here. The Academy was to be his home for the next two years, and it felt far too splendid for him.

“I think you have company,” Eli suggested. Olly turned to look, broken from his reverie, just in time to see Sarah barreling into him.

“You made it!” she exclaimed happily, “I was so worried when I saw you collapse, but I didn’t know how to get ahold of you later. I knew they couldn’t deny you after that though! Which Guild did you accept?”

Her excitement was infectious and Olly found himself smiling, equally glad to have a friend with him. “The Conductors’, you?” he asked hopefully.

“Same! I’m so glad I have someone here that I know. Bowen, the other kid in our room to make it through, is also here. He got in as a Cartographer!” she explained excitedly, before turning to Eli, “Is this your dad?”

“This is my uncle, he’s my guardian. Uncle Eli, this is Sarah, she was in my exam room,” Olly stepped aside to introduce them.

“It’s a pleasure Sarah, and I do remember your performance, I believe you were the very first one out. Very impressive,” Eli said with a small smile, shaking her hand.

Sarah blushed but practically jumped up. “Oh, we should get going soon, they’re going to be calling us in for our session!”

Olly turned to Eli who assented with a nod. “Go on, I’ll catch up with you later.”

Olly turned to Sarah with a grin and followed her lead as they set off to begin the orientation.

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Eli Briggs

Eli watched them practically run off together. He was feeling mildly hopeful in spite of himself. He had a good read on the new girl. She seemed lovely, and best of all bright, so he hoped if Olly kept responsible company he’d be okay.

He was suddenly aware of someone standing behind him, watching him, and he turned carefully to face them head-on. He found the Controllers’ Guild Grandmaster, Alzira Silves, watching him intently. Her short, black hair was spiked up and she had a coy smile playing on her lips.

“Congratulations on his admission. Too bad you didn’t quite get what you wanted though.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Apparently all it took was an in-person visit to convince him otherwise and derail a perfectly good plan. Also, I’d introduce myself but I don’t want to insult your intelligence,” he responded somewhat coldly.

She grinned wider. “I appreciate it. So what comes next, now that he’s leaving the nest?”

“Hopefully he studies hard, gets a good job, and never has to step foot in the sixteenth borough again,” Eli said carefully.

“That’s not what I meant, what comes next for you?” she emphasized.

It was a mild surprise to hear her push back, albeit it was a somewhat lazy approach. “Am I being detained for questioning? Don’t you have anything more pressing to do? Like an inquest to finish?” he asked sardonically.

Her smile dropped, and it gave him a hint of satisfaction. Generally, he was left alone. In the grand scheme of things, his business was typically uninteresting to anyone in law enforcement, or adjacent to it. Not to mention, it was in such a small, well-contained corner of Flexibilis that no one bothered him. Who cared what a dumpy borough did to stay alive? If she was just coming over to rankle him he wasn’t in the mood to play.

“Oh Eli, I’m not your enemy. I do think you could help me, but I won’t force your hand. However, I do believe you know things and have helpful information, so if you ever wanted to collaborate, you know where to find me.”

She walked away brusquely without another word, leaving him frowning at her retreating back.