Olly Briggs

Olly and Sarah kept their heads down for the rest of the school week. Neither Abigail nor Franklin had followed up with them regarding their punishment so they focused on their homework to keep their minds off of it. There certainly was enough of a backlog to work through so it was a welcome distraction. Beyond the sheer volume however, Olly was more than okay to focus on his homework. In spite of his recent extracurriculars he was pleased with his current grades. He had received several quizzes back with perfectly acceptable B levels. Of course Sarah was scoring well into the A levels, and Bowen had them both beat with near perfect scores, but Olly still embraced the pride of having earned his grades.

He was with Sarah in their final class of the week. It was ten minutes to the end of class and he was confident that they wouldn’t hear anything until the beginning of next week. He was already planning on spending the evening researching his Physical Science essay. It was due early next week but with today as a head start it would be an easy task for the weekend.

Therefore it was both disappointing and surprising when an administrative assistant popped into with a note for him right before the bell. He opened it curiously. Sarah hadn’t received one; she peered over at it with a morbid curiosity. He opened it up enough for her to see it and they both recoiled with a grimace.

It was a request for a lab session. A lab session with Brandon tonight after dinner.

He didn’t feel as nervous as he perhaps ought to be. However, he was slightly irritated to be caught off guard. Not to mention losing his evening and with it his ambitions of getting ahead of his work.

“Are you going?” Sarah asked in a low voice.

Class was wrapping up around them and their classmates were all loitering amongst each other’s desks and chatting excitedly about the weekend. Nobody paid any attention to the two of them and the excitement around them was a frustrating contrast to his now sunken mood.

“I don’t think I can turn him down. I’m supposed to be going through more rigorous lab sessions now so this may just be routine business. Besides, I shouldn’t give him any reason to be suspicious,” he said resignedly.

She didn’t look overly convinced.

He gave her a weak smile. “I promise I’ll be careful. I can try and get a better read on him while I’m there at least.”

“Alright, but if you run into trouble just leave and come right to me. I’ll be waiting up for you to get back and if you haven’t returned in a reasonable time I’m going to burn the place down looking for you,” she shrugged as they began to pack up their things.

Even though she was joking Olly didn’t doubt her. And he was flattered enough that he didn’t bother to remind her that this would ruin his plans.

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Later, when Olly arrived at the lab he found Brandon seated at a lab bench waiting for him. Olly noticed that Brandon was slightly too tall for the standard stools that all the labs seemed to have. He had a relaxed demeanour about him; his legs were casually splayed out before him while he read over some reports. Olly wondered if they were from the field trip and suddenly he was was deadly curious about the subject matter. He wondered if this meeting would be an opportunity to learn more about Brandon and his work. It would certainly be a consolation for losing his evening. Olly suddenly felt more confident that he could work this situation to his advantage. There was insight to collect. He just had to be smart about it.

“Right on time!” Brandon exclaimed brightly as he saw him.

Olly forced a smile to his face. "Be calm, don’t give yourself away," he thought to himself.

“Hi Brandon, how’s it going?” he matched the energy Brandon was giving.

Brandon gave an affable shrug. “Oh you know, work on work. I'm curious to see what the Grandmaster comes up with to further fill my plate as a punishment. But no matter, let’s talk about you. What did you make of the field trip?”

It was a little unnerving how casually he brought up the field trip. But Olly remembered his flippant attitude after the fact and felt like he shouldn’t be surprised. “It was… unexpected. I didn’t feel the weakness and it caught me off guard.”

“No, I daresay you wouldn’t have felt it,” Brandon said simply. It didn’t feel like an insult but Olly couldn’t help frowning slightly.

“What makes you say that?” he asked in spite of himself.

“You’ve never really demonstrated a strong sensitivity. It’s not where your strengths lie. You’re inquisitive and shrewd enough to know when to ask questions, and you certainly channel magic effectively when you’re certain about it, but you don’t catch the finer points intuitively. It’s why I suspect your early lab results were minimal.”

Olly raised an eyebrow. It was blunt but entirely true. “Are we working on my sensitivity next then?” he asked.

Brandon smiled slightly. “We could, but I think it’s worth looking deeper into your strengths instead of your weaknesses. For example, you can break through solids without forming a tunnel. Do you know how rare that is?”

Olly thought back to the false prophet but quickly shook his head. He tried to look as outwardly politely interested in the hopes that Brandon would continue.

“There’s no one else on record that I can find as having that kind of ability,” as he said it Brandon’s eyes seemed to bore into his.

Olly felt unnerved and knew it had to show on his face. He was losing control here. Brandon was reading him like a book and he didn’t know how to stop it.

“I don’t want to be different,” he blurted out, sounding as self-assured as he could manage, “I just want to be a Conductor.”

It was weak but it was all he could think to say to get Brandon as far away from the connection to the False Prophet as possible.

Brandon visibly relaxed. Olly willed himself to release any tension he was holding.

“I can and will show you how to be a Conductor but I think you may find your skills are better suited to other avenues,” Brandon suggested in a reassuring way.

“What other avenues?” Olly asked.

“Well, research, for one,” Brandon made a casual gesture with his hands as he said it, “But I promise there’s many potential avenues within research. Despite our titles, nobody is just a researcher. We all have fields of specialization.”

Olly resented how unadulterated his interest in this conversation was becoming. “What do you think mine would be?”

Brandon looked at him thoughtfully. “Since you seem to have an interesting way of interacting with the physical world around you, I’m sure you could have a successful career in material science. Perhaps even tying in some engineering. But I could see you studying the physical and chemical properties of materials and how they can better serve the Conductors’ Guild.”

Olly shook his head in disbelief as he thought of how boring his Physical Sciences course had been so far. “I don’t think I’m as academically inclined as you think I am. Besides, my coursework hasn’t exactly been the top priority to the Academy.”

Brandon shrugged and looked slightly regretful. “No, it hasn’t been. And admittedly I’ve disagreed with the Grandmaster on that approach. But she’s in charge here, not me.”

“So do you research material science?” Olly asked. He wondered if this was a way for Brandon to bring him more under his wing.

Brandon chuckled lightly. “No, no. I’m familiar with it certainly but it’s not my expertise. I prefer to deal with the type of science that we can’t see. I study how to better manipulate the fabric of space and time so that we can more efficiently find new places to create tunnels.”

Olly was puzzled. “Isn’t that more what a Cartographer would do?”

“On the surface, yes, but that’s the beauty of academics. We may have Guild affiliations but the lines are less strict. I work very closely with Delilah for example. I remember her telling me that she tutored you specifically to become a Cartographer. And yet despite your focus on that Guild, here you are studying to be a Conductor. It’s all very transferable once you open your mind to it.”

It was interesting how much sense it made. He would have to chew on that a bit more later. He wondered what Sarah and Bowen would think about it. They knew how much he struggled academically to produce mediocre grades. They would definitely be able to ground him after this conversation.

Brandon continued. “Selfishly, having you as a close colleague in a related but different field would be my ideal state but I fear I am competing with the Grandmaster for your attention. Nonetheless, consider this my pitch for academia as a career path. I think you’d do very well.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“Thanks Brandon, I’ll give it more thought,” was all Olly could manage to say.

He'd have to unpack this conversation with Sarah later. His mind was already spinning and he'd only just arrived.

“Cheers mate, that’s all I can ask for. Anyways, I did have a small exercise to run through tonight. As much as I’d love to continue this heart to heart I should keep myself honest to the Grandmaster’s expectations.”

Brandon got up and disappeared inside a nearby supply closet. He came back a minute later wheeling out an opaque sheet of fabric stretched into a very large frame. It was roughly seven by seven feet. He took great care to place it in the center of the room, effectively sectioning it into two, and finally beckoned Olly over.

Brandon stood on one side and Olly stood parallel to the panel, checking it over carefully.

“It’s similar in nature to the panel test but I tweaked the material of the fabric slightly. I want to try something slightly new,” he explained and handed Olly a testing stone. He kept its twin in his hand.

“Is it the same test, just on a larger scale?” Olly inquired as he looked around both sides of the fabric.

“Sort of. It's the same set up but I’m looking for a slightly different result. You're going to place your stone first and with the stone in my hand and I’m going to use it to find you. Like in the tests you've seen, my side of the fabric will turn translucent or transparent according to how close I am, and I daresay I will be close, but we're going to see what happens on your end.”

Olly was confused. “Wouldn't my side turn transparent as well?”

Brandon smiled. “Not with this fabric. Each side has independent requirements for turning translucent. Mine is finding your stone. Yours is going to be slightly different. But before I spoil it I want to see how you do first. That’s the experimental part. Now, kindly stand on the other side and position your rock anywhere you would like,” he instructed.

Olly somewhat reluctantly followed his instructions and moved to the other side of the sheet. He could not see Brandon; the fabric was big enough to entirely obscure him. He set his stone to hover at chest level and off to the right, and waited.

“All set?” Brandon asked from the other side of the sheet.

“Yes,” Olly confirmed.

“Alright… and I’ve got it,” he heard Brandon say triumphantly after a few short seconds, “Now, I’d like for you to finish the connection. Do whatever instinctually comes to mind to figure out what that means for you.”

Olly grimaced but began working through the problem at hand. Given that they both knew where the stones were located there seemed to be fewer unknowns. He knew where Brandon’s stone was in space because he knew where his own stone was. But what was he supposed to solve to make his own side turn transparent? A few minutes of staring at the stone passed and Brandon offered no hints from the other side of the fabric. Olly poked at the stone, frowning. The contact did not reveal any connection. He wrapped his fingers around the stone. It felt slightly warm to the touch, and was therefore active, but otherwise offered nothing.

He closed his eyes and went through the exercise Steven had previously taught him. He pictured the stone in his hand and its twin across the barrier. They were clear in his mind but there was no golden thread connecting them. At least, not on Olly’s side of the fabric. He could see a thread on Brandon’s side but it ended abruptly at the fabric. The fabric acted as a barrier and instead of the mess of golden threads that Olly was expecting to see on his side he could only see a dark void between his stone and the fabric.

Olly opened his eyes in frustration as he let go of the stone. He stared at the fabric itself. It was a shimmery dark purple and looked like it scarcely weighed anything at all. It had been adapted somehow. Brandon had said so. So if Olly had to finish the connection, whatever that meant, he would have to get through the fabric.

“Get through?” he muttered under his breath as a thought occurred to him.

He looked between the floating stone and the fabric. There was so much more he still had to learn about being a Conductor but there was one very simple fact that they had been taught very early on. Conductor’s punched tunnels and tunnels were a short, straight line between two long distance points. If the stones were the start and end points then perhaps the fabric was supposed to shorten the distance between them.

“I’ve never created a tunnel before,” Olly mused aloud as he looked through the fabric to where he assumed Brandon was standing.

“I’m curious as to why you say that,” Brandon responded from the other side, “What do you call your ability to break through solid materials?”

The imagery of the False Prophet flashed through his mind. “Not punching tunnels,” he said stubbornly.

“Why not? Or rather, why couldn’t it be? I think you fight yourself too much about whether something is correct or normal. Just let yourself do what comes naturally and you’ll probably have greater success,” Brandon suggested.

Olly looked back at the stone.

“Just do what comes to you naturally,” Brandon repeated.

He was annoyed that Brandon was the one being helpful when Olly had been determined to use this session to gain information to his advantage. All he had accomplished was Brandon getting a good read on him and now he was effectively running an experiment on him. The thought didn’t sit well with him. But fine. He could try. Olly closed his eyes again and took a deep, calming breathe as he pictured the two stones separated by the fabric, with the golden thread on the other side. At first he wondered if creating his own thread was the answer. But thinking about it didn’t yield anything; it was probably too advanced anyways.

“How can I make these connect?” he thought to himself. But as soon as the thought materialized he felt something. It was like a tug on his wrist. He watched as the fabric rippled in his mind and something clicked.

“Come to my stone,” he mentally willed at the fabric.

It seemed to respond and tugged forward, lengthening the golden thread as it moved. Both his stone and Brandon’s stone remained fixed in space in his mind; only the fabric was in motion. He opened his eyes but tried not to disrupt his thought pattern. The fabric was indeed pulling forward in plain sight and was straining in its frame. It was so close to connecting to the stone that he had placed. His heartbeat quickened.

Surely he had done it. He was about to pass this test of his own accord…

RIIIPPPPP

The second the fabric made contact with his stone it violently tore down the middle. Both stones dropped to the floor with a clatter.

Olly blinked and stood in a stunned silence. Brandon looked through the fabric and waved a hand through it before stepping through.

“I take it that wasn’t supposed to happen?” Olly failed to contain his disappointment.

Brandon looked rather pleased. “Well, in practice, no. But I was testing a theory and I think you’ve helped me figure out something.”

“Which is?”

“You were trying to create a tunnel, which is the correct approach to the problem presented, so good job for taking that risk. But what was different this time? Rather, what makes a tunnel, well, a tunnel?”

Olly felt stupid for having to think so hard about it. It took him a few moments but the simplest answer won out. “It’s a shortcut through space and time between two points?”

“Yes! So when a Conductor makes a connection, they need to think about bringing two far away points closer together. What did you see when you pictured the stones in your mind?”

“The line between them… it got longer as I tried to close the gap,” he said, feeling rather dense. How could he have thought it made sense to create a longer distance?

“Yes, and the fabric buckled towards you instead of pinching in on itself. Which, I hypothesize, also explains the destruction of solid objects. You’re destabilizing the connection instead of stabalizing it.”

Olly sighed. “So is this something that can be fixed? I can't imagine there's any use for a Conductor who breaks things because they do things backwards.”

“Well, I’d love to run more tests obviously but I think it is correctable. That said, I think there’s so much research potential here that you have no idea of how great your full potential as a Conductor even is right now!”

Olly wanted to believe him. He tried to remind himself that he hadn’t come here to be vulnerable but Brandon had given him more answers than he’d had in what felt like a long time.

Brandon clapped him on the back in a friendly manner. “Look, we’re done for tonight and I promise to go easy on you next time. Perhaps Steven can manage running a few sessions, if he can listen to my instructions. I might be occupied for the next little while and I want to take these findings away to look into this further.”

At least he could feel relief at the fact that Steven still had a role to play. He didn't need to make excuses to see him and pick his brain.

“Thanks Brandon. Have a good night,” he said, suddenly feeling exhausted.

Olly turned to leave.

“Oh and Olly, one more thing. About Steven.”

Olly turned once more to face Brandon.

“He’s a good person, if not a touch awkward and misguided, but he’s haunted by his own demons. Don’t let him or anyone steer you from your own greatness. If he behaves out of turn like he did during the field trip please let me know immediately.”

It was delivered innocently enough but Olly could read between the lines. There was a warning there and Olly didn’t like the sound of it.

But he couldn’t share that. He had shared enough with Brandon tonight.

“Of course. Thanks for everything, Brandon.”

Brandon gave him a bright smile before bidding him goodnight.

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It was nearly eleven by the time he got back to the dorms. He realized that Sarah was probably either passed out or panicking and when he didn’t see her in the common area he quickened his pace to her dorm room.

He knocked urgently and he heard her rapid footfall towards the door. She cracked the door open and he could see a sliver of her face looking tensely out at him. She visibly relaxed when she recognized him and pulled him inside.

"Are you okay?" she asked hurriedly.

"I'm alive," he said dryly as he collapsed into her chair.

But he frowned as she looked around outside before closing the door.

"Is something wrong?" he asked worriedly. She looked on edge and with a sinking feeling he realized it likely wasn't from waiting up for him.

"We've received our punishment," she said grimly as she sat heavily on her bed.

"Oh?" he leaned forward. No one had come to bring either him nor Brandon any news during his session.

"Yes. The Grandmaster dropped by this evening. She said she'd talk to you as well but I take it that you haven't heard anything?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. So what is it?"

Her mouth was pursed into a fine line. "Better that you hear it from me. She wants us to go on a media tour."