(Ivan)

The sounds of clattering hooves on the cobblestone street woke Ivan up. He climbed out of bed, yawned, and stretched. He threw on some clothes and went to check on his brother. William was sleeping with his head sandwiched between two pillows. Out of habit, based on an old fear that William might suffocate, Ivan gently lifted the top pillow and set it to the side. His brother mumbled something unintelligible but did not wake up.

Ivan walked out of the bedroom and quietly closed the door behind him. He went to the sink, pumped up some water, and splashed his face. Feeling invigorated, he walked outside onto the balcony. He leaned against the railing and looked up. The early morning periwinkle sky was dotted with stars, like the freckled face of the Goddess of Night from the myths of old. He was still amazed that the sky was not real. The Resplendent enchantment above him even reflected the passing of time.

He considered the recent events that had led them to Scar. He recalled the unnatural storm at the Lonely River, the lightning attack against the unknown shifter, and William’s newfound magic.

That old man is at the center of it all. What exactly did he do to William?

He tried to remember what his brother had told him at the time. Something about his body floating in a river of knowledge. About a flood of images, how to cast spells, and understand languages that he had never heard before. William said that he could even see how magic worked. The old man bestowed William with knowledge and magic. But why?

Ivan tapped on the railing as he mused.

So many unknowns. I hope Slovan’s archivists find some clues.

Ivan stretched and got ready for his morning routine. He was having a hard time concentrating on what he was doing. His mind moved in many different directions. He was excited that he would finally attend school, as his parents had planned. His father had graduated from the Blue Lotus academy in Calot. Ivan had visited the training grounds there many times as a young boy. His parents had told him that he had been enrolled in the Blue Lotus right before the Shadow Lands had attacked.

I was supposed to start school a few months after my eighth birthday. That day never came.

Well, I may not have attended school in the capital, but I was lucky to have Aunt Lisa as a teacher.

She had covered the universal tongue as well as the native Nature Kingdom’s language. She had taught them history, geography, political theory, magical theory, logic, and many other subjects. She had procured books for them in the areas that she lacked, like farming, hunting, and warfare. She had been the reason why he had fallen in love with books.

Still, there was no substitute for getting an education at a school with different experts and being able to practice new skills with your peers. He was looking forward to his first day at Tinbury.

Focus! he thought. I need to stop my mind from spiraling and finish my morning routine.

He slowed his breathing and concentrated.

He finished a series of stretches and spent the next hour on footwork and fighting stances. He would have liked to work on lunges and dodging, too, but he had spent too much time ruminating.

The trip to Scar had disrupted his practice. Today, he gave himself a rare allowance of taking things easy. He promised himself that he would get back to his regular four-hour early morning routine tomorrow. The seed of that routine was planted when he was only six years old. His father had instilled the importance of daily training and Ivan had embraced it. Sword fighting held a special place in his heart. He had practiced it with his dad when he was a kid. Going through the steps of the Raging Rooster reminded him of how his father had made clucking sounds and funny faces while practicing the technique. His mom liked to make fun of the Elusive Dancer maneuver with her own ridiculous flailing version of it. Childhood memories were all that he had left of his parents. Practicing sword fighting brought him closer to them.

There was another, darker reason, for his obsession with combat and warfare. Initially, he had wanted justice for his parents and freedom for the Nature Kingdom. Over the last year, he had realized that his motives were not that selfless.

I want someone to pay for what happened to my family. He gritted his teeth. I want vengeance!

With every story of cruelty toward his people, his hostility toward the Shadowlanders intensified. He knew that he wanted to prevent what had happened to him and William from happening to others. He had known for a long time that he would eventually join the resistance and fight to overthrow the invaders.

He had planned on joining Pike’s military a year ago. However, his aunt had pleaded with him to wait. Grudgingly, he had agreed. Instead, he had continued to study military strategy and improve his fighting skills. He had even spent time at the Rusted Blade training grounds in Pike, fighting against the best swordsmen in the city.

Ivan smiled. Things were changing. He felt like he was in the right place at the right time to make a difference in the war.

He was looking forward to his morning run, and it was not long before he left the tavern.

Today, the run felt more like an adventure than exercise. The route he had planned took him through the Garden of Dreams. The day before, he had seen the perfect rock face for climbing and that was one of his destinations. On his way, he was surprised to see groups of people jogging together along the trails. Some of the groups were comprised of soldiers, wearing uniforms, and singing battle songs.

He stopped running only once to get a closer look at an unusual tree. The roots rose several feet above the ground, like giant fingers sticking into the dirt. The canopy was formed of small vividly colored crimson leaves that demanded attention.

By the time he returned to the tavern, a few of the nearby shopkeepers had started preparing for the day. He spent a few minutes staring at a broom that was erratically sweeping the street on its own. He wondered if the purpose of the original enchantment had gone astray. He had seen other enchanted objects during his visits to Pike, but this broom was entertaining as well as practical.

To Ivan’s surprise, William was awake and bursting with energy when he got back to the tavern.

“Guess what I can do,” William blurted out the moment he saw him.

“Wake up early without my help?”

“Ha-ha, very funny,” William retorted. He waved his hand dismissively and carried on. “I can heal, I can HEAL! Last night, while you were sleeping, I couldn’t sleep, I saw an owl on the balcony, I went outside, and I transformed into an owl, and I learned how to fly, and I flew above the Garden of Dreams, and I found an injured kitten, and I healed it!” William took a deep breath.

“Woah, slow down... Slow down.” Ivan lifted his hands, palms facing his brother. “Are you telling me that you left the tavern in the middle of the night?”

“Umm, yeah, but you’re missing the point.” William’s face brightened. “I cast a healing spell!”

Ivan shot his brother a look. “Aunt Lisa won’t be happy that you were wandering the city in the middle of the night.”

“Technically, I wasn’t wandering.” William smirked. “I was flying. Anyhow, she doesn’t need to know about that. I’m not going to spill the salt on myself. I’m just gonna tell her that I learned how to heal.”

“Spit it out. How did you figure out how to heal?” Ivan leaned forward.

“Well, it’s kind of hard to explain, but it has to do with a connection and desire to help. The scroll described it as establishing affinity. Uhh, I’m not sure if I’m explaining it very well… It’s more of a feeling.” William looked up and scratched his head. His stomach growled. “Let me tell you about it over breakfast.”

“Sure, let’s get some food. You can answer my questions while we eat. By the way, Aunt Lisa left a note that she’ll meet us at Tinbury. She left quite early this morning.”

“Do you even know how to get to school?” William asked.

“I don’t, but she said that she’ll send someone.”

The tavern keeper, Gina Goldlocks, had breakfast ready for them as they got downstairs. She served them appleberry cobbler, thin slices of dried meat and cheese, and a loaf of banana-butter bread.

“You’ve got to try my jasmine and violet tea.” Gina beamed and poured them a cup. “I received the petals and honey for it just this morning.”

William inhaled deeply. “Mmm, it smells delicious.”

“Enjoy!” Gina called over her shoulder as she bustled back toward the kitchen.

“Thanks for breakfast,” Ivan called after her.

Between mouthfuls, William recapped his late-night adventures. He waved his spoon vigorously, made flapping movements with his elbows, and finished his story by pumping his fist in the air.

(William)

Shortly after finishing breakfast, a boy that was about Ivan’s age ran into the tavern. Curious, William watched him. He had a slender build, was of medium height, and had short, sandy colored hair. William might have ignored his leafy-green eyes if he had not noticed something peculiar about them. They were large, prominent, and not in sync. His odd eyes darted around the tavern, each one moving in a different direction. William saw his eyes snap together and focus on him before he briskly walked toward their table, sat down, and snagged a piece of bread.

“Gina makes the best food, doesn’t she.” The boy waved the bread in his hand. “I’m so glad that you’re already awake.” He took a bite. “Sometimes, I get stuck waking up the new kids. Oh, by the way, my name is Toby Clearwater and I’ll be taking you to school today. I volunteer to help with new student orientation, especially for those who come from out-of-town. After all, I’m not from Scar either, so I know what it’s like coming to a place where you don’t know anybody.”

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“Hey Toby, it’s nice to meet you. My name is Ivan, and this is my brother William.”

“Hello!” William chirped. “Yeah, the food here is great.”

“Actually, we’re running late.” Toby regretfully examined the rest of the food on the table with one eye, while his other eye remained fixed on William. “Are you two ready to head out?”

William was fascinated by Toby’s eyes and could not stop staring.

“Uhhhh, how do you do that with your eyes? The most I can do with mine is cross them.” William demonstrated and Ivan shot him a scolding look.

Toby laughed. “Heh, it’s alright,” he said while keeping one eye on William and glancing at Ivan with the other. “I get asked that a lot. I’ll share the story on the way to school if you promise not to talk about it in front of my sister Claire. Let’s get going.” William snagged a roll and jammed it into his pocket.

The boys thanked Gina one more time for breakfast and headed out. As they navigated through the early morning crowd, Toby explained what had happened to his eyes.

“About a year ago when my little sister Claire was going through the Awakening. You know when casters get their magic. Well, she was very eager to practice her newfound magical abilities. I think that in her mind, she saw herself using spells to heroically rescue our parents. You see, our mom and dad have been missing since the initial invasion. Every once in a while, we get reports from Mir giving us hope that our parents may still be alive. We think that they’ve been imprisoned, but we’re not sure.”

Toby skipped out of the way of a passing wagon. “Hey watch it!” he yelped. “I’m walking here. That guy must be a Brewer. Those people are always product testing, so none of them know how to drive in a straight line.” Toby made a rude gesture with his hand.

“Where was I? Oh, yeah, back to Claire. My sister felt like her magic training wasn’t moving fast enough and she got impatient. That’s when she started to experiment on her own. She became obsessed with perfecting her casting. She would even forget to eat and sleep. She started behaving erratically.” Toby leaped over someone’s pet fox.

“So, one day she ran toward me excitedly and exclaimed – ‘Look what I can do!’ She tried to create a Mirror Image of my glasses, while they were still perched on my very nose!” Toby pointed at the bridge of his nose. “Well… she botched the spell. There was sharp pain in my eyes. It took weeks before I could even see again. My vision recovered within a few months, but by then Claire was devastated.”

“I can see why you wouldn’t want anyone to mention it to Claire.” Ivan turned toward William. “We’ll keep this between us, right?”

“My lips are sealed.” William crossed two fingers over his mouth.

“I appreciate that,” Toby replied. “I don’t want to remind her about it. She has never been the same since then. After the accident, there were some major changes in the way my eyes work that took me some time to get used to.” He puffed up his chest. “Now, I can see further in the distance, and I can keep track of multiple targets with ease. I’m also lethal with the bow and arrow.” Toby shrugged. “I hate to brag, but I’m really that good.”

“Ivan is pretty good with the bow but he’s much better with the sword,” said William. “I’m not passable with either of them.”

Toby looked at Ivan appraisingly. “So, you’re good with the sword, eh? Hopefully, you can beat Bay. That kid thinks that he’s the best swordsman since King Alaras. He’s constantly bragging about his skills with the stupid Valkian style. To be fair, he can back up his boasting, but he’s a bully.”

“No doubt, my brother can kick his brass,” William declared. “As long as…”

“So, how far away is the school?” Ivan interrupted.

“Well, if we had to walk the whole way it would take us about a half an hour, but you’re lucky to have me. A few years ago, I found one of the city schematics that belonged to the Construction Guild. It shows all the maintenance tunnels around the city. The entrance to one of the tunnels is right up ahead. I take that route all the time. Get ready for the ride of your lives!”

(Ivan)

Even though Ivan had reservations about using the maintenance tunnels, he did not object. They followed Toby through an alleyway and up a winding staircase, which led them to a small square metal hatch. Toby lifted the latch and pulled the small door. The hatch opened with a loud screech.

“One of these days, I’ll remember to bring oil-dripper for the hinges,” Toby said. “This thing is as loud as a wailing weasel.” He grinned. The boys followed him into a dimly lit and narrow corridor.

“We’re almost there,” Toby said eagerly. The corridor took them to a large closet.

“Uhh, that looks like a dead end,” William said, looking confused.

“It may look like a broom closet, but it’s actually a lift.” Toby walked forward and motioned for them to come inside. “They’ve got lots of lifts in Scar.”

Ivan had read books describing different engineering contraptions. He scanned the partially exposed counterweights and colored levers. He decided to come back when he had a chance and closely examine the inner workings. “I’ve read about lifts, but this will be my first ride on one of them.”

Toby nodded and pulled the blue lever, which closed the gate. He then pushed the red lever, which launched the lift upward.

(William)

The rising feeling in William’s stomach reminded him of his flying mishaps from last night and he loved it. To his disappointment, the ride was short-lived. They were soon off the lift and stood on a wide platform. A set of rails with a transport cart was ahead of them.

“Even though this looks like a mining cart, it’s actually a tragon,” Toby explained. “That’s short for transport wagon. They were designed by the Construction Guild, and you can only find them in Scar. Just look at this beauty!” Toby patted the cushion on the back seat.

“Each cart can comfortably seat four people with plenty of legroom. Even the maintenance tragons come with cushy leather seats. See that stitching?” He pointed to a flashy colorful embroidery. That’s the emblem of the Construction Guild.”

“Ooooh, fancy needlework.” William ran his fingers across the seat.

“Look in the middle of the front seat.” Toby opened the side door. “See that pedal on the floor? It’s used to slow down and stop the cart. That’s pretty much all you need to know. Hop on in and let’s go. This is going to be fun! With more people inside, I bet we’ll go even faster.”

“Impressive. It has two sets of brake-clamps.” Ivan pointed out.

The boys climbed aboard and closed the sliding door.

William made a whistling sound as he peered down the steep slope ahead of them. He sat by himself in the back. He bounced up and down on the seat a couple of time. “Scraps, you’re right! The seat is super comfy.”

William wiggled his butt. The seat was feathery-soft.

Toby turned around and instructed him on how to use the safety straps.

“The start might be a bit bumpy, but don’t worry, it gets worse after that.” Toby chuckled.

There was a chain with a blue handle hanging above them. Toby pulled on the handle, which moved the gate out of the way. Simultaneously, the chain retracted and another chain with a flaming red handle dropped down within Toby’s reach.

“Here we go!” He pulled the red handle, and they lurched forward.

Within seconds, the cart was zooming through the narrow tunnel at full speed. William was ecstatic. He had never moved this fast. The wind whipped his hair. The sunstones above them were whizzing by. He threw his head back and whooped with joy. He looked at his brother and noticed that Ivan looked a little green.

The thrill in the pit of William’s stomach continued to rise with every dip and turn.

“Woohooo!”

(Ivan)

The tragon continued to accelerate at an alarming rate. As they neared a turn ahead of them, Ivan saw Toby’s foot repeatedly pump the brake pedal.

“It’s not working,” Toby yelled.

The tragon gained even more speed.

Clank-clank-clank!

Woosh!

Toby’s face turned ghostly pale. His mouth was agape, eyes wide with terror.

“Is there an emergency brake?” Ivan shouted.

“Nooooo!” Toby wailed and shook his head.

Ivan narrowed his eyes. The next turn was ahead of them.

We’re going too fast for that turn. To stay on the track, we’ll need to shift our weight.

“Lean right,” he bellowed. They all pitched to the right.

Skreeeeeeeeeee!

Whoosh!

Somehow, the tragon stayed on the track. Ivan continued yelling out instructions to Toby and William and they worked in unison.

“Hard left,” Ivan exclaimed as they approached another turn. “Is there an incline ahead of us?” He shouted over the din of the clattering tragon.

“Nooooo, it’s all downhill,” Toby cried out. “I think we’re going to dieeeeeee!” He continued to pump the brake, to no avail. “This is going to be my last new student orientation,” he howled.

“Get a hold of yourself,” Ivan snapped at Toby.

“This is the end of the line.” Toby pointed ahead of them. “We’re about to crash!” They raced toward the gate at the end of the tunnel.

Ivan whipped his head around and yelled, “William, I need you out of this tragon right now! Get those straps off. Shift into an owl and fly away. Do it, now!”

To Ivan’s surprise, William smiled at him. It was one of those reassuring smiles that a parent would bestow on a frightened child, to ease their worries. At that moment, a sharp squealing sound reverberated throughout the tunnel. A trail of sparks followed the cart, like the tail of a comet crossing the sky. The tragon slowed down. Instead of crashing through the metal gate, the cart banged into it and bounced back. The force of the impact jolted them, but they were very much alive.

The cacophony in the tunnel ended abruptly. The boys sat dumbfounded in stunned silence.

“Is everyone alright?” Ivan was the first one to speak.

Toby shook his head. “Uuuuuh,” he stammered and scrambled out of the cart like a rat fleeing a sinking ship.

“I’m fine. What a ride!” William grinned. The brothers climbed out of the tragon.

“Well, I’m not alright,” Toby squawked. “We almost died! And what happened with the brakes? I mean, I kept on pushing on the pedal, but it wasn’t working. And then there were sparks flying everywhere.” He looked at his shaking hands. “I’m not supposed to die from a stupid tragon accident.” He paused. “I’m gonna die in an epic battle against the Shadow Lands after I’ve killed scores of them.” Toby took a deep breath to compose himself. His eyebrows furrowed. “Umm, how did we stop anyway?”

“I can explain.” William raised a finger. “I just had my first crash course in Levitation.” He chuckled and rocked back on his heels.

“I don’t get it.” Toby scrunched up his face. “How did Levitation stop the tragon?”

“Oh, I can show you,” William replied. He raised a hand toward the tragon and the outer brake-clamps slammed against the wheels.

“Brilliant!” Ivan clapped him on the shoulder.

“I wouldn’t have thought of it if you hadn’t pointed out the brakes earlier.”

“Yeah, you saved our biscuits,” Toby exclaimed.

“So, what happened?” asked William as he saw his brother scrutinizing the tragon.

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” Ivan replied as he examined the undercarriage. He lay on the ground and stuck his head under the cart. “Hmm, the design is impressive. All parts of the braking mechanism are redundant end-to-end.”

“What does that mean?” William asked as he squatted down.

“Well, it has duplicate and independently controlled parts for the same function,” Ivan explained absentmindedly as he continued to examine the innerworkings.

Ivan whistled appreciatively. “Just look at the metal housing around the wheel shaft. It’s got some kind of a ball-bearing gear gadget that I’ve never seen before. Ooh, I think that’s an augmented plastron cover over the tension dampeners. I’m telling you… this design is brilliant.”

“I’ve got no idea what he’s talking about,” William whispered to Toby and shrugged. “Just don’t ask him any question or he’ll fill your ears with gobs of gizmo gobbledygook.”

“That redundancy didn’t do us any good now, did it?” Toby grumbled.

“Well, I see a set of dual tension lines running on each side of the cart,” Ivan explained. He traced the metal threads on each side. “Even if only one of the lines was operational, the brakes would have worked.”

Ivan narrowed his eyes. “Rot and ruin,” he cursed. “All four lines have been severed!” He paused and turned toward Toby. “This looks intentional…”

“What?” Toby cried out. He squatted down and looked under the cart. He stuck his head further under the carriage and his whole body stiffened. He jerked his head from under the tragon. “You’re right! That’s a clean cut,” he growled. “Somebody has tampered with this tragon.”

“Maybe that tragon was there for maintenance,” William suggested.

“Nah, nobody would leave a broken tragon on the track like that,” said Toby. “This feels slimy. I’ll report it as soon as we get to school.”

“Let’s get it off the track and turn it over,” said Ivan. “I’d like to take a closer look and we don’t want others to use it.”

The boys moved the faulty cart off the rails and flipped it upside down.

“I don’t think a knife or dagger could have done that,” said Ivan. “A solid hit from a sword might have worked, but it would’ve damaged the undercarriage. Look at each location, where the threads were sliced. There are no signs of wear. The areas are free of any other damage. If I had to guess, these threads were probably cut with something like a scorpion-pincer or maybe a jaw-slicer.”

“Why would someone try to sabotage a tragon?” asked William. “Toby, do you owe money to the dicers?”

Toby rolled his eyes. “Nooo! I always pay my debts. Plus, even the people that don’t like me, like me.”

William chuckled. “I still think it was there for maintenance.”

“Well, if they were doing maintenance, the tragon wouldn’t have been left unattended on the track,” Toby replied. “The Construction Guild is very strict with their rules and regulations. For now, we can just leave it here on its side. I’ll bring another wagon to replace it.”

Toby walked across the platform and pulled a yellow lever. A clacking sound filled the tunnel and a lift activated near the tracks. It lowered another tragon.

“Let’s get going,” Toby urged them. “We can come back after school. Classes will be starting soon, and I don’t want to be late for archery.”

Ivan glanced back at the tragon one more time as they were leaving and was filled with a sense of foreboding.