Gloria Oliver (16 page)

Lunch was a welcomed reprieve, despite the difficulties. Everything didn’t look to be going well with her other friends, either. Yllin looked even more morose than usual and Mandee’s previous excitement was definitely ebbing. And still no one possessed a hint about what the Administrator’s orders were about.

The afternoon class session felt as if it would never finish. When they were finally released for dinner, for the first time Talia felt the end might actually be near. After dinner, she planned to go to her room, take a long, well-earned bath, and luxuriate in not having to wear her armor anymore. Her mood picked up a little just thinking about it.

“Listen up, everyone.” Lareen’s voice boomed across the dining hall. The sound of metal rang across the room as the entire assembly turned to look in the direction of the Administrator’s table. She stood atop the table, commanding all eyes to her.

Talia stared. The armor the Administrator wore wasn’t the same she’d worn yesterday, either. While Helyn’s conformed to her form, Lareen’s looked to have been poured over her body. It moved fluidly as she walked over the table, which should have been impossible, but did it nonetheless. Lareen’s armor was engraved almost from top to bottom, jewels at each shoulder as well as other places. Her helmet was as showy: twelve red plumes arranged like an open fan.

“We will be having a special treat tonight,” the Administrator informed them. “We’re going to camp outside in our armor.”

Her cheery announcement rang through the hall even as dozens of groans echoed after it.

“Hmm, I guess for those of you not quite feeling the correct excitement, this is a mandatory exercise,”

she added a moment later. “Once you go outside, meet up with your respective teachers. It’s not as if this is something we do everyday. It’ll be
fun
.” With that said, she waved to her audience and hopped off the table.

Talia didn’t feel hungry anymore. They were going to sleep outside? In their armor?

“She’s crazy,” Yllin stated seriously. At the moment, Talia couldn’t agree more. It appeared as if it was going to be a very long night for all of them.

Tired and worn, she followed her friends as they were herded outside. Rather than let them complete the circuit back into the building, however, they were sent out of the garden to the east side of the grounds.

As they moved past, she noticed all the doors leading into the building were closed. The Administrator was really serious about this. Again it seemed to her as if things were happening which didn’t make sense or that in any way added up to what little they’d been told.

Every last student, teacher, worker, and watcher spread out across the lawn on the east side of the plateau. Even Kel and Clarence lumbered not far behind. The dragon was to be made to sleep outside as well? She watched as Clarence picked a spot close to the tilled fields and lay down. After a moment, Kel sat down beside him and leaned back against him as if the dragon were a giant cushion. As he raised his arms to set his hands behind his head, Talia blinked, noticing for the first time that jewels were hidden under there, where they wouldn’t be seen when his arms were down. Why would you get jewels for your armor and then hide them out of sight? Could they be more than just mere decoration? She shook her head slowly, not sure what to make of it.

With a lot of ado each teacher stood at particular spots with a large pole and flag. Students drifted from one to another until they found the one they belonged to. She was lucky as Helyn set up not far from where she’d been already standing. The rest trickled in.

Night crawled in but she felt too uncomfortable to attempt to sleep yet. She tried sitting on the hard ground five or six different ways but her armor would still chafe or a part of her body would fall asleep.

Though most of the other young students seemed as uncomfortable as she was, she noticed most of the older ones, as well as the teachers and others, did not. Irritated by this, she studied them as some sat on the ground with seeming ease and others just curled up and went to sleep. Everyone who looked comfortable seemed to have but one thing in common—their armor had jewels. Not only that, she also noticed none of them seemed to have more than one of the same color jewel on them, yet many of them seemed to have the same as each other. It was odd. Again she got the itching feeling the jewels were more than just decoration. Suddenly, she remembered Nertak mentioning something about armor options the day before. Surely the jewels couldn’t have been what he meant. Could they?

Talia wished Mandee and Yllin were part of her group so she could discuss her suspicions with them.

That’s when she caught sight of the Administrator sauntering down the row of teachers toward the front of the school building. Her eyes grew wide as she realized Lareen’s armor was glowing softly. She also realized the Administrator wasn’t walking like someone carrying the weight of many pounds of metal.

While the construction of the armor did make it easier to wear such weight, it was as if Lareen didn’t have one on. Those jewels must be magic.

The Administrator walked on by at an unhurried pace waving at people here and there. As soon as she reached the edge of the crowd, she stopped and stared expectantly at the main doors to the school.

Talia jerked back, surprised, as three men abruptly appeared before the Administrator. All three wore long, dark, hooded robes with long sleeves which covered their hands.

“Zeth, look over there.” An older student of the group beside Talia’s banged on the helmet of one of his fellows. “
Wizards
.”

A ripple effect coursed through the students. More and more of them turned to look in the Administrator’s direction. The same question echoed from person to person—why were there wizards here?

Talia was suddenly sure they had been ordered outside and in armor for an actual purpose. If only she could figure out what it was.

Lareen spoke quietly to the three mysterious figures for several minutes, then they disappeared as miraculously as they appeared. She remained where she was a moment longer then turned around and went back the way she came as if nothing unusual had occurred.

Trying to shift into yet another not so uncomfortable position, Talia let her questions circle around in her head until she was finally able to fall asleep.

A strange ululating sound brought her awake a few hours later. Opening her eyes, she gasped. The school, something was wrong with the school.

Not believing what she was seeing, she sat up and stared. Every last balcony on this side of the building was open, and thick fog rolled from each one like a giant, multi-tiered waterfall. Strange lights twinkled within the fog with bright yellows, blues, greens, and reds. A queer, low-toned keening wailed through the air almost beyond hearing. The fog rolled onto the ground and headed quickly outwards.

Talia stood up with a jolt as the cascading fog rolled over the students. A cold shiver crawled through her at the thought of being asleep under the thick, glowing blanket. She got a second shiver as she wondered what it was the wizards were doing which necessitated this strange phenomenon.

No longer feeling the least bit sleepy, she decided to take a walk and get away from the creepy fog. As she left, gingerly watching her footing so she wouldn’t step on any of her classmates, she spotted one or two others who were awakened by the strange spectacle and seemed as spooked as she was. Everyone else remained asleep, invisible beneath the increasing fog. Her brow furrowed with worry, wondering if they really would be all right under it. But surely Lareen wouldn’t have let the wizards do this if it would harm them. Right? In the dark, with this creepy fog, it was hard to be sure. She suddenly wished she’d paid more attention to where Yllin and Mandee went.

“Can’t sleep?”

Talia jumped, startled by a voice on her left. She’d just reached the edge of the fog and was looking back, still feeling uneasy.

“It does look creepy doesn’t it?” Kel glanced up at her from where he still leaned against Clarence. He gave her a small smile.

Talia found she couldn’t speak, her heart thumping inside her at the unexpected intrusion. When she first approached the edge of the fog, she’d thought both the squire and dragon were sleeping.

“I’ve a feeling it’s just for effect,” Kel said. “Lareen does enjoy putting on a show.”

She finally found her voice again. “But—but why are the wizards here?”

Kel smiled in amusement as if at a private joke. “They’re here to get rid of the worms.”

“The worms?” But didn’t the students and Clarence do so already?

Kel’s blue eyes danced. “Yep. The little exercise in the dragons’ quarters went a little beyond the Administrator’s expectations.”

Talia asked another question before she could think better of it. “How do you know all this?” Surely it was just conjecture on his part. But he seemed so sure.

He smiled brightly, the expression made strange as it was washed over by the fog’s strange bright lights.

“Who do you think got to carry the message to ask for help from the wizards in the first place?”

“Oh.” It was stupid, but it was all she could find to say.

“One of the cooks found two worms getting into the supplies in the cellars beneath the kitchen. Others were trying to burrow into the walls,” he added. “It’s why everyone was asked to wear their armor.

Since they weren’t sure how far the infestation went, it was the safest thing to do.”

This confused her. “Then why didn’t they just tell everyone this in the first place?”

Kel shrugged. “It’s normally hard to tell what’s going on. Nothing has been what it seems ever since Lareen became Administrator. I think she prefers it that way.” He smiled again. “It also means things don’t get boring around here, either.”

Talia couldn’t help but agree. Still…

A frightened yelp cut through the night from the center of the sleeping students. She spotted an armored figure jump up out of the fog, followed by more and more of them as students awoke to find themselves covered by the eerie lights. It wasn’t long before most of the assembly was on its feet and staring about.

For the first time, it dawned on her that Clarence and Kel were well out of the way of things, yet at the same time close enough to the group, their placement convenient enough for them not to miss anything which might go on. She glanced back at Kel, a strange suspicion rising in her mind. “You expected all this, didn’t you?”

He turned away from the semi-panicked student body to look up at her. She knew she’d asked the right question, for even Clarence opened an eye to glance in her direction.

“Lareen is not one to let an opportunity go by. So, sure, we expected her to do something to rile people up. She always does.” His blue eyes seemed to stare at her more intently than before. “She told me once that keeping the students off balance would teach them not to lose their heads in real panic situations.

After having gone through all her fabrications, she figures almost nothing would faze them out in the real world.”

Talia blinked several times, trying to mentally digest what he just told her. After a few moments of thinking about it, she could see how it might make a certain amount of twisted sense. It definitely explained the strange behavior of the armorer and everyone else when her class got fitted for their armor.

I believe you might want to consider returning to your class
. She glanced at the dragon in surprise.

If I hear it correctly, your classmates have noticed your absence and several are under the
impression you’ve been consumed by the fog
. His thoughts seemed filled with barely controlled amusement.

She didn’t find the thought at all laughable. “I will, thank you.” As quickly as she could, she made her way back to her group. Helyn’s hands were full keeping down the panic by the time she arrived.

“Talia! You’re alive!” Narilla’s relieved voice caught everyone’s attention. More than just their group turned to look in her direction.

She abruptly found herself surrounded from all sides. “Did it drag you off?” “How did you escape?”

“Did it mesmerize you with the lights?” “Did it hurt you?” “Are you all right?” The questions rang out around her, merging into one jumbled sound until she couldn’t tell one apart from the next.

“Come on, all of you, that’s enough.” Helyn shoved herself into the group holding a lamp aloft. “She’ll never be able to answer any of your questions if you don’t stop asking them all at once.”

Talia felt grateful and embarrassed to be the cause of so much fuss. “I’m-I’m sorry, everyone. I just went for a walk. The fog…” She left the rest unsaid, feeling foolish she’d ever been frightened by it.

“Oh.” Jarel seemed actually disappointed the fog didn’t eat or ensorcell her after all.

“As I explained to all of you, the fog is nothing to be alarmed about,” Helyn said. “It’s most likely just a side-effect of whatever the wizards are doing inside. That or they’re having some fun at our expense.”

Her tone told them she believed it was the second reason more than the first. “We do have classes tomorrow, so fog or no fog, it’d be best if you all tried to go back to sleep now. No more wandering off for anyone.”

A number of protests rang out at this.

“I’m sorry, but no exceptions,” she insisted. “Back to sleep.”

Talia was no longer afraid of the fog, but getting down into it still made her shudder as it embraced her again. She closed her eyes, the strange lights glowing past her lids. Gradually the area grew quiet.

Eventually, she succumbed to sleep again.

When she next awoke, the sun was just peeking up past the horizon. She sat up with a small groan, her body feeling achy and stiff. She shifted her right leg, which was asleep, and grimaced as pain flooded through as the circulation got running again. The balcony doors above them were closed, and all traces of the mysterious fog were gone.

She hadn’t been up long when the Administrator walked by smiling. She looked as refreshed and rested as if she’d gotten a wonderful night’s sleep. Surely it was an act, wasn’t it? How could she possibly look so rested sleeping out here? Talia followed her with her eyes, feeling incredibly put out. She forgot all about it, however, when she spotted the three wizards waiting for Lareen where they’d met the night before. Unlike the first time she saw them, the three men’s cowls were thrown back, revealing young and thoroughly exhausted faces.