The Buried Symbol (The Ruins of Issalia Book 1) (52 page)

Making his way to the Main Hall, he stepped outside. He squinted in the bright light of the sun reflecting off the remaining snow. The banks, which had been as tall as Brock only weeks earlier, didn
’
t even reach his ankles. The air was cool but not cold. He strolled along a gravel path that crossed the lawn, lost in thought. After a bit, he headed back indoors, but he opted to head to his room rather than return to the Arena.

Their progress on the translation had been slow but steady. Brock and Benny now had the first two chapters translated. While they had to skip a few scattered words, the general message was clear.

Alone in his room, he focused on the book, translating one word at a time. The hours passed quickly as key details from the third chapter began to coalesce: details that changed everything.

The door to the room opened. Brock
’
s eyes lifted from the book to see Benny and Cam entering.

“
What an awesome day!
”
Benny exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.
“
You missed it, Brock. You totally missed it.
”

Benny sat on the end of his bed. Cam sat across from him, a bemused look on his face.

“
I put the money I won yesterday on that red-haired girl, Tegan, and on an adept named Goren. Guess what happened?
”
Benny was grinning, bouncing up and down.

“
Um
…
they won?
”
Brock guessed.

“
Yes! They won!
”
Benny shouted.
“
Tegan paid four to one, and the other paid two to one. I now have more than ten gold imperials! Ten!
”
He was so excited.
“
And, if the big lug over here,
”
Benny nodded toward Cam,
“
comes through tomorrow, I can win more from the bet I put on him to win it all.
”

Brock smiled. Benny
’
s enthusiasm was contagious. His gaze shifted to Cam, who still had the odd look on his face.

Brock addressed his roommate.
“
What do you think, Cam? You saw these two fight, can you beat them?
”

Cameron eyes blinked, refocusing.
“
What? Um
…
well, Goren is good. Classic longsword and shield fighter, about my size. His form is perfect. He knows what he
’
s doing, so it
’
ll be tough.
”

Brock nodded.
“
What about the girl?
”

Cameron smiled.
“
You saw her. She
’
s amazing. I don
’
t know if I can beat her, but I love to watch her fight. It
’
s like a beautiful song, so perfect that you don
’
t want it to end.
”

Brock smiled.
“
I think you have a crush, Cam.
”

Cam grinned, shrugging.

Benny laughed.
“
So, you like this girl, and your first time meeting her is in a duel in front of the whole Academy?
”

Cameron shrugged again.
“
I have to get past Brock first, though.
”

Brock snorted.
“
I just hope I can give them a bit of a show and not get killed in the process. I doubt I
’
ll get lucky enough to beat you, Cam.
”

Cam
’
s response was another shrug. Benny changed the subject.

“
Have you made any progress, Brock? Are you learning anything yet?
”
Benny nodded toward the book Brock was holding.

Brock nodded, pulling out his notes.
“
Yes. The third chapter gets into the actual application, explaining how
Chaos
works. As you had already determined,
Chaos
is a natural force that
’
s all around, we just can
’
t see it. In order to manipulate it, someone called an
Arcanist
gathers it and then channels it into a special rune. Apparently, the rune somehow gives the energy purpose, defining its effect.
”

Benny nodded.
“
Okay. That makes sense. But how does this person gather the force in the first place? How is it channeled into the rune? How long does it last? How strong is the effect?
”

He shook his head.
“
I don
’
t know. I haven
’
t gotten that far. I hope we can get more answers from the book, though.
”
Brock paused, considering his next words.
“
I want to tell you guys something. It needs to stay between us. I need your word that it remains a secret.
”

Benny looked toward Cam, who spoke first.
“
I promise, Brock.
”

Benny nodded.
“
Me, too. You can trust us, Brock.
”

Brock took a breath to ready himself.
“
I
’
ve done this before.
”
His finger tapped on the book in his lap.

Benny glanced down at the book, then up at Brock.
“
What do you mean?
”

Brock sighed.
“
I mean that I
’
ve used
Chaos
before. I didn
’
t know what I was doing or how I made it happen. But, I
’
ve done it before, more than once.
”

Benny pushed his spectacles up, staring intensely.
“
What happened?
”

Brock glanced at Cameron before responding.
“
You know our catapult? How it launched the ball ten times further than everyone else? I think I did that. I think it was
Chaos
that made it happen.
”

Benny was focused, his curiosity high.
“
What did you do, Brock? How do you think it happened?
”

“
I had carved a rune into the frame of the catapult.
”
Brock bent over and opened his desk drawer. He reached in and grabbed a book, handing it to Benny.
“
The rune from the book cover. I carved it on a whim. The symbol caught my attention the first time I saw it. I knew it meant something. While I was alone with the catapult, I carved it. Then, after Corbin and Karl broke the record with their catapult launch, I did something. I was so
…
frustrated. You know that I loathe Corbin and how he hates me right back? I couldn
’
t let him win. I
…
did something; I
’
m still not sure what it was. Anyway, the rune began to glow for a bit before returning to normal. When we launched the ball
…
boom.
”
He made a motion with his hands flying up and apart.

Benny stared hard, turning this information over in his head before commenting.

“
Now, the engineers have tried and tried, but they can
’
t reproduce the same result. That means there
’
s a limit to how long the effect lasts. There must be some way to set the level of effect as well.
”

Brock shrugged.
“
I guess. I don
’
t know anything about that. I barely know what I described. I
’
m not even sure that I can do it again.
”

Benny waved the comment off.
“
Oh, we
’
ll figure that out. We just need to experiment.
”
He tapped on the cover of the book in his hands.
“
Can you tell me what this symbol means?
”

Brock nodded.
“
That was the first thing I tried to discover when this other information came to light. I found it right before you walked in.
”
He glanced at Cam, then back to Benny.
“
That symbol means
Power
.
”

CHAPTER 82

Brock ignored the raucous crowd. Cameron stood across the circle from him with sword in hand and shield ready. The bell rang and the crowd
’
s noise filled the arena. The two roommates exchanged nods and stepped forward.

He let Cam take the offensive, swinging repeated strikes that were blocked by Brock
’
s new staff. The loud clacking of wood on wood sounded out in a steady beat. After a dozen of these exchanges, Cam changed tactics. A downward chop fell, which Brock dodged. Cam thrust his shield into Brock, knocking him back. Brock rolled with the hit and came to his feet a couple strides from his opponent.

Cam took two quick steps, closing the gap and swinging hard. Rather than blocking it, Brock ducked low and swung his staff at Cameron
’
s legs. The larger boy leapt in the air, but Brock nicked one heel, causing Cam to stumble backward when he landed. Sensing an opening, Brock attacked before Cam could regain his balance. Cam blocked the series of strikes, the attack pushing him backward a few steps. Realizing the opening had closed, Brock resumed a defensive stance.

Cam advanced, swinging a flurry of quick strokes that Brock blocked in rapid succession. Cam kicked his foot out to trip Brock, who spun away.

Pausing, they measured each other. They had sparred many times and knew the other
’
s tendencies. They clashed repeatedly, the exchange lasting far longer than either of them wanted. It left them both exhausted, causing one of them to make a mistake.

Cam came in hard, trying to end the fight. Brock ducked and rolled away from the strike, sweeping his staff low while Cam was over-extended. The staff struck hard behind Cam
’
s knee, causing him to fall backward. Sensing his opportunity, Brock closed for a killing blow. Cam rolled backward, coming to his knees and raising his shield just in time to block the strike. The swing deflected off the shield and left Brock exposed. Cam
’
s sword struck hard under Brock
’
s arm, causing him to arch his back and to fall to his knees as pain exploded in his side.

With one hand on the ground, Brock fought for air. Each breath felt like a dozen knives thrusting into his ribs. Budakis called the match. Brock heard the crowd, but he didn
’
t care. He just wanted to breathe and for it not to hurt so damn much.

Cam knelt next him.
“
You have some broken ribs, maybe more. I hit you pretty hard.
”

Brock glanced up at Cam.
“
Thanks. I hadn
’
t noticed.
”

Cam flashed a grin before stepping away.

Ashland slid into the spot Cam had just vacated.

“
I
’
m here,
”
she said as she placed her hand on his cheek.

He gave a small nod.
“
Ready.
”

A shock of ice cold made his body shake, driving the last of the wind from his lungs. Gasping to reclaim air, he thankfully realized it no longer hurt to breathe. A wave of immense hunger hit him.

“
Thanks. What would I do without you?
”
Brock said between breaths.

Ashland smiled, pulling a hard roll from her pocket.
“
Most likely, you
’
d get yourself killed.
”

He accepted the roll and her assistance as she helped him to his feet.

They walked to the side of the Arena as Vandermark quieted the crowd. He announced a short intermission before the next match, which would pit Cameron against Tegan. Brock glanced toward his roommate, sitting on the bench with his helmet off. Cam stared at his opponent. The grin on Cam
’
s face made Brock wonder who was in more trouble: Cam or Tegan.

.   .   .

The hot water felt wonderful, soothing Brock
’
s sore muscles. The steam rising from the pool filled his nostrils as his eyes closed in relaxation. That single bout with Cam wore on him more than his four bouts on the first day of the tournament.