DeadMan Academy di Talesteller
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Lista capitoli:
Capitolo 1: *** Fear and panic in the air ***
Capitolo 2: *** Dark Shines ***
Capitolo 3: *** Thrown out of my life ***
Capitolo 4: *** Storm winds ***
Capitolo 5: *** This is the last time I'll abandon you ***
Capitolo 1
*** Fear and panic in the air ***
The golden light of the setting sun was shining over the rooftops of the Academy, and outside the large court over the messed up roofs of Calibur.
-Why does the sun have to set just now?- He whispered, suddenly standing up in the blinding light and sending the chair to crash on the floor.
He walked to the window and opened it.
The weak wind slightly moved his short orange hair.
He used to love that view.
Even now, it could calm him down and make a sign of smile appear on his mouth.
The astronomy tower and the north wing blocked his eyes on the right, ending there the view, but to the south he could look anywhere until the southwest tower, slightly coming out of the wall of the Second Fortes.
There were few students walking around in the court.
And what did you expect? He said to himself This is the last night before the exam.
The golden trees were quietly moved by a wind that should have been a little stronger than the one which was blowing by the wall he was gazing out from.
The court was like a small heaven, besieged by the chaotic city of Calibur.
It was not the only academy in town, but it was certainly the most important one.
Or at least the most impressive one, as it was originally a defensive fortes, at its turn built on top of the ruins of the Sacred Mausoleum of King Arthur.
Since it was built, every headmaster who succeeded at the “throne” of the Academy, which was one of the richest non-royal buildings in eastern Europe, built something new, until it became the sheer citadel it was in 1789. The Crypt, a complex of underground tunnels and halls, was still in construction, despite the headmaster was very old and probably close to death.
-I’ve dreamt enough- He closed the shutters and the window behind them, and in the semi-dark room he came back to the desk, lifted up the chair and sat again in front of his mountain of books.
It took him a while to realize he couldn’t see a fuck.
Snorting, he stood up once again, reached the oil lamp, brought it on the desk and lit it.
The books looked even more impressive in the dancing light of the flame.
He put the elbows on the desk and his face collapsed between his hands.
-Who am I kidding… I’ll never pass this things- Taking a breath, he closed the book he was reading before closing the shutters and moved it by a side.
Dark Energy & Dark MatterThese four, terrible, incomprehensible words, were written in silver letters on a simple leather cover, decorated with a drawing of the Loop Theory.
Just at that moment, the door’s lock started making noises, and right after Jehrard came into the room.
-Hi there- He said happily, without deigning his room mate of a look, just patting him on the right shoulder.
He walked straight to window, opened it and slammed the shutters open.
-Fuck you- He commented, angrily.
Only at that point Jehrard looked at him, and realized he was blinding him. So he closed again the right shutter, without closing the window, and sitting on the left bed, in the sunlight.
He looked at him for a while.
He wasn’t that beauty the ladies described.
False, you envious genius. He’s much better than you.
His short, wavy hair were of a colour between blond and brown, and it looked he had never known acme.
His reconnaissance tie was slackened and the collar of his shirt was messed up, nor up nor down.
As soon as he realized his roommate was looking at him, he cleaned his mouth with the back of his hand, and started trying to give his uniform a semblance of order.
He had no doubt where he had been all afternoon.
You fucking…
-In your opinion, why do we study Dark Energy if we’re no mages?-
-You spend days immerged in books, and you ask me about things to study? I’m not sure you are the genius teachers talk about-
-Me too. I’ll never pass this fucking exam-
-Come on dude, school’s not everything-
-Well, school is not nothing, too. Do you ever study?-
-Yes, and very often too- He gazed out of the window –Hidden under the stand of the girls’ gym!- Despite he tried to keep himself from it, he laughed together with Jehrard.
-And my tests are what overseers ask me when they spot me. I would like to see you, standing in the middle of two hundred girls facing an old acid teacher who has never seen a boy in her whole life- This time he didn’t laugh, though his roommate accidentally shown him something red on the hand he cleaned his mouth with.
-Whose turn was, today?-
-Ah, my friend, you only joke when it’s not the time- His face suddenly returned serious, and he restarted looking out of the window –You have not seen her, you’ve never heard her voice, seen her smile. I love her. From her toes to the tip of her hair- He just twisted his head and started looking at him hilariously. They stayed silent for a while.
-Jehrard, those are the exact same word you told me about Kheyra- Jehrard face got even more serious. He stood up and walked towards the door.
-You’re sadist. One of the worst I’ve ever known. Don’t complain if you have no friends-
-Have I ever complained?-
-Ah, don’t say a word- He opened the wardrobe, took off the uniform and randomly thrown it inside, then picked up a long brown coat and put it on.
-What will you do about the exam?-
-Do you want any help to study?-
-I can only make extra mess in my head having to talk to someone in addiction to fit these pointless bullshit inside my head-
-Fine. Then I’ll leave the Academy for a couple of days. Tell ‘em I got a flu, or a cold, or one of the illnesses you study every fucking day-
-You’re really not planning to leave this place with a certification?-
-This is the best period of life, and I have no intention to spend it crashing my head over books-
-This period is goin’ to last until you’re dead, if you don’t take the exams-
-I’ll leave as soon as she’ll do, and start helping my father to manage our farmlands- He looked the ruined desktop and didn’t talk for a while.
Jehrard was like fighting the door to open it.
He was probably too enraged to realize he’d closed it with the key he left in the pocket of the uniform.
Like if he heard his thoughts, he took the long black dress and foiled in the pockets ‘til he found the key.
-What’s her name?- He asked, at the same time Jehrard manage to open the door.
-Fuck you- He left and closed the door behind him.
Why was he still in the same room of that person? Mystery.
Anyway, that day nothing more would have entered his head.
He arranged all the books in piles, stood up and closed the shutter and the window.
The lamp was still lit.
He grabbed it, switched it off and left the room.
It was time to leave those four walls.
He was on the roof of the North Wing when the last ray of sun disappeared behind the hills of central Europe.
The soft breeze would soon have stopped, making that place hot as hell.
He had to pass that exam.
More time at the Academy would have meant more months of taxes, more delusion by his uncle and more frustration and pressure. For three months. It was something that would have broken his projects for summer.
He didn’t want to wait ‘til he was 400 to see the world where he was living, to travel to the extreme cape of Europe, and his uncle wouldn’t have allowed him such an expensive experience until he would have finally stopped receiving letters from the Academy asking him to pay taxes.
But what could he have done to pass, now, that only a few more hours were left before the exam?
Nothing but stopping thinking and worrying about that.
He took the uniform off and lain on the roof, gazing at the sky turning orange. |
Ritorna all'indice
Capitolo 2
*** Dark Shines ***
The rhythmic sound of someone knocking on the door disturbed him and brought him back to reality from the depths of the philosophical books of his library. He put the book on the desk, and travelled to the studio, annoyed from that interruption, and opened the door locker.
His face immediately turned much less serious.
-Good afternoon, Mr. Moras. I know it’s very late, but I’d need some of your valuable time. Do you have any for me?-
-Of course, there’s always time for bright minds- He closed the door again and removed the security chain, then opened it widely –Come in, sir- The student walked inside the room.
He was wearing a long, black coat with strange drawings on the chest and a broad-brimmed hat.
Such an unusual wearing for those hot days.
-You’re much more kind than other teacher, Mr. Moras-
-Oh, thank you- The teacher closed the door and locked it with both the chain and the lock –But now let’s talk about what brings you here-
-Nothing more than a question-
-What kind of question?- The professor walked ‘til a table near the entrance to the studio, and pointed at the only chair in the room, the one near the writing desk.
-Oh no thanks, I’ll stay just a moment- The student leant on a desk between the teacher and the entrance door –You knew everything, didn’t you?- The professor’s face turned back serious.
-What are you talkin’ about?-
-When had you planned to tell the student about it?-
-What are you saying, be clear! This is not the usual you!-
-You have never known me. No one of you has never known me-
-What is this? What are you saying?-
-How have you known? Where did you discover the Sanctum?-
-What… You’re worrying me. What is the Sanctum? Be clear for once!-
-The Crypt. You’re not digging new halls and tunnels. You’re just searching Arthur’s Sanctum. I have seen. I know. You only have to tell me how-
-I don’t know what you’re talking about. And if I knew something, I wouldn’t tell you-
-I bet you would- He suddenly raised his right hand, revealing a strange kind of metal glove.
He pointed it to the professor, and with a small and short lightning, in his open span appeared a pulsing, white sphere of Dark Energy.
-That…-
-…Is something you couldn’t ever dream to master. Something you don’t want to master. Just know that this is more powerful than anything you teach us. You and your colleagues are raising a generation of students thinking in one direction, thinking that there is one magic, one continent, one civilized world. But this is not why I am here. I want to know. How did you know about the Sanctum!- He released the sphere, which flew across the air at an insane speed, towards the head of the professor.
He was quick enough to get on his knees and avoiding the deadly bullet, which crashed on the safe behind him.
-Stop this now, and I may tell the order service this was an accident-
-I will not stop until I’ll have what I came for- He replied, with his hand pointed to the professor a new spell ready in it –There are three things I want to know. First, how you found out about the Sanctum. Second, what do you know about it. Third, what you hope to find there-
-I… I know few. I am nothing but a… messenger. They only give me things to give to other people-
-Who are you talking about, you useless pig?-
-Kill me, and you’ll never have a word by me-
-Tell me all you know about the Sanctum-
-There was some sort of… clue, located under the Old Fort of Heinreichburg. It spoke about an underground tunnel located close to the Mausoleum. That was ancient stuff, of the time of The Dragons. Since then, all I had were coded messages-
-What did they tell? How can you have known nothing? It was you who started the digging, you who overlook the work. Tell me more!-
-They talked about something very ancient. I don’t remember… yes, they didn’t say nothing. It was just The Ancients- A lightning crossed the student’s face.
-What did they tell? How are The Ancients linked to the Sanctum?-
-I don’t know. I don’t even know who are The Ancients. I only had the order to find it. I’m sorry, I know nothing more-
-All right then. One last thing, I’ll let you go. Who did you give the orders? Who are you working for?-
-I will die before telling this-
-I don’t think so, you dog- The student grabbed the collar of the professor’s suit.
He felt the burning heat of the whirling spell on his visage.
The young man’s hand started getting closer and closer.
-Okay, stop this, I’ll tell you-
-Let’s hear what you have to say, first-
-After the Reconstruction, five families created a secret order to protect this place. It was called the All-Seeing Eye- The visage of the student got a little less furious.
He interrupted the spell in his hand and relaxed just a bit.
Only to understand his big mistake.
The professor sneaked away from his grasp, and ran towards the open window of the studio.
-Help! If someone…- The window shut on his neck, so strong that the wooden window frame crashed. He ran back shouting, only to be grabbed once again by the student, and thrown on the desk by the door.
-What did you hope to do, you fool? You cannot lie to me!-
-Philosophy is not just a way to understand our world, you should know that- He changed position on the table, reached the door and started unlocking the security chain.
-Don’t you try to do it, idiot!-
A burning, white, circular flame impacted his left hand, setting the flesh on fire.
Screaming as he never believed he could have done, he jumped down, smashing his flaming hand on the right chick of his aggressor, who shouted while trying to grab him again, without succeeding.
He ran towards the studio, holding on the desk on which there was the safe, now just a mount of ruined sheets.
A white circle of energy crossed his leg, separating the thigh from the calf.
He would have shouted ‘til burning his throat, but he found his mouth kept shut by a black, burning tape which soon enveloped all the rest of his body.
He fell to the ground, prey of convulsions and terribly screaming, even despite the tape.
-You could have avoided yourself this, Mr.- Whispered the student, with the right hand wrapped in a blazing white spell.
At that moment, with his more-than-human ear, he heard a voice.
A male, a young one. It was approaching.
Curse.
He lunched the spell to the heart of the man, killing him on instant.
He didn’t have time to destroy or take away the corpse if he wanted to not be seen.
He thought of setting the place on fire, but then he saw the papers spread all around the room by the explosion of the safe.
Maybe, the answers he was looking for were between them. But he had no time to search for them.
The only thing he could do was to hope that the absence of the professor would have been noticed as late as possible so that he could come back.
With a grimace of anxiety, he jumped out of the window. |
Ritorna all'indice
Capitolo 3
*** Thrown out of my life ***
Some noise woke him up with a start.
The was no longer setting. It had left the sky long ago.
The east horizon was turning from purple to black, and the rest of the sky was losing its light.
The lack of sleep which whacked me out these days finally vanquished me, he thought, standing up and looking around himself.
The roofs of the North Wing had lots of towers and square turrets rising above the main body of the building, so at first he didn’t manage to see who made the noise, which were light steps, that had woken him up.
He hoped it wasn’t a teacher or an overseer. It was against the laws of the academy to go on the roofs.
His fear was soon replaced by surprise. From behind the corner of a turret, appeared a woman wearing a white shirt, dark trousers and a pair of ordinary leather boots.
Without noticing him, she leant on a wall, gazing with a vacant expression at the western horizon.
If he was surprised of finding anyone in that place at that time, he was amazed to find a woman.
You’ve always complained about herds of women. And now, what will you do? Just sitting here, watching her like a stalker?
A part of him would have answered affirmatively to that question.
The old part.
The one who had died when he started fucking up with his exams.
-It looks like I am not the only one to find the rooftops a beautiful place- She moved her sight to him. She looked angry to see him.
-They’re a beautiful place to think. And thinking is not a group activity-
-Yes, I perfectly know. I spent more time thinking up here than doing anything else-
-Then, please, keep on thinking- She was kindly sending him to fuck off, it was clear like the spring morning skies.
-As thinking is an individual activity, it won’t disturb you if I think here- He said, leaning on the same wall where she was.
-If you want to…- She replied angrily, panting and sitting on the tiles.
He hoped she couldn’t hear his heart pounding in his chest and sat next to her.
Strangely, he realized he was feeling good.
You can’t keep yourself from feeling pleasure at the presence of a female, you may not feel depressed without any, but it is your fucking natural instinct that causes what you’re feeling now.
Maybe it was time to stop spending days thinking.
Time was passing and they were both sitting there, gazing at nothing particular.
He thought he spent an hour, sitting with an arm leant on the right knee, feeling his neck like paralyzed.
He was terrified of what she could say or think if she noticed him looking at her.
All of sudden, she turned to him, like if she’d seen him for the first time.
-You’re the roommate of that idiot who’s Jehrard Eastway?- A bad feeling appeared in his head and a thrill ran through his spine.
-Yes, unfortunately-
-Good. Tell him that if I see him one more time out of the gym, the only thing he’ll have from me is my knee between his legs-
-These are the most beautiful words I’ve heard from a woman- He couldn’t keep himself from smiling badly.
The last thing he asked a woman what she thought about his roommate, he got replied “He’s nicer than you”. Those words, coming from the mouth of the first person he loved, torn his mind apart.
Now, these put some of the pieces together.
It existed a woman who saw him as the superficial idiot he was.
-You don’t like him too, uh?- She replied, after a while, looking at the horizon.
-Yes. Nor him, nor the women he brings in the room most nights-
-He’s empty. His highest ambition is being the man who fucked the most in the Academy-
-And it looks like he’s reaching his goal-
-Women fall at his feet as soon as he says “hi”. I wonder how can this be. I agree his probably one of the most beautiful students in the Academy, but that doesn’t make him a good person to have a relationship with-
-I see. I can easily imagine this. How old is him, already?-
-Almost 24-
-Do you know how many exams has he taken up to now?-
-I can imagine how many-
-The preliminary test and the first two exams, the second at the second attempt- She managed to keep from bursting laughing.
-I imagined right-
-And… hum… what about you?-
Despite his expectation, they talked until they were no longer able to see each other.
He discovered she was three years older than him, she was a sorceress and she too was about to take the next day’s examination, but was planning to stay at the Academy in summer, to start working as a Dark Energy researcher.
She too felt anything but ready.
-I can’t understand, there is no point in studying what they make us study. There’s more than the books say, magic is more than what’s written in the pages and asked in the exams, I just can’t study that stuff, that’s… like if they teach only the things they want us to know. There’s something that doesn’t allow me to understand how things actually work- That’s what she answered when he asked her why she didn’t feel ready.
The darkest hour had to have already passed when she finally stood up.
-If we stay here more, it would be more convenient to sleep here instead of searching our way to the corridors-
-You’re right, we’d better go- They went along the nearest terrace from which it was possible to go back inside the east wing of the Academy, the women’s apartments.
-Why are you following me? Men’s apartments are at the other side- She asked him, smiling without turning to him.
He turned purple and started feeling an idiot.
-Well… I…-
-It’s all right, I know how to get you to the other wing from inside. There should be no one patrolling the corridors now. Even overseers will be busy tomorrow-
Thanking all the gods he knew, he followed her on the tiles until one of the inside courts, where overlooked a big terrace.
They jumped from the roof and landed on it.
The glass door was closed.
-Oh, curse…-
-Don’t worry, kid. I know what I do-
Kid.
That only word made his heart beat at twice the rate. She approached the door, untied a couple of buttons of her shirt and grabbed a small key, then opened the door.
She turned to him, but he was looking elsewhere.
She walked next to him, and followed his sight.
All the windows at the other side of the court were dark, but one. It was also open.
-You now which room is that, right?-
-Yes. The lead tutor’s apartment-
-And you know what’s in there?-
-The exam papers- A short silence followed that answer –He keeps them in a safe hidden inside a piece of furniture-
-It’s my only chance to pass the exam. I know quasi-nothing-
-I know but it’s madness. What could you say if he catches you inside his studio, after entering by a window?-
-I would anyway not reach to pass the exam. I could claim that I saw the opened window and got in to see if he was okay. He moved in eight months ago, he doesn’t know me. He’ll think that I am not about to take the A1 exam-
-You’re a fool-
-I know. If I wasn’t would I have taken 15 exams in 1 year?- She smiled.
At that point, a scared face appeared from the window.
-Help me! If someone…- Before he could finish the sentence, the window shut on his neck and a hand grabbed him back in.
He looked at her for the first time.
-No. That’s not our business…- She stated saying.
-That’s our only chance. Now or never-
One moment later, they where on the roofs again, running around the court, headed to the window, from which were coming a lot of strange noises.
-I hope they teach fencing to non-wizards too-
-Yes, they do, but I don’t have…- She stopped, put a hand in her right boot and took out of it a small, sharp knife, and held it to him.
He grabbed it and looked at her, amazed.
-What…-
-Just in case. Hurry up!- She said, starting running again.
Still surprised, he put the knife in his belt and followed her.
They were almost under the window, when it literally exploded.
A large, dark figure came out of it, landed on the roof, fifteen feet far from the two students, and then jumped again into the void.
They leant over the edge and looked down.
Two big, bright, white wings had appeared on the back of the man, letting him fall very slowly.
When he touched the ground, they turned to a fine, glowing dust and flowed inside the man’s body.
Then, he disappeared in the arcade below them.
-Have you seen his face?- She asked him.
-No, I’m sorry-
-Doesn’t matter. Now, it’s really important to see if the tutor is okay. Can you climb the wall?- He examined it for a short time.
-Yes, it’s anything but hard- He started climbing and a moment later he reached the window and got in.
-Get away from the window- Said her, from outside.
He quickly obeyed and she jumped in.
They crouched next to a table and stayed silent.
There wasn’t a noise, except the constant whisper of the oil lamp on one of the tables, and in the air was floating.
He then stood up, followed by her.
The room was a total mess.
Sheets were lying everywhere.
She waved him to look around and went into a nearby room. His heart was pounding with an insane strength.
He was doing something which was not only against the Academy rules, but against the city law.
Loyal or not, he’d started it and now he had to find what he was looking for as soon as possible.
He approached the door to make sure it was locked.
It was widely spotted with something dark and dense.
This looks like… no, impossible.
He moved to the table where most of the papers were lying.
He grabbed one and started reading the heading.
Academyof Civilianand Magic Engineering of Calibur
Exam session N° _____
Exam rank: A1
That was it.
He had found what he was looking for.
He took two papers and headed to the nearby room, when something drew his attention.
On the edge of another table, there were short tracks of the same thing which was on the door.
This cannot be. This is…
He touched the fluid with two fingers, and smelled it.
Blood.
It didn’t have the usual smell, thought. It was much more bitter.
The track was not only on the table, but also on a sheet.
He took it and started reading, but it was written in such small types that it would have taken half an hour to read the whole page, so he bent it and put it in one of his pockets. Right after, she appeared again from the nearby room.
-Matt, I…- She looked on the floor, at a point that Matt couldn’t see from his position.
She covered her mouth with her hands and walked backwards until hitting her back on the wall.
Her steps produced the same noise produced by steps on a floor covered with water.
-What’s it? What…- He found out what had shocked her without asking.
In the corridor leading to the nearby room, was lying a cadaver.
Or what remained of it.
The left forearm had disappeared, or at least the flew around it. The bones were burnt down and few pieces of burnt flesh were still attached to it, the rest was spread on the ground near it.
Right through the chest of what once was a man there was a round hole with a diameter of around three inches.
The corpse was lying in a lake of blood.
That view caused him a retch, but he resisted it and grabbed her hand.
-We must get away from here. Now-
Still shocked, she followed him to the window and jumped outside it.
In the total darkness, they ran back to the terrace, got in and she locked the glass door with the key.
-Go in that direction- She told him, once they were inside, pointing at a dark corridor –Always turn once left and once right, when you cannot go straight on. You’ll find a big canvas, it is an hidden emergency door. Just push it and it should open. On the other side, you’ll find a tiny room filled with old books. At the other side, there is a small door. Open it, it leads to a service corridor in the Old Fortes. I hope you can get to the West Wing from there-
-Of course. But now listen, don’t tell anybody what you’ve seen-
-What? A student killed a man, they must investigate and find who did this!-
-They’ll ask you why you were on the roofs and why you entered the room of the tutor. You’d be in serious trouble. And then, that man may have already left the Academy- He held her out one of the two papers.
-It’s pointless. The only copy of each exam paper is in the studio of the tutor. Once they’ll get in, they’ll find him. Many papers were ruined, some were soaked with blood. The number of papers is based on the one of the students who enrolled for the exam. They’ll not have enough papers for all the students-
-Take it anyway. You’ll have an idea of how the exam is. And, by the way, they could also write copies to replace the lost ones and avoid a scandal- She took the paper, with an unhappy expression.
-We have done nothing, okay? We both have our thesis for the oral exam, we both got excellent grades in all exams. With this paper, all we got is a little help. We cannot give up now, come on!-
A sign of a smile appeared on her red lips.
Later they were both in their rooms.
Matt laid on his bed, still with the image of the corpse in front of his eyes.
It was something which would have been very hard to forget.
He took a breath, lit the oil lamp and started reading the questions. |
Ritorna all'indice
Capitolo 4
*** Storm winds ***
There were two Great Halls for each wing in the Academy, eight total.
Originally there was only a central one, adapted from the Fortes’ Feasts Room, which was expanded by each generation of headmaster, then one was built in each wing, but then, when the number of students increased widely, it became necessary to have more space for exams, and so each wing was expanded to be able to contain a second Great Hall, next to the first one.
Rumours about a third hall to build above the other two were going along the monumental corridors.
The noise of someone heavily knocking on the door woke him up.
He had gone to sleep a couple of hours before sunrise, with the school uniform on and the regulation boots by the bed.
He got up, ran to the mirror and managed to make his hair a little less messy, then he opened the door.
-Sir, your A1 exam is starting in four minutes. Reach the hall thirty seconds later its beginning, and you’ll not be allowed to enter- The man held him out a small piece of paper with some numbers on it, marking his enrolling and seat number, then left and moved on in the corridor.
Matt shut, put on the boots, took the paper with the tiny types from the desk and went out of the room, then headed to the Great Hall number eight, the one where he would have taken the exam.
He was totally relaxed.
On the paper there were something like 150 questions, but he wasn’t worried.
He was shocked when he found out that most of them were about things he’d studied four months before, others could be answered by a simple use of logic.
He had torn the paper in such small pieces that the types were not even recognisable, then threw them out of the window.
On his way to his destination, he passed in a corridor by the external wall. He stopped a moment and looked outside a window.
The sky was dark grey, and the ponds in the court showed that it had to have recently stopped to rain. It was raining at that moment too, but very lightly.
When he reached the Hall, only a couple of desks was free.
Just two, actually.
He gave his paper to the ten overseers, which were sitting at a table at the bottom of the room, took it back with the signature of one of them and went back to the desk marked on his sheet.
The papers had not arrived yet, the overseers looked agitated and the students were silently speaking to each other, even if the architecture of the hall turned those light whispers to annoying noises.
Matt started playing with the pen, linked to the huge desk by a small golden chain.
His anxiety raised the more he waited.
The four men in the Academy’s parade armour were keeping the door open, following the Academy’s rules, but they were too chatting to each other with worried expression.
The Tower’s watch, a perfect machine programmed to never mark the wrong time, even with a minimal maintenance once per 10 years, stroke nine o’ clock.
The exam should have started a quarter of an hour earlier.
His heart was thumping in his chest once again.
What had happened?
They found out about the corpse?
They were deciding to cancel the exam?
He tried to look as relaxed as possible and softly thrown the pen on the table.
The light chatting had now become a loud group conversation, of students and overseers, and thanks to the perfect architecture of the room Matt could hear clearly what many of the students were saying.
Some of the theories about what was going on were quite funny.
The Tower Clock was about to strike half past nine, when three men wearing long black capes came in from the open door.
They were wearing big hats, and the official Academy uniform.
-The exam has been currently cancelled- A choir of disappointed voices lifted from the students.
Some of them stood up, happy to have no exam on that day –All student must get immediately to the Main Hall for a global counting. Last night, in this same Academy, we had an homicide. We think that other students may be in danger- The voices turned from disappointed to shocked, and all the students rapidly flown to the doors, like if the mysterious assassin was behind them.
Matt mixed in the crowd and tried to seem as scared as possible.
The rain was slowly getting more and more intense.
There were two Academy Guards for each door leading in the Fortes’ Hall, and students were flowing in it from any direction.
So, they’d noticed.
With a mixture of pleasure and anxiety, he looked away from what was inside the glass dome.
All the main gates were already being closed.
So they wouldn’t have called the city guards to secure the Academy?
Or they would have opened the gates only to let them in?
Anyway, it was time to move.
He jumped down from the tambour of the dome and started running on the roofs.
Not much later, he was again under the window of Moras’ studio.
They’d closed the window with a cloth pan, nailed to what was left of the window.
He burnt it down with a fireball and jumped in.
They’d taken away the corpse, but the worst thing was that all the papers had disappeared, except the ones soaked with blood or completely burnt down.
Even between those, he found nothing but exam papers.
Every possible information about the Academy’s knowledge about The Sanctum had been moved elsewhere.
-Fuck you!- He shouted, then jumped back outside and ran towards the men’s apartments.
There was a lot of job to do.
The two men broke into the studio, exhausted by the upstairs race.
-Look for… it… here, I’ll go to… the bedroom- They separated and started looking for The Orders.
Papers were everywhere, it would have been impossible to find The Orders before the exam.
He threw everything in the air, only looking at the heading of each sheet.
When his mate returned, his visage was a mix of anxiety and preoccupation –Did you find it?-
-No. It’s not here, I’ve looked at every single paper-
-Impossible. You’ve given him the package, it must be here-
-Someone must have been here before us. Just look at the window- The other man moved by the open window.
Something on a nearby table drew his attention.
There was a track of blood, which suddenly interrupted by a straight line, then appeared again, from another straight line.
-Look at this-
-What?-
-Look at the blood-
-How can this be?-
-There was a sheet here, when the blood track was created-
-You said you’d looked at all the papers-
-There are no papers on this table. At least now- The other man looked out of the window.
-Take all the papers which are not soaked with blood or ruined by fire, let’s try to save what can still be saved. We must find the Orders, Europe’s future depends on this-
A while later, the door closed again.
There were no clean papers in the room anymore, and there was a brown coat nailed to the empty window.
They entered the Hall and an old professor leaded them to their seats.
Chaos was everywhere.
Women were crowding the opposite side of the Hall, so he didn’t manage to see her.
They sat and watched other students filling the room, apparently sitting randomly.
On the platform on top of an huge column in the middle of the Hall there were four Academy guards, the Headmaster with his bald head and his long curly beard, a young professor and a woman that Matt didn’t know.
Once the last group of students entered the Hall, which was now almost totally filled, the Headmaster stood up and approached the entry to the megaphones which were below the edge of the platform.
-Students… of the Great Academy of Calibur- His voice was grave as usual, but it was not as loud and he seemed very tired, at least from where Matt was looking at him –Wizards, sorceress and non-mages… today, we must all be united and vigilant, because… tonight, for the first time since Calibur was declared as a free city, we had… an homicide- A choir of surprised and frightened voices answered that news –Tonight, the Chief of the Examinations Security Committee found death, by the hands- A cough interrupted him -Of a person… of which, unfortunately, we know… not much- He stopped as the woman approached him and whispered something in his hear –In fact, we know nothing at all. We think that he might have acted… to…- Another cough -Subtract from his studio an examination paper, to be… advantaged in the exam that should have taken place today. Professor Moras might have surprised this man while he was looking for the papers. The first… actual thing, that we know about who did this… is… that it must have been… a formed student, with a wide athletic preparation, which was necessary to reach the studio from the roofs and kill Mr. Moras. But this must not be a reason for you to… vent your fears and suspects… on any of your mate who corresponds to this description. We don’t want more chaos than… the one caused… by this… death- Coughs had interrupted him more and more frequently during the speech. He stepped back from the entrance of the lead pipe and fell on a nearby armchair. He looked extremely tired.
The young professor took his place at the megaphones.
-Our Headmaster is very tired, due to tonight’s events. Just a few more words to suggest you how to behave now. The assassin may still be in the Academy, so we must protect you all until he will be caught and will have paid for what he has done. All students, of any age and studying address, will be allowed to circulate in the corridors only together with at least another student or professor. This new rule will both protect anyone, and forbid the assassin to move freely if he’s between us. This is valid for professors, overseers and assistance crew as well. Anyone who is caught outside his room alone, will be considered as a suspect and interrogated with the methods allowed by the Constitution of the Independent City of Calibur. In addition, this morning a trooper of three thousand city guards will enter the Academy. They’ll ask you questions and follow you for short paths. They’re only here to protect you all, so you must cooperate. One last thing, now. Since now, everyone who’s inside the Academy Walls cannot leave it. All the gates of the outside gates have been closed and will only be opened to let the Guards in. Until the assassin is caught, nobody will leave the Academy- This sentence was answered by hisses, shouts and insults.
The professors seemed to be miles away from what he was seeing –I know the summer break was close, but we cannot afford to let the assassin go freely-
-Wouldn’t it be more clever to evacuate the Academy? Wouldn’t it be a better way to protect us, until the assassin is found?- Shouted a disappointed student.
-We might lose his as soon as we open the gates-
-He may be miles away right now! You have no right to keep us here!-
-As vice-headmaster of the Academy, I’d have the right to send you straight to The Pit if I’d want so. So please listen to me a few seconds more. For one month, there will be no lessons. You’ll be free to do what you want as long as you’re inside the Academy and you’re not alone. Then, they will resume. In two months, exams sessions will resume too. The A1 exam, which was cancelled today, will only be repeated after the assassin is found- The insults became even louder and some professors too started shouting to the vice-headmaster –This is all. I suggest you to head to your rooms now- He turned around, helped the headmaster to stand up and disappeared in the stair in the column on top of which he’d just finished to speak, followed by the other people on the platform. |
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Capitolo 5
*** This is the last time I'll abandon you ***
It could have gone better. He is a clever man, all of his words were said to avoid a war between the students. But he is just a puppet in Moras’ hands, if he spoke truth. And Moras is a puppet in the hands of those who are searching for the Sanctum. So he must be eliminated. Like all the others.
And I also have to find those two students who were outside Moras’ studio.
Let’s get started.
As he found himself caught in the waterfall of students going down the stands of the Hall, he realized he was worried.
Worried of no more seeing her, of having lost her.
He had been such an idiot, the previous night.
He should have told her where they’d have met the next day.
But why was he feeling this?
He hardly knew her.
But that was no time to wonder where she was, it was time to look for her.
He reached the exit of the hall, looked around himself but didn’t see her, so he ran towards the border of the women’s apartments.
The amount of surprised and suspicious sights he received soon became uncountable. A professor even shouted him what was he doing there.
-I am looking for a person-
-Can you tell me her name, boy?- He told her name, and watched to the confused reaction of the teacher.
-That’s no my student. Now don’t stand in our way, you’re slowing down my students- He stepped away from the entrance to the apartments and kept watching women passing by.
He was about to lose hope, when he saw a familiar face in that quickly-flowing crowd.
His heart acquired the habitual thumping fast rate.
-Matt, what’re you doing here? You risk to be banished from the Common Halls…-
-I…- There was no time to think, he just had to tell.
It was time to forget shyness –I was looking for you. Where can we meet?-
-You know where if it doesn’t rain. If it rains, in the secret room. At sunset-
The crowd dragged her inside the apartments and she disappeared.
He was about to fall on his knees.
I, who have always thought complete loneliness is a good condition for human beings, have just dated a girl who is three years older than me.
I should celebrate in some way.
Not much later, he was in his room, waiting for the sunset.
The words on the book lying in front of him seemed to be fading, he couldn’t read anything.
Her face in the crowd covered everything.
He closed the book and threw it away from the table, then laid on the bed.
-The outside gates have been closed…-
Those were the words said by the vice-headmaster.
But…
Jehrard… had left before the exam!
He had left the Academy to avoid the exam session!
That meant that he was shut outside.
He had got rid of his roommate!
-Yes!- He shouted, with a fist in the air –Go searching for bitches out of this place!- At that point, other words appeared again in his head.
The night of the homicide, before the night of the homicide, she’d told him she no more wanted to see Jehrard.
Well, the events kept him away from her.
She would have been happy to hear that he was shut outside the Academy.
He looked out of the window.
The clouds were not covering the horizon, and the orange light of the setting sun shone above Calibur and the Academy.
It was time to go.
The place where they’d met for the first time, the only place she could have meant when she’d said “you know where”, was empty.
And the sun had already set.
His anxiety turned to another type of anxiety. It was now preoccupation.
What if the assassin had decided to eliminate the witnesses…
No.
He had to find her, at least to make sure that she was safe.
He ran straight to the terrace of the women’s apartments, even before thinking he should have doubly not been there.
He was on the rooftops, above the women’s apartments. Two serious infractions of the Academy’s laws.
He reached the roof above the terrace and approached on tiptoe, until he realized he was hearing a voice.
Her voice.
-This is a security laws violation, your words cannot change this-
-There is no security violation if I was here with someone until few seconds before you arrived! Don’t be a fool and go looking for Kaytrine Longlades-
-She should be with you right now, not until few seconds before you arrived. And now follow me please, or I’ll have to conduce you to the Vice-headmaster’s office-
-This is madness. I will not allow this- It was time to quit listening.
If he would’ve waited more, she would’ve been taken inside, probably interrogated.
Probably forced to never more leave her room.
Now that he’d met her, he wouldn’t have allowed this. He couldn’t allow an intelligent, honest person to be indicted for something she hadn’t done.
He ran towards the edge of the roof and jumped down.
-Stop there- He said, pointing at the person who was dragging her inside, a young, tall lady wearing the Academy’s uniform.
-Who are you, and… what are you doing here? Where have you arrived from?-
-I was guilty of something, I recognise. But she isn’t, so let her go now. She wasn’t alone, I was with her all the time.
-How can this be, you’re not allowed to be here…-
-I’m not allowed inside the women’s apartments, I was above the women’s apartment. And I’ve never lost eye contact with her, so let her go and lead me to the Vice-headmaster’s apartment- She was staring at him, clearly amazed from his words.
-What…-
-Just don’t say a word, we both know that what I’m saying is true. What are you waiting for, overseer? Let her go, you’ll have the chance to interrogate someone who was guilty of something-
Clearly confused, the overseer let her wrist go.
-I cannot simply lead you across the women’s apartments…-
-Put a black hood on my head, or cover my eyes. Oh, gods of all times, is that such a serious business? We are humans. It is part of our natural instinct to search for a partner in the other sex. What’s the problem if I go thru the women’s apartments under you surveillance?-
-Well, then… just… follow me- The overseer entered the glass door and blocked inside, waiting for him.
-Why…- She started saying, just as confused as the overseer.
-I couldn’t sit there watching an innocent person being changed for an assassin-
-Will I ever meet you again?-
-If you still like thinking watching the sunset, you will. I cannot tell you when, but we’ll meet again. I usually don’t…-
-What?-
-Nothing. There may be no other saviours for you, so please try not to be alone one more time-
-I will-
-Come on, Saviour, there’s an interrogatory waiting for you- Without another word, he entered the women’s apartments and the overseer slammed the door behind him without closing it.
She watched him running behind that woman until a turn in the corridor. |
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