Chapter 25

Raiel woke with an irritating ache in his legs, cursing under his breath as he rolled out of bed, setting his feet on the cool floor. It was a school day, and he had a history class before lunch and then a language class for non-native speakers of Kaienese, the local language of Kaien, the country he had wandered into. Finally, the day would wrap up with practical combat, a class that had seemed sorely needed after his fight with Clavic and the twins.

Raiel was embarrassed to realize, that he had not bothered to investigate much about the place he had landed in until now.

These classes were the first real insight he had gained into the nature, state, and culture of the society here. Since the classes he was taking, despite being the least advanced ones available, were still meant for students with at least a basic foreknowledge, a lot of the material did nothing more than leave him confused. If he was staying, he need to understand everything better. He would have to devote extra time to catching up.

Something he did learn, however, was that Canyon’s Gate, this city, was one of the major cities, and that it housed many important politicians, merchants, and military figures. There were a few other classes, but he couldn’t remember which ones off the top of his head.

The city was appropriately named for its function as a bustling hub, controlling the comings and goings on a great road leading through a canyon of such alleged proportions, that any first-time viewer would be stunned to silence. The sight was made even more grand by the mountain ranges towering above in all directions. The city wasn’t exactly built right by the foot of the mountains, but there were frequent outposts along the road from the city, ready to alert the main army, should an emergency arise. Usually, the outposts alone, with their troops of soldiers, were capable of handling most any situation, be it beasts or men.

Still, any traveler without the proper license, who wished to traverse the canyon would need to stop by Canyon’s Gate to go through the proper procedures to be allowed access into the mountains. The outposts along the way would ask to see such license, and thus, unless one was willing to illegally brave the untrodden ways through, a trip to Canyon’s Gate was obligatory.

Raiel had been looking forward to the beginning of classes and his chance to acquire knowledge of many different subjects, but his somber mood sobered that excitement considerably, and that fact only served to make it even worse. Simply trying his best to engage in the classes didn’t seem to help, whatsoever, and instead, his head was swirling with frustration at the failure, and anger at the fact that the entire thing would remain unsolved and forgotten. The injustice had been done, and he wanted someone to pay for it.

He wasn’t going to give up on finding what he wanted, but for now, he didn’t know how he should tackle the problem. He had briefly considered simply raiding other offices, with the slim hope that another professor happened to have something relevant just lying around. Luckily, he had enough reason in him to see several problems with that strategy. Should he be caught, the likelihood of which would increase significantly each time he broke into a new place, he would surely face much more severe punishment than what they had feared the first time around. But even before that, Yaeth, who was an essential piece to even deciphering the titles of the books, had already been on edge since their operation and would never agree to try again, let alone multiple times more after that.

Silently grinding his teeth, he slumped his way through the morning history lesson, barely paying attention as his mind cruelly replayed the fruitless search in Professor Graven’s personal library. That, as well as the dreamlike vision that had revealed so much of Raiel’s life to him, played on repeat within his head.

After class he trudged to the canteen, buying a plate of bacon and eggs despite his weak appetite. He managed to eat a couple of bites of his food and poke it about a thousand times with his fork before the appetite that had been weak vanished completely. He was twirling the wooden coin that Komren had carved for him between his fingers when a hand on his shoulder made him jump in his chair with surprise.

Neither Raiel nor Yaeth had had much of a mood to interact recently, so the sudden contact startled him more than it should have. He whirled around to see Eryna smile brightly at him. Even through his dark thoughts, Eryna’s face managed to draw a small smile from him. Still, she noticed his slow, uninterested gaze right away and took a seat across from him without being asked to.

“So, what’s up, Mr. Brightness?” she asked with a tilt of her head.

He hadn’t been expecting to have to answer such questions today, so her words took him by surprise and he blurted out an answer without thinking of some kind of convincing lie first, “It’s nothing.” His tone was dismissive.

That answer achieved no more than telling her that he was hiding something. “If you don’t tell me what’s wrong, how will I be able to help?” she replied without a hint of hesitation.

“I’m not interested in help right now, Eryna.” he said through clenched teeth, his eyes on the coin in his hand, which he was trying to focus all his attention on. If the girl was hurt by his response, the expression of mock sorrow on her face did not go a long way towards showing it.

“Alas, my lord, even a king must sometimes ask his advisers for… well, advise.” she said, making her voice go as deep as she could and puffing out her chest. She grinned at her own exaggerated mannerisms. “That’s what my dad always-…”

“Fine! I want answers, Eryna!” Raiel yelled, drawing the attention of everyone else in the hall to their table. Eryna recoiled from his voice, the back of her chair creaking as it stopped her from falling backwards to the floor in surprise.

Her eyes went wide as Raiel leaned in over the table, hissing through his teeth so others wouldn’t hear them. He was furious, not at her, but she was the one who triggered it all to come out with her incessant questioning. “I want all the answers! I want someone to blame, and I want someone to pay for what happened! Pay for it all!” He huffed with agitation, staring into her eyes.

The energy that was pumped into his fingers as he began to squeeze the edge of the table only underlined the reason for his parents’ deaths, and it fueled his rage further. When his canine teeth elongated to almost twice their normal length, he saw Eryna’s eyes grow even wider than they had already been. Her lip trembled and the underside of the table gave way under his grip with a barely audible crunch, small fragments of wood floating to the floor by Raiel’s feet.

She sucked in a sudden breath of air, a sob escaping her, and Raiel immediately regretted his extreme reaction to her friendly approach. She didn’t deserve his anger. He opened and closed his mouth while he thought of something to say to salvage the situation. With the regret, the concentration in his fingers dispersed back into his body and his teeth shrunk back to a size that would not draw attention.

When he couldn’t think of anything to say that would better the impression he had just given one of the people who had always been kind to him, he opted for what, in his mind, was the next best thing. With a growl, he got up and ran off, leaving Eryna and his tray of food to stare at his retreating back. Already, a lump was growing in his throat.

“…and as such, og and men might seem to mean the same thing, but in reality, one indicates inclusion in addition to the previous clause, while the other indicates inclusion despite the previous clause.”

Raiel was sitting in the back of the classroom, chin supported on his open palm while he listened to the woman in front of the blackboard drone on about grammatical specifics. The book in front of him was one he had been lucky enough to be allowed to borrow from the teacher, when he had failed to acquire his own before the start of classes.

The fact that he was quite sure, that he would not have been able to afford it in the first place was another matter, albeit one he intended to solve by saving up the money he earned from the work he did around campus, instead of spending so much of it on sweets.

The class was designed well, such that it was all taught in Kaienese, but natives of most other major languages could be consulted after class about anything especially difficult to grasp. Most of his classmates seemed to have a much better theoretical understanding of the language, but Raiel knew he outdid them all when it came to practical application. He hadn’t actually said anything yet, but from listening to the others speak, he knew they weren’t on his level. There was a sense of satisfaction there, even if the extreme ability of retention in his meditative state might be considered a bit unfair.

The fact that Raiel had no native language could be seen as a weak starting position. Raiel, however, when seeing the others struggle to distance themselves from their own tongues, thought he might actually have an advantage in being a blank slate.

Again, he could not help but wonder just how different his life would have been if his parents had lived. Unless his mind had somehow altered the memory to fit in with his current self, it was likely that Kaienese was, in fact, also his native tongue. It was what he was supposed to speak, and yet he sat here in this class, a foreigner amidst foreigners. He did not belong. But, maybe he should.

A knock on the classroom door could not do much to claim Raiel’s attention, but when his name was called, the familiar voice would have made him freeze if he wasn’t already unmoving. “Raiel is in your class, is he not, Ferman?” Graven asked from the threshold.

Professor Ferman, who had been interrupted in the middle of her explanation of the conjugations of definite and indefinite articles glared at Professor Graven with poorly veiled annoyance. “I believe I do have a boy with that name in my class. Why is that important in the middle of said class, Professor?” she snapped.

“My desire is simply to talk with him, dear Ferman. Nothing more. May I borrow him for a time?” Professor Graven sent a gleaming smile her way, and judging by the way her face twisted, she was more than a little tired of his personality.

Knowing that nothing would come of actually trying to stop Professor Graven, Professor Ferman acceded to his request and told Raiel to go with her colleague. With ice in his stomach, Raiel raised himself slowly from his seat. The steps that carried him towards the door were heavy as he thought about what was in store for him. Was Professor Graven going to give him a stern talking to? Expel him from the academy or simply throw him in jail? Or could it be, that the old man was not actually aware of their night raid and was here for an entirely different reason?

No, that sounded unlikely, even in his head. What could the professor possibly want with him if it was not related to that matter?

“Actually, it might be prudent for Raiel to bring his backpack along, as well.” Professor Graven added as an afterthought, a finger raised to catch Professor Ferman’s attention once more.

She merely waved a hand in the air as she looked to the blackboard to find where she had left off. “As you will.”

Yeah, this was definitely not the third option. Raiel hoisted his backpack onto his shoulder, his heart beginning to race in his chest. “Thanks for this.” he said as he laid the borrowed book on Professor Ferman’s desk. She offered a small smile before turning back to her class.

“Let’s go to my office. Luckily, it’s not too far, is it?” Professor Graven said with a wink. Raiel gulped but said nothing more as he fell into step behind the professor’s slow gait. Professor Graven seemed content to walk the rest of the way in silence.

They ascended the stairs to the second floor, where Professor Graven’s office was located, and the professor started to walk a bit faster than he had. When they got to the door he pushed the door open in one smooth motion and Raiel glimpsed Yaeth shoot up from the chair he had been sitting in, his face the image of anxiety.

“It is my pleasure to welcome you once more to my humble workspace.” Professor Graven announced with a sweeping motion of his hand. He clapped Yaeth on the shoulder as he went around the wooden table to sit in his chair.

Raiel took a seat next to Yaeth without saying a word. They had tumbled out of the pot and landed in the flames, and they both knew it.

“Professor, I thi-…” Yaeth began, but was immediately cut off by the older man with a raised hand.

“Now, wait for just a little bit longer, my boy. I would like to ask Raiel here a few questions first.” Professor Graven said with an easy smile. He sat back in his chair, and folded his arms across his chest, snuggling into a comfortable position, then regarded Raiel with an expression that lost nothing of the gentleness it had held thus far.

“Well, suffice to say,” he began. “I am perfectly aware of the… expedition into my library a couple of days ago.” The professor gazed at Raiel with an expectant look, seemingly judging his reaction, as if he hadn’t just laid it all on the table. His eyes narrowed with an amused smile. “So, what do you say in your defense?”

“I…” Raiel managed, but stopped, having had no real time to prepare for this manner of questioning. If Yaeth hadn’t been sitting completely frozen beside him, he would have expected him to fare vastly better.

“Quite perceptive, am I not?” he asked with a chuckle as he tapped a finger on his temple. “I must say, that while I am not at all surprised by the idea, the fact that the two of you went through with it was not among the things I saw coming. I may not know you very well yet, Raiel, but Mr. Baran here is just the boy who is cunning enough to think up such a thing, and cautious enough to not execute.” the professor said contemplatively.

Raiel remained silent, as he had found, while perhaps not making anything better, usually did not add extra wood to the fire.

“As such, with one person removed from the equation, there exists only one true instigator. You.” Professor Graven’s gaze somehow intensified, his smile beginning to disappear.

“What was your motivation?” The question was simple. The answer, however, was not.

“I… I can’t tell you.” Yaeth audibly winced in his seat at the words.

“Now, that will not do. You must understand what hangs on the line here. If this is nothing but a simple matter of a pair of juvenile criminals, there are methods, that are both more conventional and much easier than this talk we’re having.”

Raiel felt his heart sink. There were no good ways out of this, after all. There was one way down, only the methods by which he’d be pushed differed. Confess and risk the story of his past reaching the ears of men who would seek to finish what had been started, or say nothing, and at best be banished, effectively eliminating his chances of ever finding the truth.

“… I don’t know.” His tone was desperate and his eyes darted around in a panic as his brain worked above capacity. The idea of running away and waiting until he could start anew briefly crossed his mind, but even the thought was ridiculous and was dismissed instantly. These were people, and they would not forget. “I just…”

“And Mr. Baran?” Professor Graven asked, holding Raiel’s eyes firmly fast.

“… What?” In the moment, comprehension would not come.

“I’m asking if this punishment you’re contemplating accepting in favor of answering my question, is one you would also be willing to force upon your friend.” The realization hit Raiel like the trunk of a tree. He wished he could truthfully say, that his mind had not been made up almost the moment those words left the professor’s mouth. Yaeth, although eager to complain when the opportunity offered itself, had shown him kindness, compassion, and companionship. They had not known each other for very long, relatively speaking, but his friend did not deserve to take the fall for a matter he had practically been dragged into.

“Alright.” Raiel said hoarsely, his hands trembling slightly. “Alright, I’ll tell you.” Next to him, Yaeth sat, shoulders slumped and head hanging.

“I’m glad to hear that.” the professor said, his gentle smile returning.

As he, by now, had become used to doing when recounting matters of the past to others, he resorted to telling a somewhat edited version. He tried to downplay just how… wild he had actually been, implying at least a limited memory of his past. Additionally, he told it as if he had always known about the circumstances of his parents’ demise and lived in the wilds for fear of being tracked and killed, and only recently discovered this hint towards the identities of their killers.

“A most interesting tale. I am truly sorry about the fate of your mother and father. No child should have to see their parents go before their time. Please accept my condolences, late as they may be.” Graven said with a nod of his head. The old man then let his eyes shift to Yaeth’s figure.

“That added some much-needed detail to your account, Mr. Baran. As you said, Your stories check out.”

As if held back by invisible strings, Raiel’s head turned slowly to face his friend. Yaeth, unwilling to establish eye contact, had suddenly discovered something incredibly interesting about his hands. A seed of anger began to grow in the pit of Raiel’s stomach as his lips curled back in disbelief and disdain.

“That was not your secret to reveal, Yaeth.” he whispered, eyes wide with barely contained rage.

The boy next to him, who now seemed to shrink into himself a bit, clenched his eyes tightly shut. “I know.” was all he said.

Raiel knew neither how to respond nor react. The betrayal he felt hurt him more than he could have imagined it would. He wanted to cry. He wanted to yell at his friend for being the one to tell another about the deaths of his parents, wanted to tell him how he had hurt him. A memory so precious to him, that it almost felt like he had been robbed of it.

“Your friend does not deserve your resentment, boy.” Professor Graven commented.

“What?” Raiel hissed, whirling to stare Professor Graven down, his eyes burning.

“The ultimatum I gave you. I gave him the same one.” The professor explained calmly, his gaze never wavering.

“… Ultimatum…?”

“He was not going to say anything. Only when I reminded him of what would happen to you if I treated this as an ordinary break-in and reported it, did he start talking.”

Raiel looked to Yaeth once more, but the fury that had been there just moments ago had faded, replaced by confusion and relief. The other boy met his eye for a second, but he quickly looked away, a look of shame, that Raiel wasn’t sure belonged there. The tumble of emotions in his heart were still foreign to him, and he was unprepared to deal with it. Without much thought, he had given himself to the first reaction that had sprung up in him, when he heard what Yaeth had revealed, and now he was mentally hitting himself for it. Such impulsiveness brought trouble, as he had also found out when he had exploded on Eryna no more than a couple of hours ago.

Raiel’s face twisted with remorse and he wanted to tell his friend that he was sorry. Sorry for how he had reacted, and for dragging him into the entire mess in the first place. Yaeth had incriminated himself with the hope that Raiel might be allowed to stay. He could have said Raiel had done it alone, but he hadn’t. Raiel wanted to apologize, but he didn’t know how.

Then, with his anger redirected, he turned to Professor Graven again. “Why? Why do this? Why not just punish us and get it over with? Is there a reason for all this acting?” Raiel spat.

“A reason?” the professor repeated, scratching himself on the chin, eyes wandering to the ceiling in contemplation. “I simply wished to see what you would do and say. I wanted to judge your person, if I am to comply with your request.” A crooked smile replaced the gentle one, the old man’s eyebrows flying up in mirth.

Even Yaeth’s attention was on the professor now.

“Request?” Raiel questioned with puzzlement.

Professor Graven ducked down behind his desk, the sound of wooden drawers and boxes resounding within the walls of the office. Raiel and Yaeth exchanged glances of anxiety and confusion, the simple unpredictability of the old man worrying them with every word out of his mouth.

Finally, he hauled himself back into a sitting position in the chair, cheeks flushed with the short exercise. He held a thin, soft-backed book in his hand, that looked more like a journal than anything else. He laid it on the table in front of him, careful not to bend or tear the cover. Both boys drew in breaths, their suspicions about the contents of the book immediately roused, all other thoughts forgotten.

“… Is that…?” Yaeth breathed.

“It is indeed. A rare text, this is.” the professor clarified. “This is not just printed freely, like any other book. As I said before, it is not illegal, but not just any ordinary youngster can go to the store and buy this. If only you had been a bit more thorough and checked this room, as well, luck might have been on your side.” he grinned as the two boys frowned, thinking back to the frantic search in the dark of night.

“But why?” Raiel asked, the turn of events having taken him completely by surprise.

“All the noble families are different, as you will discover, but I will not pretend to have any great love for the noble institution as a whole.” His tone had become flat and indifferent, but there was something in his eyes. “But more importantly, what you experienced provides something which I’ve never heard before – a first-hand account. My business is knowledge, and often, so is my payment. The more knowledge one gains, the more the thirst for it intensifies.” The old man chuckled and tapped a finger against the papery cover. “If I am honest, my strongest motivation in handing over this book is simple interest in your past, Raiel, and any findings you may uncover.”

When the two boys stared at him with poorly hidden disbelief he added, “Believe my words as you will, but don’t question me when you find them to be true.”

“I…” Raiel began, running the tips of his fingers across the rough surface of the book. “Thank you.” was all he could manage. Yaeth nodded next to him.

“And thanks for not reporting us.” he hurried to add.

“Yes, yes.” the old man chuckled with a jolly grin.

“If I may ask,” Yaeth began. “how did you figure out that we had been in here? You already knew, even before I admitted it.”

“Ah, yes!” the professor exclaimed, suddenly filled with excitement, and reached into a drawer by his side to pull out a small pouch, from which he poured several small pebbles, a quiet rattle as they bounced to a stop on the wooden table. “I have carved a small hole in my door wherein I place one of these little fellers every night when I leave.”

He pointed to the door leading out into the hallway. “Should any uninvited guests decide to enter unannounced while I am not present, they will leave a clear greeting for me to find in the morning.” He brought one of the small, round stones up to his eye to inspect it closer, as if hoping to find some great, hidden secret on its surface.

“I was very impressed with your ability to open a lock and leave it intact like you did, Yaeth. I assume you were the one to provide that little talent.” Professor Graven said pointedly.

Yaeth just shrugged his shoulders, feeling like he had spilled enough secrets for one day.

“Another time, perhaps.” the professor smiled. “Was there anything else you needed from me, boys?”

They both shook their heads, eager to be out of the office that had now been the scene of many an uncomfortable situation.

“Well, in that case, I have no further need to keep you.” the old man said. “Do come by, if you need my help in your investigation.”

The boys chorused their assent and rose from their seats, each slinging a backpack over their shoulder, Raiel tucking the new book carefully into his pack. They turned to leave, but the professor’s voice stopped them.

“Wait!” The tone was not sharp, but neither did it allow disobedience. “Now, there should be no need to tell you two this… but you did break into my office, after all.” Raiel and Yaeth shrunk at his words.

“This is for finding out the truth. Only that. You will neither relay nor discuss any information you find with anyone not present in this office at this very moment. Is that understood?”

Again, they nodded their assent.

The professor exhaled through his nose and closed his eyes. “Good, good.”

They turned to leave, but were again brought to a stop by Professor Graven’s voice. “Oh, and Raiel. You didn’t happen to see my coat somewhere, did you?” he asked, his eyes filled to the brim with amusement and glee.

“No, I don’t-…” The realization nailed Raiel to the floor, his eyes going wide. His hands trembled slightly as his mind worked to fabricate something to say and failing miserably. What the professor had just said was a clear hint at what he already knew. Raiel breathed and controlled himself. “Maybe you lost it.” he said and exited without another word, Yaeth following suit. He heard the professor laugh, even after they closed the door behind them.

“What was that about?” Yaeth asked, coming up to walk next to Raiel as they went through the front door and out into the sunlight. It felt good on the skin. Despite the emotional turmoil the day had brought, Raiel couldn’t help but crack a little smile.

“Not a clue.” he answered, heading to his last class of the day.