Chapter Three
A/N: I've been forgetting to put disclaimers on these, so I put one in the summary. In this chapter, Lae and Keene will arrive at the University. Their mind-speaks will come in very handy, and... Well, just read it! (And review, please!)
Thank you: nativewildmage & gatermage. Your reviews were much appreciated, and no, I didn't kill Frostpine. In fact, I edited him out of the last chapter by accident; there's also a lot more information in it now. If you read that chapter before June 8th, please reread it! Thank you. Also, I know that the living metal puppy I promised hasn't showed up yet, but she will, soon after Lae and Keene leave Lightbridge. I am modeling her somewhat after Dustin, my aunt and uncle's dog. (He's cute.) (;-D)
Keene pointed ahead. "See, I told you we were going the right way!" The two had quickly gotten lost in the unfamiliar city, and had only just seen a sign, advertising the inn where they intended to stay.
"Yes! At this rate, we might even get there before dark," Lae smiled.
"Um, I wouldn't worry about dark, Lae. I'd worry about being soaked." Keene's magic with water often told him when it was about to rain. "There's a huge storm coming, the one we saw when we got here."
"I'll race you!" Lae leaped ahead, racing down the dusty street. Keene quickly followed her; neither of them noticed the 15 pound backpacks they were carrying.
Just down the street, they arrived at the inn. Looking down the street, Keene noticed a wave of rain sweeping towards them. He grabbed Lae by the arm and pulled her in with him. She glared at him, then looked out and saw a torrent of rain outside the window. Laughing, they walked up to the desk.
"Keene and Lae, from Acadia," he told the attendant.
The man smirked. "Last names, please," he told them, muttering under his breath, "Country boy."
"Jarrison, for both of us." Keene told him, gritting his teeth. Lae looked at him pityingly, and then gave the man a scathing glare. He shifted uncomfortably.
"Your letter arrived four days ago. What took you?"
"On the letter, it specified that we were to arrive today," Lae replied, "but maybe you didn't grasp that part." Her tone was haughty and condescending.
A blush covered the man's face. "Right this way, please, your room is upstairs, just the second left room." He obviously wanted to cut the conversation short before he was further embarrassed by these two hellions.
Grinning at each-other, they followed him. Both grins disappeared immediately upon entering the room. There was only one bed. "Oh, no sir..." The man had already left. Keene spied another man, wearing a badge that showed he worked there. "Excuse me," he called.
"Yes, what seems to be the problem?" He walked over to them.
"There seems to be some confusion over the rooming. There's only one bed here, and we need two."
Once again, they were both answered by a 'knowing' smirk. "I can't help you there, sir. It's not the inn's fault that you two are... not in agreement." A fiery red blush crept over Lae's face. In Keene's eyes, a murderous light shone. The man seemed not to notice either of these signs, even though the cup of water he was holding had begun to boil. Nudging Keene with a wink, he continued. "Even if your lady doesn't wish to get dirty," he laughed, "I'm sure you have other plans for this bed –" his sentence went no further.
Keene's fist had, of its own accord, it seemed, connected with the man's jaw. At the same time, the metal of his badge had melted into his shirt and left a permanent mark on his chest. Lae slammed the door. (On the man's head) She then looked at her cousin.
"You want the couch tonight, and I'll take it tomorrow night?" He nodded, throat still working too furiously to speak. They went downstairs to eat, and both tempers cooled considerably over a nice dinner and a glass of wine. (A/N: I'm going with the assumption that the drinking age is a lot lower in the Circle Universe, like it is in Europe.)
Leaving the inn:
"Boy, am I glad to be leaving this place behind!" Lae smiled at her cousin. He nodded emphatically. They walked off to the stables, where Jarek had arranged for them to be able to purchase two horses for their journey. Not surprisingly, most of the beasts looked pretty beat. Their eyes met, and they both decided to make sure the authorities knew about this place; it was definitely below standard.
"Here we go, Lae." Keene walked over to a striking dappled stallion. "This guy is pretty scrawny, but he's not too bad." The handsome animal looked at him, and his heart melted. "I think he deserves to get pulled out of this hellhole."
Lae nodded, stroking the animal she had chosen. It was a chestnut mare; she looked like there was a lot of beauty under all the grime. She obviously hadn't been brushed or washed in a few months, at least. "We'll take these," she told the girl who had accompanied them out to the stable. "How much are they?"
The girl laughed. "You want those things? Hey, why not! It's your funeral, but if I were you, I'd get the ones we usually show off. They're a lot nicer. Anyway, I guess seventy a piece should do it."
"Seventy a piece, for these two? They're obviously malnourished, beaten, dirty things! You mistreat your horses, and then charge an honest customer to their bones for them? That's highway robbery, you –"
"Look, I don't treat 'em, I just sell 'em. What do you want from me, anyway? I can't do this! Just give me eighty for the both of them, and we'll call it even."
Keene handed over the money, and they led both animals from the stable, Lae still cursing under her breath. The first stop for them was the store, where they bought combs for the horses, and enough supplies to last them the four week trip down to Lightbridge.
"I can't wait to get out of here," muttered Lae, as they led their mounts down the path, "It's been nothing but trouble since we arrived."
"At least now we're on the road," he answered her, "where we can do what we know is best."
They didn't make too much distance that day, on account of the horses' poor conditions. After a few days, though, both animals were going at a quick trot all day long, with just a quick break now and then. Meanwhile, both people took turns studying their textbooks, trusting their horses and their partner to keep them going.
At night, more studying made its appearance. By the light of their small campfire, they took turns testing each-other on the materials. Lae also began to work with several bars and spools of wire she had brought, heating them in the fire, and then using a large, flat rock with her tools to shape them. She had completed the required nails much earlier; now she had one piece left. It was going to be a small bowl. She enjoyed embellishing it with the wires, heating them so she could solder them on.
Meanwhile, Keene would use his magic with a pot of water, helping her to quickly cool her pieces. As the liquid evaporated, he used his power to condense it again, in a matter of seconds. Then he would call it to his hand, and reuse it. He mentioned to Lae, that sometimes he got feelings from it, too; not quite the same as hers, but a sort of comfort. He felt as though it liked him, and ended up becoming quite familiar with the little splash. It was barely more than a cup, but he liked it all the same.
After a few weeks, they began to have to hurry along; the semester was little more than two weeks away. Being late for the school year would definitely not be a good start. By the time they reached the university, there were four days until the start of the semester.
"You two would be students for Lightbridge University, right?" the guard inquired.
"Yes, sir," Keene replied, "Can you tell us which way it is from here?"
He laughed. "Cutting it kind of close for the semester start, aren't you? The university is straight ahead; it kind of makes up the vast majority of the town."
Keene flushed. "Oh. It's that big?"
"Yes, and still growing. You wouldn't believe how many students go here. A few people start when they're just eleven or ten, and continue until they're well into their twenties. Those are the ones who become like the legends of old time: Arram Draper studied here when it was first built; you might know him as Numair Salmalin."
Lae's jaw dropped. "He studied here?" She nudged Keene, hands trembling. He grinned at her in response, nodded to the guard, and they both rode through the gates.
"Surprised?" he asked her.
"You know I am! He's a legend, not even... you know!"
"Apparently Lightbridge was built over another university that was famous in its time, but had become dilapidated and far out of style since then. He went there, back when the first one was still young, I think."
Not far from the gate, the two halted in front of a massive stone arch. Spiraling up the sides of the arch, were runes of great detail, coupled with symbols of the magic the university taught: Molten lava blended into a fire, heating metals, which became a fountain of water. The top of the fountain burst into flowers, which became glass being blown; the tube protruding from the glass globe became lightning, and so on, and so forth. The amazing thing about the arch, was that although it was solid rock, and no dyes, gems, or other coloring agents had been added, each image was not only in perfect detail, but had breathtaking color as well.
Keene read the inscription on the top. "To all students who enter these halls: Within them is held the key to power, the key to control, the key to the world, if only you can make it yours. This key can be found around every corner, in every class, in every greenhouse, around every anvil, by every fountain, in every glimpse of the stars; ask any teacher and they will give it to you. The key to life is wisdom."
"Apt words," Lae commented. With that, they rode through the gate, into the next leg of their lifelong journey.
A/N: That sounds like a cool ending (kind of). Ok, so not really. I wanted to make the inscription in Latin, but you have no idea how hard it is to find a reliable English-Latin translator. I can't think of a good way to introduce them to Lightbridge, so that'll have to wait until next chapter. That's it for now, then.