Emma pulled back quickly."Hands off, runt," she jolted. "I found it, so I keep it!" She realized her nasty side was starting to show again. She quickly changed her tune. "I mean..." giggling as if she were originally joking, "I-just don't want you to accidentally rip it, is all." She smiled at Cory, and he seemed to have accepted her explanation with ease.

Then suddenly, he s.n.a.t.c.hed the paper parchment out of her hand and skipped away. She yelled and screamed, but Corinth scurried quickly. Anvard gave him a hand by grabbing up his sister and tossing her aside.

"There's only but so much shoving around I can take for one day, Andy!" she shouted, looking up from the gra.s.s. He'd gotten so used to pushing her out of his way every five seconds at home in Lirio that he never gave a second thought before he went ahead and did it.

Corinth looked down on the strange folded paper in his hands and didn't know what to do next. It had a little red seal on it that was unbroken.

Emmy turned back to her sister and asked. "Where'd you get this?"

"I found it early this morning," she said from the gra.s.s that lined the stone path to Olympia. "It was under the floorboards in our dorm."

Anvard's face turned up at the sound of her explanation. "Why were you looking under the floorboards in your room?"

Emma shrugged. "I don't know, could be some cool stuff under there," she halfheartedly purposed.

Her brother turned away, a bit disgusted of her childish ways, back to Corinth and the parchment. He looked over Corinth's shoulder at the mysterious piece of paper as Corinth turned it over to reveal nothing but more beige coloring and watermarks.

"Did you open it already, Emma?" Corinth asked cautiously.

"Yes, loser," she retorted while popping up and wiping gra.s.s stains from her knees.

"But the seal's still intact," Corinth informed her.

"What," she said frustrated. "Let me see that." She took the paper and looked down. She was shocked to see the seal perfectly intact. "I definitely opened this as soon as I found it."

"Go figure," Anvard mumbled.

Emma shot him a dirty look but kept on. "It's a map, idiots," she enlightened them without any force to her insult.

"A map of what?" Corinth questioned her with an eager tone. His face lit up when she said map. He knew she whipped out that bad boy to help them find Sena. Hendrix's office, so that the Grand Ministrant could help him find Oliveto.

"It's a map of the school, you idiot!" her face scrunched up, as she was seriously fed-up with this newbie questioning her so. "What other type of map would be of any help to us right now?"

Corinth wanted to toss her like Anvard had just done. But not into a plush gra.s.sy field. He wanted to throw her down the hillside, and count the seconds it took her to stop tumbling along. He decided quickly that wasn't a good idea, so he just let her have her say, considering how rudely he nabbed the map from her a second ago.

Emma reopened the map, breaking the red seal again, and they all watched as the entire layout of Aurora Boreal flashed to life, propping up off the marker-less paper in holographic form. There was no actual ink or any drawings on the map itself. It was a lights festival of detailed, real life imagery. Emma effortlessly manipulated the images that sprung up before them with the touch of her finger. She could see everything that was currently going on all around the school grounds. Even as far north as the Angora Mountains still bordering the northeast side of town. Where Corinth's father first made his grand entrance back into Hyperborean.

"You opened this inside our dorm room?" Emmy asked her twin.

"Yep!" she said with a gleeful smile as she toggled the images across the makeshift screen in front of the four of them. All their eyes shined against the light. Other children pa.s.sing by stopped and looked over at them. Until eventually, everyone just beyond the entryway to Olympia was staring at the entire school from one contained spot.

"Why didn't I notice the lights," Emmy said while standing to her sister's right side.

"You're the hardest sleeper on Earth, that's why." Anvard shook his head in compliance. He remembered many times trying to wake his sister for cla.s.s. She snored like a bear growls, and hibernated like one too.

The lights were so bright that they caught the eyes of many who soon wished they weren't watching. Newer and older students learned last semester about the strictness amongst the staff at their beloved school. But no one was more tightly wound than the figure currently pa.s.sing through the ma.s.ses like a madman. Knocking down student after student, and then fully pa.s.sing into clear view of all those that formed a wide circle around Corinth and his new friends. Those who couldn't see him before-now knew. The crowd quickly dispersed into every possible direction. Some kids even walked opposite the way they'd been headed in the first place. Just as long as they got away from the hilltop of the Olympus Grounds, they knew they'd be safe from his wrath.

Clap! Clap! Clap! -His metal bottom shoes. .h.i.t the stone walkway, like a craftsmen's hammer strikes a nail. "What are you ingrates doing with that artifact?" He s.n.a.t.c.hed it from Emma's hand so swiftly that he left paper cuts all along her fingertips.

"Ow!" Emma growled."Watch yourself, you could hurt somebody like that."

"It'd be my pleasure to hurt anyone -of you-sewer-rats," he spoke calm and concise, but the fury in his tone was evident.

He hunched over a bit and looked them all square in the eyes. He wanted them to absorb this moment. Every drop! His eyes pa.s.sed over the four of them. Standing alone, not far outside the arches of Olympia building. All the other students had disappeared, but they were so close to and enthralled by the lights show that they couldn't see the storm brewing around them. He peered down, silently moving his eyes from side to side, when Corinth's bright turquoise eyes caught a glimpse of his glare.

"And to what do I owe the honor of this history making combination of genetic material," he exclaimed sarcastically.

He was attempting to refer to Corinth as the product of his parents union. Though none of them particularly understood what he was saying.

"Why no answer? Are you looking for something? Is that why you've illegally acquired my map, boy?"

The three innocent parties shot each other stunned looks. But ... Sally Steals-A-Lot ... she just looked down at the ground.

"So," he said inquisitively, "it was the girl. I thank you all for pointing out her guilt..." he paused to grin like a hyena. His thin, clammy lips were pursed with every coming accusation. The tan hue of his face peeled back into rippling creases of taut skin that were nearly as firm as his demeanor. He continued forcing his last words through his excessively whitened teeth. "...so-willingly."

No one said a word, they were all trapped by the educator's quick and treacherous thinking.

"Do, feel a need to come with me, young lady." Emma began reluctantly edging forward, toward the teacher. "I've got a great deal many questions to ask you." His all white eyes, irises and pupils alike, spooked all of them. Anvard and Emmy knew that the man must be from Blanco.

"That pompous idiot!" Anvard said as he watched his helpless sister being whisked away, back into Olympia building.

"They're all like that, aren't they?" Emmy offered.

"That's what they say," he responded.

"Who are -all like what?" Corinth asked, once again out of the loop. He was starting to realize how isolated the lives of other Draconian children must be. No magik or learning of the seven Worlds around them. They were like an island in the sun. All alone with nowhere to run. Corinth was actually glad for once that he wasn't home in his bedroom. "Draconia sucks!" he said aloud before they could answer his first question. He wanted them to hear him. He wanted to know what outsiders thought of his home World.

Anvard and Emmy both burst into fits of laughter. "It's funny that you say that," Emmy said while walking up closer to Corinth and placing her hand on his shoulder. He was uncomfortable at first, but liked the thought of someone feeling close enough to him to want lean on him. "Here we were, hoping, no praying, that you were from La Envidia," she went on to say.

Corinth was stupefied by their responses. "Why, what's wrong with Draconia?"

"I don't know!" Anvard said while trying to contain a ma.s.sive grin. "Try...everything! Look around you, isn't this place so much better!" He threw his hands up for effect, and spun around on his tippy toes while gesturing to the ill.u.s.trious Olympus Grounds in one sweeping motion. Corinth was impressed by his limber nature, considering his height and ma.s.sive muscles. He was indeed bulky for a fourteen-year-old, but whimsically far outside the jock stereotype he was a.s.sumed to exude. But competing in Levanta.r.s.e took an all around athlete. And that was indeed Anvard. "You don't need to be a Worlds cla.s.s journalist to see that there are some freaky things going on in that place. For heaven's sake, they outlawed magik for everyone but the cops. No wonder Gente Peligroso is growing so much. Kids from Draconia must be running away in droves."

Corinth didn't understand just how much the other Worlds were tuned into what was going on within one another's boarders. He always figured the other Worlds paid as little attention to Draconia as Draconia did to them. What a rude awakening for the young hopeful magik wielder.

But it wasn't long that he was able to process that incoming information. A familiar voice called out to him from down the hillside. It was The Well Read Walker, kneeling next to, you guessed it... Oliveto! Corinth slapped both Anvard and Emmy on the arms and started running for Walker. He turned his head back while going full speed down the pathway of hillside and yelled. "Come on guys, he's a friend!"

They glanced at each, shrugged and starting running as well. They all made it down there about the same time. The two of them were much better athletes than Corinth.

"Hey Walker, how'd you find Oliveto? I looked for him everywhere I could think of." Corinth asked as he knelt down and rubbed the dog's neck. Oliveto seemed to perk up when Corinth touched him.

"Actually!" Walker paused and stood upright. Walker's high=pitched tone caught both Anvard and Emmy off guard. He didn't look casual or prissy at first, but he seemed to speak with such an exact purpose and haughty disposition that it made him appear more distinguished. Regal even. And not to mention, uncool. Walker began again, drawing slightly closer to Cory. "I may have been the cause of Oliveto leaving your side, earlier today."

Corinth stood back up, scratching his head in confusion. "How is that possible?"

"Well," Walker pulled a little green tool from his pocket. He was wearing the same outfit from last night, but it looked as if he cleaned and pressed it, and then put it back on. "I used this calling mechanism." Corinth and the others looked on in awe, until they realized what it was.

"Is that a dog whistle?" Emmy blurted out with a frown that made Walker take a second look at her.

"Well, yes it is, beautiful one." He moved toward her, extended his hand forward, touching her face gently. She was too nervous to react, so she just stood there. "Oh, you must be a Lirian," he said with a sarcastic smirk. "The two of you, I suspect!" He looked over to Anvard as well. "What a pity. I was hoping Corinth could make better suited friends for his many future adventures here at Aurora Boreal."

They both deflated a bit. Even Corinth was slightly ticked at Walker's words, but he had made a good friend in him last night. He wasn't going to be quick to write the zealous guy off just yet.

"So ... what does the whistle do?" Corinth asked awkwardly. Trying his best to deflect attention from Walker's over the top insults.

"Well, my good friend, you blow it like an ordinary whistle... yes!" He looked over to Emmy, before he continued. His anger boiling over like an unleashed fighter dog. "But instead of calling all dogs in the vicinity. It calls only Oliveto, at any distance imaginable."

Anvard and Corinth perked up at the sound of that. But not Emmy. "Big deal," she mocked with an arched eyebrow. "I could come up with a calling spell, and reach him anywhere on earth with my llave."

"And what then if you don't have your llave?" Walker questioned with a bold intensity that was most likely unnecessary when dealing with a twelve-year-old girl.

"I suppose," she put her finger to her chin, "I'd do the same as when I didn't have your c.r.a.ppy little whistle on me." Emmy was bold, too.

Walker took a much-needed deep breath, but still couldn't manage to suppress his anger. The two of them had a staring contest for quite some time. Miraculously, Emmy won! Walker turned his attentions back to Corinth. Anvard noticed that he interacted very differently with Cory, than with the two of them. And he didn't even know them, so there could be no grudge to speak of. So, why take such a deep rooted interest in Corinth. Anvard decided to keep an eye on Walker. He wasn't sure he liked the man's relationship with his new naive friend.

"I wanted to see Oliveto." Walker looked down at small Corinth with pride. I wanted to make sure I'd made a good choice by putting him in your care," he spoke with a sensitivity that made Corinth very susceptible to his words. "From the looks of it, he's happier with you than he ever was with me. I'm glad for that." He placed the whistle in Corinth's hand and closed the boy's small hand up tight. "I wanted to give this to you as well." He shook Corinth's closed fist and smiled brightly.

Corinth looked down at the green mechanism and smiled gently. "I don't know what to say, but thank you."

"Of course," Walker said through a perfect smile. The sun shined behind him, as they all stood under a ma.s.sive tree on the Olympus Grounds.

Then suddenly, like a lightning bolt from the sky, Sena. Hendrix instantly, and rather silently, appeared. The only thing that denoted her presence to the three children was the grimace that slowly made its way from one side of Walker's mouth to the other. He arched his back, and stood up straight in the company of the Grand Ministrant. His posture and facial expression made the three of them turn around to survey what he had taken notice of. As they turned, she began speaking in crisp sentences that made their ears ring.

"Lovely day for a stroll, is it not?" her rhetorical questioning went unanswered as expected. "Tell me, Corinth, Anvard, Emmy- how are you liking Aurora Boreal thus far?"

"I think it's beautiful." Emmy motioned toward the sun beaming in the distance over the South Lake. It lay just beyond the reaches of the Olympus Grounds. "But I must say, the Silver River, that's my favorite landmark."

"What a well spoken delight you are." Sena. Hendrix genuinely took to Emmy as she explained herself with an air of balanced confidence. "But, I'll have you know, Senora Fielder, that we call the land marks by their proper names. In Maledictus. I know that in Lirio, you all speak the cursed language rather openly, am I correct?" She knew already that she was right, but she chose to involve Emmy in the conversation.

"Yes, of course, Grand Ministrant," Emmy said while taking a big gulp of air in. She was shocked. She had never spoken with her in person before, and yet the dignified woman knew her name. It was intimidating, to say the least.

Walker looked around in mock ignorance, but Hendrix could very well tell he was paying close attention. "So-I think it's safe for me to a.s.sume that if you speak the cursed Maledictus, thus you know these terms quite well."

"We do learn it in school, but we barely speak it in public anymore, Sena. Hendrix," Anvard's tone came off as a bit too familiar for her liking. She personally chose him to deliver Corinth's clothes for good reason, but didn't want the youth thinking he was special in her eyes.

She couldn't help but respond as such. "I caution you to never inject yourself into a conversation you weren't invited into!"

A somber and sobered look came across his boyish face. He looked down at the gra.s.s, thoroughly embarra.s.sed. "I'm sorry, Grand Ministrant, it won't happen again."

Corinth felt bad for him, but chose to hold his tongue. As he had learned so well to do around Sena. Hendrix these past few days.

"So, to continue, my dear," Sena. Hendrix's beaming eyes flared with the light of the sun,"I would prefer if you referred to the Silver River as Rio Plato. The same amount of words and syllables. Only a slightly different language."

Her excessively prideful face glistened in the light of the high noon sun. Her brown skin was picture perfect for her age. She pa.s.sed on quite a set of genes to Criston and Corinth alike. If only Corinth knew she was his grandmother, it might drive him insane to think that his favorite grandfather had been married to this witch. He'd probably be glad that his father cut her out of their lives before his birth.

"What of you, Corinth?" She turned to the olive skin, small boy, with a steady will. She thought his skin was so perfect that she wanted to give him a huge kiss on the cheek right there in the meadow. But her grandmotherly urges were stunted by her realization that he barely knew her at all.

"Um, well," Cory started dubiously, "I like the trees and stuff." He threw his hands around in every direction-but that of a tree. Though, he standing right underneath a very large one.

"Interesting ... a.s.sessment," she said through clenched teeth, thinking he sounded just like his father. "Do-enjoy those trees while you can," as she was saying her last words, she noticed him slip the green whistle into his pant pocket. "What was that?" she said with her keen eye trained on his trousers.

"What was what?" Corinth questioned back. Walker perked up as Corinth tried to verbally evade Hendrix. It seemed as if he too didn't want her to see what he had given the boy.

Her tone was a lot more forceful this time around. "The thing you conspicuously slipped in your left jean pocket only a moment ago. That's what!"

Corinth was beat. He reached inside his pocket, pulled out the whistle, and handed it over to her.

"It's just a dog whistle, Silvia," Walker said with a shaky tone.

Emmy shot him a look, but he wasn't focused on her. He was watching Sena. Hendrix inspect the charm. Emmy thought to herself that he was a flip-flopper. A second ago, that thing was gold, and now it's just a simple whistle. That was her point entirely.

Hendrix looked at the little green doggie toy with a surprising amount of intrigue. She whipped out her wand as Walker started to back away slowly. She was only moments away from touching the tip of her mature wand to the mysterious charm when she noticed something on the ground at Corinth's sneakers. When she looked down, so too did the rest of them. Corinth hadn't realized it'd fallen out of his pocket when he withdrew the whistle.

"Oh, my card!" He picked it up without a second thought, and started putting it back into his pocket.

Sena. Hendrix shot Walker a look more cold than she'd given any other human being before. She put her wand back inside an inner pocket to the breast plate of her cloak, along with the whistle.

"Hey!" Corinth shouted. "He gave that to me. It's mine."

She bent over slightly in her black high heels and gently caressed Corinth's face. "Allow me, if you will, to farther inspect the charm before you take it back into your possession, Corinth." She was trying to be sweet, but as always, it came off as condescension.

"Honestly, I don't see the point. I think it would be better off with me," Corinth said while Walker smirked, walking up behind him. He gently placed his hand on Corinth's shoulder and gave Sena. Hendrix a cold stare. She stood up straight.

"As you wish, little Sen. Gambit." With that, she handed Corinth back his whistle. She was fond of calling all the students by their last names, even though it was only the requirement that students call ministrants by those t.i.tles. Prefixing it with Senor and Senora, the Maledictus equivalents for Mr. and Ms./Mrs. She just couldn't let go of her preference for the cursed language."But on to this card you have. I believe it's one of those-"

"Deaves!" Walker said abruptly, "it's a playing card from the card battling game that many at the school used to delight in, Silvia."

"Yeah," Corinthseconded Walker's statements as he looked up at him. "Walker gave me that card last night while you were talking to my dad on the benches." Sena. Hendrix looked very uneasy. Walker was loving it. He had never seen her so struck by surprise before. "It's the Tydrahn card."

A stroke of light went off inside Hendrix mind. She hadn't heard that word in nearly seventeen years. And never wanted to hear it ever again. "The Tydrahn you say," her voice hadn't cracked like that in decades.

"Yeah," Corinth began, "it's like this tiger slash dragon monster. It breathes lightning bolts and has poison nails and fangs. It's pretty cool," Corinth said while staring down at the card. Emmy thought it was awesome too, but Anvard wasn't very interested. Sports were his thing, not geeky card games. But he tried feigning interest for Corinth's sake.

"Yes, Sena. Hendrix, they are pretty cool," Walker's smirk couldn't be any more broad. "And -did you know that in mythology they say that the Tydrahn's lightning can even strike down the mythical firebirds. The ones that keep Aurora Boreal, and in fact, all of Hyperborean from freezing over. Ha!" he chirped. "These myths! Oh, how they are so impractical," Walker held no punches as he spoke, "for some to comprehend."

She was cornered. She didn't have any moves to make. So she defaulted to her old faithful. "These playing cards were banned over a decade and a half ago. They aren't permitted on school grounds. I'll have to confiscate it." She reached for Corinth's hand holding the card. He frowned but wasn't overcome by any real grief. He liked it, but didn't have much use for it as of yet.

"Actually, Grand Ministrant." Walker was getting bold. He gently smacked her hand away from Corinth's. Emmy and Corinth didn't even notice, it happened so fast. But Anvard was watching Walker like a hawk. He saw the blatant disrespect in his gesture. "I took the liberty of filing a pet.i.tion to reinstate the card game. It was approved by the board around, uh..." he pulled his wrist up to check his watch, "fancy that, around eight o'clock last night. What a pity you couldn't have joined the committee. They unanimously agreed that it has been too long since the children could bask in the glory of the ill.u.s.trious game of Deaves." She was astonished at the revelation, and he was ecstatic. "After all, with dangerous sports like Levanta.r.s.e being played every day, why can't the more docile children have a game they can sink their teeth into as well."

"That's what Spheres is for," she tried arguing but it was already done. And even her status as Grand Ministrant didn't simply grant her the power to reverse a decision finalized by the entire board. Minus herself, of course.

"Well, with all due respect to your inventive skills, Silvia. The children simply don't like Spheres," Walker relayed. "It's not nearly as fun for them as it may be for a sixty something year old woman.

She shot him a look that said watch it, or lose it. He got the message, and began creepily disappearing around the trunk of the ma.s.sive tree they stood under. He said his goodbyes, mostly to Corinth, while he walked away.

"Why don't you children run along now," she said with her eyes trained on the back of Walker's plaid shirt. "There are probably some affiliates you'd all like to sign up and try out for. I'm sure with your body type, Anvard, that you'd like to get on the Levanta.r.s.e team before it's too late." She turned and smiled as kindly as she could at him. He felt what warmth she was able to muster, so he smiled back widely. Even with that display of affection, she still pressed on a.s.sertively. She handled her bones precisely as she pa.s.sed the children, moving toward her main target. Walker.