The Orphan Wars (Book One) (4 page)

"Thank you!" exclaimed Denifar.  "I wonder what my gift will be!  I'll be on my way now.  See you later Nemeth!  See you later professor!"

Denifar waddled her way towards the single file line near the doorway.  Nemeth began to wonder
what was going to happen to Olmak at the Detention Center.  Nemeth hoped that Olmak would be placed into isolation and starved for the entire two weeks.  He hoped that Olmak would cry himself to sleep every night.  After all, who was he to try and attack Nemeth during his moment of glory?  Nemeth also wondered what Denifar would get as her reward for tattling.  He hoped it wouldn't be something edible like candy.  He didn't want her to get any fatter and disgust him even more when he saw her.

"Nemeth!" exclaimed Professor Phantas.  "Aren't
you listening to me?  You look like you're in a trance."

"Oh sorry professor," replied Nemeth.  "I was just thinking about what was going to happen to Olmak."

"Ah, there's no need to think about that now," said Professor Phantas.  "There's someone who really wants to meet you.  I need you to be on your best behavior.  No more joking around like you did with that speech ok?"

"Sure thing professor," replied Nemeth.  "Who wants to meet me?"

"Prince Bogdan wants to meet you," answered Professor Phantas.  "He's been sitting in the guest section this entire time.  He has seen the whole graduation ceremony which makes me a bit concerned.  If he mentions the incident with Olmak, I'll come up with an explanation.  I'm going to call him over now."

"Prince Bogdan!" exclaimed Professor Phantas.  "Please come up to the stage at your earliest convenience."

A man sitting in the last row of the guest section stood up and walked on the stage next to Professor Phantas and Nemeth.

"Hello Prince Bogdan," said Professor Phantas.  "I humbly apologize for making you wait."

"Hello Professor Phantas," replied Prince Bogdan.  "With the long wait and all of the commotion that was going on, I was about to escort myself out of the building.  Can we still do business or should I leave?  If you don't have things under control…"

"
I assure you that business is on as planned," said Professor Phantas.  "Allow me to formally introduce you to Nemeth, one of our academy's finest young students.  Nemeth, this is Prince Bogdan, the eldest son of King Valentin."

"Why hello there Nemeth,"
said Prince Bogdan.  "It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person."

"Hello Prince Bogdan," replied Nemeth.  "I'm honored to meet you."

"I bet you're wondering why I wanted to meet you," said Prince Bogdan.  "Am I right about that?"

"Yeah, I am pretty curious," replied Nemeth.
  "I didn't think I was famous.  Well, at least not famous yet."

"Well, you probably don't know this," said Prince Bogdan.  "
I was in attendance for the final tournament at Orelic Coliseum.  I was impressed with so many of the combatants, even the ones that lost their battles.  In particular, I was most impressed with your performance.  I'd be willing to bet a fortune that you would have no problem defeating students that are older than you either."

"Well I don't have a quill and parchment on me," replied Nemeth.  "I don't normally get asked for autographs but I'd be willing to give you one at no cost considering you're a prince and all.  Do either of you happen to have a quill and parchment?
  Of course, I'll need some ink as well."

"An autograph?" laughed Prince Bogdan.  "I do believe I'm beginning to understand this boy's sense of humor.  I wasn't so sure where you were going with your speech earlier.  It's all clear to me now though.  I do have
the aforementioned items on me though."

"Great, do you want
the autograph to be personalized?" asked Nemeth.

"Nemeth, the prince didn't come all the way from
Castle Aeron for autographs," said Professor Phantas.  "He came to do business."

"What sort of business?" questioned Nemeth curiously.

"Let me explain," said Prince Bogdan.  "Normally my father King Valentin comes and handles any business with Lord Dragomir's Academy.  However, a few weeks ago he became very ill.  He is currently being taken care of back at Castle Aeron.  I was instructed to take care of his duties until he recovers."

"I'm sorry to hear about the king," replied Nemeth.
  "I'm not the best person to go to when it comes to the art of healing though.  I'm sure Professor Phantas can help you find a proper healer for the king."

"I am sure he will recover soon," said Prince Bogdan.  "
I think the aide that he has in the kingdom is sufficient.  Anyhow, his illness has awoken me to the reality of his mortality and my own mortality as well.  I'm already 23 years old.  I'm far from being a child and have to face responsibilities as heir to the throne.  I need to learn all about ruling the kingdom in case my father passes away."

"I'm still not sure where I fit into all of this," said Nemeth sounding very confused.
  "Can you fill in the blanks please?"

"I need your services as a warrior," replied Prince Bogdan.  "I want to
purchase you from the academy to become my own personal bodyguard."

Nemeth folded his arms and looked at Prince Bogdan as if he were insane.

"Purchase me?" asked Nemeth with hesitation.  "Since when did I start wearing a price tag?"

"Haven't they told you boy?" asked Prince Bogdan.  "Every single student becomes property of the academy as soon you are enrolled.
  If someone wealthy enough such as me comes along, they can buy whoever they want to."

"Prince Bogdan, why are you choosing Nemeth though?"
asked Professor Phantas.  "He's only 10 years old.  There is still much that he needs to learn here.  Have you considered some of the older students?  I'm sure they are much more suitable to be your personal guard than someone as young as Nemeth."

"I've thought carefully about my decision," replied Prince Bogdan.  "I have considered purchasi
ng other students as well.  Those students will serve other purposes in my father's kingdom.  For now, I just want a personal bodyguard.  My instinct tells me that Nemeth is the proper choice.  He's young enough so he appears to be non-threatening.  I can masquerade him as a younger cousin or nephew.  People will think that he is family.  If anyone were foolish enough to attack me, Nemeth could dispose of them quickly."

"Family?" asked Nemeth
curiously.  "You mean you would consider me to be part of your family?"

"Oh how silly of me," replied Prince Bogdan.  "I almost forgot about the unfortunate situation that causes you children to be here
at the academy.  We could never be a real family.  You do not possess any royal blood in your veins.  You would merely be acting as a relative of mine.  I'm sure you would find being my bodyguard to be very entertaining though."

"I appreciate your interest in Nemeth," said Professor Phantas.  "However, he is not for sale. 
He is just too special and unique.  My intentions for him were to one day have him replace me as the headmaster of Lord Dragomir's Academy."

"Everybody and everything has a price," replied Prince Bogdan.  "I'm going to make you an offer
for the boy that you won't be able to turn down."

"Nemeth, you're dismissed," said Professor Phantas.  "I need to speak with the prince in private.
  I don't want you getting all worried.  I need you to trust me and understand that I have the situation under control.  You've worked so hard all school year.  I suggest that you unwind at one of the graduation parties tonight.  Prince Bogdan, come to my main office and we can finish our discussion there."

Professor Phanta
s led Prince Bogdan to the exit and left together.  Nemeth walked off of the stage.  He looked around and noticed that the entire room was now empty.  The tables containing the food for the feast had all been cleared off.  He sat down on the floor with his legs crossed and stared blankly at the wall.  He was filled with mixed emotions.  He was relieved that he did not have to finish his speech.  He was happy that Olmak was getting punished.  He was grateful that Darunda's spell worked without any ill effects.  Nemeth was always told that no matter how experienced someone is with magic, there was always a chance that the caster could make a mistake.

Despite those positive
things, Nemeth couldn't help but focus on the negativity he felt from the conversation between Professor Phantas, Prince Bogdan and him.  It seemed like Professor Phantas was going to be convinced by Prince Bogdan to allow him to be purchased.  This would allow Nemeth to finally leave the academy but this wasn't the freedom he wanted.  He would become a slave to King Valentin and Prince Bogdan's kingdom.  Nemeth wanted to run back into his dorm room, jump into bed and drift off into a deep sleep where he wouldn't he bothered by the world anymore.

"Why are you sitting on the floor?" said a familiar voice.  "
Get up from the floor dummy!  It's probably filthy from everyone walking on it.  I want you to come and walk outside with me!  It's such a beautiful sunny day!"

Nemeth began to stretch his arms from side to side.  He unfolded his legs and got up from the floor.  He hoped that he recognized the voice correctly since he was still in a bit of a daze from staring at the wall.  He looked around and room and saw Aria.  Aria was
one of Nemeth's few friends besides Bastilone.  Aria was undoubtedly a beautiful girl and in Nemeth's eyes she was the most beautiful girl in the entire academy.  She had a slender figure, long platinum blonde hair and light unblemished skin.  As an additional bonus, she had bright blue eyes and always seemed to have a smile on her face.  Aria was also one of the top practitioners of healing and defense magic.  Nemeth had always wanted Aria to be his girlfriend.  However, no matter what he achieved at the academy, asking her out was something that he simply could not accomplish.

"Aria!"
replied Nemeth nervously.  "It's great to see you again.  Sure um, let's go outside."

Nemeth and Aria walked outside The Great Hall of Athos together
and found a secluded location where nobody could hear their conversation.  The temperature was noticeably hotter than before.  The sun was shining bright in the sky and there were no clouds in sight.

"Are you goin
g to the big graduation party that's happening at Serend Lake?" asked Nemeth.

"Well of course!"
said Aria with enthusiasm.  "That's what I wanted to ask you too.  That's the best place for a graduation party anyhow.  What's the deal though?  I saw you up on stage for so long.  I thought you were never going to get out of there.  I was talking to a bunch of my friends from my dorm but I kept peeking in through the window to see what was going on.  Oh and I can't believe you gave such a mean speech!  You got everyone in an uproar!  Also, did they find out who cast that spell on you!!!???"

"
Do you know that girl Denifar?" asked Nemeth.

"Oh come on, there's no way she would try and hit you with lightning!" exclaimed Aria.  "If anything, she'd try to cast a spell to make you fall in love with her!"

"You're being ridiculous!" exclaimed Nemeth.  "You didn't even let me finish what I was saying!  Denifar came up to Professor Phantas and tattled on Olmak.  She said that she was sitting next to him and heard him cast the spell."

"Wow, so what's going to happen to Olmak?" asked Aria.

"Well…" answered Nemeth.

"Oh I bet I know!" interrupted Aria.  "You probably asked to fight Olmak at the coliseum so you can embarrass him.  You better go easy on him otherwise they'll probably ask me to heal him.  I'm supposed to be going to the beach, not being grossed out
while trying to fix his mangled body!"

"You're still not letting me finish my sentences!" exclaimed Nemeth.  "
Yeah, the first thing I did was ask for a fight with him at the coliseum.  Wow, am I that predictable to you?  Ugh.  Anyhow, Professor Phantas didn't seem to think that was a good idea though.  So I told him that he should be sent to the Detention Center for a week instead of going on vacation.  Professor Phantas wound up outsmarting Olmak and got him to confess.  Then he upped his punishment from a week's stay at the Detention Center to two weeks!"

"There's nothing li
ke a fabulous vacation in the Detention Center!" laughed Aria.  "Olmak will enjoy two weeks of the finest accommodations!"

"Two weeks stuck in a small isolation chamber!" laughed Nemeth.  "Will he get beaten to a bloody pulp with a cane?  Will he eat the rats crawling around on the floor in his cell?"

"That's so gross!" laughed Aria.  "I am kind of curious to know what happens to him in the Detention Center, but nobody will know except for him."

"We'll find out what happened to him!" exclaimed Nemeth.  "We need
all the entertainment we can get!"

"It's funny for sure," said Aria.  "
Hey, I really want to know is who that other guy was.  He looked so cute from the window.  But you can never tell until you're up close you know?  So was I right about him being cute?  If so, tell me his name so he can take me out of here."

"You already know Professor Phantas," laughed Nemeth.  "I didn't think you were attracted to guys who were as old as him."

"I didn't mean Professor Phantas," replied Aria.  "I was talking about the other guy!  Come to think of it, how old is Professor Phantas anyway?  Did anyone ever dare ask him?"

"We all think he's at least 200 years old," said Nemeth.  "But he somehow manages to look like he's in his 30s."

"Ok, enough about Professor Phantas!" exclaimed Aria.  "Tell me about this other guy!"

"You're not going to like what I have to say about him," replied Nemeth.  "The time for joking around has to stop now.  That man was Prince Bogdan.  Apparently he's been here all week on business
.  He was a spectator during the tournament at Orelic Coliseum.  It seemed like he watched every single match.  He wants to purchase several students from the academy and bring them to his father's kingdom.  He said that he was impressed with my combat skills the most and that he wants to buy me to be his own personal bodyguard.  Professor Phantas said that I wasn't for sale though.  He said that he had plans for me to become the new headmaster of the academy.  Prince Bogdan didn't like what Professor Phantas had to say.  The prince told him that everybody and everything has a price.  After that, I was dismissed.  Then Professor Phantas and Prince Bogdan went to have a private meeting at Professor Phantas' main office."

"We can't let this happen!" cried Aria.  "The auctions don't happen until after vacation time. 
Since when has anyone as young as us been bought during any of the auctions anyhow?"

"You're right about that," replied Nemeth.  "I've only heard of students who have completed their final year of training at the academy being bid on and bought at auction. 
I think that Prince Bogdan has enough money and influence to be able to bypass the auction completely and purchase whoever he wants directly though.  I'm taking this as a sign that things are changing for the worse here."

"I'm sure Professor Phantas will make the right decision," replied Aria.  "You're one of his favorite students.
  You're a real professor's pet."

"Aria, I need to tell you something that
I told Bastilone earlier," said Nemeth.  "I was contemplating whether or not I should escape from the academy.  After what happened today at graduation, I've made my mind up.  I'm going to make my escape.  I want you and Bastilone to come with me.  Bastilone said he would consider it but wasn't fully convinced.  I think if you were to come with us that would turn his maybe into a yes."

"Nemeth, how could you even think of something like that?" asked Aria.  "The three of us would be killed if we tried to escape from here."

"What was your rank for the year Aria?" asked Nemeth.

"
I only ranked number 14 this year," answered Aria.  "I'm sorry that I can't be perfect like you!  I hate it when you make me feel jealous like this!"

"I'm not tryin
g to put you down for ranking number 14," said Nemeth.  "My point is that being number 14 is still very high compared the rest of the students.  You're at just as high of a risk as I am of being sold."

"I'm telling you that we're still too young," replied Aria.  "We're not going to raise any interest to anyone at any of the auctions this summer.
  I don't think that Prince Bogdan will be capable of convincing Professor Phantas to allow direct buying either."

"Don't you ever wonder what happened to your fam
ily?" asked Nemeth.  "Do you ever wonder if Nemeth and Aria are even our real names?"

"Ye
s, sometimes I wonder my family," replied Aria.  "I try to stay positive though.  That's something you need to work on.  If I thought about their deaths all the time, I'd be a miserable wreck.  I like both of our names.  I wouldn't want them to be anything different.  I'm starting to feel so sad now.  Why are you trying to hurt my feelings?"

"I'm not trying to hurt your feelings," said Nemeth.  "You were told that your parents are dead, but where is the proof?  I think we've been lied to about our families ever since we came here.  How is it that
the thousands of students have no family whatsoever?  It's just not possible.  I believe that we have families out there.  The best time to start finding them is now."

"I would love to have a real family,"
replied Aria.  "Somewhere in my heart, I feel that you're right about all this.  I'm just so scared about what would happen to us if we tried to escape and got caught.  We'd surely be killed instead of getting sent to the Detention Center for punishment."

"It's more frightening to think about what
might happen to us if we continue to stay at this academy," replied Nemeth.  "We joked about what happened with Olmak, but that could easily have happened to one of us."

"We've learned from our past mistakes though," said Aria.  "Both of us have been in that Detention Center before.  It was unpleasant to
say the least but we survived.  Listen, I'm going back my dormitory to get ready for the party at Serend Lake.  I should be at Serend Lake in about an hour.  I'd prefer if we talk more about this tomorrow instead of at the party.  I want you to promise me that you'll show up at Serend Lake though.  Don't just run back to your dorm room and hide in seclusion.  This party is going to be one of the moments in your life that will never forget!  But if you don't go, it will be something you'll always regret!"

"Ok Aria, I promise!"
said Nemeth with hesitation.  "I should head back to Justile Dormitory and get ready myself."

Aria
reached over to Nemeth and gave him a big hug.

"Gross!" exclaimed Aria.  "You're covered in sweat.  You smell pretty bad too. 
Did you even bother showering today?  Ugh, you should probably go take a shower before showing up at the party.  Do I have to teach you everything?"

Aria laughed and let go of her hug.  She ran
off to the west in the direction of the Zenith Dormitory.  Many students could be seen headed off in all different directions, but most were already headed to Serend Lake.  Nemeth paced very slowly to the north toward his dormitory.  He desperately wanted to skip the party at Serend Lake.  Aria was right when she said that he just wanted to hide away in his dorm room.  He didn't want to have to see his classmates again.  He needed to think of a foolproof plan to escape from the academy regardless of whether Aria and Bastilone were coming along.

About three quarters of the
way to his dormitory, he came to a sudden stop.  He began to think about Aria and decided it was best that he keep his promise.  There was no need for him to change his clothes again.  It would soon be nighttime and the temperature would be much cooler.  Who cared if he was a little bit sweaty?  Surely Aria was just humoring him.  The rest of the students didn't have his unique uniform either.  What Nemeth was wearing was nothing to be ashamed about.  He could think about how to escape while he was at Serend Lake.  The academy itself was on low security already since all the other students from other class years were on vacation.  Nemeth hoped that escaping was as simple as walking outside the main gates of the academy.

Nemeth
continued his slow pace while he backtracked to The Great Hall of Athos.  He then started to head southwest to Serend Lake.  The sun had started to set as he made his arrival at the lake.  It looked like the festivities were well under way.  Most students were engaging in conversation with one another.  Some students were swimming in the lake.  It looked like the majority of students were already participating in drinking games.

"What is that stench in the air?"
asked Nemeth quietly to himself.  "Oh come on, it can't be…"

It certainly wasn't wine or any type of alcohol that the students were drinking.  The
students were definitely drinking the psychotropic beverage known as Ambrule and lots of it.  Many people called Ambrule the nectar of the gods but Nemeth preferred to call it poison instead.  The more Ambrule you drank, the greater chance you had to experience a euphoric feeling.  If you were really lucky, the Ambrule would make you re-experience some of the happiest moments of your past.  If you were really unlucky, the Ambrule would make you re-experience some of the darkest moments of your past.

There was an unusually low amount of supervision by adults at the lake.  In fact, the only adult that Nemeth saw
so far was Ferrin.  Ferrin was in his mid-20s.  He had an average build, a mature looking face and a shaved head.  He spent most of his time guarding the front gate into Lord Dragomir's Academy.  He was wielding a large spear in his right hand, much like the one that Crimlore wielded.  In his left hand, he was holding a mug filled nearly to the top with Ambrule.  He was not wearing his usual chain mail armor, but a rather hideous bright pink suit and long black pants instead.  Nemeth ran up to him in a state of panic.

"Why is everybody so intoxicated already?
" questioned Nemeth.  "Why are you allowing kids to have Ambrule?"

"I don't think you understand what
kind of pressure us guards have," replied Ferrin.  "You're just a kid and you have opportunities available still.  I had opportunities once but I blew my chances.  Ah, no use in thinking about that though.  Do you even understand what kind of pressure you have as a student?  I'm tired of this academy's rules and regulations and I think the students the feel the same way that I do."

"Yeah
, I hate the rules and regulations here too," replied Nemeth.  "But I think maybe in this one case they need to be enforced."

"
It gets boring guarding the main gate," said Ferrin.  "I've been doing the same job for six, seven, maybe even eight years now.  I can't keep track at this point.  I'm just hoping if I drink enough of this tasty Ambrule that luck with favor me and I'll experience some happy moments.  It’s a shame that I have to drink so much of this stuff and for such a long time in order to feel its effects.  I hope I experience the best moments from my childhood.  Oh and who cares how old they claim you have to be to drink this stuff?  Let's be rebellious tonight.  I've got everything under control.  I'm just trying to be the guard that all you kids love.  There are plenty of kegs of Ambrule scattered around the lake.  Grab yourself a mug and then drink up and enjoy kid!  You'll be glad you did it!"