Read The Last of the Sages (Sage Trilogy, Book 1) for Free Online Page A
Authors: Julius St. Clair
him as if they had already been conversing.
“Where to, young one?” he asked, steadying the reins in his hand. One horse neighed as if to wake the other.
“I’m not sure,” James said. “But I want to go somewhere far. Are there any Kingdoms you can take me to?”
“Now why would you want to go do a thing like that? Those other Kingdoms will kill you on sight, just for being part of Allay.”
“Why’s that?”
“I don’t know. It’s just what the boss says I should tell anyone that asks. Never been too far outside the walls myself.”
“Okay…so where can I go? What’s the farthest you’ll take me?”
“Edge of the forest. You’d be on your own from there though. It’s pretty dangerous. I hear there’s poisonous snakes by the thousands.”
“Okay,” James shrugged. Supposedly, no place was safe. “I’ll go there.”
“That will be hundred shell.”
“A HUNDRED SHELL?” he yelled. The driver twisted a finger in his right ear.
“That’s right. Times are tough. Nobody travels outside the village anymore.”
“That’s most people’s annual salary!”
“Well, I can drop it to eighty shell if that helps.”
“I barely have five.”
“Wow. Geez. Sorry, son. You’re out of luck then.”
“Where can I go for that price?”
“The Academy. It’s not that far from where we sit.”
“The Academy? Seriously?”
“It’s actually a free ride if that interests you. All those who sign up for the place aren’t charged. Got to be some perks to throwing your life away, right?…but, if you want to hand me the five shell anyways, you know, I do have a wife and child to feed.”
James sighed and closed his eyes, weighing his options. He could always walk to wherever this forest was…but, he honestly had no idea what lay in store. The driver did say it was dangerous…so maybe, just maybe, the Academy was best…for now. It would have a bed and some food waiting for him if he went, and that didn’t sound so bad. Perhaps he could stay for a month or so and then try his hand at the forest. No one said he had to stay at the Academy against his will. And in the mean time, he could find out more about which direction the other Kingdoms were in…but, was this really the right answer?
“To the Academy it is,” he found himself saying. The driver nodded and motioned for him to get into the stagecoach.
“I hear there’s a storm coming in, so I hope you don’t mind if I take it slow. Should be there in no more than a few hours.”
“Thank you,” he sighed and climbed into the back.
For the first time in his adolescence, there was no flood of thoughts rushing into James’s mind once he laid his head down…
But it might have been because he had no pillow…
Chapter 2 – Orientation
James moped over the previous day’s events as he stepped lazily off the carriage. The horses whinnied towards him, as if they were annoyed with his hesitation, and he suddenly understood why. The climate itself had transformed completely over the course of their journey. Warmth had completely succumbed to violently strong and cold winds, howling like banshees all around them, cutting through his clothes like they were made of string and shrieking in his ear like raging ghosts.
The horses whinnied again. The longer he stayed in the wagon, the longer they would have to endure the skin-piercing winds, mysteriously cutting through their thick hides. At least when they were moving, they found solace in their body heat. James rolled his eyes at them and half-stepped, half-jumped onto the wet slush below.
Wait. Snow? When did that happen?
“How long was I asleep?” he asked the driver. It was still dark so it couldn’t have been too long of a ride.
“Just a couple of hours. I know things look strange, but the weather’s different over here.”
“I see,” he said. James handed him the five shell. It was the least he could do.
James clutched the collar of his jacket and tried blowing
“Where to, young one?” he asked, steadying the reins in his hand. One horse neighed as if to wake the other.
“I’m not sure,” James said. “But I want to go somewhere far. Are there any Kingdoms you can take me to?”
“Now why would you want to go do a thing like that? Those other Kingdoms will kill you on sight, just for being part of Allay.”
“Why’s that?”
“I don’t know. It’s just what the boss says I should tell anyone that asks. Never been too far outside the walls myself.”
“Okay…so where can I go? What’s the farthest you’ll take me?”
“Edge of the forest. You’d be on your own from there though. It’s pretty dangerous. I hear there’s poisonous snakes by the thousands.”
“Okay,” James shrugged. Supposedly, no place was safe. “I’ll go there.”
“That will be hundred shell.”
“A HUNDRED SHELL?” he yelled. The driver twisted a finger in his right ear.
“That’s right. Times are tough. Nobody travels outside the village anymore.”
“That’s most people’s annual salary!”
“Well, I can drop it to eighty shell if that helps.”
“I barely have five.”
“Wow. Geez. Sorry, son. You’re out of luck then.”
“Where can I go for that price?”
“The Academy. It’s not that far from where we sit.”
“The Academy? Seriously?”
“It’s actually a free ride if that interests you. All those who sign up for the place aren’t charged. Got to be some perks to throwing your life away, right?…but, if you want to hand me the five shell anyways, you know, I do have a wife and child to feed.”
James sighed and closed his eyes, weighing his options. He could always walk to wherever this forest was…but, he honestly had no idea what lay in store. The driver did say it was dangerous…so maybe, just maybe, the Academy was best…for now. It would have a bed and some food waiting for him if he went, and that didn’t sound so bad. Perhaps he could stay for a month or so and then try his hand at the forest. No one said he had to stay at the Academy against his will. And in the mean time, he could find out more about which direction the other Kingdoms were in…but, was this really the right answer?
“To the Academy it is,” he found himself saying. The driver nodded and motioned for him to get into the stagecoach.
“I hear there’s a storm coming in, so I hope you don’t mind if I take it slow. Should be there in no more than a few hours.”
“Thank you,” he sighed and climbed into the back.
For the first time in his adolescence, there was no flood of thoughts rushing into James’s mind once he laid his head down…
But it might have been because he had no pillow…
Chapter 2 – Orientation
James moped over the previous day’s events as he stepped lazily off the carriage. The horses whinnied towards him, as if they were annoyed with his hesitation, and he suddenly understood why. The climate itself had transformed completely over the course of their journey. Warmth had completely succumbed to violently strong and cold winds, howling like banshees all around them, cutting through his clothes like they were made of string and shrieking in his ear like raging ghosts.
The horses whinnied again. The longer he stayed in the wagon, the longer they would have to endure the skin-piercing winds, mysteriously cutting through their thick hides. At least when they were moving, they found solace in their body heat. James rolled his eyes at them and half-stepped, half-jumped onto the wet slush below.
Wait. Snow? When did that happen?
“How long was I asleep?” he asked the driver. It was still dark so it couldn’t have been too long of a ride.
“Just a couple of hours. I know things look strange, but the weather’s different over here.”
“I see,” he said. James handed him the five shell. It was the least he could do.
James clutched the collar of his jacket and tried blowing