Wayne Batson - The Rise of the Wrym Lord

“Your work, Mr. Thomas, is equally breathtaking. There is beauty and strength. There is also, I think… mystery. For instance, why is one fountain dry and empty?”

Aidan suddenly felt very awkward. Gwenne had told him once that he must go into his world and tell everyone he could about Alleble, but to tell a teacher he didn’t even know? “Uh, it’s a long story,” Aidan muttered, and immediately he felt ashamed for not saying more.

“I enjoy long stories, Mr. Thomas. So another time, perhaps,” said Mr. Kurtz. “In any case, I asked you to stay after because-well, quite frankly-your artistic skills are far superior to everyone else’s in the class, and I fear what I have to teach will be a waste of your time.”

Aidan thought, Not another schedule change! He looked at Antoinette; she looked back at him.

“Sooooo, I have decided to create a new section,” explained Mr. Kurtz. “I’ll call it advanced art. It will be four credits, not three, and will appear on your report card as an independent study class. I’ve never done this before, but math does it all the time, so I will too.”

“Excuse me, Mr. Kurtz,” Antoinette said, “but will we still come to your class at the same time?” Exactly what Aidan wanted to know.

“Yes, of course. But I will set up a little area at the back table where the two of you can work without being disturbed by my prattling. This is all up to you, though. Is this something you wish to do?”

They both nodded vigorously.

“Done then. We’ll begin Thursday. Be thinking of a technique you would like to learn, and I will provide some resources for you. Now, let me write you each a pass so your next teacher doesn’t throw you to the wolves for being late.”

Mr. Kurtz closed the art room door. Aidan and Antoinette looked at each other.

“Do you believe?” they blurted out simultaneously.

“Yes!” Aidan answered.

“Me too,” Antoinette said.

“But, what… what do you believe?” Aidan asked. He had to be sure.

“I believe in Alleble of The Realm,” she began. “And King Eliam the King of all Kingdoms. He is everlasting, and seeks all who would follow the true King. I believe that one day I will go to be with King Eliam in the Sacred Realm Beyond the Sun. I believe everything in The Book of Alleble.”

“Book of Alleble?”

“Yes,” she replied, looking confused. “The Book of Alleble. You believe in it, don’t you? Well, you must because of your drawing, The Seven Fountains. Those fountains are spoken of many times in the book. You must know.”

“I believe everything you said, but I didn’t learn it from a book. It came from The Scrolls of Alleble. But my dad told me there was a book. Bestseller, he said.”

“That’s right. You can find it in any bookstore. My parents gave me mine for my seventh birthday.”

“This is incredible, Antoinette!” Aidan said. “Finally, someone else who believes. When I saw your picture I was afraid for a minute that you served the Prince.”

“Aidan, what a horrible thing to say! I hope you weren’t judging me. Just because my friends and I like to dress a little different doesn’t mean that we are evil!”

Aidan wondered how she seemed to know what he was thinking. He smiled, remembering someone else who used to do that as well.

“No, Aidan, I would never serve the Prince. I only drew the picture because I keep having nightmares about it.”

“It’s a horrible place, Antoinette,” Aidan said with a shudder.

“You sound as if you’ve-”

“I’ve been there. I saw the Gates. I was nearly captured and taken inside.”

A look of awe surged onto Antoinette’s face. “We need to talk,” she said.

“Maybe after school?”

“Okay,” Antoinette said.

“I’ll clear it with Mom,” Aidan said.

“I’ll call my mom on my cell phone to let her know where I am.”

“Maybe you could help me with the math homework too. It’s a little over my head,” Aidan said.

“Sure. I better run. I’ve got honors English now. See ya later.” And with that she left.

Aidan wondered if the bus ride home would be awkward. After all, Aidan didn’t really fit in with the trench-coat clan. And he wondered what his parents would think of Antoinette. Dad’s bound to like her, he thought as he wandered down the hall toward his next class. But he wasn’t so sure about his mom.

T he bus ride home wasn’t at all awkward. Mr. Bluehair even saved a seat for Antoinette and Aidan. Apparently, being Antoinette’s friend earned Aidan some points with the trench-coat clan.

The awkward part came when they reached his house. Aidan checked his pockets. He looked all through his backpack. “I can’t believe it!” Aidan complained. He turned several shades of red.

“What?”

“I forgot my keys,” he answered sheepishly. “But my mom should be home soon.”

“S’okay,” Antoinette replied with a shrug. “We can just spread the work out on your porch and knock out our math homework.”

“Good idea,” Aidan said.

Antoinette really is smart, Aidan had to admit, and not just in the bookish kind of way.

“Mom will probably faint from the shock of seeing me doing homework without having to be told to do it.”

Three pages of trigonometry later, Aidan’s mom arrived.

“Hello,” she said, stepping onto the porch. “You must be Antoinette.”

Antoinette stood and held out a gentle hand. “Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Thomas,” she said.

“It’s nice to meet you too. So, why are you two outside and not inside working on homework?” she asked.

“I forgot the key,” Aidan said.

“Well, come on in,” Mrs. Thomas said as she opened the door.

“Mom, Antoinette and I just finished our math assignment.”

Aidan’s mom looked at the completed assignments and stared blankly. “You even showed your work,” she mumbled.

“Can Antoinette stay for dinner?” Aidan asked.

“We were just going to order pizza, but you’re welcome to join us-if it’s okay with your parents, of course.”

“I’m sure they won’t mind,” Antoinette replied. “I’ll call them to make sure, though.”

“Mom, we’re going to the basement,” Aidan said as he led Antoinette into the house. “I want to show her my paintings of The Realm.”

“All right. But Antoinette should call her parents before it gets too late.”

“I’ll call right now, Mrs. Thomas,” she said and flipped open her cell phone. But Mrs. Reed didn’t answer, so she left a message.

Aidan and Antoinette tromped down the stairs to Aidan’s new art studio. “Did you see her?” Aidan asked. “She was still staring at my math papers. Probably checking my work.”

“If she is, she’ll be in for a treat. Every one of your answers is correct.”

Aidan smiled as he clicked on the track lights that illuminated his artwork.

“Whoa!” Antoinette gasped, looking at the paintings. “These are incredible!”

Aidan blushed. “I’m just getting used to painting with acrylics, but I’m sure you could do just as good.”

“No, I mean it, Aidan,” she said, walking up to his picture of the Grimwalk. “I’ve read about these places… I’ve dreamed about them. They look just how I imagined they’d look. Have you actually been to all these places in The Realm?”

Aidan nodded.

“Okay, you have got to tell me everything!” Antoinette said, sitting on a stool. “Start with how you got into The Realm. I didn’t think anyone went there until they died.”

“King Eliam called me,” Aidan said.

“How?”

“There were signs. Weird things happened to me.”