Power Quest: The Rebellion of Terrakia - Andrew Koenig (guided reading books txt) 📗

            “You’re full of crap.”  Amanda rolled her eyes.  “I know you’re not a military strategist, and like I said before, Zeke has an entire continent at his disposal.”

            “But he doesn’t control all of the people within that continent, does he?”  Amanda shrugged and nodded.  “Plus, he doesn’t formally rule some of the countries on the continent.  Technically, Zensin is a self-governed country that only pays some taxes and ‘royalty fees’ to Zeke.”

            “Gods, Floyde,” Amanda gasped, narrowing her eyes.  “Do you actually have a plan?”

            Floyde shot her a grin and extended his hand to her.  “Are you in the rebellion or not?”  Amanda stared at his hand, then into his pecan shaped, ash eyes.  His eyes were narrow and enticing in the hubris of his grin, and she found herself shaking his hand while staring into his eyes, a grin spreading across her own lips.

            “I’m in.”  She whispered.

A rusty creak scraped Leif Habar’s ears as Casimer opened the back door of the Common Cup Inn.  He had a small bucket in his arms and his eyebrows raised slightly as he saw Leif lying by the well, half asleep.  An empty bottle of wine sat on the ground beside him.  The red liquor had left a stain on his shirt and the ground by his side.  It had attracted a stray dog who lapped it up with its pink tongue.  Casimer approached the drunk and shooed the dog away as he sat the bucket beside the well.

            “Mr. Habar, you need to wake up, it’s practically half past one.”  Casimer whispered, giving the man a gentle nudge.  Leif grunted and lazily batted a hand at Casimer, trying to get rid of him.  With a roll of his eyes, Casimer turned to the well and filled the bucket halfway with water, then splashed the water on Leif’s face.  The drunk’s eyes shot open and he began to sputter and cough.

            “Whart’d you do that fer?”  Leif shouted as he stumbled to get to his feet.  He looked down at the red stain on his shirt, gave it a sniff, and grimaced with a scrunch of his nose.

            “It’s well past noon and I figured you’d want to get started on your day.”  Casimer explained, filling up his bucket with water again.  “I also wanted to talk to you about something.” He whispered, darting his eyes down the alley and to the back door.

            Leif raised his eyebrows and peered around the alley as well, mirroring Casimer’s motions.  He glanced back at Casimer, confused.  “Whaddaya wanna talk about?”  He mumbled, blending his words together into a mush.

            “I want to know how you joined the revolution.”  Casimer said in a hushed whisper, his voice hidden by the roar of the marketplace on the other side of the inn.  Leif just shrugged and stretched his arms.

            “Ert was probably a little under a year ago when I first met Zak Iliev.”  Leif started, scratching the brown stubble on his chin.  “I’d been outta work fer a month er so, an’ I was goin’ ta the blacksmith, Alld, ta see if there was anythin’ I could do ta help him ‘round his forge, ya know?  Anyway, I overheard the two of ‘em talkin’ ‘bout a revolution an’ leadin’ a resistance against Zeke.  I wanted ta leave and ferget it, ‘cause it was only a few weeks after the Kinley Rebellion and I didn’t want ta end up like the old farmer, but somethin’ ‘bout Zak’s speech got ta me.  Zeke was the reason I’d lost me job and Zak offered me a chance ta fix that.  So I joined him!  Sometimes he pretends ta ferget who I am, though… Strangest thing, ya know?”  Leif opened the door to the inn for Casimer, who carried the bucket of water into the kitchen, leaving it on a countertop.

            “They’ve been planning this revolution for a year?”  Casimer muttered as he walked back out the back door, closing and locking it behind him.  “Was it part of the Kinley Rebellion?”

            Shaking his head, Leif walked with Casimer through the alley towards the street.  “Nah, but I think Kinley’s execution inspired ‘em.”  Casimer peered down the streets of the marketplace and nodded, holding a hand up to stop Leif.

            “I’d love to keep talking, but I need to get to class and I’d rather not have anyone hear us talking about this.”  Casimer shrugged, waving to Leif.  “If you want to go inside, I’m sure Granny Velma can get you a drink or something.”

            Leif shook his head and motioned to the empty wine bottle beside the well.  “I think I’ve had enough fer a while.”  He paused and looked around the alley before tentatively glancing back at Casimer.  “How’s about I go with ya ta yer class?  I’m goin’ to Alld’s anyways, and it’s on the way.”

            Nodding, Casimer walked into the crowded street followed by Leif.  The two followed the cobbled street, passing vendors selling various wares.  The smells of cooked meat, fresh spices, and stewing vegetables filled the air with a mouthwatering aroma.  “I hate walking through the market during meal time…”  Leif grumbled, placing his hands into the pockets of his ragged trousers.

            “So… What did you do when you were a town guard?”  Casimer asked, glancing up and down the street at the passersby.  He waved at Mr. Diarmaid, who was inside his shop, mixing together a fresh bowl of dough.  Mr. Diarmaid waved back with chunks of white dough falling from his hand onto his apron, sticking to him like large balls of gum.

            “Whart the Imperials don’t,” Leif began with a hiccup, sloppily waving at the baker.  “I kept the town safe.”  He chuckled and looked to the ground with a sigh.  “We used ta make the citizens feel safe, but nobody feels like that anymore…”

            “I was actually curious about your responsibilities, but yeah, that’s cool.” Casimer muttered, his eyes darting up and down the streets.  “I guess we should be glad no Imperials overheard that…”  Leif looked at the boy with a cocked eyebrow and shrugged.

            “Yer the daring type, though, ain’t ya?  What’re you afraid of the guards fer?”

            “I’m not afraid, I’m just… Cautious.  I don’t want to end up on the end of an Imperial spear.”

            Leif shrugged him off as they turned left down the street, staring face to face with the entrance to the College of the Arts.  Both males raised their eyebrows at the sight of a dozen Imperial guards standing around the college.  One guard stood in front of the others, speaking with the easily identifiable Zak Iliev.  His silver mask glistened in the afternoon sunlight, flickering like a candle in the dark.

            “What’s going on there?” Casimer asked, glancing up at Leif, whose amber eyes were narrowed as he strained to watch the soldiers.

            He muttered under his breath for a moment before speaking.  “Ert looks like the man at the head of the guard is making demands with Zak up there.  He probably wants Zak ta shut down the college.”

            “What?!” Casimer shouted.  “They can’t really do that, can they?”

            Shrugging, Leif continued.  “The College of the Arts is the last college in Zeke’s empire.  I imagine he’s suspicious about whart goes on in there and would rather see ert closed down.  Colleges have always been associated with rebels, and Zeke probably wants none of that.”

            Casimer clenched his fist as they watched the leader of the guards argue with Zak, his green-yellow eyes glaring at Zak’s emotionless face.  After a few minutes, the guards stormed off and Zak withdrew behind the doors of the college.

            “Well, ya better get to class.”  Leif said with a wave as he turned to leave.  “The days of this school are probably numbered.”

            Casimer watched as Leif walked down the street, disappearing into the crowd of bustling people, occasionally tripping and rubbing shoulders with a fellow pedestrian.  With a sigh, Casimer opened the doors of the College of the Arts, running his hand over the wood as if it were the first time he had ever felt them.  Entering the hall, he spotted Amanda and Floyde shaking hands, eager grins plastered on both of their faces.

            “What’s going on, guys?”  Casimer asked as he walked up to Amanda and Floyde.  The two jumped and glanced over at the intruder to their conversation.  Neither could see Casimer’s clenched fist in the pocket of his tunic, but his voice conveyed all the betrayed anger his fist would.  “Isn’t this the jerk that accused us of being spies in front of the whole revolution?”  He growled, pointing an accusing finger at Floyde.

            “First of all, my name’s Floyde,” Floyde began, his ash eyes glaring at Casimer.  “And second of all, I actually came to apologize to the both of you.  I made a mistake last night and I’m sorry.”

            Casimer simply huffed and glanced at Amanda.  “Can you believe this guy?”  He said as a joke, scoffing slightly.

            “He seems genuine to me.”  Amanda said with a shrug.  “Besides, he’s right to be suspicious of strangers, especially when he’s planning a revolution.”  She spoke softly, practically whispering the final word of her sentence.

            “No, Zak Iliev is planning a revolution.”  Casimer corrected, his lips pulled in a frown.

            Amanda just rolled her eyes before Floyde could interject.  “While we are on the topic of the revolution, though, I’d like you both to meet me at the college’s sparring room.”  Casimer and Amanda both stared at him with eyebrows raised.  “If you’re going to be a part of the revolution, you need to be trained like soldiers.”

            “Sure, I’ll be there after my class.”  Casimer resigned with a shrug, too tired to bother fighting with Floyde.  He turned to leave, but with a sudden energy, he spun around and pointed at Floyde.

            “Hey, did you see the guards confronting Zak outside just a few minutes ago?”

            Floyde shook his head and raised his eyebrows.  “No, Amanda and I saw some at the Temple of Divinity, but I don’t think they followed us here.  What were they doing?”

            “I’m not sure, but it looked like they wanted something from Zak.  Mr. Habar said that they’re going to try and shut down the college.”

            The taller boy scratched his chin, his black hair swaying by his shoulders.  “I’ll see you two in an hour.”  He muttered before storming off, his hair waving behind him like a cape.  Amanda glanced at Casimer and shrugged.

            “So, what class are you going to right now?”  She asked, walking down the hallway with him.

            “Business management with a focus on maintaining a ledger.”  Amanda gave him a cynical stare, her eyebrows raised and a smug grin on her lips.  “What?” Casimer began in his own defense.  “Just because we’re in a revolution doesn’t mean we can’t still go to school!”

            Sunlight filtered through the tainted windows in the sparring room where Amanda and Floyde waited for Casimer.  Amanda was wearing a faded tan tunic with similarly colored pants made from wool that she had borrowed from the college.  The outfit was scratchy and oddly stiff, but it was better than her temple robes,