Chapter 64: Contact

  The carriage did not slow when night came.

  It seemed almost to be grateful for the darkness.

  Runes along the frame awakened one by one as dusk faded into deep blue, lines of soft silver light spreading across reinforced panels. The hum beneath the floor deepened, smoother and stronger than before, and the wheels barely touched the road anymore. Mana currents gathered beneath the chassis, lifting the vehicle just enough that stones and ruts no longer mattered. Outside, the world blurred into streaks of shadow and moonlight.

  If one of the kids were to peek out the window, they would notice the Runes along the external frame are leaking a soft, black mist enveloping the Escort guards and seeping into their armor, masking their presence. Courtesy of the subtle preparation they put in place when deciding to ride through the night.

  Inside, lantern crystals dimmed automatically, bathing the cabin in a warm amber glow meant to encourage rest.

  No one was truly asleep.

  Lance lay on his bunk staring at the ceiling, one arm folded behind his head as the gentle sway of motion rocked the carriage. The rhythm should have been comforting. Instead, it made the silence feel heavier.

  Across from him, Slade shifted, armor removed but stacked neatly within arm’s reach. Even relaxed, he looked prepared to leap upright at the slightest disturbance.

  Aoife occupied the upper bunk, one leg dangling over the side as she flipped a small dagger between her fingers, the blade catching flashes of lantern light.

  “They are not slowing,” Lance muttered quietly.

  Slade snorted. “You only noticed now?”

  “We have been moving faster since sunset,” Lance said. “The turns are sharper. Less stops.”

  Aoife leaned over the edge of her bunk, braid hanging downward. “We have not stopped at all. Not once since midday.”

  That realization settled between them.

  Outside, wind rushed past with a low continuous roar.

  Lance exhaled slowly. “Lets just all agree that nothing is wrong and we are close to the academy okay?”

  “No,” Slade answered. “Convoys stop. Horses rest. Guards rotate.”

  Aoife twirled the dagger once more before catching it. “Unless something scared the people in charge.”

  The word lingered.

  Lance turned his head slightly. “You think something happened?”

  “I think,” Aoife said softly, “that adults with too much power only rush when they know something we do not, especially considering how painfully obvious it is that Ellowen and Perrin are definitely not ordinary people.”

  Slade nodded once. “I saw Master Perrin putting those little carved rocks around the carriage and gave one to the escort captain too..”

  Lance frowned. He had sensed it vaguely but assumed it was routine caution.

  “So we are just… riding through the night?”

  “Looks like it,” Slade said. “Until we reach the Academy.”

  “Also I think the most obvious change would be that Ellowen changed the Main enchanted horse with a summon of his own. Now he is a glorified, overpowered Carriage driver. With Master Perrin laying down on the hood.” Lance said while pointing up.

  A small popping sound interrupted them.

  Near the far end of the carriage, perched upside down from a luggage rack like an oversized bat made of shifting darkness, Ellowen’s summoned creature stirred.

  The Void Popper stretched its tiny limbs, its round body wobbling as star-like specks flickered across its surface. Two bright eyes opened, glowing with smug satisfaction.

  A big you can't touch me graced its ethereal, wispy form. Somehow.

  Lance groaned quietly. “Why is it awake again?”

  Across the carriage, the small void creature hovered near the luggage rack, a wispy sphere of shifting darkness no larger than a melon. Its surface rippled like smoke caught underwater, faint pinpricks of pale light blinking within its depths. It drifted lazily in the air, slowly rotating as if observing them all at once.

  Aoife rolled her eyes. “Because it never sleeps.”

  The creature bobbed once, almost smugly, its shape swelling and shrinking in a slow pulse.

  “You hid inside a grain sack earlier,” she added, pointing accusingly.

  The void ball compressed slightly, then puffed outward again, wobbling in place as though offended.

  Slade chuckled under his breath.

  “Yeah,” Lance said, turning onto his side. “Very heroic behavior.”

  The creature floated higher, spinning in a slow circle before settling back near the ceiling. A faint ripple of shadow trailed behind it like ink dispersing through water. It gave a small, satisfied wobble.

  Aoife snorted quietly. “Look at it. It thinks it did something important.”

  The void popper drifted closer to their bunks, hovering between them. Its surface shimmered faintly, tiny motes blinking brighter for a moment before dimming again. The motion felt deliberate, almost preening.

  From behind a wooden divider separating the outside from the in, Ellowen’s tired voice drifted out. “Either go to sleep, or try and catch it.”

  The sphere froze midair.

  Then it slowly rotated toward the curtain.

  Its edges tightened, drawing inward as though attempting innocence.

  “No need to go so easy on these young ones, mister Popper, but rest well. You will be spending most of your time in this carriage.” Ellowen added.

  The creature shrank slightly, dimming in response, before drifting back toward the luggage rack and settling there, though its faint glow suggested it remained very much awake.

  Slade shook his head. “Worst guardian spirit ever.”

  The void ball expanded again at that, pulsing once in protest.

  Lance let out a quiet breath that almost became a laugh. The tension sitting in his chest loosened slightly.

  Outside, moonlight flashed through the windows as the carriage crossed a bridge at impossible speed. Water below reflected silver streaks that vanished almost instantly behind them.

  Aoife’s voice softened. “Do you think we are in danger?”

  No one answered immediately.

  Finally, Slade spoke. “If we were, guards would already be fighting.”

  “That is not reassuring,” Lance said.

  “It should be,” Slade replied calmly. “Means whatever they are worried about is far away.”

  Aoife lay back on her bunk, staring upward. “Or they are making sure it stays far away.”

  The carriage tilted slightly as it took another turn without slowing. The hum beneath the floor deepened, mana thrumming with steady power through the runes.

  Lance felt the acceleration press faintly against his back. The Academy felt closer somehow, even though he had never seen it before. Every mile carried them toward something larger than training or lessons.

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  Toward expectation. Toward responsibility. To think, I got crushed by a speeding truck just to end up back in school. The agony.

  “You ever think,” Lance said quietly, “about how strange this all is?”

  Slade glanced at him. “Strange how?”

  “We were just… kids. Villages. Training fields. Then we had that… thing uproot our whole lives. Almost dying, forcing new classes upon you two, strengthening mine.”

  “Yeah, pretty sweet we got epic classes. Plus, you are also a special case throughout the entire continent."

  Aoife nodded slowly. “Well.. he is a legendary class holder.”

  The title sounded heavier spoken aloud at night.

  “I did not ask for that, it stresses me out the more I think of the implications.” Lance admitted.

  “Neither did anyone,” Slade said. “But here we are.”

  The void creature drifted down again, hovering between their bunks. Its surface shimmered faintly, tiny lights swirling within like distant stars. It lingered there, gently bobbing, as if listening.

  Aoife grabbed a pillow and tossed it upward. The fabric passed straight through the sphere, scattering faint wisps of shadow that reformed instantly behind it.

  The void popper recoiled slightly, shrinking before swelling again, its glow flickering in mild indignation.

  Lance smiled faintly despite himself.

  Silence settled again, calmer this time. The steady hum of enchanted motion filled the space like distant thunder.

  After a while, Aoife spoke again, voice quieter. “When we reach the Academy… things will change.”

  Slade nodded. “Training gets real.”

  “Expectations too,” Lance added.

  None of them said what they were truly thinking. That the world outside seemed to be moving pieces into place around them. That unseen dangers already hunted people like them.

  At the far end, the curtain shifted slightly as Ellowen peeked out, hair messy from the wind of riding.

  “You three should try resting,” he spoke softly. “We will arrive sooner than you think.”

  “Can you tell them to slow down?” Lance asked.

  Ellowen smiled faintly. “Not this time.”

  He glanced toward the window, expression briefly serious.

  “They want us inside the Academy walls as fast as possible.”

  That confirmed it.

  Something had changed.

  The void popper drifted back toward its perch, settling into the corner near the ceiling. It pulsed rhythmically, faint light blooming and fading as if pleased with the situation, watching over the carriage in silent vigilance.

  Aoife groaned softly. “It is still staring at us.”

  The sphere rotated slowly.

  “Definitely judging,” she muttered.

  The carriage surged forward again, faster still, mana engines singing beneath the floor as night stretched endlessly ahead of them.

  One by one, conversation faded.

  Slade’s breathing deepened first, disciplined even in sleep. Aoife eventually stilled above them, dagger finally set aside. Lance remained awake the longest, watching reflections of moonlight slide across the ceiling.

  Somewhere beyond the horizon waited the Academy, towering and unknown.

  Behind them, danger moved unseen.

  And between the two, the carriage raced through the night without stopping, carrying its passengers toward a future none of them fully understood yet, while a small sphere of living void hovered silently above, its faint starlike lights blinking patiently as it kept watch.

  _________________________________

  The world ended in motion.

  A violent force slammed into the carriage from the side, ripping sleep apart before it could fully claim anyone. Wood groaned. Metal shrieked. The entire cabin lurched upward as if seized by a giant hand.

  For one weightless heartbeat, Lance felt nothing beneath him.

  Then gravity returned.

  The carriage tipped sharply, throwing bodies against bunks and walls. Luggage tore free from its restraints. Someone shouted. The floor vanished sideways as the vehicle rolled onto its flank with a thunderous crash.

  Glass rattled. Lantern crystals flared bright white.

  And just as suddenly, the runes along the frame erupted with blinding light.

  A deep pulse surged through the chassis.

  The carriage lifted.

  Not smoothly, not gently. It jerked upright, hovering crookedly for a fraction of a second before slamming back onto all four wheels hard enough to rattle teeth and steal breath.

  The impact jolted Lance fully awake.

  Outside, explosions followed. Crashing like thunder and screaming like a roar.

  The sound cracked through the night again and again, each detonation shaking the reinforced panels. Shouts echoed beyond the walls, overlapping voices barking orders, steel clashing, mana discharging in sharp bursts that hummed through the air like angry insects.

  For several seconds none of them moved.

  Slade hit the floor first, already reaching for his armor despite the confusion. Aoife clung to the edge of her bunk, eyes wide, braid half undone. Lance pushed himself upright, heart hammering so hard he could feel it in his throat.

  “What was that?” Aoife exclaimed with a squeal.

  Another explosion answered her.

  The carriage rocked violently as something struck the exterior. Dust sifted down from the ceiling beams.

  Outside, a guard screamed.

  The sound cut off abruptly.

  Silence followed for half a breath before shouting resumed louder than before.

  Slade froze midway through fastening a strap. “Oh god they are seriously fighting out there.”

  “No kidding,” Lance muttered, though his voice barely worked.

  A flash of light burst through the window slits, painting the cabin blue. The shadows twisted wildly as mana surged nearby.

  The Void Popper dropped from the luggage rack.

  It did not wobble smugly this time. Its spherical form tightened, edges sharpening as faint stars inside it flared bright. The creature hovered low between them, spinning slowly as if searching for threats through solid walls.

  Another impact rattled the carriage.

  Someone outside yelled, “Hold the perimeter!”

  Metal rang against metal. A deep roar followed, not human, vibrating through the ground itself.

  Aoife slid off her bunk. “We should look.”

  “No,” Slade said instantly.

  She hesitated. “We cannot just sit here.”

  “Yes, we can,” he replied, voice steady but tight. “That is exactly what we were told to do if something happens when we left! We are twelve. What the hell can we do out there?”

  Lance swallowed. Every instinct screamed at him to see, to understand, but fear rooted him in place. The noise outside felt enormous, far larger than anything they had trained for.

  Another explosion shook the carriage harder than before. The lanterns flickered out for a moment before stabilizing.

  Dust filled the air.

  From the other side of the carriage, one of the carved rocks shimmered, and a sharp and commanding voice came from it.

  “Stay inside! Do not open the doors!”

  The authority in his tone erased any argument. That was Perrin, and for the first time his voice was raised.

  A second voice followed, Ellowen, muffled but urgent. Runes activated outside with a rising hum that vibrated through the floorboards.

  The carriage shuddered again, then steadied as protective enchantments layered themselves into place.

  Lance realized his hands were shaking.

  He clenched them into fists.

  “What are we being attacked by?” Aoife whispered.

  No one answered.

  The Void Popper floated toward the door, pressing close without touching it. Its surface rippled violently, shadows leaking outward like smoke searching for cracks.

  Outside, something slammed into the ground nearby with a heavy impact.

  A guard shouted an incantation.

  Light exploded through the windows again, this time gold and blinding. Heat washed through the cabin even through enchanted insulation.

  Slade finally finished securing his chestplate. “If they breach the carriage, we should definitely be ready..” he said softly, like he was trying to hype himself up.

  Aoife nodded, gripping her dagger tighter than Lance had ever seen.

  Lance forced himself to breathe slowly. In. Out. The lessons drilled into him during training surfaced automatically. Panic wasted energy. Panic killed.

  Another roar shook the night, closer now.

  The sound dragged across his nerves like claws on stone.

  Not an animal. Something larger. Something wrong.

  The carriage lurched forward suddenly as if struck from beneath. All three of them stumbled, catching themselves on bunks and rails.

  Outside came frantic shouting.

  “Barrier failing!”

  “Reinforce the left flank!”

  A streak of violet light slashed past the window, followed by a shockwave that rattled every bolt in the frame.

  Aoife flinched. “They are losing.”

  Slade shook his head quickly. “We do not know that.”

  But his voice lacked certainty.

  The Void Popper pulsed brighter, then darted upward toward the ceiling. Its form expanded slightly, shadows thickening until the air around it dimmed.

  It was guarding them.

  Lance felt it instinctively.

  A sudden silence fell outside.

  Not peace.

  Absence.

  The kind that came right before something terrible.

  Even the guards stopped shouting.

  For one long breath, the only sound was the humming of the carriage wards.

  Then came a single, deafening impact against the outer barrier.

  The entire carriage bowed inward as invisible force slammed into it. Runes along the walls ignited in frantic chains of silver and blue, struggling to hold.

  Cracks of light spiderwebbed across the protective enchantments visible through the windows.

  Aoife covered her mouth. Darkness flooding out of her, trying to hide herself.

  Slade stepped in front of them without thinking. His comically large shield acting as a second wall.

  Lance felt mana stir inside him in response to fear, hot and restless. Frost covered his body as armor, his arms and feet laced with snaking electricity. The ring his mother gave him kept the two energies from clashing with each other in his panicked state.

  Outside, a voice echoed through the chaos.

  Low, guttural and distorted.

  Not shouting, yet somehow louder than everything else.

  “Found you.”