Aftershock

WYLIE ENDAL

HE WAS SITTING IN the common room when Master Karen Glibly—the Beacon of the Gold Tower—entered with a dramatic flourish. "Attention prodigies!" he announced over the constant drone of conversation. "I've just received a scroll from Eternalia." Immediately the entire room quieted. "Instructions mandate that the scroll be opened at precisely 9 o'clock, and no, I do not intend to disregard this request."

"But it's 8:58," one of Wylie's friends Koen complained. "Is it really that big a deal if we open it two minutes early?"

"Well if you don't think two minutes will matter to anyone else, two minutes shouldn't matter to you," Master Karen responded. "We'll wait to open it until the time designated by the Council. In the meantime, I have a few announcements to make." Wylie started zoning out almost immediately. Nothing Master Karen said was very interesting, although a scroll from the Council certainly spiced things up. The Council hadn't sent out mass scrolls since his mother, Cyrah, died eleven years ago.

Come to think of it, they usually sent out scrolls when deaths occurred. He wondered who it was this time. One of the ancients, finally succumbing to old age? Or maybe one of the strange Ruewens had finally kicked the bucket. Personally, he hoped it was one of the Council members. They deserved it for breaking his father's mind. And they didn't even have the decency to let the freaky human girl heal it. If they didn't let her heal it soon, he would be forced to take matters into his own hands. Meaning: sneak the human girl into Exile and break his dad out. Or maybe seek out the Black Swan. But they hadn't been or much help over the past twelve years. They'd just let his dad rot in a broken state. What made him think they could do anything now?

He hadn't really thought his Plan B through much, yet.

He was startled out of his own thoughts when Koen jumped up beside him and crowed, "It's 9 o'clock! On the dot!"

"Thank you, Mr. Copal," Master Karen said shortly. "The message follows: As of yesterday, Alden Vacker has confirmed that Sophie Foster"—Wylie perked up at this—"and Dex Dizznee drowned in a tragic accident. A joint funeral will be held this afternoon in the Wanderling Woods for friends and family of the deceased. That's all."

Wylie sat frozen for a moment. Sophie Foster couldn't be dead. She was his father's only chance to be healed. His dad had said she'd fix him!

He didn't realize he'd said it out loud until Master Karen said with genuine remorse, "I'm sorry, Mr. Endal, but the deaths have been confirmed by Alden Vacker. Their loss will be felt deeply by our community, especially as we've had so little time with them."

Wylie shot up and stalked out of the room, out of the tower.

"Mr. Endal! Prodigies are not permitted to leave the towers during the week. Mr. Endal!" Master Karen shouted after him, but he was already gone.

Wylie was halfway across the grounds before he realized the only place he wanted to go. He pulled out his pathfinder and leapt home.

Tiergan met him at the door.

"I assume you've heard the news?" Tiergan asked as Wylie brushed past him into the house.

He seemed to take Wylie's sullen silence as an answer.

"I truly am sorry. I know how much Sophie represented for you—"

"What am I supposed to do now?" Wylie demanded, collapsing onto their couch. "How am I supposed to fix my dad? Sophie was supposed to be the answer!"

"I'm sure the Black Swan had a backup plan for this situation—"

Wylie scoffed. "Like they've done anything helpful the past twelve years, except let my dad rot in Exile like a common criminal—"

"Wylie," Tiergan scolded. "You know that's not true."

"Then what have they been doing? Because I sure as hell haven't seen them so much as spare a moment for my dad."

Tiergan sighed. "What do you want me to say, Wylie? That you were right? Yes, Sophie was their plan for getting your dad out of Exile. But I'm sure that now, because that is no longer an option, they are investigating every angle

Wylie let the silence drag on a moment before sighing.

"So what do I do now?"

Tiergan sighed and sat heavily next to him. "I don't know."

Wylie slumped, all the energy leaving him. "I don't know either."

They sat that way until long after dusk fell.