Bones of the Earth (The Equilibrium Cycle Book 1) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Part One - The Magus

  One - Terus

  Two - Consulate

  Three - Test

  Four - Exile

  Five - Manifestations

  Six - Citizenship

  Part Two - The Journey

  Seven - Leaving Terus

  Eight - Challenges

  Nine - Icarus

  Ten - Library

  Eleven - Flight

  Part Three - Trials

  Twelve - Training

  Thirteen - Climb

  Fourteen - Visions

  Fifteen - Decisions

  Sixteen - Revelations

  Seventeen - Family

  Eighteen - Torin

  Afterword

  Bones of the Earth

  The Equilibrium Cycle Book 1

  Jason A. Gilbert

  Copyright © 2016 Jason A. Gilbert

  Bones of the Earth- The Equilibrium Cycle Book 1

  Argonaut Publishing

  All rights reserved.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  For Layla, my inspiration.

  Part One: The Magus

  One

  Terus

  Laila looked out the window of her apartments. The sun was rising across Lake Artus and reflected gently off the tips of the boats floating in the harbor of Terus. She noticed a small figure climbing onto the tip of one of those masts. She could just make out the person's hand as they reached out from the main mast and tugged at one of the many lines, pulling it smoothly, releasing the large mainsail of the ship. As the sail unfolded in the wind, the figure deftly swung down, following the billowing sail as it stretched out. Laila marveled at the nerves it would take to move so easily so high from the ground; she had never been comfortable with heights. The figure had easily been a hundred feet in the air with no support.

  She watched for a moment longer as the ship picked up speed and cut its way out of the harbor and sailed out onto the main body of the lake. Part of her wondered what it would be like to travel on the ships that moved in and out of the harbor on a daily basis, sailing to faraway places: the other cities of the Confederacy, or even farther, north to the Dragonlands, or west, across the vast oceans. Then the fear rose up in her chest. It was a familiar feeling, this fear of things unknown. Terus was all she had ever known. And, in the end, that suited her just fine.

  "What are you looking at, child?" Her housemaid, Clara, walked into the room with an armful of robes.

  Laila stepped away from the window, turning to Clara. "Nothing, just watching the ships."

  "Dreaming of traveling, are we?" Clara asked, beginning to fold the robes carefully before placing them in Laila's wardrobe.

  Laila smiled. Clara had a habit of trying to guess her mind; she was rarely correct. "Not really. Just watching and wondering. I don't think I'd do well outside of Terus."

  "True enough. It is a wide world, child. But nothing to be afraid of. I think you'd do better than you expect." She finished with the robes and stood patiently at the entrance to Laila's room.

  "Was there something else?" Laila asked.

  Clara looked down her nose at her. "You know very well. It's time for your studies."

  Laila let out an exaggerated sigh, dropping into a small chair near the window. "Must we? I don't know that my mind can take much more."

  She brought her hand to her face to cover the fact that she was smiling underneath, knowing that it was just a show.

  "Oh, your mind can take much more. It's your body that might not be able to take it if you don't listen, child!"

  Clara feigned anger and stepped toward Laila, hands outstretched. Laila jumped up from the chair and dove behind it with a lighthearted shriek. Clara reached her and pulled her off the ground, returning her to her feet. They both smiled and laughed, enjoying the moment.

  "Come now, Laila-sa. Your Test is tomorrow. You want to be ready, don't you? Your mother and father have great expectations for you."

  Laila rolled her eyes. She knew all too well what her mother and father expected of her. Her father, the Consul. She half-expected him to have a political position ready for her as soon as she stepped out from her Test tomorrow. He had made no secret that he hoped that she would become a Consul, just like him. It wasn't that she did not want to be a Consul, someday. But to be pushed into a path so soon. In the end there was nothing for it. Laila reached out her arms to Clara, allowing herself to be led out. Clara laughed at the mocking movement and pushed Laila out of the room gently.

  They made their way through the hallways of Laila's family home. Turning a corner, they walked into the open-air garden situated at the center of the household. The air smelled of lavender and spices. Clara must have had something brewing in the kitchen adjacent to the garden; Laila could smell the wood of the fire underneath the heady scent of the spice. Her hands absently brushed along the flowers springing up in the garden, mingling with the other smells drifting on the air.

  "May we study out here today?" asked Laila.

  Clara considered Laila for a moment. Laila fidgeted under her gaze, her eyes drifting around the garden. She knew her studies were important, but just the idea of sitting in the house seemed confining today. If she could not go out into the city, at least she could enjoy the fresh air.

  "You are restless today." Clara nodded. "You can take your studies out here. We'll just review this morning, and then you can have some free time." Laila's eyes widened at the prospect. "But I want you back here before the end of mid-watch. I can't have you unprepared for tomorrow."

  "Of course! Thank you, Rara!"

  Clara nodded again and went into the house to retrieve her books and tables. Laila took a deep breath, taking in the smells of the garden, and then found a seat on one of the small stone benches scattered throughout. If she finished quickly enough, she might be able to catch Dio before he left for the market. She liked to help him take his pots to his small stall. It allowed her a glimpse of the market from behind the scenes, not as the daughter of a Consul.

  Clara returned shortly, and they began her lessons. Laila half-listened as there would be little new information for her today. Her Test was tomorrow, and anything she did not already know she was not going to learn in a day. Clara understood this and so focused her questions on the more abstract topics, those most open for debate.

  “What is the purpose of the Consulate?” Clara asked.

  “To ensure the prosperity of the city.”

  “And how does it achieve that goal?”

  “By being composed of those best-suited to make decisions for the good of the city, not individual gain,” Laila began to recite. “Consuls are those people most versed in philosophy, ethics, and law so that they can eliminate the distractions of individual gain and always look to the well-being of the city. Terus, in essence, becomes their family.”

  Laila could not help the tinge of resentment that slipped into her voice. Her father was always looking to the good of the city but rarely taking time out to see to the good of his only daughter. She caught the hint of a smile at the corner of Clara’s mouth. Clara knew of her feelings toward her father’s position.

  “That is the reason given in the books that you’ve studied. But what do you really think? Why is Terus and the rest of the Confederacy organized in this way? What purpose does Citizenship offer?
”

  Laila thought for a moment. She had never really considered what the actual purpose of their system was. A thought crossed her mind. “What do you think?” she asked Clara. “You’re not a Citizen. What does Citizenship mean to the Togati?”

  Clara’s eyes widened at the question, and she did not immediately answer. She studied her young ward for several moments. Laila began to feel uncomfortable under her gaze, but Clara’s hesitation made her even more curious to hear the woman’s response. The Togati were not Citizens, but they were still considered to be part of the populace of Terus. The majority of them were descendants of those who had failed the test long ago, as Clara was. Though every year there were a few more that joined their ranks, not many, but a few. Most were farmer or laborers. Some, like Clara, worked for families of Citizens. Laila had never considered how Terus would appear from their perspective.

  “The Togati serve, child. That is our purpose. Citizenship simply designates those we serve,” Clara finally answered, her voice flat.

  For a moment, Laila considered pushing the question. That was an over-simplified answer, which was the same issue Clara had just taken with her response. But something in Clara’s body, the set of her shoulders, the tightness in her jaw, told Laila not to pursue it.

  “Think on your own answer,” Clara continued, moving past the awkward silence. “The Consuls will not want a rote response tomorrow. You will have to prove that you understand things on your own, without having to pick them up from a book.”

  Laila nodded. Clara continued with the review for a while longer, but she did not bring up the Citizenship question again. Laila drifted, considering what Clara had asked. What was the purpose of Citizenship? Finally, after nearly an hour, Clara snapped the book closed on her lap.

  “Go, child. It’s almost the end of dawn-watch. That gives you nearly four hours. But I want you back here before the end of the mid-watch. We still have things to work on.”

  "Thank you again, Rara!" Laila exclaimed, jumping up from the bench, her full attention finally returned to the present.

  "Yes, yes. Go, clear your head. I expect it to be empty and ready to be filled," Clara stated, brushing off Laila and cleaning up her books and notes, taking them back in the house.

  Laila immediately took off, rushing out of the garden, through the main part of the house, and out the front gate. Her family’s estate was not far from Dio's workshop. With some luck, as the sun had already made its way up the sky, she could make it to his workshop just before he left. The crowds had not yet gathered along the avenue in front of her estate, and her light feet carried her off into the morning air.

  Within minutes she turned the corner onto the street that Dio's workshop was on. She could see him loading up a small cart with his pots as she rushed down the street in a small cloud of dust. Dio looked up as she approached. The young man’s eyes narrowed for a moment, studying Laila’s approach, then widened, Laila thought in disappointment, though she could never tell. Dio usually liked Laila's help, or at least he seemed to. He confused her sometimes.

  "Morning, Dio!" Laila said, finally coming to a stop by his cart and catching her breath.

  Dio continued loading the cart. "Good morning, Laila. Shouldn't you be preparing for your Test? Is it not tomorrow?"

  Laila's smile turned to a slight frown. "Yes, it is. And everyone has made it their purpose to remind me. It's just a test!"

  "It's not just a test, Laila, it's the Test. After tomorrow, things will start changing for you, least of which is me being able to call you Laila. After tomorrow it’ll be Dame Wardein” He said, using the formal title of a Citizen, one specifically used for a Citizen considered more important than yourself. The comment finally drew a smile onto Dio's face.

  "You'll always call me Laila. At least you better. Dame Wardein is my mother, I will be Shi Wardein… and either one makes me sound old. Which makes you really old,” Laila absently picked up one of the smaller pots on the cart, examining the work, chuckling almost to herself.

  “I…I’m only three years older. I didn’t mean…Oh—” he cursed quietly, causing Laila’s laugh to deepen, “You were barely off your mother’s robes, if I remember, when I took my own Test!”

  Laila bristled with frustration. "I was twelve years old. That’s hardly ‘just off mother’s robes.’ Honestly, it’s no wonder I’m the only one who likes to spend time around you," she quipped, "Need any help?"

  Dio picked up a large pot, the last one. His muscles strained as he pivoted and waddled his way toward the cart. With a grunt he dropped it as gently as he could and took a deep breath before answering.

  "Not today, Laila. I don't need your mother showing up and giving me a tongue lashing for keeping you away from your studies. Or your father, actually. Especially not your father!" he raised his hands, feigning defense against a specter of Laila's father.

  Laila chuckled half-heartedly. "I'm sure father is busy. He's always busy. And I can deal with mother. Clara let me go, at least for the rest of the morning. What else am I supposed to do?"

  "Terus is a big city. I'm sure you can find some way to occupy your time. It just won't be with me. I'm sorry."

  “Is this how it’s going to be?” she asked.

  He stopped in the middle of picking up his cart and turned to look at her. “What do you mean?”

  “Is this how it’s going to be now that I’m taking my Test? You’ve never had an issue with my help before. I used to think you enjoyed my company. But now that I’m taking my Test, suddenly you can’t hang out anymore. Clara was acting odd this morning too. I don’t like it. Especially if that’s what happens after someone takes their Test.”

  “I…I’m sorry, Laila.” He took a deep breath. “I do enjoy your company. But today is not the day. You may not think anything of it, but the Test is important—”

  “I know.”

  “I know you think you know that. But you’re favored. Your father’s a Consul. Your mother’s a Guardian. The chances of you not being placed are small. Not everyone is in that position. Regardless of your parentage, barring you being placed as an Artisan like me, you and I won’t have much to talk about after tomorrow…” He trailed off, and Laila thought she could see a hint of regret in his eyes.

  “I… But…all right,” she finally conceded, not able to muster a clear response.

  He looked at her for a moment, sympathy clearly showing on his face. He then moved to the front of the cart, picked up the handles from the ground, and made his way toward the market. Laila began to watch him go and then took three quick steps and dropped the small pot she had been holding into the cart. Dio looked back to see that it was safe and then smiled at Laila. She tried to smile back, but it came out as a half-grimace, half-smile. So much for that distraction, she thought.

  She scuffed her feet along the road and solemnly made her way back the way she had come. Dio had been her best option. All of her other friends would likely be tied up in their own studies at the Academy. Selene was the only one who might be able to leave, since she was tutored at home as Laila was. But she lived on the other side of the city, and if she were not able to get away, it would be a long walk back home, alone. So she wandered back along the side streets she had taken to get to Dio's workshop.

  As she turned back onto the large avenue that ran in front of her estate, she noticed an odd figure standing in front of the gates to her house. The individual wore heavy robes of a dark color and was so draped in clothing that Laila could not determine whether it was a man or a woman. A large cowl was pulled up over the person’s head, which was odd. While the weather this morning was crisp, the autumn sun was just slow catching its stride. It would be much hotter later in the day.

  Laila slowed her steps as she approached. Before she could say anything, the person turned toward her. Black hair with streaks of gray hung out of the cowl, and it seemed knotted and twisted at the ends. A short-cut beard covered the man's face. Dark hooded eyes studied Laila, and she stopped
in her tracks. The robes were not of the style of any Citizen of Terus. He was a Xenos. An outsider. She should have immediately called for Clara, but her curiosity got the best of her. He was only a Xenos, that did not necessarily make him a bad person.

  "Can...can I help you?" Laila stuttered.

  The odd man tilted his head to one side, studying her more intently. His dark eyes held her gaze for an uncomfortable amount of time. Finally, he answered.

  "No, young one. I was just admiring this house. Am I to assume that you live here?" His voice was scratchy and deep.

  Laila nodded hesitantly.

  "It is a fine house." With that, he turned and walked away. Laila watched him leave, not sure of what to do. He soon disappeared around a corner and into the crowds that were gathering along the avenue. She snapped out of her paralysis and looked around, seeing if anyone else had witnessed the odd exchange. No one else seemed to notice, caught up in their own day-to-day activities. She shook her head, clearing it, and stepped back into the gate.

  As she came into the main hall, she saw Clara sitting at one of the side tables, preparing another round of books and papers for Laila to study.

  "That was quick." Laila could not have been gone more than a half hour.

  "I know. Guess I won't be able to get away from you after all," Laila responded.

  Clara gave a quick laugh and then motioned for Laila to take a seat next to her at the table as she opened up one of the books.

  Two

  Consulate

  What amounted to heat in late autumn beat down on the garden. Laila made her way out of her house once again. Her lessons with Clara were completed for the day. She had gone through them well enough. She was still not confident that she would perform as well as her family expected, but there was nothing else to do at this point.