TRAVELLER (Book 1 in the Brass Pendant Trilogy) by Amanda May Bell Page A
Authors: Amanda May Bell
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smugly, as we walked past exclusive shops and joined more walkers who hurried beside us towards office towers and train stations.
“There’s five on ground level one, but there’s another one on the balcony of that building at the end of the street,” said Morgan smugly, and he nodded towards a woman who stood on the fourth floor balcony of a Discovery Era building. This guard had a view of my walk all the way down the main street, and her balcony was opposite the paved, public courtyard I crossed each morning. From her vantage point, she’d be able to see me until I was at the top of the concrete steps. I shook my head.
“And that makes six, so you were right,” I said sourly, and Morgan grinned.
We passed the entrance to the underground train station and I’d completely forgotten to look for the man with the hopeful eyes this morning. When I looked for him now though, he wasn’t in his usual spot and I glanced at Morgan instead. As we continued on our way, I asked him about his life thus far and he answered my questions mainly with questions of his own. By the time we reached the school gate, I’d told Morgan about my tutor, and about Jonah, and about the school we were heading to, and I’d also told him I knew virtually no other questers, other than Evangeline. I’d explained to him that I’d been kept mostly isolated as a child for security reasons and I’d told him how I’d been in private tutoring for all of my quest training. I’d also told him I couldn’t wait for my finals to begin, and he knew I was counting the days until I could arise to join the Quest, but the only thing I knew about him was that his mother worked as a servant in the Palace, and that he’d been in group training for most of the last six turns. He did tell me I was his fourth finals partner though, and, because of this and his group training, he knew quite a few of the other questers in our year.
When we entered our school building, Morgan had to go to the school office to collect his timetable and to finalise some of the pages of paperwork that were typically needed for early twenty first century school enrolment. He insisted I go to class rather than wait for him though, because he didn’t know how long he’d be, and he assured me he’d be able to find his own way around the school when he was done.
When he was gone, I walked slowly to my first class, oblivious to the noise and the hurried pace of the students who walked impatiently around me. I wondered whether Morgan would be taking the same classes as Evangeline had taken. If he was, it meant we’d be together for most of the day.
“Class will be over by the time you get there,” said a voice beside me, and I was roused from my thoughts to find Josh grinning beside me. I smiled at him a little guiltily. I’d completely forgotten he took the first class with me today. I looked at Josh closely.
“Where’s your school tie?” I asked him.
“There was an accident in my lab this morning and I found another shirt, but I couldn’t find another tie,” he said, as he glanced down at his tieless shirt and shrugged. I frowned.
“What kind of accident?” I asked him, as we paused outside the door to our classroom. He looked to be unharmed, but I was still concerned. Some of his experiments sounded dangerous. He looked at me and grinned.
“I’d just added another element into a compound I’d manufactured but, unfortunately, it ended up being unstable in that ratio, as well as incompatible. When the compound exploded, it knocked my breakfast bowl off the bench and most of the contents landed on me,” he said cheerfully. I was still frowning.
“You eat breakfast in your lab?” I asked him. Eating around things that were exploding didn’t sound very hygienic.
“Not this morning. I think that was yesterday’s breakfast. I can’t be sure. I don’t record any data about breakfast cereal,” he said seriously. I shook my head and laughed.
“Well, at least
“There’s five on ground level one, but there’s another one on the balcony of that building at the end of the street,” said Morgan smugly, and he nodded towards a woman who stood on the fourth floor balcony of a Discovery Era building. This guard had a view of my walk all the way down the main street, and her balcony was opposite the paved, public courtyard I crossed each morning. From her vantage point, she’d be able to see me until I was at the top of the concrete steps. I shook my head.
“And that makes six, so you were right,” I said sourly, and Morgan grinned.
We passed the entrance to the underground train station and I’d completely forgotten to look for the man with the hopeful eyes this morning. When I looked for him now though, he wasn’t in his usual spot and I glanced at Morgan instead. As we continued on our way, I asked him about his life thus far and he answered my questions mainly with questions of his own. By the time we reached the school gate, I’d told Morgan about my tutor, and about Jonah, and about the school we were heading to, and I’d also told him I knew virtually no other questers, other than Evangeline. I’d explained to him that I’d been kept mostly isolated as a child for security reasons and I’d told him how I’d been in private tutoring for all of my quest training. I’d also told him I couldn’t wait for my finals to begin, and he knew I was counting the days until I could arise to join the Quest, but the only thing I knew about him was that his mother worked as a servant in the Palace, and that he’d been in group training for most of the last six turns. He did tell me I was his fourth finals partner though, and, because of this and his group training, he knew quite a few of the other questers in our year.
When we entered our school building, Morgan had to go to the school office to collect his timetable and to finalise some of the pages of paperwork that were typically needed for early twenty first century school enrolment. He insisted I go to class rather than wait for him though, because he didn’t know how long he’d be, and he assured me he’d be able to find his own way around the school when he was done.
When he was gone, I walked slowly to my first class, oblivious to the noise and the hurried pace of the students who walked impatiently around me. I wondered whether Morgan would be taking the same classes as Evangeline had taken. If he was, it meant we’d be together for most of the day.
“Class will be over by the time you get there,” said a voice beside me, and I was roused from my thoughts to find Josh grinning beside me. I smiled at him a little guiltily. I’d completely forgotten he took the first class with me today. I looked at Josh closely.
“Where’s your school tie?” I asked him.
“There was an accident in my lab this morning and I found another shirt, but I couldn’t find another tie,” he said, as he glanced down at his tieless shirt and shrugged. I frowned.
“What kind of accident?” I asked him, as we paused outside the door to our classroom. He looked to be unharmed, but I was still concerned. Some of his experiments sounded dangerous. He looked at me and grinned.
“I’d just added another element into a compound I’d manufactured but, unfortunately, it ended up being unstable in that ratio, as well as incompatible. When the compound exploded, it knocked my breakfast bowl off the bench and most of the contents landed on me,” he said cheerfully. I was still frowning.
“You eat breakfast in your lab?” I asked him. Eating around things that were exploding didn’t sound very hygienic.
“Not this morning. I think that was yesterday’s breakfast. I can’t be sure. I don’t record any data about breakfast cereal,” he said seriously. I shook my head and laughed.
“Well, at least
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