When Arthur had finally relaxed, he turned to the girl that was holding his hand. She didn't look to be any older than sixteen at best and her frame was on the shorter side. Nevertheless, she bore the air of a dignified noble.
Her face retained its expressionless facade for a short moment before her cheeks flushed a light pink.
Who could blame her?
Having to hold hands with some random guy you happened to sit with on a RuneTrain was not a normal way to start the semester.
"Thank you," the prince spoke, his voice sounding raspy and hoarse.
'Darn it! Was I screaming? I know I wasn't. Was I?'
"Don't mention it," she replied indifferently, using her thumb to flip a page in the magical book.
Arthur had taken some interest in the magical object and watched as one of the pages merged with the grey metallic cover as the page she'd turned settled neatly onto the read pile of pages, never changing the number of pages on either side.
The book had runes lining the edge of both the front and back covers, shimmering with a dim shade of amber. Alcove was home to many incredible things. So much so that Arthur had no way of learning them all at once. Curiosity quickly worked its way into his mind.
"What's that your reading?"
"Elemental Beasts and Where to Find Them," the girl replied, using her thumb to flip the page.
'What a classic! Is there anyone who hasn't read that one?' Arthur internally groaned. He noticed how he couldn't tell what book the girl was reading… Well, of course, he couldn't. To him, the pages were white and wordless.
"That was a nice one. Though I was asking more about what you're reading it from."
The girl placed her thumb into the book and flipped to the cover, displaying a large intricately designed 'R' etched into the grey metallic front cover. She then regarded the prince with narrowed eyes, "Haven't you seen an R-Binder before?"
"An R-what now!"
"A RuneBinder… It's like a library that's in the form of a single book. It can be used to read any book it's allowed access to. RuneTech has been developing these for avid readers. Some people have R-binders that hold entire libraries' worth of texts," the girl replied, turning back to the page she was reading.
"Wow, that sounds incredible. And I thought I'd seen it all," the prince mused turning his face to stare up at the bag he'd placed on the luggage rack above him.
That's where the book he would have liked to read was being kept. Because of the nature of the large book, he couldn't just read it anywhere without attracting too much attention.
Its leather binding, the size of the book and the intricate phoenix head that was carved into the front cover were just a few of the reasons that made it impossible to read out in public.
The simple known fact that phoenixes were extinct was reason enough to gather suspicion of him holding such a book.
"Can I ask you something?" Arthur asked.
"Sure."
"How does someone… you know, put a book into the RuneBinder?" Arthur asked.
"Huh… Oh, you mean uploading. Wow, you're really green! Do you even live in Alcove?" the girl chuckled, "I'd show you but my hand is preoccupied with keeping you from falling out of your seat."
"Oh yeah. Thanks for that… again," Arthur replied nervously. He didn't know what would happen if she had not helped him out, "How did you know it would work though?"
"I'm starting to get convinced that you live in a cave," the girl shook her head, closing the RuneBinder. As soon as the two sides met, the slit vanished and the covers merged, making it look like a large metal tablet and not a book at all.
The girl noticed he was eyeing it and sighed, "It locks when I close it. If I'm not the one holding it, it won't open."
"So you mean it can tell that you're the one holding the book and no one else?" Arthur asked.
"Now I'm wondering if you have a phone," she mused.
"Give me some credit! I have that at least. I just got so excited about the Binder that I forgot something as basic as a lock," Arthur hurriedly defended himself.
With how much he'd gone into this conversation, his first outside of phoenix castle, he was convinced blending in was about to get a lot harder.
"Yeah yeah! I'm just messing with you. You better do your homework though. You'll need it if you're going to study at Barthlorn," the girl replied indifferently.
The prince sighed, "Yeah, I'll do that. Look at me being rude. I haven't introduced myself. My name is Arthur Ember."
"Nice to meet you, Arthur. Lucy Hawks. And the Gravity Emulator works on the person it's touching as well as what that person is touching. If it didn't work like that, then our drinks would just spill the moment the RuneTrain went upside down," Lucy explained.
"You know a lot about Runes. Are you hoping to perhaps become a Warlock?" Arthur suddenly asked.
The girl chuckled half-heartedly, "Oh no… That's impossible for me."
There was a slight hint of sadness in her voice. Arthur was about to ask what she meant by that when a voice echoed through the RuneTrain, "We are about to reach our destination. Now, if you may, turn your attention to our surroundings.
If you look to our right, you'll notice the famous Crimson Peaks and The Lake of Fire that surrounds it…"
Arthur barely heard the rest the man had to say as he looked out the window. The sights took his breath away immediately and took away the rest of his concentration. Now he understood why the RuneTrain had gone upside down for the largest part of the journey.
Far below them was a Great Mountain will flowing red slopes. The slopes of the great Crimson Peaks were barren and looked like something pulled out of a fantasy novel.
The Great Crimson Peaks glistened a dark crimson, like a portrait of cooling magma frozen in time.
The mountain itself was staggeringly mighty, shooting so high as though challenging the skies. Arthur had heard of the Crimson Peaks but until this moment, had never seen them in person. They were even more stunning to see in person.
The crimson slopes dipped gently down and touched the water on all sides. Surrounding this magnificent sight was a clear blue lake.
The Lake of Fire…
"These are the two most famous sights in the Red Dragon Kingdom and as you all know, strictly out of bounds to anyone without permission. No one is allowed to live on the Crimson Peaks, however, visits are not entirely off-limits as long as you have a guide with you.
If you look closely, you'll see RuneTrains and other private air-mobiles going around the mountain, giving the tourists a closer look at the phenomenal Peaks." The driver's voice continued over the sound of the speakers.
"Too bad we are not one of those tour guides. Next stop, Barthlorn School of the Supernatural. I hope you're all ready. This might just be better than the desolate mountain… Buckle up," as soon as the man had said that, the Rune Train took to the skies accelerating even faster as it shot for the sky.
The Crimson Peaks blurred out of view as they zipped away from them. Arthur, out of shock, grabbed onto Lucy's hand for dear life and kept his eyes forward.
'How can this guy drive this recklessly while upside down? Well, it's not like he's going to knock something, so maybe that's why.'
Arthur soon came to take back those words.