The Wrath Of the Forgotten Read Free Page A

University.”
    “Thank you,” Nori said.
    Just as before, the crowd of people parted ways for him, but observed his passing with horrified intrigue. Nori’s insides trembled. A great weight tugged down on the skin of his face, but Nori refused to frown or show any sort of reaction. In Xian Ba, he had grown accustomed to the bitterness of others. With each step and breath, the vast storm of emotions swirling within him subsided.
    Several powerful aromas wafted all around him as soon as Nori emerged into the city. Immense streets wide enough to accommodate ten people walking side by side stretched before him. Two and three story wooden buildings with brown thatched roofs lined the avenues. Between each building existed narrow alley ways. Before the buildings sat large carts covered in assortments of food, drink, and knick-knacks. Peddlers yelled out deals to the many passerbys.
    Unevenly placed blocks made up the street, much like the walls that surrounded Jadai.
    At first, no one really noticed Nori.
    Then one of the vendors screamed, and all eyes darted around to see what the commotion was. Nori let out another sigh as he continued to move through the crowd. As he got closer to the other people, they parted ways. A small notion popped in his mind, and he allowed himself to smile. If these lowlanders thought he appeared imposing now, they would perhaps run in terror if they saw him in his typical attire.
    Nori passed by several street intersections, and they all looked the same to him. The same style of wooden houses with thatched roofs curling around the poorly made streets. At least in Onista, the buildings, roads, and defenses were better constructed.
    After walking several blocks, Nori came to the large fountain, which sat in the middle of a vast open plaza. Adults rested at tables set in various parts of the plaza, and they ate food while their children chased one another and played games. Soft music danced on the breeze. Nori’s eyes widened as he scanned the area for the source. He stood up on the tips of his toes, but he couldn’t see who played the music.
    It wouldn’t have mattered anyway, Nori couldn’t afford time to sit and relax. He let out a disgruntled sigh and studied the fountain a little more. The fountain had been carved with images of people dancing and having fun. It had a large basin at the bottom, and people perched themselves along its edge. Two more tiers extended from the basin. At the top of the fountain, a statue of a great horse stood up its back legs. Its front hooves had been raised up. Water poured out from its mouth.
    Nori strolled down the street directly to the fountain’s right. A tall tower extended into the sky at the far end street. The tower had five perceivable levels, and each of the tiers had ringed roofs that wrapped around their edges. A balcony extended on the top most tier. The entire tower had been painted with rainbow stripes that wrapped all the way around it from top to bottom. Nori winced. Just gazing at it made his head feel slightly woozy. Not even Xian Ba had a structure that looked so …garish. A small white wall stood erected around the tower’s base. Two guards stood in front of the gate that led to the university, and they talked amongst themselves until Nori broke through the crowd.
    Their armor was colored with a combination of white and dark blue hues. Swords hung at their belts. Neither of the guards made motion for the weapons, but they bawled their fists as Nori got ever closer.
    “Whoa!” One of the guards said. “Where do you think you’re going? This is the Jadai University of Magic. Are you lost or something?”
    Nori knelt down and set his bags and lute case on the ground. He rested his tetsubo beside the bags and started rifling through one of the sacks. After a moment, he pulled out a slender scroll.
    Slowly, he reached out and pointed it at one of the guards. “This is a letter from your headmistress, Madame Hao. I’m supposed to show you