Page 27 (2/2)

I can see that Maven’s dress uniforone, replaced by casual clothes built for form and function It cal so infor about hiet that

"Are you done for the day?" he says, his face clearing to reveal an eager smile "I could show you around if you want?"

"No" The word comes out quickly and his smile fades His frown unsettlesto soften the blow Why I care about his feelings, I don’t exactly know "Youra little better "She does indeed Well, I won’t keep you"

He takes one, replaced with a delightful heat Before I get a chance to pull away, he leaves ives et there much faster if you actually moved"

"Shut up, Lucas"

THIRTEEN

My next instructor waits forwith ht existed They look old and completely priceless Despite my aversion to school and books of any kind, I feel a pull to thee I don’t understand, a jumble of sy as the books are the doainst the far wall, behind a pane of glass, is a vast, colorful ether from separate sheets of paper It’s at least twice as tall as led knot of red lines and blue coasts, green forests and yellow cities This is the old world, the before world, with old naer have any use for

"It’s strange to look at the world as it once was," the instructor says, appearing out of the book stacks His yellow robes, stained and faded by age, make him look like a human piece of paper "Can you find where we are?"

The sheer size of theelse, I’m sure this is a test "I can try"

Norta is the northeast The Stilts is on the Capital River, and the river goes to the sea After a , I finally find the river and the inlet nearjust north, where I suppose Suht be

He nods, happy to know I’ else?"

But like the books, the e "I can’t read it"

"I didn’t ask if you could read it," he replies, still pleasant "Besides, words can lie See beyond theain I was never a good student in school, and this h But tofor features I recognize "Thatthe area around a hooked cape

"Correct," he says, his face folding into a smile The wrinkles around his eyes deepen with the action, showing his age "This is Delphie now," he adds, pointing to a city farther south "And Archeon is here"

He puts his finger over the Capital River, a few est city on the map, in the entire country of the before world The Ruins I’ve heard the name, in whispers between the older kids, and froe, he called it A treht of such a place, still covered in so Will this world ever be like that, if our war doesn’t end?