Bran Hambric by Kaleb Nation

Author:Kaleb Nation
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: 2015-03-27T00:00:00+00:00

Part II

Chapter 19

A Flight to East Dinsmore

Before dawn the next morning, Adi shook Bran awake.

“It’s time to go,” she told him, and he got out of bed without a word and got dressed. His hands shook as he zipped up the front of his jacket; it was still mid-August, but Adi had told him he would need it where he was heading. He carried his bag down the stairs. The strange key and his mother’s wand were both in its front pocket, so they were close at hand.

Adi pulled out of the driveway and headed off toward Deeper Dunce, which was what many Duncelanders called the bustling and busy downtown region. It was misty and cool that morning, and the sky cast a dreary atmosphere over the city.

“He’s my brother,” Adi finally said, breaking the silence. “He lives off the coast of East Dinsmore, in a place called Elsie Island. It’s a short flight from here, and you’ll have a driver take you from the city to his house.”

“And does he have experience with things like this?” Bran asked. Adi smiled halfway.

“With keys?” she said, seeming amused. “Bran, I don’t think there is anyone on this planet who is better suited to solving your dilemma than Gary.”

Gary, Bran repeated the name in his head. He hadn’t known that Adi had a brother.

“Is he a mage?” Bran asked.

“He is,” Adi replied. “And a far more powerful one than I will ever be.”

“You never told me about him.”

“I haven’t spoken to him in many years,” Adi said, with a sigh. “In fact, he’s been entirely cut off from the outside world for over fifteen years now.”

“Fifteen years?” Bran said with dismay, as Adi switched lanes. “He does know I’m coming though?”

Adi shook her head, and Bran laughed. When Adi did not laugh back, he realized that she was actually being serious.

“No, really?” Bran asked.

“No, really,” Adi said with a strong nod.

“How do you even know he still lives there then?” Bran said with panic.

“Don’t worry, Bran,” Adi said. “He wouldn’t have left that house. He will be there when you arrive. And he will surely help you when he reads my letter.”

At this, Adi removed from the pocket of her door an oversized red envelope with a thick, silver seal on the back holding it closed.

“What’s in it?” Bran asked.

“Just a few things Gary needs to know about you and the key,” Adi said quickly.

“Can I read it?” Bran questioned. Adi shook her head.

“It’s just something for my brother—there’s no need for you to pry into it. The seal is magic too, only Gary can open it,” she said, and the tone of her voice only made Bran all the more curious.

“But trust me,” she went on, “he’ll take you in when he reads it.”

Her words were meant to reassure him, but to Bran they sounded foreboding and made the envelope seem heavier when he took it. The seal bore a faint image of a crow with its wings outstretched as if about to take flight.

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