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  As soon as she felt fully dressed and ready, she hurried to the throne room. Others were lounging around on the inside and she saw Helen and Khar standing by a window looking outside. They lifted their heads when she walked in and motioned for her to join them.

  “Your hair!” They said in unison reaching up to touch it.

  She hadn’t found the time to braid it and so she had brushed it into a tight knot that sat at the top of her head. It was the way she had been taught to do her hair for battles, but it always drew attention because it emphasised how different her features were. Back at the temple, she would only do her hair like this if Master Morrel insisted. Still, if Khar and Helen reacted like this, she was bound to draw the attention of other students, which was the opposite of what she wanted.

  “I didn’t have time to braid it.” She whispered.

  “I would love to have hair this dark and menacing,” Khar said,

  “You say that now,” Gaia teased, “until you have to tame it.”

  They all laughed. The doors opened and they watched as Tafari and Kirk walked into the room. Their eyes immediately landed on her and for a moment she saw something puzzling flash across their faces. They made their way through the crowd of students and over to where she stood.

  “You ladies ready for the day I hope,” Tafari said.

  “I went back to my room and fell asleep,” Khar replied with a light chuckle that was barely audible. It seemed everything about her was tiny and almost insignificant.

  “Students.”

  The command startled her. She turned to face the front of the room where a woman was standing. Gaia assumed this was the headmistress and she had somehow entered without notice. She was tall with dark skin and piercing green eyes that gleamed even through the thick spectacles she wore.

  Her stance was that of a military commander who was tired of waiting for her soldiers to come to order. There came a fluttering noise above her head and Gaia watched in astonishment as the headmistress motioned for a condor bird to perch on her shoulder. The bird looked menacingly over the crowd of students.

  “Stand in the order of your guild!” she commanded

  The students didn’t utter a word, instead, they shuffled around the room and stood in order of their clans. She was at the end of the room with Myren and Aldon standing next to her. When they were fully assembled, the woman nodded approvingly.

  “Welcome to The Leviathan. I am Master Adilade, your headmistress.” She said aloud, “This is the only opportunity that will ever be awarded to any one of your generation and many generations to come.”

  Gaia felt proud to be standing there, but she also felt out of place.

  “You will all be taught the history of our kingdom. You will learn the customs of the royals and high society. In the end, only five of you will be chosen to lead the guilds from which you hail. It will be a trying three years, but you must be strong, or you will break.”

  The way she said those last words were chilling, she sounded almost eager to see the breaking.

  “I will now call the three of the Mistralen guild to choose their teams.” She said, “Be careful leaders, once you’ve chosen, you can never recant your decision.”

  Gaia watched as the three Mistrals marched to the front of the room. She hadn’t taken much notice of the other two but as she stood there, she got a better look at them. She glanced at Andro who was scanning the room possibly sizing up all the students to see who he would choose. The prince was the tallest of the three boys, but the others looked equally commanding and fierce. She wondered if they had been trained to become leaders as well.

  “The prince will select first. One person from each clan.”

  She watched as Kirk stepped forward. He scanned the room keeping his eyes impassive. She wondered if he would choose her and suddenly her heart began to race. A rush of colour crept up her cheeks. His eyes flashed over her and when their eyes met, she looked away quickly.

  “I choose Tafari the Shango,” he said as if measuring his words, “Helen the Anduanna, Khar the Dorylus and.”

  He made his way over to where she stood with the others of her clan. She was holding her breath without realizing it. He didn’t look at her, only at the others and her heart fell. He was going to choose one of them.

  “And Gaia the Cenobyte.” He said.

  Her surprise held her in place.

  “Gaia,” He said, flashing her a smirk she knew was meant to irritate her.

  Instead of lashing out, she simply left her place and went to stand next to the others who had separated from the group to form a cluster in the corner of the room. They looked at her excitedly and she exhaled.

  “Next, Andro.” The headmistress said.

  She watched as Andro went and chose his team. She could tell by his expression that he wasn't pleased that the prince had been allowed to choose first. Still, he looked satisfied with his choices. He had chosen Aldon which made Myren’s countenance fall. The last team was chosen by default and then they were all assembled before Master Adilade once again in their teams.

  “In the morning when you come, you must be attired in your training clothes only.” She said, “your initial assessment will take place in the morning.”

  Gaia wondered what the older woman meant when she said assessment. As she looked around, she noticed that the others didn’t seem too concerned. They all knew what was going to happen.

  “Follow me.” The headmistress said.

  They moved in unison allowing her to leave the platform and make her way through the crowd of students to the doorway. Together they followed silently. Gaia hung back in her group trying to piece together what was happening. She was missing some key information that the masters must have kept hidden from her. She turned to look at Myren and Aldon to see if they looked as lost as she felt but they were confident in their stride. She ignored the nagging sensation of dread and continued walking.

  “Are you alright?” Tafari asked.

  “This is all new.” she replied, “I admit I have no idea what's going on here.”

  He looked at her quizzically.

  “Your master didn’t teach you about The Leviathan?” He asked.

  “I must have ignored those teachings.” She admitted.

  She had always been more concerned with testing the limits of her body than that of her mind. It was a failing she realized could cost her much more than a reprimand here in the palace.

  “I’ll explain later.” He replied, giving her a reassuring nod.

  They walked in their groups away from the dorms and deeper into the palace. As they walked along the hallways, she saw servants dressed in their uniforms moving about their duties.

  “Here we are.” The headmistress said when they came to two massive double doors. She threw them open with little effort which surprised Gaia. As if sending out a warning, the Condor shrieked and vaulted into the room ahead of them.

  Inside she saw tables and chairs arranged throughout the room so that they were all facing one direction. Towards the front of the room was a singular large table with a chair. Behind it was another door.

  “You will receive your lessons here.” She said, “The library is through that door. You are allowed to use all these books, but you are forbidden to remove any.”

  They all nodded.

  The headmistress walked towards the window and motioned for them to join her

  “Just below you are the training yards. They are fitted to withstand your powers.” She said, “You are all expected to train for at least four hours daily, the keeper will track each of you.”

  “Started without me.”

  The voice came from the doorway and Gaia turned to see the old king standing there. He looked much older under the light but there was a glint in his eyes that told her he was still strong and capable.

  “Students,” the headmistress said motioning towards him, “you would have met High Lord Solomon. He is the teacher of the history of the kingdom. You will h
ave classes with him thrice weekly.”

  He nodded approvingly.

  “I can’t wait to begin,” he said flashing them a smile

  Something about him still made her uncomfortable. She thought again about the conversation she had overheard in the library and wondered what sort of man this was and what evil plans he was devising. She tried to reason with her distrust but as she tried, she realised that his eyes were fixed on her.

  He gave her a quizzical look. Something in his eyes reached out to her but after a moment, it was gone and replaced by cold indifference. Although she knew nothing about this man or why he was so interested in her, she would have to be careful to never be caught off her guard with him.

  Chapter 10

  Gaia left the classroom at the end of the day feeling more overwhelmed than she had when she had arrived. The orientation was much more intense than she had originally thought. So far, she had met all her teachers but the most impressive of them all had been the Cenobyte. He had been introduced as Lu Ankor and he was the army’s chief strategist. She remembered hearing stories about him when she was younger. Throughout her years at the temple, she had made every effort to break all his records. Not only had she broken them, but she had also shattered them so that no student would ever come close to topping hers. Her marksman skills had yet to be matched in the yard.

  “What do we do now?” She asked the others.

  They seemed eager to be off, but she wasn’t ready to be all alone just yet.

  “I have to meet up with the others from my clan.” Khar said, “I think they want to talk about Kirk.”

  All eyes turned to look at the prince whose face had reddened slightly.

  The others nodded signalling that they too had to meet up with the other members of their clans. It was then that it dawned on her that the others were probably close with their clanmates.

  “I’ll walk with you.” Kirk said, “I’m afraid I wasn’t invited to meet up with my guild members either.”

  “Perfect,” Helen said walking over and clasping Gaia’s hands “you’ll be in great company.”

  Gaia blushed and looked over at Kirk who watched her with a guarded expression. His face was always so guarded, and she wondered if he had learnt to do this because he was the potential ruler of the realm or if it was something he did instinctively.

  “We’ll see you tomorrow,” Khar said winking and turning to leave.

  The three walked away together leaving Gaia and Kirk alone in the hallway.

  “So,” she said, letting the word hang.

  “I wanted to take you for a walk.” He said with a slight shrug.

  “A walk sounds great,” she replied, remembering that she needed to find a secluded place, “I need to find a spot to meditate.”

  “I think I know a place.” He replied.

  They began walking with him slightly ahead of her. He was leading her in the opposite direction of the training yard. She didn’t know what exactly would be on this side of the palace.

  “This is my personal quarters.” He said when she gave him a quizzical look.

  “I thought you lived with the other students.” She said, “I should have known better.”

  “What do you know?” he asked.

  She could tell it was meant to be a tease but there was also a hint of curiosity in his voice.

  She shrugged. She had spent so long with her head buried in the sand that she truly had no idea how any of these things really worked.

  “I do know that you’re next in line to take the throne.” She said.

  He smiled and gave her a knowing look. They walked a little further and came to a doorway that had no door. Instead, there were cascading plants that hung from above the door frame and hid the opening.

  “Wow,” she said looking up

  “The other side is much better.” He said parting the hanging shrubs so that she could step outside.

  As soon as he did that, a rush of ice-cold sea breeze hit her. If she wasn’t sure-footed, it would have toppled her. She stepped outside into one of the most beautiful gardens she had ever seen. Roses clung to the perimeter walls and she could see a few tiny birds lurking about.

  “What’s this?” He asked.

  “My garden,” he replied, urging her to go further.

  In the centre was a bench that looked perfectly built as if it had been made of a singular slab of pure white stone.

  “I love it,” she whispered looking at the flowers blooming prettily.

  There was a path that went around the garden and as she trailed it with her eyes, she realised that just ahead, she was looking out at the Sea. This was the best view she had seen since her arrival.

  “Wow,” she whispered as she walked down the path toward the edge of the garden.

  The path was well worn, and she could tell that the person who had done it was probably just as obsessed with the sea as she was. Looking over the edge, she saw the waves crashing into the walls. The sound was muted this high up, but she knew that if she went lower it would be a loud thunderous sound.

  “I’m glad you like it,” Kirk said coming to stand behind her.

  He was looking at her with curious eyes. He held his hands behind him, and she could tell he had been watching her reaction all along.

  “It’s amazing.” She said meeting his gaze, “Is this where you come to escape?”

  “This is my most private quarters.” He said, “I tend the garden and care everything here.”

  Her brow lifted and she could see a smile forming.

  “You don’t think I’m capable?” He asked.

  “I wouldn’t know.” She replied, “It’s just so beautiful, I would have thought a team of gardeners worked on it.”

  He shrugged.

  “I have a knack for caring for plants.” He said, “you don’t have to be an Anduanna.”

  She snickered and tried to stop smiling but it was almost impossible. All of a sudden, she was aware of how close he was standing.

  “It’s nice,” she said turning away and tucking a loosened strand of hair behind her ear.

  “I’m glad you like it.” He replied, “Come sit by the bench with me.”

  She turned and walked with him towards the bench where he waited for her to sit.

  “So, is this a good place to meditate?” He asked.

  “I’m convinced I’d be too distracted to meditate here.” She replied too soon.

  “Distracted by?” He asked.

  She turned to face him and could feel the rush of heat in her cheeks.

  “Uh, you know, that someone may barge in on me while I’m meditating.” She answered.

  “I’m the only one who comes here.” He said.

  “Exactly.” She replied

  He smiled and she couldn’t imagine what he was thinking. It was clear he wasn’t used to others being this honest with him and she wondered how he would take it.

  ‘“If you tell me ahead of time, I’d ensure you’d be here alone,” he said, “that’s a compromise.”

  “Why are you doing this?” She asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Why would you let me use your garden to meditate.” She asked, “I would only be invading your personal space.”

  She looked over at him and realised he was looking out into the water. She looked away and her gaze became fixed on the water where she saw the fin of a shark just above the surface.

  “Wow,” she whispered, standing so she could see better.

  “Have you ever seen one?” He asked.

  “From afar,” she replied, “it must be massive.”

  “The biggest there is,” he replied, “he visits the palace a few times a year. We feed him.”

  “Wait, you guys have a pet shark?”

  He chuckled.

  “No, it’s just important to my father that beasts like this continue to live. The palace should help those animals we share the seas with.”

  She nodded wondering where they had
gained such caring spirits in a palace like this.

  “And to your question,” he said, “If I were being truthful, I would say that I have developed an interest in you that I can’t explain. I feel inclined to keep you close to me.”

  His answer surprised her. While she had been honest, she hadn’t expected this much honesty in return.

  “Not what you were expecting?” He asked.

  She blushed and turned away.

  “And what would you say if you were lying?” She asked.

  “I would say I’m eager for you to teach me how to fight.” He continued.

  She smiled and turned to face him again. His eyes were much less guarded than they had been earlier, and she saw his faint smile.

  “I guess I will just have to teach you to fight.” She replied.

  Once again, he rewarded her with a laugh.

  “Where are you from?” He asked.

  She wondered why he was asking. He had seen her at the Cenobyte temple just like his father.

  “I’m from Tyre.” She replied, “I thought you knew that.”

  “I meant originally,” he continued, “the races rarely mix but sometimes a few get through. I assumed you were simply there to learn from the Templars.”

  “No,” she replied looking away.

  This was always a hard subject for her to bring up, but she felt no shame.

  “I don’t have any idea who my parents were.” She said, “I’m an orphan.”

  He nodded.

  “I haven’t seen anyone like you ever,” he continued, “and I’ve been to all the nations.”

  “You have?” She asked.

  “I have to travel with my father on a few state duties.” He continued, “I see a great many people Gaia. You are by far the rarest.”

  “And that’s bad?” She asked.

  “It’s interesting.” He said as if it was a matter of fact.

  She couldn’t understand why he was being so open with her.

  “Thank you.” She replied unsure of what exactly to say.

  He turned and looked at her.

  “As the future king, I will always be indebted to you to protect me and the kingdom.” He said, “I’m sure you’re as trustworthy as they come.”