Darya and Ania

The mood was ruined. Darya sat pouting angrily while Thyra and Aarni shared several knowing looks.

“Seriously, what’s the deal between you two?” Aarni asked.

“She’s my best friend, I just wish she wasn’t such a prude.” Darya answered.

Thyra interjected, “How did you become friends? You have such different personalities.”

“I was older when I went to the temple, I tried to get into the Breeding until I was too old to compete anymore, so I was shy, and felt like a loser when I went and the other girls weren’t very nice. Ania was two years older but didn’t have many friends, she was a sister of peace, and there aren’t many of them in Fargwik, so I think she was also lonely. Once she befriended me no one would bully me because they were scared of Ania.”

“I can bet, she’s intimidating even here.” Thyra laughed. “But if she’s two years older than you, why isn’t she already at an Abbey?”

“She refused to go, demanded to stay at the temple in Fargwik, and Mother Blomte let her.”

Thyra looked at Aarni, and they both laughed.

“What’s so funny?” Darya demanded.

“Why do you think Ania wanted to stay in Fargwik, Darya?” Thyra asked.

“She said she didn’t want to go to the Abbey, that she wanted to stay in the capital.”

“And now that you’re going to Tsevest, where will she go now?” Aarni asked, still chuckling.

“She is transferring to the temple with me, why? What’s so funny? Please, I don’t like you laughing at me.” Darya looked hurt.

“We’re not laughing at you to be mean Darya, it’s just so obvious that Ania wanted to stay with you and that she’s jealous of the attention you give to others.” Thyra took Darya’s hand.

“You mean. . . you think. . . no.”

“Darya, have you been romantic with anyone before this trip?” Aarni asked.

Darya blushed. “No, I mean, I had the lessons from the instructors, but I never got involved with anyone.”

“And then on this trip you run into me, and now you were flirting with Thyra. I think it might be a bit too much for poor Ania.” Aarni felt genuinely sorry for Ania, she was clearly in love with Darya and Darya had never noticed.

“She even threatened me in the hallway, she was really upset that I didn’t show up and you had to come find me.”

“But she’s always like that, whenever I thought someone was pretty or would point out hot guys in the temple she’d always say they weren’t good enough for me and I could do better.”

Thyra and Aarni both looked at Ania. She met their gaze.

“Oh. . .” The realization was hitting her. “Oh no, what do I do?”

“That depends, would you welcome a change in your relationship with Ania?” Thyra asked her.

“She never said anything. . .” Darya wasn’t really listening anymore.

Her face was red, and she was clearly trying to sort out this new revelation. Then suddenly she stood up.

“I have to go, I’m sorry, I. . .” Darya ran off, back to the Abbey, the way Ania went.

“Good luck Ania.” Thyra said, toasting the air as Darya entered the Abbey.

“Well, bodyguard, what do we do now?”

“Don’t ask me, my job is just to follow you around, and before you ask, I’m not doing anything like that with you, so you can stop staring at my legs.”

Aarni hadn’t even realized how blatantly he was staring, she had great legs, and here, laid out on the ground they looked amazing.

“Just a few minutes ago you seemed into it.”

“That was Darya, she can do whatever she wants to me, you can keep your hands and eyes to yourself.”

Aarni laughed, it was hard to be too offended, Darya was incredibly sexy and she had such a playful approach to sex, he couldn’t imagine many people wanting to say no to her.

They sat quietly for a while, as Aarni just relaxed and enjoyed the serenity of the Abbey. Soon a messenger came outside and called to them, Mother Fillit wanted to see him. Thyra grasped arms with the messenger, then turned to leave.

“Goodbye, Aarni, and good luck.”

“Thanks for watching over me Thyra.”

She bowed subtly, smiling, and walked away.

The messenger led him to the same heavy wooden doors as last night. The guard opened the door and gestured for him to enter. The room was mostly dark, the fire in the brazier was low, barely more than coals at his point. The flickers of light and shadow it cast around the room made the space haunting and more than just a bit intimidating. He looked around the room, there was no one here, just the furniture, weapons on the walls and the paintings on the ceiling. Aarni stepped forward.

“Excuse me, mother Fillit?”

A hand shot out and grasped his, twisting his arm, he felt a sharp pain in his arm followed by a cold sensation on the same spot. He struck at his attacker’s wrist with his free hand, then twisted to pull his wrist toward him, his attacker released him. Aarni stepped back and assumed a defensive posture, he could make out the shape of his attacker, but they were wearing a hooded cloak, he didn’t know what to expect next.

Slowly a light started to spread, a pale light like the moon spreading out from the person’s hand.

“So it is true, the son of Astra stands before me.”

A voice came from the other side of the room, a figure rising from where he would have sworn no one sat.

“I told you it was so.” The voice sounded like Mother Fillit.

“And I told you we must be sure, apprentice.”

The figure he assumed was Mother Fillit threw a few small logs into the brazier, and the light slowly came up in the room.

His cloaked attacker put their hood down, the growing light of the fire revealed lines of age, silver hair and strong blue eyes, cold and pale like the winter sea. The old lady bowed slightly to him. He could see in her hand was a stone, slightly smaller than his palm, the glow was fading, but he could still see the glowing runes carved into the rock.

“Welcome, Son of Astra. Your coming was foretold, the hour is at hand.”