I wake as the first rays of the morning sun fall across my face. Sitting up, I blink the groggy sleep out of my eyes. Beside me Rebecca continues to sleep soundly, and I hear the chaotic scramble of her dreams. Clear skies. White sand. I recognise her family's estate in Bournemouth where she grew up in the 19th century.
Hoping to sneak out before she wakes up, I slide out of bed as gently as I can and start hunting for my clothes on the floor. Ethan will be expecting me any minute now and I want to go over the briefing one last time before I deliver the news to him. He has a habit of visiting my chambers early in the morning on weekends to avoid his parents. I sigh. One day soon Shaun will need to return, but for now he remains in his catatonic state, unfeeling and unable to forgive himself for Sera's death.
Any hope of leaving before Rebecca awakens is banished as I hear stirring behind me.
"Arkarian?" Rebecca groans quietly, her voice husky from sleep. I turn to face her. "Are you leaving already?"
"Yes," I answer as neutrally as I can. "I have work to do in Angel Falls. My pupil will be expecting me."
"Oh." She sits up. The sheets slide down and expose her breasts. I know what she is trying to do. "Will you be back later?"
I shrug with one arm in my sweater. "I'm meeting Lorian in Athens tonight. Maybe some other time." While the meeting will take only a few minutes in our time, I use it as an excuse to avoid spending yet another evening with her.
"Well, I was thinking maybe we could go to dinner or a movie this week?" Although she is scrambling her thoughts, I know what she wants from me. But she also knows I don't want the same. My workload is too heavy for me to maintain any meaningful relationship and while I enjoy Rebecca's company and affections, I feel nothing more than fond friendship for her. She knows this. I have made it clear to her on several occasions. At first these rendezvouses were few and far between and I allowed myself to indulge in the occasional night of female company; however, lately her demands are becoming too committal for my liking.
"Perhaps. It depends on how my pupil progresses." I try to decline as gently and politely as possible.
She stands up and flaunts her naked body as she closes the distance between us, confidant as always. Avoiding eye contact, I step back and hurriedly put my shoes on.
"I have a lot to do today so I guess I'll catch up with you later." Before Rebecca can respond, I quickly peck her cheek goodbye and use my wings to shift myself home.
I hate to be rude, but I really must go over these documents again before I see Ethan today. Being chosen to be a trainer is a great honour and I don't want him to stress himself too much about how he will teach her the ways of the Guard. If I remember correctly, his apprentice-to-be is already quite skilled at the physical arts so he won't be needing to start from scratch. A fairly straightforward task. I think I could convince Lorian to grant him his wings upon completion of her training.
The file is where I left it on the kitchen table and I open it after brewing a cup of coffee. Her big brown eyes stare at me with an intensity I have rarely encountered before. A constellation of freckles is scattered across the bridge of her nose and her lips are pressed together in stubborn determination. I smile to myself. Ethan will enjoy this task from the Tribunal. Training her will be an interesting experience and I almost wish I could take his place.
Skimming over the file, the detail that stands out to me most is her height. At just over 5 foot, she will definitely benefit from Ethan's experience of being an apprenticed child. An unusual occurrence, but he would have surely lost his mind otherwise. It's not necessarily a disadvantage. Some of the best warriors in history have been of short stature. But he will most likely need to place heavy emphasis on weight training to compensate.
I frown as I read the background information about her family. Her father was abusive and left when she was a child. I consider this. Could she be the one seeded of evil foretold in the prophecy? Unlikely. Rumour has it that is Marduke's daughter. There is much speculation within the Guard of who exactly will play each role that has been prophesied. Whispers ride upon the wind and evaporate in the air. Lathenia is with child. Marduke prefers the male form of Lathenia. Lathenia has an underground bunker in Angel Falls. Lathenia is has possession of the key and is close to a way to destruct it. Lathenia is going to target Judas Iscariot next.
Most of these are probably untrue, of course. Rumours started by drunk men in the tavern and spread by their wives. But the current whereabouts of the key is still unknown and Lorian is growing more agitated day by day. He believes that his sister has it and has yet to formulate a plan to retrieve it. Spies sent into her palace go silent, as if wiped from the face of the earth.
A familiar tugging sensation interrupts my thoughts. I glance at the clock. It's early. I grimace. Ethan must have had another one of his nightmares to be arriving at this time. Sera's death devastated her entire family, but none so more than Ethan. While his mother sank into the depths of depression and his father withdrew from the Guard, Ethan was the one to witness her murder before his eyes and is still subconsciously traumatised to this day. I sigh. We still haven't figured out why his entire family is still broken and unable to move on from their loss twelve years ago. Perhaps it is simply the fact that Sera was a vivacious spirit who left such a deep impression on all who met her. It is at times at these that I am almost glad I will never have children of my own. I could never begin to imagine loving something so much and then being robbed of it. The hole left behind must be unfathomable.