" Stars…silent and sure…keeping watch in the night…keeping watch in the night…" she murmured as she drifted into a deep sleep.

* * * * * * * *

She could hear someone calling her name. In the darkness a voice was echoing around her. The voice was barely audible above the cold wind, which blew around her, but she could hear it nonetheless. She could sense someone was near her, almost feeling his or her breath on the back of her back. Getting closer, the voice echoing in her ear…

Jo sat bolt upright in bed. Her breath coming in gasps and her skin covered in goose bumps. Glancing around the strange and ornate room she remembered her arrival in Vaniria with her friends. Jo sighed with relief as she noticed that the cold wind and sinister voice were no longer there. It had been a dream.

" God Jo…get a grip!" she tutted as she pulled back the covers and slid out of bed. Jo wandered over to the window, yawning widely. The sky was still dark but the stars were fading. Dawn was on its way, it's arrival heralded by a thin grey line on the horizon. Jo stretched and suddenly froze as a sharp pain throbbed in the centre of her forehead. Groaning she sat back down on the bed. "Oh…head rush…!" she muttered.

" You must have got up too quickly…" a voice came from the other side of the room. Jo snapped her head up and looked across towards the door.

" Who…who's there?"

" You should be more careful…" Two grey eyes appeared next to her. " You're still recovering from a major head injury…"

" Mithras!" Jo glared at the young man by her side. " What are you doing in here?!"

" Well I've come to get you up…" Mithras stood and a small frown appeared on his face. " …Your tutoring starts this morning!" He smiled as excitement crept back onto his face.

" Morning?!" Jo exclaimed. " It's not even dawn yet!!"

" Well we do have rather a lot to get through…" Mithras' voice grew serious. Jo shrugged as she realised a lie in was going to be out of the question.

" Fine…but is the pleasure all mine or do the others get to share this joy?" An eyebrow raised, Jo glanced at Mithras as she stood up once more. Although much slower this time.

" Oh no…I mean yes…I mean…" Mithras rolled his sparkling eyes. " Lina's waking them up now!"

* * * * * * * *

" Think yourself lucky…" grumbled Simon as they sat down to breakfast together. Although Simon's was not the only face bearing a frown.

" Lucky?!" Jo snatched as a piece of bread. " Which part of being woken before dawn do you consider lucky?!"

" At least you got a gentle wake up call from Mithras!" Retorted Simon, his dazzlingly blue eyes glowering at Lina who groaned and rolled her own unbelievably bright eyes.

" Well you weren't getting up…" Lina pouted.

" There was no need to dive bomb the bed though!" Simon's eyebrows drew down over his eyes. Lina sighed and carried on with her breakfast.

" Mithras?" Guillaume frowned as he played with a butter knife. " Mithras woke you up?" His brown eyes glanced at Jo, whose face broke into a smile upon seeing a familiar flash in the dark eyes before her.

" I was already awake but yes…he did come to call me,"

" Oh I see…" Guillaume jabbed the knife into the butter and winced as the plate beneath it cracked. Jo stifled a giggle, squeezed his arm and whispered in his ear,

" I would much rather it to have been you though…" Jo's smile grew as she watched the anger fade from Guillaume's face.

" Anyone know why we have to be up quite so early?" Rosie yawned.

" Yeah…what's wrong with waiting until day break at least?" groaned Mark.

" We have to teach you a lot of things…" Mithras smiled apologetically, "…we thought it would be best to get an early start,"

" Early start…" Marius and Martin grumbled simultaneously.

" Just what exactly are you going to be teaching us…?" Phillipe's voice boomed across the table.

" Well…" Mithras swallowed, " One of Vaniria's best historians, Puw, will be taking you for history and mythology…"

" I'd have thought they were the same thing…" Lucy muttered under her breath.

" …Lamim will be teaching you about the lands you will be travelling through…you know customs, terrain that kind of thing…" Mithras continued.

" I'll be taking you for defence lessons…" Lina grinned, twirling her small dagger effortlessly in her fingers.

" And Jo will be having Magic lessons with me…" Mithras added quietly, trying to avoid Guillaume's gaze.

" What about the rest of us…don't we get magic lessons too?" Jenny asked bluntly.

" Well…er…no…" Mithras replied in a similar tone. A silence followed during which little was done other than eating, stretching, yawning or, in Guillaume's case, glaring at Mithras.

" Shouldn't we get a move on…" Lina suddenly asked, standing up and brushing crumbs off her tunic. Winking at the friends as they did the same. " After all, we didn't wake you all up for nothing!" Groans followed as Lina marched quickly to the door and led the way out.

" Don't worry…" Jo grinned, taking Guillaume's hand as they followed Lina. Guillaume grumbled his reply.

" Who's worrying…" his frown deepened as his eyes met those of Mithras.

" Well put it this way…" Jo grinned wider, " If he tries anything…I'll turn him into a frog or something…" She laughed in relief as a small smile crept onto Guillaume's face.

" That Guillaume…" Mithras whispered to Amos and Jenny as they left the room, " Is he always that…er…"

" Angry?" Amos grinned.

" Well…yes…" Mithras looked stunned.

" No…he's a good guy…" Jenny chuckled, " Just as long as Jo's ok that is…"

" He's a 'little' protective…" Amos' smile grew as he remembered the fight he had witnessed between Judas and Guillaume in the garden of the disciples.

" I see…" Mithras frowned, making a mental note to steer clear of Guillaume if he had that frown on his face.

" And can I just ask you something…" Mithras glanced at Simon as they all trooped along. " Is your hair supposed to be like that?"