Chapter 25: Occupation
"Sam! You need to be around other people more. I will not let you stay alone most of the time. How about sponsoring one of the new pages?"
Sam glared at her cousin. "Cori! This is none of your business. I decide if I want company. I don't need your advice." She cursed in her mind for letting herself getting caught in her room with her cousin. She had known that Cori had something planned for her.
Cori shook her head. "Oh no! I know you. You will stay on your own and feel pity for yourself. I know it's hard for you that Nat isn't here anymore, but you can't hide the whole time. I will make you if it's necessary."
Sam rolled her eyes. "And how do you think you can make me sponsor a first- year?"
Cori smirked. "How about coming in your room every evening, reading my favourite books aloud."
Sam paled. "That's … that's … horrible. You
can't do this to me. You did it nearly the whole summer. That's not fair. Why
don't you do it to some of the others? Bery for example."
Cori frowned. "Bery would kill me."
"That was the plan."
Cori's frown deepened. "Do you never want to be sociable?"
Sam looked at her. "Why should I?"
"Oh, come on. You are not like you pretend to be. I know you like the people
around you more than you want to admit. I know that Quentin will sponsor Deli,
and the triplets are discussing who of them will take Imo. Lee is still free.
Of course some of the others could take her, but it would be a nice gesture
from you. AND you were willing to sponsor Mo, last year, remember?"
"That was another case. Why do you have this wish to occupy me? Believe it or not, I am busy enough."
"Yes, you were busy enough last year to get
into big trouble. I remember very well."
"Damian isn't here anymore. He can't cause me any trouble."
"You will find a way."
Sam smirked inwardly. 'If only you knew how right you are.'
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"My lord. I've just got a report from one of our men. He has probably been successful."
A man with long black hair turned away from the window he had been looking through to face his servant. "In which respect?"
"He has found someone with great power, which could be the kind of power we are searching for."
The intense gaze of his master made the servant shiver. He always found those moss green eyes irritating. But he had the impression that these eyes got darker and darker with every passing year. Now they were a mixture of black and dark green. 'Since when has our master changed so much?'
"The keeper?"
"Perhaps."
"It would be better for the man if it is the keeper. My patience is becoming thinner and thinner."
The servant gulped. "Y…yes my lord."
"What about my … sister?"
"She can't be found, my lord. She is hiding very well. But we are continuing our search."
The man nodded and dismissed the servant. 'The plan is working. Even if it doesn't seem like it. If my sister is giving birth to a daughter things could turn out more difficult than they are now. Maybe I will need an heir myself.'
He smirked. 'Well, that can be taken care of. Oh Allister, old friend, if only you could see me now. You told me that I wouldn't be successful, that I would be stopped. But I have beaten you in every way possible.'
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Che was worried about his mistress. His father had been the training master of her father. Both of them died on the same day, together with their families. The only ones left had been Samira and Che himself. A five-year-old girl and a 30-year-old man. And he had taken over the duty of his ancestors and trained his mistress, so she could defend herself. But he knew it would be nothing against the power of their enemy.
And now he had to leave her again. He knew that the palace was a quite save place, but still … . Nobody else knew about the past of his mistress, and so nobody else was able to protect her the way she should be protected. But even if they knew, the magic of the enemy was older than any magic these people ever met.
Che himself didn't know that much about magic. He was a simple man, a member of the warrior clan. His family and the girl's family had always been in the same tribe, and his ancestors had always been loyal servants of hers. But this girl was a mage, a region he couldn't train her in. A mage who lost her magic, an easy prey. And there was nothing he could do.
Those Tortallans had tried to teach her to use her magic, but they only made things worsen. He had read several letters from Galina, which said that the enemy was nearly able to locate his mistress.
'We need more allies. Somebody to watch over her.'
He was riding through the Royal Forest, lost in his thought. Suddenly he reached a huge clearing. He frowned. There was a village that hadn't been here when he rode here the last time, a year ago.
He looked at the houses. They looked familiar to him. He blinked and started to grin.
'I guess the Oak has some sense of humour.'
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Aileen was in shock. She would have never thought this would happen to her. 'Oh my god. Of all possible sponsors … . I hope she isn't really the way she had been described to me. Otherwise I'm in trouble.'
She stared at the girl who sat opposite to her at the dining table. Although she was surrounded by her noisy friends, there was an aura of silence around her, which let no noise out and no noise in. She didn't really seem to be part of the group, although something would be missing if she weren't there. Lee shook her head. 'Why do I always have such strange feelings when I look at her. I have been told that she has lost her magic, but I still see those flashes of moss green light around her.' She still remembered the moment Sam had chosen to sponsor her. The whole crowd has gasped in shook. Lee had been puzzled at first. But when the triplets came to express their condolence she had become quite nervous. 'Let's see how this is turning out. I mean, she's a girl, she should be on my side, shouldn't she?'
Suddenly Sam lifted her head and their eyes locked again. Lee had a hard time breathing. She could see so much in those eyes. Things she would never be able to understand. But one thing she knew. There was a power behind those eyes that shouldn't be owned by a girl at this age. 'I wonder how this will develop.'
Sam stared at the girl in front of her. 'Maybe it was a fault to sponsor her. She seems to be afraid of me.' She tried to read the expression on the other girl's face. She hadn't thought to choose any of the new pages. But this girl had caught her attention, and she didn't know why. And when she had watched Lee touching Ti without any girlish screams, even feeding her, she warmed up to the girl. She tried to force a tiny smile on her face, which seemed to puzzle the other girl even more. Sam sighed. 'This will be … interesting.'
~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#
Well, well another chapter done. I know they are quite short at the moment, but I have got some new ideas of possible subplots. (Is that word right? Sometimes I'm not sure if my dictionary has always the correct words.)
By the way … I don't think it will be much longer until you know at least some of the future couples. I thought I would start slowly when the girls are in their last year as pages. Something important will happen in the third year. After that some things will change. (I hope you won't kill me because of my choice of couples. I've already told you: I like things complicated. ^_~)
And I have to introduce more characters. (That doesn't mean that every new character is supposed to fall in love with one of the old ones.)
Finally to the names:
Felicitas: fortune, blissfulness [I read this name in a book and liked it immediately.]
Galina: rest, silence, peace [good name for a priestess]
Moana: infinity of the oceans [I simply love that name.]
Damian: people [the sound]
Quentin: the fifths [uhm … the sound]
Robert: glory and shine [good name for a knight]