Thanx you guys for reviewing! I really like it when you do!
Zeetah: Thank you! And yes, she's living at the palace now. She's got a new friend there when she goes there. Nothing special about this chapter, but the palace chapters are going to be kind of tame.
On top of cloud 9: Yes, our little friend Tobe does love her, and in this chapter, he gets close to telling her it! But not yet. The road part is short, but she will show the diary in private to Kel and the king. Thanx for reviewing.
Random89: You have a point. Maybe Kel should have hinted it before…oh well. I always love new reviewers! They make life interesting! Oh, and you don't have a profile, but you should. It's always fun to find out about people. I don't even know if you're a boy or a girl!
Now for the actual story…
The ride was long and hard, with flies every day, and mosquitoes every night. Luckily Cami could make shells of hard air for herself that the bugs couldn't penetrate, but the others were bitten unmercifully. Try as she might, Cami couldn't make them for the others, because she didn't have enough training.
Every day, the king sent her up on her airboard to check for bandits and the like. Happily, the group encountered none, but they all kept their weapons close. Cami still wondered if the bandits she came here with were still in the country, but she doubted it. The captain of the group had told them constantly to hit and run back to the boat. But then Cami remembered that she had taken away their only boat, so she kept her daggers close.
The day before they were scheduled to reach the palace, Cami rode up by Tobe. He was still avoiding her, though she couldn't imagine why.
"Tobe, come here," Cami said, finally tired of his elusive behavior. "We need to talk."
Tobe sullenly pulled his gelding, Sunfire, over to the side, and avoided Cami's gaze.
"Tobe, what's wrong? Why are you avoiding me?" Cami asked.
Tobe mumbled something, and then closed his mouth.
Cami crossed her arms over her chest, unwisely dropping the reins. "Speak up. What did you say?"
"I'm going to miss you," Tobe replied quietly, picking at some dirt on his saddle.
"So you're spending the last three weeks you have with me avoiding me?" Cami snorted. "That's just about the stupidest thing I've ever heard."
"I just don't want to create any more memories. Memories that will hurt when you're gone." Tobe said. Cami, for once in her life, had nothing to say. "The truth is, Cami…I've never met anyone like you. You're smart, funny, serious, and have an amazing personality."
"I'm flattered, but the compliments will stick in my head and I won't recognize your point when you say it," Cami told him dryly.
"I just don't want to lose the best friend I've ever had." He said.
Cami smiled. "That is the nicest thing anybody's ever said to me. Ever." She told Tobe, then leaned over and hugged him fiercely. He hugged her back.
Then they separated, and raced each other back to the group.
…
That night, Cami lay on her cot, tossing and turning. She couldn't stop thinking. Gydo, who was sharing her tent, was sleeping like a rock, but Cami's thoughts were whirling around her head.
When he told her that he didn't want to lose her, he seemed to hesitate before he said it. Was he about to say something else? Or was he just making it up? She fond herself wishing that he had said something else, saying that he lov-
No, no, he couldn't have meant to say that. Besides, why did she wish he did? This would be a bad time to find out she loved him when he was leaving in three weeks.
All night, the questions bounced around her head, pestering her even in her sleep.
The next morning, she woke up exhausted. She was groggy from the lack of sleep she had gotten last night, and her head hurt terribly. She stumbled out of the tent flap, and Gydo came out behind her, smiling. Unlike Cami, she had gotten a great night's sleep.
"Do you mind?" Cami demanded.
"Mind what?" asked Gydo, who was stretching at the moment.
"Looking so incredibly perky." Cami growled.
Gydo laughed.
"I'm happy you think it's funny," she told her. "See how funny it is when I tell you it's your turn to take down the tent."
Gydo shrugged, and began her task.
Once everything was packed up, they all ate a meager breakfast of cold porridge and milk. Cami ate half her bowl, then decided that she wasn't really hungry. She stirred her spoon in the half-empty bowl idly, staring up at the sky. Violeta, who was still hungry, snapped, "Cami, are you going to eat that, or are you going to give it to me."
"It's all yours," Cami handed the bowl over, and Violeta descended on it, greedily spooning porridge in her mouth like she hadn't eaten in months.
Cami stood up. "I think I'm going to go wash my face in that stream back there," she announced, and walked off.
When Cami arrived at the stream, she stared at it. It was cloudy and disgusting. Air, earth, water, and fire…Cami hadn't tried out her water skills yet. Maybe the power would let her cleanse the water. Cami held out her hands, palms face down. A blue light washed out of her hands and soaked into the river, making it clear and better to use. Cami stared at it, shrugged, and splashed some water on her face.
When she arrived back at camp, everyone was mounting up. Cami hurriedly attached her packs to Moondust, then followed suit. They quickly left the campsite, and rode fast, hoping to reach the palace before midday.
Around ten o'clock, they rounded a hill, and Cami gasped. She looked down at the immense stretch of glittering lights, shops, and homes. She saw people dancing in the streets, hoping to earn a coin, and merchants bargaining with commoners.
A soldier riding next to her heard her gasp and grinned. "Welcome to Corus, kid,"
…
When they arrived through the big palace gates, hostlers immediately came to relieve them of their mounts. Cami reached for her pack, only to be told that it would be brought up to her rooms at once.
They were shown into that castle with a bow, and Cami's mouth dropped open. She had never seen so much splendor. The entrance hall was by far more fancy than Kel's. It was a white room with gold decorations embroidering the walls and the ceiling. A gold and crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. Nobles chatting amiably bowed to the king as they past, and looked interestingly at the others.
The king clapped his hands, and two boys appeared at his side. "Joshua and Alexander will show you to your rooms. Kel and Tobe, you know where to go, correct?" When they nodded, the king said, "Hopefully I will see all of you later. Camillianna, please come to my office tonight. Kel will show you the way." He turned around and left.
The boy called Joshua touched Cami's arm and said, "Miss? If you'll follow me."
Cami trailed after the boy as he walked through the many corridors and passageways. He opened a door in a quiet part of the palace that looked like a private wing. The room looked quite like the one at Kel's, except it was quite a bit larger and had two dressers instead of one.
"Here you are, miss. Your teacher, Master Numair, is down the hall, and…" The boy proceeded to give directions to different places in the palace, then bowed himself out.
Cami closed the door after him, and noticed her pack was already on the bed. She unpacked everything and set the necessary items in drawers and on the tops of the bureaus. Once she was finished, Cami didn't know exactly what to do. Since the boy had said that Master Numair lived just down the hall, she decided to meet her future teacher.
She walked down the hall and reached another door. This one had two plaques on it. One read 'Numair Salamin, mage' and the other 'Veralidaine Salamin, wild mage'. Cami nervously knocked on the door and a woman opened it immediately. She had smoky brown curls, gray-blue eyes, and a kind smile.
"Hello there," the woman said. "Who are you?" Cami supposed that this must be Daine, Numair's wife.
"I'm Cami. Is Master Numair here? I'm his new student and I was hoping to meet him." Cami said nervously.
"Oh, yes. He mentioned you. Unfortunately, he isn't here right now, but come in anyway. My name is Daine." Cami shook her hand firmly, and stepped inside.
"Nice to meet you," Cami said. At once a little girl came up to her. She looked exactly like Daine, except she had black hair instead of brown. She looked to be about five.
"Mommy, who's that?" The little girl asked.
"Honey, this is Cami, Daddy's new student," Daine told her. "Cami, this is Sarralyn, or Sarra. I also have a one-year-old named Rikash."
Cami bent down to the girl's eye level. "Hi," she said.
"Hi," Sarra said solemnly. "Can you make me fly? Daddy said you could." She stared at Cami with big eyes that Cami couldn't resist. Cami turned to look at Daine for permission, and Daine nodded her head slightly.
"Sure," Cami told the little girl. To herself, she thought, maybe a small ride on a cloud.
Cami reached her hand out the window and pulled in a small fluffy cloud, and put Sarra on it. Then she wiggled her fingers and the cloud flew around. The little girl laughed and clapped happily, and Cami gently put the cloud down, as Sarra got off. The cloud flew slowly out the window.
"Thank you!" Sarra said happily. "That was fun! You're my bestest friend ever!" She threw herself at Cami and hugged her. Surprised, Cami resisted for a moment, then hugged her back, as Daine observed the whole thing, smiling.
"Cami, do you want a cup of tea or anything?" Daine asked.
"I can't, sorry," Cami said unhappily. "I would love to stay longer, but the king said I could attended classes with the pages when Master Numair's not teaching me, and the etiquette class starts in fifteen minutes. I wouldn't go unless I was in desperate need of it, and frankly, I am."
"Oh, ok," Daine said, "Feel free to drop in any time."
"Yes, yes, yes!" cried Sarra happily. "Come back soon!"
"Ok Sarra. If you say so," teased Cami. The little girl beamed.
"Bye!" Daine and Sarra chorused.
"Bye!" Cami said, and shut the door. She stood outside the door, racking her brain for where Joshua said the etiquette class was. Bathroom, no…Great Hall, no…Curse it, where is that classroom? She thought angrily.
Then she felt a warm hand on her shoulder, and a kind voice asked, "Are you lost?"
Cami turned to see a tall lanky man with black hair and dancing brown eyes.
"Are you Master Numair?" Cami asked.
"Indeed I am," the man replied.
"I'm Camillianna, or Cami, your new student." Cami said, looking him over.
"Why hello then! Would you like to come inside?" asked her future teacher.
"I can't. I have permission to go to classes with the pages, and etiquette class begins in ten minutes." Cami told him.
Numair nodded gravely. "Would you like me to show you the way?"
"Most definitely. I have no clue how anyone could find anything in this huge place!" Cami said with feeling.
He laughed. "Off we go then!"
A few minutes later, they stopped at a door. Cami opened it. "Thanks again."
"No problem," Numair told her. "Our first lesson is tomorrow at night."
"Ok," Cami said, and went inside the room to find the class staring expectantly at her, waiting for the conversation to finish. A blush crept up her cheeks.
"Are you here to talk, or are you here to learn, miss?" inquired a crisp voice. Cami looked up and saw a tall man that had slightly balding brown hair.
"Sorry," she muttered, and headed to the back of the classroom among whistles and catcalls.
Cami sat down next to a girl that had dirty blond hair. She was tan and had a light dusting of freckles that could barely be seen. Dancing hazel eyes were under her thin eyebrows, and she was average height, and pretty thin. "Hi," the girl whispered. "I'm Amoret."
"Cami," Cami whispered back and the two shook hands.
"First year as a page?" Amoret asked.
"No, I'm a mage, but I'm going to train in weapons and things with you in my spare time." Cami said, getting tired of explaining it so many times.
"Oh. If you were, I could've sponsored you." Amoret said, then explained what sponsoring was. "It's when an older page than you gets to show you around the castle. Only second-, third-, and fourth year pages can do that. I'm a third year, one of Kel's cousins."
"I've been staying with her for a couple of weeks," Cami said.
"I know," Amoret grinned at Cami. "Word travels fast in Tortall. Master Numair teaches the Gifted class sometimes, and the last time he was there, he was raving about how unique your powers are, how strong you are, how you make up your own spells-"
By this time, Cami had began to blush, so she was almost glad when the teacher interrupted. "Ladies in the back, would you be so kin to grace us with your names?"
"Master Oakbrige, I am Amoret of Olna's Point, cousin of Keladry of Mindelan." Amoret stood, curtsied, and sat back down.
"Master Oakbridge, I am Camillianna," Cami did the same as Amoret had.
"Your fief?" Oakbridge sighed.
Cami blushed. "I am Numair Salamin's new mage-student, and since he has a family, he cannot teach me at all hours of the day, so I am here to learn during my spare time. I have stayed with Keladry of Mindelan until the king summoned me here. My birth home is Scanra, though the past few weeks in Tortall have been more of a home than Scanra ever was."
"Thank you very much for that delightful speech. Let us all clap." Master Oakbridge suggested. A half-hearted clapping began, though one person clapped very hard. Cami looked down to see a boy about fifteen with brown hair and green eyes clapping enthusiastically. She stared at him and he winked. Cami's attention was drawn away from the boy by Master Oakbridge's voice. "Now, since you have made us happy with names and pretty speeches, will you also tell us the contents of your conversation?" He looked at the silent girls, his eyebrows raised. "No? Then let us get on with the lesson then, and not be distracted by petty conversations! Now, who can tell me how to address an earl opposed to a duke?"