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The sun streamed in through the glassless windows into a classroom full of drowsy First Years. Singer Ianthe, a little old woman with whispy hair damaged from many years of dye, was at the front of the room, rambling on about the creation of the Isle, or something like that. Graia sat silently, her chin resting on her hand, her eyelids drooping. She felt a light tugging at the back of her head. At first, she thought it may have been exhaustion, but then she realized: someone behind her was pulling on the end of one of her braids.
"What do you want?" Graia hissed in a pallet-whisper. Whipping her head around. Behind her, Toharo grinned mischievously, fingers wrapped around the end of Graia's braid.
"They're taking us down to the beach," he whispered back, "It would be very easy to…ah…get separated from the group." He twirled the end of the braid in his fingers. Graia snatched her hair back and glared at him.
"No," she replied, "I'm not going to let you get me into trouble. Again."
"Fine," Toharo shrugged, "Your loss." Graia turned back around and stared fiercely at the front of the room until the class was dismissed. The First Years rushed through the cool bluestone corridors, dodging older novices and orderlies in order to get to their next lesson. On the way, Graia paused in front of the First Singer's chamber. Something very unusual was issuing from within: shouting.
"Eliya," said the familiar voice of First Singer Rilyn, "You know this isn't the first time-"
"And it won't be the last time, either!" shouted an unfamiliar voice, presumably Eliya. The words were laced with Aushan. Graia stood rigid. Shocked. No one shouted at the First Singer. Ever.
"Don't take that tone with me!" the First Singer shouted back. The Aushan was much, much stronger. Graia shuddered. She pitied Eliya, having to get the full force of it. "Eliya," Rilyn said, calming himself down, "Your attitude cannot be like this. You have worked too long and too hard. Your voice-"
"Oh, so what do you want me to do? Just go back out there as if nothing happened? Ollaron started it, he called me-"
"It doesn't matter what he called you! You need to learn to control your temper." Silence. The halls were emptying, and Graia figured she 'd better get to her next class, but she wanted to hear the end of this argument.
"Control my temper?" Eliya said, "This is controlling my temper. You really don't want to see me when I'm not. But you might, if you keep me in here any longer." The door burst open, and out stormed a flurry of white silk.
"Eliya!" Rilyn's voice came from within, "I'm not finished yet. Come back!" Graia broke into a run when she saw Rilyn himself appeared in the doorway, just in time to see Eliya reach the end of the corridor and turn out of sight.
Graia ran to her class, thinking over what she had just witnessed. She had never heard anyone raise their voice to the First Singer, especially using a Song. She wondered who in the world had enough nerve to do something like that. None of the Singers, certainly. But it would have to be, she had used Aushan, and quite powerfully, as well. She thought a bit more, trying to place it, and then it hit her: White silk…Eliya was a novice. A novice who could shout Aushan at the First Singer of the Echorium. Graia admired Eliya's bravery; the only time she had ever talked to the First Singer, she had been quaking in her sandals.
Fortunately for Graia, Toharo had been right in saying that they were going to the beach. Her fellow First Years were clumped around the classroom door, and Graia had no trouble blending in unnoticed. She forced her way into the middle of the group, finding Toharo exactly where she figured he would be: weaving spectacular tales to disquiet their fellow novices.
"And how about that sea monster?" Toharo was saying, "I heard that-"
"Sea monster?" squeaked a wide-eyed little girl called Tessa.
"What, you've never heard of the sea monster?" asked Toharo. The others shook their heads; of course they hadn't, Toharo was making it up. But Toharo sprouted a malevolent grin and began. "Well, he lives in the ocean right around the isle. He has lots of slimy tentacles," Toharo wiggled is fingers, "and really, really sharp teeth. And he likes to eat ships that try to go past him. That's why nobody ever leaves the Isle, because everyone's afraid of being eaten!" Toharo snapped his teeth viciously. Tessa gasped. Toharo laughed and continued, "Except the Second Singer, because he knows how to talk to it. That's how you become the Second Singer, because you can talk sea-monster-language. Anyway, the Second Singer will stand on the boat and talk to the sea monster and tell it not to eat their boat, and sometimes the sea monster will come out of the water and let him pet its fins-"
"Fins?" asked another listener, a boy named Badral, "I thought you said it had tentacles."
"It has fins AND tentacles," Toharo said, gesturing wildly, "And fangs, and…and…"
"That's enough," came the melodious voice of Singer Kayel, "Come on." She started briskly down the hallway. The class followed, a bit more slowly. Little Tessa ran up behind her and tugged on her sleeve.
"Singer," Tessa asked, "Is there really a sea monster?" Kayel gave a small, secretive smile.
"Maybe." Tessa squeaked and fell back into the group. Graia turned to Toharo, who was looking quite pleased with himself.
"What'd you do that for?" Graia asked, frowning, "You're going to ruin our first time at the beach-"
"What are you talking about?" Toharo said, "It's not MY first time, I go down there all the time."
"You don't have to lie to me," Graia said, glaring, "You can really be an idiot sometimes, you know?"
"Oh, come on! I was just having fun." He tweaked the end of her braid again. "You need to lighten up. And the look on Tessa's face, that was priceless-" But he saw the look on Graia's face and stopped joking. Almost. "What's eating you?" Toharo asked, "Sea monster got your tongue?" Graia glared.
"Stop joking, will you?" Graia said, "There's something I need to tell you." She lowered her voice. "I saw…heard someone shouting at First Singer Rilyn."
"I'm sure he deserved it," Toharo replied, unconcerned. Toharo had had a fair few run-ins with the First Singer, for a First Year, always pulling pranks and getting into trouble.
"A novice, Toharo," Graia said, trying to get him to listen, "A novice was shouting Aushan at the First Singer." Toharo went wide-eyed.
"Whoa!" He exclaimed, "That's awesome! He must have been a Final Year, you're not allowed to use Songs 'til then…"
"She," Graia corrected. Toharo looked at her, confused. "It was a girl," Graia continued, "named Eliya."
"No way," Toharo said.
"Do I look like I'm kidding?" Graia put on a serious face. Toharo looked at her, and started laughing. But he sobered himself up quickly.
"No." The group of First Years passed the First Singer's door. Graia listened intently.
"Now tell me again, Ollaron," came Rilyn's voice, "What happened between you and Eliya this morning?"
"I told you already, I don't know! We were just talking, and then she hit me! I couldn't take that lying down, could I? So I hit her back-" Ollaron's voice was too fierce, too intense; he was lying. Being forced along by the group, Graia heard no more.
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A/N: This chapter may not actually be done, but I figured it's been long enough since I started the story, and that this was a good stopping point. So here it is. Love to Rosie, Georgia, and Francesca for being the ONLY PEOPLE I KNOW to have read Echorium.