If you recognise the character's name, odds are they're not mine.
Early the next morning, Dioron and Mordekai said goodbye to their mother. Ilia was returning to Fer Hold, the cart she was driving looking empty without the by-now sold crockery and the boys.
"Here, Mordekai," she said, giving him a large package. He opened it, and found three shirts, two in Harper blue, the other in the black he favoured, and two pairs of trousers, one blue, one black.
"Apprentices are supposed to have two new sets of clothing, so I had the journeyman at the Weaver stall make you some. Do you like them?"
"Mother, I love them! Thank you!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms around her.
"You already have your clothes Dioron, so I got you something else." She held out an oddly wrapped package, and Dioron took it from her with shaking fingers. He carefully unwrapped it, and gasped.
"Thank you so much, Mother! Thank you!" he cried, cradling the precious diving mask to his chest.
"I asked for the tanks to be delivered to the ship that will take you to the Dolphin Hall," she added with a smile.
A tear appeared in the corner of her eye as she said, "Well, now my little boys are all grown up. I hate having to say goodbye to you, but I know you have to follow your own paths. So, goodbye my sons, and good luck!" She hugged and kissed each of them, then they waved until she was out of sight as the cart slowly rolled away, taking with it the life they had known and the mother they loved.
"When does your ship leave, Di?" Mordekai asked as Ilia turned the last corner.
"Master Readis said we'll leave on the evening tide," he replied, gazing after the cart. "The other dolphineers and I will be helping to reprovision it today, so this will probably be the last time I see you for a while."
"I wish you weren't going, but I know you have to, so I'll just have to live with it," Mordekai sighed.
"That's my brother," said Dioron affectionately, giving him a quick hug. "Now, if you aren't quick, you'll be late for your first day."
Mordekai yelped. "Look at the sun! I'm already late!"
He turned and scampered towards the Harper Hall, Dioron following more leisurely towards the Hold across the square.
As it turned out, Mor wasn't late, though he had cut it close. He just had time to slip to a spot at the breakfast table in the dining hall between Drianne and Brek before Sebell stood at the head table and held up his hand for silence.
"First of all," he began in a clear voice, "I would like to welcome our new apprentices for this Turn. I hope that all of you enjoy your time here, and when you leave, it will be with greater wisdom and more skills than you have now. After breakfast, all new apprentices are to remain behind and classes and work sections will be assigned to you. Work sections remain the same as last Turn. Timetables have been posted out in the hall. Now everybody, enjoy!"
He sat down, and drudges began bringing in food. Mor sipped his klah and nibbled a piece of bread as every other apprentice on the table grabbed what they could and started eating ravenously.
"Is that all you're having?" asked Brek between mouthfuls.
"Yes. I never eat much in the morning," Mor replied.
"All the more for us then," said the practical Brek, and turned his attention back to his plate.
After breakfast, the new apprentices were left by themselves as everyone else left the hall, except for those collecting plates and cups. Instinctively, they turned to each other for support, but everyone was too nervous to say anything. Brek, being his usual bold self, was the first to speak.
"Hi, everyone! My name's Brekkennor, but most people call me Brek," he said brightly.
Drianne decided to follow his lead. "I'm Drianne, and this is Mor," she said, indicating Mor beside her.
Across the group, a girl spoke. "I'm Aliandra, but nearly everyone calls me Allie," she said with a smile. One by one, the others introduced themselves. It broke the ice between them, and everyone started to feel more relaxed.
"Everyone ready to learn?" Brek asked, rubbing his hands together. "I've been waiting for Turns for this!"
"So have we, Brek, so don't think you're the only one," said Allie dryly.
"I can't wait to start!" said the smallest girl there excitedly. "I want to learn everything!"
They all laughed, and nodded their heads. "I'll second that one! I can't wait to start either!" shouted Brek exuberantly.
"I'm glad to see you're all fired up and ready to go," came a dry voice from behind him.
Brek jumped two feet in the air and spun so he came down facing the man who had spoken. "Yessir, thank you sir," he said very fast.
The man chuckled. "Nice to see some discipline around here for once," he laughed.
Drianne and Mor exchanged glances. Discipline? From Brek? Even though they hadn't known him long, they both recognised a rebel when they met one.
"I won't eat you, boy," the man added kindly. "Now, I am Master Seth, and I am in charge of first-Turn apprentices this Turn. I will teach you the basics of music theory, until you move on to more advanced classes. For this Turn, you will be grouped together as a class, except for work sections and instrumental tuition. The work sections have been posted out in the hall along with the timetables."
"As your musical skill progresses, you will be expected join and form different ensembles. Any of you singers?"
Brek and a few of the others, including Allie, said they could sing, and to his horror, Mor felt Drianne push his hand up too. Mor hated singing in public, and the only time he had was at his father's final farewell.
"Well, Master Piemur is always on the lookout for new members of his choir or his choruses. You'll meet him later today," said Seth with a grin. The reactions of new apprentices meeting Master Piemur for the first were always interesting. "Any musicians?"
Drianne put up her hand, and forced Mor's up too. Brek put his hand, as did Allie, and two dark-haired boys opposite her. "What do you play?" Seth asked kindly.
"Gitar, sir, and so does my brother," said the boy on the left. They were identical, and never apart. It took a very long time for the others to learn to tell which was which.
"I play harp, sir," said Allie in response to his querying glance.
"Drummer, sir," said Brek proudly.
"And as noisy as all the others I've met," Seth said wryly.
"And you?" he asked Drianne.
"Anything with strings, sir," she replied.
"Really?" he asked, surprised.
"My family is very musical, sir," she answered. Seth obviously didn't know of her connection to the Master Harpers, and she preferred to keep it that way. She had seen the children of other Masters picked on in class because of their parents, and had no wish to experience that for herself.
"And you?" he asked, turning to Mor.
Mor froze. Something about Seth was making him feel wary, like he was a hunted animal, and Seth was the hunter. Mor opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out.
"He plays pipes, sir, and brass," said Drianne, coming to his rescue, but glancing at him curiously. She couldn't understand why he had frozen. True, Mor was often shy, but not this badly.
"We don't get many brass players," Seth remarked. Inside though, he was wondering if he'd seen Mor before, because his face was very familiar. Seth had met many people in his career as a Harper, so it wasn't surprising that he might forget one or two. He frowned, trying to place him, when Piemur's voice came echoing across the dining hall.
"Have you finished introducing our new students to the Harper Hall?" Piemur asked, striding up to join Seth. He glanced at him for moment, noting his puzzlement, then turned to the apprentices. "I'm Master Piemur, and I teach voice here at the Hall," he explained. "Any singers?" The singers put up their hands and Piemur nodded and smiled. "Good, more victims for my choir!" An unsure giggle ran through the group, led by a hearty laugh from Drianne. During the laughter, Mor hid behind Drianne. He didn't like the way Seth was staring at him, and wanted to hide from him as long as he could.
"Right, let's go see what's in store for you today!" Seth said brightly, putting Mor to the back of his mind. He'd leave that puzzle until later. "Follow me out into the hall, please!" He led the apprentices to where the timetables were stuck up, and showed them how to read it. He then led them to a classroom, where he gave them a music theory test to see how much they knew.
"This afternoon, I'll start teaching you basic gitar. Those of you who can already play an instrument will go to Master Trigarty to be assessed for ensembles. But now, it's time for lunch!" With that, Seth dismissed them, and watched from the window as they ran across the courtyard towards the dining hall, Brek and Allie leading the mad rush. He had learned some of their names that morning, though he was having trouble telling the twin boys apart, as was everyone else. His eye was caught by two figures at the back, walking rather than rushing headlong. Drianne and Mor. Now, there was a puzzle. His fingers tapped on the desk as Seth's eyes unfocused and he let his mind drift back in time, trying to remember where he had seen the boy before.
OK, I've decided to put up a chapter per review (I know, but I love reviews!). The first chapter was a freebie, but I won't update again until I get another review.