Tei'jal hardly seemed to breathe as she ran, faster than Mel had ever seen anything move. More than once, when they were in the forests, a sharp branch cut Mel on the cheek, but she didn't complain, or rather, she couldn't. The wind blew past her like a gale storm. Everything was mostly a blur, but occasionally she could make out silhouettes of an animal or two, even what she thought was a campfire once. About half an hour later, the lush green forest that surrounded Harburg had started thinning and Mel was farther away from her home than ever before.
'Dawn is near, we're still at the mountains' Tei'jal said, stopping abruptly causing the liquid in Mel's stomach to move violently. They had almost completely left the forest behind. The terrian was mostly rocky, not very high but completely barren. As Mel looked aside, her neck crackled. She shuddered and looked away. They were at the edge of a hundred feet straight fall.
'Hold tight, girl' Tei'jal said. Mel tightened her grip. In a flash, before she could make out much, they were moving violently fast.
Mel tightened her grip more, afraid of slipping. The landscape was changing fast. They were steadily ascending. About ten minutes later they were on a plateau with dense, but shallow forests. A second later Tei'jal stopped abruptly again, causing Mel to almost knock off.
For about a minute, they stood as they were. Mel didn't speak, Tei'jal seemed to be concentrating extremely hard on something. Finally, she took back a couple of steps and put Mel down. As she turned to her, Mel realized it even in the dim starlight, that she looked worried.
'What...' Mel said.
'Vampires' Tei'jal replied, before she could finish. 'A mile from here. If we get any closer, they'd smell you. I can only guess that Gyendal sent them'
She was talking rather roughly. For a second, both waited, then Tei'jal drew out a quill and piece of paper. In the silence, she scribbled for a minute, folded up the paper and handed it over to Mel. Mel took it and carefully tucked it away in a pocket.
'You're on your own now' Tei'jal said, nodding. 'The city of Thais is about five miles from here. You must go there and give this letter to Ulaf in the Academy of Thais. Do you understand?
'What'll happen next?' she asked apprehensively.
'Ulaf will know what to do' Tei'jal said, the coldness returning slightly. 'And keep this'
She took out a vial, filled with what looked like water.
'It's water from Rivera, the steam of Aveyond' she said, answering Mel's look. 'It'll kill most vampires...'
Mel nodded again.
'Stay inside at night, lock the doors and keep your eyes and ears open' Tei'jal said, turning away. 'Take care, kid'
With that, she broke off into the inhuman run and vanished from view, leaving Mel awestruck and confused. The night had been the strangest of all, she hoped it wouldn't get worse.
Mel struggled through the bushes and the trees as she made it the same way as Tei'jal had gone. She realised now that she had completely forgotten to ask her the directions. There was a slight blue in the sky now. She hoped Tei'jal had made it to her destination already. While it was unbelievable, she really seemed sane. Mel gave a cry.
'What have I gotten myself into...' she said to herself. While everything was exciting, she would have preferred to stay forever in the tunnel of Darkthrop Keep rather than her situation now. But it was no use now, she told herself. Her priority was to make it to Thais now.
The sky had enough blue now, to make her able to see the surroundings. The foliage was much different compared to Harburg. While the forest near Harburg was lush green and dense, the trees here were sparse and yellowish. The wood was not as bright as the others and the roots were hardly visible. Here and there, she could see a large, probably man made clearing.
About fifteen minutes later, she hit a path. The sun was about to rise when she reached a signboard. Mel sighed. She never had learned to read. So she had to go by guessing the size. Thais was peg probably a big city, so it likely had a big board. Trusting her judgment, she took the right path. About an hour later, she was halted by a fortification.
'Wait!' the man at the door of the twelve feet high wall said. 'I haven't seen you before'
The man looked like an official guard and soldier. He wore a steel armor, a blue tabard and carried a sword. His build was good, but rather hefty compared to Harburg's people.
'Yes' Mel said. 'I've returned after a long journey. I used to work for the king as a waitress'
She was a fluent liar. The man cast a questioning look at her clothes. Trying to look understanding, she continued.
'Robbers attacked me twice on my way, though I escaped somehow. Can you let me in now.'
The man still looked suspicious, but nodded slowly. He waved his hand towards the small iron door in its larger counterpart. Mel grinned as soon as she was three feet away.
'The first hurdle done' she said, stepping through.
The grandeur of the city hit her like the wind. Buildings were tall, the streets smooth. People were still getting up from sleep. Occasionally, she could see a garden or a fountain, hear a dog bark or see people quarrel. She slowly slipped into the shadows as the sun rose.
Thais was much in contrast to Harburg. Here, the buildings were multi-storeyed, often considered a sign of poverty in the latter. House owners seemed to spend a lot on decorations and looks. Stone houses were few and scattered. Bricks seemed to be the first choice.
Another characteristic she noticed was the fencing. Almost every house had a six feet tall fence, quite difficult to scale for someone of her height. That would be expected, she thought wryly, after all there would be more of her kind here.
The people were different. Their stature was broad and muscular, their eyes mostly black and they had slightly pointed chins. They were a mixed breed, from pleasant and carefree, to what some people looked like rogues. Mel could make out all this without effort as she tried to find her destination.
A little research revealed that the city was divided into classes. The elite class lived to the north, near the castle, while the lower class were to the south. Slums had extended beyond the boundaries. Nobody, however seemed to complain. About an hour after she had entered, Mel finally reached her destination, which was in the far eastern part of the city.
The academy was no less than a palace itself. It was simply larger than anything she had ever seen before. While the building was completely white with a red roof, it was decorated with swords and shields, making it look like a war house. Blue banners with an emblem hung everywhere. A large garden stretched beyond it. There didn't seem many students though. It wasn't difficult to find Ulaf; he turned out to be the headmaster.
'Take a seat', Ulaf said from behind the mahogany desk. Mel didn't. She was buddylooking around.
The headmasters room was much in contrast to the hall of the academy. While the latter was completely made of glass decorations and suits or armor, with the theme being predominantly blue, the office was completely red. A red velvet wallpaper and carpet, with crossed swords on the walls made it look intimidating and grand. Stashed about were huge piles of paper. The headmaster himself was wearing blue tube, but with red here and there. He was an old man whose age she couldn't guess. The hair was completely white, covered with a cap with stars. He wore rectangular spectacles and had an affable look.
'Tei'jal sent you this' she said, carefully handing out the letter. The headmaster stood up, looking startled and hastily opened the letter. His expression changed rapidly as he read through the violet scrawl.
'Hmmm...' he said. 'Tei'jal wants you to join the academy'
'What?' Mel said, startled. 'This can't be possible'
Ulaf didn't answer. He thought for a moment, took a stick and sharply whacked her with it.
'What was that for?' Mel cried out taking a few steps back.
'Not a fighter. You're not a mage, are you?' he said.
'No' Mel said, still apprehensive. She waited for a moment. 'I'll just go then'
'No, no...' Ulaf said, thinking hard. 'I don't want Tei'jal to be displeased'
A sound, the door opened and put out of the corner of her eye, she saw a boy enter.
'I think she'll be perfect for Professor Gray, headmaster' he said. Mel turned to him. She noticed that Ulaf didn't seem pleased.
'Be quiet!' he said sharply.
'Who's Professor Gray?' Mel asked curiously.
'See what you've done!' Ulaf said.
'Just look at her, Professor' he said, facing her fully. The boy had blonde, short hair, a carefree look and pleasant eyes. He carried a sword and was wearing the uniform. His face was slightly freckled, but in all, he was quite good looking. He had a slightly wry smile. 'She looks talented, but without opportunity'
'Lean, short hair, looks evasive' the headmaster said, nodding slightly. 'Are you a thief, girl?'
'Uhh... no, I work as a seamstress' Mel said, startled by the question.
'Bad lair, we'll have to work on that' he said. 'I think you're right. Take her to Professor Gray'
'Wait, I'm not going anywhere!' Mel said, irritated. Ulaf looked at her piercingly.
'Just come with me', the boy said. 'You'll never again feel like a cat with a cherry!'
Reluctantly, Mel followed him out.
