Gloria Oliver (9 page)

“Morning.” He didn’t sound as if he thought anything was good about it.

“Is your meeting with the Administrator today?” She saw him stiffen. This was her just the day before.

“I have an appointment at eleven,” he told her.

Talia sat down. “She’s quite nice. You really don’t have anything to worry about.” She decided to keep the fact the Administrator was somewhat strange to herself. It seemed the boy was worried enough already.

The door that led out to the garden opened, and Kel walked in. It grabbed her attention immediately.

She watched the squire as he crossed the room and headed for the kitchen. When he returned with his food, he spotted her across the room and to her surprise, waved to her like the day before. She waved back. Did Kel’s cheeks just redden? From this distance it was hard to tell. She decided she must have imagined it

She talked distractedly with Daltan, watching Kel unobtrusively from the corner of her eye as he gulped down his breakfast. He was about finished by the time people started filling up the hall. He traded pleasantries with the teachers who arrived at his table, but still didn’t appear to actually engage any of them in conversation. Pretty soon the room got too full for her to be able to see that far anymore.

After breakfast, she spoke to a couple of the other people who would be in her class, and they all gathered about Daltan to keep him occupied. The boy said little, even as they all went as a group and toured the grounds. He grew a little paler with each passing hour. Talia was sure he’d soon be ill. She wished she could tell him just a little of what would go on in his meeting to ease his mind, but didn’t dare.

As the hour neared eleven, they were all in his room. Daltan was pacing, looking as if he would bolt at the slightest provocation and never come back. His eyes were wide and staring as the time on the clock slowly ran out.

“Daltan?” She watched him, truly starting to worry for him.

“Y—yes?” His eyes didn’t leave the clock face.

“Would you—” She hesitated, trying to make sure she chose her words carefully. “Do you want some company on the way? It’s time.”

Daltan looked away from the clock, the room suddenly growing quiet. His eyes flashed like those of a hunted animal. “I—”

“No, I don’t mind at all. Really.” Before he could protest, she gave him a small smile and headed for the door. Jarel and Sonsan got up as well. Daltan rose to his feet, his expression uncertain.

“Come on, you don’t want to be late.” Jarel beckoned to him encouragingly. Hesitantly, the boy followed.

As if being led by his peers to a fate worse than death, Daltan woodenly walked up the stairs with them.

Talia hung close to him, concerned, as his eyes lighted on the gold door at the end of the hallway, and she saw them fill with utter despair. She didn’t feel this badly yesterday, did she?

She tried to ignore the uneasiness the large, imposing door still instilled in her though she knew what was behind it, and leaned close to whisper in Daltan’s ear. “It’s going to be all right. Really it is.” She tried to put as much conviction into her voice as possible. She thought she saw his expression clear just a little.

“Thanks.” He tried hard to smile and then pulled away so he could approach the door alone.

Before he could knock, Lareen’s soft voice rang out from within. “Please come in.”

Daltan jerked back startled and looked back at Talia one last time before he forced himself to move forward and open the door. It shut softly behind him as he stepped inside, cutting him from view.

“How does she
do
that?” Sonsan’s almond-shaped eyes stared hard at the gold door as if she could pry the answer from it. Her voice was no louder than a whisper.

Not exactly of their own volition, all their eyes then turned to the door. Quietly, the three of them backed away. Surely the Administrator couldn’t see through walls. Could she?

Once out of the fourth floor, they all rushed down to the dining hall together to wait for lunch. Talia knew if Daltan’s experience was anything similar to hers, he would be locked away for a number of hours.

After the meal, she strolled outside on her own. Walking by the cultivated fields near the dragon runway, she spotted a number of men and women working on the crops. She watched them with a dull ache, their labors reminding her of her father and of home. She thought of asking if they wouldn’t mind some help, just to get the feeling of home that much clearer, but couldn’t quite bring herself to do it. She missed her parents, and she loved and respected them. But the idea of becoming a farmer was something which definitely didn’t appeal to her at all.

A large shadow crossed over her and she looked up. A large form was slowly circling in an erratic pattern with wings spread wide—Clarence. Talia turned where she stood and followed the dragon’s weaving form as it dipped and dived ever closer to the ground. With bated breath, she watched him approach the landing area. Everyone else in the fields totally ignored the sight.

She spotted Kel astride the dragon, his armor gleaming in the sunlight. Behind him, she could make out a cowering figure holding on for dear life. Clarence came in for a landing. His legs dipped down to touch the dirt. He tripped and fell hard on his belly, his wings going everywhere. His body bounced, then bounced again and then he slid on the runway, sending dirt every which way.

Her throat grew tight as she saw Clarence’s body head for the edge of the cliff, giving the definite impression he wouldn’t be able to stop in time. Not sure what she could possibly do, she ran in their direction, and prayed they wouldn’t go over. Just when she thought nothing would stop them, Clarence’s claws reached out and buried themselves in the dirt, becoming unmovable weights. His body stopped mere inches from the precipice.

“Are you all right?” Breathless, she reached them, her sides on fire and her heart racing.

Both dragon and squire turned to look at her in surprise. “Talia?” Kel removed his helmet, revealing his sweaty hair.

She doubled over a moment to catch her breath. The smell of turned earth was heavy in the air.

We are somewhat dirtier for the experience, perhaps, but otherwise all are in good health
.

Clarence’s crooked gaze met her own even as his lips peeled back to show his teeth. She felt a small shiver course through her, for if it weren’t for the amused tone in Clarence’s thoughts, the sight of his teeth would have been enough to send many a man scurrying in fear of his life.

“You shouldn’t have worried. This is normal for us.” Kel gave her a warm smile while at the same time looked embarrassed at having made her ask the question at all.

She could only stare. This was normal? She couldn’t understand how they could both go through this day after day.

A soft moan drew her attention to Clarence’s back. A thin boy about her age was leaning forward, his eyes closed and his face pale. His fingers were wrapped in a death grip about the leather harness that held him to the saddle. Clarence moved slowly to right himself properly. At the movement, the boy moaned again.

Kel quickly undid his straps and then turned around to work on the boy’s. Talia stepped up a little closer, ready to lend a hand, though she wasn’t sure what she could do. After Kel unwound his straps, the boy still didn’t open his eyes.

“Hey, it’s all right now. You’ve reached the school. You’re safe.” She gently tried to pry one of the boy’s hands from where he still clung to the harness, but he wouldn’t let go. “You’re on the ground.”

His eyes screwed shut even tighter. He moaned again.

“She’s telling you the truth, Dyl,” Kel said. “You can let go now.”

Moaning yet again, as if expecting this to be a trick, the new boy hesitantly dared to open one eye. After he took a long, careful look about, he opened the other.

Talia tried to give him her best smile when he looked in her direction. “Hi! I’m Talia. I’m a new student here, the same as you.”

“Hi.” The smile he tried to give in return was a little shaky.

This time, however, Dyl didn’t resist when Kel helped him pry his fingers from the harness. She watched as the squire then helped him down, and made sure the boy would be able to stand on his own. At least Dyl’s face now held a little more color.

Kel retrieved Dyl’s bag from Clarence’s back and then climbed down. “I’ll see you in a bit, Clarence.”

He retrieved his helmet and gauntlets.

“If you want, I’ll take Dyl in for you,” Talia offered. “It’s the same office as before, right?”

“Ah, yes.” Kel sounded a little surprised. She wondered why. “You wouldn’t mind?”

“Not at all.”

His blue eyes were bright. “Thanks.” He then gave her a grateful smile. “It’d be a big help.”

Yes, thank you
. Clarence’s voice rang in her mind.

Wondering if she’d ever get used to voices in her head, she blushed a little, not having thought nearly as much of the favor as the two of them were making it out to be. “Come on, Dyl. Let’s go get your room assignment.” She took Dyl’s bag from a still smiling Kel and then waited for the boy to join her. She kept them off to the side of the field so Clarence could pass once he’d risen to his feet and showered the area with the loose dirt on his back. Kel waved down at them from his high perch as they sauntered past.

“All dragons don’t fly like him, do they?” Dyl’s voice was low as his wide eyes followed the departing dragon.

Talia almost smiled at the question. His reaction seemed to be so close to her own. “No. At least, that’s what I’ve been told.” As she led him toward the main building, it suddenly occurred to her to wonder if perhaps the ride on Clarence served a purpose. If riding on him was the worst experience one could ever have on a dragon, all else would be a joy in comparison regardless of the weather or circumstances. As Clarence disappeared from view, she pondered again how the two of them could willingly go through this again and again.

She shoved all thoughts of Kel and Clarence aside as they reached the school’s main doors. “Dyl, welcome to Dragon’s Peak.” She pushed aside one of the huge doors and led him inside. She suddenly understood Kel’s amusement as the boy gasped beside her at the sight of the opulent interior.

As she continued forward, she also realized at that moment, she’d not thought of herself as an outsider but rather as someone who belonged. She enjoyed the feeling. Maybe she would get used to all this after all.

Feeling a little strange at the revelation, she led Dyl to the room she’d first been taken to by Kel on her arrival. She knocked on the door and then stepped to the side. “Go on in. I’ll wait for you out here.”

With a slightly worried glance in her direction, he opened the door and went inside.

Talia leaned back against the cool wall and contemplated the area around her, questioning how a place such as this, so different from everything she’d ever known, could start to already feel familiar and commonplace. In the stories the traveling bards shared with the village, the heroes of old often were not in control of their destinies, having been set on a number of roads by fate. Was this how she ended up here as well? Because she was meant to come here? Was that why she was starting to feel comfortable?

Maybe it also meant someday she’d actually be able to pick something to be.

For the next few minutes she explored the strange line of questioning, but she’d come no closer to an answer when the office door opened again. Dyl stepped out into the hallway looking lost even as a somber-faced Tammer followed him out. She could well understand Dyl’s expression.

As Tammer closed the door behind him, he noticed her standing there. His serious expression faltered, his brow rising in surprise. He didn’t question her presence there, however, but rather left them without a word.

Talia waited until he disappeared from sight before saying anything. “So, should we go take a look at your room?” she asked.

Dyl nodded slowly, still staring the way Tammer had gone.

“He didn’t tell you much, did he?” She led the way to the stairs.

“No,” the boy answered. “Is it normal?”

She grinned. “Around here, yes. It’s as if they want to see if you can find things out on your own.” Even as she said it, she wondered how true this might just be.

They found Dyl’s room easily on the second floor. After helping him get settled, she spent the rest of the afternoon showing him around the building and filling him in on what little she knew.

At dinner, she introduced him to the others. She was pleased to see Daltan looking a lot more relaxed.

She also found out from Dyl his appointment with the Administrator would be at the same time as Daltan’s but the next day. From what some of the others mentioned during dinner, it seemed girls met the Administrator at nine while boys met her at eleven. Talia would have found that curious except for the Administrator’s seeming habit of sleeping late. It wouldn’t do to have young boys see her in her robe.

Though according to Yllin, most of them would like nothing better.

When she returned to her room to turn in for the night, she spent a few minutes on her balcony watching Clarence and Kel practice maneuvers in the sky, and batted other strange lines of thought about.

The same as the night before, a strange noise woke her, but when it didn’t repeat itself, she sleepily dismissed it and went back to sleep.

In the morning, she went down to the dining hall early, as was becoming her custom, and she spotted Kel as he came in. He waved at her as he’d done on previous mornings and she did the same. This time she could swear she saw him blush. She just didn’t understand it.

Once breakfast was over, those students who would belong to her class stayed together and helped Dyl pass the time until his meeting with the Administrator arrived. Unlike Daltan, whose nervousness made him quiet and withdrawn, Dyl talked constantly in hurried bursts and couldn’t sit still for longer than a minute. He almost ran to the meeting when it was time to go.

After lunch, Talia ventured outside to watch the farmers at work, though in reality it was more to distract herself as she waited for Clarence and Kel to arrive with another student.