A Court Of Night and Fire

Chapter Seven

Since the day of the attack, or as many now called it 'the siege' to Articus's amusement, everyone was on edge.

Over the next few days, everyone walked in groups. Unfortunately for the Novices, they were all required to be escorted by a Reaper if any of them wanted to go anywhere. As for Articus, he became rather popular as the story of how he 'single handedly took down three... no, four Darklings' spread like wildfire. He even received a letter of thanks from the Head Mistress herself.

Celia, who had started distancing herself from him, hadn't asked him to lunch in days. On top of his mentor's sudden moodiness, Articus had to lock himself in his room when he wasn't in class--else random people would stop and ask him to retell the story for the umpteenth time. All and all, he was alone.

Classes continued as they had been and, if it hadn't been for Advance Combat, he would have left Tekal. One by one all the Novices started 'feeling like a river' until it was only Articus who had to sit by the damn feather. He had long given up on the 'river' and would just listen to his friends' lessons.

When the loon noticed that he wasn't trying anymore, she moved him. Articus, who had just learned how the da'kka could be used as an amplifier, protested all the way to the corner. With the damn feather.

It was on the third day when Articus started seeing the flows of spirit. He'd see strands of green snaking their way wildly around the pavilion--the source of it was uaually from a frantic looking novice. As much as he tried, though, he still couldn't manipulate the flows. What frustrated him the most wasn't that he couldn't use his spirit, but the looks he got in the halls from the Reapers he passed to and from his classes. The novice who had single handedly taken down--was it ten Darklings now?--couldn't lift a feather.

They all believed him to be powerful and they were all hard pressed to believe he couldn't guide the flows. He blamed it on the damn 'legend'. Yeah, by the fourth day he was a bloody legend.

His reprieve of the day, however, was Advance Combat. Having been drilled since the day he was able to hold a sword made the class an enjoyable two hours. Of course, having saved the teacher's life didn't hurt either.

The slowing down effect he had experienced the day the assassins attacked started occurring more and more frequently. It had gotten to the point where 'normal speed' was a rarity and, when it did happen, he felt like everything was happening at a dead run.

"Articus?"

Nina looked at him expectantly. He'd been so deep in thought he hadn't realized she had asked him a question. It was their free day and Articus had agreed to breakfast with Nina after their work out. They were on his balcony, watching the sun rise over the tree line, a tradition of sorts.

"Sorry, my mind was elsewhere."

"I said Waylon and Cedrick made out for Bower City this morning. They wanted to meet us for lunch at a tavern called Pier Seven. Since the Head Mistress has agreed to let us go out without being escorted...I was thinking we had plenty of time to do our own exploring before then."

Tekal had been built on a hill and, at the very foot of the palace, was Bower City. Tekal and Bower City were nestled between two mountain ranges that formed a valley. Because of the mountain ranges, the valley was completely closed off--all except for where Boco Bay rested. The bay itself was almost closed off by two enormous cliffs that loomed protectively at its mouth. Beyond the cliffs was the open sea, the only way into Tekal without the aide of a portal. A giant steel gate, supported by the two cliffs, stood high above the bay's mouth, allowing ships to pass through. Only once in Bower's history had the gate been shut: during the Darkling Wars.

Articus had seen Bower City and Boco Bay for the first time from Cedrick's room. The man's panoramic view of the city from his balcony was breathtaking. They had all dinned the past few nights there, trying to picture what the city would be like.