Page 40 of The Stone Initiation
“I’m good. Let’s go.” I glanced back at the pitch. The woman was still there but the man…The male was gone.
CHAPTER17
Palia pulled her welcome packet from her satchel and studied it. “It says lecture hall three is on the first floor.”
I needed to be more prepared, but I hadn’t thought to bring a pack or satchel in my essentials bag. In fact, now that I took a moment to properly study the twins, their dark blue sweats and black sneakers finally registered.
Not the same colors as I’d found in my cupboard. “Is there a color code for clothes here?”
They looked at me in confusion.
“They gave me brown, gray, and Khaki stuff like Touron and Sharniza.”
Palia made an ‘o’ with her mouth, but it was Ginia who responded.
“Our luggage arrived this morning. Mother’s super organized, and she was confident that we’d get in, so we have our own clothes already. But your things should be here in a couple of days.” Palia elbowed her and Ginia looked horrified. “Oh. I’m sorry. You probably…it’s probably…”
Yeah, I had no one to send me stuff. No one who had connections to this world.
“It’s fine.” I shook my head with a smile. “Honestly. I’m sure I can speak to someone about ordering some things. You know, stuff that isn’t Lastonflex.” I smiled and she relaxed.
“I suppose you don’t need it,” Palia said kindly.
“Nope. I like my regular fabrics.”
The main building loomed, huge, and imposing with its many windows and turrets. Stone steps led to a patio that wrapped around the structure, and several goyles in human form sat reading or talking. They glanced up briefly as we passed, and although their gazes lingered a little longer on me than on the others, it wasn’t uncomfortable or intrusive and everyone quickly went back to doing their own thing.
We swept through the main doors and into a cavernous foyer. The ceiling was braced by pillars set at spacious intervals, and archways lead off into corridors.
“Which way now?” Touron peered over Palia’s shoulder at the papers in her hand.
“I don’t know. I don’t have a map of the building.”
I spotted one on the wall by the door. “Here we go.” It looked complicated. “Okay…We need to go left then up a flight of steps to the first floor. The room we want is the second door on the right.”
By the time we got to the room we needed, several gargoyles were already waiting to be admitted. Some I recognized from our dorm, but others I’d never seen before.
The door was closed, and everyone crammed into the corridor.
“Out of the way.” Curi shoved goyles aside to get closer to the entrance.
Sharniza tensed and Touron stepped closer to me, shielding me with his body.
But the doors chose that moment to swing open, and the corridor emptied as everyone flowed into a lecture room large enough to hold us all. The seats were spaced out to accommodate gargoyle frames in ascending rows. Several took the steps up to the back of the room, but I opted for a seat at the front. Sharniza, Touron, and the twins joined me. Curi stomped past us with a scowl.
“What is his problem?” Ginia muttered. “I’ve met his cousin and she’s super nice. You wouldn’t think those two were related.
“You have?” Touron asked, sitting forward. “You know Selas?”
“Not know, but we hung out for a bit at some event a year ago. She’s so pretty and talented. You know, she wasn’t born blind, right? But she’s adapted, and she managed to make the elite team.”
Now I was intrigued. “Selas is on the elite team?”
“Yep,” Palia said. “The only female to ever make it in.”
The female I’d seen on the training court with the male…It had to be her. And the male…had that been Serath in his human form?
The golden-eyed man from earlier entered the room followed by his sister. She closed the door and took a seat at the end of our aisle.
