Page 17 of The Mentor
“The one talking to Isobel,” I said and pointed to a tall girl standing next to Pearl’s mom Isobel, the chairwoman of the council in the Motherlands who’d come to supervise too. “The girl’s name is Willow.”
“And does Willow know she has a twin brother?” he asked.
“Kya says she does.”
“But does she know he’s coming tomorrow?” Magni asked.
“I don’t think so,” I answered and creased my eyebrows closely together. “She doesn’t look like a twelve-year-old, does she?” Willow could have easily been fifteen with her curvy body.
“I like her.” Khan grinned and crossed his arms. “She’s going to get a lot of attention from the boys when she grows older.”
“Not much older,” Marco muttered in a solemn voice and gave me a concerned look. “She’s too beautiful.”
“I know; so is Mila, the blonde girl.”
“Yeah, but Mila is a little girl compared to Willow.” Marco crossed his arms. “Willow is…” He didn’t finish the sentence but I knew what he meant. Even from this distance we could all tell she was stunning, with large eyes and gorgeous long brown hair that cascaded down to her slim waist. The boys would definitely notice her.
“There’s no fucking way the boys are showering with her,” Magni stated in a stern voice and turned to his brother. “Next time we take a vote on that subject you better vote no.”
“Why?” Khan smirked. “My agenda was always for the children to grow up and fall in love. The women are making it really easy for us with that ludicrous suggestion.”
“Have you forgotten what it’s like to be a hormonal teenager?” Magni snapped back. “Don’t be selfish. You would have hated it, so don’t do it to others.”
“Not to forget,” I added, “that we adults would have to supervise the showers just to be sure everyone behaved themselves. And there’s no way in hell that I am doing that; I would feel like a fucking pervert.”
“Yeah, me too,” Marco said firmly.
“All right, all right.” Khan lifted his chin. “You have a point, but you know it’s going to cost us.”
“What do you mean?” Marco asked because he hadn’t been part of the endless discussion with the women this past week.
“I’m willing to let the Momsies have that evening meditation they want so badly, but only if they forget the idea of shared showers,” I said.
Magni groaned. “Yeah, me too. Since the women obviously don’t have a speck of common sense, it’s up to us to protect the innocent children.”
Khan grinned. “I can’t wait till the boys get here tomorrow. That’s when the interesting part begins.”
CHAPTER 6
Rowdy Boys
Archer
Looking over the group of boys, I squared my shoulders, aware that the boy’s first impression of me was crucial. I wasn’t their friend, and my job was to instill enough fear in them that they would respect my authority, but not alienate them to a point where they were miserable.
“Listen up,” I said and demanded their full attention. “You’re here because you’ve been selected. Each of you is in excellent health, you’re strong for your age, and you’re brave.”
Several of the boys straightened their backs and sat taller. “My name is Archer Rex and I’ve been a mentor for the last eight years. Some of you know me but the ones who don’t will soon learn that I take great pride in pushing you. I’m here to make you even stronger, sharper, and fiercer.”
Nodding to Marco, I continued. “This is my assistant, Marco. Not so long ago he was a student himself, but he’s twenty now and ready to learn the ways of a mentor. You’ll treat him with the same respect as every other mentor here at the school.”
The boys quickly looked Marco over and continued casting glances toward Magni, who stood next to me, his legs solidly planted and his arms crossed over his wide chest.
“How many of you know who I am?” Magni asked them in a gruff voice.
Every hand went up in the air.
“Then you all know that I’m Lord Khan’s brother and the second in command here in the Northlands.”
