Page 3 of The Mentor
“But it’s a once in a lifetime chance,” Christina argued.
“I know, and I’m definitely interested if it means seeing you again, but to go three years without everything I take for granted here, that’s a long time. What about shopping, going to the theater, or just going to the pleasure parlor? Not to mention all the people that I care about.”
“I’m here and you’ll make more friends,” Christina assured me. “I’m not saying it won’t be different, but at least come and see the school and the island for yourself. And about the pleasure parlors…” Christina’s voice sank to a confidential whisper. “…You won’t need sex-bots when there are some really cute men living here. I’m sure they won’t mind stepping up and taking one for the team if that’s what it takes to make you accept the job.” She laughed.
I had always loved Christina’s humor, and I could picture that funny wrinkle on the bridge of her nose that always appeared when she was teasing.
“I’m not a naturephile,” I retorted in the same playful tone. The concept of being physical with a man would have been completely uninteresting to me if it weren’t for that gnawing curiosity that Christina’s unexplainable love for Boulder had left me with. My eyes fell to the wall where the movie was paused in a kiss. “You know what?” I said with a flutter in my belly. “I’ll come and see the place for myself. If nothing else, it’ll give me the chance to hug you again.”
The happy outburst from Christina had me grinning widely.
CHAPTER 2
Archer
Kya
Everything went so fast between my first visit to the Northlands to my moving up there less than a week later.
The hardest part was letting go of some of my favorite students whom I’d worked with for years. Before I agreed to taking the job, I had made it a condition that I could bring Raven with me. Luckily Councilwoman Pearl had accepted.
Raven was a cheeky, fun-loving girl soon to be twelve years old, whose mother suffered from all sorts of crazy diseases that could probably be boiled down to hypochondria, if I were any judge.
The mother’s chronic fatigue, and her constant moving in and out of places of reflection to clear her mind had left a hole in Raven’s life. It was no wonder that the girl had bonded to me. Not only was I her favorite teacher but we looked alike. She had mocha skin, big curly hair, and dark expressive eyes like me. As I had predicted, Raven’s mother had been more than willing to let her daughter go with me. In fact, she had been ready to let me adopt her, which was something I hadn’t shared with Raven. I was still a bit shocked about it and definitely needed time to think it through.
The school turned out to be a charming old stone building that had been a ruin of a church before Christina’s husband, Boulder, transformed it into a boarding school with sleeping quarters, showers, and a large dining room. My favorite part was the old church room itself, with a high vaulted ceiling, that now served as a magnificent schoolroom.
When I first arrived for my interview about the job, I’d met three of the Nmen: Boulder, Khan, and Magni.
Lord Khan was the ruler of the Northlands and I found him a strange mix of charm and standoffishness. He would smile politely and converse with humor, but he refused to take my hands when I wanted to greet him, and there was an air of mystery about him. He definitely wasn’t an open book and neither was his brother Magni, who was the man I’d met once before when he and Boulder came to the Motherlands to find Christina.
Magni reminded me of my most troubled students: brooding, impatient, and without a filter. With his giant frame and permanent scowl, he would have been intimidating if not for the fact that the first time I saw him, he had been cleanly shaved and dressed up with ribbons in his hair to mix in with the gentle and pretty men of the Motherlands.
Now, Magni had a short beard and his blond hair was shaved short on the sides with the rest gathered in a messy French braid. His raw looks, with his battle scars and strongly muscled body, made him look like a prehistoric Viking in my eyes.
And then there was Archer, whom I met after accepting the job and moving up here. He was a mentor, which was their word for teacher, and he was here to help me finalize the curriculum and give me input on how schools were run in the Northlands. Christina had described Archer as cute, and when he walked into the school on my second day here, I thought she’d lost her mind. Cute to me was like one of our pretty movie stars or a celebrity with perfect skin, symmetrical features, and beautiful soft hair.
Archer was nothing like that!
He had dark stubble, visible scars, and large muscles with a colorful tattoo showing on his right arm.
But compared to the other Nmen he looked less like a barbarian, and I was instantly intrigued by his gorgeous sapphire-colored eyes.
“Archer, meet Kya, and Kya, meet Archer,” Boulder said with an awkward wave of his hands. Clearly, he wasn’t very skilled in the art of introductions, but with Christina taking care of Raven up at their house, this would have to do.
“May peace surround you,” I said politely and reached out my hands to him. Archer flashed his white teeth in a large smile revealing that one of his canines was slightly crooked.
“Thank you and the same to you,” he said.
With the bright daylight his black pupils were small, and that only made the astonishing patterns of white specks in his irises more visible. I’d never seen blue eyes with a color as rich as his; the way the rim was darker and offered a beautiful contrast to the iris made his eyes look like something that was slightly photo enhanced.
“I understand that you’re a teacher too?” I said and lowered my hands when we had been touching far beyond the normal ten seconds a formal greeting required.
“Yes.”
“Great, I’m curious to learn more about your ways and get your input on the curriculum.”
“Likewise,” he replied and looked back at Boulder. “Is it okay if we do a walk and talk in the area?”
