Page 2 of In Between Darkness
“I’m Nala.” She half-smiles at me as I take her hand and shake it.
“Asha,” I smile back.
“Honestly, put an elion in front of me, talons and all, and I’m fine, but needles I just can’t get on with.” She laughs.
Elions are the majestic beasts of the Sunkind. They are half lion and half Eagle. The Sun Gods gave them to the people as an offering of goodwill and protection.
“Wow, I’ve never seen one in real life before. How have you got to be so close?” I ask.
“My mother is a tamer. I’ve been around them my whole life. Obviously, they are not to be messed with, but I have had more practice than many,” she explains, shuffling a step forward in the queue.
“Wow, a tamer… She must be fearless.” I beam, and Nala’s eyes light up.
“She is. I am hoping to follow in her footsteps, you know, not everyone picks the taming class so there should be room for me.”
Meeting an elion can be fatal if unprepared. Nala is braver than she looks. I’ll keep this one close.
“Imagine a tamer afraid of needles,” I joke, and she laughs. “Good luck!”
Nala steps forward and pricks the pen at her finger, then awaits the results. If she is scared, she hides it well. That’s the courage a tamer requires.Nala Reed - Solaris Hall, Room Fifteen,the scroll reads before fading away. A few more students go up.
I gulp. My turn.
I take a step forward and prick my finger. I wince internally, not wanting to show any weakness. The words of my father replay in my head:“Don’t let people know your weaknesses because they can be used against you. Sovereign Castle may bring out the best in people, but it can also bring out the worst.”
The pen pauses momentarily before writing my name, as if it is taking its time to decide my fate. Miss Worthington claps her hands at it to hurry it up, and I watch the pen dance eagerly as it writes. The level of Influence she must have to enchant this pen is something I admire. Maybe I will be an Influencer.Asha Calloway - Solaris Hall, Room Fifteen. I let out a small breath. I am relieved. It looks like Nala is going to be my roommate. The Sun Gods are smiling down on me.
I look to my left and Nala giggles.
“Hey roomie.” She throws me a wink and gently nudges me on the shoulder, which instils a giggle from me.
“Now that you have all been assigned your rooms, you will go and unpack your bags and meet me back here in one hour for your tour,” Miss Worthington explains, gesturing to the two sets of stairs on either side of the room. “Solaris and Aurora Halls make your way to the stairs on the left side. Lux and Helios Halls, please follow the stairs on the right-hand side to get to your rooms.”
She points out a thin man wearing jet-black sunglasses. He must be a light worker.
“Mr Herringford has been kind enough to enchant orbs of light to guide each of you to your departments. Please do not stare directly into the light’s core, otherwise the healing quarter will be the first stop on your tour.”
The chatter increases as she finishes her sentence, then stops instantly as Mr Herringford makes bold circular motions with his hands, conjuring a large ball of white light, which rises above the hall and separates into four equally sized orbs. The students gawp, it’s hard not to look at such power. It’s crazy to think that Mr Herringford taught my father everything he knows about light work and will probably be the one who teaches me too.
Nala grabs my elbow and links my arm. Together, we follow our orb along with the rest of our hall. Seems to be a nice group of people. Ciara is also in our group. It already seems like she has made her own clique in this short amount of time. No surprise there. I did notice one guy, Alex Rotherman, who was in my Pre-enchantment school, also known as Pen school. He was an all-around troublemaker. A complete ass. But he looks different now. More chiselled. It looks like this year has been kind to him. His lightly tanned skin complements his sandy brown hair and dark brown eyes. He’s wearing black jeans and a white V-neck t-shirt. Looks like someone has been training him for combat this year. I can see the definition of his abs through his white tee. We didn’t get along in Pen school. Mostly because he made fun of my eyes. But I am not a bitter person, so in Sovereign Castle we start afresh. I’m not letting anyone get under my skin. But if they bark at me, I’m not afraid to bite back.
I look at Nala to the left of me, still linking her arm with mine. She’s checking Alex out. I think we all are.
“He’s cute, isn’t he?” Nala giggles in my ear.
“There’s no denying that boy has had a major glow up,” I remark as a laugh escapes my lips. I like Nala. I’m glad she’s my roommate. This is going to be an interesting year.
We reach number fifteen, our dorm room. Solaris corridor is long and windy. I was wondering how one hundred students would fit in each hall. The corridors are so long I can’t even see the end of them. The carpets are all crimson red, and the walls are a dark wood panelling. Along them are pictures of some of the greatest enchanters in the history of Palidonia. A familiar face is planted on the wall by our dorm.
“That’s Damien Solice, the immortal and famous restorer of life. I learnt about him in history. He brought back ten men from one battlefield. One of the very few to receive the Gift of God Poten,” I think out loud.
“Well, Poten didn’t have to make him a hottie too!” jokes Nala. She wasn’t wrong. Something about an all-powerful man just really gets the juices flowing. I’m really glad Nala has a sense of humour and isn’t too serious. “But for real, if I ever need a history tutor, I’m coming to you.” She winks.
“I got you!” I reply with a smile on my face.
I push at our large wooden door, and a loud ‘creak’ erupts from it. Well, it is a nine-hundred-year-old building.
“This is it,” Nala says. “This is gonna be our home for the next year.”
