HavenGuarde

Chapter 22 - Realise

Chapter 22

Realise

- Those who watch begin to see, the crowning moment of his glory -

Thonavar fidgeted.

He was unused to standing for so long. He had no clue as to what he was waiting for. The room around him was circular and before him spread out in a crescent moon shape, were six blood-red seats of plush. The seats were facing inwards and behind them, beyond the transparent glass, the city of HavenGuarde could be seen. Seated in those seats were four men and a woman. The five of them sat still and seemed to be staring blankly into space. It seemed they were waiting for something. Thonavar recognized the tall and gaunt man sitting with his face hidden in the shadows. He had been present at Thonavar's courtroom testimony and Thonavar remembered seeing him speak with Felix Vanyaga after the entire episode. Thonavar also remembered the look that the tall and gaunt man had given him. It was a look of one studying another.

It was dark outside and the Thonavar could make out thousands of lights amidst the vast darkness of city-above, middle and below. But up here in this cold place, he was far from the streets and the warmth of his home. A sudden thought struck him and he realised that he was homesick. He missed the dark alleys of the streets and missed hurdling and climbing over walls and short fences. He also missed home.

But Thonavar missed his parents most of all. Feeling wistful, he recalled that before he had set off to undergo the Testing, his parents had spoken to him, wishing him luck. He remembered the look upon their faces as they wished him goodbye. A feeling struck his heart and Thonavar felt sadness well up within him.

Thonavar desperately wondered if he would ever see his father and mother again. The thought of being separated from them filled him with a sudden anxiety. Where were they? He had to find them? Where was Felix Vanyaga?

He clenched his fists in frustration.

"Stand still boy", barked a cold and harsh voice.

The voice came from a woman. She was sitting in one of the six seats. Her voice rang with clarity and power. It was a voice used to a certain authority and being in command. Thonavar decided that if not for her sharp and otherwise powerful tone of voice, she would be considered beautiful, for her face was smooth and angular. Her eyes, however, were a sharp and piercing blue. The woman stared straight at Thonavar and though he felt her gaze upon him, he was not afraid.

I am not afraid of you, he thought to himself. His mother, Mirya, was the most beautiful woman around and she was the only woman whom Thonavar was truly afraid of. He stared back at her in defiance. But with a knowing smile, she then unlocked her gaze from him and proceeded to stare at the space just above his head, completely ignoring him.

Thonavar looked to his left and right. A blonde boy stood at his right and a black-haired girl to his left, both about a metre away from him. Both looked haggard and uneasy. Thonavar reckoned that, like him, they had been called here for a similar purpose, each undergoing a Testing as well. Though a metre away from him, Thonavar could see the girl's lip trembling slightly. Her head remained bowed low to the ground as if she did not dare to look up. As for the boy, his face was ashen white and pale, as though he had seen a ghost. He too had his head slightly bowed. The room was rank with the stench of fear and Thonavar could smell it. He shifted from one leg to another impatiently.

"By the gods, boy. Stand still or I shall have to make you", barked out the woman again. The woman was angry now, her blue eyes glittering and Thonavar felt the gaze of all Angardian Council members upon him. She made as though to say something harsh to him when suddenly, all tension in the room evaporated as the rest of the Angardian Council looked up to the doorway behind Thonavar with an air of expectancy. The woman, forgetting her anger, also looked to the door. With a muted groan, the door opened inwards and Felix Vanyaga strode in with two other black-robed figures. Relief flooded through Thonavar at the sight of Felix.