Three Spheres

Chapter 17 - Subpoena

On the top floor of the fort, there is a room with tatami imported from Flavi covering the floor. In the center, a small table; on the shelves, dozens of books organized by theme, title, and color. There are two small skylights through which the light enters, making the beads of the decorative pillows sparkle.

Amadeo enters and sits down at the table. On top of it are the bulky tomes he had taken on the trip. "Dang it. Dang it. Dang it", he thinks, "I haaaaaaaaate tests...".

_ Don't think of this as a test, Amadeo. _ Deodoro's gentle voice appears and the boy is startled _ I won't punish you for your failures. I'll congratulate you for the results.

_ You always say that. And I always get desperate right before. _ He responds while squeezing his abdomen.

_ Easy, easy. You just need to answer a few questions and we're done. All right? Standard procedure of our tutoring.

Amadeo takes a deep breath and agree. Deodoro sits across the table and arranges the books in position. Keeping his peaceful expression, he starts the "assessment":

_ Which one of the books did you manage to read in the period I gave you?

_ These two... _ He points to the respective covers _ One on the way to Gawmen, one on the way back here. The third one I didn't get to.

_ It's all right. That's great. I'm happy that you tried and reiterate that I'm still impressed by your speed. _ He pauses _ Before we focus only on the books, I wanted to ask another question about the trip. Is it okay? _ Amadeo agrees _ Great. When Savill suggested sending you, we agreed because we wanted you to develop two things...

_ Leadership and resoluteness. Savill told me. And I'm sorry to say that I didn't learn any of it. _ Amadeo smirks and looks away.

_ Are you sure? I talked to Iona-... I mean, Johan, before I came here.

_ Ah, by the Goddesses, he must have said awful things about me! _ He hides his face in his hands.

_ On the contrary. He said that you were well prepared, knew how to guide the members of the District and that you improvised well in combat. I hope it isn't "gossip", but he said that you are a telepath and guessed what he was thinking several times.

Amadeo frowns all over, puzzled.

_ A-Ah... Are you sure you spoke to the right person, Deodoro?

Deodoro smiles. He puts his hand on the boy's shoulder and says:

_ "You have much more energy than you are showing, Paragon" _ He pauses; Amadeo blushes _ I believe my intuition is correct and the two of you may become a great pair. Two extremes in a peculiar... balance.

_ Yeah, well, maybe, but Johan would never want to be my partner.

_ Your "maybe" is enough for me now. _ Deodoro smiles.

Several questions follow the dialogue and time passes. Once the "test" is over, Amadeo leaves the room and Deodoro thinks to himself: "Great. Now I need to check that letter"... He moves his papers until he identifies a black envelope, with a wax seal shaped like a moon.

_ Hm... From Midnight City? _ He murmurs while opening the envelope.

He gazes at each line and, gradually, his serene expression stiffens.

Through the stone corridors, Amadeo heads towards the training hall. He hums a simple tune while stomping with his heavy boots. Turning a curve, he faces Arthur, who is carrying a clipboard and many sheets of paper.