Against all odds, Kaya had submitted lists of those she wanted in her circle on time, unlike Arcane. Well, in reality, she'd just taken a look at anybody Emilee had had to discard off her list—which was a lot because all it took was a smile for her to decide you were a sweet soul—and then she'd asked Medea for advice. The Voire had rolled her eyes but had quickly managed to sort the trash from the tolerable.
In all honesty, Kaya didn't understand the point of circles. It was meant to be the equivalent to a queen's court but under the pretense of religion. What did it matter whether she drank tea with the same people each day? There were more pressing matters.
In the meantime, she'd approached the Chèr about baking for charity and he'd accepted the idea to her surprise. In fact, he'd encouraged it. He thought it was wise to support those who were less fortunate due to the benefits to their image as well as the fact that it was a morally right thing to do. Against all odds, he was growing on her.
It was strange how much she's settled into this life. She even found herself being happy, as much as she hated it. This was wrong, the spirits were made up and this country was messed up. But somehow her subconscious seemed to be consuming her doubts and hatred. Half the time she saw Leere, she even forgot to be angry with them, stupid power thieves.
We are helping you.
Thank you.
The thoughts vanished as quickly as it had come and Kaya grimaced. She couldn't remember what that had been about. Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her again. It had been a long time since she'd been perfectly mentally healthy.
'Oh Sorita, it is a sin,' wailed the girl she was drinking tea with.
What had she been talking about? Kaya wasn't sure, but she decided to do the girl a favour and admitted, 'I apologise, my mind wandered. What were you talking about?'
But the girl took it the wrong way. 'Oh, my punishment has begun.' She sobbed and dashed out, dramatically clutching her wrist to her heart.
'Well done, you got her to leave us alone,' said Arcane, sipping her tea.
Merari was sobbing. 'This court is doomed. If people think stalking is a sin...'
'She was picking the lock to his room so that she could watch him sleep, not just bumping into him in the gardens like you do.'
Yeah, Kaya had no regrets. If that girl thought the spirits were punishing her by not paying her any attention, the poor soul she was plaguing might get some peace and quiet.
'So, nice tea-ing with you guys, but I think I might go,' said Kaya, already standing up.
'Aw, please stay,' pleaded Emilee. At her side was her new friend Lavia. She kind of gave Kaya the creeps with her overly religious nature. She seemed to have a Libtoria quote for every occasion and was obviously just trying to leech off Emilee's position of influence like everyone in this court.
'As tempting as it is, I have something I want to do.' Namely going to the kitchen.
Kaya pushed open the door only to end up with a chest in her face. When she looked up, she recognised the Chèr's jaw.
'I apologise, but I'm afraid I need the three of you. Without Merari,' he added with a tired, but entertained smile.
'But I'm moral-'
'Actually, last time anyone described you as that you refuted and claimed you were a judgmental chum.'
Merari melodramatically sighed. 'I knew I shouldn't have trusted you to understand a joke.' Regardless, she left.
Lavia stood up and curtsied. Without a sound, she vanished.
'What made you decide to ruin our lovely tea time?' Arcane sulked.
Emilee was more optimistic. 'Have you found another Eseterrian?'
'Not yet, it turns out the Leere were chasing after the wrong person. No, you have been asked for in a council meeting. By the prince,' the Chèr explained.
Arcane raised an eyebrow, meanwhile Emilee grew timid. Kaya wasn't sure how she felt about it. She was curious, not to mention, she wouldn't mind seeing the charismatic prince again. But a council meeting? That sounded about as scary as a ball.
The council chamber was elaborate with an arched ceiling to give it an illusion of being larger than it was. A long table stretched itself and around it sat councilmen, generals, priests and, most notably, the king. At his right hand was Sutoku.
'Your Majesty, I bring the three Eseterrians, as your son requested.' The Chèr bowed low and the three girls followed his lead by curtsying. It was bizarre seeing the Chèr bowing with how he ordered everyone around. It was good to know he didn't think he was above the king.
The four of them took a seat at the king's left hand. It was odd being sat so close to the king. Kaya wasn't exactly one for monarchies, no matter how enlightened they were, but she still felt intimidated by the grand figure.
'While you were gone, we discussed nothing that would have been of interest to you. But now, we can return to the pressing matters at hand.' Sutoku waited for a nod from his father, then rose up. 'We are all too well acquainted with the sad facts of the passing of the five former Eseterrians. Only a week ago, we settled on the date for the assassin's trial. However, as we feared, there are spies in our midst. Either that or people are even bigger gossips than we thought.' His cheerful smile quickly vanished and he produced a piece of parchment from his coat. 'Avi demands we return the vendor. They claim it is an insult to even accuse them of assassination.'
'Blasphemers!'
'Liars!'
Kaya noticed herself opening her mouth to defend Avi. Her brow furrowed in confusion. That country had chased her through the streets. They were definitely capable of murdering Eseterrians.
'I understand everybody's reaction. However—'
'My prince, you can't be suggesting we let him go? He killed six people. He committed spiricide,' a councilman urged him.
Even the king doubted. 'Sutoku, such crimes are unforgivable.'
'That is true, but he won't get a chance like that again,' pointed out Sutoku, 'and in death the same punishment will face him, but we could request a ransom. If Avi wants the vendor back, we can ask for the kidnappers. There is no doubt as to their crime towards our country and maybe that way we can maintain a pretence of diplomacy, hence catching them off-guard when we make our first attack.'
'No disrespect, your highness, but what if the spirits no longer favour us if we don't provide justice. Already, two spirits have refused to claim their Eseterrians,' argued a priest.
'That's not why,' Medea said. 'They've got other reasons that are unfortunately top secret.'
Some advisors shot her critical looks, but she just shrugged them off. Kaya hadn't noticed the Voire beforehand.
'As always, my suggestion is just that: one member of the council's suggestion. No more and no less. I wish that it is contemplated and await the king's judgment.' He bowed before his father, before seating himself again.
'Voire, is he correct in assuming this won't avoid a war?' asked the king.
Why were people so desperate for a war? Maybe they had forgotten the brutalities of one. Not Kaya, such memories were fresh in her mind. She remembered the troops marching up and down, preparing for a journey to their next station. She remembered some crying, terrified for their lives.
'Post this in two days time,' a soldier had once told her, pressing a letter and coin into young Kaya's hand.
'Why?' she had questioned.
'Because I'll be dead.'
She remembered the mourners. There were no funerals because there were no bodies to bury. No proper wakes because too many people had died. People stopped caring and people stopped hoping. New armour shipments from Rectionem Scientiae weren't celebrated. They unleashed rage. People loathed the weapon manufacturers who stayed cosy in their factories, far from the fighting. They caused bloodshed without knowing what it was to bleed. Precisely that was what Kaya needed to bring across.
'Why are you so desperate for a war? Don't you know how much the commoners loathe fighting?'
People stared at her as if she'd spoken out of line. She probably had, but the Elementida didn't care. She'd already decided she'd rather cater towards the common folk than the court.
'Ponyeva, you must understand that Avi must pay for the murder of your predecessors,' said a councilman.
'But is war the way to do it? I grew up in a country devastated by war. Nobody was happy. Nobody was hopeful. And nobody believed in gods anymore.'
'Good. They should shy away from false beliefs,' he grumbled.
Sutoku was the only one who seemed to take her concerns seriously. 'The Trenian wars were something else altogether. They were trapped in a stalemate because they were too evenly matched. War with Avi is bound to happen eventually, especially with Kraspos advocating it. Best fight earlier while Avi is still weak and Kraspos would grant us passage instead of in a decade, when things could be completely different.'
The king cleared his throat. 'I believe that we are done with that specific issue. Unless the Eseterrians know that the spirits would be dissatisfied with this course of action, I propose they leave.'
The three girls exchanged looks, then left. Once they reached the door, Kaya glared back at the room. They were gambling with people's lives. Eventually, it would come back to bite them.
♤ ♤ ♤
'That looks like a rooster crossed with a badger.'
This week had been especially rough. Apart from the discovery that the nation might soon be at war, Kaya had reached a new stage in her training. It was currently time to embarrass her as much as possible by training her in as many skills as possible until they found one she really shone at. Painting, ballet, music, poetry, calligraphy... Kaya was starting to get the impression the Chèr was trying to torture her. Especially because she'd actually submitted a list of her talents, but apparently karate, cooking and chess—which she'd discovered a flair for during captivity—weren't good enough for the Chèr. No, instead she had to spend her time attending classes that Arcane took as well.
By now, Kaya knew Arcane just wanted to show off. Arcane had all the grace of a swan and her lyre playing sounded like a bird song. Meanwhile, Kaya failed miserably. At least Arcane didn't excell at painting. Nevertheless, her oil painting was recognisable as a horse. Kaya's wasn't quite as terrible as Arcane made it out to be, but it bore no resemblance whatsoever to a horse.
'Sorry, Trussell.' Kaya stroked the old horse's snout, then surrendered. The teacher sighed, but accepted defeat.
'If there is no will, you won't improve. It's better we both save ourselves the hassle. I wish you luck, Ponyeva.'
Part of Kaya wanted to change her mind. Lady Lemyit was the nicest teacher out of all of them. Kaya didn't shy away from criticism though. She'd endured worse hardships; a few cruel words wouldn't break her. Regardless, she hoped that the Chèr would eventually see sense.
When she returned to the Eseterrian quarters, she was surprised to find Sutoku talking to the Chèr. Out of curiosity, she stayed outside for a moment, curious to hear what they were talking about.
'You understand why I want the kidnappers, don't you?'
'Your highness, I understand all your planning and respect it. However, I must confess, I'd hate to see him walk as a free man again. He killed the Eseterrians and my father.' The Chèr's expression was hard to read, but his clenched fist gave away his anger.
'I understand, my friend. Your grudge is personal. If it helps, I doubt he'll be a free man when he returns to Avi. If he wasn't the assassin, they'll punish him. If not, they'll parade him and our spies will eliminate him,' Sutoku reassured him.
'I know.' He then looked straight over towards where Kaya was. 'We have company.'
'Fine, you caught me.' Kaya stepped sideways and raised her hands. 'Is eavesdropping on a prince treason?'
'Only if you discover my party plans and share them.'
'Good to know.' Kaya couldn't help but be happy to see the prince. At least she had one friend here that was interesting. Emilee was too soft and she couldn't visit Eztli.
'I am actually glad to see you since I was hoping to find at least one Eseterrian. I am to oversee the tryouts for your guards today. I would appreciate the opinion of an Eseterrian too.'
'Sure thing, your highness,' said Kaya.
Something interesting and useful at last. She'd actually appreciate some more protection. Some nights she swore she saw shadows on her curtains. Each movement she heard outside sent her heart racing. It's the kidnappers. She knew that thought was ridiculous, but she couldn't escape it. She missed her fire powers. If only she could light up the room.
He held out his arm, but she refused to take it. Knowing the court, they'd start speculating about a potential romance. Eseterrians had previously been queens and their respective kings had surged in popularity as a result. If the spirits endorsed the king, surely the people would. Kaya didn't want her little friendship with Sutoku to cloud anyone's judgement. They should judge him by his actions, not her.
They left the palace through the maze of corridors and strolled through the grounds. A gardener trimmed at a hedge, another transported tools to the greenhouse. Kaya had yet to see much of the capital and actual palace itself and the greenhouse was one of the few bits she actually longed to see. Cines' climate made it difficult to grow much, but the greenhouse was where they managed to grow a few exotic plants. Kaya hoped they grew some of the fruits she'd become acquainted to seeing in Soustren.
'I hate to bring it up but I've been wanting to ask for a long time. Would you like us to contact your parents? We could bring them here and they could live in comfort,' Sutoku offered.
Kaya furrowed her brow, trying to remember her parents. The moment she did, emotions drowned her and then... Her mind just fogged over. She couldn't picture her parents. She must be going mad or something.
'Are you alright?'
Kaya wanted to shake her head, but they'd think she was insane if she confessed to not being able to remember her parents. This was probably some messed up spirit stuff. Did they create trials for their Eseterrians to ensure they were the right choices? Kaya frowned at the thought, then forced a smile and nodded.
'They're very happy in Soustren. I'm sure they wouldn't want to leave.'
They reached the backside of the palace, where many candidates were stood side by side. Some wore the attire of a palace guard, some were dressed in leather armour, others wore makeshift outfits. In fact, one candidate was also an Elementida.
'I want them,' Kaya told Sutoku.
Sutoku laughed, 'Not if they turn out to be a terrible fighter.'
The prince slicked back his hair quickly, then ambled in front of the crowd. A couple of girls exchanged giggles, but the rest remained stoic.
'Welcome all and thank you to those that journeyed from afar to come here today. After all that has happened, we have felt the need to increase the Eseterrians' security. You will be the first ever Esprian guard, dedicated to maintaining our belief.'
Medea, Arcane and Merari joined Kaya.
'That one has nice biceps,' remarked Merari.
'He's gay,' responded Medea.
Merari shrugged. 'That's life. You win some, you lose some.'
Kaya squinted at the man in question. He was blonde with reasonably tanned skin and a muscular form, but that wasn't what caught Kaya's notice. No, her eyes were drawn to his brown armour.
'That's Surtrenan armour...' Kaya realised, 'He's from Surtren.'
Medea opened the folder she was holding until she found a fitting file.
'Hjalmar Solberg, originally from Surtren. Immigrated after the Surtrenan war. Former soldier,' read out Medea.
'I'm not having a Surtrenan in our guard. No way.' Kaya flexed her fingers, already ready to throttle her former enemy.
Medea held her back though. 'Relax. He may be eliminated anyway, but if not, he will be tested. Each of the final candidates will sit with me and I'll foresee whether or not they can be trusted.'
'He can't be trusted. Surtrenans are heartless,' grumbled Kaya, even though she didn't completely believe that. No matter what, she didn't want him in her guard and if exaggeration was what it took, that's what it would be.
'You know, I think they should just teach you how to fight. That would be so much easier,' mused Merari.
'No thank you. I'd rather have people rushing to protect me,' responded Arcane.
Kaya remained silent. Merari had a point. Why shouldn't Kaya protect herself? She watched the guards sparring with wooden weapons. There was no denying their skills and surely they could find work guarding the other Eseterrians or the palace, but she wanted to care for herself. Next opportunity she had, she'd talk to the Chèr.
'You five are dismissed.'
The unlucky tryouts left. Arcane and Merari's jaws dropped when they recognised one.
'Codrus?'
The painter smiled sheepishly at Merari. 'I see you were here to view my moment of shame.'
'She was too busy drooling at blondie over there,' said Arcane, 'Besides, you weren't exactly recognisable in all that armour.'
'Who is he?' asked Kaya.
'Oh, a painter. He painted Merari's picture once and happened to turn up to the ball in matching clothes to Merari.'
'Why are you trying out to be a guard though?' asked Merari.
His response was slightly aloof. 'You know... Gave it a shot... Backfired...'
'Right...' Arcane raised an eyebrow. 'You know, Merari, I'm starting to think he's just trying to get closer to you.'
'I knew nobody could resist my charm.' Merari smirked.
'You have all the charm of a pregnant walrus, m'lady.'
'And you that of a sunburnt zebra.'
Kaya wasn't entirely sure what she was witnessing. Fortunately, the Chèr showed up and rescued her from this madness. Emilee was at his side.
'Uh oh, new chores incoming,' said Merari, 'I'll see myself out.'
Codrus also excused himself and headed in the opposite direction to Merari.
'Have you had any visions? Have the Leere found anything?' The Chèr quizzed Medea.
The Voire shook her head. 'So far I've got nothing, I'm afraid. The spirits are being especially quiet too. Then again, they might be offended by the girls not having sought them out. It usually happens within the first week.'
'I know. That's why they're going to tonight.'
'We're going to what?' Kaya said.
'The Primracon ritual. I assume you've learnt what that is?'
'The first meeting with the spirits,' answered Emilee. She flushed slightly.
'Tonight we're going to find out who was chosen by which spirit and while you're at it, try and find out what's keeping the other spirits so long,' announced the Chèr.
'Arcane can't,' the Voire nonchalantly said, 'She had a creampuff with Merari earlier. It's not going to work out with twelve hours of fasting.'
'Then she shall try tomorrow. The other two will try tonight. Shula Kaya, Emilee Sato, come with me.'
'But Sutoku wanted—'
'Spiritual duties always come first,' the Chèr reminded her.
They followed him down the pebble path to the aedrum. As always, there were people already inside. Kaya often wondered what they found to do inside. Of course people prayed there, but they could pray anywhere.
The two ladies were lead up onto the altar, then through a little hidden door. On the other side was a stone room, surprisingly humble considering the state of the rest of the aedrum. There was something off about the walls. They looked rather scratched.
'Did somebody try to restrain a lion in here?'
'No, I just redecorated. Unfortunately, removing the excessive amount of gold proved painful for the wall.'
'So the gossip's true, you donated it to schools! But why did you tell Lady Shellton otherwise?' queried Emilee.
'Gossip's usually true, I just make it a habit to claim any rumours are false and then nobody knows what to believe anymore. It's not my job to be the topic of speculation,' said the Chèr.
He turned away and opened a cupboard door while the girls sat at the wooden table. He conjured a crystal goblet with a spherical lid. Inside, was a rosy liquid.
'Freshly made this morning. When did you last eat?'
'Ten o'clock,' said Kaya.
'Half past nine,' said Emilee.
'Good.' The Chèr actually smiled. 'It's one thirty now. Take a drink.'
Emilee took a sip. Kaya observed her but Emilee's expression left the flavour a mystery. Kaya let a small stream of liquid pour into her mouth, then coughed. It was sickly sweet with a sour aftertaste.
'When was this thing last cleaned?' Kaya rubbed a hand over her mouth.
'A few days ago. Don't worry, just another three more sips over the course of nine hours and then you never have to taste it again,' the Chèr promised. Kaya didn't trust him.
'Remind me never to let you mix me a cocktail.'
'What now?' asked Emilee with wide, timid eyes.
'I'm afraid now you wait in isolation. Each Eseterrian has their own room as well as there being a pilgrim room. Emilee, you can of course go in Ellux's chamber. Kaya, you may spend the next few hours in the pilgrim room.'
'May?'
'Must.'
Kaya rubbed her brow. 'What do we do for nine hours?'
'Pray. Meditate. Count the cracks in the ceiling. The one rule is you may not sleep and may not talk to any mortal. Every three hours, a Leere will come to bring you the cup. Remember, not a word.'
That sounded like a terrible time. Kaya opened her mouth to protest, but a voice in the back of her head made her go along with it. Be the perfect Eseterrian. Why? What made her want to please them? Probably her desire to argue with whichever Eseterrian had chosen her.
He deposited Kaya in the pilgrim's room, silently closing the door. The room smelt musty, but the beauty of the walls made up for it. Every spot of the wall had been painted with various scenes from the story of the pilgrimage. Kaya didn't know the whole story, but they had travelled the land to serve the spirits.
She let her finger trace the wall. Each wore their own unique colour at first, later there were other people but they wore muted shades so that the pilgrims really stood out. The last image showed a girl in purple on the altar, light flowing out of her body. Was she dead? Kaya didn't quite know.
Examining the walls only kept her occupied for so long. In barely any time, she was already bored. She hadn't even lasted half an hour, how was she going to manage nine?
The first task she set herself was to try and organise her thoughts. Earlier she hadn't been able to remember her parents. At the time there hadn't been time to spend dwelling on the fact and trying to resurface memories, but given the current circumstances, there was no reason not to. She closed her eyes and dug deep.
What am I doing? She opened her eyes, confused as to what she'd been trying to do there. Gratitude. She felt like the word had some meaning. Had she been trying to come up with a nine letter word? Kaya didn't know.
She had too much time to kill. There was no way of knowing how much, but she certainly wasn't going to meditate or pray. So, she got out a libclara and read.
Kaya enjoyed books. Back at home, she'd read a great deal. Without books, she would have most likely gone insane. But the Libclara didn't fill her with any joy. The drawings were pretty, but the poetry that made up the hymns and prayers felt more like propaganda than anything else. Line after line spoke of the greatness and generosity of spirits, but there was some reason Kaya didn't believe in that. Why was it? Why did she hate spirits? Her head hurt. Why couldn't she connect reason to her emotions? Why couldn't she form a coherent thought? Something was wrong with her, really wrong.
Propaganda or not, she forced herself to continue reading until the first Leere came. She almost greeted the young woman, but remembered the Chèr's words. She couldn't speak. Maybe meeting the spirit would provide her with answers. That was, if the spirit truly existed.
The next three hours were spent practicing karate movements, playing the little three stringed instrument she happened to find, pacing, trying to order her thoughts and tearing a couple of pages out of the libclara. The next Leere entered when she was in the middle of that and gave her a disturbed look. Kaya didn't care. She was already going insane from isolation and boredom.
The final three hours were spent tackling the Libtoria. By then, Kaya could barely concentrate. Her eyes would skim a whole passage and she'd retain nothing. Time after time, she read the same paragraph until her brain could assign the words some meaning. She was hungry and thirsty. One sip of disgusting pink water every three hours was not enough. She was starting to think this ritual depended on hallucinations.
Eventually some meaning did enter her mind but precisely while reading the worst possible story. As she read the pilgrim's stories, she felt sick to her stomach. The tale spoke of an age of Forti, where everyone had one power. The pilgrims had set out to correct this flaw in reality in service to the spirits. They had managed to cleanse the population of their powers, but to do so they had required sacrifices. One blood sacrifice for each colour: red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. The lunatic that had come up with the story had probably thought it to be awfully poetic. Not Kaya though. She wanted to get as far away as possible.
The once beautiful room lost its charm. Each mural felt twisted, tainted by its story. Kaya wished she had a knife to drive into the walls with. She wanted to destroy the paintings, remove them forever. Her power. She'd had a power. How had she forgotten? She'd commanded fire, controlling the stoves in the bakery. She'd gone to the river and held a flame against the surface until a cloud of steam had arisen. Her now pale skin markings had glowed red as fire, as had her short, dark hair.
In came the Leere, offering her cup. She wanted to yell, to rip her hair out, to bang her head against the floor. Someone like her had stolen her power. They'd robbed her of her identity and something else. Something very important, but Kaya couldn't remember.
She sipped from the cup because as much as she hated the Leere, somebody else was responsible. If a tree is only producing rotten apples, you can't just throw away the fruit. You need to confront the problem at the source. If any spirits existed, they were about to feel her wrath.
The moment the liquid entered her mouth, Kaya felt something. Her mind felt floaty and her vision blurred. Her fingers tingled and her stomach lurched. This wasn't indigestion, this was divine intervention.
The stark brightness of the room threw her off. Everything was spotless as if someone had gone searching for every imperfection and had ironed them out. Kaya didn't believe in perfection and the purity of the room left her feeling anxious, not to mentioned how the space stretched out to infinity. The roof curved over her, resulting in one sign of imperfection, namely asymmetry.
She took a deep breath and formed a fist. 'I'm here. Show yourself.'
A woman with gray hair and granite eyes appeared. Her lips drew a thin line and her long nails long curled slightly. The sight of her sent a shiver down Kaya's spine.
'Not the response I was expecting. Please don't tell me you made me ugly,' moaned the woman.
She looked exactly like the Leere that had stolen Kaya's power.
Before she could think rationally, Kaya punched her. Realising what she'd done, Kaya stared at her fist until she was slapped out of it by the Leere. Kaya felt herself fighting to not be drowned by the current of memories. She curled up into a ball, trying to use her breathing to stay afloat. She was dissociating. Memories, too many memories.
'For goodness' sake, get over yourself. I'm Toutelé, not whoever you're seeing me as.'
Kaya forced herself to look up, but the spirit's face sent her into a fresh panic.
The spirit sighed. 'I have no physical body. It is down to you to see me as you wish. So rewire your subconscious to give me a new face.'
It was too late for Kaya. The flashback had come knocking. She couldn't escape.
Where was she? A white room and in front of her an unfamiliar, old face.
'Are you the spirit I was sent to see?'
'Finally, you've returned to your senses.' The spirit examined her nails. 'This form really is ghastly.'
'Finally? But I only just got here.'
The spirit raised an eyebrow. 'Whatever you say.' She paused, then introduced herself, 'I am Toutelé, spirit of all the elements.'
Kaya nodded slowly. She felt a trickle of rage. What did she possibly have to be mad about?
'Why did you choose me?'
'You're an Elementida. What better candidate? Not to mention, I don't get the impression you're about to let somebody push you around.'
That sounded fair.
'The Chèr, he said I should ask about any other Eseterrians. Do you know where they are?'
'I cannot claim them for other spirits,' said Toutelé.
'That's cryptic,' Kaya remarked.
'Believe it or not, ancient as I may be, I never studied rhetoric.'
Kaya couldn't complain. She wasn't exactly verbally gifted.
Toutelé had nothing else to say, so the whole not eating for twelve hours ordeal had definitely been a greater price to pay than—
'Wait a minute... Spirits are real?!'
'Why are you only mentioning that so late in the conversation? Of course I'm real. Do you really think your brain could conjure up my brilliance?'
'I... I don't know. My brain was foggy. I just... I always assumed Eseterrians were frauds...'
Toutelé stared at her critically. 'You're an odd one, Shula.' Kaya winced. 'Get therapy.'
The dream ended on that note. Kaya woke up in a dark room, a Leere sat watching her. Kaya jumped up, uncomfortable at the idea of having been watched the whole time.
'Are you alright? At one point you seemed to be having a panic attack or something... I almost fetched the Chèr.'
Kaya stared at her. 'I was perfectly fine. What would I have had to be upset about?'
The Leere didn't seem convinced. It was weird, Toutelé had said some cryptic stuff too. Was she the weird one? She didn't feel weird.
Without another word, she left the aedrum. She couldn't wait to collapse in her bed.
♤ ♤ ♤
A/N: So, I know that was long (5000) and rather weird. I guarantee, all will be explained. But until then, just drink some tea and laugh about Shadow and Bone reality TV posts or something.
Has anybody got any theories as to what's happening to Kaya? I'd love to hear them.
EpicOrganicCucumber (also original creator of Hjalmar Solberg)