When we walked through the wall of Tueri, the atmosphere changed immediately. We were no longer in a magical wonderland with vivacious flowers and cheerful forest creatures, but in a tense and rigid environment. There were no beautiful streams or immaculate trees in this place; there wasn't even grass. The entire ground was covered by dirt that seemed to cling to your skin almost immediately.

Fletcher had to leave us almost immediately to begin his work in the Mess Hall, so Micah started to show me around.

All around us were buildings in straight, uniform lines, forming boxes  from the same gray concrete. The buildings were side by side, forming a square with no openings, save for one large metal gate in the center. Each ring of buildings formed another cube, each layer getting slightly smaller the further inside we went. Only the path leading to the center of town disrupts the pattern, closing in around us until we reached a wide opening in the center of the city.

"Tueri was strategically built in rings. In the heart of Tueri is the Commander's Tower, where Commander Nero is stationed. You will also find all of the common areas- the Mess Hall where everyone eats, communal restrooms, the library. You can utilize most of the common areas at any time, just stay away from the Alium," Micah said, pointing to a daunting building on our left.

"Trust me, I wouldn't be caught anywhere near that place," I muttered, wrinkling my nose in disgust as I thought about the tortures performed within those four walls. For all I knew, they could be punishing children in there at that very moment. 

"The barracks are arranged in a specific order in case of an attack. The younger children who have the least training are in the innermost ring, so that they are more protected in case of a breach."

Wouldn't want anyone to harm the children. Other than the Council, of course, I thought to myself, rolling my eyes.

"Each year of the children's lives, they advance in training and skill. When they progress to the next level, they are moved to the next ring of barracks," he said, pointing to each level of the buildings. "They continue the process, moving further outward in the rings until they reach the age of eighteen. At that point, they have completed their protector training, and are either sent to utilize their skills in the magical world by guiding witches, or they remain in Tueri as support staff for the next generation of protectors."

As Micah continued to give me the tour of Tueri, I noticed the number of people around us slowly increasing until there was a small crowd. I began to feel self-conscious as we walked, every person in the town turning to gawk at me. People seemed to be going out of their way to get a glimpse of me- the outsider. Their stares were filled with a mixture of curiosity, astonishment, and most surprising, loathing. I pulled my hair in a curtain over my scarlet face, trying to make myself small.

"Which barrack are we staying in?" I asked, eager to be away from the curious stares of those walking past us in the streets.

Micah remained silent for a moment, an apprehensive look on his face. "Micah, where are we staying?" I asked more forcefully.

He sighed. "We're staying with the first years."

"You mean the little kids?" I asked, taken aback.

"Given your level of experience, the Council thought this would be the best place for you," he said nervously, as I gave him a dubious look.

"It's for your own protection, really," he argued. "You'll be in the heart of the most secure place in Kapanathy. Tueri stands risk of enemy attack on a regular basis, so the further inside these walls you are, the safer you'll be if something were to go wrong."

"I understand. After all, I'm so frail and incompetent... it makes perfect sense that I should bunk with the five year olds. Maybe they can protect me," I muttered sarcastically.

I knew it wasn't Micah's fault, but the idea that everyone in Tueri thinking of me this way made me irritable.

"It really is for your own good," Micah said, but this didn't abate my crabbiness. "We're in here."

We walked through a door to the innermost ring. Like everything else in Tueri, the floors and walls were made out of dull, gray concrete. I was shocked to see how tiny the room was; my bedroom closet was bigger than this space.

The small room was completely empty, save for a worn mattress. There was no television, no electricity, not even a window to let sunlight into the cold and dreary building.

"It's part of the training process," Micah explained, reading my expression. "The less material possessions the children have, the less likely they will lose focus. I had to do a lot of convincing to even get you the mattress."

I felt my frustrations with Micah starting to slip away. It wasn't his fault we were in this tiny room, neighboring the youngest children in the town. The fact that Micah had found a way for me to have the mattress made my heart warm. Micah had been fighting for me before he even knew me. It was nice to know that I had someone on my side. Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around his neck in a heartfelt embrace.

"Thank you," I whispered, breathing in his intoxicating scent.

He stiffened at my touch, keeping his hands firmly to his sides. "You're welcome," he said gruffly, clearing his throat.

I released him, taking a step back, as color flooded my cheeks. Fletcher kept his eyes averted, pretending to examine the room, but I could see a smile dancing behind his eyes. 

"It's almost seven," Micah said, shifting uncomfortably. "That's when they serve dinner. One thing you need to remember is that the meals are always served at exactly the same times each day. Breakfast is at seven am sharp, lunch is served at one, and dinner is served at seven pm. Everyone in Tueri eats at those times, or they can't eat until the next meal. There are no exceptions."

I nodded, my stomach giving a deep rumble. As hungry as I was, being late for a meal wouldn't be an issue.

We walked up to the large building in the square that Micah had indicated was the Mess Hall. When he opened the door, I was shocked to see how normal everything was. There were children of all ages meshed together at long lunch tables, each wearing the same black sweatpants and black t-shirt. My bright outfit stood out by comparison.

The children were laughing and talking, acting like any other kids in a school cafeteria. By looking at them, you'd never guess that they were all beaten and tortured, starved and punished, to make emotionless warriors.

I looked at Micah, and saw that he was positively beaming.

"The cafeteria is the only place in Tueri where there aren't strict rules and trainers hovering over them. It's the one place where they are actually allowed to have fun, to play and act like the children they are," he explained.

I could understand why the cafeteria would make Micah happy- it was probably the only time he was allowed to be himself growing up. I glanced at the cheerful room, and found myself smiling too.

But that smile faded as the room's mood changed. The excited shouting and laughter had ceased, and an eerie quiet stretched throughout the building. I looked up and saw every head turned in my direction, thousands of curios eyes locked on me.

My recent elation was temporarily forgotten, as a deep blush colored my face. The quick palpitations of my heart pressed against my ribcage, causing the locket against my chest to quiver with the rapid movements.

The silence was broken by one, then two, and then hundreds of hushed voices, as the crowd began whispering. I couldn't hear much from the overlapping sounds, but a few words like "prophecy" and "pathetic" catch my attention.

"Come on," Micah said, seemingly unfazed by the attention. He walked toward the side of the room where a large buffet spread was set.

"I'm not really hungry," I muttered. My hunger was long forgotten. Everyone in the room was still staring, and it was making me nauseous.

"You need to eat. We start training in the morning, and you're going to need the energy," Micah said, grabbing a tray, and loading his plate with food.

I didn't want to argue with him, so I picked up a tray and followed suit, mindlessly taking helpings of honey ham, mashed potatoes, and broccoli. It looked delicious, especially after weeks of ingesting canned and processed foods, but I was unable to think of anything other than the curious stares, and the whispers about me- the mysterious girl with some unknown ability to defeat the dark king.

Micah and I walked through the gaping crowd to the back corner of the room where we set down our trays. The three people who were already occupying the table looked up at us inquisitively.

The only girl at the table stood up defensively, glaring at Micah. She had alabaster skin that made even my light complexion seem tan, and short, brown hair. She had multiple facial piercings, and tattoos covering both of her toned arms from her shoulders to her wrists. I recognized her as the fierce warrior leading the fight against the Malin when we first entered Kapanathy.

"What do you think you're doing? Who said you could sit with us?" she challenged us so forcefully, it made me shudder. 

"The last time I checked, I can sit anywhere I want. Or are you going to try to stop me?" Micah retorted, squaring his shoulders as if anticipating a fight.

The girl walked up to Micah, standing only an inch away from his face. He hovered over the petite woman who was at least a foot shorter than him, but the girl didn't waiver. Her fists closed into fists, her grip so tight that it turned her knuckles even more white.

I took a step back, bracing myself m for a violent outburst. But, to my complete surprise, Micah and the girl began smiling at each other, before interlocking in a tight embrace.

"Welcome back, Micah," the girl said. She glanced over Micah's shoulder and spotted me, her smile fading. "This is her?" she spit, looking at me from head to toe.

"Yes, this is Alexis. Alexis, this is Sage, one of our best invasive strategists," Micah said. "Sage heads the offensive division in Tueri, and coordinates the physical training program. She'll be overseeing the physical portion of your training. She's the best of the best, and will help strengthen you for battle," Micah said, giving her an affectionate smile.

"That'll take a miracle," Sage muttered, as she walked back to the other side of the table. I rolled my eyes, already gathering that the two of us weren't going to be friends anytime soon.

We sat down at the lunch table, as Micah introduced the other protectors that we were sitting with.

"Alexis, this is Rowan, the meditation garden coordinator and architect," he said, as a young brunette man gave me a friendly smile. "And this is Dennis," Micah said, giving a cool, nonchalant nod in the direction of the other man. He gave me a small grin while glaring at Micah in disdain. There was clearly some hostility between them.  

"Fill me in. What's been going on?" Sage asked as we began eating.

Micah explained our long journey with Fletcher and Otis, and our various encounters with the Malin. I was thankful when he left out the parts where I made decisions that put us in danger; I didn't get the feeling that Sage would be as forgiving about my mistakes as Micah and Fletcher had been.

While Micah talked, I noticed that Dennis looked as though he couldn't care less about the narrative. His eyes darted around the room as though bored.

At one point, I glanced up to find Dennis staring at me, his lips curled upward in an attractive half-smile. I turned quickly toward Micah, pretending to listen to his story, but in reality, I had no idea what he was saying. I was too distracted to pay attention, sensing the man across the table continuing to stare at me.

After a few minutes, the man abruptly stood up, and walked away without a word. Sage looked after him and shook her head.

"Ignore him, Micah," she said.

Micah glared after him, his eyes throwing daggers. He stabbed a green bean a little too aggressively, and looked over at my still full tray.

I had long ago given up any pretense of eating, choosing to chew nervously on my fingernails instead. Micah let out an exasperated sigh, but didn't say anything. Instead, he stood up and took both of our trays to a garbage area, where he washed the plates, and set them in a clean pile.

"Come on. It's lights out in two hours, and I want to finish giving you the tour," Micah said.

"Micah, can I ask you a personal question?" I asked as he closed the cafeteria door behind us.

"Of course," he said, his eyes furrowing in curiosity.

"Is Sage, like, your girlfriend or something?"

I tried to sound cool and collected, but the hint of jealousy was palpable in my voice. I knew it was none of my business, but I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to their relationship. The way Sage stared at me with disdain didn't help matters. 

Micah stiffened uncomfortably, and gave me a confused look. Knowing his background and his inability to share his emotions, I had expected as much. What I didn't expect, however, was the throaty laugh that escaped his mouth.

Now it was my turn to look at him with confusion. "What's so funny?"

Micah, who had been amused to point of tears, wiped his eyes. "What would give you that idea?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. The two of you seem very close. And she makes you smile, which is rare. It just seems as though you may be more than friends."

He continued to laugh. "I am very fond of Sage, just not in that way. Sage and I entered the training program at the same time. We experienced the same chapters of training together, and were able to be there for each other during some of our worst experiences. She has seen me at my weakest moments and has helped me through them.

"So, yes, I love Sage. But it's a love like I would have for a sister, because that's basically what she is to me. Nothing more. Besides, even if I did have feelings for Sage, it would never work out. She would never feel the same way about me," he said with a deep chuckle.

"Why not?" I asked. I couldn't imagine anyone who met Micah not being attracted to him almost instantly.

"Well, let's just say I'm not her...type. She's more likely to fall for someone more like yourself, if you catch my drift," he said with a wink.

It took me a moment to comprehend what he was saying, but once I did, I was mortified. I had spent so much time pondering Micah and Sage's relationship, the idea of Sage being gay had never even crossed my mind.

My face warmed with a deep blush, and I wanted to run back to our bunk and hide from embarrassment.

"So, how about that tour?" I suggested, praying Micah would drop the conversation as quickly as it had started.

Thank you for reading! If you are enjoying this story so far, don't forget to vote! :)

© Dawn Norwell