Liam looked around Shailaja's main hall. He spotted Noa and Joshua without difficulty, they were at their usual table, almost at the end of the room, next to the tutor's table. Most of the nobles were already seated in the hall, which was all made of stone, like all the rooms in the dark fortress. Lighting came from torches that burned in each pillar and between windows, which were thin but very long. At the end of their length, they formed a sharp peak like the towers of Shailaja. The double glazing was strong, shielding the room from the winds and providing a view of the beach, but at this time of night, nothing could be seen through them. Their icy surfaces were blurred by the mixture of cold and salty air, and they faintly reflected the fire from the torches, giving the impression that the hall was filled with flames.

Until that moment, Liam had never realized how easily the reflection of fire could be mistaken for a woman. Especially if this woman was a redhead girl. Several times, he thought he had spotted who he was looking for, but he soon realized he was wrong. It was just another flame playing with his hopes. Disappointed, he walked between the heavy wooden tables to the end of the long room and took a seat on Noa's left. The tables in the main hall always accommodated eight people, three on each side and two at the head. All were laid out horizontally, except for the table on which he was. The Kaal's head faced the rest of the hall, which allowed him a wide view of all the nobles. Liam always sat on his left, while Joshua took his right. In this way, no one else approached the Kaal. That was his wish. He risked a sidelong glance at Joshua, who was taking a sip of wine. He raised his eyebrows quickly, returning his gaze to the hall. Every year it was like that. As soon as he entered Shailaja, Noa's mood sank, like an anchor dropped overboard.

- Where were you, Roparzh? I thought you were right behind us - Joshua asked casually.

- Winoc stopped me. He'd like to make arrangements for the week's practice now - Liam replied, as, with a curtsy, a maid poured more wine into Rariff's empty glass. The Kaal was sprawled casually in his chair, elbow propped and left hand supporting his chin. Two fingers covered his mouth. His gaze, directed to the back of the room, seemed to take in some information Liam didn't understand. Like the tables, the chairs were made of heavy, dark wood, upholstered in the finest Tegalanese leather, lined with dozens of aged silver studs. Noa's chair, positioned right in the center of the room, was taller than the rest as its back continued towards the ceiling, ending in a ridge as sharp as Shailaja's windows.

As sharp as Rariff's gaze, Liam thought, raising his glass as he considered whether this was a bad or a terrible time to try to entice the heir to the combat team, of which he was captain. Every year, Liam made this attempt, even though he already knew Noa's answer. While he was captain and Blake played alongside him in almost every sport, Rariff avoided any contact with championships in general. Since Liam knew what his friend was capable of, he always tried to lure him into competition, but Noa was convinced that, in his presence, any fair game was impossible. How suspicious he was!, thought Liam. The Kaal claimed that everyone was afraid of hurting him, so they didn't fight hard, making it all too easy. He was unable to accept that he was simply better than others. He had participated in the tournaments in his first year in Shailaja. Every time he won, he got angry, feeling favored. However, there were few who managed to defeat him, so he was often irritated. Finally, he had decided that he would always practice alone, alongside his guards, which Liam thought was silly. If he were Kaal, he would make the most of it. What's the point of being the heir like that? By the gods! If he were the heir, he would challenge everyone and make a point of winning every time.

Here we go, Liam thought, when he heard the strong voice of Baldric Bradford, a tall, smiling young man, who crossed the room greeting everyone. As he approached, he bowed quickly to Rariff and took a seat next to Liam, followed by Mateo Rukmini, who took a seat next to Blake. Bradford and Rukmini were perhaps the only ones allowed the honor of sharing a table with Rariff without an appropriate invitation. The other head of the table would not be occupied so that the Kaal's vision would be clear. No one sat across from Rariff. The only one who would, on special occasions, wasn't in the hall right now, and Liam began to wonder where Enzo Yezekael was.

- People are going crazy with this security paranoia here. Tell them what you heard, Rukmini - Bradford began.

- Looks like they're going to change all accommodations. I heard Theirn complaining, said something about how he's lived in this room for 20 years, the air in the West Wing is more... I don't know what, a lot of bullshit. But anyway, they're going to get him out of there. Looks like there are new security measures.

- Miss Ainsley commented on the ship that they made several investments during the summer - Liam recalled.

- I also heard that some newcomers are coming because of security. This is supposed to be the safest place in Adij Alim - Baldric said.

- They even wrote that Hannah Maël was coming here - Mateo introduced, casting a furtive glance at Noa.

Noa nodded heavily, taking another sip of his wine. He hadn't forgotten. Since entering the ship, he had been looking for her. With each new young woman he saw, he considered whether it could be her. Despite the incessant search, at the same time he didn't want to find her. He also didn't want to be caught off guard. How would she be today? He let his eyes roam the room once more, searching. There were few unfamiliar faces. At that moment, the three young women he had seen on the ship entered the hall and sat down at a table near the windows. Noa calculated that, among the strangers, only they would be similar in age to Hannah Maël.

As they had already discussed exhaustively, one of them was clearly Sybilla's twin, and therefore too blond, tall, and white to be a palatial girl. The second was as red as you could be, with long hair pulled back in a neat comb and big green eyes that popped into freckle-speckled skin. He knew Hannah Maël was neither redheaded nor had green eyes. The palatials were known as the sons of Anandi, for they had their hair as long and brown as the fur of Aamadu. So she couldn't be the third young woman either, whose hair was black as night and short, swinging over her shoulders, something that went against palatial customs. The skin tone was also wrong, it was too pale. And she as too tall. It was common knowledge that Hannah Maël was tiny like most palatials. Like Merab, Noa thought for a moment.

- I'm hungry - Joshua complained.

- There's still this whole presentation... - remembered Mateo. 

The tutors were talking lively, but Noa realized that Mr. Yezekael was not among them. That was weird. He never missed the welcome dinner. Mrs. Véronique Ainsley stood up and called for everyone's attention in her thin voice, which grew even more squeaky when she tried to speak out loud. She wore a black robe, which emphasized her almost skeletal thinness. Her hair, which had once been blond, was now practically white and was pulled back into a braid that wrapped around a tight bun on top of her head.

- Gentlemen, a minute of attention. Welcome to Shailaja. Mr. Yezekael had a slight delay. So let's start the newcomer's presentation. Before that, however, an observation. You certainly heard about the changes. We spent the summer reinforcing security inside our lands. So we've made changes to your rooms... - There was a general complaint, which interrupted Mrs. Ainsley for a few seconds, forcing her to hit even higher shrieks. - Gentlemen... Please, gentlemen... Your servants have the updated list of quarters and rooms. Now, please, let's go to the freshmen presentation.

As this was a place of nobility, many already knew each other. The introduction was just a formality. However, this year would be different. Some faces were completely new. When his name was called, the rookie would stand up, Mrs. Ainsley would make a little introduction, and the freshman would respond with an oath. Usually, the one who introduced the nobles was Mr. Yezekael himself. Noa shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Where would he be?

- Mabel Narayama... - A girl stood up. She had curly blond hair in a ponytail and big pink cheeks – the first daughter of the Duke of Narayama, of Palatials.

- I... I promise to abide by the rules of Shailaja and the Ceremony - said the girl, visibly embarrassed. Then she bowed to Noa and sat down.

- Samuel Bradford, fifth son of the Lord of Bradford, of Adij Rariff - He was another brother of Baldric. The boy rose quickly, took the oath firmly, followed by a deep bow in Noa's direction. For sure, he practiced at home, Noa thought.

As the freshmen's introduction continued, Noa looked around for Hannah. Definitely, none of the young women in that room resembled her. Would she really come? It could have been just a rumor... It would have been too weird to be true. What would she attend Shailaja for? Didn't she live on a farm? Maybe she wanted to find a husband... That's what some rumors said. After all, she no longer had any land, nor inheritance, but she was the last descendant of a millenary lineage. Her family had built a very powerful, prosperous kingdom. At the same time, who would dare to marry her? That would be considered an affront to the Rariffs... It would be considered an attempt to retake Palatials...

The presentation of the elders had begun. Generally, a new resident over the age of 16 was rare. But with the insecurity provoked by the persistent rumors of war, families in all regions felt more confident keeping their heirs in a safe place. And Shailaja was that place.

- Delia Blake... - Now a woman had stood up. She must have been about 20 years old. Noa knew Delia, she was the widow of Joshua's cousin. She had been married at the age of 17 and had therefore attended Shailaja for a short time. The husband had died two years ago and, with the threats of war, the family felt she would be safer there. She curtsied in Noa's direction and nodded quickly to her cousin.

- Christine Gwenaël, daughter of Duke Gwenaël of Adij Rariff - announced Mrs Ainsley. The white-skinned girl with very black hair got up.

- Christine... - Joshua repeated. – Did you know she was coming, Roparzh?

- Oh, my mother said something... Yes - Liam replied, looking down. Noa searched his memory. So, this was Christine Gwenaël, daughter of the Duke of Gwenaël, and cousin of Liam.

- But... Doesn't she attend that crazy Island? - asked Mateo.

- My mom said it's safer here. Besides, she's a noblewoman, she should be here since age 15 anyway... This story is very complicated - Liam replied, changing the subject.

A subject Roparzh does not wish to chatter about, a gift from the gods, Rariff thought. No Roparzh liked to talk about the Gwenaël. All the nobility knew the history of the family. And it wasn't pretty. When Christine decided to isolate herself on the Island, it was better for everyone. It smothered the case, no one would always remember what had happened. Apparently, the truce is over.

- Serena Per... - Mrs. Ainsley cleared her throat. - Serena Per Hyanchinthe, daughter of Raj Benjamin Hyanchinthe, of Hyanchinthe.

On impulse, Noa looked for Sybilla around the room. Many did the same. He found her two tables away. Her expression was serious, and she was staring at a fixed point in a clear attempt to ignore the stares from halfway across the room. When she couldn't do it anymore, she looked down. She was sitting next to Adaeze Afia, who placed a protective hand over her shoulder.

The resemblance between the two was startling: the same fine, sweet features, blue eyes, full blond hair. Both were pale and tall. However, the twin was much thinner and her very long hair went past her waist. First Christine and now Serena Per Hyanchinthe. The hubbub filled the hall. They couldn't even hear the oath. Noa thought this year was already too surprising when Mrs. Ainsley announced:

- And lastly, Bryanna Caileigh Yahia, only daughter of the Raj of Judicaël, of Judicaël.

Everyone was silent. It was as if a spook had come in and sat down to dinner. Noa watched in amazement as the young redhead rose. Feeling the weight of the silence that had taken over the hall, Bryanna concentrated and said only:

- I promise to abide by the rules of Shailaja and the Ceremony.

~*~

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Ps: I am a brazilian author and a dear friend is helping me translate this book. Please feel free to point out any mistakes. Hope you like it!