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Journal of Kalen Avanir
TE 6047, Orhan 5, day 21, Morning
Gryphon College, Prevan
I woke this morning with a curious disorientation, unable to remember where I was. The sound of Jad’s slow, even breathing nearby reassured me, but there was a long moment before I placed this large warm bed in Gryphon College. My confusion was disconcerting, since we had been travelling and sleeping in a different location almost every night for weeks now, and I almost always awoke instantly alert and aware of my surroundings. But perhaps this was the first place in awhile that I felt that I could let down my guard – at least while sleeping. I had a feeling that with the day would come questioning. But for a while I relished the comfortable bed within the guarded confines of this place.
All too soon, just as I detected a gray light peeking through a crack between the heavy drapes, when there was a gentle knock at the door. It was Larieg again, to inform us that Zaris would like to see us in one hour, and offering breakfast and a bath to prepare. My cousin, never one to turn down a bath, was suddenly awake and accepting the offer.
Within minutes our room was a hive of activity: Our tub was drained and refilled, robes were brought, and a regal breakfast was laid. I must admit disappointment that there was no coffee; Larieg informed me that only tea was served here. Otherwise, however, the meal was excellent. Ham, eggs, cheese, fresh brown bread and rich butter were laid out for us by two Elves, Erlini by the look of them. There were apples and grapes as well, and some delicious hot fried potatoes. We were also brought clean clothes: tunics and breeches of soft cotton, and comfortable suede slipper-like shoes lined with wool.
After bathing (Jad insisted on using the hair soap again, and in fact decided to try to make off with a bottle of the stuff) we have dressed and are prepared to meet this ‘Zaris.’ I feel more than a little trepidation. After all, we came here unannounced and uninvited…
Chapter Four: Meetings and Introductions
 Many hundreds of miles south and east of Gryphon College, a man stood before a window in a high tower of his ancient castle, staring into the distance across an endless churning sea. Though he appeared youthful and stood tall and unbent by age, his hair was all silver-grey. Clad he was all in grey also, of varying shades from nearly black breeches and tunic, to a lighter surcoat. embroidered at the neck and cuffs with threads of silver.
The sky outside his castle of Encla Turic was a low ceiling of sooty cotton clouds, threatening rain… or perhaps even snow. While the latter was unusual in Vog Mur, it had been a cold and wet Fall already…
The man’s musings were interrupted by a knock at the door.
“Enter.” He had a most unusual voice: almost as if two people were speaking at once. One sounded like a clear tenor, the other a raspy booming bass.
An Erlin Elf in grey robes entered and bowed. “My Lord, another of your guests has arrived. The Lord Oran Jatar awaits you in the east drawing room.”
“I trust you have seen to his refreshment?”
“Yes my Lord.”
“Very good. Ulya Shek will be here momentarily and our roster is then complete.”
“So you are not expecting…” The Elf trailed off.
“No, Arvelen, I fear that Kydak Dûm is lost to us.”
The Elf was turning to depart when there was a heavy thud which shook the room, as if something massive had fallen or landed on the roof. Both men paused expectantly.
A few moments later, a tall woman in a simple, snugly-tailored black tunic and breeches descended the spiral stair off the hallway just outside the chamber. She brushed past the bowing Arvelen, her waist-length mane of raven hair flowing about her. “Voriig! Wonderful to see you!” Her voice was like that of the man in grey: a musical alto overlaid by a harsh, deeper speech. She extended her pale hand. Her fingernails were long and black.
“A pleasure as always, Ulya. I trust you enjoyed your flight?” Voriig Kye gently grasped her fingers and touched the back of her hand to his forehead.
“Indeed I did. There was delicious tuna in the Sea of Gold, and a delightful storm over the Melurian Straits, most invigorating!”
“It would have been much more expedient to simply Teleport here.” The silver-haired man said with an indulgent smile.
“By my scales and horns, Voriig!” The woman combed her fingers through her wild hair and tossed her head back and forth as she spoke. “You spend too much time in human form! You forget what it is like to be a Dragon!”
The Silver Dragon laughed then. It was a laugh of amusement, but a deafening sound that rattled the windows. Arvelen winced and covered his ears.
Kalen stood at the window and sipped his tea, watching the world turn from grey to the red-gold blush of morning. It was fascinating to watch the sunlight touch the treetops, then creep downwards, igniting the branches with light.
“That hair soap is supreme, don’t you think?”
Kalen spun around to see his cousin preening himself at a mirror on the bureau. Jad pushed his hair straight back out of his eyes in a gesture Kalen had seen a thousand times. As always of course, the thick blond strands slivered back down, fanning across the boy’s forehead defiantly. Though Kalen had to admit that the special soap did seem to leave their hair softer and less wild. “Yes it’s nice I suppose, though I’m not quite as vain about my appearance as you.”
Meeting his cousin’s gaze through the mirror, Jad stuck out his tongue.
Like most young men, Kalen kept his hair cut just so it stayed out of his eyes in front and about the same length elsewhere. When away from home Jad and Kalen cut each other’s hair, a grooming habit Kalen would reluctantly admit that he enjoyed.
The young Marquess set his tea down on the writing desk by the window and fished out his journal book. Finding a pen and ink handy in the desk, he set to recording the previous days’ events while the Squire finished his grooming and straightened up the room. Jad knew better than to try to talk to his cousin while he was writing.
Kalen managed to get fairly well along before the college clock sounded the hour: one low note followed by three higher. Barely had the echoes faded when there was a knock at the door.
“Enter!” Jad called after getting a nod from Kalen.
Larieg stepped in. “The Chancellor would like to see you now.” He said with even more formality than usual.
Both young men nervously smoothed their tunics and followed the Elf out the door. At the last moment Kalen darted back to his travelling clothes and retrieved the pendant. After Larieg had turned away, he hung the trinket around his neck, slipping the orb inside his tunic.
Larieg led them back the way they came, across the great foyer. As they passed the grand staircase, Kalen was awed by the view to his left. The stair rose eastward to a wide landing before splitting to continue to the north and south. Set in the east wall was a massive circular stained glass window, at least twenty feet tall, depicting a Gryphon curled in a circle as if trying to catch its lion’s tail in its eagle-beak. Brilliantly illuminated in the morning sunlight, it was stunning work of art.
“That’s something else, isn’t it?” Jad mumbled next to him.
“Amazing.” Kalen agreed.
Larieg, standing at the far end of the room, cleared his throat. “The chancellor does not like to be kept waiting.”
They hurried to follow him through an arched door under the stairway. Straight ahead was another door, this one of some dark wood with square inset panels. Kalen once again admired the wonderful workmanship in every part of this structure. Their guide knocked twice then lifted the latch and entered. He stepped to the side as he swung the door fully open and beckoned them to come in.
The boys entered the sunlit room, Jad a step behind and to Kalen’s right as was proper for his station. Facing them was a large solid desk with two straight-backed chairs in front of it and a bay window behind it. Tables under the window were scattered with myriad small pots, all containing little green sprigs of life. The room extended to the left perhaps twenty feet; the walls of this more shadowy region were lined with bookshelves and scroll racks. Behind the desk sat a woman, writing in a large journal. She wore deep green, and her long black hair had a streak of grey. She did not look up as they entered.
“Chancellor, may I present Lord Kalen Avanir the Marquess of Endar, and his Squire, Jad Hurok.”
“Thank you, Larieg, that will be all.” Zaris looked up then with a fleeting smile and a nod, then returned to her writing.
“A pleasure to meet you, Chancellor.” Kalen bowed, Jad following in kind.
Zaris set her quill aside then and sighed. “I don’t think so, but thank you anyway.” She leaned back then made a sweeping gesture, indicating that they should sit. “I’m sure you would just as soon not have to suffer my interrogation, and indeed you do not have to. Technically, Lord Endar, I suppose that I should be bowing to you, as the son of my liege here in Prevan. You’ll have to forgive me but I just don’t go in for that. Since I am older than you by several thousand years; indeed I am almost as old as your ‘empire,’ so it seems a bit ludicrous.”
“Umm, very well.” Kalen was taken aback by this woman’s brash disregard for the governmental system that he had been raised to respect. A part of him was indignant at her arrogance, but another part agreed that it did seem somehow inappropriate. But his cousin was not so conflicted in his feelings. Kalen could almost feel Jad’s anger and indignation. How dare this woman not show respect to his lord? Notwithstanding the fact that Jad himself never gave Kalen his ‘formal’ deference due when they were in private, of course.
Then Kalen felt a burning on his chest… the pendant was warm again! He resisted the temptation to reach up and touch it through his tunic. Though he wondered why just now the pendant would choose to become active he tried to focus his attention on their hostess.
Zaris was an Elf; that was obvious by her pointed ears, and her reference to being several thousand years old. But beyond that, she seemed rather plain, not having much of the noble bearing and almost ethereal beauty that Kalen had come to associate with Elves. But then Kalen had met very few full-blooded Elves besides his mother and aunt, so he didn’t have much experience to go on. He had seen a few at court in Haalkitaine, but that was the extent of his experience beyond family.
“So what brings you to our humble school, Lord Endar?” Zaris asked, now shuffling through papers on her desk.
“I had heard of Gryphon College and was curious. And we needed a place to sleep.”
“So you were looking for a hostelry and we were handy? Do you inflict yourselves on all your subjects this way?” Zaris asked sarcastically.
Finally Jad’s rage boiled over. He leapt to his feet and took a step towards the desk. “How dare you speak to my Lord with such disrespect!?”
But Zaris was unperturbed by his outburst. Instead she set her papers aside and smiled. “There we are, some righteous indignation and real loyalty.” She stood and walked slowly around the desk. It was then that Kalen realized (as he and his cousin also stood, out of habit) that she was as tall as Jad, and in her movements there was a subtle grace. “My apologies to you Kalen, and you, Jad, but it was necessary for me to know your motives. I am Zaris.” She offered her hand then, which Kalen took and touched to his forehead. Jad took her presented hand as well, though with a scowl and a stiff bow.
Zaris returned to her seat behind her desk. “Please be comfortable, and again, I am sorry if I was rude. However we get few visitors to Gryphon College, and it is in my nature to be suspicious, especially of the mortals around us who are constantly at war. Please allow me to welcome you here, not only because we are within your father’s dominion” — she nodded to Kalen — “but because the College welcomes you. Feel free to stay as long as you like as our guests.”
“‘The College welcomes us’? I don’t understand.” Kalen raised an eyebrow as the boys once again took their seats.
“It is difficult to explain. Suffice it to say that Gryphon College has been here longer than Prevan, longer than Rhakhaan, longer than I have lived. It has a presence and a spirit all its own, which I have learned to respect. And I sense that it wanted you to come here. More than that I cannot say, because I myself don’t understand it fully.”
“Thank you, Chancellor. That’s… um… flattering.” Kalen stammered.
Kalen didn’t have to look over to his cousin to know that Jad had one of those expressions on his face. The furrowed brow, tight-lipped ‘this smacks of magic and the supernatural and if I can’t see it or hit it with a sword I don’t like it’ look.
“If you’d like, I can give you a brief tour. I teach a class in an hour, but until then I am free. And as we go, I would be happy to answer any questions you have about the College. At least questions that I can answer.” She added with a little smile.
“I’d like that very much.”
“Then let us begin at once.” Zaris rose once more and was at the door in a few long, purposeful strides. Larieg was waiting outside, and fell into step behind them as they turned right down the corridor. Zaris maintained a running commentary about the College as they passed through the student lounge and dining hall (each populated with a handful of men and women who looked to be about the same age as the cousins), and along another corridor with tall narrow windows overlooking the river on the right. Next they walked through a loggia which connected to classrooms on the right and opened onto a garden courtyard on the left.
“What is the curriculum here?” Kalen asked when Zaris finally paused in her monologue.
“A wide variety of things. Language, history, the various magical disciplines. The sciences such as astronomy and alchemy, herbalism, medicine…”
Jad wrinkled his nose.
“…Some martial arts as well, Squire. I believe in fact that there is a training session in the north yard right now. Let us see what is going on there.” She led them through another series of corridors, then through a small, heavily reinforced door. They stepped out into the chilly morning air, their breath steaming in the pale sunlight. “Hmm, colder and snow tonight.” She added with a glance at the sky.
A few paces away an area of packed earth about fifty feet square was enclosed on three sides by a split-rail fence. Inside, five pairs of combatants were sparring under the watchful gaze of a tall, lanky man who moved among them, offering suggestions and encouragement as he went. Two pairs were using quarterstaves, one pair fought with wooden training knives, and two were fighting unarmed.
“This is more like it!” Jad grinned, his eyes hungrily taking in the scene before him.
As they made their way towards the yard across the lawn of short turf still crunchy with frost, the tall man noted their approach. He met them just outside the yard and nodded to Zaris. “Whom do we have here?” he asked in the Erlin tongue, regarding the cousins appraisingly.
“Aeral, may I present Kalen Avanir the Marquess of Endar, and his Squire, Jad Hurok. Gentlemen, this is Yardmaster Aeral Tanay.”
There were the usual bows and greetings, during which Tanay noted Jad’s gaze repeatedly flicking back to the action in the yard… and the Squire’s increasingly puzzled expression. “Master Hurok, something about our training interests you?”
“Several things actually. Several of the quarterstaff maneuvers are new to me. I see no one training with swords, only those knives. And I have never seen unarmed fighting like that.”
As Jad spoke, one of the unarmed combatants crouched and swept his leg out, knocking his opponent off his feet. And one of the other pair leapt and delivered a kick to his opponent’s chest which sent him staggering back towards the railing, then continued in a seemingly impossible tumble through the air before landing on his feet ready to deliver another strike.
“Ah yes, those are martial arts techniques little-known in Rhakhaan. They are a combination of disciplines from the Changarama school and the Ky’taari warriors from the far north.”
“The Changramai Monk bodyguards?” Kalen asked, agape. He’d heard of these semi-mythical warriors, but ever actually seen any, even in Haalkitaine.
“The same. We have a few graduates of that school here.”
“Well, it’s very impressive to watch, but how effective can it be against someone with a weapon?” Jad folded his arms across his chest.
“You would be surprised. A well-trained Changramai can defeat two or three skilled knights with broadswords.”
“That I’d like to see.” The Squire’s open skepticism was bordering on rudeness.
“Perhaps you shall, Master Hurok.” Tanay smiled, then turned and called out to his students. They all stopped immediately. “Daal, you face off against Nerik, Seleyah and Vartigen. Spar for a few rounds, then Daal, go full offensive and disarm them.”
The combatants broke up and those who were not named left the yard. Daal was a slight Erlin Elf perhaps a hand shorter than Kalen. Nerik was a very large young man, just out of his teens by his youthful face, but two hands taller than Jad and much more powerfully built. He had the blond hair and fair skin of the Myri people from Tanara. He was armed with a quarterstaff. Seleyah was a lithe Elven woman perhaps as tall as Kalen. Vartigen could have been her brother, so similar were they in appearance: both with pale skin and black hair worn in a ponytail. They each had one of the long wooden training knives.
The three armed attackers spread out in an arc facing Daal, who looked hopelessly overmatched as he crouched before them, arms up and fists half-closed. At the Yardmaster’s command they began, the attackers lunging and feinting, sometimes one at a time, then in combinations. But always Daal either slipped sideways and deflected the strike with his forearm guards, or he simply wasn’t there, dodging away almost faster than they could see. He was very acrobatic, sometimes tumbling, once even performing a backflip. Kalen was getting the impression that the little Elf was showing off just a bit for the guests.
After it became clear that these three – all seemingly capable fighters – could not score a single hit, Tanay barked out, “Disarm!”
At that moment, Nerik was attacking with the end of his staff in a spearing attack. With blinding speed, Daal dodged, grabbed the staff at midpoint, and started to fall backward. As he did he planted his foot on Nerik’s chest and rolled, sending the big youth through the air over him to land flat on his back with a thud.
Seleyah and Vartigen saw their opportunity and closed, but Daal was on his feet, now holding Nerik’s staff. He planted one end and vaulted up, hitting Vartigen hard in the chest with both feet before tumbling away. Seleyah seemed to anticipate this move and was behind Daal about to deliver a blow to his kidneys. But again he was ready. He leaned away and grabbed her wrist as her strike went wide, then hooked his foot behind her leg, catching her off balance. A twist of her arm, her hand was forced open and she was on her back with a cry of surprise and pain.
“That was remarkable!” Kalen said, applauding along with the other students who had been watching from the fence.
Jad’s eyes were wide with amazement. “Can you teach me to do that?” He asked very softly.
Tanay chuckled then glanced at Zaris, who nodded once, almost imperceptibly, and his expression became serious. “It takes years of training to be as adept as Daal, but if you have some time to spend here we can teach you some basic techniques.”
Jad bowed low. “If it would so please my Lord, I would be most appreciative.”
Kalen raised an eyebrow. “We’ll talk about it later.”
“I think we’ve taken enough of Master Tanay’s time for now.” Zaris announced. “Let’s proceed with our tour.”
They thanked Tanay again before returning to the college. Zaris showed them more dormitories, reading rooms and classrooms. As they passed by another courtyard, Kalen noted a group of perhaps half a dozen students gathered around a large oak tree, while an elderly man standing next to the tree addressed them. “What sort of class is that?” he asked,
“Tree study!” Jad snorted. Kalen gave him a hard look.
If Zaris heard the impertinent comment, she gave no sign. “I believe that is an Animism class. We can observe if you like, but you must remain quiet.”
They slipped out of the colonnade and approached the group, stopping a short distance away.
The instructor glanced at them but gave no other sign of acknowledgement, instead asking the group “Who would like to go first? Jeykial?”
A sandy-haired young man with slightly pointed ears (not unlike Kalen’s) stepped forward shyly. By his strong build he could have been a mix of Erlin and Myr. Jeykial wiped the palms of his hands on his breeches. “I’m not sure if I’m ready sir,” He muttered. Kalen noted he had the accent of the native people of the Melurian provinces. A little more ‘rough’ than the old-region northerners, but good folk. He was surprised though to see a commoner in a college such as this.
“I have confidence in you, my boy.” The old man said encouragingly. “Be one with the tree.”
Jeykial stepped up to the oak, holding his hands out, palms a few inches from the trunk. He closed his eyes and began to speak. It was a language Kalen had never heard (if language at all) full of odd murmurings. The young man’s hands began to glow with a golden light, as if caught in bright summer sunlight. He stepped forward – and vanished into the tree. It was as if he had walked through an invisible door and now there was no sign of him.
Jad gasped so loud some of the students turned to stare. “Sorcery!” He hissed, stepping back.
“Jad, stop it!” Kalen whispered harshly. “All magic is not sorcery!”
“Indeed it is not.” Zaris said softly. “And by some definitions this is not even magic. Jeykial is an Animist, a follower of Iloura, Lady of Orhan. This is a channeling, a power of the Light. Sorcery is a dark art practiced by those who we would oppose. Hopefully during your stay here, Squire, you will take the time to learn the difference!” Her voice rose as she spoke the last words, and while her tone was still low, there was a force behind them, a sharp conviction.
“My apologies.” Jad hung his head. “I speak out of ignorance, for I have never seen such a thing.”
“You are forgiven.” The Chancellor’s tone was gentle again.
Just then their attention was drawn back to the tree: Jeykial burst from the trunk, staggering and gasping for breath.
“My boy!” The teacher caught him before he fell. “You needn’t have stayed in for the full limit of the spell!”
“It was wonderful!” The youth wheezed. “I could feel the tree around me! But it was dark, and I couldn’t breathe.”
“The claustrophobia will pass with practice.” The instructor assured. “And with Great Merging, you will be able to see out of your refuge.”
“Let us move on.” Zaris turned and strode back towards the colonnade, and they proceeded on the tour.
A little later Jad suddenly asked, “Are there any unusually large birds or similar flying creatures living in the area?”
Zaris stopped and turned, giving both boys an appraising look. “Just the same as you probably see at your home in Leathes: owls and eagles would be the largest. Nothing out of the ordinary. Why do you ask?”
Kalen smiled apologetically. “Jad thought he saw or felt something large fly over us last night on the road to the college. I told him it was his imagination.”
“There are owls in the Dunwood with a wingspan of six feet or more. They can be quite intimidating. That is probably what it was.” She said, speaking with unusual care.
“No doubt.” Kalen elbowed his cousin, but Jad only pouted.
“Here we are at the library.” Zaris swung open a large airy room two stories tall with many windows. Any wall area not glass was covered with bookshelves and cabinets of scrolls.
Kalen had never seen so many books. It was his turn to be excited, and it showed on his face.
“Feel free to use the library whenever you wish. It is actually near your room; Larieg will show you. But now I must take my leave.”
She accepted their thanks and hurried down the corridor just as the clock began to sound the hour.
“So it appears you might be staying with us for a few days.” Larieg said unenthusiastically.
Jad insisted on checking on the horses, then went back to the practice yard. Kalen spent most of the day in the library. It was like a treasure-trove to him, far more extensive than the one at his father’s home. And while it wasn’t as large as the Haalkitaine library, it did seem to have much more interesting (at least to Kalen) books: histories and maps about the wider world beyond Jaiman. Tales of Loremasters and demons, wizards and dragons, things half-Legend in Rhakhaan.
That night they dined with Zaris and several of the other instructors, though aside from polite conversation, none of the faculty seemed very inclined to talk to the visitors. So they contented themselves with sharing stories about their respective experiences for the day. Kalen was gratified that Jad seemed to show genuine interest in historical tales from the world beyond Jaiman. He knew that his cousin was bright and quick-witted, he just lacked the patience to sit still for very long in a dim quiet library and actually read ‘dusty old books’ as he called them.
When the boys returned to their room after dinner they found a blazing fire in the hearth, their bed turned down, and their riding clothes returned to them laundered and dried with care that met even met Jad’s satisfaction.
Tired (and a little dizzy from the strong wine served with dinner), they changed to nightshirts and crawled into bed with hardly a word. Jad snuggled up against Kalen from behind, draping his arm over his older cousin’s shoulder. It was a familiar position for them; one that Jad said comforted him because he knew he was protecting his cousin. It was his ‘sworn duty,’ he would say, and he took it very seriously.
It comforted Kalen, too, though that comfort caused him a little guilt. It was not so much that he felt safer with Jad near him, but he enjoyed that strong arm around him, his cousin’s warm breath on the back of his neck.
Just as he was starting to drift away into Reann’s realm of dreams, his cousin muttered “There’s something very strange about this place.”
“You think every place but home is strange. And you seem to like it well enough, with people to teach you new fighting tricks.”
“You know what I mean, Kalen! I keep thinking about that big thing that flew over us when we were in the forest last night. It wasn’t any kind of bird, it was too big.”
“But you didn’t see it. Maybe it just seemed bigger than it was.”
Jad didn’t answer but he let out a dramatic sigh which said very clearly, Don’t talk down to me, I didn’t imagine it.
“All right!” Kalen relented. “So what do you think it could have been?”
“Promise not to laugh?”
Kalen took his cousin’s hand, which was resting lightly on his chest, in his own and squeezed it. “Yes, I promise.”
“Well, we know that you can do a lot of things with magic. Right here we’ve seen people who can walk into trees. And I told you what I saw this afternoon: Daal ran up the wall of the College! The height of four men, right up the side!”
“Yes.” Kalen couldn’t deny what they had seen, some amazing feats. Before today, his and Jad’s experience with real magic had been very limited: entertainers at his father’s house creating illusions and dancing lights. He had of course heard of the Navigators, who could apparently instantly Jump from one place to another, but neither boy had ever actually seen such a thing. And there were stories of other powerful Mages and Sorcerers who could do incredible things with magic, but most had lived long ago. Kalen assumed that the tales, some of which he had ready that day, were at least half fantastic embellishment. The fact that the orb he had found would glow like it did was as much magic as he would expect from a piece of jewelry. So he was at a bit of a loss to explain the powers of the school’s students, except some magic he’d never heard of.
“Well… I think it was a person, flying over us.”
“A person! Flying magically!?”
“Flying somehow!” Jad was defiant. “Maybe with magic, or some magical thing, you know, like how the skyships fly!”
Kalen was impressed by Jad’s tenacity. His cousin really believed what he was claiming, and strongly. “Well I can’t deny that skyships fly, and they come in different sizes and types, so there could be something that does what you say.” He conceded. They had seen the graceful flying ships from Eidolon arrive at Haalkitaine, a wondrous sight indeed, but also unnerving. It seemed that at any moment the magic that kept the craft aloft would fail and it would plummet out of the sky and meet a tragic end.
“Did you notice the shutters on the tower? Jad pressed.
“No, what shutters?”
Jad clucked his tongue. “Too much time in the dusty library! The big round tower, the one taller than any other part of the college, has six sets of very large shutters in it near the top, shutters that are too big and don’t look right for covering regular windows. And I was told that the upper floors are off limits to everyone except a few teachers.”
“So?”
“I think they come out of there.”
“They? They what?”
“The flying people.” The Squire whispered conspiratorially.
“Jad Hurok, I think you are drunk!” Kalen said with a nervous laugh.
“Fine! Don’t believe me!” Jad sounded hurt. Then he pulled his hand free and turned over in the bed, facing away from his cousin.
Kalen’s chest ached. He turned around and hesitantly put his hand on Jad’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to doubt you, but it just seems… incredible.”
“Mark my words, Kalen Avanir,” Jad retorted in a petulant voice, “You’ll be telling me ‘Oh yes you were right all along, Jad, I’ll never question your intuition again!”
“If you’re right I promise to polish your boots for a month.” Kalen scooted closer to his cousin.
“That’s a wager!” Jad said triumphantly, wiggling backwards into Kalen’s embrace. “Now the tricky part will be getting into the tower…”
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