The training center was on the south side of town, so Sara headed in that direction. She didn’t want to have to ride Ghost every day to the training house, so that meant finding a place within walking distance. She decided to check in with the training house, just so they knew she was in town, and maybe they would be able to help her pick out a place to stay.
The training house wasn’t hard to find. It was one of the finest looking buildings in the city, and of course it would be—the Elves built it. It was a joint operation with the Pawdin Empire, meaning that most of the staff was Elvin, as most of the skilled humans were badly needed elsewhere.
Sara rode to a long, tall wall made of polished stone with a gap for an entrance. She suspected the wall was more for privacy then protection. Past the wall was a large lawn that surrounded a two-story building made entirely of stone, keeping with Manton’s theme. She had expected it to be like the dome, though this building was still beautiful; she felt a tingle run down her spine, once again remembering Salez. The Iumenta constructed buildings there, and they too were breathtaking, but the ones in Salez were built with far more detail and skill then the Elvin structure. The memory was a sad reminder that while the Elves seemed all powerful, to her the Iumenta were their equals, and stone was their specialty.
On either side of the entrance were banners of red that hung from the top of the structure. The rest of the wall was broken up by the long vertical lines of windows. Sara dismounted Ghost, and not knowing where to take her, she pulled a spike from her bag that was for the tents. She used magic to drive it into the ground and tied Ghost to it. She walked to the building hesitantly. She didn’t think that the people who ran the place would be thrilled about a horse being tied to the ground in their front yard.
“Well, that’s what they get for not leaving directions,” she sniffed allowed.
It was a good thing Sasha wasn’t here either. She wouldn’t have gone for being so rude. Sara walked to a set of large oak doors and pushed. They moved with soundless ease and she stood in an entry bathed with the Elves’ magical lights. A human woman was standing behind a counter reading something. She looked up at the sound of Sara’s footsteps. Her sable hair came loose from behind her ear, falling across her olive cheeks. She put the hair back in place, revealing green eyes and a warm face that looked to be no older than Sara’s.
“Hello, how may I help you?” Her voice was friendly.
“My name is Sara, I was sent by Legon and Sasha of House Evindass.”
The woman’s smile didn’t waver. “Welcome! Is Mr. Keither with you?”
Mr.?
Sara thought, but this place did look formal, so Mr. worked.
“No, he’s arriving in a few days. I need to get an apartment, but I don’t know my way around.”
She looked thoughtful. Sara recognized that look. This woman was more than a receptionist—she knew how to communicate with her mind.
After a moment she spoke. “Yes, sorry, an Iselin picked a place out for you in the Elves’ building…” her eyes slid out of focus again. “…Two-bedroom, view of the sea. Does that work? Or would you like to look elsewhere? I would be more than happy to show you a few places.”
Sara felt a weight drop off her chest. Of course, if Evindass was paying for the accommodations they would put them with the Elves.
“Thank you, is it ok for us to stay in the Elves’ housing?”
The woman didn’t answer, but looked thoughtful again. Then she smiled. “Do you have a white horse?”
“Yes, why?”
She dropped the formality this time. “I’m going to like you I can tell, but I don’t think the groundskeeper will…”
Sara winced. “The spike in the ground?”
“Umm yeah, he’ll get over it. Good for you getting an Elf apartment. They’re nice and you’ll be close. Are you hungry?” she asked.
“Yes, a little, I’m sorry, what’s your name?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, my name is Samantha, but I grew up with four brothers so you can call me Sam, everyone else does.”
Sara was going to like her too. “Ok Sam, it’s good to meet you.”
Sam flashed Sara a bright smile. “Good, I could go for some lunch and I know just the place. Come on, I’ll send someone to take care of your horse. The stables will keep her fat and happy for you.”
“Oh ok, and my things?” Sara asked.
“We’ll get them after lunch and I’ll show you around.”
With that they left the building to go to who knows where, but Sara felt herself relaxing more and more. It was so good to be out of the Empire.
* * * * *
Keither huffed and plopped down on his large behind. He was committed to becoming a man now, but did Legon have to insist that he learn the Jezeer? Keither tried it a bit when they were on the road, well, he didn’t try all that hard, and by the time he was committed to doing the right thing they were running for their lives. To make things worse, Legon was having Elves teach him, of course. If it were humans maybe he wouldn’t look so pathetic, but no, one of the Elvin spotters jumped on the opportunity to teach him.
Right now Pada’s turquoise eyes bore into him. Like all the Elves she looked young, but could have been ten thousand for all Keither knew. Her hair was silver and long, her face thin and delicate. Her thin lips were pursed, but the look on her face wasn’t one of irritation. It had the look of someone trying to solve a difficult puzzle.
Her voice was light and patient. “Are you ok?”
“Yes, just lost my balance,” Keither said.
She looked thoughtful. “Hmmm that does seem to be a problem, hmmm.”
“So what do we do?” He asked.
She sighed. “I honestly don’t know, you just need to keep trying. You’ll get it, I’m sure…” but she didn’t sound all that sure.
Pada certainly didn’t look sure either. That was fine with Keither. He didn’t honestly feel all that sure himself about the Jezeer. He thought maybe if he lost some weight he might be able to do it. They continued to work for a while, but he didn’t make any progress, and Keither was pretty sure that he was soon to break Pada’s perfect patience. He didn’t want to do that, but at least then he would have accomplished something. He was doing poorly, but not for lack of trying. In all his life he had never put energy into learning something like he was doing now. Pada could see that and he suspected that’s why she wasn’t losing her composure. Finally she called an end to it.
“I’m sorry Pada, I am trying.
Am I the worst at this you’ve seen?” Keither asked.
“That’s ok, I can see that you’re trying. We won’t do anything else until you’re settled in Manton, then we’ll start with some of the less physical things and work on perception, voice stuff like that.”
She didn’t answer the question entirely, which in effect answered it for her. “So am I the worst then?”
Pada laughed kindly. “I’m sorry, but yes, you are. Please forgive me, this is rude, you are trying.”
Keither couldn’t help but smile. So many of the Elves were overly polite, as Pada was most of the time. Another question came to mind. “You said when we are in Manton?”
She answered. “Yes, my husband and I are planning on heading home. Our son is about to have a baby, so we want to be there for that. We’ll be in Manton for about a month before we catch a ship home.”
If they were here for another month then why go to Manton?
“Why aren’t you staying here then?”
Pada smiled again. “Most of the students you’re working with will be further along in most things than you. I will tutor you, unless you find that unpleasant?”
Keither was taken aback by her dedication. “No, thanks, that’s nice of you.”
Legon’s voice sounded in his head. “Are you done with Pada?”
“Yes,” he thought back.
“Ok good, come up to the dome for dinner, we’re leaving soon. Ask Pada to come.”
Sasha spoke into his mind and she sounded irritated. “Sorry, please come up to dinner Keither.” It was followed by a quick, “Don’t be rude Legon.”
“I’m not being rude, I don’t want to interrupt him if he is busy. Now we are being rude,” Legon snapped.
“I’ll see if she would like to come,” Keither said, and shook his head trying to block out their bickering.
Pada looked interested.
“Would you like to have dinner with Legon and Sasha? I’m going and they wanted me to invite you,” he said.
She seemed to stiffen in surprise. “Prosa, Legon, would like me to attend dinner?”
“Yeah, you can bring your husband if you want, I think he wants to make up for how hard I am to teach,” he explained.
“Oh, you’re not hard to teach, I doubt it was that. But yes, we would love to, well, I would I should say. My husband is out on patrol.”
Legon was asking her to dinner because Keither wasn’t just hard to teach, he was a nightmare. He wasn’t depressed about it. He liked to think he was born with mental agility as opposed to physical.
“Ok, well let’s go then, I’m starving.”
Pada fidgeted. “Oh, I think I should change, I mean…”
It was hard for Keither to remember that Legon and Sasha were different to the rest of the world than they were to him.
“This will be low key, don’t worry, and how could anyone not find you gorgeous?” No, he didn’t say that.
Pada smiled, and then smiled wider as his cheeks reddened. “Thank you, don’t be embarrassed,” she said kindly. Keither decided to keep his mouth shut for awhile.
They left the human fort and headed up the side of the dome. His breathing increased and he heard his footsteps get heavier, but never once was there any sound from Pada next to him. The Elves were silent and graceful, never faltering. He wondered if that was the Jezeer, or their nature? It would be nice to be that confident. He looked over at Pada, her periwinkle blue dress playing in the breeze. It was the same kind he always saw Ise wearing and now Sasha. As the breeze caught the fabric he saw the slight outline of the Faloon on her left side.
He appreciated these moments. They were reminders to him that even something beautiful can be dangerous. Pada looked happy and content with her silver hair drifting in the air and curling around her face, but she could draw the Faloon and slit his throat before he knew what was coming. He knew she wouldn’t, but she could and so could her counterpart the Iumenta.
He must not have been paying attention. “What is on your mind, Keither?” Pada asked.
Should he say what was on his mind? He didn’t know her all that well, but she was kind and she was trained in the Jezeer, so he couldn’t lie to her. “I was just thinking about you walking over there. You’re a kind person and you look so thin and fragile, and beautiful like all your race, but you could kill me without missing a step.”
She nodded her head in agreement. “Yes I could, but I wouldn’t.”
“I know, I know, but Elves and Iumenta are kind of equal physically, right? I mean, I know that you can make plants grow, which is something I would like to see, by the way…” he trailed off.
She understood. “The Iumenta can live in harsher environments than us. Cold, hot, dry, wet, you name it. They can live in extremes where we cannot. But like you said, we can make plants grow, and while they can live in more places than us, they don’t seem to like the sea. We always have the advantage there. As for magic, yes, we are equals. They are better with crystals, but we can use plants. In the end we are well matched. Why do you ask? Are you afraid?”
“I don’t get it, how did we end up being such a large race? And how can we even hope to defeat either of you?”
Pada was silent, and they entered the dome. “It’s true, we are stronger and more powerful, but you are just as intelligent as us, and your race is incredibly resourceful and adaptive.”
“But still…” he pressed.
Pada went on. “You also have overwhelming numbers. That alone would guarantee your success if you ever became a cohesive force.”
“But we won’t…”
“No, probably not. There is more on your mind, isn’t there?”
He smiled. “Maybe.”
“You never run out of questions, but that’s a good thing. Shoot away,” she said.
Keither asked the question that had bugged him the most. “How did we take over so much of the land?”
Pada stopped, and it took him a second to follow suit. “I’m sorry, did I…?”
“No, you’re fine.” Her eyes filled with ancient sadness “There was a time when the land was filled with mostly Iumenta and Elves. Humans were in the wings, so to speak, but not a big player. Your kind didn’t have government or anything close to organization. You lived in the Cornis mountain’s caves. The Iumenta would have removed you like vermin, but you were mostly in our land, and we didn’t care about you.”
She looked guilty, and he could tell that she was one of the ones that hadn’t “cared” about humans; it was a sign of her age.
She went on. “We lost over seventy percent of our population in the War of Generations, as did the Iumenta. Both sides had no choice but to collapse far within their own borders. We abandoned entire cities, leaving everything. There were so few of us. Humans started to move into those areas, and your kind breeds quickly. You have three or four children in a six to seven year period, whereas we and the Iumenta have one child only every one or two hundred years.”
Every one or two hundred years? The thought boggled Keither’s mind. “You only have children every few hundred years?”
“Correct. We live forever, why rush? Anyway, neither side bred as much after the war. We needed to put ourselves back together. Even today we are not even half of what we were. That is how your race became a dominate player. Does that answer your question?”
“Yes, thank you.”
They didn’t talk the rest of the way to the mess hall and then the private dining room where they were to meet Legon and Sasha. Keither missed Sara a little bit, not just because he had a thing for her, but also because she was another human. She was someone that wasn’t caught up in the world of dragons or family members living for thousands of years. He was beginning to understand why the humans and the Elves were separate. At first glance the two races looked almost the same, but there couldn’t be more differences. He wondered if this was the same for the Iumenta and the Elves, if that was why they hated each other so much.