Coming to a halt in front of Alex and her friends, the six new figures remained silent, almost awkwardly so, until a light flashed and Calivere appeared.
“These are your helpers for the duration of your stay,” he explained without preamble. “They will ensure you are as prepared as you can be for your upcoming challenges.”
Alex raised a brow, wondering what kind of preparation would be necessary, and dreading the possibilities.
“For as long as you are undertaking Tu’eh Saeron ess Telari, you will be considered our guests here in Vardaesia,” Calivere continued. “You may therefore wander the palace and the city at your leisure.”
That surprised Alex. She had presumed they would remain locked within this space for the duration of their stay, not be afforded such liberties.
“However,” Calivere said, and his tone nearly had Alex rolling her eyes, since she was certain he was about to rescind his offer in some way. “I would advise against undue exploration, at least until you’ve had a chance to settle in. Our people are unaccustomed to strangers and may react poorly to your presence.”
Because everyone we’ve met has been super nice so far, Alex thought cynically. She didn’t want to imagine what the rest of the Tia Aurans might be like, especially given Calivere’s warning.
“I will leave you for now,” the advisor said. “Your helpers will ensure that you are fed and settled for the night, and they will return before dawn to ready you for your first test.” He gestured for the black-robed Tia Aurans to step forward one by one. “This is Kantor”—a tall, dark male moved to Declan’s side—“Anais”—a male with the squarest jawline Alex had ever seen stepped up beside Bear—“Enka”—a fair-skinned male with facial hair trimmed to perfection nodded to Jordan—“and Sorin”—the last male strode towards Kaiden, his hair like burnished bronze.
Calivere then gestured to the two remaining Tia Aurans, both of whom were female. “Lastly, we have Latania and Zaylin.”
The one named Latania looked like a shining star come to life, and she moved with impossible grace towards D.C., while the other one, Zaylin, approached Alex more warily. With skin as black as Saefii’s, Zaylin was equally stunning to behold—and that was saying a lot, considering how lovely the ruler of Tia Auras was.
“Unfortunately, your helpers don’t speak the tongue of your world,” Calivere said, a hint of mirth on his angelic face at what he presumed would be a challenging language barrier for them all. “But I’m sure you’ll find a way to get by. Sleep well, mortals.”
And with another flash of light, he was gone.
“Handy little ability, that,” Jordan said, and Alex couldn’t help agreeing.
Looking at the new arrivals, she wondered if she was the only one in the room who felt uncomfortable. But given the fidgeting of her friends, she wasn’t alone.
“So… Didn’t Calivere mention food?” Declan asked.
“I sure hope so,” Jordan said, rubbing his stomach. “I’m starved.”
Alex, too, was desperate for a meal, still having eaten nothing since before her torture session in Meya a few nights ago. Her hunger and thirst may have been eased by whatever healing she’d undergone while unconscious, but she was still eager to fill her stomach.
“Dahana, tornas,” Kaiden said quietly to Sorin while gesturing towards the rest of them. Immediately the helper bowed and disappeared, along with Enka and Latania.
Alex turned impressed eyes to Kaiden, having translated his words to mean ‘please’ and ‘food’.
“Enough to get by, huh?” she said, referring to his earlier explanation.
“I can find out where the bathroom is too, if you want,” he said with a light-hearted grin. “Athora seemed to think that question was important enough for me to know.”
Alex laughed lightly. “You do realise we’ll all be relying on you anytime we need to ask them something?”
“Good luck,” Kaiden said ruefully. “I wasn’t kidding about not knowing much. For all I know, I just asked Sorin for a bowling ball.”
Alex shook her head, amused. “I’m pretty sure you’re underestimating your language skills.”
A second later, everyone else was sure too, because Sorin, Latania and Enka returned, and with them materialised a table with six chairs that held a mountain of food complete with crystal chalices full of sparkling liquid.
“Now this is more like it!” Jordan said, clapping Enka gratefully on the shoulder as he moved towards the table.
Stomach rumbling and mouth watering, Alex took a seat beside her friends and didn’t hesitate to tuck in, not even caring that she had no idea what she was eating. If there was one thing she’d learned while living in the past, it was that Meyarin food might have been unidentifiable for the most part, but it was also sublime. The same could be said for Vardaesia’s offering.
“I’ve never tasted anything so delicious in my life,” D.C. said between mouthfuls.
No one was able to respond other than to grunt their agreement. Even Bear was eating heartily, which helped ease some of the concern Alex felt for her friend. She was almost embarrassed by their collective uncivilised behaviour, especially knowing their six helpers were just standing to the side and watching them. But she was also too hungry to slow down her eating, not until she was so full that she thought she might burst.
“Six days of this mightn’t be so bad,” Jordan said, leaning back and placing a hand to his stomach.
“I hear you, mate,” Declan said, downing what remained in his chalice, some kind of bubbly fruit punch that Alex herself had devoured. “That was amazing.”
As if knowing they were done, the food disappeared, leaving an empty golden table carved with glittering constellations.
“I wonder how much of what they can do was passed on to us by the Meyarins?” D.C. mused, looking at the bare space where her plate had just rested and running her fingers over one of the shining patterns. “And how much of our advancement as a human race is thanks to the Tia Aurans?”
“You’re thinking of our TCDs?” Bear asked, shifting forward in his seat as he considered the implications. “Like in the food court back at Akarnae?”
D.C. nodded. “That, among other things.”
It was on the tip of Alex’s tongue to mention house elves, but she managed to resist the urge. Just.
“It’s an interesting question, but perhaps one for another time,” Jordan said, leaning over to press a light kiss to D.C.’s temple, easing her furrowed brow by affection alone.
Sighing, she said, “You’re right, of course. Given our early morning, we should probably all try and get some sleep.”
Alex was trying not to think about the next morning—or rather, not to think about how little she knew of what they were getting themselves into.
As if understanding D.C.’s words, the six helpers all stepped forward, as silent as mimes.
“That’s going to get real weird, real fast,” Jordan said quietly.
“Already there,” Bear returned, warily eyeing the black-robed figures.
Alex had to repress a smile. While she was worried about what her friends might have to face in the coming days, she was still grateful that they had followed her and Kaiden to Tia Auras. More than ever, she needed them by her side—not just to provide support and encouragement, but also for the moments like this. Moments where they pushed through their grief and reminded her of the purity of their friendship, something that had helped her survive as long as she had. Through thick and thin, in good times and in bad, they were always there for each other. They could get through anything together—including, perhaps especially, everything that lay ahead.