\u201cCome on, let me show you the rest of the strays,\u201d Chalia says, grabbing my arm and leading me out of the room. We head to the room across the hall, and Chalia knocks before barging in. Two women scramble before sighing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSeriously, Chalia? Do you have to barge in like that?\u201d the brown-haired, fair skin one asks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRight?\u201d the shorter one with dark brown, nearly black skin asks. \u201cWe thought you were a Sister.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd why would you think that? What were you doing before we entered?\u201d Chalia asks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNothing. Nothing at all,\u201d the fair-skinned one says, pressing her lips shut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chalia smirks. \u201cOkay. You don\u2019t have to convince me of that. But seriously, be careful. You know that\u2019s forbidden. Don\u2019t you two remember what happened to that handsome Paladin? They sent him up north for doing what you two clearly want to do to each other.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t want to do anything,\u201d the darker-skinned one says. \u201cWe were just\u2026 Studying. That\u2019s all. We both have a test to make it to level two coming up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhatever. I wouldn\u2019t tell anyone. Anyway, this is Lura. She\u2019s a fellow stray like us. Damaris just delivered her and I\u2019ve been filling her in on the go-around. So far, I\u2019ve told her about the leveling system, the factions, and the ranks,\u201d Chalia says before she looks over at me. Then she motions to the darker-skinned girl. \u201cLura, this is Inhepireth and that\u2019s Cheyoise. Inhepireth is from Tent City and Cheyoise is from Low Town.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s nice to meet the both of you,\u201d I say. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDid you tell her who to avoid?\u201d Inhepireth asks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot yet. There\u2019s a lot I haven\u2019t gotten to, and there are way too many people to avoid to list in the first conversation,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAin\u2019t that the truth,\u201d Inhepireth says as her eyes roll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cReally, the most important people you want to avoid at all costs are Mother Kynice, Mother Aule, and Mother Chaetris. There are definitely more than a few Sisters to avoid as well. Especially Sister Amoann, Sister Zale, and Sister Aelele. They are stuck-up nobles who love to look down their pale ass noses at everyone else,\u201d Cheyoise says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCheyoise, you\u2019re the last person who can make fun of how pale they are. You\u2019re as white as the walls on the higher floors,\u201d Inhepireth says with a chuckle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCompared to you, everyone is pale.\u201d Cheyoise snaps back. \u201cI wish I had darker skin. I can\u2019t even go out in the sun without getting burnt.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou probably have some noble blood in you,\u201d Chalia says with a smirk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI definitely don\u2019t have noble blood in me. I don\u2019t even have a house name. Besides, even if I did, a lot of good it\u2019s doing me. I haven\u2019t got two coppers to rub together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s safe to say we\u2019re all in that boat,\u201d Inhepireth says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat about you, Lura? Are you in that boat, too?\u201d Cheyoise asks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah, I grew up in Tent City. I wish I had even one copper. Even if I had any coin, most of it was taken from me when I accidentally used magic. And I definitely don\u2019t have a permit.\u201d I give a shrug with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s rough. Most low-borns like us are in the same situation. We\u2019re all told not to use magic, but it\u2019s hard not to. It feels good and once you do it, it\u2019s hard to stop. You just want to feel more of it. Then before you know it, you\u2019re casting a spell far too big and the guards are bursting down your door,\u201d Inhepireth says as she levitates a few vegetables on her plate with a smirk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s how they get you,\u201d Cheyoise says. \u201cThe Council gets your possessions, and the Church gets their initiates. Great system.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt really is\u2026\u201d Inhepireth adds with a sigh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, come on Lura, let\u2019s go meet the others,\u201d Chalia says as she grabs my arm and drags me out of there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t have to meet them all today. Besides, you\u2019ll meet most of them at suppertime. I\u2019ll introduce you to Ochilysse and Charinva, since their room is just down the hall and we\u2019ll see the rest at supper.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I nod and she leads the way down the hall to the next closest room. \u201cHow many Novices are there?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA couple of hundred, I think. I don\u2019t know the exact number, but at least that many in this church, which is by far one of the biggest. You can get trained as a Novice in any church, but in order to pass to a certain level as a Brother or Sister, you must come either here or to the large sect in the human kingdoms. That\u2019s where you\u2019ll find all sorts of different races. Dwarves, humans, and elves. Anyone who can spark the Light. Of course, the human church isn\u2019t as old and doesn\u2019t have as many resources as our church, and let\u2019s be honest, humans are rather weak and pathetic.\u201d She knocks on the door and barges in like before. She\u2019s quick enough to duck before I get hit in the face with a pillow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019re lucky I didn\u2019t have a book,\u201d a girl with her brown hair cut short says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCheck that Ochilysse, Lura\u2019s lucky you didn\u2019t have a book. I\u2019m too fast to hit,\u201d Chalia says with a grin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWanna bet?\u201d Ochilysse asks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot at the moment. I\u2019m kinda short on coppers,\u201d Chalia says with a cheesy grin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ochilysse laughs. \u201cGood, I only bet with silver, anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh, so you\u2019re just swimming in coin, aren\u2019t ya?\u201d Chalia asks, putting her hands on her hips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOf course, I am. I don\u2019t ever lose bets. But those noble suckers always lose and have plenty of coin to lose with,\u201d Ochilysse says with such an arrogant smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s true. I\u2019ve seen her rob them blind without losing a toss. Or a hand, for that matter,\u201d the other girl says. She\u2019s got long brown hair and skin the color of dark golden sand. Like that of the deep desert. I remember seeing a jar of it that someone brought to sell. Claimed it had secret powers of healing if you rubbed it on a wound. To my surprise, people actually bought it. The girl doesn\u2019t look up from her own book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s Charinva by the way,\u201d Chalia points out. \u201cLadies, this is Lura. Our new fellow stray.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNice to meet you,\u201d Charinva says without taking her eyes away from the book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDon\u2019t mind the page-turner over there. She always has her nose in a book,\u201d Ochilysse says, as she tosses a dagger into the air and snaps it by the handle as it falls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAre you allowed to have that here?\u201d I ask, a little caught off guard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ochilysse shrugs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Charinva says, still not looking away from the book. \u201cI read the rules. No weapons allowed unless you\u2019re a Paladin. But she always has some kind of weapon on her. I keep telling her she\u2019s going to get in trouble, but she never listens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat are they going to do, toss me out?\u201d she asks as she does it again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMost likely,\u201d Charinva says, shrugging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWait, really?\u201d Ochilysse asks, dropping her dagger. \u201cThey\u2019ll seriously kick me out for having this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Charinva finally pulls her eyes off the book to look over at the other girl. \u201cWhat did you think they\u2019d do if they caught someone with a weapon?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah, but\u2026 It\u2019s a dagger, it\u2019s not like it\u2019s a sword or anything. It\u2019s practically harmless,\u201d Ochilysse says as she picks it up off the ground and balances it on the tip of her finger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDaggers are listed as weapons. Besides, why do you even need a dagger, we have magic,\u201d Charinva says with a smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUgh, have you been living with your head in the sands? You need a permit to use magic,\u201d Ochilysse says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cObviously, but once you become a full Sister, you\u2019re allowed to use magic to defend yourself. It\u2019s a permit issued by the church only for Sisters and Brothers. You get to start learning defenses and attack spells,\u201d Charinva says, pulling her eyes back to her book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know this,\u201d Ochilysse says with a frown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo, if I become a full Sister, I can use magic?\u201d I ask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYep, obviously only for defense, healing, and to make you more effective with your duties. I suppose you wouldn\u2019t get punished for using it to do some more mundane things, like move things,\u201d Charinva says. \u201cAnyways, supper is soon, so let\u2019s go back to our room. you\u2019ll meet the other strays later,\u201d Chalia says, taking my arm in hers and leading us out. \u201cLater, you two.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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