Blood Will Tell

VII

The three men soon entered a toll road that led away from Irien and towards Stoll.

Rowan crossed his arms in front of his chest before he leaned further back. He looked at Edin. "You know, it's quite cool that we picked you up from Arden Mægenstern's castle," he remarked. "What were you doing there?"

Edin gave a bewildered look. "Sorry, what do you mean by that?"

"What were you doing at Arden Mægenstern's castle? Did you have an appointment with her or was it just a pick-up spot?"

"Oh. I live there."

Rowan dropped his jaw. "You live in the same house as Arden Mægenstern?"

"Uh, yes."

Rowan paused, still breathless from disbelief. He then asked, "So do you just stay there the whole time, or do you only go there when you're not at the academy?"

"What academy?"

"All guardians go to an academy before they're recruited. I went to the one in Ellum."

"Oh, I didn't go to any academy."

"You didn't?"

Edin shook his head.

"Why?"

"Arden said that I was too old to enter one, something along those lines, so she mentored me instead."

"She mentored you too?" Rowan exclaimed. "I didn't know she'd have time to mentor anyone. I didn't even know she lived with anyone."

"Arden told me that it was because Edin lost his memories," Norman interjected. "She said that she found Edin lying almost dead in the middle of nowhere and rescued him. After she found out that he lost his memories, she took him in and spent the next few years trying to bring them back. She also started mentoring him once she found out that he was a gifted. Is that true, Edin?"

"It is true," Edin confirmed.

Rowan eyed him curiously. "So, you don't remember anything before she found you?"

"Nothing."

"As in, nothing?"

"Well, I do remember my name and age, but that's the only thing I remember. Everything else is... foggy."

"D'you remember your family name?"

Edin shook his head. "I don't remember if I even have a surname."

"So people just call you Edin? That's it?"

"That's it."

Rowan tilted his head in curiosity. Edin was not like anyone else he had encountered. Edin had no surname, no memories, no formal schooling—probably no friends or family as well. Although Edin might be friends with Arden, Rowan thought it to be unlikely. Mentor, yes. Friend? Perhaps not. Arden was the kind of person one would be hesitant to befriend, not because she was immoral or disagreeable, but because she was aloof and frigid. The fact that she was more powerful than anyone in the realm also gave her an air of superiority—not the snobbish kind, but the kind that diffused from every figure from a higher stratum. Even her fellow seniors held her in higher regard despite being of the same rank as her. He could only imagine what kind of life Edin had lived under Arden's care.

"So, what's Senior Arden's castle like?" Rowan inquired. "What's it like living in there?"

"It's quite big. There are a lot of rooms inside—"

"I heard that she has rooms overflowing with gold and diamonds. Is it true?"

"Uh, I didn't see any rooms overflowing with gold or diamonds. Maybe she has in her private quarters."