The Phoenix Chronicles: The Curse of Lustria

Chapter Twenty: The Order of the Divine Servants

(NARRATED BY CAMERON SETLER)

Old-Town Rockport was fairly empty. Most of the people had already evacuated by the time we got there. Esther and I were sitting on a bench together in front of some bakery, discussing the astrophysical nature of comets and their highly elliptical orbits, when two girls approached us. They each wore Naridan Sisterhood uniforms with private ranks on their shoulders, and both looked about sixteen years old. I heard one of them—a black-haired chick with a ponytail and dark-blue eyes—whisper to her blonde, violet-eyed friend, "See, Ashley? I told you he was hotter in person!"

Esther and I stopped our conversation to address them, and I immediately recognized the black-haired chick. "Mia Layrosa?"

She turned to her friend and squealed with excitement, "Oh my gosh! He remembers me!"

Esther frowned. "Do you know this girl, Cammy?"

"Yeah," I nodded slowly. "We attended Hawthorne Academy together."

"So, she is an orphan as well?"

I nodded once more.

"Hey, we're still here!" the blonde girl huffed.

"Sorry," I said to Ashley, trying to be polite. "My name is Cameron Setler, and this is my meratis, Esther."

Both of the girls' eyes widened with astonishment. Mia was the first to speak: "W-What? You mean... you're engaged?" Her shoulders drooped with devastation. "You didn't even give me a chance first!"

"What're you talking about?" I demanded.

"I had the hugest crush on you back at Hawthorne...." She hung her head and sighed. "Then again, so did every girl in our grade at one time or another."

I stared at her incredulously. "You're openly admitting this secret to me now?"

"A secret?" she shrilled. "Are you kidding me? I asked you out on twenty-four separate occasions! And every time I did so, you'd go on about magnetic fields or whatever!"

"Oh... s-sorry."

Crossing her arms, she looked away and muttered grumpily to herself, "I can't believe I joined the Sisterhood just to meet this guy. I'm such an idiot!"

"You know, Private Layrosa, he doesn't seem as smart as you said he was," Ashley pointed out.

Mia sighed gloomily, "So it seems."

Smiling politely, Esther extended her hand in greeting towards Mia. "Salutations. I am the Sky Guardian Esther, daughter of Pyro and Galia."

All Mia could manage was, "Huh?"

"Esther gave up her status as a Maiden," I explained curtly.

Giving me an incredulous look, she reluctantly shook my meratis' hand. "I'm Private Mia Layrosa, descendant of Phillip Layruma."

"Pleased to meet you." Esther looked at the other girl. "And you are?"

"Private Ashley Harris," she replied, shaking her hand. "My ancestor is Helen Soralis, one of the head recruiters for the Society."

"What brings you here?" I asked them.

Mia answered, "General Mason mandated that the two Prophecy children and their young affiliates be protected by a personal bodyguard at all times. I volunteered to be yours. Meanwhile, we were also told that the Guardian of Galia would be with you, so Ashley volunteered as well."

Ashley pulled out a purple service hat for enlisted personnel, along with a silver sharpie. "Can I have your autograph?" she requested, holding them out for me. "It's, um... for a friend."