Hall of Games [ REWRITE ] | The Varya Chronicles #1

Chapter Nine

Media: Ales [ It's pretty close, except that Ales has a stronger jawline, but their hair is equally majestic ]

Music: Pilgrims on a Long Journey, Child of Light

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Cadence's head jerked up. She hastily wiped her mouth with the hem of her shirt to remove any traces of vomit, threw a towel over the basin and leaped onto her bed.

"Come in," she said, angry at herself to allow so much tremor in her voice.

There was the sound of cutlery dropping, followed by someone swearing. The door opened and a girl poked her head in.

"Are you hungry?" she asked. Cadence stared at her. She looked about Cadence's age, and clearly wasn't Moskavan. No Moskavan had features so delicate, braided hair so dark and skin a polished bronze.

"Not really." Her stomach threatened upheaval at the thought of food.

"Too bad." The girl held the door ajar with her hip as she entered the room with a tray. "Kesatria Sanrovo asked me to deliver this from the kitchen to ya. Ya Cadence, right?"

Cadence nodded and hopped off the bed to receive the tray from the girl. Years of servitude made her felt awkward to receive similar treatment from another person. Lifting the lid, she was surprised to see a generous helping of mashed potatoes, baked beans, carrots, and a loaf of bread with cracked crust. The tantalizing aroma of the hot food filled the room. They even gave her sweet tea.

"I'm Misha," the girl said. "From the Rookie division. Kesatria Sanrovo told me ya the sudden addition to our batch."

"Hmm." Although Misha was overwhelmingly friendly, Cadence didn't feel like pouring out her life story to her just yet. She tried to smile at the silly grin Misha wore, but the smile wouldn't come.

"Why the sudden draft?" Misha asked. "It's not usual for someone to be admitted into the army after the applications have closed. Ya look tired, ya been sleeping well? Ya going to need all the sleep you can get because the training routines they're pulling us through is brutal."

"I have my own reasons," Cadence said. "I'm sorry if I'm being rude, I've had a few very bad days."

"I feel ya. Before I moved to Moskava, my family were escaping the Savis, that was a very bad few months for me. Then Ayah managed to get us on a ship that was heading to Moskava, that was of course before those damn pirates decided to snitch people from your beaches. Now I can't go ten feet within any Moskavan without being treated like I'm about to explode."

"You were escaping the Savis?" Cadence was impressed. Savis were the ruthless rulers of Lekhobar, the enemy across the Savage Seas. It was a nation where slavery was blended into the folds of their culture and economy, much like the old Moskava. For Misha and her family to escape the scrutiny of the Savis, it was a feat worth bragging.