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

Chapter Eleven

Media: Cadence

Music of the chapter: "Trace of Gravity" by Mark Petrie

Cadence saw a group of recruits pass her. They were shoving one another, laughing and sharing jokes exclusive only to the four of them.

"Excuse me?" Cadence ran up to them. "How can I get to hall three?"

Everyone stopped talking and stared at her. The shortest of the group, a boy with piggy eyes and a crop of brown hair walked up to her. "Is the pig actually talking to us?"

"I'm just asking for directions," Cadence said defensively, taken aback by his sudden brashness. Was it something she said?

She still couldn't understand what she did wrong, but then noticed the colored bands on their right forearms. Cadence swore inwardly. She couldn't had seen them just now, their bands were facing the wall.

"I'm going to have to wash my ears now, pig," the boy said in an unfriendly tone, a tone which reminded her of Khazaria. "Go back and roll in the muck."

His other friends laughed. The only girl in the group clapped him on the back, saying "good one!"

"Down the hallway, take a left and go upstairs." A boy carrying a bag of books stopped next to Cadence. "It's the room with the red knocker."

He looked really familiar—ruddy curls, a skeletal frame and soft blue eyes. Where had she seen him before?

"Aw," the girl said in a mocking tone. "Look at Elijah, going soft on a pig again."

"She's not a pig, she's Murka," Elijah replied in an unfriendly tone. "If you cannot differentiate humans and animals, you should see a Healer."

Elijah. Cadence blinked. He couldn't possibly be the Elijah Khavarosk, sole heir to the House Khavarosk, High Priest in line of the Hall of Spirits. She remembered him now, he had been at the Yule party thrown by the Oreliks—the Oracle.

The piggy boy looked torn between punching Elijah in the face to prove his leadership to his gang and wanting to run off with his tail in between his legs. "Pig." He finally spat and walked off, his friends trailing behind him.

"They disgrace their Houses." Elijah shook his head. "I apologize on their behalf and I hope you'll have a great day." He nodded and walked down the corridor.

Insulted and hurt, Cadence stomped down the corridor to the room with the red knockers. In House Orelik, no one had yelled "pig" into her face before, not even Khazaria. She had other names for Cadence. The derogatory term "pig" was used by Vayra on Murka to depict their lesser status. Throw them into the mud, cover them up with manure, and still no one could tell the difference, because they were normal.

Still furious, she lifted the knocker and banged it against the wood, much harder than she intended to.

"Come in!" A male voice called.