Soturi Academy: Secret's Lost

XXIII. Academy Brats, Zai and Tai

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Caelia would never get tired of seeing the beautiful bunches of vibrant color flowers in the garden fall awa to reveal open fields and farm lands.

"Ah Caelia, welcome."

"Hello, Master Thane," she answered giving his hand a brief shake.

"Let's get to it. I'll start you off light. Go ahead and feed the pigs and check their water. Once you've finished, I want you to let the sheep out to graze and finally muck the horse stables. I don't expect you to finish all of the stables. We do have hundreds of horses on hand."

She felt faint at the ideal of mucking hundreds of stalls.

"Don't worry, there are other hands on deck to help out as well."

As Caelia followed Master Thane toward the pigsty, she felt heat seep from her sword.

Camalus?

Something is amiss?

What's wrong?

The energy here, something is wrong.

Well, there was a weird horse somewhere around here. Maybe that's what you're sensing.

Don't forget to call my name.

Of course.

Trekking behind Master Thane, she study the contours of his back. His physique was similar to the Masters of the vanguard, but she supposed being a stable master he was bound to have such form. Maybe he picked a sword or two, she shrugged her shoulders. He possessed short inky hair and black eyes.

"How long have you worked for the academy?" Caelia asked, curiosity laced in her tone as she followed him.

"Hmm, for as long as I can remember," he replied.

That sounded a bit vague. She was prepared to ask another question when they arrived at the pigsty.

"I leave you to it. If you have any questions, there are farmhands around."

Caelia simply nodded and watched him walk away.

"This work is going to break me. I'm still drained from basic elemental arts and defense class," she griped unhappily. She needed the money and Master Thane was kind enough to advance her pay so she could pay for her books and materials. Things would be much easier if she could set her sword down but she refused to.

"Ya no' tis my first time seein' one of you academy brats out here."

"You must think I'm not much of a threat."

"Pfftt. You're just a little girl in a man's world." Came the snarky reply, grating on Caelia's nerves.

"I assume you're not part of the academy. What's wrong? Didn't make the cut?" she asked sweetly while checking the pigs' water supply. She grinned into barrel.

"Ha ha! You've think you've got it all figured out. You don't know anything."

Caelia could only frown when his blue eyes went blank momentarily, and he turned his back on her. She didn't do anything. He was the one that started it.

"Wait! Where's the sheep?" she hollered at his retreating form.

"Keep toward the path. You'll see them soon."

What was that about? He was about her height with blue eyes and blond hair. She didn't even catch his name, maybe she should've been a little nicer, but she hated when people called her a little girl! She was eighteen! And a warrior! Ahem, a warrior in training.