Nentarli [COMPLETE]

~ Twenty ~

After a minute more of the parents berating him, Merkell held up a hand and stood up from his seat, he looked each one of us in the eye.

"One season. They have one season to learn all of the fighting skills they will need and then I will return to teach them the rest. I will hear no more about it, this must be the way it is."

"Return? Wait, you're leaving?" I spluttered out and stood up to face him, Emy joining me.

Merkell looked at us and I almost saw a smile, "Yes I am, I have a family and they have been without me for two whole years. It is time I was back with them, I think you understand that."

I nodded slowly and caught Emy doing the same, we did understand after only being away from our parents for nearly a week we had felt horrible. I didn't want to imagine what it would be like to be without them for two years, and in a strange world no less.

Merkell smiled softly and stepped away from the table, "Learn fast and listen to your instructors. The time will go by very quickly and we need every minute of it if we wish to win."

"Wait," Kayle stood up and moved around the table to stand in front of Merkell. "You told me before you sent me to watch over the girls that I had a part to play in all of this, you cannot leave and not tell me what it is, sir."

Merkell smiled wider at Kayle despite his tone and leaned in closer. He whispered something in Kayle's ear and I leaned over to watch Kayle's eyes widen into orbs. He was stood motionless when Merkell moved away from him and gestured to the rest of us.

"You have all trusted me in the past and I ask you to do so again now. I will return in one season so until then, be safe."

Blaike and Kaleb bowed to him, Emy and I waved goodbye but the parents didn't react except to nod simultaneously, which creeped me out a little. Merkell walked out and nobody moved to stop him, instead my dad and Emy's walked over to where Kayle was stood, unmoved.

"Kayle? What did Merkell tell you?" Alacor asked him and Kayle finally snapped out of his daze, he rubbed his chin and walked off back to his seat.

"I can't tell you, sorry," Kayle replied and sipped his juice. He smiled when he placed the glass down, the parents didn't look amused though.

"And why not?" My dad asked and Kayle pursed his lips, the smile had disappeared a little.

"Because you do not need to know until one season from now, apparently," he said it with the strangest tone to his voice. "Oh, and Merkell said if I tell you then it will not happen, so I'm sorry but I can't."

It was bizarre to hear how adamant he was; Emy, Blaike and Kaleb all looked impressed and even more impressive, the parents didn't argue any further with him. Instead, everyone moved to sit down again, it seemed like the weird conversations would just keep on coming. I realised suddenly that now we were expected to learn to fight, I assumed it wasn't just punching and kicking.

I voiced that thought out loud and my dad smiled back at me. "No it is not, you and Emily will learn a variety of fighting styles as well as weapons and water and air strikes. These are skills you would have learned while growing up here, if you had had the chance. You will have personal instructors in every aspect of your training and we will receive a full report at the end of each day."

Neither I, nor Emy seemed to fully understand but we let it slide while Alacor spoke next.

"You will also need to learn more about the ways and history of Nentarli."

"What will that help with?" Emy asked. She watched her dad press his hand to the bronze panel by the door.

"It will help with the important dinner we must attend at the end of the week with the leaders of each of the three Sectors."