The Portal

I 1.10 Oath

Liam looked around Shailaja's main hall. He spotted Noa and Joshua without difficulty, they were at their usual table, almost at the end of the room, next to the tutor's table. Most of the nobles were already seated in the hall, which was all made of stone, like all the rooms in the dark fortress. Lighting came from torches that burned in each pillar and between windows, which were thin but very long. At the end of their length, they formed a sharp peak like the towers of Shailaja. The double glazing was strong, shielding the room from the winds and providing a view of the beach, but at this time of night, nothing could be seen through them. Their icy surfaces were blurred by the mixture of cold and salty air, and they faintly reflected the fire from the torches, giving the impression that the hall was filled with flames.

Until that moment, Liam had never realized how easily the reflection of fire could be mistaken for a woman. Especially if this woman was a redhead girl. Several times, he thought he had spotted who he was looking for, but he soon realized he was wrong. It was just another flame playing with his hopes. Disappointed, he walked between the heavy wooden tables to the end of the long room and took a seat on Noa's left. The tables in the main hall always accommodated eight people, three on each side and two at the head. All were laid out horizontally, except for the table on which he was. The Kaal's head faced the rest of the hall, which allowed him a wide view of all the nobles. Liam always sat on his left, while Joshua took his right. In this way, no one else approached the Kaal. That was his wish. He risked a sidelong glance at Joshua, who was taking a sip of wine. He raised his eyebrows quickly, returning his gaze to the hall. Every year it was like that. As soon as he entered Shailaja, Noa's mood sank, like an anchor dropped overboard.

- Where were you, Roparzh? I thought you were right behind us - Joshua asked casually.

- Winoc stopped me. He'd like to make arrangements for the week's practice now - Liam replied, as, with a curtsy, a maid poured more wine into Rariff's empty glass. The Kaal was sprawled casually in his chair, elbow propped and left hand supporting his chin. Two fingers covered his mouth. His gaze, directed to the back of the room, seemed to take in some information Liam didn't understand. Like the tables, the chairs were made of heavy, dark wood, upholstered in the finest Tegalanese leather, lined with dozens of aged silver studs. Noa's chair, positioned right in the center of the room, was taller than the rest as its back continued towards the ceiling, ending in a ridge as sharp as Shailaja's windows.

As sharp as Rariff's gaze, Liam thought, raising his glass as he considered whether this was a bad or a terrible time to try to entice the heir to the combat team, of which he was captain. Every year, Liam made this attempt, even though he already knew Noa's answer. While he was captain and Blake played alongside him in almost every sport, Rariff avoided any contact with championships in general. Since Liam knew what his friend was capable of, he always tried to lure him into competition, but Noa was convinced that, in his presence, any fair game was impossible. How suspicious he was!, thought Liam. The Kaal claimed that everyone was afraid of hurting him, so they didn't fight hard, making it all too easy. He was unable to accept that he was simply better than others. He had participated in the tournaments in his first year in Shailaja. Every time he won, he got angry, feeling favored. However, there were few who managed to defeat him, so he was often irritated. Finally, he had decided that he would always practice alone, alongside his guards, which Liam thought was silly. If he were Kaal, he would make the most of it. What's the point of being the heir like that? By the gods! If he were the heir, he would challenge everyone and make a point of winning every time.

Here we go, Liam thought, when he heard the strong voice of Baldric Bradford, a tall, smiling young man, who crossed the room greeting everyone. As he approached, he bowed quickly to Rariff and took a seat next to Liam, followed by Mateo Rukmini, who took a seat next to Blake. Bradford and Rukmini were perhaps the only ones allowed the honor of sharing a table with Rariff without an appropriate invitation. The other head of the table would not be occupied so that the Kaal's vision would be clear. No one sat across from Rariff. The only one who would, on special occasions, wasn't in the hall right now, and Liam began to wonder where Enzo Yezekael was.