Made of Matter

Chapter Eight

After Stephen left me in the library, I had to find my own way around Kamar-Taj. It was later than I had expected with the time difference and so dimly lit amongst the stone corridors I had stumbled a few times on the uneven floor.

On the walls hung flame sconces and despite the cool temperature and high altitude, I assumed the entire place was heated with magic. Masters worked in small alcoves reading or practising magic but I saw no apprentices or anyone who could point me in the right direction.

What made it worse was the silence, the wind pressed against the stone surrounding me but there was not that same hum the New York Sanctum had, no sirens outside its four walls, no sound of a coffee machine in the early hours of the morning or even late hours of the evening, no distant laughter or curses from a spell gone wrong.

It was just pressing silence, the sound of my shoes on the stone floor and the shuffle of my skirt and robes. I reached into my robe to check my phone only to realise I had left it in my room back in London and with no sling ring or way to contact Lee, I could only wander around the empty halls of Kamar-Taj aimlessly until I either bumped into someone willing to speak and break the holy silence or Stephen finally decided to give me some tedious task.

Of course with my luck it was the latter. Double doors to my right opened and I jumped at the sudden activity. Stephen stood aside as he held the doors open and looked at me with disinterest,

'Hurry up and get inside, Lina.'

I did as he asked and hugged the Dream Sphere to my chest as if doing so would act as a physical buffer to any harsh words he wished to sling my way.

Once inside Stephen closed the doors behind me and I flinched at the sound though it was not followed by a lock.

The room was small with a wide cot set in the centre of the room which from the scattering of blankets and pillows looked to be a bed. A singular mattress lay at its end on the floor made up neatly.

There was an open window to the left which showcased a sky scattered with more stars then I had ever seen in my life. A singular candle burned on the window sill and cast the entire room in a dim golden glow.

And behind the cot was a wooden dressing screen, I assumed which led to some type of ancient bathroom. I hoped Kamar-Taj had running water but I did know for a fact that the temple had better wifi than all three Sanctum Sanctorum's. Knowledge is power and all that.

'Is this my room?' I asked and Stephen stepped past me, beginning to untie his tunic. He wasn't wearing his cloak.

'Our room.' Stephen gestured to the mattress on the floor, 'You share a room with me. Eat and sleep and train when I do and when I think you're deserving you can have a sling ring and begin your physical training.'

'Okay.' I assumed the mattress was for me. I couldn't really argue with him anymore, not when this was my alternative to living in luxury in the New York Sanctum. This was my punishment and I would take it on the chin. I'd do as he asked. I'd earn my role as a Master of the Mystic Arts in whatever backwards way he wanted me to.

Stephen loosened his tunic and because I hadn't said anything else or made no smart remarks he stopped and honed his attention in on me.

'Lina is that alright with you?'

I could only nod and keep my eyes away from him, grateful in the least he asked but still irritated over our interaction earlier. It's not like he really cared, he was just being courteous.

If I had said no would he have taken me back to New York? Probably not. If he did it would have been with a lecture. It was easier to tough it out. Stephen looked as if he was going to say something else but thought twice and closed his mouth before continuing to undress. I gave him some privacy as I turned my back but was only met with the door.