Broken Souls (Book 1 of Seasons of the Cycle)

Chapter 35 - Lura Syllana

I follow behind them as we're joined by the girls down the hall. The one girl... Charinva? She still has a book in her hands with her nose buried in it. We make our way up the stairs and continue up two floors and come out in a vast corridor. Halfway through is a large doorway with two huge carved wooden doors depicting a feast of angels. The doors are open, and beyond is a giant hall with many rows of tables running vertically from the entrance. I follow the girls as we enter a line to get our food. Discussion breaks out between them as we wait.

I can't help but drift away as I look out at the busy hall where clusters of people in brown and yellow robes settle in groups. Oddly, the groups aren't separated by the color of their robes. Some yellow robes sit with the browns and vice versa. As we get our food, which is prepared for us and provided, I follow them to a group of others in both brown and yellow robes sitting next to each other.

They all seem to welcome us warmly. Chalia speaks up. "Hey all, meet the new stray, Lura. She's rooming with me now."

"Nice to meet ya. Welcome to the club," a brown-haired boy says, raising his goblet. He wears a brown robe.

"Thanks," I say.

"That's Hubys," Chalia says. "No point in telling you everyone's name right now. You won't remember them all. You'll just have to get their name as you meet them."

"Fair enough," I say.

"So, little pup, did you come here by choice, or were you here because you have to be?" an almond-skinned girl with deep blue eyes asks. She wears a yellow robe, which tells me she's Accepted. Then she laughs. "What am I saying? We're all here because we have no other choice. That's why they call us strays. Let me guess, you used magic without a permit and went a little overboard?"

I shrug. "Something like that."

"I think you hit the nail on the head, Voborrie," a dark-skinned boy with dark black curly hair says. He's tall, even sitting down. He wears a brown robe, claiming he is a Novice.

Voborrie shrugs. "Call 'em like I see 'em. Besides, most of us are here because of that. We all got greedy or overconfident and went a little too far."

"Not all of us," a thin girl with dark brown hair says. She also wears a brown robe. "Some of us just want to help people. I grew up in Mid Town and was inspired when Damaris healed my sick little brother. She saw the potential in me and I accepted her offer to learn."

"We get it, Therlu," Ochilysse says with a long-exaggerated sigh as she twirls her butter knife around her fingers. "You've told us this story a hundred times. We all know you have your nose so far up Damaris's arse; it's covered in turds."

"I wasn't talking to you, Ochilysse, I was talking to the new girl." Therlu's eyes thin into slits as she glares at Ochilysse.

"And I'm sure you'll remind her of it a hundred more times," Ochilysse mumbles under her breath.

"Come on, Ochily, don't be mean," Charinva says while reading her book and munching on her vegetables.

"Easy for you to say, Page Turner," Ochilysse says and mumbles under her breath. "And don't call me that in front of everyone else."

"Don't worry, Therlu, I like your story. I have a similar one with Damaris," Hubys says.

"And here we go again. Why don't we all just share our stories while we're at it? Heck, how about I just give the gist of it since I've nearly memorized them from all the times you've told them," Ochilysse says, rolling her eyes before taking a big bite out of her meat. Then she tries to talk with her mouth full but gets interrupted.