Pentad of Un

Chapter 28 - Luss

     "Uncle?" Luss felt his jaw drop.

     The man at the door glanced at Luss, his eyes narrowing.

     "Yes—and who are you?" he inquired with a slight sneer.

     "Wouldn't you like to know!" Luss retorted—and was elbowed in the ribs by both Adif and Jelro.

     "This is my group from The Academy," Shayrow explained.

     "Ah!" The man's expression brightened—although he still didn't smile. "So these are the beings you chose for your group, then? Well, I never doubted that you would come out as the top of your class."

     "Er, actually--"

     "Wonderful, simply wonderful! It's such a pleasure to meet you all." Shayrow's uncle beckoned for everyone to come inside. "Here—why don't you join us? We're just about to sit down and eat supper. You can tell us about yourselves and your task."

     Luss stepped through the door—and he felt his jaw drop again.

     The round entryway was shaped with a complicated wall structure that seemed to spiral upwards with the staircase that wrapped around the perimeter, glimmering with gems that were marbled in the floor and stairs. Glass flower boxes lined the railings all the way up and down the staircases—all overflowing with the most perfectly-crafted blue roses that Luss had ever seen. Each stem could have sold for four silver bits each.

     "And I thought I came from a wealthy family," Adif whispered, her eyes wide.

     Jelro lingered at the door for a moment, looking tentative to enter the home; Luss didn't understand why until Shayrow's uncle pointed at Refi.

     "Is there a reason as to why you have a large bird with you?" he asked.

     "Her name is Refi," Jelro quietly said.

     "Uncle." Shayrow cleared his throat. "Jelro is a silvertongue, and he takes care of these animals. I hope you don't mind if he keeps them with him during our stay. They're very well-behaved."

     "Hm." Shayrow's uncle gave a slight frown, but he allowed the animals to enter the manor. "Shayrow, if you could show them to the dining hall, I will have Sajtak prepare rooms for you all." He waited for Shayrow to nod, then he disappeared through the doorway to the left.

     "Wow," Luss said. "He didn't even introduce himself."

     "You have my apologies," Shayrow hastily said, leading the group down the opposite hallway. "My uncle can be a bit... terse at times." His fingers traced over the hilt of his sword. "Anyhow, he was my father's older brother—Doshfawl Kyremour. He's the--"

     "On your guard!"

     CLANG!

     "Are you out of your mind?!" Shayrow snapped, frozen in his stance after blocking the sword that had come at him from behind.

     The attacker flashed a grin and lowered his sword. He was a teenage boy with the same silvery eyes that Shayrow had and hair that was just as dark, but long enough to reach his mid-back despite being in a braid—which was a somewhat impressive length considering he was nearly as tall as Shayrow.

     "Haven't lost those reflexes, eh?" he said, eyeing Shayrow's still-raised sword.

     "And you're lucky that I haven't!" Shayrow lowered the blade and gave the boy a shove. "Your father ought to confiscate your sword until you've learned to properly feign attacks!"