The Choosing

Chapter Four: The Choosing (Part 5)

The first thing Lyra heard after crossing over was the sound of Libra's voice. "Welcome to Tsaro. "

They were all standing in what appeared to be a dome-shaped room with rounded walls. The sides of the room arched towards the center of the ceiling from which a single light hung. The room was completely closed off from the outside, throwing the room into a odd medium where everything was exposed and shadows didn't show. If they did, it was a pale smudge of darkness. The light was in the shape of a circle and depicted the Zodiac Cycle, showing the symbols of The Twelve.

Lyra couldn't help but notice that if the light's radius were increased, she and Capricorn would be standing directly beneath Capricorn's symbol - The Mountain Sea-Goat. She then also observed that they were all standing in a circle, horoscopes behind their apprentices. The apprentices that had accompanied the Honorable Twelve to The Selection were gone - Lyra guessed they were probably somewhere else in Tsaro. Paige was somewhere in Tsaro.

"Each of us has made our selection." Libra was speaking again. She had stepped forward, into the circle. "Now it is your turn to make your choice."

"Our choice?" Lyra turned to the speaker, Leo's apprentice, the redheaded girl from the south.

"Yes," Libra replied. "As chosen apprentices, you each have the right to a choice. You can accept the apprenticeship, bring honor and blessings to your family, and embrace the bright future only Tsaro can offer. Or you can reject the apprenticeship, and return to your mundane life in the mortal realm."

A slight cough. Scorpio gave the others a cold smile when they turned to look at him. "If you do make the decision to reject the apprenticeship, I must give you fair warning. Although we promise you no harm or curses for such a choice, others tend to feel differently. Bad things have happened to those who rejected the apprenticeship. I won't share any gruesome details, but I will say that none of them met good ends."

"So we don't really have a choice." Virgo's apprentice, the blonde girl from the north, crossed her arms.

Another cold smile. "Oh, you have a choice. There is a difference between there being only one right choice and not having a choice at all."

Lyra decided right there and then that as bad as being by chosen by Capricorn was, it was better than being chosen by Scorpio. She also decided that Virgo's apprentice was right - they didn't have much of a choice.

Libra cleared her throat. "So now is your time to choose. We will go in the Zodiac Order. When it is your turn, announce your decision. Choose wisely."

The tall, dark-skinned, dark-haired boy that Aries had chosen stepped forward. "I, Arlo Rothschild of Andale, Stelletoile accept." He spoke with confidence, his dark eyes focused. He was clearly a natural leader. Aries looked pleased.

The blond apprentice of Taurus. "I, Everett Robertson of Greencrest, Stelletoile, accept." Just as he had on stage, Everett was slouching and wore a worried expression on his face. His blue eyes seemed a little watery. Taurus seemed unaffected by this though, and simply gave his apprentice a lazy smile.

Gemini's apprentice was next, a thin boy with brown curls. He reminded Lyra of a folklore pixie with his dark green eyes and narrow face. "I, Isaac Criston of Brinshine, Stelletoile accept."

And again. And again. On and on, each apprentice repeating the same statement, each on accepting their fate.

Libra's apprentice, the farm boy, was no different. He truly was a farm boy through and through - messy black hair, dark eyes, tanned skin, stocky build, Lyra resisted the urge to glare at him as he spoke. "I, Cosmo Gilgen of Elsiah, Stelletoile accept."

Scorpio's apprentice was a tall girl with dark curls and hazel eyes. "I, Ciara Sachdev of Strathwick, Stelletoile accept." She struck Lyra as clever, each word sharply articulated. Lyra made a mental note to be wary of her, just in case she turned out to be anything like her horoscope master.

And then - "So we have to choose." The apprentice of Sagittarius, a boy of small frame with unruly dark hair. Dark brown eyes glared out from beneath hair so dark it held a blueish tint to it. Lyra felt herself recoil at the sight of his robes, messy with one cuff torn. Everything about his appearance screamed chaos and rebellion. Lyra couldn't fathom how he had been chosen to be an apprentice.

Sagittarius grinned. "Yes, you have to choose."

"And if we don't choose, that counts as the so-called wrong choice too?" He spoke in an indifferent tone. Lyra thought he was foolishly bold to speak in such a manner in front of The Twelve. She expected someone to reprimand him.

Yet Sagittarius continued to smile. "Yes, Andre. A choice must be made."

"And if I reject I die."

A nonchalant shrug. "Blunt, but accurate." He turned to Scorpio. "See, if you stated it that bluntly, these kids would get the message instantly and wouldn't be asking so many questions."

Lyra, intent on watching Andre, didn't look to see what Scorpio's reaction was.

"Fine. I accept this apprenticeship. Happy?"

Sagittarius patted his apprentice on the back. "Very."

Lyra found herself a little annoyed at Andre, Sagittarius's apprentice. His I-don't- care-attitude was frustrating, especially when Lyra herself had no idea how she was going to respond. These were the Honorable Twelve - who knew where Andre's attitude would get him next. Still, Lyra wished that she too could blatantly diss the Honorable Twelve like that, to be so in control of the situation that she could act however she wanted.

But now - now, it was Lyra's turn. She knew exactly what she had to do. A part of her hated it. A part of her was worried about what would happen next. But a part of her was ready. Whether she liked it or not, she had been chosen by Capricorn. And if there was one thing she had learned in her fourteen years of existence, it was that you didn't question the Honorable Twelve.

She now had a role to fulfill, and from what it sounded like, her life depended on it.

"I, Lyra Arocuge of Ilya, Stelletoile accept."

. . . 

Author's note: What do you think of Andre so far? If you were chosen, would you accept or reject? Comment your thoughts and don't forget to vote!