Cataindar

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Luisa kicked off the duvet in her chamber and chewed distractedly on a rootcake while pulling on her red corduroy dress.  Her arms and wrist ached a little, Finn had worked on her throwing technique (she managed to hit the ratain twice) and then shown her how to hold a sword.  Now that was cool. They drilled stances for fencing and exercises to make her strong.  Both of which Finn strongly suggested that Luisa practice ‘in her own time’.

After a dry interlude of the real world, in which she practiced all her new moves and weeded the garden with her little brother; she was finally back in Cataindar.

 Today would be another special day; her first training with the readers.

 Clearwater buzzed around her, checking her human clothes for adjustments that didn’t exist. With nothing to do she ended up just giving Luisa a pat on the arm.

“Oh you must be excited Princess. The readers are so secretive, they can do magic! You’ll learn about dewin! They’ll probably teach you!”

“I really don’t think anyone can do magic, but especially not me, I can’t even play an instrument, I even broke Mr. Notes’ banjo-thingy!”

“Princess, they can! They spend all day locked up, reading things.” Clearwater took Luisa’s hand in her paw and spoke very rapidly,  “My little brothers best friend’s older cousins are all runners, and they said a reader runner said that they are all doing magic.”

Magic. As if this world wasn’t already strange enough. Luisa knew what she would do if she possessed real magic. The rootcake she was chewing on suddenly felt even tougher on her tongue. Each time she thought of her Mum propped up in the hospital bed, it was like a cascade of sadness washed over her, pulling her spirit down.

What if she doesn’t get better?

Luisa closed her eyes and physically shook the thought from her mind with a twist of her head.  The rhythmic beep of the hospital was replaced with the crackle of the fire, the sterile ward with the rich furnishings of her chamber in cataindar. Her mother’s ashen face replaced with Clearwater’s, whose bright eyes were regarding her with concern.

Luisa raised an eyebrow mischievously at her friend, patting Clearwater’s paw.

“So… tell me exactly what this runner had to say about the readers Clearwater.”

Clearwater’s face twisted with the glee of good gossip.

“Well…”

By the time abbot came to collect Luisa, Clearwater had shared enough stories, rumours (and a few tales that Luisa thought may be completely made up) to get Luisa very excited, with a healthy dose of nervousness thrown in too. By Clearwater’s account she should be throwing spells around and riding on a mop by the end of the day.

As they slowly stepped through the corridors the abbot seemed chipper but outside the greetings he gave Luisa, he stayed silent as he shuffled along instead humming a tune.  

Arriving at the reader’s area they were met with two tall glass doors sat on hinges of brass.

The abbot stood back and waved his paw at the glass gates, they slowly swung open and it sent a tingle of excitement through Luisa.

She tried to bite down a smile, and failed.

She followed the abbot through the halls of the readers. It possessed the faded elegance of Cataindar. Once, it would have looked breathtaking, the corridors were lined with a system of brass piping and, unlike anywhere else in Cataindar, the doors were made from frosted glass.