The Gods' War

Chapter 2

        THE MEN WHO had led them here went up to the woman and had a whispered conversation with her. The woman smiled at Lucas and Adrian when their conversation had finished.

        She looked young. She had to be around their own age. Her hair was a golden and short. Her eyes were a dazzling green. She was of average height, though not as tall as Lucas.

        “Two new students I see. Welcome, my name is Carla. Come with me.”

        She turned her back on them, and went into the dark where the rock had disappeared. Lucas and Adrian followed. The strange men, however, did not. Instead, they mounted their horses, and trotted away.

        “You may speak now,” Carla said, “I assume you would like some food?”

        “Please,” both Adrian and Lucas muttered. They were exhausted from hunger and felt as if they would drop dead at any moment.

        “Where did you come from?” Carla asked as they rounded a bend. The walls were occasionally lit by lamps for them to see.

        “We came from the small town of Digrael. Please miss, may we have some food?” Adrian asked.

        “Digrael? That is quite some distance away. Yes, you will have your food. Come,” Carla went through an archway.

        Inside the room there was a small stone table with four chairs around it. On the table, there were four bowls of gruel. To Lucas and Adrian, it looked like the best food they would ever eat.

        “Sit down,” Carla told them, “Let us pray to the good Lord Paeon who made us. Close your eyes,” they closed their eyes, wondering what she was talking about. “Dear Lord, we thank you that you have sent two new initiates to us. We thank you for this food which will grace our stomachs. We ask for protection against demons and all things evil. We pray this in your eternal name. Amen.”

        Carla opened her eyes and saw that Lucas and Adrian were puzzled – they had not been taught about the gods. “You may eat now,” Carla told them.

        Lucas and Adrian gulped it all down as if it was the best food that they had ever tasted. When they had both finished they looked at the other bowl filled with gruel at the spare seat, and at the bowl that was Carla’s. “Yes, you may have them,” Carla understood their silent question.

         Lucas and Adrian ate their second helping just as they had their first. When they were done, Carla stood and told the two young men to follow her again. She led them out of the room and back into the hallway. They walked for about ten minutes before they came upon heavily barred doors. Before Carla opened the door, she drew something in the sand beneath their feat. It was odd. There were three circles next to each other, in the one circle, was a small vertical line. In the second circle were three vertical lines. In the last circle, was one vertical line. Those five vertical lines were all joined by one horizontal line. In-between each circle, was a line, separating the circles.

        When Carla had finished drawing this in the sand, the door slid to the side. Carla looked at the picture on the floor, and then it faded away, leaving no hint of what had been there. Carla led them through the door.

        Beyond the door was a large room. It had a high ceiling, about two stories. The entire room was well lit by a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. In the middle of the room was an ancient-looking mahogany desk, with an elderly, grey-haired woman sitting behind it. The floor was not sand like it was in the corridor, but instead, white tiles. The walls did not appear to be stone, but smoother and had a beautiful beige colour. At the other end of the room, was a staircase that led to a balcony that overlooked the entire room, and a door just behind it. In the corner sat a plush lavender sofa and chairs.