The Unearthing (Book I of the Tebel Chronicles)

Chapter 22

To Cyan's pleasant surprise and contrary to the behavior of anyone she had known before, Shyla attempted from the very next day to make amends. She drew Cyan into the table's conversations and over the next couple of weeks, Shyla worked hard to win Cyan's favor. Cyan found her new friend to be a fiercely loyal person. Anyone who threatened her flock was treated with contempt and skeptism. She learned that Shyla was from Tryden, off the coast of Etsah. Her father was a fishing merchant and she was the second youngest of six. She shared with Cyan how she had ended up at Noring despite being the only girl in her family. In Etsah the oldest child inherited the bulk of their family's estate despite their gender, but her marriage to another wealthy family would have been good for the family.

'Luckily there were plenty of hands available to work in the family business without me. But it was unlikely that any shipmaster would want to marry his son off to me no matter my pedigree. No one would want someone gifted in fire being left untrained around the ships.'

Cyan had grinned at this. 'I can see how that could be problematic.'

'One of my cousins was here first – of course his manipulation gift is wind – so that was helpful in my family. But me? Well, I set fire to one of our ships and promptly got sent here. Wasn't really a choice.'

'Oh. Right. Sorry.'

'No, I love my family, but it's nice being around people who are more like me.' Just then Greyton and Liz walked passed them and Shyla's face clouded. 'Well, mostly nice anyway.'

Now that Shyla had endorsed her presence, the rest of the table was also interested in befriending Cyan. Nanci and Syril, the twins, were sociable although quiet. They loved being around people, but generally would only speak when spoken to. When they did, they seemed to read each other's minds and finished each other's sentences. Jason, who she knew as Master Brinsey's plant manipulation student, was a wiry, curly-haired friend of Kael's. His gift made him quite revered, as it was such a rare skill. Grand Master Brinsey kept Jason close by when he wasn't in class to try to teach him as much as possible.

'Tough to be the only student in a gift,' Kael said as Jason glared at him. Since Shyla's comment about Kael's fence sitting, more often than not, he joined them at their table.

'Yeah, why don't you try and never have free periods to study for your other subjects?' complained Jason. 'I barely get time to train anymore and our first exams are weeks away.'

Lrendo, from Cyan's earth manipulation lessons, was Jason's best friend. Since Jason was kept busy by the Master, Lrendo could hide away from the rest of Noring by working with his friend in the greenhouse. As she and Matty had experienced, the more gifted individuals in the third year class still gave Lrendo quite a tough time where they could.

When they were alone, Matty explained to Cyan that Shyla was actually the most gifted of the fire students and when, in first year, she had decided she didn't want to associate with Liz and her friends, she had also been ostracized. It was hard for Cyan to remember how dismal the previous months had been now that she was so happy. The only thing marring her otherwise peaceful time was the knowledge that after Greyton finished his month's pool duty punishment by Trey, he would be looking for the opportunity for revenge. This scared her more than she wished to admit.

The practical exams were looming for all the manipulation subjects as well as for combat crafts so the students for the most part were busy trying to get as fit as possible. Cyan was exhausted with her training and the extra sessions scheduled for her by Trey. As a result she struggled through her Perets and Skotonia lectures and yawned her way through economics and political studies until Master Dakin finally asked if he was keeping her up and suggested that she might want to think about going back to bed. Shyla looked at her, her soft, green-eyes filled with sympathy while the rest of the class laughed.