A Long Journey Home

Chapter 1

"Of course it will be an elder," the baker said, "They raised her. Why would she choose anyone else?"

Perdita listened to their discussion from the corner of the building. She had only come to steal a pastry, not to hear adults planning her future. With a frustrated noise, she turned away and marched off to find her friends.

She knew that she had to choose a mentor before the next day, but none of the elders appealed to her. They were old, and slow, and she doubted that they would even live long enough to see her finish her training. As she walked through the town in the early morning light, she listened to everyone talking, waiting for some information she could use. Everyone was talking about her birthday tomorrow, it seemed, and the attention was infuriating. All she'd done was not die; Why did that warrant so much fanfare?

Eventually, she found what she was looking for, in a couple of women, barely finished with their own training, whispering in a mocking tone.

"Have you seen him lately?" One of the girls sniggered, "Hard to believe he's related to Ari. He looks sick."

"I know," The other girl faked a sympathetic tone, "When we were kids I had the biggest crush on him. All he cares about is that stupid pool though. I just came back from hunting with Ari and he's already there."

The first girl broke into laughter, "Does he even have a life?"

Perdita smiled as she walked calmly past. So that's where he was.

The Great Hall loomed over her as she came closer, blocking out the sun. It was made of a smooth, dark wood, and the lack of windows meant that the interior was lit only by lanterns, even in the middle of the day.

She stepped onto the cold stone floor, almost wishing that she had shoes for the first time in her life. She fiddled with the edges of her dress as she passed each of the rooms. They were just as dark and intimidating as the main room, with the tall, arched ceiling and lack of natural light. In fact, that morning, it lacked almost any light at all, except for a single lantern at the far end of the hall, where she could hear the gentle sound of water and rhythmic breathing.

Perdita stepped closer to the pool, watching the fish swim about and admiring the carefully tended flowers along the edge. Although she made no sound, and never even looked at him, she knew that he had noticed her.

"Do you need something?" He asked irritably, looking up at her with dull and distracted eyes.

"Sorry," She smiled gently, "I know you were meditating..." She paused, watching his face. She had to admit, the girls were right; He looked sick. His skin was pale, his hair much darker and lacking the ginger that ran through each dragon's human form, and there seemed to be nothing but skin hanging off his bones. His cheeks were hollow and his neck strained, but she relaxed as she saw the kindness in his eyes.

"I need advice," She finally admitted, "I don't know who to pick to be my mentor."

Cato leaned back on his hands, turning his face up to the stained glass in the roof, which let a hint of blue light filter onto the meditation pool. "Well," he started slowly, "First I guess you have to think about what you want in a mentor. Do you want them to be kind and gentle, or do you want someone who will push you? Then think about everyone in the village that meets that criteria."

Perdita settled down beside him, dipping her feet in the cold water and letting the fish nibble at her toes, "Well I want someone nice, but not too demanding. I want someone who will let me grow in my own time, not drag me along at their pace, but also not just let me not do anything... But none of the elders are like that!" She flopped down against the stone, letting the chill slip through her thin summer dress.