by Katie Pottle
“Thanks, mom. I’m happy you’re here too.”
Her smile returned and she cocked her head to the side. “It sounds like the rest of the crew are getting up.”
Rustling from the bedrooms and a pot dropping in the kitchen rang through the courtyard.
“Breakfast in ten!” Tal shouted from the kitchen.
“I had better go and help your father. The man has the uncanny ability to burn food.”
At breakfast, most of the group reclined around the long table with a fine wood grain that sat in the middle of the courtyard. Sun and Cora sat on the wall backing up to the botanical gardens, throwing pieces of bread to something that made the bush next to them rustle.
“You know you’re not supposed to feed the wildlife, right?” Cadin said.
Gur ran over to Sun and peered into the foliage.
“Don’t go attacking it, Gur!” Sun said, picking up the dragon and walking back to the table.
“What were you feeding?” Cadin asked as he grabbed Gur from her.
“A flying squirrel I think. It was kind of shy so I’m not sure.” She picked a grape off Cadin’s plate and popped it in her mouth. “Are you excited for today?”
“Heck yeah! I can’t wait to see what the Arena has to offer.”
“Oh, yes—the Arena!” Instructor Kade said from across the table. “Everyone, listen up.” Everyone turned towards Instructor Kade, though Gregor continued to crunch on the burnt toast. “As you all know we have our first training slot for Glade today in the Arena. I have taken the liberty of splitting the time up evenly between each of our four teams so you can practice individual team maneuvers without fear of another team—even one from Glade, learning your strengths, weaknesses and team strategies.”
“Good,” Jordy, Gregor’s broody teammate grunted.
“Also, for this first session, we have been allotted an extra twenty minutes at the beginning of our time slot for us all to go in as a group so Liaison Roger can show everybody the different Arena features. We will all meet at the Arena at eleven A.M. If you are late—you miss out. I suggest you take advantage of this beautiful morning. Most stalls in the Competitors’ Village open at nine.”
“What should we do this morning?” Lep asked his question after Instructor Kade nodded that he had finished.
“There’s always the Competitors’ Village, or maybe we can explore the town a little bit.”
“Which one?” Bart said. “There are like three towns surrounding us. I had no idea Condor was so big.”
“True.”
Sun pulled her blond hair back into a quick ponytail. “Why don’t we try visiting a town. It’s only seven-thirty.”
“I’m down,” Lep said.
“Yeah, sounds good. But we will need an adult to go with us,” Bart said.
“Just a second.” Cadin got up and grabbed the empty plates and brought them to the kitchen where his parents were sitting and talking.
“Hi, Cadin,” Tal said.
“Hey, dad. Um, can either of you go with us to town this morning?”
Both of their faces fell. “Sorry, son, but today we must to get to the Competitors’ Village early to train Ali and Aaron.”
“Who are they?”
“They are siblings from here on Condor who needed a summer job. They are going to run our stall for us some of the time so that we will have enough time to chaperone all of you guys,” Tal said.
“I’m sorry, honey,” Sara added.
“That’s okay. I’ll go see if anyone else can go.”
Cadin cringed at the thought of asking Gregor’s brother. So far, on the trip he had been quiet, but Cadin was still wary.
“Excuse me, Instructor Kade?”
“Yes, Cadin?”
“My team would like to explore town a bit this morning. Can you come with us?”
“Actually, I do have some business in Ramia-Oh that I was just about to leave for. If you can all be ready in five minutes, you are welcome to come.”
“Awesome, thanks!” Cadin ran back to the table. “Hurry up guys, Instructor Kade said he can take us to Ramia-something if we can leave in a couple minutes!”
“Ramia-Oh?” a snooty voice butted in. Araina sauntered over to Cadin’s side.
“Yeah, I think so.”
“That is the town with famous perfumes! The flowers they use only grow in the Contra Quad!”
Oh no, Cadin thought.
Ariana turned to her team. “Girls, grab your gear, stat. We have a change of plans. We are going to Ramia-Oh this morning!”
High-pitched squeals ensued.
“Crap!” Cadin said as he ran into his room where Bart and Lep were grabbing their things.
“What’s up?” Lep asked.
“Ariana invited herself and her team along.”
“Ewe!”
“Ha ha, my sentiments exactly. Oh well. It should still be fun.”
Cadin grabbed his small day pack and clipped it between his wings. “Ready, Gur?”
“Gurrrr!” the small dragon rumbled in response. His coloring had changed slightly since they arrived on Condor. His normally blue scales had turned to a steely gray.
Cadin fed him the last bit of bread from breakfast and gently rubbed the dragon’s head.
“You guys good?” Cadin asked.
Bart nodded and gave him a thumbs up.
“Yep, let’s go!” Lep said.
Instructor Kade was waiting outside their door with Sun and Cora.
“Hi, Cora,” Bart said. “Are you coming too.”
She smiled and nodded. “Sun talked me into it.”
Sun ruffled her wings. “When I learned all the other girls were coming,” Sun nodded towards the room where Araina and her team were pouring out, still brushing their hair, “I decided I needed backup.”
“What, we’re are not good enough company for you?” Lep asked with over-exaggerated baby-bird eyes.
“Ha, it’s not that,” Sun said as she swung a friendly punch at Lep who dodged it. “I invited the rest of Cora’s team too, but they didn’t want to come. I just want as much of a buffer between us and them as possible.” She lowered her voice as the other girls approached. “They are driving me crazy in that room.”
“Eh, hm,” Instructor Kade cleared his throat. “Okay, everyone. We are going to fly west to the far end of Condor. Keep your altitude level with mine. We will land on the west end—that is the near side of Ramia-Oh. Questions?”
Everybody shook their heads.
Instructor Kade walked over to the open field and opened his wings before launching into the air.
The morning air was crisp and clear—perfect flight conditions. Condor sprawled out below them with massive deciduous forests in-between the large towns. Instructor Kade signaled and they began their decent towards a large pink-tinted town.
“What’s up with the color?” Lep asked Instructor Kade after they touched down on the hardened cloud just outside of the rolling pink buildings.
“Ramia-Oh is the capital of Condor and as such decided to weave in a red-based paint with all of the cloud-structures in town. Naturally the result between a red paint and white clouds is what you see before you.”
“Weird,” Lep muttered.
“I love it!” Ariana exclaimed.
“Alright, everyone, listen up for the rules to this outing,” Instructor Kade said.
“We only have three hours until everyone must be back at the Arena. I’m going to show you all to the Travarti Fountain Park. It is essentially the center of Ramia-Oh and easily found. That will be our meet up point where everyone must check in with me at the top of each hour. Other than that, you will have free-rein of the town with the understanding that you all stay safe and be smart with your decisions. Everyone got it?”
Ariana and her team were holding hands and jumping up and down. Sun backed away from them and stepped behind Cadin.
“Yes, sir!”
“Alright. Everyone follow me.”
Store-fronts and condos stacked into the large cloud with switchback paths between many of them. Some doors didn’t have any paths leading to them, but instead sported a landing platform. All of the buildings and even the signs were ornate and detailed. The only building on Glade that came close was the Glade Palace. Here was an entire town with a huge amount of blatant wealth sprawled out before them.
“Many of the high-end retail stores will be directly off the Travarti Fountain Park,” Instructor Kade said as they made their way past the well-manicured gardens in front of massive three story town-houses. “However, you will get more for your money in the secondary shops that are located a bit farther out. I will be in the Trade Front section of town should you need me.”
The road opened before them to a circular park with gardens, precisely shaped trees, and a large fountain in the center. The massive figure in the center of the fountain was a male angel with his wings spread, holding a bright red ball above his head.
“And here we are,” Instructor Kade said. “Meet back here at nine and then again at ten. Enjoy.” With that, he strode off toward the road on the opposite side of the fountain.
“There!” One of the girls squealed, pointing to a storefront with overly curvy letters—Jade-line Perfumes & Fine Gifts.
Ariana’s team raced for the store. Cadin turned to the others, smiled and nodded towards the opposite direction.
“Whew, these places are pricey!” Lep said as he hopped out of a store that sold cloud-stone carvings. The window displays did not have any price tags, so Lep had wandered in to inquire.
“Yeah, let’s head away from the park a bit and maybe try to find those secondary stores,” Cadin said.
“Sounds good,” Sun said.
“These roads are starting to get crowded,” Cora added.
Stores begun propping their doors open and angels—mostly adults with finely tailored clothes, circled the park and entered the stores. One woman rushed by them—arms already sporting two full, pink shopping bags.
They made their way past the cobble-stone road circling the park and came upon a free-standing building with a set of wings carved into the front wall on either side of the wooden double doors.
“I wonder what this place is,” Cora said.
Sun sighed. “The ten feathered wings mark it as an Embassy Hotel suitable for ambassadors from other Cloud Systems.”
“Not all hotels are suitable for ambassadors?” Cora asked.
“Embassy Hotels have acceptable levels of comfort and security.”
Cadin was about to ask Sun how she knew that, when her cheeks burned red and her eyes narrowed. He followed her gaze to the hotel’s front doors that sat ajar. On the steps stood a handsome couple with layered, rich fabrics cut in a slightly foreign design. The man was tall with light skin and wavy brown hair. The woman had short blond hair with cobalt eyes staring at Sun.
The woman beamed and glided down the stairs towards them.
“Oh, Sunyar!” The woman held Sun in a quick embrace before standing back. She looked Sun up and down. “You have grown, Sunyar.”
“Sun,” Sun responded bluntly. “And that happens over the years.” Sun’s eyes flashed towards the man who joined them before she turned back to the woman. “What are you doing here, mother?”
Mother, Lep mouthed to Cadin. Cadin nodded but kept his attention on the exchange in front of him. Sun’s body language was conflicting. Her arms hung uncrossed, with hands open at her sides; yet one foot was back as if ready to retreat.
The woman’s shapely brow rose. “Why, we are here to see you of course! Ari informed me that you would be competing in the Calvarian Games, so Francisco and I planned our schedules around Condor this summer. You remember Francisco, of course,” The woman said.
The man nodded to Sun.
“Yes, hello…I ah mean, bonjour, Francisco.” Sun’s hands slowly closed into fists.
“Bonjour petit, Sunyar,” the man said in a deep, smooth voice.
Cadin stepped up and put his hand on Sun’s shoulder. Her muscles relaxed slightly under his touch.
“Oh, right,” Sun said. “Um, mother, Francisco, these are my teammates and friends. This is Cadin, Bart, Lep and Cora.”
They each nodded at their names, unsure of protocol in this situation.
“Guys, this is my mother, Grace of Lance and her husband Francisco of Terra in Cloud System Twelve.” Sun sounded like a preprogramed machine.
“It is wonderful to meet you all,” Grace said. “We were planning on coming to visit you and surprise Sunyar tomorrow; however, the clouds have shifted.” She straightened her back, her white scarf billowing slightly along her neck. “Well since we are all here together, I insist on taking you all out to brunch.” She turned and said something in a low voice to Francisco who smiled and nodded.
“Excellent. Café Ardue has a spectacular spread. Follow me.” Her hand rested gently on Sun’s shoulder as they turned and walked back towards Travarti Fountain Park.
Their table at Café Ardue sat atop a terrace overlooking the park. The waiter brought over a tray of delicate pastries and small cups of a warm drink that sparkled over the rim while they looked over the menu.
Sun smiled as she picked up the drink and brought it close to her mouth. Grace watched as Sun closed her eyes and took in the aroma. Sun licked her lips before taking the smallest of sips.
“Hmmm…I haven’t tasted dreda in a long time,” Sun said quietly. She glanced around the table and blushed when she noticed everyone was watching her. “You should try it. There is no other drink like it.”
Cadin hesitated when Bart choked next to him.
“Too…big…” cough, “of a...gulp!” Bart sputtered between coughs.
“Oh, right, sorry,” Sun said, handing over her napkin.
“Dreda should be enjoyed slowly,” Grace added with a smile.
The dainty cup felt delicate and radiated warmth as Cadin put it up to his mouth. Fizzing pops from the liquid tickled his nose as he took a small sip. Spicy lavender honey came to mind as he let the liquid slosh around his mouth a moment before swallowing. He turned to Sun who was gazing at him with an expectant smile.
“Well?”
Cadin was taken aback a moment when he caught the physical resemblance between Sun and her mother who was sitting next to her and also looking at him. “I like it! It tastes like summer.”
“Oui, summer!” Francisco said. “I have never been able to verbalize what dreda tastes like. But, it does indeed taste like how summer feels!”
Cadin was flummoxed. He hadn’t realized Francisco knew how to speak English —let alone perfect English, albeit with an accent.
The waiter came over with a starched white napkin over his forearm and a pen and order form at the ready. “May I take your orders?”
Halfway through his superb omelet and non-stop stories about Sun as a young child, Cadin glanced over to the Travarti Fountain to see Instructor Kade walking towards them. He looked like a rock dragon whose tail had just been stepped on.
“I think we missed the check-in time,” Cadin said as he motioned towards their instructor.
“Oh, no,” Sun said.
“It should not be a problem,” Grace said as she dabbed her mouth with the cloth napkin and stood up. “Your instructor’s name, Sunyar?”
“Kade,” Sun replied.
Instructor Kade approached their table—his backpack noticeably fuller. “What happened, guys? You are ten minutes late.”
“We ran into my mother who wanted to take us out,” Sun answered.
“I’m sorry we kept them, Mister Kade,” Grace said reaching out a hand. “I’m Grace, and this is my husband, Ambassador Francisco.”
Instructor Kade’s eyes widened at the introductions as he shook both of their hands.
Instructor Kade cleared his throat. “It is nice to meet both of you. I did get note from headquarters that Condor would be receiving an ambassador from Cloud System Twelve this week. Am I co
rrect that you are him?”
“Oui…yes. I am happy to be here, instructor.” Francisco nodded.
“Please enjoy the rest of your breakfast, however—you guys,” Instructor Kade turned his gaze towards them, “can’t be late for our next check in at ten. We will be flying back to the Arena. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” they replied at the same time.
Instructor Kade nodded and left.
Grace and Francisco returned to their seats and motioned them to finish.
“Are all of your instructors of the Core?” Francisco asked after they had finished.
“No, just Instructor Kade,” Sun answered. “He is a good homeroom teacher and is excellent to have around for Warrior Path classes and clubs. He was the one who helped me get the Challenge Club going.”
“What is that, dear?” Grace asked.
“It started out as the Archery Club, but we had to round it out with other warrior-based stuff so more members would join than just these two.” Sun nodded towards Cadin and Bart.
“Proud members,” Bart said with a smile.
“And archery is still your main focus in school?”
“Yes, mother,” Sun answered with a hitch in her voice. “Can we please not get into this now?”
“Of course,” Grace said. “I was just trying to catch up. It has been a while since I’ve seen you.”
“It has been years,” Sun said quietly. Her hands shook ever so slightly.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Arena
“Thank you very much for brunch,” Cadin said, shaking Grace’s and then Francisco’s hand.
“You are welcome. It was nice to have met all of you. I dare say we will be seeing you all again soon,” Grace said as they stepped out of the café. She turned to Sun who had relaxed more as the meal progressed. “I’m overjoyed to be here with you, Sunyar.”
“Just, Sun—please. I haven’t been Sunyar in a long time.”
Her mother’s eyes dropped and her lips turned down slightly. “Sun then. I hope you know that I am proud to be your mother.”
