On the third evening since leaving home, we arrived at the castle gates. My father was not allowed to come in with us so I said my goodbyes and Twill dismounted and I followed them to the lower city for I didn't feel right abandoning them. What I saw was shocking. It was dirty, run down and a sense of despair hung in the air like fog. Sasha and Twill picked up on it as well and tensed. The Dark Blood class was glaring at me with a resentment I had never seen or felt in my whole life. I promised Sasha and Twill I would stay till I knew they were settled. A tall, lanky man pushed through the crowd.
"My name is Quinn," he said sticking his arm out to Sasha to shake and then Twill. "If you two would come with me."
His face was kind when he looked at them, but when he looked up at me, he glared. "Your kind is not welcome here and I cannot assure your safety. I suggest you leave."
I looked down at Sasha.
"Go, I'll be fine," she said.
When I didn't move, she yelled, "Go! You aren't safe here."
Quinn said nothing.
"I'll come see you soon," I mumbled and turned Caspian's head and headed back towards the gate with Riana.
What had the looks been about? Riana looked over at me and I could sense she was unnerved.
"Why did it seem as if they could kill us both at any moment?" she asked quietly as we waited for the gate to be lowered.
I glanced behind us to see the Dark Bloods dispersing and sighed in relief. It had been a long journey and this experience had opened my eyes and shocked me. Why wouldn't the Dark Blood's resent us if they came here seeking sanctuary just to find a rundown city that was separated from the "upper noble class"? How was this right?
"I... I don't know, Riana."
When the gate was lowered, we rode back into the upper city and rode on slowly towards the inner capital city where the castle and the guardian barracks lay. I was exhausted and hoped I would be excused to go to my quarters with a bath and perhaps remnants of that night's dinner, but I didn't expect it. Guardian training was meant to be hard and, being a girl, I doubted that they would take it easy on me.
As we rode towards the inner city, I watched the gate close between the two cities. Why was there a dividing wall when all the Dark Bloods on the other side had come here seeking sanctuary? There had to be a good reason for this.
"What is bothering you, my lady?" asked Riana.
I shook my head. "Just this odd way of life."
With that I gave Caspian a gentle nudge and we speedily completed our journey to the inner city. Once there, I had to tell the guard who I was and was let in where a stable hand took me to meet Guardian Octavian – the man who oversaw the whole guardian program. He was the highest ranking guardian and the most trusted by the king and his best friend. He had been part of the king's personal guardian's for years until taking his post with helping the guardian program flourish.
He was a tall, big man. Not big in waist size, but his broad shoulders and how tall he stood. He had white hair trimmed short and a clean, trimmed beard with blue eyes the color of the clear noon day sky. He had very toned muscular arms that made him wear a short sleeve shirt- unlike most noble men that wore long sleeve shirts- of dark royal blue with silver trim and black breeches and black, high top boots. On his side he held his sword. Just as I remembered him from the year before.
"Come sit," he said with his booming voice. As loud as it was, it was still welcoming.
"You may leave, Igor," he added.
The boy dashed out shutting the door behind him. Riana and I sat in the red-cushioned, wooden chairs.
"Lady Eveline, correct?" he said, offering his hand for me to shake.
"Aye," I said. "This is my maid, Riana."
He shook her hand and then turned his attention back to me.
"It is a pleasure to have a woman in the program again. The king and I have high expectations of you."
This made me suck in a breath and look down at my hands worriedly. I needed to get over my anxiety quickly as he and father had both warned me of this.
"We know you will do well, Lady Eveline," he said. "I served beside your father during the Sand Raids years ago."
The Sand Raids to the south had been carried out to regain our lost outpost there and help the king of one of the tribes. They had taken place before I had even been born, back a few years before he had even met my mother. Why had he never told me how he knew Guardian Octavian?
"Why don't you go get washed up and I'll have one of the servants bring you out leftovers from dinner, eh?"
"Thank you, sir," I said.
"Igor!" he called.
The boy scurried back in and bowed to Guardian Octavian. "Aye, my lord?"
"Show Lady Eveline to her room."
He bowed and stood to one side of the doorway allowing Riana and I to exit before following us out and showing me to my room.