Chapter 12

Galen and I followed Iletus through a door to the right at the end of the long corridor. Soon we descended a winding staircase that took us into a dark hallway at the bottom.

More human slaves with the eagle tattoo on their wrist bustled about. We passed a laundry room and storage and other areas on our left and right. The hall opened to a spacious room dimly lit with a couple torches in each corner. Tables and chairs were strewn about, a cafeteria of sorts, where the humans took their meager meals.

The slaves eyed me, much like the ones on the dock had, which now made more sense given two other boys had been here for a time before me, the possibility of humans becoming Bladeguard. There were men and women of various ages.

It was easy to pick out the other two boys among them. One was Liorian with darker skin. The other had lighter skin like mine, likely from the region of Erelon to the north. Tin plates sat before them, only crumbs remaining. I wasn’t surprised when Iletus brought me to their table, and we stopped there, spreading out.

Galen stepped forward and gestured to me. “This is Caleb.” He waved to the Liorian. “Mande.” Then he pointed at the one with lighter skin. “And Felix.”

I took a deep breath. My competition, as it were. I joined Galen and stuck my hand out to Mande. “Well met.”

Mande’s brow creased, and he grunted, looking away.

Felix rose from his chair and grabbed my hand. He smiled at me. “Caleb. Well met.” Felix stood almost a head taller than me and more muscular, his handshake strong. He seemed a year or two older.

I returned the smile, although my jaw tightened.

Felix released my hand.

“Your instructions today are simple,” Galen said. “Rest and eat well. Your first test is tomorrow. We leave at the break of day.”

Mande narrowed his eyes at Galen.

I glanced from Mande to Galen. “What test?”

“You will have the details tomorrow.” Galen nodded to the boy from Erelon. “Caleb, Felix will show you to your room. We will meet here at dawn.”

I glanced around the underground room. “How are we supposed to know when the sunrise is?”

Galen raised a brow. “Be here.” He turned and left, Iletus in his wake.

Mande watched the two elves leave the cafeteria then bore his gaze into mine. He also appeared a couple years older than me. I met his stare with my own. Mande snorted, stood, and left the cafeteria without a word.

Felix peered after him then shrugged. “Not a happy citizen of the Empire, that one.” He faced me. “You hungry?”

“I could eat.”

Felix raised a hand and snapped at a younger woman in the corner by an opening to the kitchen beyond. She started and raised her gaze. “Get our friend here a plate,” Felix said.

The young woman rushed into the kitchen, to comply, I supposed.

I frowned. “She seems ... frightened of you. All of them do.”

“Frightened of us,” Felix said.

“Why?”

Felix scoffed. “Is it really that hard to understand? We’re not a secret around here. We don’t have the tattoo on our wrist, not expected to act as slaves. We could be trained as Bladeguard, and the slaves here know better than anyone who those elves are, what they are capable of. That scares them.”

I nodded. “I guess.”

We sat at the table, and the young woman brought me a plate of thick bread, white cheese, and carrots. Felix explained while I ate that he had been taken by Galen in Asya, the largest city in the human lands, and brought to the Citadel a month ago. Mande from Lior had already been at the Bladeguard complex. They had been following a routine of physical exercise set by Iletus.

“Don’t mind Mande,” Felix said. “He don’t talk much to anyone.”

I hesitated. “What about ... your family?”