Gwen paced up and down in front of the White Elder's door, confused about whether to knock or not. She knew that her punishment would be instant expulsion since a creche was not allowed to go into the woods.
She raised her hand to knock as the door opened by itself, leaving Gwen's hand hanging in the air.
She stepped in. That was the second time she had been into the White Elder's compartment.
The place looked good, and to the left stood a shelf with books and scrolls.
The ground was covered with a furred carpet, and sconces holding lit candles were on the walls.
There was a large desk and a chair at the edge of the center of the room, with a huge moulded dragon sitting on it, accompanied by books that were on the desk.
Gwen moved over to touch the dragon when the door opened, and she quickly withdrew her hand.
It was Zolomon Theus. He walked in, followed swiftly by Lucy and Sarah. He went and sat on the chair beside the desk.
The three girls stared at each other, their faces hollow—except for Sarah's. She seemed to be enjoying herself.
"Gwen," Zolomon called, and a quick thrill of ice seared down her spine.
"Yes," she answered, her voice very low as Zolomon glared at her.
"I think you know the consequences of moving into the woods as a creche that you still are?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied, looking at her feet as if she had spotted something on them.
"Sarah told me what had happened—how you attacked her in the arena earlier today and fled with Lucy," Zolomon narrated.
"She is lying, that's—"
"I haven't asked for your words yet, Lucy," Zolomon snapped, cutting her off.
"Sorry, sir," Lucy said, bending her head.
"Now here is my judgment. Sarah, I am deducting fifty points from your grade—for lying and for attempting to beat up Gwen," Zolomon said.
Sarah's eyes widened as she spoke, "No, this is not fair, sir. I wish to speak with the Sentinels on this matter."
"Ten extra points, Sarah, for insulting my judgment—"
"And may I remind you to know your place. Now, any more words from you on this matter, and I will demote you back to a creche. You all are dismissed," Zolomon finalized.
Sarah ran out, her eyes filled with tears.
Gwen was very happy she had triumphed over her. Surprised she was not being expelled, she turned to leave with Lucy when Zolomon called her back.
When the others had left the compartment, he engaged her.
"The boy you brought back—do you have any ideas whatsoever on who he might be?" Zolomon asked.
"No," Gwen replied. "We found him in the woods being chased by some men. He called them Grumms."
"Ah, Grumms. I see," Zolomon replied, stroking his beard. "Anything else you wish to tell me about him?"
Gwen thought of the boy's power and whether she should tell him about it, but then found herself saying, "No, sir."
Zolomon stared at her for a moment and said, "Off you go, then."
And she strode off at once, her heart filled with joy.
Simma was lying on the infirmary bed, unconscious. Nurse Stacy was attending to him.She was very beautiful, with black hair matching the colour of her eyes.
Her curves were what any man would die for, and her heart was indeed that of a nurse.She was in Accrehx level and had healing powers.
The door opened, and Gwen stepped in. She carried food in a bowl.
"Gwen, my favourite creche. How are you doing?" Stacy asked as she held the place where the lightning had struck Simma. It was still terribly bruised.
"I'm doing great. How is he?" Gwen asked, sitting on a chair beside the bed.
"Well, he is stable—though he should be dead. No normal person is meant to survive such an attack," Stacy said as a bright light shone from her hand.
Simma twitched on the bed, though still unconscious. The bruise had reduced.
"That's it for now. He is recovering fast, though—doing well on his own," Stacy said.
"I was thinking of meeting the White Elder to see if I could enroll him in the tournament," Gwen said all of a sudden.
"What?" Stacy exclaimed. "Why would you think that?" she asked curiously, turning her gaze to Sarah.
"Well, between you and me, he's strong. If you saw what we saw, you couldn't help but notice the same thing," Gwen explained.
"You're not even sure if that's what he wants, Gwen," Stacy said.
"Well, you may be right," Gwen sighed. "I guess I'll have to ask him."
"Why are you so interested in doing this for a stranger you just met in the woods? You know nothing about him, and now you suddenly want to vouch for him?"
"I don't know, Stacy. Something in me just tells me he'd like to be one of us," Gwen replied as she stood up and walked away.
Thoughts swirled in her mind. She knew Stacy was right—what was the point of going through all this trouble just to put this boy in the games?
She knew they might not accept him since the games had already begun, and there might be no space for him. But she wanted to see the boy's potential. He had taken out many people in that forest all on his own.
Yes—she was going to ask Zolomon for help. And if he agreed, she'd be indebted to him.
The games were still going on, with some teams winning and others losing. The hockey matches were among the most enjoyed.
As the sun was setting, Gwen decided to go to the infirmary to check if Simma was awake.
When she got there, Stacy was already tending to him, performing her healing rituals. Gwen walked in and sat on the chair beside the bed.
"Gwen," Stacy said, noticing her worried expression, "what's wrong this time?"
"It's Ronald. He didn't make it. His team was defeated again today."
Ronald was a very good friend of Gwen's. They had been together since the Creche level. Now he would have to wait again for the next games.
"I'm sorry to hear that, Gwen," Stacy said softly. "Here—let me make something that'll help cheer you up."
She left and went into the inner room of the infirmary. Just then, Simma's eyes opened slowly.His vision was blurry at first, but after a few moments, it cleared.He looked around, tried to sit up, and then groaned—the pain was still there, though not as intense as before.
Gwen looked at him; his groan had caught her attention."Hey—hey, easy. You're still recovering," she said gently. "Lie back."
Simma kept staring at her. She was pure beauty. Her blue eyes shimmered as she helped him lie back. Her hair was long, thick, and black, matching her perfect face.
"Who—who are you? Where am I?" Simma asked suddenly. "Sonja, where is she?" he added in a panic.
Gwen looked confused."Hey, you're safe with us now. You're in the Great City, and you're very much safe," she assured him.
Simma stared at her again."You... it was you from the woods. I remember you."
"Yeah, we brought you here safely," Gwen said with a smile.
"You shouldn't have brought me here. You should have brought her—Sonja. Why did you leave her?"
"I'm sorry about your friend, but we didn't see her there," Gwen replied.
"My friend? She was my sister and... and they killed her—they killed her. Nooo..."He lay back as the full weight of his memory returned.
"I'm sorry," Gwen said, at a loss for words. She could feel his pain.
Just then, Stacy came out of the inner room carrying a cup of medicine for Gwen.
"He's awake," Gwen told her as Simma looked toward Stacy.
Stacy handed the cup to Gwen and moved over to Simma."How are you feeling?" she asked.
"I'm feeling hungry and sore," he replied. "Who are you all?"
"I'm your nurse, Stacy. And this is my friend—she's the one who brought you here. Her name is Gwen," Nurse Stacy replied.
"Mind telling us who you are?" she added, hoping for an answer.
"I'm Simma," he replied.
A few hours later, after Simma had eaten and changed into some clean clothes, he was left alone in the infirmary. Stacy and Gwen had retired to their rooms for the night.
Simma tossed and turned on the bed, unable to find rest. He was trapped in a deadly nightmare, voices echoing in his head as fragmented images drifted in and out of his mind.
'I will be there when you fall—ha ha ha!'
'No, brother, don't do this! You're endangering us all!'
'I love you…'
'I will cleanse the world, brother.'
'He is the cursed one—yes, he should be in hell!'
This words echoed in his head at different intervals, accompanied with strange and terrifying images that flashed by
Dragons flew around, breathing fire. One of them unleashed lightning from its mouth. Flashes of events—some he remembered, others he had never witnessed—came and went in a blur.
"'BLOOD WILL RAIN!'
"ARGH!" Simma jerked awake, gasping. His eyes glowed a deep, haunting velvet.What a terrible nightmare... or at least, that's what he thought it was.