Chapter 12: Gift of tongues
She found herself in a new room of the castle. She was told to stand in front of what looked like a bird’s bath in the center of the room. The walls led to the outdoors, and the roof contained the same detailed stories. Behind her stood Dayton, and in front of her stood the same man who did the rituals the first day she had arrived. They stood in silence, waiting for Kai.
The sound of many footsteps echoed through the hall. They got louder and louder as they finally approached. She recognized the voice, but not what it was saying.
They shared one cold glance before he said something she assumed would start the ritual. The priest chanted, placing water on her wrist, taking a feather-like pen, dabbing it in ink, and then unexpectedly stabbing it into her skin. She let out a small cry before she reined it in. That fucking hurts, she thought to herself.
She shot a glare at Dayton, who was smirking.
Suddenly something odd happened, and she felt his chants coming in clearly.
“With the blood of the mighty flyer, we shall praise the gift of language,”
“Ahwooo,” they all spoke.
“Juniper, can you understand what I am saying?” Kai’s voice asked, addressing her for the first time.
She looked up at him, being met with an unreadable facial expression. She nodded.
“Very well. Dayton, Continue on your tasks today. Be sure she has everything.” he turned on his heel and left the other men with him to follow. The priest headed in the other direction, which left just her and Dayton.
Dayton let out a long whistle. “Ouch! What did you do to the prince to make him all rock-solid like butter in the freezer? He’s extra salty today. No googly eyes over his new toy.”
Juniper glared at him. “I uh..”
Dayton held up his hand. “Not to worry. I’ll talk to him. Let’s get going.
...
They walked through a very dusty and dark building. Much like the castle, but it took a fifteen-minute walk after the guards had permitted them to leave. She felt like she was on overload with being able to hear everything everyone was saying.
She didn’t miss Dayton’s conversation with the guards about how she wasn’t permitted to leave unless escorted. The guards studied her face and stared at her as if she was a famous movie star or something ridiculous.
They walked the halls that were much like the castle. Many students passed by in uniforms. Some looked more military, like Dayton and Stasia. Others looked more like how she dressed. The color scheme was all the same browns, reds, and grays you would see in a volcano. She had to admit the color scheme was beautiful, but nothing far from intimidating.
The school walls were much cooler than the hot, thick air outside. She wiped the sweat from her forehead as she followed Dayton into a room. He didn’t bother to knock, causing the man inside to jump slightly.
“I will ensure the students will refrain from any riots,” he spoke and jumped immediately to glare at Dayton, then Juniper. It was odd. Who was he talking to? There was no sign of a phone or a radio anywhere. “Awe, Sergeant Dayton. Forgive me.”
Riots? Juniper thought from the way the two men held themselves. She felt like she shouldn’t have heard that.
“I have come to enroll Lady of Sala,”
“Oh yes, of course! Lady of Sala, please come in and sit down!”
He said nervously as he pointed to the chair. “I am headmaster Willie. Pleased to meet you. Has prince Kai selected your classes, or shall we do a placement test for you?”
“I um…”
“Prince Kai has already selected the courses he wishes her to learn first.” Dayton interrupted as he handed the headmaster a paper.
Juniper couldn’t help but feel salty. She felt like she would have to get to know Kai better and have a talk about transparency. She felt like it would be necessary if she were to stay here.
She felt nervous about being at this school and where she was. Her heart pounded heavier, and her palms became clammy as she felt a dread pit in her stomach. How is her family doing?
“Right, of course. Let me find the list of needed supplies… Right here we are. When shall we expect Lady of Sala to start her courses?”
He handed the list back over to Dayton, and he read over it, only half answering the question.
“Tomorrow,”
Tomorrow is great!
“Oh, right, we will acquire a tutor as well. Please have that arranged?”
“Of course, Sergeant Dayton. Excited to have you in our courts, Lady of Sala.”
“Thank you—” Juniper went to speak, but Dayton was in no mood for pleasantries.
“I’m sure everything will be in order for her first day. Come along, Juniper.”
Juniper half-sulked as she followed behind Dayton. She didn’t appreciate that she was practically invisible. Go here, do that. Sit here like a dog instead of a human. He was currently naming off the list when he looked at the time.
“Oh, we need to meet Stasia for lunch. I’ll get these for you, and you and Stasia can get the clothes.”
He walked her around a corner and into a dark alley that housed one lone restaurant. She climbed the stark stairs heavy with the scent of spices and made their way to a room decorated much like the room where she got her first markings. They were quickly waved down by Stasia and went to sit on pillows. Unlike at the canteen, they were allowed to sit criss cross.
Juniper wondered why there was such a difference now. They poured her a heavily seasoned tea and gave her chicken and rice drowned in heavy green sauce. In the center of the table were the two staple foods. No one waited for anyone to eat, and they dug in right away. Dayton and Stasia were carried away in conversation.
“You will need to get her school uniforms and court attire.”
“What about the other supplies?”
“I’ll get that before I have the meeting with the courts.”
“Oh, good luck with that Kai is in one heck of a mood.”
“Yeah, we noticed when Juniper received the gift of tongues.”
Stasia about spit out her food as she looked towards Juniper. “Oh, you can understand us now!” She said, embarrassed. “Why is he in such a mood? Is it because of that thing?”
“Juniper, did you ruffle his feathers last night?” Dayton asked without looking at her.
“I um..” she thought about what she should say—embarrassed to even think about last night.
“Come on, you know we shouldn’t ask about what goes on behind closed doors.”
“Well, I think we must teach Juniper how to keep Kai happy, so the rest of us don’t have to suffer.”
Stasia responded with a glare that could kill a bird landing where it wasn’t supposed to be. “You are an ass.”
“Fine, have it your way.” He said. “I’m headed out anyway.”
Unlike with Dayton, when Juniper walked with Stasia, they had two guards walking behind them, which came in handy since Stasia was relentless on the clothes and accessories. She wouldn’t let Juniper get anything simple to wear, either. The guards lugged around their bags as Stasia linked arms with Juniper and spoke about everything she needed to know about this new world.
Don’t listen to the guys. Half the time, they are in their own worlds, anyway. Come to me!
Never leave the Royal sector
Never go without an escort
Stasia had Juniper trying new sweets and street food, going to beautiful parks with rivers of lava, and telling her stories about dragons.
They turned the corner, and Stasia stopped dead in her track. The first thing she thought was odd was the clothes the group of people wore. They didn’t match the everyday uniforms of the whole city.
Their clothes were hooded and much darker. The group stood surrounding two younger lads her age, dressed in the same clothes as those at the college. Perhaps they were students. It was clear they were fighting about something. But what? Slowly, one of the cloak men turned to notice them.
The cloaked figures made their way to the girls. The two guards dropped the bags they were holding and went to the girls’ defense. It was clear the cloaked figures weren’t up for talking.
The first cloaked figure reached out and touched the guard with a gloved hand. A soft zapping noise sounded, and the guard instantly fell to his knees. The smell of burned skin floated through the air. The second guard had no time to react. Another cloaked body quickly mimicked the first.
Stasia realizing the danger, now screamed, “Run!” The cloaked figures were on Stasia before she could reach inside her pocket for something.
A raspy voice whispered in a laughing tone, “not uh, no need for any of that.”
Juniper thought about running, but her instincts told her she needed to protect Stasia. One of the cloaked bodies grabbed Juniper and flung her away from Stasia. She hit a wall, causing her to lose a bit of breath.
It was a man about the same height as Kai. He looked down at her and saw the marking on her neck. His hands grabbed hold of her arms and rammed her against the wall. This time, a lot softer. His mouth came close to her ear, about to speak. It caused an unexpected shiver to run down her spine. He also paused, as if he felt the chemistry between them.
“My lady, you have a friend in the scale.” He spoke as he let her go. Raising his finger to his lips as if to tell her it was their secret. Then he turned to bolt, whistling as he did.
...
“WHERE IS MY LADY OF SALA?” Kai’s voice roared through the castle halls before he was even close enough to find her. They all four were in the infirmary getting checked. Per Dayton’s orders. Who stood now by the curtain, the setting sun glistening on the stern lines of his face.
Kai came barging in immediately, heading to Juniper. “What happened?” He asked as he put his hands in hers, giving her a reassuring squeeze. He was all ears.
Right now, he wasn’t a prince. Right now, he was tending to someone he cared about. Right now, he was a friend. All stern lines pushed aside for the moment.
“We were walking and turned a corner to see a group of men. They were in these black cloaks, and when they saw us, they attacked.”
“Are you hurt?” Kai’s voice hinted at his desire to kill someone for harming the girls.
“I’m fine.”
“Dayton, have they done all the examinations?”
“Not yet,”
“Be sure that she doesn’t leave until all is cleared. Dayton nodded his head.”
“I’m fine,” Juniper spoke up for herself as she heard Stasia gasp in pain.
“Your adrenaline was high. You can’t be sure.”
“I can be.” Kai gave her a look as he waited for her to continue.“When the man went to attack me, he saw my markings, and then he stopped. He said something about a friend in the scale and then ran off, taking his men with him.”
Everyone in the room went silent.
“What do you mean, a friend in the scale?”
“I don’t know. I just got here yesterday, you tell me.”
“Dayton?” Kai asked. “Stasia?” They both silently shook their heads as if this phrase was foreign to them. “Find out what it means.” He barked. “Did they say or do anything else?”
“No.” She said, shocked that they didn’t know what it meant.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone