Part 1: Uneasieness

Rain drummed against the building, beating nature’s rhythm as Rae prepared for the tournament. Shirt, vest, boots, gauntlets; all were pristine and scrubbed to perfection. With a twirl of her hands, she sheathed twin obsidian daggers, smiling at the sound of sharp edges against leather. Rae grabbed her staff and was heading to the door, but then paused. She wouldn’t need it until right before Rako started, and it would be highly unwieldy at the breakfast line.The staff left a faint smell of teak oil on her hands as she placed it back in the corner and stepped out into the hallway balcony.

Rae breathed in the cool air, feeling the sharpness and the freshness. As she turned to head down the stairwell to the ground floor, someone called her name. “Rae! Wait up!” Elk was running down the hall, bow in hand and quiver on his back.

“Ready for today?” he asked, as they descended the stairs.

“For the tournament? It’s going to be a piece of mayberry pie.”

“Scared?”

“A bit, but it’s not like every day is Rako,” Rae said with a toss of her hair. She grinned at her cousin. “Those Velrit and Exertim
kids are probably shaking in their boots.”

Her cousin put on a confused look. “Of us? Meyrin? We’re a bunch of rag tag kids with weapons so out of style that they won’t know the names for what they’ll be fighting. Who wouldn’t be scared of a horseman’s pick that no one’s used since 423 years ago?”

Rae rolled her eyes as they stopped in front of Ánra’s door. “The ones who don’t know how good Ferro is with his.” Elk was about to reply when the door opened and their friend tumbled out.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry!” Ánra tumbled out her doorway, tugging her boots on as she went. “I was so ready to wake up on time today, but I stayed up late to hone my chakrams, and then overslept this morning!” Rae laughed, catching Ánra’s staff before it too fell out the door. “Way okay. I was a little late today too: I wanted to make sure my uniform and weapons were all in good shape.”

“What about you?” Ánra said to Elk, taking her staff from Rae. “Same thing?”

“Uh yeah, same thing.”

She glanced at his messy hair and rumpled belt, frowning. “It looks like you just plain overslept.”

Elk put a hand to his heart. “I am deeply offended Ánra. For your information, I too was up, laboring over this wondrous bow of mine, my partner in thought and soul, the epitome of my talents here.”

“Okay, fine, no need to go-”

Elk held out his malachite bow. “I slaved over its polishing and spent hours refining the spring of its string.”

“Elk, I get it, you -”

He wasn’t done yet. “I painstakingly whittled every arrow in this quiver to aerodynamic perfection, fletching them with the best feathers to be found, and you say I just slept in?”

As Elk got into the act, Rae rolled her eyes. “Great, now we’re the lucky attendance of the Elkron Theatrical performance. Ánra sighed “I know, I know. But you can’t blame me: I was making an accurate observation..”

Elk finally stopped his dramatic ranting. “You want to know another accurate observation?” He patted his stomach.. “My stomach is growling to be filled before Rako starts.” Rae and Ánra burst out laughing. “No amount of food is going to fill that bottomless pit of yours Elk,” she said. His eyes gleamed. “Not true; the mess hall just seems to run out of food before I can reach my limit.”

As they walked down the hallway, the rain continued to patter outside. Elk continued to talk about food as Ánra periodically stuck her hand out to catch the rain. The school wasn’t made to be a work of art, but it still had feeling of security and home. The dormitory was U-shaped with the mess hall connecting the two ends, with arches leading from the inner courtyard. Behind the mess hall was the staffwork grounds and archery range, with Cove’s rooms and the academic wing behind them. The stables and Turan River were to the west side of the mess, while the mock battlements and arena were to the east. Rae looked out of one of the passing arches across the courtyard and saw the arena looming through the rain, feeling the familiar thrill of competition.. Her minded drifted to thoughts of victory, cheering crowds, and besting students from Exertim and Velrit, until she started smelling the food.

Elk and Ánra too had stopped talking to sniff the air, for it had become thick with scents of sweet pork and cumin, salmon basted in lemon and chives, steaming rice with cilantro and chicken stuffing, beef strips dipped in the thick sesame paste, and so much more. All three of them stood there for a few seconds, then in silent consent raced the rest of the distance to the mess hall. When they finally arrived at the large cedar doors, they found the hall packed with students. Or at least, the entryways were. Along one of the walls, a long banquet table had been set out, with all the foods they had smelled placed on its surface. No one was stepping inside, yet there was no in the hall except for the servants still bringing out food.

“Gems and facets!” Elk exclaimed. “What’s all the food for? And more importantly, why aren’t eating it?”

One of the boys in front of them turned around. “It’s for the dignitaries coming from Oarost. I heard the kitchen staff stayed up all night preparing it, and they’re not even done yet.”

Elk stared at him. “Dignitaries? From Oarost?” He scratched his head. “When did that happen?”

A girl answered this time. “Apparently, they’re coming to observe Rako. Cove was messaged about it a few days ago. Everyone thinks they’re going to take the top three students back to Oarost with them.”

Elk turned back to Rae and Ánra. “From Oarost?” he repeated. “Is that supposed to mean something?” Rae sighed. “This is why you should pay attention during class Elk, and why I stopped letting you copy my notes.” Her cousin held up his hands in defense. “Hey, those stick figure Prylan battles were not going to fight themselves.”

Ánra answered Elk’s question before Rae could retort. “Oarost is a western coast city, one the richest in terms of the water trade. It’s dominated by the Lithrae, who have unique navigation skills and unmatched combat traits.” She fingered her chakram thoughtfully. “The dignitaries are probably coming to watch the Rako, but if they choose any students, it will mostly likely be for more of an economic gain.” She looked a the other two. “You know, having the three most eligible warriors as part of your convoy would add a lot more to your trading reputation.”

Elk and Rae exchanged skeptical looks. “So…” Elk said. “...it has nothing to do with us.” Rae finished. “I mean, none of us are the best in the school, let alone out of all three.” Ánra glared at Rae. “Don’t even start Rae. We all know that you and Silya are jockeying for number one ranking. You’re just as good as she is and could probably whip any of those Exertim and Velrit guys.”

“You know, she does have a point.” Elk looked at Rae, for the first time that morning with seriousness in his face. “You could be one of the three to go to Oarost.”

Rae turned away from them, uneasiness flooding her gut. “I’m not as good as Silya is. Don’t compare me to her. She is better than me in so many ways, not just combat.” Pressing down the feeling, she forced a smile. “Such as temper, flexibility and intelligence, to name a few. Besides, I don’t want to be number one. I’m perfectly happy with my number two ranking.” She looked inside the mess hall again. “Come on, the notice board says breakfast is also being served in the arena practice pits today.”

“Rae,” Ánra said.

“Come on.” Rae began tugging Elk after her. “If we leave this pit empty for much longer, none of us will make it to Rako.” Ánra followed the two reluctantly, exchanging a quick worried look with Elk before he began talking about food again.

Chapter 2: https://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/2154732-Part-2-Needed
Chapter 3: https://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/2155715-Part-3-Releasing-Fear