It was a little over a week later when she finally met the boy who would partner up with her for the positions of patroness and patron of the church. According to the brief Luika had given her his name was Zaed, the youngest son of the house of Isi, one of the twelve Scions that answered to Vata Luika. He was five years older than her, his seven pointed star mark revealing itself on the day the Tyril flowers bloomed.
She hesitated outside the door to the sunroom,uncertain about the choice Luika had made but decided to go along with it.
She walked in and immediately spotted the thin boy with a withdrawn air around him and cold black irises. She trotted over and sat opposite him. She could see him examining her and she waited for the usual fear, disdain and curiosity. He had none of those.
Happy with his impassive reaction she relaxed.
"I am Inoua. Nice to meet you."
"Zaed."
Curt. Okay.
"Would you like to take a walk in the gardens?"
A drawn out silence. "Yes."
The southern garden was filled with fire daisies and desert lilies. The grounds were a little hotter than the surrounding areas so she decided to take a route along the edge of the lake in the centre.
"So did the priest examine you too?"
"Yes. Otherwise I wouldn't be here"
"Right. And what gift did the god grace you with?"
Another silence.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. My examination actually showed i had no gift so it can't be worse than that."
They walked for another minute before he spoke.
"Low level of clairvoyance."
"Low level?"
"It means that I can sometimes predict the future. But because I don't have control over when it will happen it is deemed unreliable."
"I don't think that should make it low level. We may have to rely on you to avoid any dangers when the trials start." She turned to smile at him, catching a shining light out of the corner of her eye as she did so. She turned back, curious.
She walked over to the water's edge and leaned over to take a closer look. It was a piece of coloured glass with delicately carved detailing. She got on her hands and knees and bent over to reach for it.
Dodge!
The hairs on her arm stood up as she instinctively rolled to the side. There was a splash and she turned around to see that Zaed had disappeared into the water.
Startled, it took her a moment to realize what had happened. Zaed had just tried to push her into the water. She felt a cold shill run down her spine. Did he just try to kill her?
Why?
The question rang in her ears, drowning out the desperate splashing and the calls for help. Did he dislike being paired with her that much? If so, why resort to murder?
She could feel the anger that was rising within her as the anxious eagerness of these past few days drained away. There was a burning sensation climbing up her throat and she finally spoke.
"Stay there."
She saw him freeze before the words took effect and he resumed struggling to keep his head above water. The deep black of her eyes faded by a degree as her blood pumped thunderously in her ears.
"Why did you try to push me?" The words vibrated with power.
He bit his lip, bleeding from the effort to keep form blurting out the words.
"Because, you are a fake."
Fake.
"What do you mean?" She interrogated.
Another futile struggle.
"It means you should never have been born."
She took a step back. It had been such a battle for her to crawl out of her egg and see the world Malkia had described to her so vividly. And now here was the partner she was supposed to rely on telling her she should not have tried so hard to come out.
"If you don't call for help soon he will drown." The voice spoke curiously, breaking her reverie.
Should she call for help? What if he tried to hurt her again? His attempt had already marked him as her enemy.
A petulant rage grew inside of her and she stomped her little foot, huffing in anger, resistant and unhappy at the thought.
"He tried to hurt me. And you didn't warn me about it."
"Why should I?" The voice retorted. "The sooner you die the sooner I can take over."
There it was, a truth she had tried so hard not to see. The suffocation grew in her chest.
"Why?" Another demand.
She could feel the voice's resistance, and, eyes quickly turning white, she focused even harder, ignoring the slowly quieting splashing in the lake.
A compulsion much stronger than the one she had placed on Zaed.
"Why else? Use your imagination, little one."
Failed. The voice was much stronger than she had thought.
Liar.
All those times it had been chased off had it been because it was willing to do so?
She felt her hands and feet go cold at the thought. Before she could process any further, she suddenly opened her mouth and screamed, running away to find a gardener.
By the time they pulled him out of the water he had been soaked to the bone. Aside from a few mouthfuls of cold water and the chill from the lake he was alright.
She watched impassively as he was bundled up and carried away, his dark eyes meeting hers. They were no longer so calm. In them she detected a hint of grievance,disbelief and anger.
When no one was looking she gave him a smug smile.
What? Had he expected to harm her then have her turn around and help him in good faith? Had he not used his power on her she would not have called for help so soon. Let him taste the bitter fruit he had sown.
The liar.