“I haven’t known about it,” I protested. “You mean that more of these senses are going to appear? How many more?”
“We don’t know,” Errol admitted.
“But we will help you adjust,” Selwyn assured me with a gentle sending of reassurance.
“Does the Sept Son know about this?” Korneli asked.
“I have kept him informed as we have discovered each, just as he is kept updated of Zezilia’s training progress.”
Korneli nodded. “Good. Taking all this into consideration, I would recommend that you have him conduct the final testing. I can handle the basic skills and memorization checking, but from what you are telling she has already passed me in ability.” He turned to me with an apologetic smile. “I am sorry to suddenly spring this discovery on you,” he said.
It wasn’t his fault. I should have seen it myself, except I had nothing to measure my abilities against. I couldn’t have known, and I now understood why Errol and Selwyn hadn’t pointed it out to me. Already, my brain was cluttered with worries, fears, and frantic thoughts as to how this would affect my life now and in the future. If the other students my age knew, if Eldivo knew, I would never be seen as an equal again. He would see me as even more of a strange being to be kept at a distance and respected. Already, he was visibly uncomfortable in my presence.
“You will not tell Eldivo, right?” I asked.
Korneli looked up in surprise from his examination of the study plan outlined on a paper before him. “Of course not, this is for the ears within this room and the Sept Son, not a trainee.”
“Thank you.”
He shot me a confused look before Errol called his attention to a detail on the page before them.
“He doesn’t understand,” Selwyn sent, his familiar wild taste filling my mouth. I turned in my chair to find him watching my face with sympathy. “It is difficult being different. I know from watching Ilias struggle with it. Korneli never completely understood his struggle. You will learn how to handle it. Give yourself time to adjust.”
“Am I dangerous?” I asked. It was one of the most pressing questions that flooded my thoughts.
“Follow the code and the Revelation and you will only be dangerous to those who oppose them.”
It gave me a small measure of comfort. Resolving that I would spend more time studying both books, I attempted to clear my head and listen to the lesson plan for the next few months.
TRUE TO THEIR PLANS, my lessons changed dramatically the next day. Selwyn arrived while the family was still at the breakfast table. At his appearance, Errol sent Eloine and me off to gather supplies for the day. For me, that meant fetching the new journal that Korneli had presented to me the day before for note taking, quill pens, and an ink pot from the study. Eloine, looking mournful, presented herself to Selwyn with a small bag of sewing slung over her shoulder and a book clutched to her chest. The meeting in the study had kept me content in my own thoughts for most of the day before so I still didn’t know what all of Eloine’s emoting was about, but I had an inkling that it was somehow connected to Eldivo. Regardless, Eloine was tagging along with us as chaperone while Selwyn taught me.
Selwyn led us off into the forest in the direction of the tree house. I was surprised when we reached it and he set his load down among the gnarled roots.
“Won’t Candra interrupt us?” I asked as he straightened.
“She isn’t leaving the house today,” Eloine informed me with vehemence. “She is being punished.” Then before I could ask for more of an explanation, she addressed Selwyn. “Where would you like me?”
Selwyn’s face was missing its customary smile; however, his dark eyes were sympathetic as he turned his gaze to Eloine. “I was thinking that the tree house would be the perfect place for you. You can see what we are doing without overhearing. It is also much cleaner for your chosen activity.” He gestured to the cloth bag hanging from her shoulder. “Go settle yourself and let me know if you need anything.”
Eloine, with a dignity beyond her fourteen years, climbed up the swinging ladder and scrambled inside.
“What happened?” I asked as soon as her feet disappeared over the ledge.
Selwyn frowned up at the tree house and then looked down at me. “I am glad you asked, because Adreet asked me to inform you of the situation. From what I understand there was a verbal battle in the kitchen yesterday afternoon. Candra was pointedly rude to Eldivo, who then left in search of the more pleasant company of the gardener. Once he left, the three girls exchanged angry words. Eloine seems to have gotten the worst side of the other two’s tongues.”
I realized that a fight between the sisters would explain her moodiness and moping now and the crying in the kitchen yesterday.
“So, she is spending the day with us instead of Candra escorting us. Galatea is banned from any trips into the village in the foreseeable future and has been given all of her least favorite chores. Candra is banned from the outside for a month and has also been given hated chores. Every day, the two of them are required to spend three hours civilly in each other’s company.”
I felt my eyebrows rising as he listed the punishments. “That must have been some exchange.”
Selwyn nodded gravely. “I only hope that the discipline will teach the girls their lesson. Words are powerful tools that can wound the heart or heal the spirit.” Then turning his back to me, he began digging in his bag.
Setting my own satchel of supplies beside a root, I settled myself next to it.
“Don’t get too comfortable. We are going to begin with a demonstration.” Selwyn turned to me with a blindfold in his hand. “Come stand in the
