Sereina led me through winding corridors to the dining hall. Socks was still sitting on my shoulder, looking around curiously. He seemed very intrigued, and the word “dining hall” definitely caught his attention.
When we arrived, people were sitting at the rectangular tables who, in my world, would have been Europeans, Middle Easterners, Asians, and Southern Europeans. Sereina took me to the only round table in the room, around which five chairs were arranged. She sat down and nodded at me, indicating I should sit too.
Alright, a round table, while all the others were rectangular — that was clearly something special. But I trusted Sereina, pulled the chair next to her towards me, and sat down.
No sooner had we sat down than a beautiful young blonde girl appeared and asked what we would like to eat. Sereina ordered chicken for herself and salad for her turtle, which she pulled out of her bag. I joined in, since chicken would at least be something Socks could eat too.
The blonde girl disappeared, and it wasn’t long before she returned with the food and the usual watered-down wine. How I would have given anything for some tea! But I sighed and took a sip. Somehow, I felt like I was in a constant, mild buzz — but that wasn’t surprising. This must have been how people in the Middle Ages felt… weak beer or diluted wine at best.
At least, the chicken was thoroughly cooked and tasted quite decent, even though it lacked a bit of salt. But that way I could share some with Socks, and he purred contentedly as he ate the little pieces from my hand.
We hadn’t been sitting long when a young blond man about our age came over and sat down with us. “I’m Calvin from Sapiaria,” he introduced himself, “but everyone calls me Cal.” There was something dangerous, predatory about him that I couldn’t place, but also a certain coldness and aloofness. I smiled and introduced myself as Bobbie from Falkenstein. “Falkenstein? Where’s that supposed to be?” Cal raised an eyebrow and scrutinised me. I can’t even say how uncomfortable that made me feel…
But before I could answer, two more people came over to our round table. They seemed much friendlier than Cal.
“Hello, I’m Amir from Salahara,” introduced the dark-eyed stranger. He had black, curly hair and dark eyes. If I weren’t in Tarcania, I would have guessed he was from Egypt or Syria. Even his clothing was that of an Oriental, and that look… he held me captive.
Thank the gods, though, the young woman introduced herself and broke the spell of the moment. “I’m Trisha from Reviria,” she said. She had pale blonde hair and eyes so blue I’d never seen anything like them before. She wore flowing blue robes that only emphasised her angelic appearance.
Both sat down with us at the table, and the blonde girl appeared again to take their orders.
Cal spoke up: “Amir from Salahara, Trisha from Reviria, I’m from Sapiaria — and where are you both from?” He turned to Sereina and me.
“I’m Sereina from Crescendora, the northern kingdom, and this is Bobbie from Falkenstein.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard that already, but where exactly is this Falkenstein?” Cal asked. “We’re sitting at the round table, and everyone knows only pages from the different kingdoms personally chosen by Leonora sit here. With you, Sereina, every kingdom is represented. So what’s this Bobbie doing at our table?”
I have to say, I was stunned. I’d never heard of these four kingdoms before or that Leonora only accepted four students. What was this about?
But Sereina stood up for me. “Five chairs. Five students, Cal. You have the special honour not only of dining with the chosen ones from the four kingdoms but also with Bobbie, who comes from the outside world.”
Cal laughed loudly. “From the outside world? Sereina, do you really believe in these childish fairy tales? Well, what else can you expect from the Crescendorian people?”
Sereina looked as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over her head, and that made me angry. I jumped up, my voice trembling with rage because Sereina was my friend — at least, that’s how I saw her.
“Who the hell do you think you are, you arrogant snob? You know nothing about me or where I come from. You come from Sapiaria. What does that even mean? No matter where you’re from, you have no manners, no decency, and if you’re the best your kingdom has to offer and they send you here to be one of Leonora’s students, then I don’t want to imagine how narrow-minded and stubborn the people in that land must be.”
Everyone stared at me, including Cal, and for a few moments there was silence. Socks purred in my ear, “Well roared, lioness, I knew why I chose you. You have fire.” I nearly grinned at that remark, but it would have spoiled my moment. So I sat back down and fixed my gaze on Cal.
Cal’s eyes flashed with anger. “Five chairs, five students, so it shall be, no matter where you come from. I don’t doubt Leonora, but you will have to prove yourself worthy, Bobbie from Falkenstein.” He practically spat my name out, and I wanted to respond, but Sereina held my arm and pressed it down. “It’s okay,” she whispered to me, “I’ll explain everything to you, but for now hold back. PLEASE.” I took a deep breath and did her the favour.
Amir and Trisha watched everything silently without saying a word or taking sides. I’m sure they had their thoughts, but they didn’t show at all what they were thinking. When the blonde girl brought their food, they ate quietly, but I noticed they were still watching me and Cal.
Well, they probably didn’t want to rush things or bet on the wrong horse too quickly. But I didn’t care. I only felt sorry for Sereina, who had been so badly insulted by Cal for standing up for me. She really didn’t deserve that.
The rest of the meal passed very quietly without further incidents. When I finished, I stood up and nodded to Sereina, Amir, and Trisha; Cal, that arrogant bloke, I ignored. Socks jumped onto my shoulder and we left the dining hall.
This was going to be interesting if we were really all going to be taught personally by Leonora. I was 23 and thought I had already left school behind me. At least it was about Tarot, but deep down I wanted to experience adventures and discover new cultures.
I remembered those days back in 1922 in Egypt. Howard Carter — whom my father had supported anonymously — had discovered Tutankhamun’s tomb, and I had been able to take a look inside.
That had sparked a fire within me. I just wanted to know more — about people, their lives, their wishes, their longings, their dreams, what moves them in life and beyond. And that was exactly what I wanted to discover in Tarcania if I was stuck here anyway.
Somehow my feet found their way to my room, and I washed my face with cold water from the basin. After getting ready for bed, all I wanted was to lie down. But Socks was already there, right in the middle of the blanket.
I would have to find a way to work around him somehow. Cats… With a smile, I crawled under the covers and fell asleep — hoping to wake up in time so I wouldn’t give Cal another reason for mockery and scorn.
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