Chapter 1:
Cory sat in her room in the dark waiting for her punishment to be decided. But her mother never came. She had been waiting for 30 minutes when it normally took five for the Elders to decide a punishment suitable for the young Trainer. But she knew the rules and Cory did not leave her room. Not that it was much punishment for Cory to stay in her room. The room was beautiful and interesting.
In one corner there was a bed low to the ground, painted black but with crimson sheets and a crimson blanket. The walls were also painted crimson but the floor was a thick black carpet.
In the corner opposite the bed there was a big screen that was both the computer and the communications device required in every Trainers bedroom. Next to the screen there were to white doors, which led to her closet. The matched the shutters on her two windows.
The third corner, between the screen and the bed, contained a shelving unit, dark brown, filled with books. Books where usual for a Trainers bedroom but not books of this type. Because these where not the normal history books or weapons manuals, though she did own those, these where fantasy books and science fiction. Literature that was normally owned by the Nobles or Children of the Elders.
But Cory had always been different; in fact among the 50 trainers in the group she had only two friends. Toby, a 15 year old boy who was a child of a Child of an Elder who had fallen out of grace of the Ancestors.
The other was Marie, a 17 year old girl who had been forced to repeat the beginning training because she refused to agree with the guidelines. She would most likely have continued repeating the intro level if the newest Elder had not requested that she be allowed to continue her training as long as the Elder supervised her closely.
Cory thought about the reason that she had befriended these two. Because she knew that without their pressure she would have gotten in a lot less trouble, even if training would have been infinitely less entertaining. For example the reason she was in her room instead of at the beginning of the semester assignment banquet was because Toby had convinced her to show up in crimson instead of the black required of her uniform.
The rules where that until becoming a full Trainer she could not where her birth color of crimson, only black. She was not due to become a full trainer for two more years.
Today was the day she would have been assigned an elder or ancient to work with. This was the day she Toby and Marie had been waiting for since they passed the introduction class a three years ago. They all wanted Elder Sky because she was the youngest Elder, but it was common knowledge that Marie would be the Trainer assigned to her because Elder Sky was the Elder the requested Marie to move on in her training.
The second choice was Ancient Oswelder, because he was the wisest and kindest member of the Circle of Wisdom (the circle to which all Elders and Ancients belonged).
However Ancients only chose the wisest members of the class so neither Toby nor Cory were very likely to be assigned to him. Toby being fifth highest in the group had a better chance then Cory, who while enthusiastic about her training was the not even in the top ten.
A knock on her door interrupted Cory's thinking.
"Cory, can I come in?"
"Yeah sure, mom."
The door opened and Cory's mother, Lady Satine entered. She was dressed in her birth color of lavender, in the style of a flowing gown with a tight top and flimsy slippers, a style quite common among nobles.
Another reason Cory was not quite popular is because she had given up her Noble birthright and heritage to become a Trainer, or one who guards the gates. As a Noble she would have been reared and married to an Elder or another Noble and would have had the most pleasant life ever imagined. But Cory choose to be a Trainer which under any other circumstance would have been a very honorable lifepath but Nobles lifepaths where given to them at birth.
"They've decided your punishment, Cor," said Lady Satine
Cory sat up "Yeah mom?"
"You must report to the silver garden every night this week and water the silver roses."
"How is that punishment? I would do that any way!"
"It is the punishment your Elder as chosen for you."
Cory leaped up. "My Elder who is she? Is it Sky, or did Marie get her? Who did Toby get?"
Lady Satine smiled at her daughter's enthusiasm " Marie was chosen by Elder Sky and Toby was chosen by Ancient Oswelder-
" Are you serious? Toby got Oswelder! This is great!"
" Yes Toby was chosen by Ancient Oswelder. However your Elder also brings much honor to your name."
"Really who is she?"
"He is Elder Scott."
"Never heard of him."
"He is a brand new elder, only 17 and he is from Barenechu. You remember how every four years Barenchu and Iscort exchange an Elderie, or Elder to be. Well Scott was just given the ceremony of Elder being yesterday and he leaves in a week for Barenchu."
"Then how will he advise me? If he is in Barenchu and I am in Iscort?"
"You are to go with him to Barenchu."
"For how long?"
"Until your training is complete."
"That's two years! I won't see Toby or Marie for two years! I won't be able to visit the Silver or Crimson gardens for two years?" Cory ran from her room. Lady Satine sat down on her bed and cried.