Evadne left for her chambers with a face that left no room for doubt. She wasn't satisfied with how the meeting turned out. I was left alone with Pythia in front of the door to Legatus's office. He remained there to 'finish his work', as he claimed.

  *Do they keep light low on purpose, for the guards? So they can lurk in the shadows?*

  She linked her arm with mine, she smelled like mint and something sweet. We walked the dim hallway. It was wide enough for two.

  *And paths leading to Pythia and Legatus office are much narrower than the others in the temple. Good for defense.*

  Adrenaline was running out, just fumes were left when we reached much wider corridor with windows. Darkness behind them.

  *Tea party huh? With Princess at that.*

  Chilly wind cut through the warm air when we went past one of the windows that was lifted. Gave me goosebumps.

  *Pythia's footsteps are so light, only quiet clicks. How sneaky.*

  "If not for you, we possibly would not stand here today." Pythia said, my eyes wandered around, unfocused.

  *Huh, I'm sleepy? What time is it?*

  "The day of the attack, I wanted to show you the Temple's vicinity."

  *Looks like late evening behind the windows. A bath would be nice.*

  "But you, a Wild Seed, made me wait in my office. If we had been outside, I don't think we would have made it. The attackers were waiting for us there."

  *Wait, what?*

  I stopped, she did as well.

  *Holy shit.*

  My eyebrows drew together and I focused on Pythia.

  *They waited for us specifically?*

  I pulled her gently to resume our stride.

  *That's in the past, and I'm beaten.*

  She looked like she was about to say it was fate. Religious rapture all over her face. She inhaled, likely to speak, but I chimed in to change the topic.

  "Uhm, Highest Priestess, I'd like to take a bath, but there's no bathroom in my cell?"

  She stopped, looking closely at me. Her voice became gentle and kind. "Yes, Saint Leonard. The rooms are... minimalistic, and we all use a public bath."

  Without a hint of irritation she looked past me. "Silas." I glanced over my shoulder.

  A shadow detached itself from the pillar behind me and coalesced into the familiar uniform of a Shadow Guard. "Attend to the Saint's worldly needs. Start with a private bath."

  *Oh, he followed us? Pythia may have light steps, but I didn't hear him at all!*

  Shadow crept in front of me. "Saint Leonard. I'm Silas."

  He pulled back part of the armor, like a hood, showing his face. "I'll be your shadow. Call me whenever you need."

  "Althea, from now on, always tell me when you spot them, okay?" I mumbled quietly in my mother tongue, then said aloud, "Nice to meet you."

  ~ ? ? ~

  The bath turned out to be a large, open space. The walls and ceiling were tiled with small, glossy squares and colorful mosaics.

  They depicted battle scenes under the rays of the moon and sun—Holy Knights fighting green monsters and... hm, something like golems?

  There were several baths in the middle. Each could accommodate maybe twenty, thirty people. They were laid out in nine rows. Maybe twenty-five meters long, like half a swimming distance, and three meters wide.

  The floor was unnaturally grippy. Rough. Like coarse sand. I stepped into the first bath. The water was extremely pleasant to sink into.

  *Finally alone.*

  But then I remembered Althea. And Silas hiding somewhere. And the two other Shadow Guards Althea had spotted earlier. I sank deeper, only my nose above the water, and then submerged completely.

  *I'm always under someone's watch.*

  *What am I even doing...*

  *Surviving, I guess.*

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  I sat on the narrow bench in the bath, near the wall, with arms spread on the edge.

  *Three months of brutal training for what? To get stronger? To be independent?*

  *The attack. Unexpected. Dangerous.*

  *Yes, I'll need strength.*

  ~ ? ? ~

  Refreshed, I lay down on my bed, only to realize I was starving. My thoughts spiraled, giving momentum to something worse—small hands around my neck, suffocating me. My eyes flew open, my breath catching in a sharp gasp.

  This repeated, each time stronger than the last.

  *Sleep deprivation is like silent killer. This won't do, how will I survive Crucible? Surely not sleepless.*

  Defeated, I whispered mimicking Evadne's command to her own spirit.

  "Althea, relay a message to Silas. Tell him I'd like something to eat and... and knock me out."

  A brief silence.

  "His spirit said he's on his way."

  He came soon after, placing a bowl of guess-what on my desk with a look asking for forgiveness.

  "High Priestess's orders."

  But he also put a cup of something that smelled like strawberry tea. After both the meal and the hot beverage, my eyes became heavy.

  The storm inside my head eased, and I finally fell into dreamless darkness.

  ~ ? ? ~

  The scent of earthy, muddy tea and Evadne's voice pulled me back from the darkness. "Saint Leonard, please drink this. It'll help you wake up."

  I shot my eyebrows up, but eyelids remained closed. Yet I knew it's day already, pinky brightness filled my 'view'.

  *Five more minutes please...*

  Evadne gently shook my arm.

  When my eyes finally conceded and I opened them, I saw a Shadow Guard standing behind her. She was seated near my bed. Three people made the room feel crowded, it was clearly meant for one person.

  She pressed the hot cup into my hands as I sat down on the bed.

  "Silas, is that you?" I asked. His face was covered with the armor's hood. Two slits where his eyes should be watched me.

  He bowed deeply.

  "I'm Corvus, Saint Leonard. I'll be your shadow today with Silas, but he's resting now."

  "Show me your face, Corvus." The demand left my lips on its own.

  Without a word, he pulled off his mask—strange material of his armor rustled and clanked.

  A young face with intelligent, cautious eyes and light tan skin. He looked similar to Silas, except shorter, with black hair and stronger eyebrows. His face brought a raven to mind.

  "Thank you," I said, already looking at Evadne.

  The tea steamed invitingly. My first sip burned my tongue, so I started blowing to cool it.

  Althea's mischievous voice pointed me toward my breakfast, "Look, your favorite."

  Bowl rested on the desk on my left, like an insult.

  *Huh, again? Give a man meat, I need protein, I'm starting Crucible soon.*

  "High Priestess, for how long?" I asked. She played dumb, but I looked at the rice glue with my eyebrows raised.

  "Three months. During the Crucible, any other food will be dangerous."

  *Three more months here...*

  Sip. Bitter taste. But pleasantly warm. Tea had cooled enough, so I drank it within a few seconds, raising the cup high to empty it. I perked up like after a coffee.

  *At least I'll get results in what would normally take years of training with this "therapy."*

  "Alright. I don't mind if you take charge of my health, as long as you're honest with me." I gently pointed her own words back at her, finishing the last sip of the tea.

  When I finished eating, Evadne stood up. "Now, let's make you look perfect before the meeting with the princess. Then, we'll travel with the Magichariot to the Royal Palace."

  "What's the Magichariot?" The question sparked on my lips.

  "Ancient relic. Not very comfy, but it'll save us a lot of time. You'll see soon enough." She widened her smile.

  *Nice. Saving time was a new hobby of mine.*

  We went out of my room—Corvus first, then me and Evadne. I quickly looked around. Door in front, a dozen steps away maybe. Wide and long window-less corridor stretched left and right and had more doors.

  *More sleeping rooms maybe?*

  Althea calmly said, "One in front of you, a second at the end of the hallway to the right."

  "Corvus. Introduce me to our new friend," I ordered.

  Corvus stopped mid-step. After just a heartbeat of hesitation, he pointed at the door in front of my room. The faintly shimmering air dissolved into a second Shadow Guard, who bowed.

  "My pleasure, Saint Leonard. My name is Severus." His voice was stern. "I'll be your Shadow for the journey."

  "Take off your helmet. Or whatever that is." I raised my hand at his head.

  Another young face revealed itself. His expression was tense, matching the tone in his voice. Lips in a thin line, eyes low and wary, avoiding my gaze.

  "Thank you," I said, memorizing the names in my head.

  *Silas the butler.*

  *Corvus the raven.*

  *Severus the strict.*

  *Better if they remain the same. A new unfamiliar person every time would be unnerving.*

  "Well then, let's resume," Corvus said. We left Severus behind as he engaged his camouflage.

  *So one close, one far in the back. Makes sense.*

  After a short walk through the Temple's maze, we went inside a room with a chair in front of a large window and a tall mirror.

  From the ceiling above the chair hung a small orb on barely visible wire. Half was coated with grey, rest shone with cold white. Looked neither like lamp nor like a bulb.

  *Odd.*

  There were a few people waiting inside, standing. A wardrobe of heavy, dark wood, and a table with scissors, razors, and other hairdressing equipment. And that was it. No decorations, not even window curtains.

  "Saint Leonard, welcome. I'm Lydias, I'm honored to meet you," the person by the table spoke, bowing quickly and decisively. "I'll take care of your hair." He then pointed at the other people one by one.

  The first one was staring with hollow, absent eyes.

  "This is Marcus."

  He snapped back to focus with an unsettling twitch of his neck when he heard his name.

  My eyes widened.

  *I thought he's daydreaming or tired, but that sudden neck crack?*

  He bowed.

  *What's wrong with him? Creepy guy.*

  "He will help with the clothes," Lydias continued, his hand shifting to the woman beside him. "Together with Thalia, they'll make sure they fit perfectly."

  "This man is Ireneus. He'll tell you the basics of etiquette. Kindly focus your attention on him while we take care of you and leave the rest to us."

  I nodded to Lydias, and he invited me to the chair with a gesture of his hands.

  The moment I sat, the sound of scissors filled the room. Ireneus's etiquette lessons fought for its place in the noise. My hair fell to the ground, a mix of blond and grey.

  When Lydias finished with the top, he took the clean, sharp razor.

  My legs and arms tensed.

  He gently pulled my head back, exposing my fragile throat to the razor's edge. My heart pounded against my ribs. His hand, directed at my soft spot, came closer and closer. It felt like slow motion. I heard my own pulse in my ears.

  I swallowed audibly and closed my eyes.

  *What am I even afraid of? He's just a barber.*

  "Saint Leonard, is everything alright?" Lydias's voice made me open my eyes.

  I was holding his hand with the razor, my fingers dangerously close to the blade.

  "I'm not sure," I said honestly.

  *When did I grab his hand? Was it instinct?*

  "Leonard," Althea said confidently.

  "Don't worry, I stopped him."