Free Fiction Tuesdays: Seeds of Prophecy (Part 2)

This weeks installment is a bit long, so i decided to only post the first part of it. Hopefully next week will see the end of this scene, but since it's a very important scene as far as the setting is concerned it's very long. Long enough in fact that i've decided that last weeks installment will be added to this scene in it's entirety to make most of chapter one. Hope you like it and feedback will be appreciated. Thanks to the inspirations.

~*~

The Headmistress was a dark skinned petite woman who was most likely approaching the end of her middle years, that much was obvious to Tobias by the way streaks of graying hair intermixed themselves with what, he was sure, were once entirely raven tresses. Adding that information to the worldly picture of her he had begun building in his mind as he’d observed the artifacts in her waiting room he preceded cautiously observing the woman where she sat across from him and his sister reading what appeared to be their file. She was, in fact, practically dwarfed by the large wooden desk that sat between her and whoever was seated awaiting her attention.

Hoping to move along this meeting, Tobias softly cleared his throat before speaking softly.

“Good morning, Headmistress.”

If the woman heard his words she gave no indication, continuing to peruse the papers she held in her hands and making no motion to return his greeting,

‘Uhhh’ was Tobias’s only thought as the silence continued to build in the large room. Casting a quick glance at his sister he received a look that said she had about as much of an idea how to proceed in the situation as he did.

“You are the Lanae siblings, correct?”

It took a moment for Tobias to realize the speaker of the sharp inquiry was the previously silent woman across from him. Surprised by the abruptness of her speech Phiobe answered before he could figure out what she had actually said.

“Yes, Headmistress.”

“It says here you are from Tsur. You are the first of that place to attend this academy. If what I’ve read in the papers sent for your enrollment is any indication I believe it will be a privilege to help shape your education, but I get ahead of myself. Do you know why you are here, child?”

Since the question didn’t seem to be directed at either one of them, Tobias wasn’t sure who should answer. Trading another quick look with his sister he returned his attention to the Headmistress only to find himself looking at the strangest eyes he’d ever seen in his seventeen years.

That the woman was Susmarian had been obvious considering her skin, which was the color of freshly turned earth, and during their travels from Tsur, Tobias and Phiobe had been prepared as much as possible for what they could expect of the world outside their small island with its closed borders.

The people of Susmar, with its snow covered fields and soaring mountains, often possessed dark skin.  Tobias and Phiobe’s instructors had merely spoken of this inherent attribute as they would have any other characteristic of a group of peoples. What they hadn’t pressed during their tutoring sessions was that typical Susmarians had both dark skin and pale eyes. Intrigued by a seemingly strange feature compared to a Tsuran’s tanned complexion and earth toned eyes he had further inquired of the sailors they had traveled with and been regaled by their stories.

The sailors had spoken of the goddess Kytia Luna, the Spirit of Ice, and how after separating her lands from the continent which housed Neder, Rymal, and Worshan, creating the Sea of Sorrows, she who was the closest to Order of his many children had grown weary of the world and it’s workings and retreated to her frozen castle deep in the heart of Susmar. Many years later a man with skin like the night and eyes like the moon had appeared at her door and through perseverance he had thawed her heart. Together they had spent many years in happiness welcoming many children into their lives, and to each of those children Kytia Luna had given the most beautiful eyes in the world, from the softest of lavenders to the hardest amethyst. Those children would become the first Susmarians, the stars of the north, and it was said that only the decedents with those eyes could rule Susmar even to this day, though many Susmarians had eyes ranging from the palest blue to the harshest grey.

Even knowing to expect that the Headmistress’s eyes would be different from the Tsurans he had been raised around or even the sailors from mixed races that he’d traveled with, what Tobias hadn’t expected was that the Headmistress’s eyes wouldn’t be one stationary shade.

Her eyes were like the richest of twilights, a purple so deep it was like looking at the moon flowers that grew high atop the ancient volcano that had formed Tsur. That in itself would have been the strangest thing Tobias had ever seen, if it hadn’t been for the lightening and darkening shades of lavender that seemed to drift across the woman’s iris like clouds across an alien sky.

Unable to pull his gaze away, Tobias found himself answering the woman’s question without the need for further prompting.

“We’re here because The Universal Academy of Magical Arts is the most prestigious school on Omoria. Word of the quality of its instructors has reached even our island home. Its graduates are all well educated in their crafts, and among its foreign students reside the sons and daughters of the nobility as well as the children of the most esteemed merchants, artisans, and scholars. “

Snapping his mouth shut on the last, Tobias threw a startled look at his sister before resting his eyes firmly on his hands, which lie gripping his thighs.

‘Well that was awkward…’

(to be continued...)

The tale of Kytia Luna and her thawing will be one of the first stories I tackle after i stop running this book for Free fiction Tuesdays and start posting companion tales. ^_^
PS- the symbol  ~*~  does not have any special meaning it's simply a place holder between scenes.