Page 107 of The Mentor
“Archer is a grown man, he can do whatever he wants to,” I said and felt the words cut my throat from the inside.
“Clearly Archer underestimated you,” Marco said. “He was so sure you would be angry with him for taking off and leaving the work load to you. That’s why he didn’t want us to tell you.”
“I’m only upset about him not telling me the truth about where he was going.”
“Well, since the secret is out, does that mean we can see the ceremony with the kids? I think they would love it,” Marco said and looked at Finn.
“I don’t see why not.” Finn raised an eyebrow, challenging me to protest.
A knot the size of my head was building quickly in my stomach, and I had to get out of there before the anger that had fueled this confrontation fizzled out and grief took over. “Do as you please,” I said and walked into my own cabin, slamming the door behind me.
I couldn’t cry, or they would hear me. And I couldn’t scream either. I considered telling everyone that I was sick, which wasn’t far from the truth. But in the end, there was a perverse curiosity within me that made me sit down to watch the ceremony with the others.
Crammed together in the cozy corner of the schoolroom, the children lounged on pillows and each other. A detached part of me was pleased to see the Nboys feeling more comfortable with physical touch now. But I worried about the way Willow and Solomon sat against the wall, shoulder to shoulder. All the signs were screaming at me that something had happened between them, but I didn’t have the energy to ask questions or investigate. As in a blur, I registered the way his hand was so close to hers that it looked like his pinky finger was on top of hers, and the quick glances they shot each other when they thought no one was watching.
Being a protective brother, Hunter slid down to sit on Willow’s other side.
“When can we see the bride?” someone asked when the ceremony started.
The children became noisy when the camera panned over the audience and rested on the four champions.
Archer looked like a prince next to three trolls, and my heart sank. Until now, I had clung to a small hope that the woman wouldn’t choose him, but not any longer.
“Why is there only four?” Storm asked. “I thought there were supposed to be five champions.”
“One of them is in intensive care,” Marco said. “He got hurt really badly in his last fight.”
“How could he win if he got hurt really badly?”
“Because the other guy didn’t survive.”
“Oh, okay.” Storm nodded as if that sort of thing was to be expected.
Finn shushed the children when Khan began talking, and soon the camera zoomed in on Lori Ann, the bride-to-be and a woman my complete opposite. Her creamy white skin and tall slim figure made her look like an elegant ballet dancer. Her long, shiny, and light brown hair was perfectly styled to cascade down her back. But it was her perfect nose and large pale eyes that made her beautiful.
“She’s really pretty,” Oscar said. “In eight years I’ll be twenty-one and then I’m going to fight and win a bride of my own.” His head turned to Marco. “You’re lucky, you’ll be twenty-one soon and that means you can fight in the next tournament.”
Marco squared his shoulders and gave a satisfied smile. “That’s right, I just hope the woman I win is as pretty as Lori Ann.”
“Would you fight for one of us?” Raven asked innocently.
“Nahh, probably not; you’re all my students so that would feel wrong.”
“What about Shelly? She’s not your student and she’ll be eighteen in three years.”
Marco smiled and shook his head at Raven. “You and I both know that I wouldn’t have a chance of being selected by Shelly. She would rather pick some ogre than a simple-minded pole climber like me. Besides, Shelly is more like a…” He trailed off and looked at Shelly as if he had to think about what category to put her in. “I guess she’s more like a little sister.”
Shelly didn’t spare him a glance. She was looking straight ahead at the ceremony in front of us, where Khan was congratulating the champions and explaining to the audience why Archer hadn’t had to fight.
“This must be really exciting for you, Kya,” Rochelle said. “When Mr. Archer brings back his new wife, you’ll have a new friend.”
She didn’t seem to notice the stiffness in my smile when I nodded and said: “Yes, she certainly looks very sweet.”
“When will they get here?” Mila asked.
“Probably tomorrow. First they have to consummate the marriage,” Oscar said matter-of-factly. “The wedding night is the best part.” Most of the boys laughed with him while I looked down and took a deep breath.
“We should make a banner for her to feel welcome to the school,” Nieall suggested. “I’ll bet it’s a bit difficult to get a new husband and twenty kids at the same time.”
