Arrianna - Part Three

Against her will, Arrianna is prepared for her Testing.

Before too long a hooded figure robed in black silk had materialized out of the gloom. It stopped before her and Arrianna had felt an involuntary shudder run up her spine - the eyes that peered up at her glowed a distinct red. The small figure removed its cowl and Arrianna found herself looking down at a young, pretty girl.

“Why have I been bought here?” Arrianna had demanded of the child, thinking her a messenger or sycophant of some sort. “Take me to whoever is in charge, girl - now!”

The child simply smiled at her and, impossibly, the red in her eyes glowed even stronger. Arrianna stubbornly refused to show any reaction or back down, though sudden fear ran like a drop if icy water down her back. The two of them remained that way for a handful of heartbeats before the child nodded decisively and the redness of her eyes dimmed.

“You will do, child. There is strength in you I doubt you are even aware of.” The child spoke in a rhythmic alto. Arrianna had to do an astonished reassessment of the person before her. Not a child at all, it seemed, but a grown woman of unmistakable power and confidence, albeit one that was rather small - and with a skin complexion most women would have died to have.

“But you are spoilt and impetuous and have much to learn about…about everything,” the woman stated sardonically. She held up her hand, forestalling another angry outburst from Arrianna, and continued; “I am Melira and this is the Denthis chapter of the House of Testing. You are here for your Testing, as many Azmorae are Tested once they turn seventeen years of age. Those that enter the House are from all levels of Azmorae society - from the self-labelled and pretentious Tier One’s like you to the lowest-born child of a garbage collector. All are Tested without prejudice. You will be tested, girl. If you refuse you may be Tested anyway, although I strongly suggest you do not refuse.” She paused and smiled in a way that made Arrianna’s skin crawl. “The Testing against one’s willing consent can be particularly…painful, or so I am reliably told.”

The woman called Melira gestured behind her; another black-robed figure had appeared from the shadows of the chamber. This newcomer was an ancient crone, her face wrinkled like quartz veins in granite. The old crone bowed deferentially to the smaller woman and took a place by Arrianna’s side.

“This is Neath,” Melira said. “She will be your tutor while you are within this House. I meant it when I said you have much to learn, girl. You will listen to every word she speaks as if I had spoken them myself. You will endeavor to do everything she asks of you, without hesitation and without complaint. You will not speak unless given permission by either Neath or myself. You will not interact or talk to any other person you might encounter here. You will be given a room to sleep in and study in - which you will maintain in good order - and you will not leave that room unless you are bidden to by either Neath or myself. If you break any of these simple rules, you may be punished in accordance with the rule that you broke. You will endeavor to learn and study and in two weeks’ time, you will be Tested.”

The small woman stepped forward and rested a child-like hand over Arrianna’s wildly beating heart. Her final words were surprisingly gentle; “Use this time you have wisely, Arrianna. Forget everything you think you know from this point forth, and open your eyes and ears and heart to what is truly around you. For the good of the Azmorae, may your Testing be a true one.”

Melira turned away and was quickly lost in the gloom. Arrianna stared at the rough stone floor before her as intense anger replaced the initial shock she had felt at Melira’s words. Neath, an unmoving presence at her side, stayed silent, perhaps thinking she needed the time to soak up all the rules.

“What an impressive little speech, for a rather un-impressive little child,” Arrianna spat out, deliberately vindictive. She turned to the old woman, took in the dried-up, wrinkled old face beneath the black hood and snorted dismissively.

“Is this the charade you play with all the people you abduct? It’s pathetic! My mother will hear of this, you can be certain of that, and I guarantee you will both regret picking me for your tiresome little games.” Arrianna had never heard so many you will do this and you will not do that in one conversation, not that it had really been a conversation. No one had ever spoken to her in that way before, not ever. Not even her mother. Arrianna felt righteously angry, yet a small part deep down also felt fear and a little nugget of self-doubt.

The old woman remained silent, her face completely blank, and her pale blue eyes giving nothing away as she stared back.

“Well?” Arrianna snapped, irked by the old woman’s annoying complacency. “What are you going to do to me now?”

“Come, child. I will take you to your room,” the old woman said calmly, her voice surprisingly deep and rich without a hint of an old-age quaver. She moved off toward one of the side tunnels without a backward glance. Exasperated, Arrianna had no choice but to follow.

Arrianna expected the walk to be a short one, having already arrived within this so-called House, yet she followed Neath for a long time, through tunnels that all looked the same. Sometimes they climbed up stairs, and other times climbed down. They passed through two other chambers much like the first, or maybe it was the same one, Arrianna had thought. Maybe Neath was leading her around in circles lest she try to escape. If true, the old woman need not have bothered for Arrianna had been helplessly lost from the very first chamber. The same gloomy shadows pervaded the entire place.

Stumbling along in weary exhaustion, Arrianna nearly bumped into the back of the old woman who had stopped abruptly before her. Neath turned and indicated a wooden door set in one side of the stone corridor.

“This is a penitent cell,” the old woman said quietly. She opened the door and indicated that Arrianna should look inside. The cell had the dimensions of a broom cupboard, being only one pace square at the bottom and three paces high. The only items inside were a three-legged wooden stool and a chamber pot. Arrianna grimaced. She did not want to imagine what it would be like spending hours or days within that tiny cell with nothing but her own bodily wastes for company.

“Those that transgress the rules spend time within as penance. You heard the rules, child. You are not to speak unless given permission to do so...and yet already you have broken that rule.”

About to vehemently deny that accusation, Arrianna opened her mouth, then remembered she had had quite a bit to say back in the original chamber. She closed her mouth, crossed her arms under her breasts and stared angrily at the other woman.

“This once and this once only will I let it pass; you are new to the House, and obviously still in shock. Do not let it happen again.”

Author's Note

I must admit, Arrianna is my favorite. I know I should be objective about my characters, especially my three Hero's, but I can't. Arrianna is awesome.

Anyway, I'm finding it really hard to describe things in this book that aren't based in reality, and therefore there is nothing to compare it to. If I was to give a brief description of a building with a thatched roof, readers will instantly picture in their mind a hut with a thatched roof! Its easy because everyone knows what a hut looks like. But in Arrianna's case, her people live in cities within vast caverns underground. The mind can't automatically picture that, because who lives in cities underground? Nobody! So it's been really hard to describe the city, without getting bogged down in all the descriptions and explanations. Have I succeeded?

Reviews

[JR Darewood]

"You will be tested, girl. If you refuse you may be Tested anyway, although I strongly suggest you do not refuse." In this case, I'd say if you resist instead of refuse.

Yes, Arrianna is awesome, and your descriptions of underground cities are fine. You don't seem to have gotten too bogged down at all, especially in the previous chapter where you did far more city-describing.

Two weeks? how is she going to survive two weeks down there? Her head is going to explode after 15 minutes!!!