The Fenimeldiyaan: Vacation - Chapter 3

River was astonished at Rita’s generosity. She had yet to figure out the Fenian currency fully, but even she could tell that some of the things her new friend had bought for her weren’t cheap. The shoes felt surprisingly good on her feet that were used to being bare, making it so the cuts and bruises from going around without protection ached less.

Rita brought her to a place full of women having people touch their hair and cut it. She stood back a little nervously, knowing the pain of having someone tug at her curls but being unable to brush them. Rita grabbed her hand, laughing, and pulled her in after her.

About an hour later, the woman fixing River’s hair had finished and showed the result to her in the mirror. Her curly brown hair seemed bouncier and more alive than it had before, with about four inches of dead hair cut off. It had also been washed thoroughly and the snarls all combed out without hurting her. River stared at her reflection in the mirror, unable to fully convince herself that it was really her. Although her brown eyes were still too big for her face and she was still far too skinny, she at least looked … normal. Not like a street rat.

She turned to Rita with a wide smile, writing, “I love it! Thank you so much!” The feeling of their stalker did little to dampen her enthusiasm.

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Andreas took a roll of banknotes from the pocket of his jacket and handed them over to the young mother.  The look of gratitude on the woman’s face spoke volumes.  “Thank ye, Lord Guardian.  Now I can pay next month’s rent and have enough for food as well”.  Andreas nodded and patted the child’s head before answering Morgan.

“Tis the Guardian’s residence”.  Andreas’s proud tone made it seem as if he were speaking about a grand Carpathian mansion rather than a little tin shack in a deprived Par-Varah district.  “Me Ma lived here with Kyrtaz and Luigi.  When I were little, Luigi would put me on the roof and I’d jump off.  Ma and me three fathers would take turns catching me.  I used to spend hours doing that.  Like I said, this place be full of precious memories”.

He then produced some more bowls of food, apparently from nowhere and proceeded to help Elsa and the priest feed the children.

“If you’re trying to impress me, don’t bother!” Elsa growled.  “You’ve got a lot to answer for, bringing me here!”

“Ye can’t blame me for what happened to ye in the past”.  Andreas sounded hurt but relatively calm.  “Besides, twas never me plan to bring ye here.  Twas me intention to allow ye time to rest, while keeping Gerald and Morgan occupied.  And don’t be angry at Ezun or Anni.  Ye could have stayed at the diner”.

He was right, but Elsa would never admit that, not even to herself.  She cursed under her breath and continued feeding the child, wondering what it would be like to have one of her own.  No doubt Gerald would turn out to be an incompetent father, so it was never too soon to get some hands-on childcare experience.

Andreas finished feeding the last of the five children and wiped the remains of food off the little girl’s face with his handkerchief.  He picked her up in his arms and held her while he spoke to his companions.  “So where would ye like to go next?  I can borrow one of Alonzo’s vehicles and take ye for a drive around the city, or we could go over to the Nentofore Estate and visit me adopted family.  Unless ye’d prefer to go to the desert?”

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“Tis me pleasure” Rita replied.  “And thank ye for coming with me.  I usually end up coming here alone.  The Virian and Malvanian students don’t feel comfortable around me, but ye’ve accepted me and that means a lot”.

“The other students avoid me too” River wrote.

Rita nodded.  “Like Andreas says, they fear what they don’t understand.  Tis a result of centuries of ingrained prejudice.  Northern Virians be the worst for mistrust.  They don’t even like folks from Southern Viria, let alone off-worlders.  Malvanians ain’t quite as bad, but they be isolationist and anti-social, especially the older generations”.  She rolled her eyes and gave a resigned sigh.  “Anyways, enough about cultural divides.  Let’s get something to eat.  Ye won’t find pizza here but I know a place that does decent buffalo burgers and fried poultry.  Twill make a change from all those boring stews at the Don”.

River had not realised that she was hungry until she smelled the enticing aromas from the diner.  Such places did not exist in Corttann and she was fascinated by the menus displayed in the window.  Taverns and inns back home never showed pictures of the dishes on offer.

However, a familiar mind signature lurking nearby caused her to turn away from the colourful images of food.  She tugged on Rita’s arm and held up her book.  “I know who’s been following us.  It’s Caratacuus”.

Rita let go of the door, her pretty face contorted in a grimace.  “Trust him to come and spoil our fun!”

At that moment, the tall mathematics teacher cancelled his invisibility spell and gave a formal double bow to the two girls.  “I was concerned about you, especially River.  Tis her first time out in the city and I wanted to make sure that no harm came to her.  Besides, if you want a change from traditional Malvanian food, might I make a recommendation?”

Both girls stared open-mouthed at him. 

“Ye ain’t gonna drag us back to the Don and bring us afore the Elders for being disobedient?” Rita asked.

Caratacuus gave the merest hint of a smile and shook his head.  “No.  Your intentions weren’t bad ones.  I only wish that you had followed procedure and sought permission.  Now, my son in law happens to own a restaurant down in Memraan.  Would you like to have dinner there?”

“Memraan be way down south!” Rita gasped.

“Unless someone moved it since I last went there” Caratacuus stated.  “So we can make do with this fast-food place or we can dine in style at Orixas.  Either way, I shall be accompanying you.  What would you prefer?”

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Watching Elsa’s facial expressions, Gerald saw her grimace at the mention of driving — again. Perhaps the smells of Grehelin Street hadn’t bothered her, but cars didn’t seem to sit well with the thief. And Morgan looked unhappy at the mention of the desert. With his added bulk, the sweltering heat would be difficult to bear. Gerald answered for them. “Mayhap we can meet yer adopted family?” he suggested.

Morgan nodded enthusiastically — anything but the desert at the moment was fine with him. The thought of going there made him sweat just thinking about it, though he did want to meet Andreas’s wife. Perhaps later, he decided. After they visited the Nentofores — whoever they were. Maybe they would be good cooks. “I’m with Gerald,” he said. “I want to meet more of your family.”

Elsa avoided Andreas’s gaze and shrugged. “Whichever,” she said. The child in Andreas’s arms snatched ahold of her braid and started tugging on it, bringing a reluctant smile to Elsa’s face. “Oh, come now,” she said, laughing as she tried to extricate her hair from the girl’s grasp. “My hair may be long, but it’s not a toy!”

Morgan started chuckling. “It must be too pretty for her to resist,” he commented.

Elsa rolled her eyes at him before finally freeing her hair. “There,” she said. The child pouted, and Morgan conjured a red piece of cloth for the girl. It seemed to satisfy her as she sat toying with it in Andreas’s grasp. She glanced up once to tug on his moustache briefly before carrying on with the cloth. Elsa noted the gentle care Andreas had with the child and tried very hard not to smile.

Gerald watched them for a few moments, noticing his wife’s happiness with a hint of confusion. She’d never been particularly fond of children before. So what had changed …? “Whenever ye be ready,” he told Andreas.

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River smiled at Caratacuus a little shyly. The man was much taller than she was, the result making him into an intimidating figure for the girl. She didn’t mind him coming with them, though Rita looked a little annoyed.

He gave River the tiniest hint of a smile. “Well?” he said. “Which would you prefer?”

River glanced at Rita, who blew her hair out of her eyes and mostly ignored River. Shrugging to herself, River opened her book and scribbled in it before turning it to Caratacuus. “I’d like to try your son-in-law’s food, if that would be alright. I’ve never dined in style before.” To be honest, she really didn’t know what “style” really was. Then a concern sprouted in her mind. “If that’s alright with you, Rita?” She didn’t want to offend her new friend, after all.

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Andreas handed the child over to the priest.  “Alright, off to the Nentofore estate then.  Tis located on the outskirts of the city of Megasi, down in the Southern Region.  The estate be like a city in itself.  The Nentofore family be one of the largest in the entire Carpathian Way, although not all of them live on the estate.  As well as the family residences, there be a swimming pool, practice grounds for martial arts, beautiful gardens, the hedge maze and the orchard”.

It was exactly as Andreas had described.  A tall hedge bounded the estate but the entrance gates were left wide open.  He had chosen to materialise them just inside the entrance, so that they could see the entire layout of the estate. 

It was a refreshing antidote after the bustle of the city street and the sight of all the poor citizens milling around.  At first glance, the place seemed deserted, but as the visitors strolled around, they saw teams of gardeners at work, and groups of children playing.

One of the gardeners looked up as they walked past.  It was an elderly woman with unruly curly hair.  “Andreas!” she enthused, flinging down her shovel, wiping her dirty hands on her overalls and giving him a squashy hug.  “Tis wonderful to see ye.  And ye’ve brought friends!”

By this time, Gerald and Morgan were accustomed to seeing Andreas being friendly with anyone and everyone, regardless of social status.  Evidently this included the gardeners.  Elsa could not help feeling curious, wondering if the devious little man had lied about his connection to the esteemed and wealthy Nentofore family. 

“Elsa, Gerald, Morgan, I’d like to introduce ye to Lady Galea Nentofore, the Matriarch” Andreas announced proudly.  “Like meself, she don’t pay much mind to fancy titles, so ye may call her Galea or Gal”.

She hugged each of them in turn, smiling and chucking.  “I don’t need powers of sorcery to deduce what ye all be thinking — that I don’t fit yer idea of what a Carpathian Matriarch ought to look like.  Tis why me family has remained in the Third Echelon, despite having the power and the wealth to challenge for a place in the Inner Circle.  We prefer to enjoy our freedom, rather than be bound by the restrictions that a more exalted status would place upon us”.

“Er … lovely to meet ye too”.  Gerald was flustered and more than a little embarrassed by the attentions of the elderly Matriarch.  “Nice place ye’ve got here”.

“Those apples and peaches look tasty” Morgan remarked, glancing over to the nearby orchard, where the trees hung heavy with ripe fruit.

“Help yerself” Galea invited.  “Any friends of Andreas be welcome here.  I’ve just got to finish weeding this bed, then I’ll be taking a break and we can go up to me parlour for tea and cakes”.

Morgan’s eyes lit up at the mention of cakes, despite the fact that he was already slurping on a peach.

“Surely ye can’t be hungry after that massive lunch we had at Ezun’s?” Gerald enquired. 

Morgan wiped peach juice from his chin.  “After all that walking around, I’ve worked up an appetite again”.

Andreas led them over to the hedge maze, mindful to keep a slow pace for the sake of Morgan.  “This be Gal’s masterpiece.  The children love it and even we adults play in there at times.  Gal be sneaky though.  Sometimes she’ll change the layout and someone will get trapped in there.  Tis no problem for those of us with enhanced senses and sorcery skills though”.

Three children emerged from the maze, laughing.  As soon as they saw Andreas, they rushed up to him, speaking excitedly in Carpathian.  He hugged them, clearly enjoying himself.  Soon he was engaged in a rapid-fire conversation with them.

After a few minutes, he broke off and returned his attention to the three Vordellans.  “They wanted to know if I’ll come swimming, climb trees and teach them tricks.  I’ve told them mayhap later, that I have to look after ye first”. 

Again, Elsa found herself smiling at the children.  Although they were obviously privileged and well-looked after, they showed the same admiration and love for Andreas as the malnourished street children had. 

“Ye be alright, me love?” Gerald enquired, having noticed the dreamy look on her face.  “Ye ain’t come over all travel-sick again, have ye?”

“I’m fine” she answered, a little abruptly.  “No thanks to you though.  Anyway, let’s put that behind us and enjoy the rest of our vacation.  I think I’m going to like this place”.

They continued walking around the gardens, looking at the colourful flowerbeds and the other ornamental features such as fountains, gazebos and Galea’s artistic topiary creations.  The children tagged along, laughing and chattering amongst themselves.

At one point they stopped for a rest and Andreas performed some conjuring tricks to entertain the children.  He took pieces of string from his pocket and tied them in knots around his fingers.  Then he wrapped his hand in a handkerchief and waved it around a bit.  When he unwrapped it, the pieces of string were gone.  Another trick involved the children trying to guess which hand a piece of candy was in.  They kept getting it wrong, and eventually, he pretended to find the candy in unexpected places — one piece behind a child’s ear, another piece in a child’s pocket and the last piece in the hood of Morgan’s cape.  He distributed the candy to the children and even gave Morgan a piece.

“I be done now” Galea announced, striding up to them.  “Mando will have tea and cakes for us”.

She led them to the oldest and largest residence on the estate.  It was like a small castle and it even had a tower at one end, although the tower was like nothing the Vordellans had ever seen before.  Its domed top appeared to be completely made from glass.  They stared up at it in wonder for a few minutes before following Andreas and Galea inside.

Galea’s parlour turned out to be slightly shabby but very cosy and welcoming.  The brocaded sofas showed signs of wear and the antique furniture bore a few chips and scratches, indicating that the wealthy Matriarch did not place a high value on material possessions. 

Morgan was glad to sit down.  Gerald stood for a while, staring out of the window, lost in thought. 

A little while later, a short, elderly man with frizzy grey collar-length hair entered the room, bearing a tray laden with the promised tea and cakes.  Galea introduced him as her husband, Lord Armando Ciresi.  “He does most of the cooking around here.  I be totally useless in the kitchen.  Mando tells me to stay away, in case I start a fire”.  She chuckled at her own self-deprecating humour.  “Anyways, I’ll go and find Al and Lu.  They arrived a few days ago, come for a change of scene from the streets of Vaskrath”.

Morgan laughed.  “I prefer eating to cooking” he remarked, reaching for a cake.

“There’s a surprise” Elsa said with a sigh. 

Galea bustled off, returning with two other little men, whom she introduced as her brothers, Luigi and Alonzo.  Luigi’s skinny body was swathed in bandages instead of proper clothes and he had another bandage tied around his bald head.  Alonzo had waist-length hair and beard but he dressed in a similar way to Andreas, in an old tweed suit and leather sandals.

Soon all of them were chatting merrily, catching up on each others’ news.  Their conversation was chaotic; they talked over each other and burst into laughter at random intervals.  Gerald and Morgan joined in, but Elsa contributed little, feeling awkward amongst such lively company.

At one point, Luigi noticed her lack of participation.  “Dear Elsa not happy?  What be wrong?”

“Nothing” she answered, trying to force a smile.  “Just a little tired, that’s all”.

“Show ye good place to rest” Luigi suggested, pointing to the ceiling with a grimy finger.  “Special room”.  He stood up, gave an impish grin and gestured to her.  “Follow, follow!”

Relieved to have an excuse for leaving the parlour, she followed the peculiar little man out into the wood-panelled corridor.  He led her along to a spiral staircase and pointed upwards again, a look of sheer delight on his dirt-smeared face. 

At the top of the staircase was a plain wooden door.  Luigi pushed it open and danced inside, jumping up and down on the balls of his feet. 

Elsa stared around, realising that she was inside the glass-domed tower which they had looked at from the outside.  The view was stunning, looking out over the estate.

“Observatory” Luigi explained.  “See stars at night.  Beautiful.  Dear Elsa have this room now.  I find somewhere else to sleep”.

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Rita shrugged.  “Don’t seem like I’ve got much of a choice”.

“Tis a meal, not a punishment” Caratacuus reminded her.  “Banh refuses to serve traditional Malvanian food in his restaurant.  He prefers Sartorian and Carpathian dishes.  I expect you’ll be able to have pizza there”.

At the mention of pizza, Rita summoned up a weak smile.  “Alright, let’s go”.

Caratacuus gave one of his strange half-smiles and held hands with the girls.

The restaurant was tastefully decorated in a manner very different from the typical minimalist style prevalent throughout most of Malvania.  Modern art prints adorned the walls and the whole atmosphere of the place was warm and inviting.  Banh Lemuel turned out to be a plump cheerful man, while his wife Ryaah closely resembled Caratacuus.  It was easy to see that she was his daughter, with her long white hair, delicate facial features and slightly pointed chin.

Banh explained the contents of the various dishes for River’s benefit, leaning over and pointing enthusiastically at the menu.  Again, there were colourful pictures of the food.

Predictably, Rita chose pizza with spicy sausage topping.  After much consultation with Banh, River settled on a mild, creamy dish with poultry and pasta.

“I shall have the ramistaahl” Caratacuus declared without looking at the menu.

Rita screwed up her face in an expression of disgust.

River held up her book.  “What’s wrong with that?”

“Ramistaahl be a Sartorian dish” Rita explained.  “Raw minced baby lizards with fire spices”.  She laughed.  “Who’d have thought Uncle Cara would choose something like that?”

Banh guffawed and Ryaah giggled.  “Tis one of Father’s favourites” she stated.

The meal was served with fine Carpathian wine.  As expected, Caratacuus drank sparingly.  Banh and Ryaah joined them at the table, although Banh disappeared into the kitchen at intervals. 

As soon as the plates were cleared away, Rita whispered to River “I’ve had enough of making polite conversation with our teacher and his family.  I know ye be enjoying yerself, but I don’t feel comfortable here.  Would ye mind if we make an excuse and get Uncle Cara to take us back to the Don now?”

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Elsa turned to Luigi, though the view out the window still pulled at her. Guilt also tugged at her. “But … if this is your room …” Nothing would ever convince her to give this place to a complete stranger. It was beautiful and enchanting.

Luigi smiled widely. “It be yers, dear Elsa!” he told her, bouncing up and down on his heels.

For some reason, tears sprang to Elsa’s eyes. Not many people would have done such a selfless gesture to her. She sank down against the wall, looking at Luigi and trying not to cry. “Th-thank you,” she managed in a whisper. Exhaustion threatened to overcome her. She’d never been very good at small talk, like Gerald and Morgan were doing downstairs. She had also not been particularly friendly to the Nentofores, yet here was Luigi, giving her what had to be the best room on the entire estate. “I’m honoured.”

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Downstairs, Morgan was devouring yet another cake, his mouth too full to do much else but laugh. Even Gerald was enjoying himself, chuckling at Andreas’s conversations with these people. They were all obviously very close.

There was a lull in the conversation at one point, and Gerald found himself alone with Andreas as the Nentofores prepared to serve dinner. It seemed to him that they’d just eaten lunch, but time had passed with alarming speed. Morgan had cheerily offered to help them, stating that since he would probably eat the most, he would help.

The solitude gave Gerald time to discuss something with Andreas that he’d been stewing about for a while, yet he felt vaguely uncomfortable in starting the conversation. He passed his hand over his hair casually. “I didn’t want to discuss this in front of Elsa,” he admitted, “but I been having these weird dreams lately. Ever since ye invited the lot of us here, to be honest. Long story short, it weren’t very good dreams. One of them, I dunno, she didn’t love me no more. We got involved in this horrible mess …” He chewed his lip. “Andreas, all of them are about Elsa. Normally I wouldn’t be afraid if it twas anyone else, but Elsa … she and I share this peculiar empathy link thing Apollo told us about. It be a long story how we got it, but in short, we feel what the other feels if it be strong. I don’t want nothing happening to her, Andreas, but I know she’ll be angry with me if she learns I were keeping this from her. I’ve been trying not to push her too far after all the trouble with … ye know … Cliff.”

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Disappointment shot through River, but she forced it down. If Rita wasn’t enjoying herself, then she wouldn’t torture her any longer by staying. After finishing her meal, she hugged Caratacuus’s family and wrote down her thanks for the delicious meal. She didn’t disclose that they were leaving — yet — since she figured that Rita would want to tell them. Make an excuse, as she’d put it.

The meal really had been delicious. Although River wanted to stay longer — she was seeing a whole new side to Caratacuus that she was enjoying — she still liked Rita and wanted to humour her new friend. She sat back down beside Rita, tucking her book back under her arm.

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Luigi produced a clean handkerchief from somewhere inside his bandaged chest and proceeded to wipe away Elsa’s tears.  “No cry, dear Elsa, no cry.  Or ye’ll make me cry too”.  He paused to wipe away a tear from his own eye, his finger smearing more dirt onto his little round face.  “I be empath, ye see.  I pick up emotions from others”.

Elsa choked back more tears, not wanting to upset the eccentric little man who was being so kind to her.  Luigi smiled at her and enfolded her in his bandaged arms, murmuring what sounded like some sort of lullaby. 

A moment later, he picked her up and carried her over to the bed, laying her down gently and arranging the pillows and blankets around her.  “Rest now, dear Elsa.  Have sparkly dreams.  Dinner soon but if ye ain’t hungry, save ye some for later”.

The bed felt soft yet firm, just right, and far more comfortable than the back seat of Andreas’s old truck.  She sank back into the pillows, sleep claiming her even before Luigi had tiptoed silently out of the room.

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Andreas stroked his moustache and fiddled with his hair while he listened to Gerald’s account of the strange dreams.  “Ye know some of me troubled family history, Gerald.  From an early age, I learned to get by without relying on others.  For a long time, I worked alone and I thought I were better off alone.  Twas a terrible time when I had to cut off ties with the Nentofores and go back to serving me blood family as their Spy Master.  On one particular mission, I met some people who changed me way of life forever.  Ye know who they be — Anni and her family.  From that time onwards, I were never totally alone.  Even when I were on a solo mission, I knew that I could call in back-up at any time”.

“Aye, I get it, sort of” Gerald cut in.  “Ye be saying that I should tell Elsa what be worrying me.  That brings on another worry — she’ll think I be weak and she’ll laugh at me.  She won’t ever take me seriously again if I tell her that I be afraid of nightmares”.

“Twill be worse for both of ye if ye try to deal with yer problems alone” Andreas remarked.  “She were angry and upset when ye told her about what had happened betwixt ye and Cliff, but she stuck by ye.  Besides, I think ye misjudge her.  There be something else going on with her, from what Anni told me.  Nothing definite, just a vague impression that she has worries of her own.  Could be to do with her sister.  Ye know how close they be, but since Elaine be kept busy, they ain’t been spending so much time together.  Tell Elsa what be on yer mind and mayhap she’ll open up to ye.  If laughing at ye be the worst she does, laugh along with her.  Sometimes ye have to appear weak in order to be truly strong.  Like when I used to allow me half-brothers to give me beatings.  They thought me weak, but I endured and proved meself to be far stronger than them.  Give it a try, eh?  Talk to her”.

Gerald gave a helpless shrug.  “Alright”.  Then he looked around the room, noticing that Elsa had not returned.  “Where did she go?”

Andreas grinned.  “To one of me other favourite places.  She might be asleep by now, but if she ain’t, I’ll leave the two of ye alone to talk”.

The sun had almost set by that time and twilight was fast approaching.  When Andreas led Gerald up the spiral staircase and into the observatory, even the cynical mercenary could not fail to be moved by the wonderful view. 

However, as soon as he saw the sleeping figure in the bed, he forgot all about the view.  He sat on the edge of the bed, leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on Elsa’s forehead.  “Sweet dreams, me love”.

Andreas had already left the room.

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Rita pulled a comedic face at River and finished her glass of wine.  She then tapped Caratacuus on the arm to get his attention and launched into a tale of how she was having a great time but had remembered that Remyn was expecting her essay in tomorrow.  “Tis a shame and all, but I really ought to get on with it.  Healing ain’t exactly me strongest subject”.

Caratacuus inclined his head.  “Very well, my dear.  I’ll just say my farewells to my family and then we can go back.  If you don’t manage to finish the essay, let me know and I’ll speak to Remyn on your behalf.  I feel sure he’d relax the deadline.  We work our students very hard, so tis only fair that we should allow them some fun as well”.

Ryaah approached River, holding out a bulky bag.  “I understand from my father that you enjoy reading.  He may not have mentioned it, but I have two careers.  As well as being a healer, I also write novels for young adults.  I’ve put together a selection for you.  Since you haven’t gotten used to technology yet, these are the printed versions instead of data crystals.  My own children enjoy them, especially the comedies.  It started out as a hobby but when I found that people liked my writing, I went in for it more seriously.  Anyway, I hope you like them and I look forward to seeing you and Rita here again sometime”.

River opened her book and wrote out yet more thanks.  Ryaah smiled and hugged her. 

“Thank the Goddess that be over!” Rita exclaimed, as soon as Caratacuus had translocated them back to the Donovan Institute and gone off to his quarters.  “I just hope Uncle Cara don’t mention the essay to Uncle Rem, for it ain’t due until the fifth day”.

River had no idea how to answer that, so she opted for what she hoped was a safe reply.  “I don’t believe Caratacuus is as strict as we thought.  We saw another side of him tonight.  It’s been one of the best days of my life, definitely the best day since I started studying here”.  She leaned over and hugged Rita.

The two girls conversed a little longer before seeking their quarters and settling down for the night.