The Midnight Sea (The Fourth Element #1) Read Online Free Page A

have any questions?”
    I thought. “Yes. How long will I be a novice for?”
    “The usual period is four years.”
    “And when will…when do I…”
    “Bond your daēva? Not until I decide you’re ready.”
    “Where do I go now?” I asked.
    “The novice quarters are in the barracks next to the stables. There are plenty of empty beds, you can choose the one you like. Just stay away from the river. That’s where the daēva quarters are.”
    “What will my chores be?”
    “Kitchen duty to start, most likely. Go, child.” He waved a hand in dismissal. “Ilyas will sort you out. You can find him in the training yard.”
    I could see his patience was wearing thin, but I didn’t want to wander around lost. “Where’s the training yard?”
    “Between the barracks and the stables. Just take the road you came in on.”
    I followed his directions to a dusty courtyard. Ilyas wasn’t there, so I wandered into the stables. I loved to ride and wondered if they would give me a mount of my own when I became a Water Dog. The warm animal smell inside reminded me of home. I walked down the stalls, admiring the satrap’s horses. I didn’t think anyone else was there, so I jumped when a young man suddenly appeared, leading a glossy chestnut mare.
    He looked me over, his expression more curious than hostile, but I still felt like a trespasser. He had short golden hair that curled up at the ends and a slender but powerful build. I guessed he was about twenty. I had never seen anyone—male or female—so beautiful. It was almost ridiculous. Then he took a step toward me and I realized that his leg was twisted at an odd angle. A club foot.
    “Hello,” he said. “Are you the new recruit?”
    I nodded. “I’m looking for Ilyas. Do you know him?”
    He seemed amused. “I know him.”
    I felt my cheeks grow warm. Of course he knew Ilyas. He lived here. I looked at his sky-blue tunic, identical to Ilyas’s in every way except for the color.
    “Are you a recruit as well?” I asked.
    “Novices wear the grey,” he said. “My name is Tommas.”
    “You’re a Water Dog then?” I asked, confused.
    His eyes, the green of a spring meadow, darkened a fraction. “Yes.”
    I was opening my mouth to ask why he didn’t wear the red when Ilyas strode into the stables.
    “I see you’ve met my daēva,” he said to me, ignoring Tommas entirely.
    I took a step back. I couldn’t help it. His daēva ? I’m not sure what I expected. Horns and a forked tail, perhaps. A creature as ugly on the outside as it was on the inside. But they looked just like us.
    Tommas nodded to Ilyas and led the horse past us out to the courtyard. He moved with a startling grace despite his infirmity. Like an animal. A predator. Ice touched my spine.
    “Let’s see what you’re made of,” Ilyas said. “Take a practice sword from one of those barrels.”
    I’d never held a sword before, not even a wooden one. It was heavier than I expected.
    “Get your feet apart,” Ilyas said. “Right leg forward.”
    I did as he ordered. Several of the serving girls had paused in their chores. Half of them were watching Tommas saddle the horse. The other half were laughing at me behind their hands.
    “Blade up,” Ilyas said.
    I lifted my sword and he slapped it aside with his hand.
    “Up and steady!”
    I raised it again, and this time held it firm when he tried to knock it from my hands.
    Ilyas took his own practice sword from the barrel.
    “Today, all I want you to do is keep that in your hand,” he said.
    I nodded, muscles tense. A moment later, my sword was flying through the air. Ilyas had flicked his wrist as casually as swatting a fly, and suddenly, my sword just wasn’t there anymore.
    “Pick it up,” he said calmly.
    I picked it up.
    Again and again, he disarmed me. Again and again, I picked up the sword. The girls were laughing openly until Ilyas walked over and said something too low to hear. They scattered like a flock of chickens.
    By the time