Goddess Acrona stares at me.

  The oversized statue of the Second Daughter stands in the center of a cavernous chamber. Her little toe is bigger than me. The depiction is that of a beautiful woman with wide hips, rge breasts, and long ravishing hair. The swaying ocean of the statue's tunic is painted with that blue-green color of turquoise. Masterfully crafted uncharged spherical blue crystals—that must be the size of a small child—are pced in the eye sockets. Father once said that smooth circur shapes are some of the hardest to make without fracturing the crystal and making you end up with nothing but a pile of useless dust. The face of the statue is dignified with a hint of a smile just appearing. Some say if you are an optimist you'll see the smile and if you're a naysayer there is none to be found. I don't know who says that but the manuscript I've read stated so. A small thought occurred to me to say all that to Aleera or ask her if she saw the smile, but then, I thought otherwise.

  That is pretty. The sporadic glowing lines across her face are stunning.

  ''Is that katadron?'' I ask.

  The corner of Aleera's mouth quirked up. ''Not bad, girl. You clearly weren't idle months prior to coming here.'' She lifts her chin, looking at the statue. The rock itself has that nice color of the fertile bck soil where the most bountiful crops grow. At first gnce, there are glowing cracks all over the smooth surface but looks are sometimes deceiving. The cracks are more akin to exposed veins of the flesh—an inseparable part of katadron. These veins have a constant dark blue glow that never dies—their light is mild in strength and pleasing to the eye. ''It is a rock even more valuable than khar-nogoon and far stronger,'' Aleera continues. ''A chunk of it the size of a baby can buy you a nice house. Like all the most precious things in life, katadron is rarer than an honorable man.''

  Her st words are met with my bnk stare.

  ''Ignore my bitter tongue, girl. Old people always tend to say one word too many,'' Aleera notes.

  ''You don't look old to me,'' I say.

  Aleera just looks at me as if expecting ughter to burst out of my face. Moments ter her mood seems to improve. ''Your parents raised a good daughter.'' She hesitates before continuing. Carefully choosing her next words. ''I know this is not easy for you nor your parents,'' she puts a hand on my right shoulder, her eyes bore into me. ''It can't be. But know that the Academy serves a pivotal purpose. You will understand one day. My words feel empty to you now but that doesn't make them any less true. You will understand.''

  I know the exact purpose of this pce. Everyone does. But I suspect Aleera talks about the fairness of it all. For me to be taken away from my home, and my entire future to be chained with responsibility and service I did not choose. When she says, ''You will understand,'' she really means ''You will accept your fate...eventually.''

  I give her a tiny smile. ''Thank you, Sister. When my mother visited your temple she spoke about how helpful you were. You must forgive my father, though. He works so hard and---''

  ''There is nothing to forgive girl,'' Aleera cuts me off. She looks in the distance, to the south of the statue—at least I think that's the south, it's hard to say inside this pce. ''Time is never kind. To pretty girls or old women. That means you and I should hurry up. We need to move on.''

  I clear my throat. ''Of course.''

  We march on and I can't stop gaping everywhere with that lost look of a person that is obviously here for the first time. Aleera read my face and told me this pce is called the Great Chamber and that almost all the main corridors are leading to it. This again reminds me of what our neighbor Imani told me and my mom—that this is the biggest space in the entire Academy. Despite Imani's words, my eyes did not expect to see all this open expanse. Why does it feel like we're outside?