''Once the csses start the cssrooms and corridors leading to them will light up more than stripling's eyes at seeing honeyed figs,'' the older woman guiding us had said.
As our group is walking through what I believe is our seventy-seventh corridor of rock, four women wearing bronze helmets and holding steel-tipped spears are passing to our left—they might as well be passing a cockroach cemetery for the amount of heed they paid us. Their red cloaks sway behind them, almost kissing the floor. This area of the mole kingdom has mostly female members of the Crimson Guard. I don't know whether to be comforted or unnerved by that.
Do people ever shut up? My ears easily pick up the soft susurration coming in a form of neverending periodic waves from a dozen girls around me.
''...When are we going to eat?...''
''...Zuri, look at that. I told you...''
''...It doesn't look so bad...''
''...The old woman doesn't shut up...''
''...Lower your voice...''
''...They took all my things...''
''...What is Red's st name?...''
Enough. Something in their voices...I can't say it scared me but they remind me of myself. That's not really shocking. I instinctively lower my ability to hear. There was a time, not so long ago, when the world around me was screaming in my ear but I've learned how to turn those screams to whispers or snuff them out completely. With the same ease of someone lifting their arm. It's effortless.
Our squad climbs the st set of carved stairs and finally walks into the dormitory—this is after traversing the, oh I don't know, the seventy-eighth corridor. Caretaker Vitellia ushers us inside and I take in the yout.
I did not expect this. Which is stupid of me considering what I've seen so far. The space is immense and nicely lit with the pleasant glow of fully charged Cobalts. There are long twelve faceted ones, spherical, slightly crooked in raw form, bundles of nail-sized crystals all clustered in one spot, carved into an egg shape, double-terminated, raw clusters of them, pebble-shaped and so on. Together they provide more than just what would be considered reading light; not the brightness of the day, perhaps, but not that far off either.
I wonder if my neck will hurt from constantly looking up. The vaulted ceiling of the dormitory reminds me a little of that giant corridor Aleera and I went through. All that space above my head will never be used but I like this expanse, for some reason.
It is a rectangur room, with mostly just beds really. There are about twenty chairs, and dozens of small tables arranged around the spacious clearing in the center or tucked in the distant corners. Each table is enough for one or two students to use. The top opens up for additional storage. Some of them are left open. Same as with chairs there are twenty beds in total, all equally spaced, with plenty of room for twice as many.
Ah!
Out of nowhere, three apparitions appear. The three young women start to hand out fat iron keys to all the girls. I forgot they were trailing us.
''Do not lose those.'' Our elderly guide begins. ''Look at your number at the grip. Find your chest and you found your bed.'' Most of us just stand in the middle of the dormitory, unsure of what to do, like calves who just lost their mother.
''Move it!'' One of the three younger women yelled. The same one that was cpping loudly before Vitellia first spoke. It was a crude but effective way to snap us into action.
The rge key has a pleasant weight in my hand. Nine. There is a hefty stonewood chest at the end of each bed. I notice a few girls are already unlocking and rummaging through theirs. That didn't take long. I scratch my eyebrow and move to do the same.
