By the time they had filled their trays and stopped at the cooking boxes
to heat some containers, traffic had thinned out in the mess hall. Many of the people
had finished their meals and gone back to their stations.
“Well, this is a nice surprise,“ a woman said from behind them. “You are
the Pace boys, aren’t you?“
“Ma’am?“ Shayn turned around first, so quickly his bowl of bread pudding
nearly slid off his tray.
Jorgan reached to catch the bowl, then looked up. He turned around more
slowly. His mouth was dropping open and he didn’t care.
The woman was shorter than Shayn, taller than Jorgan, with a round, smooth,
pink face, silver-gray eyes that sparkled like crystals, and silver-white hair,
braided and wrapped around her head so she looked taller. She was thin and there
were wrinkles around her mouth that made Jorgan think she smiled most of the time.
Her clothes were loose; trousers, ankle boots, and a long tunic with wide draping
sleeves, all in the same shade of dark green. A thick collar of bronze links circled
her neck, with a strip of dark blue glass woven through a sideways infinity sign.
That was the symbol of a Le’ankan master, a teacher from the Academy.
Jorgan wracked his brains, trying to remember the color distinction. He
couldn’t remember what dark blue meant, what her specialty was.
“Yes, we are,“ Shayn said after a moment. He shrugged. “The Pace boys.
I’m sorry, Ma’am --“
“Master,“ Jorgan said. He gestured with a jerk of his chin at the emblem
at her throat.
“Sorry, Master, I don’t know who you are.“
“Oh, but you will.“ She winked at them, then turned to look around the mess hall. “Ah, there they are. I was hoping to see your parents, but not this early.“
“Who are you, Master?“ Jorgan said.
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