* * *
A cloaked and hooded figure satin the very back of the assembly hall, watching as Corin Belcoth was cheered and presented with a pristine white robe. He watched as it was held open for him to slip his arms in, beaming widely and the figure smiled along with him without the warmth of the latter. This was perfect, fitting into his plan better than he could have hoped.
�Father� a second figure, slender and poised, has joined the first, her voice warm and lilting but cold despite its grace and very formal, �did he do well, Father? To your satisfaction?�
�Yes, daughter, he did. You must have groomed him well for him to have obtained his robes so early. He was very confident when the final test came. He didn�t even flinch when he met the thing�s eyes.� Father whispered, his voice a melding of silk, ice, and flame. It was filled with malicious pleasure.
�He had the power within him,� his daughter replied, her fingers unconsciously going to finger her blonde locks, �I just made him have enough confidence to allow it to come out. Acting dumb and gullible so that he could feel macho�� Her tone and they way she rolled her eyes made it clear that she was not pleased with the arrangement.
�Aw, my poor child.� Father replied, clucking his tongue with mirth at his daughter�s discomfort, �You will only have to put up with him long enough to cement his confidence and I will do the rest. With proper training, his hate of the dragon-spawns and his loyalty to me will grow until he will do anything I ask of him. Corin Belcoth will become my greatest weapon and the perfect soldier. It won�t be long now until I get what I�m looking for.�
�You never have told me what that was, Father. Will you tell me now?�
Father laughed, �All in good time my impatient child, all in good time. If my plan goes the way I envision, you will know all very, very soon.�
�But there is still one more test, is there not?� the daughter said warily, as if afraid of her father�s reaction, �I remember you mentioning something about that.�
�Yes, there will be one more test. But I am confident that our project will pass that one as well as he did this one and then the real progress can be made.� Father looked up then, seeing Corin being led off the stage by Professor Aaran, �Leave now, or he will become suspicious if he comes out of the hall and you are not there.�
�Yes, Father.� The girl turned to go, but a shadowy raised hand halted her.
�What did you tell that Stephan boy when you left to come see me?� he asked.
�That I couldn�t take the suspense and was going for a walk around the courtyard.�
�Good. You have conducted yourself well, daughter. You may leave.�
�Thank you, Father.� And then she was gone.
Father sat alone for a moment, thinking hard. The boy needed to have some real experience with the dragon-spawn before Father took him and trained him. But which would he send Corin after? Which of those things would give Corin the proper understanding of their treachery and danger? And then it hit him like a bolt of lightning and a malicious smirk crept across his shadowed features. That annoying little brat of a dragon-girl, the one who had foiled his invasion on the elves and then given him so much trouble in Orrin, would do perfectly. And he�d be able to kill two crows with one stone, so to speak, by giving his possible heir experience while getting rid of the thorn in his side. His smile broadened as he stood up from his seat. He moved toward the front of the hall, he would talk to Professor Aaran and then everything would be settled.
* * *
His heart full to bursting with pride, Corin strode our of the side door of the hall. Surprisingly, Kala was there waiting for him.
�How did you know that I was going to be coming out of this door?� Corin asked after he had hugged her and told her all that had happened, �I didn�t even know this door existed until just now.�
Kala twirled a bit of blonde hair around her finger, �Well, I was just so nervous that I started walking around and around the Hall and when I got here, I saw you coming out of this door.� Kala smiled, �I guess I was at the right place at the right time is all.�
Corin smiled back and then they both went to tell Stephan the good news. Before he could, though, Professor Aaran stopped him, putting a slightly glowing green ball back into a pouch at his side before speaking.
�Corin, I just received word that there is a rogue dragon-girl roaming around the countryside, causing havoc. I�m going to be going with a few others to capture and detain her, and so I was wondering if perhaps you would like to come along and see how it�s done.� Aaran spoke with a slight hesitation and then added swiftly, �But if you would rather stay here for a few weeks and celebrate with your friends, I would more than understand.�
Corin rapidly shook his head. There was no need to make his professor think he was a coward. �No Professor, I would love to go. The sooner I learn what it takes to be a white-robe, the better.� He replied.
Professor Aaran gave a smile that didn�t seem very sincere. �Good. I�ll come and get you around dawn tomorrow. Make sure you�re ready to go on a journey.�
�I will.�
�I know. Now go on and tell your friends the good news.� And with that dismissal, Kala and Corin ran off toward the front of the hall, the girl telling him how honored he was to be picked for such an endeavor the whole way there, making him feel incredibly lucky.