It only takes about an hour to clean up the bedrooms, make the beds and take the laundry down to the laundry room. Tara and I always do it right after breakfast.

  Breakfast is always served in the parlor. That's what they call the common room. I don't know why they have to eat separately from the others but it's been that way since the first week they got here. I guess it's the Curses. Maybe everyone is afraid they'll get contaminated?

  Which is why they're pretty much in isolation. The only people from Grado who interact with them are us two and the librarian.

  But we don't mind. These five people are absolutely lovely. They don't make messes, they don't bother us unnecessarily, they treat us with respect, and Rio is a pretty good kisser. Tara and I both know that.

  And they can do magic! Which they practice in the common room … which reminds me of … okay I take back that part about them not making messes. Let's change that to: It never gets boring around here.

  In the morning before breakfast, almost everyone is training. They get up early and wear themselves out. Even Lady Addie goes down to the training hall, gets out of her chair and picks up a weapon. Makes you wonder what they're up to.

  Or I guess not, really. It's no secret that they’ll all have to leave soon. Not real soon but soon enough. Just a couple months. We're not looking forward to that.

  At noon we serve them lunch. After that they usually go to the library or sit around reading or practicing magic. We want to learn magic too. Lady Addie says she’ll help us with that once they understand it better themselves. I really don't know or understand. I thought you needed a Sigil for that. People like us would never be given one of those.

  Dinner in the evening is always a lively affair. Everyone shares what they did that day and what they plan to do the next. For these people always have plans; they don't waste a moment.

  After dinner we make everything ready for them to sleep and we go off duty around eight in the evening. We’re pretty sure they don't actually go to sleep at a normal time. They sneak out and do other things. Not everyone on every day. We make sure we don't notice, because we’re sure they don't want anyone to know what they're up to.

  This’s a day in our lives as maids. Not that different from the lives of the other maids here in the Palace. And yet completely different. For it's the people you serve that define the role, not the things you do or how you do them.

  Thrust...block....

  Thrust...block....

  Thrust...block....

  I stand on the training grounds in the early morning sunlight. Nix and Rio are doing drills next to me. Kari is across the big field being put through her paces by her master.

  I’m learning to use a Yari. A five foot long stick with a long sharp curved blade on the end. I’ve been lax up till now. I need to train. I need to step up, no matter how weak I feel. Weakness can be easily fixed with a little blood. Lack of training takes time, effort, and dedication to overcome. Time is the one resource we have a finite amount of. We can't force a day to have more hours. We have to spend minutes like Scrooge McDuck spends gold coins.

  So I practice with the Yari. Every day now. I’m committed.

  I raise my hand and sketch in the air, channeling Spirit energy through my finger. A rough cube takes shape - about one foot on each side. Now I carefully fill in the sides, moving my hand like a paint brush. I leave the top open.

  I reach out gently and pluck the glowing cube out of the air, setting it on the table in front of Kari. I keep channeling energy to maintain the shape.

  Kari picks up a mithril steel stylus and begins inscribing geometrical shapes and symbols around the rim of the cube: channeling Primal energy onto the surface of the Spirit energy. Saki watches over her shoulder. Kari works for almost an hour. In the end, the entire cube is covered with patterns, symbols, and words in languages I don't know.

  Finally Kari sits back, satisfied. Saki signs her approval. Kari picks up an empty tea cup and drops it in the cube. There is no sound of it hitting the bottom or the table underneath. She holds her hand out above the cube and the tea cup appears. We both smile.

  As a last step, I take the channel of energy I am maintaining and link it to Kari's soul. Using the Soul Binding magic that Penny taught me. Her Spirit energy will maintain it automatically. now. Before our eyes, the cube turns translucent and fades away. Please don't ask me how someone can attach something to someones' soul. It just works out somehow.

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  Kari holds the tea cup in the palm of her right hand. Suddenly it winks out. She holds up her left hand and the tea cup reappears. She sets it down on the table gently.

  Then she grabs both of my hands in hers and we start jumping up and down in place and screaming like madmen.

  "We did it! We did it! We did it! We did it!"

  Tara and Jane rush in. Confusion evident in their auras. We just keep dancing and screaming in joy as Saki silently laughs in the corner.

  Keldon says I’m weak. This is probably true, or at least it was before we came here. But here everybody has some sort of body strengthening magic so I guess that makes me even weaker.

  So what am I trying to say? Keldon makes me work out. Every day with a wooden sword. A special wooden sword that is heavier than other wooden swords. It has a special name but I can’t be bothered to remember it. The point is that my arms hurt, my shoulders are sore and I come back to the room exhausted every morning.

  I swing that sword hundreds of times. The upside is, once I get to a certain level of strength, Keldon will start training me in the rapier.

  So I need to get strong. Because strong will help me look cool. Walking around with a rapier on my hip will make me look dashing and debonair. I can challenge people to duels and defend the honor of fair maidens. If I can find a fair maiden with honor, that is.

  Because honestly I don’t think what I’ve been doing with them in the closets is strictly honorable. Yep, I see a lot of duels in my future.

  “Get up off the ground you Lily livered basket of fish guts!” Keldon shouts at me. Oh crap, I’ve been busted. As I struggle to my feet, I see Nix behind him with a smirk on his face. That little rat bastard!

  I pick up my wooden sword and stumble … rrhem … swagger back into line. Time to get strong.

  The moon is bright when we meet again. She walks toward me across the garden with a smile on her face. Yes, she’s walking this time: her chair nowhere to be seen.

  “How have you been, Great Hero Tia?” she asks, always slightly formal when she addresses me.

  “Things are going well. Training keeps us busy.”

  “That’s good to hear. We’ve been training as well. There’s so much to learn here. So much that is new …” She looks pensive, maybe even disconcerted for a moment. “May I ask you a question?”

  “Certainly,” I answer. “Why not?”

  “Have you discovered your purpose?” She halts a few yards away from me. “Do you know why you’ve been brought here?”

  I frown in puzzlement. “What do you mean?”

  “What did the Gods intend by bringing you here? You and the other Heroes and Saints. Have you received any signs? Any sort of message?”

  “I hadn’t thought about it,” I frown and look down. “I’ve been so caught up in the training. At first we planned to get stronger. Strong enough to break their hold on us if we need to. Perhaps we’ve become too caught up in that.”

  Suddenly she’s right in front of me. Startled, I raise my head and look her in the eye. “Maybe you should think about it,” she states.

  We are now just an arm’s length from each other and I can clearly see her face. I give a startled gasp as I notice the fangs for the first time.

  “What?” she asks, frowning. Then she must have realized, “Oh, the fangs. They come out at night. Especially before and after I feed.”

  “Feed? What … do you feed …? What?”

  She laughs at me and takes my hand. I want to pull away but find I can’t move. Her hand is cold; her grip strong. My eyes are locked onto hers and can’t break away. I can see something there: desire, sadness, lust, longing. She drops her smile and parts her lips, running her tongue over the tips of her fangs before smiling at me again.

  Her voice calm, she says, “Great Hero Tia, you are strong. I can feel it. You can break this. I know you can.”

  I can’t move. I struggle but nothing seems to work. I feel helpless. A single tear rolling down my face the only sign of my efforts.

  “Focus. Concentrate. Break my hold. Take yourself back!” Her voice is louder now, commanding.

  I push away the helpless feeling. Push with all my will. Tears course down my cheeks in two continuous rivers. I start to shudder and shake.

  “Almost there!” She is shouting now. “Call on your power. Call on the power of the God who Blessed you!”

  My muscles are rigid with strain. My breath is coming in short gasps now as I fight. An image of the statue of Chen Lhun in the Temple flashes before my eyes. The statue turns its head and looks me in the eye, just like she did. In that moment, I become calm, centered. The image fades and I’m looking in her eyes again. With a gasp I break her hold, pulling my hand away and falling to the ground at her feet.

  When I look up again, she’s gone. Once more on the other side of the garden where I first caught sight of her. She speaks one last time, “Well done, Tia. Remember that feeling. That connection. The Gods brought us here for a reason. Or maybe many reasons. We don’t all have the same purpose here. You should drop by for tea sometime soon.”

  And she’s gone. I sit on the ground for a long time, trying to collect my thoughts. Finally I lift my arm and rub the sleeve of my shirt across my face to dry the tears.

  And give a little shriek as someone touches my shoulder. “That wasn’t very kind of her,” says a voice that I feel I should recognize. I look up to see a man shrouded and hooded in a cloak. “Cruel, really. Here, let me help you.” He takes my arm and lifts me to my feet. He holds me steady for a moment.

  Where his hands touch me, I feel a momentary tingling before a rush of healing energy enters my body. “There. All better now.” He steps back and faces me. All I can see is a flash of white teeth inside his hood as he grins. “Do you like my cloak? I think it makes me look all cool and mysterious!” He gives a quick fashion runway twirl as he releases me and steps away.

  The sudden non sequitur leaves me speechless. I feel stupid as I stand there with my mouth hanging open.

  “Oh well, I guess Great Heroes aren’t easily impressed. See ya later,” he says and walks away. Before I can call out, he’s gone.