One of them was old, his hair a snowy crown, his eyes two frozen azure pools, his stance a display of power. His name was Sainarnemershghan Saidonatgarlyn (though the world knew him better by his pen name – Hansai Donal) and he well knew the history behind it. The history that had its roots in the fall of Erhaben.
The second man was younger, his hair barely grey at the temples, and looked so much like Sainar that there could be no mistake: those two were relatives. The younger man’s name was Kangassk Abadar.
“You’ve always been the first, son,” said Sainar with a proud smile. “I bet your apprentice has the same spirit. I haven’t seen him for so long! What can you tell me about your boy?”
“My Juel is a pureblood Faizul and that says it all,” said Abadar proudly. “He is a fearless warrior and a strong leader. He would already be leading armies to war back in his homeland.”
“Well, he’ll have to lead a group of nine boys for starters,” chuckled Sainar. “We’ll see how easy he finds it!”
“Where are you sending them, father?” asked Kangassk Abadar. There was scepticism in his voice and a hint of challenge. “And what is the point? Only three of them are adults. Okay, Majesta’s boy is sixteen and Orlaya’s is fifteen, but the rest are just little children.”
“It’s not your place to argue with me, son,” said Sainar, his voice as gentle as a blunt side of the blade touching a victim’s neck. “I will explain everything when the time comes. But first, I want to take a look at the boys.”
***
The apprentices of Sainar’s ten children had never met before. Now they stood in the temple’s library, all ten of them, and studied each other in silence. The sun was already high; its slanted rays fell into the library hall through the tall, narrow windows and gilded every dancing speckle of dust along the way. No other student shared the room with the ten young guests. They were alone in the spacious hall.
Juel Hak. His reddish skin and slant-eyed face leave no doubts about where he is from. Faizuls are nomadic tribes from the fringes of the charted Omnis. Hunt, war, and torture are what their kind is particularly good at. Civilized Omnis and its magic frighten them, so they usually stay away from the charted lands and spend their lives quarrelling between each other. Kangassk Abadar bought Juel from one of the tribes when the boy was only three. Now his apprentice is twenty-two and has no memories of his family but his character is still Faizulish to the bone. Luckily for him, this is exactly what makes Abadar proud.