The Sons of Satrina: A Sons of Satrina Novel

by Kristan Belle

  ’Unique’, ’Exceptional’. ‘Unprecedented’. Those were words she could hear herself saying quite a lot in the days to come, Kayleigh thought with a mental sigh.

  Kelton nodded in agreement, trusting her judgement and they both turned to look at Aisline, who smiled and tried to smother a yawn.

  A bit of space would be really good. Aisline needed some time to calm down and compose herself. Everything had been such a rush. From the moment she had returned home, to the long drive here, she hadn’t even had time for a toilet break, let alone to think about what was happening to her, or going to happen to her in the future. She needed to get her head around it. Sleep would be very welcome. Hopefully the blackness of sleep would help clear her head. She wanted to be able to react to whatever it was that they were going to throw at her and think it all through rationally. And while she was so emotionally exhausted, that wasn’t going to happen.

  “How about Susannah’s suite? I’m sure she wouldn’t mind helping out.” Leigh suggested to Kelton. Susannah was one of their Professor’s, who at the moment, was on an extended holiday. As the niece of the deceased leader, she had headed straight home as soon as the news had been released to be with her family. Susannah was a lovely, understanding and warm woman and Kayleigh couldn’t imagine her not coming to the rescue of this poor girl and not let her use her room for the night. It was just until they found a permanent place for her.

  “Perfect idea. Come, follow us, Aisline.” Kelton said as they started to move away, “Here, let me take your bags for you.” and he took the two heavy holdalls from her once again.

  Aisline smiled her thanks, too weary to talk, the smile quivering on her lips.

  As they walked, Kelton turned to speak to her over his shoulder, “If you need me, if you need anything at all, you call this number.” He put the bags down in front of a set of double doors and handed her a little slip of white paper with the number to his personal line on it. “For tonight, try not to worry too much. Just work on relaxing and get the feeling of the place. The time to adjust will come soon enough.”

  Picking up the bags again, they walked through the double doors and around another corner, passing many pictures depicting warriors who had graduated over the years from the school. The sight of them was awesome for Aisline, who was already seeing everything with new eyes. Would her picture be up on this wall one day? It was a scary thought, even if her heart did leap with an internal smile.

  Stopping again, Kayleigh stepped forward and produced a key that she had retrieved from her jacket pocket and opened up the door.

  There was nothing special to report about the room, but on first glance, it screamed comfort, which was exactly what she needed at the moment. There were a few homey touches to the place that showed that this was a home for someone. Family photographs, a few good books, a fluffy dressing gown on the back of the bathroom door. Ash felt a little weird being here, but she was ready to drop on her feet so any bed would do for now.

  “Now, Aisline. You get some sleep if you can and we’ll get everything sorted out when you wake up, okay? And try not to worry too much. Don’t panic. We’ll get everything in order, alright?” Kayleigh said in a gentle tone, smiling in what she hoped was her most reassuring manner.

  Ash nodded and smiled gratefully as they both backed out of the room and left her in peace.

  She really did need the space to think, and the peace and quiet that this room offered to get her thoughts together. But, being alone wasn’t so great to be honest. It just hammered home to her that she was on her own. No family - no friends - no one. All she had now was a bunch of strangers to rely on and help her to get the mess of her life back into some semblance of order.

  She was all alone.

  Kayleigh and Kelton walked back to their room in relative silence. The lingering murmurs from the trainee warriors could be heard through the distant hallways, but neither of them paid any mind to them. They had too much to think about, especially with regards to the new addition to their ranks.

  Unlocking the door, Kelton stepped back to allow Kayleigh to pass through (ever the gentleman) and followed her in.

  Their suite of rooms was one of the largest on the compound, seeing as they were the only couple to reside here on site. With a large, luxurious bedroom, adjoining bathroom and substantial lounge area, they lived in relative luxury at the academy. Kelton had had these rooms knocked through especially for them when it was clear that their union was one that they both took seriously and would last for an eternity.

  With a loud sigh, Kayleigh collapsed into one of the soft leather arm chairs.

  Kelton walked over to her and knelt on the floor, taking her hand.

  “I don’t know what to do for the best.” she said, wearily.

  “You need to trust in yourself a bit more, Leigh. You’re going to do a great job with her.”

  She closed her eyes for a moment. “What if I screw up? I could ruin her whole life. And, she’s had more than enough heartache already.”

  Kelton grasped both her hands in his. “That’s not going to happen. I’ll be there to help you every step of the way. Apart from anything, I know you will know what to do for the best. The best is within you. You just have to trust it and bring it out.”

  Kayleigh opened her eyes. Kelton’s face was mere inches from her own, his eyes swimming with adoration and belief. How could he have so much faith in her? Before she could utter another word, Kelton leant forward and brushed her lips with the softest kiss. It was unimaginable, a warrior who killed with his bare hands being so sensitive and gentle. But, that was part of what turned her on - that part of him that no one else saw but her.

  Wrapping her arms around his neck so tightly, she snaked her hands in his hair, tugging on the strands gently. He lowered his head to kiss her deeply and her body throbbed in anticipation. Lifting her up in his arms, lips still attached, she moaned deeply in her throat……

  The very next evening, Aisline awoke to rain pelting down on the windows. The weather forecast had predicted snow for later, but for now, it was just the wet stuff falling relentlessly. Listening to the pitter patter of the rain drops, she used to find the sound very relaxing, but now? It was plain old annoying, like a machine gun rattling away at her already fried brain. She clearly still hadn’t had enough sleep to fully get her brain back into gear. Oh well, you could only work with what you’ve got, couldn’t you.

  Noticing the time, she threw back the covers and headed into the little adjoining bathroom to get freshened up. There was only a sink, toilet and shower in there, but it was more than adequate for what she needed. A shower would go a long way to helping wake her up. It sure was going to be a really big day for her. The start of a whole new life.

  Honestly, she didn’t feel much better this evening than she had the night before. The only real difference was that she had had a few extra hours to stew on it all and now her mind was rapidly reducing to a slushy mush under all of the pressure.

  Pulling on a pair of skinny jeans and a black cotton shirt, she looked at herself in the full length mirror. She had no idea what was suitable attire for her first day as she had no clue what they had in store for her. Fighting? Did they have lessons here? And, if so, what? Who knew? She was clueless as to what they had planned for her.

  All too soon, a knock came on the door and Ash took a deep breath of courage before opening it.

  “Good evening Aisline. Was the room alright for you? Did you sleep well?” Kayleigh asked, as she stood waiting in the doorway. She didn’t look like she had gotten a full night’s sleep either, if the dark circles under her eyes were anything to go by. Despite that, though, she still looked as beautiful as any movie star on the big screen.

  “Not too bad thanks.” Ash replied, opting to lie, but Kayleigh gave her a knowing look. There had been nothing wrong with the room at all. It was her life that was the problem. Or more importantly, what her life would be like from now on.

  “So, are you ready fo
r this? We’re going to be heading over to Professor Kelton’s off first to try and sort all of this out for you.” Kayleigh smiled reassuringly. “We have a lot of plans to hash out together.”

  She had plenty of confidence in Kelton to make the right call. They had been up all through the day light hours discussing it, rather than giving into the sleep that they both so desperately craved. They were still no closer to a resolution. Hopefully, Kelton would come up with a clue for where they should start soon enough.

  Aisline followed her out and through a maze of corridors towards the administration wing of the building, amazed that Kayleigh could find her way around this rabbit warren of a place. All the corridors looked the same; pale greys and creams, with identical doors dotted at regular intervals. There was no way that she was ever going to memorise the lay out of this place - bread crumbs sure would come in handy here.

  Professor Kelton was waiting for them behind piles and piles of paperwork set on his desk. Dressed in casual sweats and a t-shirt, he looked a much less threatening and intimidating sight than he had last night, covered in leather. This look suited him just as well, and he still looked ready to jump into the centre of a fight. Aisline had to try her hardest not to gawp at him, but dang, he was drop dead gorgeous. Kayleigh was one very lucky woman. Well, she had gathered that they were together by the way that they acted together - they seemed more than content and comfortable in one another’s company.

  Smiling as they both entered, he stood up, “Aisline, good to see you.” he said warmly and indicated that she should take the seat opposite his desk as he sat down again, nearly hidden behind all of the papers. He pointed to the cup of coffee he’d just poured out for her and she leant forward to help herself to a dash of cream and a scoop of sugar.

  Sitting in Kelton’s office, with a steaming hot cup of coffee in her freezing hands, Ash looked around at all the books he had on the shelves that were framing the room. There were so many books crammed into one place, her idea of heaven. Ash loved to read. They ranged from Stephen King to Shakespeare to some obscure foreign titles that she didn’t recognise on first glance. But the titles began to blur and swim together as tears once again began to pool in her eyes. Raw emotions were hitting her without warning. Not that it was much of a surprise, seeing as all she had been through.

  “Sorry about this, Aisline.” Kelton looked over at her with sympathy. This must be really hard for the girl. He was trying his hardest to get things sorted for her. After all, it wasn’t fair to have her sitting there waiting and worrying. Everything was seeming to pile on top of him at once, and everything demanded his immediate attention. This was his life as head of the Academy, but times like this were harder than others.

  He couldn’t imagine how she was feeling. It was hard for any male who had lived with the mark from their birth, coming into the academy and starting up a new life. But, to have it thrust upon you and have your life change in the blink of an eye? Kelton didn’t envy her one little bit. He had so much to deal with himself, juggling a new female warrior into the mix sure wasn’t going to be easy. He just hoped that he was up to the job. Which was why he’d enlisted Kayleigh’s help. It wasn’t just because he couldn’t shoulder the burden by himself, but he knew that having another female to talk to would do the girl the world of good.

  They had so much to sort out, so much paperwork to plough through as well as all the practical things to sort. It was a veritable nightmare for all those involved. But, for Aisline? A real living nightmare.

  Ash didn’t feel sorry for herself, though. Sure, those tears of self-pity had just reared their ugly head again, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t already coming to terms with her situation. If her family could turn their back on her just like that, then she could start a new life without them just as easily. She could be strong. She would be strong.

  Last night had been the most difficult. All those hours when sleep should have taken her off into oblivion were spent fretting over her future. Not that there anything she could do to change their minds, but it didn’t stop it hurting. They were her family and should have been there to support her. But, no.

  She was strong and determined to make the best of it, though. Who knew - maybe this would be the making of her?

  “Here, take these. They tell you everything that you need to know about life at the academy in there, the sort of courses that you can take outside of training, what we do, what you can’t do and so on. Kayleigh should be back here any minute now.” Kelton looked around nervously as he passed her the pile of pamphlets. Obviously, he was feeling a little awkward here, too. After everything that had happened recently, she knew that he had a lot of worry to bear.

  At the same time, Ash was only just regaining some of her sanity. She was getting over being star struck, and here she was again, shut in a room with Master Warrior Kelton! She had had a poster of him on her bedroom wall at home. How lame did she feel now? It was almost laughable. They were both a lot more comfortable when Kayleigh was there to break up the tension.

  Aisline was soon absorbed in reading all she could about the life she could expect to lead here at the Sons of Satrina Combat Training Academy. The clicking of the keys on the keyboard blurred into the background as Kelton got lost in his work. It was amazing, the things that she could learn, the level of excellence that she would be expected to deliver. It seemed like a life time ago when she had been begging her parents to allow her to attend some simple martial arts classes, and now here she was, about to learn how to incapacitate and kill their enemies. Frickin awesome!

  With a gentle knock beforehand, the door opened and Kayleigh’s smiling face appeared.

  “Sorry about that, couldn’t be helped I’m afraid.”

  Kayleigh had had to leave them when she had dropped Aisline off at Kelton’s office, some student emergency. Not that Ash expected her to drop everything for her, anyway. Kayleigh turned to Kelton and said in a low voice, “Denver.” with a meaningful look to which Kelton only humphed under his breath.

  “Kelton? Is it okay if I take Aisline over to settle into her new room? I’ve arranged for us to have some lunch sent over and I’d like to get her unpacked and comfortable, give her some time to adjust.”

  Ash was shocked at where the time had gone. Had she made it safely through nearly half a day at the academy already? And her mind was more or less intact, which was a miracle in itself. Sitting and reading every little nugget of information that she could get her hands on had taken up a good few hours of her first day, which was much better than spending the time fretting. At least she had a little bit of an idea what she was letting herself in for, even if the reality of it was more than a tad scary. But, as they say, knowledge is power.

  Kelton cleared his throat and nodded. “Sure, you two go ahead. That’s a good idea. Aisline, please do not worry about what the future holds. We will all work through this together and come up with a solution that is agreeable for everyone involved. You’re in good hands here.”

  Aisline looked at him for a moment before smiling, “Thank you, Master Warrior Kelton. I’m sure that I’ll be very happy here.” Which took him by surprise. He’d expected her to be falling apart by now. But, she wasn’t like that. Her backbone was stronger than that, and she would succeed. Ash was now positively looking forward to starting her life here. She would show her family they had been wrong to abandon her like that.

  She would make herself proud.

  Following Kayleigh, they passed through several more corridors with windows lining the sides through which she could see that the blackness of the night still enveloping the world, with the rain still pelting down relentlessly. Oddly enough, it was comforting.

  “I know that you could have stayed in that room for a while longer while the Professor isn’t here, but seeing as we have found the perfect place for you, I thought we might as well get you settled in for the long haul.” Kayleigh explained. Ash couldn’t help but agree. It would be a good thing to have a place that
she could really make her own while she was here. Putting her mark on the place would give her the connection that she needed.

  Kayleigh played tour guide as they walked along, pointing out various parts of the academy. Not that Ash would remember any of it. This place was positively huge. You would have never believed it from the outside. The only sign on the exterior stated that it was an exclusive martial arts studio and the place looked quite modest in size. But, once you were inside, the building just kept going and going and going. Ash was sure that she was going to get lost plenty of times before she got used to it all.

  “You’ll be sleeping in here from now on. I know it’s not ideal, but at least it’s comfortable and it’s all yours.”

  Kayleigh opened the door and stepped back to let Aisline get the first look at her new room.

  It was lovely. Really, really lovely. And, all hers.

  Everything was decorated in a pale ivory. The decoration had splashes of matt silver throughout and there was plenty of room. As well as having a bed, bedside table, desk, book shelf and wardrobe, there was also a little seating area with two small, plush sofa’s, also covered in a pale ivory pattern, which sat facing each other, separated by a small coffee table. She didn’t imagine that the other male warriors had rooms as large as this one. Her bags, all two bags that had been hastily packed with whatever she could get her hands on, sat near the bed, ready for her to arrange her things however she saw fit.