His skull was spared any further rattling when the bell rung, signalling the end of the school day. Mr. Benmusa acted surprised, as he often did because he would lose track of the time during his lectures. He tugged on the pulldown map so that it would roll up and gathered up his things, motioning for the students to stand.

He then shuffled out of the room and the moment he was gone, the class erupted into assorted chattering. Ellis quietly stowed his things in his bookbag and got around to go. It might have been nice if he had someone to talk to, but he had long since resigned himself to the fact that he was never going to enjoy any ordinary school friendships.

His classmates kept their distance as he exited the classroom, except for four surrounding him in their usual diamond formation with Sora on point, Eiri to his left, Kirik to his right and Rio keeping watch from behind as always. It seemed ridiculous for a small child like Sora to be at the front taking the lead, but as with almost everything the Protectors did, it was a carefully calculated move. The reason Sora was fast-tracked to a place among the Protectors at his age was because he could detect danger faster than anyone else, hence him being on point whenever they went anywhere.

By rights, Sora should have just been a Year 6 student. He was smart enough to hold his own in Year 10, but even if he was not, he probably would have been forced to skip grades anyway. Rio may have been Ellis' dedicated bodyguard, but they wanted as many Protectors close at hand as possible. Both Rio and Kirik were held back three years just so they could be in the same class as him. Eiri was just held back one year, but Ellis could swear she resented it twice as much, not that she would ever put those feelings into words.

They could not be a more mismatched group. You had an unassuming ten-year-old boy and a pale, sickly-looking girl with stringy hair and hunched shoulders contrasted with a wiry and athletic delinquent and a a tall, imposing woman who looked like she could kill you with a look. Then in the middle was Ellis himself, who felt the most nondescript of them all. He was not particularly tall or short, thin or fat, and looking at his face, you could not easily tell where he originally came from, but that was not something he knew either.

They exited the school and went on their way to the noodle shop. The noodle shop was one of several fronts for the Protectors' headquarters. Ellis idly glanced at the rooftops looking for some sign of Bel and Minx, but they were good about not being seen. As boring as Ellis found his classes, he could not imagine spending twelve hours on overwatch every day of the week, but the Protectors were a different sort of people.

The noodle shop looked completely innocuous among all the other little restaurants, shops and stalls in the souk, but that was the idea. Even though it was rather late for lunch, rather early for dinner, and a rather odd choice for afternoon tea, there were nevertheless a couple customers seated at the counter eating the noodle shop's signature fish broth lo mein. The customers paid no attention to the quintet of lycéens as they stepped into the shop and went behind the counter, past the cook who was himself an undercover member of the Auxiliary, and into the walk-in freezer.

Inside the freezer, one of the shelves opened up to reveal a hidden door and inside that door was a chamber with yet another door. This door had a panel on the side with a hand scanner. Any authorized member of the Protectors could open it, but it was always Rio who stepped forward to unlock the door. There were three bolts that made a dull clunking sound as they disengaged. The thick door was supposed to be sturdy enough to withstand an explosion. Thankfully it never had to be proven.

Once they were all inside, Rio closed the door behind them, the locks reengaged, and they were plunged into darkness for a few seconds before the dim floor lights came on. They had to walk a few hundred meters of winding corridors and stairwells before they reached another secure door, which led them to the Hub. The Hub connected to the 28 different entrances scattered throughout the city, though there were only four doors connecting to the Hub itself.

To actually enter the headquarters proper, there was an extra bit of trickery involved. Rio knelt down and pressed on one of the floor tiles, sliding it back to reveal another hand scanner. Once she scanned her hand, a nearby piece of the floor shot up with a pneumatic hiss, revealing the handle for a hidden hatch. Rio opened the hatch and ushered them down the ladder, first Sora and Eiri, then Ellis and Kirik and lastly Rio as she closed the hatch behind her.

Ellis always felt the butterflies in his stomach going down the ladder. The shaft was some twenty meters down and he could not help imagining what would happen if he were to fall. He could remember admitting his fears to Rio once and she got angry at him for it, so he started being more afraid of her than falling. Of course, being more afraid of something else does not erase the original fear and so he uneasily made his way down the ladder, trying not to dawdle too much lest Kirik step on his fingers.

When they reached the bottom, there was one last door to get through before they entered the headquarters complex. Inside the reception area there were two receptionists at the front desk and four guards posted with weapons at the ready. The receptionists and the guards all saluted as soon as they entered the room.

Ellis and the Protectors returned the salute and Rio told them, "As you were," so they could return to what they were doing.

Now that they were inside the safety of the headquarters, Rio took the lead and went straight for the briefing room. Besides Master Pulaski and Tía Carmen, Mongo, Dr. Sanjay and Old Cross were already there waiting for them.

Rio went up to Master Pulaski and saluted, saying, "Protector Ace, reporting as ordered, sir."

Minx took hold of Bel's arm and said, "Maybe once all this is over, he will."

Bel looked around the room before asking, "We not waiting on Adom?"

Tía Carmen turned on the projector and it showed a map that extended from Murabit to Zand with a red line tracing a route starting in Cevilla and ending in Ahorazed. The Warrior's Road. Ellis felt sick just thinking about it.

"It's 7488 klicks 'tween here an' the Great Temple. The Eclipse is scheduled to appear over Ahorazed New Year's Eve 'round fifteen-hunnerd. You've got 244 days startin' tomorrow, which means you've gotta make 31 klicks a day ever' day or 36 klicks a day if you wanna give yourselves a rest day ever' week. I'd recommend you plan for the latter or else you're gonna burn out, the kid 'specially, I'm worried."

Rio shot him a look that told him to keep the back-sass to himself, and Master Pulaski continued his briefing.

It was probably racist to call a South Islander like Mongo 'Pineapple', but looking at his head, it did rather look like a pineapple. There was also the joke that he got the nickname because he was tough on the outside and sweet on the inside. Perhaps he could have changed his hairstyle if he did not like being called that, but if he did mind, he was too good-natured to let it show.

As the biggest and strongest among the Protectors, people would naturally assume he would be the one guarding the Child of Promise, so the decoy plan would probably be effective. Ellis felt bad for Mongo, though, even if he was the one best-equipped to draw enemy fire.

Rio gave Mongo a punch in the arm and said, "You be careful out there."

Mongo smiled and gave her a hearty pat on the back with his giant hand.

Although Rio was inducted sooner, she and Mongo began their training around the same time and so they were closer than most. Not quite so close as Bel and Minx, of course, but Rio and romance went together about as well as oil and water, much to Kirik's chagrin.

Rio then asked Master Pulaski, "Anything else we need to know?"

Master Pulaski gave her a sympathetic smile, then asked the assembled members, "Alright, any questions?"

There were assorted responses in the negative, so he then said, "Then get some some chow an' turn in. Assembly at zero-six. We clear?"

While the previous response was all over the place, when it came to the affirmative, the Protectors spoke in one voice, like the bark of a dog, a sort of "Aroo!"

Rio looked at Ellis and made motion with her head for him to start moving. They made their way to the mess hall. Today they were serving stir-fried chicken and vegetables over wild rice. After being seated, Ellis just stared at his plate, idly nudging the pile of food with his spoon.

He should have known better. In the seven years they had known each other, when did he ever get his way? If he tried digging in his heels, she would just strong-arm him, and that was what she was going to do now.

The thought of Rio force-feeding him was enough to make him want to force himself to eat. He scooped up a tentative spoonful when Minx leaned into him and chided Rio, saying, "Now, now, that's no way to get somebody to do something. Watch this." She leaned into him a little harder. "Ellie, dear, if you don't eat, I'm going to have to feed you... like this."

She took his hand and put his spoon in her mouth, chewed a little, then held him by the back of his head with her free hand and kissed him. She did not just kiss him, though. She fed him, just like she said she would, mouth-to-mouth as some mothers would do for their babies. To force him to swallow, she held on to the kiss and pinched his nose so he could not breathe. It did not take him long to give in and only once he audibly swallowed did Minx let him go.

Ellis was not sure which was worse, the disgust at getting a mouthful of secondhand food or the embarrassment of getting his first kiss from the very pretty Minx. Amid all this, he was left with the sensation of the softness of her lips... and the softness of other parts that were pressing up against him.

Minx ruffled his hair and told Rio, "See? Like that. You should try it."

In a rare instance of Rio showing some hint of a sense of humor, she cracked a little grin and said, "Maybe I will."

Before this exchange could go on any longer, Bel delivered a light chop to Minx's head.

Minx turned her attention to Bel, hugging the very arm he used to chop her and kissing his hand.

Ellis could feel his ears burning, so he turned his attention to his food to take his mind off their flirting.

The Rite of Sending was not a complicated affair. The senior priest stood before the Sacred Flame, lifted up his arms to the heavens, and imparted the following words:

Three junior priests carrying three bronze plates filled with ashes stepped forward. The senior priest imposed the ashes upon the Child and the Protectors, while two other priests did so for the men and women of the Auxiliary. The mark was a simple line drawn with the priest's thumb from the top of the forehead to the tip of the nose. Those on the receiving end had their heads bowed, but the taller ones bowed a little more to ensure the priest's arm could reach.

Once the imposition of the ashes was complete, the junior priests withdrew and the two mid-ranking priests took up positions behind the senior priest at his left and his right as he spoke the final words of benediction.

The assembled bowed low and remained bowed as they slowly withdrew, walking backwards so that they would not turn their backs on the Sacred Flame until they were outside the sanctum. The Protectors and the Auxiliaries then adjusted their formation before exiting the temple. One of the Protectors, a curious pale creature who appeared to be neither man nor woman writhed and twisted as their body contorted and reshaped itself into the spitting image of the Child. This false figure of the Child took the actual Child's place at the head of the formation while the real Child was guided toward the back by the tall young woman at his side.

The assembly then marched out the doors of the temple and were greeted by a great throng gathered to witness the first steps of the Warrior's Road. Standing in the middle of the road was the King of Murabit and an honor guard of at least two hundred, to say nothing of all the soldiers standing to hold the crowds at bay. The King was dressed in a ceremonial white uniform with the red and white sash of the Order of the Crown and an abundance of medals. With a bow of his head, the King doffed his fez to who he thought was the Child and said, "Greetings, O Child, and hail to you, his Protectors. It is my great honor to have hosted the Child of Promise in my kingdom these past years. Would that I could send my army out to make clear the way to the Great Temple, but, alas, the Warrior's Road does not permit it. Instead, my heart and the hearts of all the people of Murabit go with you. It is my hope and my prayer that light of the Lord of Wisdom go with you and—"

While the King was still speaking, two figures slipped out from behind the Auxiliaries and burrowed their way into the crowd. As most eyes were on the King and the Child—at least who everyone thought was the Child—, none realized that the first steps of the Warrior's Road were already being taken, even if it was starting down a slight detour. The road ahead was long, after all, and time was short. Time spent indulging a king's penchant for pomp and ceremony could be put to better use, or at least that was the cold calculation of the one who would see the Child to his destination.