Read The Emerald Staff for Free Online Page A

but for one reason or another, Anna had called to postpone
or cancel at the last minute. Well, it was nearly the weekend so
the wait was almost over.
    The bell sounded, making Faedra jump at the
sudden noise that dragged her back to the here and now. She had not
focused on most of the lecture and knew she would pay for it with
extra study time to catch up, but the thought of what the weekend
would hold was more than enough to make up for that small penance.
Plus the fact, Faen was sitting right next to her and knew this
subject matter all too well, she would just pick his brains later
on. She closed her books and slid them in her backpack, then rose
to join the throng of students leaving the lecture hall.
    She had almost made it to the door when she
remembered her task. As luck would have it, one of the girls
sitting behind them was trying to hold Faen in a conversation, and
he, being too polite to ignore her, offered his opinion on the
subject. Faedra saw her chance and took it.
    “I forgot something, I’ll be right back,” she
said to Faen, turning in the opposite direction.
    “What is it? I can get it for you,” he
replied, trying to break free from the conversation he was being
held in.
    “No, it’s okay you carry on. I’ll be back in
minute.”
    Faen narrowed his eyes at her, to which the
Custodian gave him a cheeky wink. He pinched his brow. He turned to
follow her but the girl carrying on the conversation held his arm,
her expression expectant.
    “So what do you think about the legend of the Unseelie? ” she asked.
    He was reluctant but he turned back to face
the girl at his side. Now that was the question, wasn’t it?
Considering he had spent most of his life training to fight the Unseelie. And now he was protecting the Custodian from them.
They were hardly a ‘legend’ but he couldn’t very well tell her
that.
    “I think they were a very cruel race.”
     
    Faedra hurried down the aisle between the
rows of seats curving in a semi-circle around the auditorium. She
made her way towards the front where the professor was wiping the
board clean ready for the next lecturer. She stood quietly waiting
for him to finish before she interrupted him. He had his back to
her and almost finished erasing the writing when he stopped
mid-stroke. Sensing someone was there, he turned.
    “Excuse me, Professor,” Faedra spoke in
response to his questioning look. “I would like to ask you a
question.”
    “Faedra Bennett, isn’t it?”
    “Yes, Sir.”
    “Well, ask away my dear, I haven’t got all
day.”
    “Erm,” she hesitated.
    The professor raised his wiry gray eyebrows
waiting for her question.
    “I wonder if you might know what something
means,” Faedra continued. “Two words I keep hearing and I’m not
even sure what language they are, but I have a feeling it’s an
ancient one.”
    “Go on,” the professor prompted. Faedra had
piqued his interest now. Ancient languages were one of his
preferred subjects. In fact, he found himself rather passionate
about them.
    “ Samtero kruwos , do you recognize
it?”
    The professor’s eyebrows shot up even higher,
if that were possible, almost reaching the shock of smoky gray hair
that crept down his forehead. Faedra’s heart skipped a beat; it was
obvious by the professor’s surprised expression that he knew what
language she had just spoken.
    He rubbed his chin. “Where on earth did you
hear that?”
    Faedra hesitated, chewing on the inside of
her lip. “Someone called me those words,” she revealed after a
moment, but that was as much as she was willing to give away.
    “Did they now? Although, I find that hard to
believe seeing that it sounds Proto-Celtic. A language that hasn’t
been spoken since around 800 B.C. so we believe. I am part of the
team currently working on the phonology of that long forgotten
language.”
    He eyed her with suspicion. Wondering where a
freshman would have come across a language that obscure, and who
would have spoken it to