Poison Rose(Roses & Kings #1)

This is where your induction will take place, if you are able to complete your training.” Sabrina said, when Reyna and the girls entered the town hall, it was four in the evening.

Reyna had just washed up the sweat and grime of the training session she had with Mary, when Sabrina came to take her to begin their training, the other girls were already there outside the village hall when they'd arrived.

Sabrina had said hello to the girls,then asked them to follow her. They didn't stop at the hall, as Reyna suspected they headed directly to the secret room at the back. Reyna didn't sleep much last night. She'd dreamt about the beast, but when she woke up.

She had no recollection of what the dream was about except that he was in it and she was hot all over. The excitement of her first lesson fortunately dulled the hollow feeling she was experiencing this morning.

“You don't look surprised to see the secret room, how long have you known it was here?” Sabrina asked conversational lye, when the other girls gasped and chatted excitedly when they'd enter the secret room. She didn't look angry that Reyna knew about the room, only interested.

“A few years, one year during one of the ceremonies. I decided to come this way, see if there are more portraits or carvings, and I somehow found the secret door to the room.”

“Wow, you're a curious one, careful there, remember the saying, curiosity killed the cat, this is not part of the Roses training just an unsolicited advice, never go to a place you don't know alone. The outside world is a dangerous place and I don't want to see you dead,because of a need to satisfy your curiosity.” Sabrina says serious.

“Thank you Sabrina.” Reyna likes Sabrina, and has always admired her. Sabrina's a skilled fighter, and very beautiful, she's always looked like she's never taken a dump in her life, she's the most sensual, most feminine woman Reyna have ever seen.

And she does it with ease, when she walks it always looks like she swayed or glided, Reyna's sure if she tried to sashaye her hips the way Sabrina does or the other roses do, she will probably look like a duck waddling.

The secret room was just as it was a few years ago, almost empty, except for the tables with a few hundred candles,some vials with wine color liquid inside, weaponry, and the ceremonial red dresses of the sisterhood, and the portraits on the walls.

Reyna and the girls walked around the room, in awe of everything that belong to the roses,Reyna's hand trace the familiar portraits of thirteen women in a circle each holding a thorny rose in one hand, red liquid dripping on the hand up to their elbows, the other hand holding a silver dagger.

Reyna could hear movements of the other girls,she didn't turn to see what they were doing. The girls are friendly, she guesses, and we're ahead of her in the sisterhood training by some months. They'd easily accepted her, involving her in their talks, though you could see that they were a tight knit group .

Reyna liked them, but she wasn't close to them and felt like the odd ball out of them all, the only girl she was friends with among them was Chloe and she hadn't joined them yet. A few seconds later Reyna turned to find Sabrina holding a candle.

The candle was lit, it brightened the room, Reyna turned at the right moment to gasp and gape at the hidden door on the floor with steps that led underground,when Sabrina pulled at a hidden pulley that was secretly hidden in the portrait on the wall.

“Surprised! Didn't know about this? Or did you?” She exclaimed, her smile was smug, Reyna smiled too.

“No! I didn't, why didn't I ever look around?” Reyna's voice was full of awe.

“Come now, girls watch your steps, your training awaits you, you can come back and try to find other secret doors later.” The girls all laughed amicably and descended into the dark underground room.

Sabrina gave them a few lit candles. She had told the girls, they wouldn't be leaving any time soon. The underground room which Reyna now knows is the true rose sisterhood meeting place, not the portrait room above. Was a big room built in the shape of a circle, there are lamps ensconced in the walls. Even with the light the place is still dark and cold.

On the walls are pictures of all the Roses, from the very first Rose sisterhood to present day. Reyna saw a curved screen on the wall adjacent to her, it looked like a television, she didn't know if it was. This one is big and flat, unlike other tvs she'd seen, maybe it just looks like a TV but is something else.

There's a round table with thirteen chairs around it, each seat for a rose she's sure.

Under each Rose picture is a red candle ensconced in the wall atop a candle holder waiting to be lit, and that is exactly what Sabrina did, she lit each and every candle until the room was brightly lit, with hundreds of candles, all red in the holes on the walls.

The girls chatted so excitedly including Reyna, it was a different change from the quiet, gloomy way they behave at the training center. Something caught Reyna's attention, she walked over and stood in front of a picture that looked familiar. It was Marlene Margaret Williams, Reyna's great grandmother and one of the first Roses, she's also the woman who had founded Marlenia. She's really a beautiful woman, with golden blond hair, and her eyes look kind. She doesn't have that jaded look, found in Reyna's mother's eyes, it was then that Reyna noticed a door to the left of Marlene's portrait.

“Where does that door lead to Sabrina?” Her voice was low, not wanting the others to hear her question.

“The dungeon, infirmary, ground floor and other places.” Sabrina stated before dumping a handful of books on the table facing the screen. The girls were busy looking at the pictures on the walls.

“All right girls, have a seat, grab a copy and start reading. Don't just read it and forget about it, you are to memorize everything. After you finish the first book,you can all discuss what you understand about the book. Tomorrow I'll answer your questions, we will do so for the second and third and so on. You need to complete reading these books in five days. On the sixth day we'll spend the whole day discussing these books. I will ask you questions about them, then we'll move on to the next step.

They each pulled a chair and sat down, Reyna's seat was close to Olivia, one of her classmates, much like Reyna Olivia is an introvert even more so than Reyna. There are more than seven books for each girl, the books were thick. But Reyna didn't mind she loves reading.

“But before that let me tell you something about seducing someone girls. This might be too fast for you Reyna, but we haven't much time to train you. So I'm not following the usual rules. You would find everything I'm going to tell you inside this book, but mostly in that one.” Reyna looks at the copy in front of her, with ART OF SEDUCTION embossed boldly in the front cover.

“It's the first book you should read. We're pressed for time, that's why I'm not following the usual method of teaching, I'm rushing you so you can all be ready in a month's time no more, so if you know you can't keep up, get out now.” She waited but none of the girls got up to leave, they looked at each other then back at Sabrina. Sabrina nodded with approval and continued.

“As you will come to understand, seduction is all about body language, the look in your eyes, the pout to your lips, the sway and glide to your hips as you walk. And the way you move every part of your body artlessly with ease for it to seem natural to you. For it to be a part of your makeup." Sabrina walked sensually around them as she explained.

"You don't have to be naked to be seductive. Although it helps greatly when the person you are seducing sees your body it distracts them,sometimes you don't have to seduce real hard when your body can do it for you. That is all. Remember these words I won't be repeating them.”

Wow! Reyna has no idea what Sabrina is babbling on, about and she's not the only one. But she tried to hold onto everything she had just said, it's a lot to take in, when she doesn't even know what seduction means. That's why she was here, that's why they were all here. To learn. Reyna knows she wants them to remember everything, she might probably question them about it later.

“Tomorrow's the fight, Sabrina.” Reyna reminds her. When she remembered she said they should come tomorrow.

“You're right, I've actually forgotten about it, we'll meet next tomorrow then, is that alright with you?”

“It's okay," Reyna replied with a breathy voice. Her eyes are now already on the titles,greedily taking every one in. She loves reading and even though she used to sneak into the library to read. She had always known that all the interesting books had been taken out of there. Sabrina chuckled when she saw Reyna smell the book.

“You remind me a little of myself, when I was going through my training before my induction. I love books too,always will, but recently I haven't got a chance to sit down and read,and now I'm distracting you, don't mind me Reyna, you can begin.”

She then turned and started blowing off the candles, perplexed as to why she would do that after all the trouble of lighting more than a hundred candles she went through, but before Reyna could ask, Olivia did with a confusion.

“Why are you blowing them off?” smiling, Sabrina replied.

“You don't really expect me to leave them on, do you? Because that would be a waste.”

“Then why did you light them?”

“To pay my respects, it's a rose's tradition.”

“Cool.” one of the girls exclaimed.

Reyna nodded and went back to her new books. She spent the remainder of the day reading. The rest of the girls had left an hour ago, Reyna was so engrossed in the book she was reading trying to catch up, that she was startled and made an embarrassing squeaky sound. When she heard a loud thud, it was just Sabrina, she realized belatedly when the beautiful rose came into view, probably coming to check on Reyna just as she said she would.

The underground tunnel was dark and very cold, Reyna was kept warm by the fire Sabrina made an hour ago before she left her to read alone. It's probably why Reyna never realized the drop in temperature as the hours passed and day turned to night.

The village has quieted down with the dark and cold,it has also rained, during the hours she was underground. And she didn't even notice, the ground was wet,muddy and slippery. Everyone was inside except for the occasional guards on duty.

As they walked back to the castle, Reyna could see families silhouetted from the windows curtains as they dined and chatted, their voices low from this distance. There was no joyful laughter, no excited chatter as she suspected would happen when one dined with their family.

There's something deeply disturbing about the behavior of people in this Queendom with the exception of people like the Jenna's. Reyna's still befuddled that she's the only one who could see that. No, that's not true her Nana could also see it too,but she guessed she didn't think it was something worth worrying about.

“Thank you Sabrina, I had a great time because of you.” Reyna's voice sliced through the still night when they reached the second floor of the castle. Sabrina also lived in the castle, all of the Roses do, they lived in the east wing.

“It is my pleasure princess, I will see you on the training grounds, wish you luck on your fight.”

“Thank you and good night.” Reyna said all her earlier elation was gone. Tomorrow is the fight. They parted, each going to their respective places.