The Dark Path Read Free Page A

robes that looked well worn. He had dark hair, cut short.
    “Yes, Sir,” Gen managed with a short bow.
    “Time to eat. It's in the large building next to the north wing of the girls' dorms.” He smiled down at Gen. “I would take ya there, but I'm in a bit of a hurry. Most everyone is headed there so I'm sure you'll find it. Good luck!” He nodded and left the doorway to continue on down the hall.
    Gen looked around the small room. He walked out into the hall and closed the door behind him. He referenced the map he remembered and found the dining hall easily enough. The room was huge, large wooden tables with matching benches lined up throughout. The tables held large pitchers of drink, juice of some kind, Gen guessed. Students picked up empty metal trays and empty mugs, and then sat themselves down in groups. Gen noticed that people mostly sat with others wearing the same colored robes. He took a tray, a mug, and sat off to the side in the back of the room. He didn't like that he was the only one not wearing robes. It made him stand out and he didn't need to stand out just yet. The hall filled quickly, and it wasn't long before the doors at the back of the room opened. Gen looked through the opening and glimpsed a large row of ovens. Young students wearing brown robes came from the kitchen and started setting large bowls of food upon the tables. It was more food than Gen had seen in a long time. Bowls heaping with mashed potatoes, platters covered with what looked to be baked chicken, bowls of green beans, and many other vegetables covered the tables. He waited till last and filled his tray with small portions. It wouldn't do to eat too much; it would only make him fat and slow. He couldn't afford to be slow. He did indulge himself in an extra helping of chicken though, telling himself he needed the extra meat after the light meals he had eaten on the journey here. No one joined him in his corner and he was thankful for it. He ate all he had taken upon his tray. The pitcher at his table held water and he drank his fill. He looked up to find that he was the only one finished with eating. Students seemed to take their time with meals. They talked as they ate or read. The sound of the filled room slowly rose to a roar that made Gen's head hurt. Finally, another student finished his meal. He carried his tray over to the back of the room and slid it into a small slot in the wall. He placed the mug in the slot after it and left the room. Gen waited till several others had done the same, then stood and followed suit. When he left the hall, he found that the sun had set and night was coming quickly. Time for work.
     
    Gen looked down from the roof of the girls' dorms. It had taken a while to find the joints in the stonework deep enough for him to climb, but he had found them. He had been up here several minutes. Finally, he saw who he had been waiting for. Aaron exited the hall, loudly belching and laughing with his friends. Gen followed him from the roof. No one ever looks up. Gen shook his head and followed his mark. He had to drop down after Aaron went into the west wing of the boys' dorms. The crowd was sufficient to hide in, and even though he wore no robes, he found that as long as he walked steadily, the other students paid him no mind. He marked Aaron's room in his mind and quickly left the hall and returned to the roof to wait.
    A few hours later and night had set in fully. The grounds were quiet. Gen climbed down from the roof and quietly eased open the door to the west dorm. There were no lights, but Gen's night vision was good enough that he could make out the walls from the moonlight filtering in the windows at the end of the hall. He found Aaron's room and slowly tested the latch. It opened quietly and Gen whispered thanks to whoever had oiled it recently. Aaron had left the shutters in his room open and the moonlight shone brightly into the room. Aaron lay stark naked upon the simple bed in the room, snoring