Tokus Numas Read Free

winter. When he had asked why they were coming sooner this year, he was told they had expected a heavy winter and wanted to make sure all were brought to Tokus Numas safely before the snow fell.
    Petro dropped down to the floor, walked over to a wash pan, and splashed water onto his face. He groped around for a towel, dried his face, and ran his hands through his dark hair. He forced himself to look into the mirror and saw that his eyes drooped, that his mouth slightly turned down. He thought he looked a little sad. He shook his head, splashed more water onto his face, and then looked back into the mirror and tried to muster a smile—it was a smile, sort of, if you thought smiles were pursed lips trying to curl up on the sides. He took the towel again, wiped his face dry, and took a white tunic out of his dresser and pulled it over his body. It felt soft against his skin, and his body shivered. He realized it had been cold standing there without a tunic, but now he was able to warm up. He took out his pants and socks, put those on, and pulled on his calf-high boots. He was to meet Dia and Silda out in the gardens for breakfast, but his stomach was in knots, and eating didn’t appeal to him. However, even though his stomach was a little ill, he wasn’t about to disappoint his friends on his last day in Dugual.
    Normally his day was fairly ordinary. He’d get up about this time of day, dress, and head out for a nice, brisk run. Dia and Silda would join him on the occasion, which he liked, but he also liked to run on his own to clear his mind. After his run, he’d bathe and eat with the servants—he didn’t mind being with them. He would, however, join the royal family for breakfast on the first and last day of the week—Princess Dia; her brother, Prince Sid; King Amerstall; Queen Lilith; and, of course, Silda, who was Princess Dia’s companion. After breakfast was his time for learning—he’d study art, language, mathematics, cuisine, and fighting. He enjoyed the fighting and food the most.
    Today, however, was no ordinary day; things would change, and he knew little of what to expect when he got to Tokus Numas. He’d be gone tomorrow, off to the northwestern most part of Spearca, into the mountains to begin his training. The Numas did send a tablet for him to read about them, but he’d never taken any interest in it. He understood that Vetus Sepher, a Numa himself, was to come and see Petro this day and escort him to Tokus Numas and that he would be expecting Petro to have this tablet. Ordinarily that would be fine, but Petro had misplaced it.
    He rummaged through the room, tossing clothes out of the dresser onto the floor and then pulling the drawers out for good measure. He reached back into the dark spaces but did not find it there. The bedding , he thought. Maybe it’s in there. Petro grabbed the comforter and threw it up and over his head, covering his face and then pushing the comforter the rest of the way over until it fell onto the floor. He stripped off the sheets, and still nothing. He put his hands under the bed, lifted it, and still nothing. Then he decided to pull the mattress off and onto the floor. The room was starting to form a large pile in the center, blocking his way to the door, but Petro kept on looking for his tablet . This is really getting annoying, he thought. His first day—well, technically it wasn’t his first day as a Numa, but still he didn’t want to look foolish in front of Vetus Sepher. The man was revered by Queen Lilith, though Petro didn’t know why, and he wasn’t especially curious about it, either. He only wanted to find his tablet, as it was all that mattered for the moment.
    He went to the windowsill and ran his hands over it. Nothing. He looked under the bed, and nothing; and then he crawled under the bed. It was cramped and hard to breath and hard to see as he felt around with his arms stretched out, feeling around on top of the throw rug. Still nothing. Oh , he