Page 28 of Curse of the Asuune
“Truth time,” Agnus started. “You may not want to hear it but you need to. The reason for the cots in an auditorium is because seven of you will not make it one year. You will either die or be turned into a vampire. This is not to scare you, it is just the truth. I hope we don’t lose any of you but facts are facts.” Agnus pushed her glasses up her nose then continued. “Out of the five that remain two of those won’t make it through the next year. Look to your right, then your left. Get to know these people. They are your new best friends. The best way to survive is to have someone watching your back. There are no heroes, no chosen ones. I know you’ve all met Sarah, some of you even think you know her. Some of you might even have a crush on her. That is her talent. She can make anyone feel like the most important person in the world. My sister was supposed to be here to introduce you and make this smoother but apparently something came up.”
Mark’s stomach sank, was that all it was? Was Sarah giving him a line? For nearly twenty years? Mark thought of all the times Sarah flirted with him, waking up with her on his chest in the hotel room, the hugs goodbye. Was it all a lie? Was he just another new Asuune, one that would probably die in the first two years? Mark started to feel depressed then Agnus started talking loudly again.
“Now with that out of the way let me explain what we expect. We expect you to help out, pay attention and learn how not to die. Most of you, with your new found strength, will help with menial chores such as building houses. The houses are for the few of you that make it through the year. We need experienced plumbers, electricians, things like this. I will determine your job when we speak.” With that Agnus motioned to Charles and he stepped forward.
“My job is to prepare you for the inevitable. I’m not here for combat training. I’m here to teach you how to defend yourself. I’m sure Sarah has explained to you that we cannot kill them. This is what makes it so difficult. I’ll be honest with you, we’re losing this war. That is another reason that you will only be training with me once a week. It is much more important for us to survive and for that we need knowledge. We will provide college level courses in history, many technical vocations and most other things that help us figure out how to win this war. I was in the military, obviously, but I was a construction architect. So I will mostly be teaching you about structural engineering. Pretty much anything else will fall to Agnus or one of her assistants.” Charles gave a strange smile for a man so large. He must really like structural engineering, Mark assumed.
Agnus stepped closer to the recruits and took over again.
“Before we start the interviews I will let you know one thing, I’m not hard to get along with but I do have one rule. I hate swearing and while I can tolerate a slip up now and then, if I ever hear you use the Lords name in vain I will rip your tongue out to teach you a lesson. As most of you know, it will grow back but it will be one of the most painful experiences you have ever had.” Agnus stared around the room and she noticed a few of the younger recruits snickering. These were fairly large men, if you could call a twenty year old a man. Irritation radiated from Agnus and she gripped the clipboard angrily.
Charles could sense Agnus’s annoyance even from behind and was quick to come to her defense. The giant man took a few steps toward them and the men quickly quit snickering.
“For your information, and continued good health, I suggest you respect your elders around here. Agnus may not look like a hardened warrior but she was fighting off vampires before your parents, parents were born. I for one would not want to make her mad. She could take me down in a heartbeat.” Charles then turned around and walked back to his spot.
On the way by, Agnus placed her small hand on his giant arm and said kindly. “I appreciate the support, dear, but I can handle them.”
Charles was quick to answer and in a loud voice replied. “Oh I’m sure you can handle them. I was just worried they might not take you seriously. We don’t want half this year’s recruits in the hospital on the first day. I mean not again.” Charles smiled with his face away from the recruits. Mark was standing off to himself so he could see it was just a tactic to keep them in line. That wasn’t to say that Mark didn’t take Agnus seriously. If Agnus was anything like Sarah, she could probably put them all in the hospital if she chose to. Angus bowed her head and pretended to look at her clipboard but it was clear she was smiling.
“Now we will start the interviews, assign bunks and jobs. Don’t worry, I am fluent in many languages in case English is not your first language.” Agnus then headed over to a small desk with two chairs on one side and one on the other. Somehow Mark hadn’t noticed these when he first walked in. The other new recruits all began to mill around and form a line, Mark took up the rear.
The process started out slowly and picked up quickly as Agnus lost patience with the million questions. Each person she interviewed was set on what they thought was the best use of their talents. By the time she got half way through them the interviews took only a couple minutes. Agnus would listen to a brief description of what the person used to do and assign them a job. Charles was there to usher the person out and hand them their bedding.