S: That’s the address for mind adepts who have attained the rank of Master or Master Acolyte, though in case of Eridan, he’s most likely addressing Master Idhron that way because Master Idhron was literally his Master, his teacher.
I: Are you saying Prince Eridan was the High Adept’s pupil?
S: Apprentice. Apprentice isn’t a simple pupil. Many Masters teach other initiates at the Initiates’ Hall, but claiming an apprentice is far more significant. The relationship between a Master and their apprentice is… intimate, I suppose.
I: Intimate?
S: Yes. Everything I’ve heard indicates that the relationship is close, sometimes inappropriately so.
I: Are you implying what I think you are implying?
S: [seems to hesitate] The High Hronthar has its own rules, and our rules forbid a sexual relationship between a Master and their apprentice.
I: I’m not hearing a no.
S: Look, I can only speculate. There were all sorts of rumors about the Grandmaster and his apprentice, but sometimes gossip can be malicious and misleading…
I: But what do you think? Give us your opinion. We understand that it’s just speculation.
S: I don’t want to get in trouble. But… Yes, if I had to make a guess, I’d bet on Eridan using his [censored] to make Master Idhron choose him to be his apprentice. Eridan was nothing but trouble as an initiate. I’d never believe a great Master like Master Idhron would choose Eridan for any other reason.
Now, dear readers, you must keep in mind that our source might be wrong or dishonest. We could not verify his claims as no one else from the Order has come forward so far.
In fact, This Author is certain that our source must be mistaken, and the source’s opinion in no way reflects that of Calluvian Society Gossip. We have only the utmost respect for the High Adept and Prince Eridan, but we thought it was our sacrosanct duty as journalists to keep the public informed and tell the full story, from all perspectives.
***
Master Amara Ghyn Idhron had been part of the Chapter for so long that she liked to think that nothing could surprise her anymore. In her hundred and fifty-two years of life, she had outlasted four Grandmasters, and she had to admit she had become rather detached from the petty politics of the Chapter. She still interfered when needed, but mostly she kept herself apart.
Thankfully, Castien had little tolerance for gossip and favoritism, and the Chapter under his leadership was far more bearable than it used to be in the past. Castien had always been a smart boy, Amara thought. Well, he was not a boy anymore, she supposed, but at her advanced age, anyone younger than sixty seemed like a boy. And in her defense, it was difficult to see him as anything but a boy, because he had been an apprentice of Amara’s own apprentice. Something of a grandchild. A grandchild that both exasperated her and infuriated her at times.
Castien had always been too ambitious for her liking, too manipulative, and absolutely ruthless when he thought it was necessary. That precious boy of his, Eridan, had softened his edges somewhat in ways no one else had been able to do, which was what Amara had hoped for when she had all but forced Castien to finally claim the boy all those years ago. She had been pleased to note that her instincts were correct and that that emotional mess of a boy complemented her grand-apprentice nicely. That was why Amara had been so saddened to learn that the boy had left the Order. Such a pity.
She had been subtly pushing Castien to take on another apprentice, but so far, her efforts had been in vain.
And she was finally beginning to understand why.
Amara looked around the Chapter Chamber, noting the expressions of unease, confusion, and disapproval on other Masters’ faces, before returning her gaze to Castien. His face was as calm and stoic as ever, as if he hadn’t just dropped a bomb in their midst.
Master Zaid cleared his throat, finally breaking the silence. “Let me get it straight,” he said, his voice dripping with lazy sarcasm. “You fucked that boy into imprinting on you, and yesterday he made a spectacle of himself in public, and now everyone on Calluvia is curious about your relationship with him and the Order in general. Marvelous.”
Amara took a deep breath. She was quite fond of Zaid too—he was also her grand-apprentice, the apprentice of her second