In The Beginning by Gail Daley (top 100 books of all time checklist .TXT) 📕

Amber smiled, "Oh yes. I just love this age. They are so full of life and so eager to experience it."

He was soon delighted for another reason as he saw Serle spending more of his free time with Amber. It didn't occur to him or to Amber that Serle seemed to put more effort into charming her whenever Rebecca was around to see it. For her part, Amber was simply dazzled by his attentions.

Serle would have been annoyed had he realized Rebecca saw him turning his attention to Amber with relief. Catrin and Selene were more skeptical of Serle's motives. "I hope he does turn to her," Rebecca said. "I think they would be well suited."

"So why does he pay her more attention whenever you are around to see it?" Selene asked.

Rebecca frowned. "I hadn't noticed that," she admitted.

"He was quite physically affectionate to her the other times I saw them, as well Selene. I wouldn't think the lower tunnels a romantic spot myself," Catrin observed one night at dinner. "But I suppose it's hard to find privacy for courting."

"Do you think he is serious about her?" asked Rebecca, hopefully.

"Well, from what I saw, if he isn't she might end up an unwed mother," Catrin said drily.

Noticing Selene and Tyrel's wide eyed attention, the sisters said no more about Serle's relationship with the new teacher.

Because he didn't trust Serle, Andre also kept an eye on his activities. It didn't take Andre long to figure out Serle was attempting to build a circle of influence. On more than one occasion, Andre observed him attempting to draw Tyrel away from spending time with Selene. Serle met with less success in making a friend out of Tyrel than he had with Amber. In his attempts to encourage the boy to spend less time with Selene, unaware Tyrel was developing a deep affection for her as was Selene for him, he made the error of belittling her to Tyrel.

"It isn't right, sir," Tyrel complained to Andre during one of their weapons training drills. "And it isn't just Draya Selene he says bad stuff about. He says it about some others as well. He's my teacher and it would be disrespectful of me to challenge him about it, but I don't like it."

"No, don't challenge him," Andre said. After some consideration, he added, "I don't trust him, but I don't have any proof of anything. Keep an eye out for what he does and report to me."

Andre and Jors had started the weapons drills with the Town Watch and the new recruits from the village. The drills taught the recruits how to handle weapons, and it kept the regular fighters in training.

During weapons practice, Andre caught Selene watching them with a wistful expression. He beckoned her over.

"Would you like to learn to use a crossbow, too?" he asked.

"Could I?" she asked.

"Well, I doubt if you will ever need to use it in battle, as the girls who intend to become Merc's will, but every girl should be able to handle weapons so she can defend herself," Andre said.

After that, every afternoon Selene and Tyrel put on loose clothing and joined the classes. In a few weeks, she could load and shoot a crossbow and hit a target about half the time. She learned to swing a stick as if it were a sword from the back of a galloping unicorn, load a needle gun and even do a little fencing with blades.

Rebecca and Andre were still spending their evenings hunting for the door to the War Room. "I don't understand," Rebecca said in frustration. "The blueprints say it should be right along here, so, where is it?"

Girlish laughter echoed along the tunnel, and Selene and Tyrel came racing around the corner. "We found something!" Selene said excitedly.

"It's not another empty room, is it?" Andre asked.

"No, sir," Tyrel was just as excited. "This one has stuff in it. Come and see!"

"If they've found it when we couldn't, its going to be embarrassing," Rebecca muttered to Andre, who gave her a wry grin.

"Yeah, but at this point, I'm getting desperate."

The kids drew up at what looked like just another section of blank wall.

"Well?" Andre asked.

"It just looks like a wall, but it isn't, see?" Tyrel thrust his hand through what looked like part of the wall.

"I think it's been spelled," Selene added. "We wouldn't have found it, but I was dragging my hand along the wall. When I reached this place, I almost fell through it."

"We didn't go all the way in, we just looked in," Tyrel said.

Andre and Rebecca exchanged glances. "Okay, just in case there is a trap set, I'll go first. The rest of you stay behind me."

He stepped through the wall and disappeared. "All clear," he called.

"It's awfully dim in here. I wonder if there is a better light—Oh!" as Rebecca had spoken, the room lit up. Mirror-like panels showing the front and back of the outside of the Keep and along the borders burst  to life.

"Look! There is the Trade Station!" Selene exclaimed, pointing at one of the panels.

"And this looks like the tops of the cliffs!"

"But how do they work?" Andre asked, frowning at them.

A disembodied voice, much like Geri's, but deeper, spoke. "Welcome, Draconi, Defender, Seer and Seer's Shield to the War Room of Ironlyn Keep. I have been waiting for your arrival. I am Nicos."

"Greetings, Nicos," Rebecca said after a moment of astonishment. "We have many questions. Ironlyn may soon come under attack, and we will need to defend it."

"Where is his voice coming from?" Tyrel whispered to Selene.

"You cannot see me, young friends. My essence is in these machines."

"Are you like Geri?" Rebecca asked.

"Yes, Geri is a level nine, A.I. I am a level thirteen artificial intelligence. I was built by the scientists who made Ironlyn. Defender, I must know the nature of the danger we face for me to teach you to how to best use the defenses built into this keep."

"We will be facing an attack by