The Energy Crusades Read Online Free Page A

rose up in unison when I entered, each turning identical blue-gray eyes toward me.
    Ajax.
    He was here. The name coursed through my blood like a river of familiarity, of home, and of all I had missed and loved. Pieces of me I hadn ' t even realized were missing snapped into place and I felt truly at home for the first time. My heart felt ready to burst with happiness.
    Ajax. All of my earliest memories were tied up with him, this boy who was no longer a boy, the two of us inseparable as children, when even the night hours could not tear us apart and we ' d fall asleep side-by-side, wherever our last adventure had found us, only to wake again and begin our adventures anew. There wasn ' t a centimeter we hadn ' t explored at the University, or down at the beach where the University tapered off, c ulminating in the cliffs leading down to the sea. We shadowed our older brothers, vying for their attention or causing them mischief when we couldn ' t get what we wanted. It was an idyllic childhood, right up until the day Tiergan and I left for the Tennis Academy.
    Tall and lean, he stood before me now, unlocking emotions I hadn ' t known existed. Without thinking, I took a few steps toward him in greeting, feeling a joy bubbling up inside of me. I wanted to burst out laughing and throw my arms around him, such was my happiness upon seeing him. But all of those joyous feelings were quickly quelled when the expression on his face showed no recognition, no happiness, and an almost outright hostility. My insides turned to ice as I reigned in my emotions, angry with myself for even allowing them in the first place. I turned my head away from him as his mother rose to greet me.
    "Professor Baal, thank you for this great honor. Please consider me your humble Student." I bowed to her deeply and fought the feelings of shame at my almost embarrassing display of emotions. I kept my head lowered until she walked over and touched my shoulder, allowing me to meet her piercing blue-gray gaze. She was dressed in royal blue, the color for all Teachers, and even in her energy suit she managed to look regal.
    She said nothing for several moments and then, "Please remove your sunglasses, Kaia." My hand flew to my face and hesitated there. Coach Renier taught me not to remove them, for anybody, and I wasn ' t sure who to obey in this situation.
    "You obey me," Professor Baal answered my thoughts firmly, and I mentally kicked myself for allowing her to enter my mind. I ' d underestimated her simply because she was human and I was used to my Descender coach. I removed my glasses, pushing them up on my head while closing my mind against another intrusion. She studied my face for several moments before speaking again.
    "You no longer answer to Coach Renier, but to me. Do you understand?" I dipped my head, acknowledging her words, and then tried to reach into her mind. She closed it swiftly, giving me mental whiplash as my own mind retreated. A look of surprise crossed her beautiful features and I was able to study her for a moment. She was nearly as tall as the son who stood beside her, and their looks were similar. Her hair framed her face in a short, blunt bob, the pale creaminess of her skin contrasting vividly with the stark blackness of her hair. Ajax's hair, the same inky color as his mother's, was disheveled, sticking up in places and falling in his eyes in others. It looked like he ' d just gotten out of bed and combed his hair with his fingers.
    "Do not underestimate me, Kaia Robi. Do not for one moment think because I am a human, I will be any less accomplished then your Descender coach." It was odd. While her words were harsh to my ears, every sense I got from her was happiness. She didn ' t cover it up. I felt it the moment I saw Ajax. She knew I had reacted to his presence and she was glad for it. I wondered why. He obviously was not glad to see me. He was not happy to be here.
    "There are six members of your Crusade team," she continued. "Each