"You're not ready to make this choice, Aston," Kirios told me. "And I cannot accept you into this community if you are still in denial about your true nature. Change back into your clothes, and go."
He turned to leave. I felt like I was about to cry. I felt abandoned. I felt terribly alone. I wanted to call after him, tell him I was ready, tell him I could do it, tell him I wanted ... but even now the words stuck in my throat.
Kirios paused in the doorway. He half-turned his head to glance back at me.
"If you wish to speak to me again before you leave," he said quietly, "I will be in the main chamber in the central tower." And then he was gone.
I felt numb. I couldn't believe it. Except that I could believe it, and that was what made it so awful. With no warning, I had been thrust righ
