As Aurie moved up towards the open door, she tried to keep her head down. But when the attendant noticed, he pointed directly at her. His eyes had a hazy fog to them, as if he was under some sort of enchantment.
"This gondola is closed to you for safety reasons," he said in a monotone voice.
"I can go up in the next car then?" asked Aurie.
The attendant blinked and repeated, "This gondola is closed to you for safety reasons."
The other people in line and in the car began to notice that something was wrong. Aurie felt the gaze of many eyes upon her.
"I'm here for the Merlins. You're supposed to take me up," said Aurie, trying to project a confident pose.
The attendant appeared to fight the enchantment for a moment, but the magic took over. "This gondola is closed to you for safety reasons."
"What safety reasons?" Aurie demanded. "I saw her spray something in your face. She's put a spell on you because her daughter doesn't like me."
Murmurs rumbled up from the silence behind her. People were either asking for the line to move or what the safety reasons were. It wasn't the first time people had made assumptions about her due to her looks, but it'd never come at such a delicate time.
The attendant opened and closed his mouth like a fish drowning in air.
"See?" Aurie said to the crowd. "He's fighting it. He knows it's bullshit too."
A few people looked away, and she thought she might be winning the argument, until someone shouted from the back: "I'm not getting on the gondola with her if it's not safe."
The spark lit the crowd as if it were tinder. Suddenly, people were shouting, making demands about their safety, and pushing her away from the open door. The parents were the main offenders, claiming they hadn't paid this much money to risk their kids. Aurie tried to claw her way towards the gondola, but there were too many against her. In no time, she was standing at the back of the line, with dozens of eyes glaring at her.
Someone shouted, "Go somewhere else! You're not wanted here."
The laughter that followed was a cold knife to her heart. She stumbled out of the station. It was too far to another designated gondola and at least four miles to the Spire, not including hundreds and hundreds of stairs.
A burst of sunlight hit the windows on the upper portion of the Spire like a starting signal. The massive building was at least the size of four skyscrapers bonded together. The upper portion swirled into the sky and on cloudy days would disappear into it. Aurie took off at a run, thankful that she hadn't worn her boots.
Not long after the first mile, Aurie regretted not having a larger breakfast. The whole time her legs burned, but each time she thought about slowing down, she imagined not getting into the Hundred Halls, and pushed harder.
As she neared the Spire, the landscape changed. She had to climb stairs to move upward. She wasn't familiar with the streets, so when she came to a decision point, she was afraid the wrong path would lead to her being late.
The whole time she ran, a clock ticked in her head. She might have cried during the run, but it was hard to tell since she was soaked with sweat.
But as she neared, a kernel of hope formed. The last gondola had passed her a few minutes ago, but she knew there was a little more time.
Then she ran into a construction roadblock at the head of a long archway. A group of Stone Singers were modifying a bridge that connected the road to the inner Spire platform. The chorus of voices rose and fell in a somber dirge that made Aurie's ears itch.
The road ahead was curling back towards the singers, drawn by the magic in their voices. The concrete bent as if it were merely rubber that would spring back into shape.
The head of the construction unit yelled at her to stop, but Aurie kept running. She climbed up the curl, trying to make it to the top before it tipped over. She pulled herself up and was confronted with a gap. The inner platform was about ten feet away, and maybe fifteen feet below her. She hesitated for a moment when she realized that if she missed, she'd fall another forty feet to the lower street.
Aurie leapt before the gap grew too large. She hit the concrete hard, rolling onto her side and slamming her shoulder. With a grimace, she climbed to her feet and soldiered on.
The last flights of stairs into the Spire were the cruelest. Each step was a fire in her gut, in her thighs. She was dizzy from hunger, but forged on.
Finally, she reached the proper floor. The registration hall was empty except for a few parents milling about near the elevators. A few attendants were starting to break down the tables and put the computers in rolling boxes.
Aurie ran up to the nearest one that was still connected. "I'm here. I'm here."
The attendant, an older woman with a streak of gray in her brown hair, glanced towards the hallway at the other side of the room.
"You're late," she said, with brow furrowed.
"There was...it doesn't matter. I need to sign in. I preregistered," said Aurie frantically, feeling as if the world was collapsing around her.
"Name?"
"Aurelia Maximus Silverthorne."
The woman shrugged, leaned down, and typed into the computer, shaking her head the whole time as if she thought it was a waste of time.
"Yep, all registered," she said, handing her a pin to attach to her shirt.
Aurie started to run, but the woman stopped her, pointing to an impressive tome. A feather quill in an ink pot sat next to the book.
"Sign your name, and list the halls you want," she said.
With a shaking hand, Aurie scribbled her name. She'd barely written Arcanium on the section beneath her name when the woman said, "Run now. They're closing the door. You're not going to make it."
Aurie dropped the feather and took off at a sprint.
The woman shouted, "Run! Run!"
Aurie had never run so hard or so fast in her life. The hallway seemed to stretch on forever, but she churned her legs, pushing past the burning, past the pain, past the fear. At the end of the hallway were massive rune-marked double doors.
The doors were closing. They were almost closed. She didn't even have time to yell.
Aurie slipped through at the last moment, the edge of the door brushing her bruised shoulder. She'd made it. She was inside. She could join the trials of magic.
Chapter Ten
Pi lingered at the Hall registration with the quill perched on her fingertips for a good minute. On the first line of the form, she'd written "Coterie of Mages" in a messy scrawl. Despite what she'd said to Aurie, Pi had no intention of listing a safety school. At the time she'd thought she'd rather wait another year if she didn't get into Coterie. But her sponsor had warned that if she didn't get in this year, his offer was retracted.
Eventually, she scribbled down Arcanium. Not because she wanted to. Mostly she did it because that's what she'd told Aurie.
When she passed the runed doors and entered the welcome hall, Pi searched around, expecting to find Aurie waiting for her. When she didn't see her sister within the area right inside the room, Pi began to worry. It wasn't like Aurie to not be stupidly early.
The welcome hall was a huge area that could hold a couple thousand people at least. A platform sat at the center of the circular chamber. At locations around the outside wall, interspaced between the huge windows, large blank tapestries hung. It gave her a moment of dislocation when she realized that the windows revealed the city in a round, yet she'd run down a long hall to reach the room, which meant the doors had teleported her to another level in the Spire.
Pi decided that Aurie had gone to the bathroom or seen someone they knew from Freeport Games and had gone exploring. So Pi wandered around, checking out the other potential students. Blue-robed attendants circulated through the room, answering questions from the other initiates.
The nervous energy was palpable. She could almost taste the fear in the room. Most of the others were talking in small groups, barely making eye contact with each other.
Few looked as c
onfident as she felt. A handsome dark-skinned guy wearing a martial arts outfit stood alone with his hands resting on the knot of his black belt. He winked when they made eye contact.
A pair of twins, tall, nearly albino, and probably Scandinavian, practiced their finger exercises, doing mock battles with each other, playing Five Elements. Pi thought they might almost be as good as she and her sister were when they played.
Near the runed doors, Pi spied a blonde girl in a light blue running outfit that didn't look intimidated by the situation. She thought about going up and talking to her, since she looked like the kind of girl that would be in Coterie, but a beautiful and heavy woman with long honey-brown hair, wielding a twisted oaken staff, announced that things would be starting soon and that everyone needed to pay attention.
Pi looked around frantically. Why hadn't she seen Aurie yet? Was something wrong?
When Aurie slid through the doors right before they closed, Pi almost let out a cheer. Her sister was drenched in sweat, all the way through her jeans and tank top. The students nearest wrinkled their noses in her direction and stepped away.
Pi wanted to go check on her and find out what happened, but the instructor on the platform banged her staff against the hard wood, silencing the chattering.
"Attention please. I am Professor Delight," said the instructor, eliciting a few whistles from the crowd. "Yes, please. Do that again and you'll find your balls shriveled to the size of pine nuts for the next year."
At a few locations in the crowd, there was pushing and shoving as students tried to get away from those that had made the catcalls. Pi hoped that Professor Delight was a member of Coterie, but didn't expect it since there were so many halls.
"Congratulations, potential initiates!" said Professor Delight. "You made it here today. Know that only one in a hundred are invited to attempt the Merlins."
She paused, and the space erupted into raucous applause. Pi looked over to share a smile with her sister, but Aurie looked like she was still recovering from whatever had kept her.
"One in a hundred. Which, I might add, is not why we call it the Hundred Halls," said Professor Delight. The crowd chuckled at her comment. She was a skilled presenter. Pi thought she could listen to her all day.
"You made it. You're here. That's the good news. The bad news is that not all of you get to stay. But you knew that coming here. Well, I hate to say it, but the bad news gets worse. The Merlins are not only a chance for you to prove that you can make it in the Halls, but the hall of your dreams has to want you in return. Unfortunately, the number of spots available is the lowest it's been in fifty years. There will be far fewer getting into the Hundred Halls than in the past. I can make it simple for you. Look to the person closest to you on your left. Look to the person closest to you on your right. Only one of you can get in," said Professor Delight, then she paused for effect.
Concerned murmuring rose from the crowd. The professor slammed her staff twice, silencing everyone.
"That's right. Only one in three will get in, maybe less if the halls don't find candidates that fit their requirements. So I hope you cocky ladies and gentlemen didn't put just one hall on your list. I've seen it happen before, where an initiate who scored very high on their Merlins wasn't matched with a hall because they'd only written one name. If that's you, good luck, but I'll probably be seeing you back next year.
"As for the Merlins, know that the number of the trials shall be three, and three shall be the number of the trials. No more, no less," she said, an amused smile on her generous lips.
The scattered laughter around the room told Pi who her fellow nerds were. She was pleased to see the dark-skinned guy in the martial arts uniform chuckling. Blonde ponytail was definitely not amused, and seemed to be glaring at the others around her.
"The trial will test not only your skills, but how you solve the problems given," she said, raising her voice for emphasis.
Professor Delight turned in a slow circle, letting the assembly chew on the information.
"You might wonder why you didn't know this before. Mostly because we're cruel and capricious—that means fickle for you C students—but mostly because we want to know the true you, and that can only happen in times of crisis. What kind of student are you? How do you choose to wield your magic? And have you actually bothered to prepare? You also didn't know this because every student who's ever taken the Merlins has been enchanted not to spill the beans, and because we change them every year."
Professor Delight put a hand on her hip while the other one held the staff confidently. Pi glanced over to her sister, hoping to get eye contact and share a bit of excitement, but Aurie was busy staring at the blonde girl in the light blue track suit with supreme animosity. When the brief staring match was over, Pi made a gesture with her hands, asking about the girl, but then the professor started up again.
"Some of you have been wondering how you can wield your magic in the Merlins without risking faez madness. For today only, you will link to one of the patrons of the Hundred Halls. With great pleasure"—and she said the word as if it truly gave her pleasure—"I introduce the patron of Arcanium, Semyon Gray."
The polite applause that followed was cut short when what looked like a miniature supernova exploded above Professor Delight's head. Everyone ducked in unison.
When Pi looked back to the center, an attractive dark-skinned older man with short hair and a lightly graying goatee was standing next to Professor Delight. He wore dark robes over his gray suit, and surveyed the room with the sort of intense stare reserved for picking out weapons before a duel.
Patron Gray spoke in a light British accent that had probably been blunted by long years in the States. "Welcome, potential students. You are, without a doubt, nervous but thrilled to be here. You're looking forward to passing your Merlins and joining the ranks of the Halls. I'm sure Professor Delight has filled you with the expectations of success, but I'm here to give you the reality. Magic is dangerous. Not just dangerous, but deadly. The Merlins are not designed for safety. They are designed to test you to the very edge of your ability. Potential students can and have died during the Merlins."
A smattering of people made shocked noises, but Pi wasn't one of them. She and Aurie had talked about it at length. The language was pretty clear in the preregistration about the Hundred Halls not being responsible for any liability, in any situation, period. There was a lot of legal analysis online that explained the patrons, or anyone associated with the Hundred Halls, could practically murder you and get away with it.
"Those that are having second thoughts about the trials may leave at any time by going to the runed doors, placing both hands on them, and saying 'I am defeated' three times. You will not be missed," he said.
The nervous laughter that had been present during Professor Delight's portion was long gone. Everyone around Pi looked like they'd just found out their dog had died. Pi was actually refreshed by his honesty. Of course, she'd summoned a major demon and pledged her soul to a city faerie in the last twenty-four hours, so maybe she was a little more prepared to hear it.
Once Semyon realized that no one was going to move, he continued, "Now, if no one is going to be brave, I will be your patron for the day. So open yourself to your magic, let it collect into your fist, and hold it up high. When you feel the tingling in your arm, pull the faez back inside of you. Do not let go. It will feel uncomfortable for a little while. Once the link is there, and you will know when it is, you may put your hand down. If I have to perform the link a second time, I will be unhappy. Ready, begin."
Hundreds of fists were immediately thrust into the air, followed by even more. Pi joined them, letting the faez collect until her hand looked coated with glowing honey. Patron Semyon rotated slowly. As he faced her, a tingle formed in her arm. She retracted the raw magic back into herself, and the tingle turned to needles. It felt like she'd fallen asleep on her whole body. But she didn't let go and after about twenty seconds, a wave of pleasure rolled through
her, and she let a gasp out.
Pi laughed a little and let her arm fall. The others around her were doing the same. Everyone had the same wide-eyed elation.
"I could do that again," she said to no one in particular.
After Semyon finished a single rotation, there were about fifty fists remaining in the air.
"Those of you who failed to follow directions, please come forward and group right here," he said.
Once they had gathered, he made a few elaborate finger gestures—so fast that Pi couldn't determine the nature of spell—and suddenly a list of names appeared on blank tapestries around the walls. After each name was the same number: -200.
"You see the names on the wall. These are the names of the simpletons before me. For their inattention, or inability to follow directions, they have been docked two hundred points. Every year we get a few, but this might be the most I've ever had, which does not bode well for the rest of you. As you compete in the trials, you will be scored. Your scores will be recorded on the tapestries. If you do not meet the minimum cutoff at the end of each round, you will be released. If your score is too low to reach the upper third, you will be released. And last, the lower your score, the less of a chance you will be selected by your desired hall, or even at all. For example, I regret to inform those of you that wish to join the Arcanium that we only have twenty slots this year. So good luck, and report to the red door on the other side when your name flashes on the tapestry."
As Semyon turned to finish linking to the group of unhappy initiates, Pi ran to her sister and gave her a hug. She ignored her sister's sweaty shirt.
"Are you okay? Are you sick or something? I freaked out when you weren't in here before me," said Pi.
Aurie pressed her palms to her eyes. "I'll explain later. I just need a little—"
But the whole place quieted as a name flashed up on the tapestry nearest the door. Anton Smith. Then the name moved to the next one over, and a new name appeared. Cinder Appleton. As new names appeared, they moved around the room. Then as the novelty began to wear off, Aurie's name appeared.
Trials of Magic Page 5