by Kova, Elise
Come morning, she was ready to face the test if for no other reason than to have something to focus her mind on. Eira could be her own worst enemy when left alone.
She was the first to arrive, nearly an hour early. Mister Levit was already there and he permitted her to have the seat of her choice. Eira picked one off to the side and toward the back. She wanted to see everyone else who came in.
Other Waterrunners slowly filled the tables. There appeared to be thirty of them in total that signed up—the largest contingent compared to Groundbreakers and Firebearers. Fifteen would be cut today. Eira could pin about five or six who had no chance, just based off her brief interactions with them in classes.
Marcus entered, sun shining off his hair in a way that made it look almost as light as hers. The way he strode in with purpose, shoulders back and chin high…he walked like a prince. He’d no doubt been studying Cullen. Eira could almost hear the whispers and swooning of ladies in the stands, and she fought rolling her eyes.
His gaze swept to hers and Marcus gave her a small nod, one Eira returned. To him, it was likely a gesture of a plan they both knew. For Eira, it said, Let the games begin.
“You will have one hour to complete the exam. If you finish early, you may bring your exam up to me. Once you stand from your seat, you may not sit again. Any cheating or…” Mister Levit began to go through his explanation as the assistants passed out the written portions. He changed the examination each day with the help of the Master of Tome from the library. That way it was impossible for anyone to relay answers.
Eira ran her nail along the corner of the page, heart racing.
“If there is nothing further, Waterrunners, you may begin.” Mister Levit flipped a large hourglass and Eira flipped her pages.
There were seventy-five questions in total. Each question had a blank for the answer; some were just a word, some demanded a few sentences. Eira skimmed them, turning the pages over.
That’s it? She blinked. She’d been expecting more. She’d been hoping for an actual challenge.
Eira dove in.
Capital of Meru? Risen. Primary religious organization? Faithful of Yargen. Other kingdoms once a part of Meru? The Twilight Kingdom and Kingdom of the Draconi. Average lifespan of the elfin? About 175 years. Magic? Oh, they didn’t give her nearly enough space to write about Lightspinning.
Her quill flew across the page, nearly scratching holes with her ferocity. Before Eira knew it, she’d answered every question. Nearly breathless from the cocktail of nerves and excitement, she looked up, expecting the time to be expired and most others to have turned in their papers.
Only about ten minutes had passed.
Eira looked back down at her work and inhaled deeply. She should check her answers. But Eira had a strict policy when it came to her studies—never second-guess herself. Whenever she doubted her gut, it usually resulted in her changing from the correct answers. The first choice was usually the right one.
Setting down her quill, Eira stood and gathered her examination.
She could feel the eyes of her fellow apprentices and those assembled. Marcus was right—she hated the feeling. The papers crumpled slightly in her fingers as her grip tightened under the weight of her nerves.
Eira was nearly at the stage when the ambassadors and their guards emerged from the palace doors. She faltered, staring at them. They were early today. They usually didn’t come until about halfway through.
Mister Levit held out his hand expectantly. It prompted Eira to gather every last scrap of her courage and ascend to the top of the stage. She handed the papers to her teacher.
“You’re sure?” he whispered, hardly moving his lips. Eira gave a small nod and he picked up his quill, scoring it right before her.
The elfin approaching were a welcome distraction. Today they were fitted with clothes that matched the tailored styles of the Solaris Empire instead of the swooping necks and dropped sleeves of Meru. Ambassador Ferro had lightly teased his dark green hair back, placing his ears even more on display. Between the clothes and hair—or perhaps just up close—he looked younger than Eira expected. He looked even younger than Mister Levit. Only a few years older than her, if she had to guess.
But he was elfin, a people graced with unnatural youthfulness. He could be fifty for all Eira knew. The weight of a second set of eyes drew her attention to Ferro’s right. The same guard he’d had yesterday was there, peering a hole into Eira. She quickly brought her eyes back to Mister Levit.
“Someone’s already finished?” Cordon appraised as he drew near. “Didn’t the examination only begin ten minutes ago?”
“It did. But Eira is one of my best students,” Mister Levit said proudly. He was on the last page. Eira had completely missed how the first two pages scored.
Ambassador Ferro stepped to the side, folding his arms behind his back and looking over Mister Levit’s shoulder. His face was passive and betrayed no emotion. His violet eyes flicked up to her.
“Eira, was it?” he asked with the smooth accent of Meru.
She nearly melted in place. “Y-yes?”
He just nodded, mostly to himself, and strode off to the far side of the stage to look out over the apprentices still testing. His guard followed and the two engaged in a whispered conversation.
“All right, then.” Mister Levit stood, papers in hand. He showed them to Cordon, who let out a low whistle and then gave her an assessing look.
Eira folded her arms before her, afflicted with a sudden wave of discomfort.
Mister Levit handed the paper to the Groundbreakers by the board. They exchanged a few words. She held her breath as her name magically appeared, embossed in stone, at the top of the board.
Eira Landan - 75
A perfect score. She’d passed the first trial.
9
“Well done,” Mister Levit whispered as he sat.
Eira turned, descending to the back wall underneath the risers that circled the Sunlit Stage. She tried to ignore the glares her fellow apprentices were shooting her. If looks could kill, she’d be skewered several times over.
Out of the sunlight, Eira could breathe a little easier. The shade was a familiar place for her to be in. Relative darkness was a cool and welcoming embrace. Eira tucked her hair behind her ears several times and waited, watching, as the rest of them finished.
One by one, other apprentices went up. They turned in their papers and Eira watched their names shuffle on the board like cards. But one name didn’t move—hers.
Her fellow Waterrunners formed packs along the back walls. They murmured with hushed breaths, glancing her way. But none of them crossed the gap to her. Eira thought of globe-trinkets she’d seen at the Festival of the Sun last year, filled with water and fake snow. She had an invisible sphere like that around her always. A barrier that kept others away…even Marcus.
When he finished, he went to a group of friends, met with pats on the shoulder and praise. He ended up ranking fourth, all told. The closest person to Eira scored sixty-four out of seventy-five correct.
“That concludes today’s examination,” Mister Levit announced when the last name appeared on the board. “Congratulations to the competitors who are moving on. There will be a special dinner held in the Tower tonight just for you all, where you’ll learn about the details of the second trial.”
The clapping of those assembled, cheers and reassurances, faded away. Eira’s eyes had drifted to the stage, where Ambassador Ferro still stood, leaning against a column, arms crossed. His gaze was locked on hers and, for a breath, the world stopped.
It was as though she could almost feel him in the back of her mind searching for something she didn’t know if she wanted to give, whispering quietly for entry. The icy barriers that were just under her skin thickened, pushing away the sensation. His mouth quirked into a smirk. Eira gave a tip of her head and he returned the motion.
Ferro pushed away from the column, his guard’s eyes flicking back to Eira twice as
they left.
“Mother above, woman, a perfect score!” Alyss nearly tackled Eira to the ground with her embrace. Eira was so focused on Ferro that she hadn’t even noticed they’d begun to clear the Sunlit Stage. “I knew there was no chance you wouldn’t pass but this proves you’re someone to watch out for.”
“They’re doing more than watching me.” The glares had yet to stop.
“Ignore them, they’re just jealous.” Alyss linked her arm with Eira’s and began leading them back toward the Tower. “Now, you mentioned wanting to show me something the other day?”
“Oh, right.”
“Since we have the rest of the day free, why not now?”
They went back to the Tower. Eira tried to set a slower pace than Alyss’s excitement wanted. As they returned, apprentices were settling in for their afternoon sessions—lessons and practicals. The library was full as they passed, as was the Waterrunners’ workroom.
Eira brought a finger to her lips as they approached the archway that was open to the workroom. An instructor’s voice echoed down the hall to them. Glancing around, Eira lifted a hand. She felt the moisture in the air shift at her beckoning. The light wavered ahead of them and a thin, watery line appeared between the opening to the workroom and storeroom.
Any apprentices in the workroom who had a view of the storeroom would continue to see the door shut tight and an empty hall. An illusion obscured the truth. Eira and Alyss slipped behind her magic facade, opening the door wide enough to sneak in. She shut it softly behind them and relaxed her powers.
“All right, the sneaking has my attention,” Alyss whispered.
“As will this.” Eira went to the back corner. She was getting familiar with where the lever was, and the door had been opened and closed so many times that the hinges were silent now.
“What in the Mother’s name?” Alyss stared at the secret room.
“Come on, before anyone checks the storeroom.” Eira had already squeezed around the barrel and into the room, holding out her hand for Alyss. When her friend was in, Eira shut the door behind them.
“How did you? Why? What?”
“I found it by accident. I don’t know why this room is here, or what it was used for.” Eira attempted to answer her friend’s questions in order. “Well, sort of don’t know what it was used for. I know another Waterrunner was here, at least based on these journals.” Eira took one of the journals off the shelf.
“This…Eira, this is dangerous magic.” Alyss flipped the pages. She paused on one. “Can Waterrunners do this?”
“I’m not sure, I haven’t tried.”
“Nor should you. It’ll just spell trouble if you fill your head with wicked ways to use magic.” Alyss closed the journal and put it back on the shelf. “I don’t know who was here but they—” She stopped, distracted by the opening in the back of the bookcase. “What’s back there?”
“I don’t know.”
“You haven’t explored it?” Alyss gasped.
“It looks like a natural passage so I was worried about getting stuck. I didn’t dare proceed without my favorite Groundbreaker.”
“Well, all right then, let’s go.” Alyss grabbed the candle on the desk and lit it.
“And here I thought the room was off-putting to you.”
“It’s a bit creepy, only because of those journals of magic that borders on torture.” She pointed to the bookshelf. “But flattery is going to get you everywhere, Eira. Trust your favorite Groundbreaker and we’ll explore.”
Eira laughed and squeezed into the passage behind her. The uneven floor was damp and slick. The rocks shifted under Alyss’s feet, always giving her sure footing. Eira followed suit, using her magic to allow an icy chill to radiate off her shoes. She left behind frozen footprints as arcs of ice covered her boots and melded with the floor.
The silence was heavy in the tunnel, almost eerie. Eira wasn’t sure why, but she had the distinct sense that they were the first souls to traverse this path in many years. The candle Alyss held only gave them a small aura of light to see by, so the void they marched into set her thoughts racing with a mixture of fear and excitement of what would finally emerge from the darkness.
They came to a fork in the tunnel.
“Which way?”
“Let’s go down.”
“Farther into the depths? Crazy woman.” Alyss shook her head but carried on downward. Thick algae covered slick, rough-cut steps that opened up to a large underground spring. Alyss’s breath collected as white in the air. She spoke with chattering lips. “We must be in the heart of the mountain now.”
“Maybe. Come on, let’s go back. There’s no way forward here.” At least not for Alyss.
As the light retreated, Eira stayed focused on the perfectly clear, icy waters. Deep beneath the glassy surface was an underwater tunnel. Where did it lead? And did a Waterrunner dare to explore those dark depths?
They backtracked, heading up the other fork in the road. The passage came to an abrupt opening in a dust-covered hall. A statue was slid to the side of the opening, thanks to a hidden mechanism on the floor.
“Where are we?” Alyss whispered as she set down the candle on one of the wide windowsills by the opening.
“Somewhere long forgotten,” Eira murmured. There were no signs of anyone having existed here for years. Yet they still spoke with hushed tones. As if by being too loud they’d scare the ghosts.
“This looks like the former emperor.” Alyss stopped by a faded and cracking portrait. Oil had flaked off to the floor like dying flower petals.
“Earlier.” Eira pointed to an inscription. “That’s the last of the Solaris kings.”
…I don’t see any mark of Adela though… The whisper came from the painting. Eira inhaled sharply.
“What is it?” Alyss asked.
“Nothing, just, distracted.” Eira shook her head.
“Voices?”
“Yes.” Eira didn’t dare say what she’d heard. To say the name of the pirate queen aloud was to bring misfortune and ill luck on you and everything dear to you. That was the lore the sailors had drilled into her down by the docks and beaches of Oparium.
Alyss seemed to pick up the need for a shift in topic. “Do you think these used to be the royal apartments?”
“Perhaps.” Eira shrugged. The palace of Solaris had been built into the mountain, and then built on again. There were certain to be many forgotten places and passages over the years.
“I wonder how long they’ve been abandoned.”
“It may be in a book somewhere on the history of the palace…the date the current imperial quarters and their ostentatious gate were finished.”
“Careful,” Alyss playfully scolded. “It’s rude to insult the royals and their tacky obsession with gold.”
Eira laughed softly. But too quickly, the silence and oppressive atmosphere swallowed the sound.
They walked among forgotten specters, past bedrooms and parlors. The only occupants had been rats and spiders for decades. Still, it was a capsule of history. A more accurate representation of the end of the Solaris Kingdom and early Empire than any book or painting could ever portray.
The voices of the people who had once lived here filled her ears. Her jaw was set against the sounds of every painting, curtain, and decrepit piece of furniture trying to say something all at once.
…Father, do you have time now?…
…come to me…you are able, my love…
…show me, Solaris… The icy voice. She’d been here, whoever she was. Eira paused, looking around a small parlor and waiting to see if the disembodied speaker had anything else to say.
“What is it?” Alyss asked.
“Another voice. It’s nothing.” The icy woman was gone once more. But others filled in the silence as she walked. Alyss cast more than one worried stare.
…Don’t play games!…
…there wouldn’t be adornments in an escape passage…
Eira rounded the corner o
f the hall and froze, Alyss bumping into her.
“What the—” Alyss stopped mid-sentence.
A pair of bright blue eyes turned to them. The woman was standing at one of the doorways, still as a tomb. She had dark hair, pulled into a high bun, and a severe, unforgettable expression. Eira had met these eyes merely an hour or two ago.
“Eira Landan and another Tower apprentice,” Ambassador Ferro’s guard said softly. “I thought the rats were a little too noisy today.”
“We’re sorry! We’ll be going now!” Alyss grabbed Eira’s arm.
“What’re you doing here?” Eira dared to ask.
A smirk cut the guard’s lips. “I should ask you the same. This is a forgotten place of fate, not meant for people like you.”
“That’s why we’re leaving now. So sorry. Let’s go, Eira.” Alyss tugged and Eira felt the earth tremble under her friend’s determined steps. They dashed back to the long hall they’d entered from.
Alyss’s hasty footsteps didn’t stop until they were all the way back in Eira’s room in the Tower. For once, Eira was sitting and Alyss was pacing, looking over her shoulder every now and then. She twirled a piece of wood in her fingers, too anxious to carve it.
“I don’t like it. Nope. I don’t like any of it.” Alyss shook her head several times.
“What was all that about?” Eira finally demanded.
“Something we don’t want to know.”
“What?”
“Eira, think, and don’t let your fascination with Meru cloud your judgment here.” Alyss rubbed her temples. “There’s a secret room with really, really shady magic outlined in journals that were probably locked away for good reason. This secret room has a secret, secret passage connecting to what looked like old royal apartments? Either way, it’s all been long forgotten, and hidden, likely for a reason. And then there’s one of the two elfin in all of the Empire who just happens to be wandering those abandoned halls because who knows why.”