by K. M. Shea
If this continues, the strong Houses will begin to prey upon the weak.
That cannot happen. It’s not right, and I believe if it does get to be that bad, magic may collapse entirely.
Why would he think that? I read on, but he skipped answering it, unfortunately.
Which is why we sealed you. With so little magic you will understand what the less powerful Houses have experienced, and you will fight for them.
Fight for them? That was another line I had to re-read twice.
Fighting is not a part of House Medeis. It is so counter to what we have taught—even your mother and I have had it engrained in our hearts since we first learned magic.
You, however, have not.
I blinked in surprise.
He was right, in a way.
My parents hadn’t done a lot to help me when I got picked on, but even though we were a House full of pacifists, they never lectured me for the fights I got in. Not even the time I broke Gideon’s nose and chipped one of his teeth.
Having so little magic backed you into a corner. You had no other option except to fight. And that is why you can change House Medeis—it’s why you are the only one who can change it. We have tried, but it seems like we can only prepare the way for you.
I won’t lie, sweetheart, it’s going to be difficult.
The other Houses won’t want you to protect the others, and they won’t like the change to Medeis. Some might try to harm you.
A few other Adepts in Magiford may suspect what we mean for you to do. We haven’t been outright threatened yet, but I think it’s coming. But it doesn’t matter. As Adepts of House Medeis, it is our duty to protect our family, and to achieve that means we must also do what we can for the wizarding community.
You, Hazel, are the greatest gift we can give, because you can change things for the better.
We’re so sorry for the pain you’ve gone through because of us, for the fights you got into, and for the merciless teasing of others. But you are strong and powerful, and you are what we need more than anything right now.
As your parents, we know this is an unfair burden. Hopefully this letter will be unnecessary, and when you turn twenty-five we’ll tell you about your seal and pass the House off to you—though if things continue as they have, we will try to tell you sooner.
The key to undoing your seal is to have the willpower to end another’s life to protect someone.
It may appear to be an ugly, brutal key, particularly given our House’s historical stance on violence. But I hope after reading this far you’ll recognize the wisdom to it.
Hazel, there is no greater strength than defending another, but the cost for such strength is great. You must be prepared to fight—and indeed kill—for others. You will shed blood, receive injuries, and possibly be criticized for protecting those in need. But magic is no good to us if we do not use it to do what is right and to protect others.
That is the real purpose of House Medeis—of all wizard Houses—to protect. It’s something we have forgotten in our fight for survival, but I hope it is a stance you will take, and teach to all of House Medeis.
Your mother and I love you so much, my darling daughter. You have made us so proud, and we believe that you are the only one who could shake off centuries of tradition. And after seeing what you have endured, I don’t think anyone of House Medeis will reject the idea of protection.
With all our love,
Mom & Dad
I sat at the desk with tears dribbling from my eyes.
This was why…
It hadn’t been out of malice, or for any real political motives. I really wished they had re-thought their plan—or told me about it. But all of this meant my parents were the good people I had believed them to be.
Perhaps even better.
Relief flooded me like my magic. It was all I could do to sit in my chair and let the tears come.
Finally. I was finally free of all those nagging fears and doubts. And it only bolstered my resolve to change things within House Medeis.
We couldn’t continue on as we had. Things had to change, big time.
I cleared my throat and re-read the letter, pausing when I came to a particular line that had bothered me the first time through. We will try to tell you sooner…
Had that been why Mom called me the day they died?
Mom said they wanted to talk…and asked me to meet them at the Curia Cloisters. Did they plan to explain everything to me then?
I scrunched my eyes shut and rubbed my forehead. There was a fresh pain in my heart—going through this had again ripped open the wound of my parents’ death, but there was some happiness as well. I finally had the answers I had wanted, and it was better than what I had feared.
I smoothed the multi-page letter out on my desk, pausing when I noticed an extra note on the final page—a tiny message scrawled at the bottom in the boxy letters of Mom’s handwriting.
PS: We gave the signet ring to someone for safekeeping.
“Huh?” I frowned at that one.
The signet ring was in Tutu’s—until I destroyed it. But the vault was hardly a “someone”.
They must have changed their minds and not bothered to update the letter.
Someone knocked at the door.
“Come in,” I called.
Felix opened the door and poked his head in, his niece, Ivy, hanging from his neck. “Do you have a minute?” he asked.
“Of course.” I smiled, then glanced at Ivy, who grinned bashfully at me. “What’s up?”
Felix held Ivy on his hip with one hand, and ran his other through his silky beautiful blond hair. “There appear to be some vampires watching the House.”
I kept my expression bland. “Where?”
“We’ve caught sight of them lingering at the street corners—always on the opposite side of the street from House Medeis.”
“How long?”
“Since the night you beat Mason.” He grimaced. “Sorry. None of us thought anything of it until we started mentioning seeing vampires to each other at breakfast this morning. We didn’t mean to withhold information.”
I smiled. “I know.” This was also a bigger reflection on how passive House Medeis had become. That they hadn’t even thought vampires strolling around a confirmed wizard neighborhood was unusual was a pretty good indicator of how clueless my House was.
You might be a sourpuss, but thanks for all the training, Killian! I will put it to good use.
“Were they all wearing suits?” I asked.
“The three Momoko and I saw were, but I didn’t think to ask the others. Do you want me to check?”
“Nah, I can ask at dinner. But I’m pretty certain it’s vampires from the Drake Family. Although I don’t know what they want.”
Felix frowned a little—making him look dazzlingly concerned. “Are you sure it’s not out of concern for you? I know you said things ended badly, but—”
“They’re not watching out of personal concern for me,” I said. “If anything, Killian is probably just shocked I successfully beat Mason, and is wondering if I’m on the verge of kicking the bucket. The Paragon probably blabbed about the whole thing the night I arrived—he’d love knowing something Killian doesn’t.”
I busied myself with gathering up my letter.
“If you say so,” Felix said doubtfully.
There were several really awkward moments of silence.
“Can I talk now?” Ivy asked in a whisper that was about as loud as a normal speaking voice.
“Go ahead, Ivy.” Felix—the ever-doting uncle—set Ivy down.
She skipped over to my side of the desk, brandishing her macaroni necklace. “I made this for you a long time ago.”
It was hard not to rub her head like she was a puppy—her enunciation of words had gotten so much better in the few short months I was gone! “All for me? Thank you!”
Ivy passed it over, and I recognized it as the macaroni necklace she’d worn to my parents’
funeral—the one with the metal loop that hung from the bottom to keep it weighted down.
I made a few humming noises of appreciation. “It’s so beautiful! I will treasure it.”
“The Adepts said I had to give it to you,” Ivy said.
Felix and I froze. “What did you say, Ivy?” Felix asked.
“The Adepts,” she repeated in her tiny voice. “They said I had to give it to you. You need it.”
No. It couldn’t be.
I took a closer look at the metal loop, my heart thundering in my chest.
The loop was actually a plain, unadorned silver ring…much like the one Mom wore.
But she had the consort ring, not the signet ring. This wasn’t…it couldn’t—
My chest squeezed as I untied the yarn and removed the ring. My mouth was dry, and I slipped the plain ring on.
Awareness bloomed at the back of my skull. I could feel every room in the House. Momoko’s footsteps as she marched across the front lawn tickled my fingers, and a warm tingly feeling on my palm was someone running hot water.
What was most shocking, though, was that I could finally feel the magic of House Medeis itself. I could feel the dormant magic that lined its timbers and bricks, and I tasted the wild magic that condensed from the air around the property.
The House itself stirred. Floorboards creaked, a few light fixtures shook.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
The House purred in my mind.
“Hazel?” Felix broke through the haze of my shock. “Is that…?”
“Yes.”
“Then the one Mason destroyed?”
I stared down at the silver ring. “It must have been the consort ring?”
“The consort ring is purely symbolic, isn’t it?” Felix asked.
“Yeah. It has some magic to give the consort a connection to the House, but it’s a more modern thing that uses a spell to piggyback off the signet ring’s power.” I confirmed.
“And this has the power of a signet ring?”
“It definitely does.”
Felix stared down at Ivy, his eyes almost popping out of his skull. “She’s worn that thing almost every day, flouncing around in front of Mason. If he had any idea…”
“The Adepts made me promise!” Ivy brightly said. “Shhh, secret!” She shushed us and then giggled.
I let air leak out of me as I stared at my finger. “We should go tell the others.”
Felix made a funny noise.
I finally raised my eyes so I could meet my friend’s gaze. “Because now, I can move up the Ascension date.”
“To when?”
“I’m thinking…tomorrow.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Hazel
Despite every objection and complaint, I got my way, and we moved up my Ascension date to the following day.
No one from House Medeis objected, of course. But the witnesses that were needed to be present from the Curia Cloisters whined pretty much constantly from the time they arrived.
A bunch of wizards from other Houses showed up for the occasion. None that had helped Mason, of course. But there were representatives from a few Houses that lived a few hours away, and a couple of more local Houses that hadn’t been involved with House Medeis before.
I made certain to send invitation emails to everyone on the Wizard Council. The Adept of House Luna made it, and so did the three Houses that had voted with her, but none of the others showed.
A few werewolves skulked around, as well as some wizards who weren’t sworn to a House.
Ascensions were pretty public, firstly because attendees technically weren’t allowed on property during it.
No one was except for the Adept. Everyone—including members of the House—had to camp outside on the sidewalks.
This is because Houses will change with each new Adept. Sometimes it might be something as unimportant as changing up the landscaping a bit, other times it might be as drastic as adding or removing a floor.
Regardless, it’s pretty dangerous to stand on the House’s lawn when it’s going through the change, which is why anyone who wanted to watch could. The street got blocked off anyway, so there was plenty of room.
I narrowed my eyes and carefully searched the crowd.
There—at the very edge of the gawkers I spotted a black suit and bright red hair…
“Are you ready, Adept?” Great Aunt Marraine asked.
She and the other House Medeis wizards were lined up on the sidewalk—as it was their House they were given the best view.
I smiled at her. “Yes.”
“You know the ceremony—you speak to the crowd for a moment before climbing the Beacon and presenting the House with the signet ring?” she asked.
“We went over this at least a dozen times last night, Great Aunt Marraine.”
The older woman flinched. “I know—and I know you know. But…I’ll feel better when you’ve Ascended and the House has officially bonded with you.” Her lower lip trembled before she gave me a brave smile.
I hugged her, and it only took a moment before the doughy woman hugged me back, giving me an extra ounce of encouragement.
She wiped away a tear or two from her eye. “You look very impressive today!”
I grinned—I was wearing white pants with a blue dress shirt, white heels, a white suitcoat with the House Medeis coat of arms, and a white sword belt for my katana. (And yes, I carried my sword despite all the squawks from the Curia Cloisters representatives.)
“Everyone is out of the House, Adept.” Momoko gave me a slight bow, all signs of humor gone. “You may begin the ceremony whenever you like.”
“Thanks, Momoko.”
“Of course. Come on, Great Aunt Marraine—we should join the others.” Momoko guided Great Aunt Marraine to the sidewalk where the rest of House Medeis stood, watching me with a mixture of hope and worry.
I was pretty sure at least a few Medeis wizards were convinced the House was going to punish me for declaring that they were more important than the House. I couldn’t blame them—the thought had occurred to me as well, given that House Medeis was touchy at the best of times.
I stood on the walkway that led from the street sidewalk up to the front porch and cleared my throat. “Thank you to everyone who has come here today to celebrate my Ascension, and this new chapter in House Medeis’s history.” My voice was loud, and I kept my expression fixed and stoic.
“I am so happy that, after the many trials and tribulations that have fallen on House Medeis since my parents’ death, the time has finally come for me to claim my birthright and bond with House Medeis in this Ascension ceremony.”
There were a few guilty looks in the crowd after that—particularly from the Curia Cloisters reps—good. They deserved to feel guilty.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to announce a change I intend to implement to House Medeis.”
That got everyone’s attention. I hadn’t told anyone besides Felix and Momoko what I had planned.
Both of them innocently watched me while the other House Medeis wizards stirred, exchanging lowered whispers and furrowed brows of confusion.
“For years House Medeis has had a culture of peace…and passivity. We generally do not train with our magic outside of school, and we do not train to fight at all.” I paused, meeting the gaze of my senior wizards. “That is a policy we will no longer follow.”
The lowered murmurs became explosive exclamations—mostly among the audience. (The House Medeis wizards seemed preoccupied with gaping at me in shock.)
“Instead, we will train our magic and our bodies. We will become proficient at fighting—not so we can conquer or act as tyrants, but so we can defend, and so we can protect.” I felt some magic slip past my control and make my wizard mark flare. “What has happened to us this year will never happen again. And as long as I breathe, I will see to it that it happens to no other wizard House.”
The silence was deafening.
I c
ould almost taste their rejection, and they didn’t even bother to hide the scowls, shared looks, and elbow nudges.
The House Medeis wizards looked like miserable sheep clustered together, frightened and alone.
This was the right decision. Watching them only reinforced that.
The extreme to which House Medeis had taken our desire for peace made us rot from the inside out. We would still be peace-loving and kind—but rather than passive, our kindness would be ruthless.
I smiled.
It didn’t matter who doubted us, or even if House Medeis ended up hating me as the Adept.
I cared about my family, and I’d do whatever I needed to, to make sure that next time we’d be strong enough to hold on to what was important.
“Thank you for listening,” I finished. “I will begin the ceremony.”
Alone, I walked into the House and climbed the staircase up to the third floor.
The House was silent, and even though I wore the signet ring, it didn’t react to me.
I made my way to a small closet stuck between two doors in the top hallway, revealing a ladder nailed to the wall.
I climbed it and pushed against the wooden trapdoor at the very top, which opened up into the tallest turret in House Medeis.
The turret was open air, circular, and small enough that a really tall human could almost stretch their arms from one side to the other. The only thing in the tower was a stone stand, and a globe of blue magic laced with veins of gold—the House Beacon.
The globe was the center of House Medeis, and the source of all its power.
To complete my Ascension, I had to push the ring into the globe and place my hands on it, solidifying my connection to the House.
I set the trapdoor back in place and edged around the Beacon so I faced the street—and all of House Medeis.
I saw a few people point, then wave to me.
I smiled, even though they couldn’t see it, then took a deep breath and removed the signet ring.
“Okay, House,” I murmured. “It’s your turn. You heard what I said, and I’m pretty sure you can judge my heart. Are we in this together?”
It didn’t respond—but I figured its reply would be in however it morphed the House, so that wasn’t unexpected.