Nocturne

by Natalya Capello

  Nocturne

  A Novella From The Ballad of Emerald and Iron

  Natalya Capello

  NOCTURNE

  A Ballad of Emerald and Iron Novella

  Natalya Capello

  Nocturne © copyright year Noree Cosper

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

  * * *

  Illustration by Jackson Tjota. Typography by Christian Bentulan.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  About the Author

  1

  Today was the Trial of Fire. Lorelei hoped she was ready for it.

  She rubbed her palms against her skirt as she glanced around the classroom at her fellow students. Two sidhe girls sitting at the long wooden table in front of her leaned close to one another, giggling and whispering to each other. They didn’t seem fazed at all that this was one of the five major trials to advance from a Third Circle Initiate to a Second Circle Initiate. Of course, they didn’t have wild mishaps happen when they sang their spells.

  As a Lyrist initiate, Lorelei’s songs were carefully crafted spells that invoked magical applications. However, Lorelei’s spells barely worked how they were supposed to.

  Lorelei closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath and counted to fifty. She could do this. She’d spent most of the night reading through the textbooks and memorizing the lyrics. She’d even practiced a few and could hold the visions off for a few seconds. Hopefully, it would be enough to pass. She needed this.

  She had to prove that she was capable to her House, especially since her sister Freya would be graduating to Magus this year. Freya had breezed to the first of the three Initiate Circles while Lorelei still struggled with the lowest, which was the Third Circle. Lorelei knew of the whispers behind her back.

  She always saw the disapproving looks her mother had given her. Her mother expected much of her daughters. Lorelei, with her penchant to go chasing trouble, always seemed to disappoint. Lorelei’s father on the other hand had always viewed Lorelei’s antics with hidden amusement. She was from House Moura, after all. Moura’s were known for their boldness. When she’d been accepted into the Aimsir, her mother had actually had a look of pride. There had even been talk of her mother’s aspirations for Lorelei to become the premier lyrist of the Elphyne Empire. All of that had faded as her advancement in the Circles had stalled for the past three years. She didn’t know how long her parents would keep supporting her tuition in the Aimsir if she kept failing. She let out a long breath and pushed the worry away. Stress would make this more difficult.

  Have confidence, she thought to herself.

  More students filtered in through the heavy wooden door and took places at the tables. Many of the students were sidhe, since it took quite a bit of money and prestige to attend the Aimsir and as the noble race, the sidhe had money to spare. However, there were quite a few of the commoner races enrolled in the university as well, especially Pixies with their high magical aptitude. Most of the other races were sponsored by one of the Great Houses of the sidhe.

  Rian, a sidhe boy she’d become friends with over the past year, slid onto the bench next to her. He pushed back a lock of brown hair behind one of his long, pointed ears and winked at her.

  “You ready for this?” he asked.

  Lorelei drew in a deep breath and smiled at him. “I’m ready for anything.”

  “You say that every time.” His lips pressed together as he glanced around.

  She waved at him dismissively. “It will be fine.”

  She wished she could believe that.

  “This is the Trial of Fire we’re talking about. The last time you tried a flame spell, my eyebrows were singed for days.” He scooted down the bench, leaving a space between them as if she planned to try a spell now.

  Lorelei hid the stab of disappointment with a confident smile. “I’ve been studying since then.”

  “Well, I hope it works out for you,” he said. “You want to grab a drink and refuel our Aether afterward?”

  Lorelei shook her head. “I’m meeting someone after classes are over.”

  Arryn. Just thinking his name sent a giddiness floating through her veins. She hadn’t seen him in months and, after his visit, she wouldn’t see him for months to come, since he was about to enlist in the Empire’s navy.

  “Oh?” Rian’s head tilted to the side with a conspiratorial grin.

  The door to the classroom opened and Clever Camden, their professor, walked in carrying a small wooden chest. The door slammed behind him. A hush filled the room as he walked to his desk in front.

  “All right, students, books away. I expect to see empty tables.” He set the chest on his desk.

  One of the girls in front of Lorelei raised her hand. “Adeptus Camden?”

  “Yes, Ashlen?” Camden smiled at her.

  “How long will this take?”

  “That depends on you and your skill. I hope all of you studied instead of spending time at the Lit Fox.” Camden’s gaze landed and stayed on Lorelei.

  She ducked her head and stared at the table amidst the laughs around the room. Sure, she usually ended her night with a few drinks at the tavern, but not over the last week. She’d been preparing. She was ready.

  With a deep breath, Lorelei lifted her chin and focused on Camden as he continued.

  “Now, this should not take the whole class period.” Camden opened the box and pulled out a candle. “Each of you will come forward and perform your song. I expect the song to light the candle, create a shape in the flame, and snuff it.”

  Ashlen raised her hand again. “Is there a particular shape we need to create?”

  “That choice is up to you, but I will award points for creativity. Any more questions?” He glanced around at the students. When no one replied, he said, “Good. Let’s begin. Ashlen ap Lugus, since you seem so eager, why don’t you start?”

  Ashlen rose and spared a smug glance at the rest of the class, her gazing lingering on Lorelei for a second. She sauntered to the side of Camden’s desk and waited with her shoulders back and head tilted up. Camden placed the candle he’d been holding in a holder on the desk and removed the box.

  He took several steps back to the wall and crossed his arms. “Begin.”

  Ashlen’s voice was pleasant enough, though it did have a burr in it that gave it a rough edge. It was notable when she hit the high notes. At least Lorelei could boast having the best voice in the room. It was just her control over the magic that lacked.

  Ashlen didn’t have that problem. She called the flame easily, and it burst to life with a sizzle. It danced and twirled to Ashlen’s song, separating from the wick and shifting into a pair of sidhe that waltzed in the air. As Ashlen sang the last bars, the dancers dissip
ated, the flame shifting to normal and dying completely. The room erupted into applause.

  Camden nodded at her with a smile. “Very good. High marks. The rest of the day is yours.”

  The next ten students passed in a blur. Some used musical instruments to aid their magic while others used only their voice. It was all about what foci they wished to use. Even though she was trained in several instruments, Lorelei’s foci had always been her singing. She tapped her foot against the leg of her chair. What did she want her shape to be?

  A constellation of stars, a voice whispered in her mind.

  She shook her head. Stars were dangerous as they seemed to trigger the visions. She’d better do something safer, like a ship. Her family owned several ships and she’d been around them her whole life. She could relate them to memories of home.

  “Lorelei ap Moura,” Camden called.

  Lorelei stood, sucked in a deep breath, and nodded to Rian. He closed his hand in a fist and raised it slightly in a symbol of solidarity.

  The walk to the desk seemed to take forever, like everything had slowed to a crawl. Her gaze locked on the new candle Camden set out for her. She took her place at the side of the desk and swallowed her suddenly dry mouth. This was like any other performance. Deep breath in and sing from the heart.

  “Begin,” Camden said.

  With the first few notes of Lorelei’s song, the fire burst to life. It danced erratically on the wick and settled to a single flame. Her heart lifted. She’d managed to light the flame just like she’d practiced.

  Now came the more difficult part. She focused on imagining the flame becoming a ship. One of her father’s caravels, small and fast on the water. He had few of them since they weren’t the best for cargo, but they could travel the rivers of the Elphyne Empire and beyond. She imagined the two small masts with their full sails.

  A flash of white light. The image of the ship she held in her mind was replaced by two females with their faces obscured by light that stood in front of her. She reached out her hand, but she was yanked away from them and fell into a sea of darkness. Lorelei’s stomach plummeted.

  In the mere seconds of the vision, the fire from the candle burst up, the flame becoming three feet long. It swirled in the air, twisting and turning as if it was wind instead of flame. It grew higher, forming a tornado. It expanded until it was mere inches from Lorelei’s face. Heat and rage radiated from it. Somewhere deep inside her, something was giddy from the power.

  Camden’s smooth baritone raised above her voice, filled with enough magic to make her skin prickle. The fire tornado froze with not even a flame flickering.

  Lorelei took a step back and swallowed, her heart pounding a rapid staccato. Camden’s song continued and the fire shrank, swirling counter to its original spiral, until it died with a small sizzle.

  The rest of the class stared with wide eyes and open mouths. Camden’s brow furrowed as he turned his gaze to her.

  “Please wait for me in my office until the Trials have finished,” he said. “I’m sure by now you know where it is.”

  Lorelei nodded and bowed her head. Whispers followed her down the aisle and out the door. She shut it with a soft click and pressed her back against it closing her eyes. She’d failed again. Freya was going to have a good laugh at that.

  Lorelei trudged down the hall to Camden’s office, just two doors down, entered, and slumped into the chair across from his desk. She rested her face in her hands and fought back the tears that pricked at the corner of her eyes.

  Why did this always happen? Simple songs like light a flame were fine, which was how she’d passed from being an apprentice to an initiate. But even that had taken years for her to master. Anything complex led to some sort of mishap. It was always a vision that broke her concentration and sent a burst of Aether into the spell she was creating. She’s asked about the visions and if it could be some sort of curse cast upon her, but the Adepts of the school had found nothing. They claimed there was some mental hurdle she had to overcome. Some had even suggested that her past life was interfering.

  She shuddered at that thought. As a child, she had been plagued by dreams of falling from the sky, surrounded by darkness.

  The Elemental Order, the Elphyne Empire’s official church, always preached about reincarnation. It was one of the ways the Empress had saved the world from the Miasma that had almost wiped out the population over a millennium ago. Many of faerie that managed survived were twisted into nightmarish creature now known as Fomorians. The Miasma could even infect the world itself, turning metal into iron, which was poisonous to faerie. The Empress could turn iron to emerald, which was rumored to grant wishes, and she could even heal those infected by the Miasma, but she could not reach every faerie across the world of Threshold. And so, reincarnation was needed.

  Lorelei leaned back in the chair and stared at the ceiling. If it was a past life haunting her, then it was considered a condition. Reincarnation Sickness. They would want to treat her.

  Her mother would love that. The embarrassment of having a mentally ill daughter would mortify her. Lorelei knew what would happen. Her mother would have her sequestered away somewhere quietly and treated though Lorelei shuddered to think what that treatment would entail. It would most likely be administered by the Elemental Order. She’d no doubt be denied wine and the other pleasures that helped her regain Aether.

  She swallowed, her pulse racing at the thought of being locked away, never able to see Threshold like she’d always wanted to. A pressure like a large rock settled in her chest at the mere thought of losing her freedom. No, there had to be another way. She just had to try harder.

  After what seemed like hours, Camden opened the door and stepped inside. He stared at her for a moment before walking to his desk and sitting down with a sigh. He pressed his hands together in a steeple formation as he studied her.

  “You know you failed the Trial of Fire again,” he said.

  Lorelei hung her head. “Yes.”

  He let out another sigh. “This is your third year of failing the Trials. Honestly, how is it your sister Freya can excel at her school and you do miserably?”

  Freya. Perfect Freya. The jewel in their parents’ eyes. Lorelei gritted her teeth. Of course, Clever Camden knew about Freya despite the fact she was Devonian and not a Lyrist. Everyone knew about Freya.

  Lorelei raised her chin and met Camden’s eyes. “Adeptus, may I have a second chance at this year’s Trial of Fire? It was a minor mishap, but I know I can do it.”

  “And your four remaining Trials? You have to show your control over all the elements, including Aether. I can’t give you second chances for all of them.”

  “I’m just asking for this one. Please.”

  He shook his head. “I’m sorry, but it is not fair to the other students. However, if you pass the remaining Trials, you will be able to advance to the Second Circle.”

  Lorelei bunched the fabric of her skirt between her hands. “Fine. I’ll pass them.”

  “You had better. This is your third year at attempting them. If you fail, I fear we will have to take drastic measures.”

  A chill ran down her spine. “What sort of measures?”

  “Looking into your possible condition and recommending treatment. At the very least, you would no longer be able to attend the Aimsir.”

  Lorelei rushed out the office and down the hall toward the grand staircase. Arryn was probably wondering what had happened to her. She would have to make it up to him for being late.

  She bit her lip as her mind drifted back to the reason for her lateness. She had a little over a week until the Trial of Earth. She needed something to ensure she would pass. Otherwise, she was going to be expelled with the possibility of Clever Camden recommending some sort of treatment for her. Her chest felt heavy and tight, like the weight of everything was baring down on her.

  She stopped at the steps leading from the Hall of Song and drew in a deep breath. She couldn’t face Arryn like this.
The next few days would be the last she saw of him in a while. She didn’t need to drag it down with her troubles.

  She would figure things when she was alone. She straightened her shoulders, tilted her head up, and stepped outside. The bright sunlight caused her to blink several times before continuing on.

  A giant mechanical clock stood in the center of the university, towering over all the other buildings. The hands read it was just past midday.

  With a soft curse, she took off towards the courtyard. The green shrubbery and flowers passed in a blur as her feet pounded on the cobblestone path. She paused to catch her breath at the stone steps that led down to the massive fountain that stood in the center of the courtyard.

  Arryn’s lemon-yellow hair stood out among the other faerie in the courtyard who milled about, as did the pale blonde of her sister who stood next to him. She leaned in close to Arryn, whispering something to him and giggling.

  A burning sensation filled Lorelei’s chest as her eyes narrowed on her sister. How did Freya even know Arryn was going to be here? Lorelei strode down the steps and headed to the fountain to join them.

  Arryn turned and gifted her with a brilliant smile. His face was already beautifully sculpted with the high cheek bones, slightly pouty lips, and sharp jawline, but when he smiled, he seemed to shine. His pointed ears poked out from the cascade of straight hair that came to his chin.

  “I was beginning to wonder if something had happened to you,” he called.

  Freya turned in her direction and her smile slipped for a second before settling back into place. Perfect Freya. Her hair was pulled back in a bun that looked artfully messy with a lock cupping her right cheek. Her blue eyes sparkled in the light. Freya looked like a creature of sunlight.