by Leia Stone
I could only hope that meant this task would be easier.
Earth was surprisingly the easiest obstacle I’d ever had.
Heath, the high mage of earth, buried me in the dirt all the way up to my chin and then told me to get out. At first, I panicked because the earth bound me so tightly I could only gasp short breaths. Once I relaxed and tuned into the soil around me, I widened the hole and then pushed the dirt beneath my feet until I rose out of my tightly packed near-grave. Then I stepped across the gap to Heath’s side.
“Well done, Nai,” he’d said, crossing the distance to shake my hand. His eyes were swirling shades of brown and gold, and his silk robes were the same color as the ground he’d buried me in. His grip was just as strong.
“Thanks,” I’d said, releasing his icy hand as fast as I could.
Mental note to self: Heath might not be a psycho, but his hands were the same temperature as the dirt six feet down.
Air had been the hardest so far. Orion, high mage of air, had basically stuck me inside of a tornado and told me to get out. I did, finally, and then promptly threw up. Now I was bruised, my insides were still churning, half the day was gone, and I still had the fire and spirit obstacles left.
“Do you want this?” Rey asked, holding out a foil-wrapped package that resembled a burrito. “You look a little green.”
I cleared my throat. “What is it?”
“A chicken burrito.”
I groaned but held out my hand. I would probably need the calories; this magic work was taking a lot out of me.
“Sariah thought you should get plenty of protein and carbs.”
I unwrapped the package, and the smells of grilled chicken, fresh salsa, and warm tortilla hit my nose. I dug right in. “I’m sure she’s right,” I mumbled between bites, not even taking the time to taste the deliciousness. “Who’s next—Gramps or the high turd of fire?”
Reyna snickered. “High Mage Snade is the meanest of them all, they say.”
She pointed to a marble castle, the white stone in stark contrast to the red and orange, flame-like, stained-glass windows. “When you’re done there, I’ll bring you back to Geoff for your spirit trial. Good luck.”
I guzzled the bottle of water she offered then gave it back to her empty, along with the burrito wrapper. “Thanks, Rey.”
“You bet.”
Was I walking with a slight limp? Sure. And I probably looked even worse than I felt, but I had this. I needed to pass my tests. Then I’d be in Rage’s arms in no time.
Turning away from Reyna, I trudged toward the castle of fire.
Not even five minutes later, I stood before the entrance with every nerve in my gut burning as if they were scorched with live flames. Maybe I was about to be burned alive. Maybe I was just a bit nervous. Maybe that was the jalapenos from my burrito.
I passed through the wrought-iron gate, and just inside the courtyard, I pulled to a stop. The red and orange streaks in the windowpane looked a lot like live flames licking the pristine stone. Fire was Rage’s element—which made me wonder what he was doing right now. What the Mage was the purpose of these stupid tests? And why did this initiation have to take all day? A bubble of self-pity welled up inside me. This initiation test sucked.
“Hello, Nai,” a man’s deep voice called from behind me, and I jumped.
Spinning around, I came face-to-face with the high mage of fire. He wore a bright orange silk robe and peered down his crooked nose at me with eyes that swirled like flames. At least, I was 75.4% sure he was staring at me with those creeptastic eyes. Black tufts of hair framed his otherwise bald head, and I noticed the tuft above his left ear was shorter than the one on his right … and was that ash on his shoulder?
“You scared me,” I admitted, and grabbed my chest.
He blinked, but his expression remained emotionless. “Typically, it’s bad form to enter someone’s estate without their permission.”
Okaay. Wasn’t he expecting me?
“I apologize if I was rude. I didn’t want to be late for your test … or, rather, my test …with you.”
He blinked again and then strode through the gates of his estate and past me, leaving me to scurry behind him.
We passed through the beautiful courtyard of the grounds that held a large grove of fruit trees. Ripe apples, clementines, and peaches hung from the branches, their colors mirroring the lilies and daisies that filled the flowerbeds.
“Wow, cool garden,” I said, waving at the flowers. “You must really like—”
“I will not pretend to like you,” the high mage said, whirling on me. “Nor will I pretend I want to see a half-breed at our fine, exclusive establishment.” He curled his lip into a cruel sneer. “Let’s get this over with quickly so we can both be done!” He spun around and then stalked off through the garden to a clearing.
Un-freakin-believable. What a douchebag extraordinaire! Reyna was right; he was the worst! Anger flooded my veins, but I reined it in when I saw the orb bobbing overhead. If everything I did was recorded, I didn’t want to fly off the handle at this dude. Best to just get this over with quickly and be done.
Glaring at his back, I crossed my arms and followed after him, wishing I could burn the rest of the hair from his head. As we reached a clearing in the garden, I noticed there was no setup. No table or chairs, no cups of water, and, most importantly, no fire extinguisher. Shocker.
The high mage of fire faced me once more, his impassive expression back on his bland face. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a Kleenex.
Huh?
I thought he was going to blow his nose or something, but instead, he crumpled it into his fist.
“This test is two parts. Part one. Burn this before it hits the ground.” Then he dropped the wad of tissue. Just like that, no other warning or explanation.
I scrambled forward as the scrunched-up Kleenex fell to the ground, but it hit before I could even focus on my fire power, let alone use it.
The white Kleenex sat on the lush grass, a visible display of my failure.
“That’s it?” I asked as irritation and indignation swelled beneath my ribs. No way.
The high mage scowled. “The test allows for three attempts. That was your first.”
Like I couldn’t count.
He leaned over and picked up the Kleenex. As soon as he’d straightened, and without any other warning, he dropped it again.
This sneaky bastard was trying to get me to fail.
I released a stream of fire from my left palm like Spiderman aiming one of his webs—only Spiderman had clearly practiced more.
The high mage stumbled backward as my arc of fire nearly grazed him. I’d totally missed the Kleenex wad. It landed on the ground, still 100% whole and white as a cloud.
“Oops.” I winced. “Sorry.”
Sort of.
He glared at me as he adjusted his robes which were in twisted disarray from playing dodgeball with my fire.
“Clearly, you have not learned accuracy!” He huffed and then strode over to pick up the Kleenex for the third and final round.
My body tensed. What happened if I failed this portion? Would they not allow me to go to school here? Worse, would they not let me be Gramps’ heir? Would they steal his power?
Pushing all of those thoughts and fears from my mind, I held my hand out and called up the heat of my fire magic.
This time, when the high mage rose, time seemed to slow. My senses were heightened, and I became aware of every little thing. The slight breeze, the bird trilling in the distance—hell, I was so focused I could hear his seething inhale as he straightened.
The male mage turned his palm toward the ground and released the tissue.
I pointed my fingers at the Kleenex while tracking it with my gaze. Releasing a stream of fire from my palm, I watched in triumph as the orange and red flames swallowed the white tissue with a sharp hiss.
“Yes!” I shouted as the glowing embers fluttered toward the ground and the
n turned to ash. “Take that!”
I pumped my fist in the air, and the high mage of fire sighed as if exhausted by my antics.
“The second part of this test will measure your ability to protect yourself. Prepare to be attacked.” As he spoke, his eyes nearly glowed, growing brighter until his gaze was filled with live flames.
Knowing how quick he was with the tissue, I wasn’t about to wait and ask questions. The high mage of fire said Prepare to be attacked, then I was pretty much counting on an entire wall of fire to hit. With my breath, I called up the wind.
He extended his palms, both lit with an orange glow. I threw the force of a gale at him in a desperate bid to snuff out his flames, but a sphere of his fire sailed through right toward my face and then was dowsed as the blast of my air extinguished it. Like blowing out birthday candles.
Only … the high mage tossed another fireball and then another.
I huffed and puffed, but the balls of flames kept coming. I dodged to the left, to the right—I even did an awkward attempt at an army roll. He was fast, and I couldn’t think straight. Wind wasn’t going to cut it. I needed water.
I sent out my feelers until I felt the cool rush of water—and then without even looking, I drew it to me. There was a cracking noise, but I couldn’t afford to take my attention away from the constant barrage of fire to see where the source of my salvation was coming from.
Stars danced in my peripheral vision as I persisted in blowing out each fireball with my air magic…
And then, he let loose with the grand finale.
It had to be.
A wall of fire six feet high blasted toward me.
The air was sucked from my lungs. I stumbled backward, all the while reaching for the water I sensed. As the trickle of water flowed toward me, it grew to a stream, floating into the air to my aid. I threw my arms out.
Come on! All the water! Come to me!
Oh. My. Mage.
My eyes widened as a freaking river soared through the air. Like watching a dam burst, I stood frozen as the water gushed over the high mage and crashed into the wall of fire with an angry hiss.
As soon as the wall of flame was gone, the remaining water crashed into me. I fell hard, and the water followed, tumbling over me. But the force of the wave waned, and the river became a creek before I could sit up in the hugest mud puddle I’d ever seen.
Giggling, I climbed to my feet, but my laughter dried up as I faced the angry snarl of the high mage.
“You ruined my house!” he yelled while smoke curled up in white and gray tendrils around his head as he pointed to the castle.
I followed his gaze to the nearest wall, the flaming marble stone now cracked, with water gushing from a broken pipe within.
“Uh … sorry?” I shrugged then proceeded to wring out the singed and shredded hem of Rey’s ruined shirt. After running my hands over the rest of my tattered clothes, I finally gave up. Between the dirt, tornado, and fire, they were ruined.
Facing the mage, I asked, “Did I pass?”
He blinked and then shook his head.
“No?” I drew in a sharp breath.
“You passed,” he muttered. “Now … get out of here.”
I shot out of there like an arrow and booked it across the quad. As soon as I spotted Reyna, I raised my hands in victory.
“Four down and one to go! Woohoo,” I told her as she held out a bottle of water. “No thanks,” I added, waving away the drink. “I don’t know if you can tell, but I’ve had plenty of H2O.”
But I swallowed my snickers as I examined my friend. She looked off. Sad or, at least, serious … and her eyes glistened with emotion.
“What’s wrong?” I skidded to a stop as my heart leapt into my throat.
She swallowed hard, and wiping at her eyes, she shook her head. “Nothing.”
“Reyna, don’t do that.” I closed the distance until I stood toe-to-toe with her. “You can tell me. Is it my grandfather?” My elation turned to dread with the thought. “Is he okay?”
Why else would she be upset?
Reyna sighed. “It’s just … I feel all of his pain. As his shield, I take everything.”
Oh. Oh. I thought of all the times she must’ve shouldered his burden, and my respect for her grew. “Is he in pain now?”
She just nodded. “I’m not sure how much time we have left.”
I frowned. We. Oh. My. Mage. “Wait … Reyna, when he dies, you won’t … you won’t die too, right?”
She cleared her throat and straightened. “Being your grandfather’s shield has been my life’s greatest honor. Don’t you dare pity me. Now, let’s go. He’s waiting.”
Holy crap. She didn’t answer me. Did that mean yes? She … she was going to die too?
I couldn’t even … I had no way to process that right now. I could only hope she was wrong.
I walked behind her with a lot less pep in my step. My mind spun with questions. Did Kaja and the other Harvest girls know? Was there any way I could possibly save Rey?
We crossed into my grandfather’s courtyard, where he was waiting, seated at a bistro table just off the main walkway.
Now that I had been to all of the castles or, at least, their courtyards, I could see that this one was the nicest and by far the biggest. Bruno and Max lay near the gardens, lazily keeping guard, and the late-afternoon sun lit the grounds, revealing a rolling, green, manicured lawn stretching out for acres behind the castle. Along the walkways, pink and white rosebushes alternated to make a beautiful hedge, and I spotted a trickling stream that appeared to feed into a pond out back.
“When you can bring back the dead, you get the nicest house,” Gramps said with a wink. He then patted the seat next to him. “Come sit with me.”
I took the offered seat. Reyna strode past us and into the house.
He studied me, taking in my dirty clothes, scraped arms, and most likely hot mess hair.
He beamed with pride. “You passed all four. Good girl. Now, for the final test—that of spirit—you will go into the in-between.”
Cocking my head to the side, I repeated, “The ‘in-between’?”
“It’s a fancy way of saying spirit walking. Your body and spirit remain here—in this realm, but they’ll be separate. I’ll give you a task to perform, and you’ll report back to me to prove you went in spirit form.”
My eyes widened. “You want my soul to leave my body and go somewhere here, on High Mage Island, and then come back to your garden?”
He nodded. “I want you to go to the library. You’ll need to go look at the book in the very far left corner of shelf 2-B. Come back, and tell me the title.”
My mouth popped open. “Okay … but … how? Are you going with me?”
He shook his head. “No, I can’t. But, I know you can do this, Nai. It’s much easier than traveling to the spirit realm or the Realm of the Dead. This is just a quick spirit walk.”
Hah! A quick walk out of my body. No big deal.
“Okay. How do I do it?”
“Remember when we saved Honor? Just like that—only instead of visualizing a person, you’ll think of the library here on campus. Then, once you have the image of where you want to go—you go there.”
Sure. Easy-peasy. I’d barely had a two-minute tour of the campus. But, at least, it was the library … the one place I’d been to the most. I’d been in awe when I first arrived. Gramps was being nice.
I thought of its beautiful architecture and closed my eyes. In my mind, I visualized the large rotunda with the fountain where the golden female mage stood in the midst of the shimmery blue magic. As soon as the image appeared in my mind, I focused on it until it seemed solid. Then, I stepped toward it.
One minute, I was sitting in the garden with my grandfather; the next, I stood at the base of the fountain in the library’s round atrium, the chortle of water a balm to my frayed nerves. Lifting my chin, I let my gaze skim over the golden statue of the female mage, past where she held the dancing b
lue flames, up to the high arches of dark wood framing the numerous panels of intricately stained glass.
The dying sunlight illuminated the designs, and my jaw hit the ground.
These weren’t just pretty patterns…
I turned right then left—to the image of where the story of our Mother Mage began.
Here, on the library windows of High Mage Island, was our history. From the creation of the magical lands to a happy couple holding an alpha heir. The last of the day’s sunlight streamed through the vivid colors, casting a rainbow across the white stone pillars and walls.
Holy crap! This was so cool!
I looked down at my body to find that it was nearly ghost-like. I could see through my legs to the floor behind me. A wave of anxiety rushed through me at the thought of my soul leaving my body, and I wondered if it was possible to get stuck this way.
Horrible thought! Don’t do that, Nai!
After taking a few deep breaths to calm myself, I continued to marvel at the detail of the stained-glass murals until I heard someone say my name.
“Nai should’ve been exhausted by the time she saw you,” a familiar male mage’s voice grumbled.
Spinning on my heel, I caught a flash of blue disappearing down one of the rows.
Is that Kian?
It certainly sounded like him. Why was he talking about me?
More importantly, could I follow without them detecting me?
I had almost no experience in this ghostly form. This felt different from the time I’d gone into the Realm of the Dead to fetch Honor.
Grandpa Geoff was the high mage of spirit, but I had no idea if the other mages had spirit ability. Probably best to assume they did, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t at least try to follow. If I got caught, I’d just say I was taking my spirit test. So … 100.4% true.
I ran down the row to the left of where I’d seen the mage’s robe and, shortly thereafter, was rewarded with Kian’s continued beratement.
“What did you give her—a candle’s flame to blow out?” Kian snapped.
Okay, I knew it was rude to eavesdrop, but this was me they were discussing.
“Don’t act like the blame is mine,” Snade snarled. “You promised me a fledgling mage—but I gave her a wall of flame taller and wider than you could handle on your best day, Kian, let alone prior to your training, and she did fine with it. Master Karn assured me that her education was kept to a minimum at that bastard academy. Are you sure she hasn’t been secretly trained?”