He held up one of his arms and one of his legs, though Lee wasn’t sure anyone needed help understanding his meaning. He brought the joint to his mouth and took a long drag. The world seemed to settle on the edge of his vision, and a bundle of tension he’d been holding somewhere in between his eyes released and became strangely comical.
“I’ve never, um, well, you know…” Eliza fumbled as she accepted the joint. “Are you supposed to inhale? I know they say you shouldn’t with cigarettes.”
“Just take a small puff,” said Lee. “Very small. Teeny tiny, so you can, uh, see how you react to it.”
He was speaking to Tess as much as he was to her. Tess had shifted her head forward, and Lee paused as he passed the joint to Eliza, holding it out so his favorite ghost could take a hit on the way by. Tess made a gasping noise as she exhaled and broke into a fit of coughs that Lee struggled to keep from laughing at.
Eliza took Lee’s advice, only inhaling a small amount of smoke before offering the joint to Toma. Toma’s eyes were visibly red, and he stared off at nothing as he took another hit.
“I can’t imagine failing the Trial tomorrow,” said Toma. “It’s weird though. I also… can’t imagine passing it.”
“That’s kind of defeatist, but also kind of not,” said Lee. “I know what you mean.”
He was more worried than he’d been letting on about his own chances. But he had Tess to help, and she was primed with arcane essence after the previous night’s study session with Eliza. He at least had a shot.
“Grass is like a jungle for small creatures,” said Eliza. “We’re like… giants to them.”
Jenna started laughing hysterically at the observation. Lee looked over his shoulder and saw Tess lying on her back, staring at one of her hands.
“Where’d that rum go?” asked Lee.
“You’re still holding it,” said Eliza.
“Oh. Right.” He took an overly large sip and coughed as he attempted to swallow it all. “Does, ahem, anyone else want any?”
“I do,” said Jenna. “Er, no never mind. I don’t. I definitely don’t.”
“Here, I’ll trade you,” said Toma. He passed Lee the joint and took the bottle from him.
“Wait, that messes up the order,” said Lee.
“You’re right,” said Toma. “Should we pass the bottle around, too?”
Should they? Lee considered the question, looking over at Eliza and Jenna for guidance. Neither seemed to be paying much attention.
“We’ll trade back after,” said Lee, slowly. “Then we’ll continue with the normal order.”
“Fair enough, Amaranth,” said Toma. “Fair enough.”
Lee took a much larger hit from the joint than he’d originally intended. He had one hand propped against the grass, and it was starting to feel cold. He shifted it to his lap, but the placement seemed ridiculous. He waited for one of his friends to say something about it, but none of them did, which made him realize how kind they were, to notice his weird hand placement but not call him out for it.
“I can’t imagine failing the Trial tomorrow,” said Toma.
“You said that already,” said Lee.
“No, I didn’t,” said Toma. “I don’t think I did. Are you messing with me, Amaranth?”
Lee started to laugh and stopped himself, realizing the game Toma was playing. He wagged his finger in his friend’s face.
“Nice try, Toma, but I wasn’t born yesterday,” he said.
“Lee,” whispered Tess. “There’s an ant. In the grass.”
Toma said something else. Lee didn’t catch what it was, but he shifted his hand again. As long as he didn’t let it just sit in one spot, none of them would notice.
CHAPTER 44
Lee was surprisingly well-rested the next morning, but it wasn’t enough to save him from the crystallizing dread within his stomach as he made his way into the lecture hall for the Midterm Trial.
Toma, Eliza, and Jenna had already found seats. Lee joined them and tried to keep his nervousness from showing in his movements as he played with his pen.
“You’ll be fine, Lee,” whispered Tess. “I should have enough essence for six spells today, given how much Eliza was able to offer.”
Six spells. The Midterm Trial’s focus was on the four main casting types taught at Primhaven, so he would need to pass at least two of the tests on his first try. He felt his palms start sweating as his doubts weighed down on his shoulders. The path of the rest of his life would be determined by a single day of arcane trials, and he wasn’t even a real mage.
“We’re all going to pass,” said Eliza. “Don’t worry, Lee. We’ll have another study session again once we do.”
She blushed and flashed a wicked grin at him. Lee took a breath and squeezed her hand. Toma looked equally nervous, and Lee clapped his other hand on his shoulder.
“We can do this,” he said. “Right?”
“Right,” said Toma. “Yeah.”
He sounded distracted, and he kept glancing over at the door.
“What is it?” asked Lee. “You’re not thinking of making a run for it, are you?”
“No, it’s just…” Toma scratched his head. “Kei told me to stop by the infirmary this morning, but he wasn’t there when I checked.”
“I’m sure he’s fine,” said Lee. “He probably just had something to take care of.”
Toma nodded, though from his expression, his brother’s absence was clearly weighing on his mind. Lee felt sympathetic. The last thing he would have wanted on that particular morning was another source of stress on his plate.
Lead Instructor Mattis arrived a minute later, followed by Instructor Constantine, Primhaven’s resident illusionist. Constantine’s presence was a sobering reminder of the fact that for the students who failed, the Cropping would be administered immediately. They wouldn’t be given time to say goodbye or—more commonly—take drastic action like fleeing the school or harming themselves. It was tragic but routine, like a veterinarian putting down a suffering animal.
“Good morning, initiates,” said Mattis. “As you all know, today is the Midterm Trial. You’ll each be taken one by one to the testing chamber underneath the First Tower, where we’ve set up the spatial vortex.”
She took a breath, her posture and hesitation revealing that she was as nervous for them as they were for themselves. She and Constantine were a contrast of extremes: Mattis relatively young and a plump sort of pretty, Constantine tall, bald, and gaunt.
“It won’t be the end of the world if some of you fail the Midterm Trial, but it will be the end of your time at Primhaven,” said Mattis. “Rest assured, the process of undergoing the Cropping is not painful, and the Order of Chaldea has various resources devoted to helping those subjected to it re-acclimatize themselves to mundane life.”
The room was as silent as a funeral hall, and for good reason. Mattis’s reassurances were about as persuasive as those of an executioner promising that he’d make it quick.
“I’ll give you, as a class, the option of volunteering one by one, or I can call you up in alphabetical order,” said Mattis.
Alphabetical order. A for Amaranth. Lee sank lower into his seat, praying that someone, anyone, would spare him from going first. Eliza reached her hand over, set it on top of his reassuringly, and raised her arm.
“Eliza Willis,” called Mattis. “You’ll be the first, then.”
Eliza flashed a confident smile at Lee and the others as she stood up, poised and radiant, an angel among mortals. There was very little doubt in Lee’s mind over whether she would pass, but he still felt a sudden pang of regret at the thought of her failing. Would he ever see her again? Would she just disappear from his life and eventually become a forgotten friend from his youth?
Mattis and Constantine both left with Eliza. A few whispered conversations broke out in the vacuum of supervision, but the room remained remarkably quiet, as though tempered by the immense tension of the test.
The two ins
tructors returned after about twenty minutes and left with a new volunteer. One by one, the initiates raised their hands and left the lecture hall for what might be the last time. One by one, the room began to empty out.
Jenna raised her hand early on, and Toma volunteered immediately after her, finding new courage in the example set by his girlfriend. Lee waited, though he knew that it wouldn’t improve his odds. He was unusually indecisive, dragging his feet for no purpose other than to delay doing the hard, unavoidable thing.
It was down to him and two other terrified initiates when the wait became too much. He raised his hand before Mattis and Constantine had even made their way completely back into the lecture hall. Mattis locked eyes with him and slowly nodded.
“Initiate Amaranth,” she said, calling him forward.
Neither teacher said anything more as they led him out of the Seruna Center and across campus. It was already past lunch time, and he hadn’t eaten, though it made little difference, as he had no appetite.
They entered the First Tower and climbed onto the arcane lift. It sank into the floor, and something about the confined space freed Lee’s tongue from its imprisonment.
“Did Eliza and Toma pass?” he asked.
“You’ll find out soon enough,” said Mattis. “Focus on your own circumstances for the moment.”
“She’s right,” whispered Tess.
Lee pulled her into his mystic stream and felt her wrap her arms around him from behind. Her embrace reassured him more than anything else could have. She’d be there with him, another brain to consult, another set of hands. He couldn’t put his gratitude toward her into simple words.
The lift’s door opened, and Lee followed Mattis and Constantine into a small, windowless chamber. The spatial vortex was on a wheeled cart in the center of the room, and it still reminded Lee of one of the glass tanks sold in pet stores. He stood in front of it with Mattis and Constantine on either side of him.
“The Midterm Trial is not timed, but some of the tasks within it are,” said Mattis. “Go ahead, Initiate Amaranth. Whenever you’re ready.”
Lee nodded slowly and took a deep, calming breath. He reached his hand forward and touched the barrier surrounding the spatial vortex. Just as during his previous practice run, there was an unnerving tumbling, distorted sensation as the enchantment worked its magic. When he next blinked his eyes, he was standing on a small, sandy island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
It was warm, and the air was humid, with a fragrant, salty smell. There was a light breeze that picked up a bird feather on the ground in front of him and sent it fluttering through the air. Lee felt himself relaxing, and he appreciated Shay Morrigan’s taste for picking a setting that created a casual mood for the test.
“Go ahead,” said Mattis, her voice echoing from above and all around. “Remember, the trial ends when you’ve solved each of the obstacles and rung the bell at the far end of each island, or when you fall into the water. Do your best.”
“I will,” he said. He took a slow appraisal of the nearby area, his eyes settling on Tess in place of the various obstacles.
“Good luck, Lee!” she called. “I’ll wait here and cheer you on from afar.”
She’d switched clothing and now wore a blue polka dot bikini and bubble sunglasses. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, and she was lying on the edge of the beach, resting back on her elbows. Under different circumstances, he would have really appreciated the sight.
“Mattis?” he said, in a lowered voice. No response came. He’d just been testing to make sure she couldn’t hear him, regardless. “Look, Tess, you might as well help me out. You’ll get bored just sitting here on the beach.”
“It’s supposed to be a test of your abilities,” said Tess. “Does it really make any more sense for me to help you cheat here than it did during the written exam?”
“Where is this newfound morality coming from?” asked Lee. “When I first met you, you were more than happy to help me fake my way into Primhaven and through my first few days of school.”
A quivering, partially stifled smile stole across Tess’s face. She was messing with him.
“Besides,” he continued, “I’ll be drawing from your essence anyway. It’s not like you aren’t still lending me your help in some form.”
Tess tapped a considering finger against her impossibly cute lips.
“There are spiders on the beach,” said Lee.
She let out a small squeak and hopped back to her feet, brushing sand off her ethereal butt. “Are there really?”
“Sun spiders, yeah. They like to lay their eggs in people’s mouths and up their noses while they’re tanning.”
“I, er, have decided to help you after all,” she said. “Or at least, I’ve decided that I won’t be sitting down… or standing still, while we’re here.”
“Much appreciated.”
Lee began by doing a slow circuit of the main island, examining each of the obstacles blocking his way toward the bells he needed to ring. What he absolutely needed to do, if he stood any shot at passing, was to figure out the spells he needed to cast ahead of time.
He only had six potential spells, six casts, six hopefully clever solutions. It was impressive that Tess had managed to store enough essence to give him so many, more than she ever had before. It still seemed like a depressingly limited number as he observed each of the various trials.
The elemental test was a simple stone bridge, curved in the style of an arch over water, which connected to the sandy island with the bell across the water. It was nothing like the maelstrom of fire, wind, and molten rock that Lee had seen during the short practice Mattis had given him within the spatial vortex. It was too basic, too unassuming to be what it appeared.
He set a single, experimental foot on the edge of the bridge. It shifted instantly, turning from stone into swirling flames with no underlying physical structure to speak of. The flames held for a second before burning out, and in the blink of an eye, the bridge reappeared.
“It’s cursed,” said Lee. “How expected.”
“What’s your plan for it?” asked Tess.
“I don’t have one yet. I’m still in the brainstorming phase. It’s fair to say that I’ll need at least one spell here. Let’s say two, since nobody’s perfect and I might need two tries to figure things out.”
He moved on. The alteration obstacle was far larger and more expansive, taking the shape of a complicated maze on stilts above the water. There was a helpful diagram on a sign next to the entrance that remained unchanged from Lee’s previous visit. The idea was to use alteration platforms to avoid touching the floor.
Again, he tested the obstacle with his foot. The tiles were each several feet across, and the one he toed swung downward like a trap door, swinging back and forth a few times before snapping back up.
“What do you think, Tess?” he asked. “How many spells do you think I’d have to cast to make it through this one?”
“Hmmm. Are you good at solving mazes?”
“Not really. Does it matter?”
“In your case?” She shrugged. “I suppose not. This one looks like you’d need to cast several dozen alteration barrier spells to serve as platforms. One for each step or jump you take. The maze will force you to double back if you hit a dead end, too.”
“Fuck,” muttered Lee. “Okay. Let’s go ahead and assume that I’ll manage to figure this one out with two more spells. I can probably think of something clever, right?”
Tess made a doubtful noise and avoided his gaze. He moved on, eyeing the obstacles that blocked off the conjuration bell. The first was the same jigsaw style puzzle he’d attempted and given up on with Tess’s help during his practice run. The pieces were scattered across the ground, and though he’d struggled with it the first time around, he was reasonably sure that he and Tess could manage it without spells, with enough patience.
The issue was that he could see two more obstacles behind it, different tests that he didn’
t have a clear view of. He could also see the sandy island where the actual bell was, which gave him an idea that was so obvious that he felt stupid for not thinking of it earlier.
“Tess,” he said. “What if you just go and ring the bells for me?”
CHAPTER 45
Lee instantly fell in love with the idea as soon as he said it out loud. Tess could easily make it to each of the islands, even the ones within the alteration maze and past the illusion obstacles that weren’t visible from the main island. It was cheating, but in a sense, it really wasn’t. Mattis had never specifically stated that he couldn’t use his ghost companion to skip the obstacles, after all.
“Lee,” said Tess. “I like the way you think, but it wouldn’t work.”
“What? Why not?”
“I can see from here that the doors and barriers for the conjuration obstacles have the same runes on them as the door which kept us from getting into the archives a few months ago.”
Lee swore under his breath. “Are you sure? What if you swim around, then?”
“The bells will have it, too,” said Tess. “I can go through the water and check if you really want me to, but I’m sure it’s the case.”
“No, you don’t have to.”
“Are you sure? I’m actually in the mood for a swim.”
“Whatever floats your boobs.”
“What?”
“Nothing,” he said. “Fine. No easy backdoor route around the tests. If you help me with the conjuration puzzle, and if I’m careful and think through each of the obstacles after that, I might be able to manage this one with only two spells.”
“That just leaves the illusion part,” said Tess.
“I shouldn’t need any spells for that. It’s the same two obstacles from last time. The invisible bridge and the fear simulacrum.”
He shuddered slightly at the memory of how the simulacrum had played with him, crafting a personal nightmare that he couldn’t distinguish from reality even with his mystic abilities. He could only hope that he managed to keep his cool this time around.
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