Page 130 of Ashes of Aether
I shiver from the wintry air and consider murmuringcalidato warm myself. But before I can, I glimpse golden hair emerging from beneath the Arcanium’s archway.
“Nolan!” I exclaim, picking up the hem of my pearlescent skirts and hurrying over to him. “You made it!”
We come to a stop in the middle of the path, and the statues of long dead magi tower above us. A frigid wind rolls over us, but I’m too elated to feel its chill.
Tonight Nolan wears a dusky blue doublet, its sleeves finely embroidered with silver thread. His black leather boots are especially polished, and his green eyes are as vibrant as ever. It only occurs to me now how much I was worrying he would not show up. Maybe I like him more than I’m willing to admit.
He scratches the back of his head, ruffling the golden strands of his wavy hair. “I do apologize for my lateness.”
“No, no,” I quickly say. “You’re not late at all.”
Nolan scans our surroundings, lingering on the emptiness of the path. “I think I am.”
“Well, maybe a little. But the Ball hasn’t started, so you’re not that—”
Before I can finish, Eliya reappears from the Arcanium’s entrance. She sprints so fast that she almost trips over her yellow skirts. “Reyna!” she shouts from atop the stairs. “They’re about to begin!”
I turn back to Nolan and shrug. “On second thought, it seems it has. Come on, we’d better hurry.”
Thirty-Six
Together,NolanandIenterthehall.Everyoneelseisfocusedontheirownconversations,andnooneturnstolookatus.Exceptformyfather,thatis.Hestaresatusfromwherehesitsonhisoakenthroneatthefarendofthehall,andhissharpgazefixesonusbothfromthemomentwestepthroughthedoubledoors.Idon’tdoubthewillhavemanyquestionsformelaterregardingNolan.
We don’t even reach halfway through the hall before my father stands. All three Archmagi are present now, and they sit beside him on their own decorative chairs.
“Terminir,”he calls, drumming the end of his staff against the tiles. A wave of aether sweeps through the hall, and the enchanted instruments playing in the far corner fall silent. The floating flutes flutter back onto their chairs, and the strings of violins and cellos still.
His spell has a similar effect on the crowd. Everyone stops talking and turns to face him.
“Tonight, we welcome ten adepts into the ranks of the Magi of Nolderan,” my father announces, his voice echoing through the hall. “Through successfully completing their Mage Trials, they have proven they possess the required strength of heart, mind, and magic. They have proven themselves worthy of this status.
“We now call forth each successful adept, so that we may congratulate them on their achievements and so that they may be officially granted their new position as a Mage of Nolderan.
“Reyna Ashbourne, if you will step forward.”
An even greater hush falls over the crowd.
My fingers slip from Nolan’s hand. I lift my chin as I stride through the length of the hall, and even when I reach my father at the dais, I don’t lower it.
“Reyna Ashbourne,” my father continues, “you have proven you possess the courage, the wisdom, and the power required of the magi. Do you solemnly swear that you will never waver in the face of danger, that you will obey every order issued by the Grandmage and the Archmagi without hesitation, that you will serve the people of Nolderan with all the fervor in your heart?”
“Yes, Grandmage,” I reply, dipping my head. It feels strange to address my father by his title, as though he and I are not familiar, but such is tradition. There is no exception for being his daughter. I am a Mage of Nolderan first and foremost. “I, Reyna Ashbourne, do solemnly swear that I will never waver in the face of danger, that I will obey every order issued by the Grandmage and the Archmagi without hesitation, that I will serve the people of Nolderan with all the fervor in my heart.”
Aether radiates from my father’s fingers. He starts down the steps leading to the dais and presses his thumb to the center of my forehead. “Then from this moment forth, I hereby declare you a Mage of Nolderan.”
Magic erupts, flooding through his thumb and into my body. The aether fizzes and bubbles as it reacts with that which flows through my blood. But when the magic fades, I still feel like the same Reyna I was moments before. I expected the mark of the magi to change me somehow—perhaps to make me stronger or wiser—but I feel no different. Maybe if I look in the mirror, I will find that my eyes glow with a brighter shade of magenta.
I have a sudden urge to teleport to the top of the Aether Tower and see the effect of the boon my father has granted me, but I keep my feet fixed to the hall’s tiled floor. I can always try that later, after the Ball. Or maybe tomorrow. Eliya will probably want to try it, too.
The crowd showers me with applause, and then my father calls forth the next adept: Lorea.
As I step away from the dais, Archmage Calton’s attention lingers on me. Though my back is turned, I can sense all the loathing radiating from him. He blames me for Kaely’s failure and is unable to see that his daughter’s own arrogance and hatred were her undoing. If she had focused less on destroying me and more on passing the Trial of Mind, she would be here with the rest of us as we transition from adepts to magi. I’ve heard no more news of her condition since Wednesday, but at least that means she’s alive. Despite our feud, I have no desire for her blood to be on my hands.
I slip past the finely dressed guests and make my way back to Nolan. I’ve lost sight of Eliya, even though her dress is such a striking shade of yellow, but I suppose she will soon reappear when my father calls her name. Some lower year adepts I recognize from passing along the Arcanium’s corridors stare at me in awe. It feels strange to no longer count myself as one of them.
“So,” Nolan whispers as I come to a stop beside him. He leans toward me, and in the distant background, Lorea speaks her oath. His warm breath brushes over my ear, and every nerve within me shivers. The gesture somehow seems too private with so many people gathered around us, but it probably doesn’t look as intimate as it feels. I hope I’m the only one who can tell what effect Nolan’s closeness has on me.
“You’re an official Mage of Nolderan now,” he continues, his voice hushed. “How does it feel?”