I’d fallen asleep thinking about how my old life had crossed over to my new one. It didn’t make for a very restful night before my first exams, but it didn’t prove to be a problem. I flew through them without a hitch. Carlos had confirmed the last question I’d had before I’d entered class, and I’d passed with perfect scores.
When I left Professor Liber, all I wanted was to find Gus and give him the good news. It hit me like a hammer to the gut when I thought of him lying unconscious in that room.
I focused on heading to the new class Professor Liber had directed me to so I could begin my level two training. However, I was met at the top of the stairs by Tarnan.
“The High Council wishes to speak with you. Come with me.” He spun, expecting me to follow.
“Can’t this wait? I just passed my exam, and I need to get started on the next level of my training if I’m going to pass in time for the trials.”
Tarnan halted and turned to me. Lines etched across his brow as he seemed perplexed by what I’d said. “You can’t think you’ll pass in time? It takes many months for the average novitiate to pass each level.”
“It didn’t take me that long for level one, and I’m not average.”
His lips tightened into a thin line. “Follow me.”
I suspected that if the council wanted to speak with me because they knew I’d caused the disturbance, Tarnan wouldn’t have bothered speaking to me. He’d have me in chains. Though I couldn’t think of what else they needed me for.
Rather than going to the large room I’d met the council in before, Tarnan directed me to a smaller anti-chamber off to the side. It was a cozy room with sconces on two of the smooth stone walls, and a grouping of candles sitting on a round table in the center, with five cushioned chairs arrayed around it.
“Stay here. They will arrive shortly.” There was an edge to Tarnan’s voice, and he didn’t look at me as he pulled the door closed behind him.
High on the wall, there were three small windows, small rectangular slits that allowed the daylight to filter in. It wasn’t enough to make the room feel any larger or like less of a trap.
I ran my finger along the top of one of the chairs, feeling the soft fabric. Whenever I’d waited for my assignments in a coffee shop, I never chose the comfortable chairs. I preferred the harder stools, where I could stay sharp and observe instead of relaxing. If the council only wanted to chat, I had better things to do than sit and wait for them.
A soft click of the door made me spin around. Focusing on the chair had left my back exposed . . . I was losing my edge with all this classroom training. Thankfully, the woman who glided through the door had a welcoming smile rather than a sword.
“Good morning, Niasa.” Chills ran through my body from the power that radiated off of the priestess, even though her voice sounded like pure joy. “Thank you for joining us. Please have a seat.”
She moved to a chair on the other side of the table, with Aurora following her as I stared like a fool. The two of them sat, Aurora slightly after Danú. They gracefully arranged their long, flowing gowns and waited for me.
Even though I’d wanted to appear strong, without any fear of why I’d been called, the idea of sitting down of my own accord before my wobbly knees gave out seemed the better option. I perched on the edge of the deep cushion, my spine rigid with anticipation.
“I’m Danú, ruler of Breasal. I’m pleased to finally meet you. First, congratulations—I hear that you passed your first level this morning. That is quite an accomplishment in such a short time.”
I swallowed hard. Beauty and power radiated in equal measure from the woman whose countenance smiled upon me.
“Thank you.”
Why did I feel so intimidated? What did they want from me?
“Tarnan mentioned that you plan to pass your second level in time to join the accelerated trials,”Aurora chimed in. “That is ambitious, but I’m not sure it’s wise. The Eudaimonia is a process that prepares one in many ways, and the condensed time frame, I fear, may be too much of a strain for one so new to our realm.”
That yanked me from my stupor. Danú may be as powerful as Odin, but she didn’t know me. I thrived in competition and hated to lose.
“Maybe for others, but I’m a Valkyrie, not a human.”
Both women smiled at me. “No one would be simple enough to question your commitment or your abilities. I personally look forward to watching you advance,” Aurora said. There was a hint of mirth in her words that I didn’t understand. It pricked at my pride, but with gigantic effort, I remained silent.
“We have not asked you here to speak of the trial, per se,” Danú said. “We need to discuss Aengus.”
I felt the blood leave my face, and slide through my body to the floor. Every bit of fight left me as I thought of Gus laying helpless in that room. It was odd to hear his full name, and it reminded me that no one here knew him like I did. I had to help him—if there was still a chance.
“Has anything changed?”
“No, that’s why we believe it would be better to send him on to Empyrean.”
I stared at Danú and tried to process what she’d said. Empyrean was the final realm, where only a handful of the gods had ever visited or returned from.
“Why? No, you can’t!” I jumped to my feet, the chair skidding on the wooden floorboards behind me. “He is going to wake, you have to give him time.”
I didn’t care any longer if I was impertinent. They may hold the power here, but I wasn’t weak. I would fight with everything I had in me to protect my friend.
“Please, sit,” Aurora said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, and a tone that insisted I comply.
I settled on the edge of the chair once more, though I didn’t move it back to the table.
When she saw that I was as stationary as I was going to get, she continued. “With the disturbance, there has been an urgency to find the cause of his condition. He is not recovering, and it is cruel to let him linger. Love causes us to put our own desires aside. It doesn’t force its own will upon others to make ourselves more comfortable.”
How could she say such a thing? And he was my friend, she didn’t need to speak of love.
“It is curious that symbols on Gus’s arm contain that of my consort, Dagda.” Danú held her composure though she seemed to stiffen. “Only the druids know of those symbols.”
“When Gus wakes you can ask him.” I had no idea which of the tattoos Danú referred to. Gus’s arm was fully covered in them and I’d only recognized the ones associated with Odin.
“That is one possibility,” Danú said as she appeared to relax once more.
“Gus would fight for me, like I will fight for him. Whatever happened, whatever it is keeping him from waking, he will find a way to break through it. He’s strong.”
“Do you have any information that may help us to heal him?” Danú asked.
The air stilled. That was the real reason they’d brought me. The intensity of their stares increased as they waited for my answer. They knew I’d caused the quake, and were using Gus to manipulate me. Just like Odin, they used half-truths. I should have known they weren’t any different. No one was.
“I do not know how or why he is like he is. But I do know that he will fight to return, and I will protect him from anyone who tries to hurt him.”
“No one expects anything less. We do suspect that there may be forces against us who have found their way inside our protection wards. If Aengus had knowledge of who, they may want to keep him silent.”
Were they accusing me? Did they think I had caused him harm to protect myself?
“He was enjoying himself, making friends, he didn’t know of any dangers. If he did, he would have been first in line to put an end to it.”
“That is what causes us to question his condition. We understand that he was about to enjoy a night of frivolity on the commerce ring with friends. But when the incident took place, he ran immediately to find you.”
/>
I remembered how Gus had insisted that we check on his human partner when I’d chosen him. He’d needed to know the man was safe—alive or dead.
“Gus has a strong need to protect others. He knew I was alone in my room. I have no doubt he was acting from a sense of loyalty and concern. What is it you’re asking, precisely?”
“The two of you are the newest to arrive in Breasal. You have to understand that it gives us pause. Such unheard of occurrences take place, and one of you is affected by it so deeply while the other is not. We agreed to an alliance with Odin in order to thwart the Shadow King and his Legion. The decision was not unanimous among the High Council. Can you assure us that you are not using the medallion’s power for the Legion?”
There it was. They believed I’d betrayed them. I’d barely left Valhalla with my life after being accused of treason, and now I once again needed to defend myself.
“It was because of the Legion that I nearly lost my life to the Gap. Every reason I’m here is to stop them.”
“In our experience, the Legion uses one’s own pride to cause them to trip. Are you completely certain they have not followed you here?”
“Yes.”
“And you have done nothing to give them access to our realm?”
My stomach dropped, and I clenched my fists in my lap. Should I tell them about the quartz and how I’d tried to contact Gertie? Would that cause trouble for Donovan also, or only for myself? I couldn’t take the risk and possibly leave Gus unprotected if they sent me away—or worse.
“Breasal is not in danger because of me.”
Both women nodded as they kept their gazes trained on me, though it was Danú who spoke.
“Aengus will stay, for now. However, we must do what’s best for everyone as we search for answers to what has caused this disturbance. If you discover anything that may help us, please come to either Aurora or myself directly with the information.”
I started to rise, but hesitated. On more than one occasion, I’d stormed out of Odin’s presence. Because he had raised me, our relationship had been more familiar than that he had with anyone else. I realized I didn’t hold that position with either of the women across from me.
Relaxing as best I could, I waited for my release.
With a knowing arch to her brow, Danú flicked her glance to the door, and I hurried away in silence.
8
Storming off on my own to make a statement about my independence became impossible as I followed Tarnan to my new classroom. I huffed several times at his measured pace, which I was sure he took only to anger me. Since I didn’t know where I was going, I had to follow.
“I’m sure you’ll be able to find your way here alone in the future,” he said to me with a wry grin when we arrived at our destination. “And good luck.”
I waited for him to disappear around the corner before I opened the simple door that looked like it would open into a closet. I expected another classroom similar to Professor Liber’s, but I found something entirely unexpected—the bowl of an arena.
It reminded me of the battlefield in Valhalla. Surrounding a flat, open field of turf were large berms probably twenty feet high. Covered in grass, they didn’t accommodate seating, but seemed to enclose the space for safety. Rather than sky overhead, there was a brightly lit opaque dome. I was quickly realizing with the Mystics sector that not everything was what it seemed at first glance.
No sound reached my ears, even though the sixteen other students spread throughout the space were using a variety of elemental powers.
As I stood watching everyone, the door behind me opened. I spun to face whoever came in, just as Luca smacked into me. With grunts and a muttered curse word, we tumbled to the ground. I heaved myself up, ignoring the outstretched hand Luca offered with a grin.
“Sorry about that,” he said. “I’m running a little late this morning. I went to see Gus.”
My breath hitched, and I wanted to ask how he was, but I had too many emotions flowing through me after my meeting. There was no way I’d cry in front of someone I barely knew. I’d visit Gus on my own . . . later.
“Where’s the professor?” I asked.
“She’s here somewhere.” Luca peered around the arena as if searching for something. His brows flicked upward, and his eyes brightened when he found what he was looking for. “There she is!” He pulled me in front of him and pointed, expecting me to follow his gaze down his arm.
All I saw was what looked to be a bubble, floating over the heads of all those already practicing.
“I don't see her. What are you pointing at?”
The bubble floated our direction, growing larger until it rested on the ground no more than five feet away. Luca grinned at me, then faced the bubble.
After it stopped changing size, becoming as tall as an average person, it became motionless. Then, with a small, soft popping sound, a woman wearing the purple tunic of a Mystics master appeared, standing casually in the grass.
“You must be my new novitiate. I don't tolerate tardiness,” she arched a brow and stared at Luca then focused on me. “But I'll let it slide today, since you’re new. I’m Professor Myali. Do you know the elemental power you hold?”
“I'm not sure . . . I had some plants do some strange things . . . once,” I stuttered. I didn't like talking about what had happened on the mountain. It was odd. I wasn't sure how I felt about having elemental powers in the first place.
“Terran then,” the professor said. “If you have an inclination toward botany, I’ll have you move over on the west side near Sabra. The two of you shouldn't get in each other’s way.” Professor Myali waved her hand toward a girl crouched down with her hands buried in the dirt. “As for you, Luca, you know where you're supposed to be—get there.”
With that, the bubble appeared again where the professor had just been, then rose into the air, shrinking down to the size of a pumpkin as it floated out over the heads of the students once more.
Luca smiled at me. “Have fun!” He sprinted toward another girl making little tornadoes appear above each of her palms.
I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply of the fresh grass all around me. With a long, heavy exhale, I strode over to the girl that Professor Myali had pointed out.
“Hello,” she said when I arrived. A big grin split her face, but her eyes sparked with curiosity.
Interesting.
“Hi, I’m supposed to be over here by you, I guess.” Not that I knew what to do after that.
“I’m Sabra. I’d shake your hand, but . . . “ She motioned with her chin to where her hands were buried.
“Right, not a problem. What are you doing?”
I couldn’t help asking. If I was going to be near her, I wanted to know what kind of power the girl had.
“I’m working on my ability to use granulation.” She pinched her brow. The blank look on my face must have clued her in that I had no idea what that was. “I can manipulate sand, so now I’m trying to take it a step further, and turn soil into sand.”
“Ah,” I said, and smiled like that sounded impressive.
What could someone do with sand?
“Professor Myali sent you over here, so you must have terran powers also. What can you do?”
That was a good question.
“I think I can work with plants.” Yep, just as impressive as changing dirt into a different kind of dirt. “I have no idea what I’m supposed to do, though.”
Sabra laughed. “She does that to all of us. It’s a way of testing what powers we may know about, and discovering ones we don’t. We’re just told to try and see what happens.” Her smile returned, and again, it seemed strained. “I had a friend once who had agrokinesis—she could manipulate plants—and she started by touching the ones she wanted to do something. Maybe start there.”
“Thanks.” I studied the field, as geysers of water sprayed into the air, fireballs were juggled, clouds of mist parted like curtains, and one girl seemed to turn herself on a
nd off like a torch. “This is all normal to everyone? All these abilities?”
Sabra glanced around over her shoulder where I stared. “You’ll get used to it. It’s amazing, really, how we never knew what we contained within us before we came here.”
I’d learned from Georgia Anne that most of those going through Eudaimonia testing had come from different portals on Midgard. There were very few like me, who had lived elsewhere. It made me want to tuck my wings in a little tighter each time I thought about it.
Sabra had her eyes closed when I peeked at her again, so I didn’t ask her any more questions. If she needed to concentrate, I wouldn’t interrupt. And it was time to get on with learning how to use these skills, if I was going to pass second level fast enough to enter the trials.
I knelt down into the grass, pretending I was ready to give plant-talking a try. Spreading my fingers wide, I let the grass slip between them as I pushed my hands down. I don’t know what I expected. The vines that had made the bed just moved into position when I thought about how I hated to sleep on the ground.
The grass was soft and nice to touch, but it didn’t do anything. Maybe I could only work with vines to make nice comfortable furniture. Was that a power? If it was, then I was useless outside of the forest. I huffed a laugh at the ridiculousness of all of this.
“Wow!” Sabra called out, drawing my attention as she stood. Her eyes were wide as she stared over my head.
I twisted to see what was behind me and jumped to me feet. Backing up next to her and gaping right along with Sabra at the massive four poster bed complete with canopy curtains behind where I’d been sitting. The structure was made entirely of vines and grass. I didn’t know what to do. Should I thank the greenery for building me something? I certainly didn’t do it. Or should I sprint in the opposite direction because plants could read my mind?
Before I could decide, though I heavily leaned toward the running idea, Professor Myali arrived in her little bubble. She hovered over the vine-bed, floating all around it before she came to rest near me. Growing to person-size once more, she popped into existence.
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