by Kova, Elise
“They all signed up, too,” Alyss said softly.
“Good,” Eira whispered back. “I’ll really enjoy crushing Adam in the trials.” Even if Eira wasn’t chosen as a competitor…showing her family she could look after herself and putting Adam in his place would be a good consolation prize.
“All right, everyone,” their instructor, Mister Levit, said as he walked in. “We have a lot to cover today, and so you’re not all distracted during class, I will address what is no doubt the most pressing thought on your minds—the trials.”
Murmurs were exchanged by just about everyone in the lecture hall. Most eyes went to Noelle and Adam’s group. But a few wary glances were cast Eira’s way.
“The first trial will be held over the next week. As you all know, there will be one sorcerer of each affinity sent to the tournament. So every participant is really competing only against the others who share their affinity. Thus, each affinity will be tested on a different day.”
As he spoke, Mister Levit wrote in chalk on the board. In four days, the first trial would begin with the Firebearers, then Groundbreakers, and then Waterrunners on the final day.
“Now, I know the candidates among us are all burning to know the details of their first trial. And I know that even the non-candidates of the Tower are already invested.” He wiggled his fingers in the air, sparks of fire dancing between them on the word “burning.” “I will tell you everything I know and we’ll leave it at that. Since the Tournament of Five Kingdoms is meant to celebrate a joining of cultures and mutual respect, there will be many events and opportunities for cultures to mingle. Naturally, we want to send the best among us, who are not only skilled with magic but who also will display tact and grace in navigating the cultures of Meru.
“Thus, the first trial is indeed…a test. A written examination that will assess the competitors’ knowledge of Meru, its cultures, and customs.”
“HA!” Alyss blurted.
“What?” Noelle nearly shrieked at the same time.
“Ladies, please.” Mister Levit sighed.
A written test…on Meru. The blank expression Eira had trained on her face in the presence of Adam and Noelle cracked into a smile. This first trial was hers. No one in the Tower was more fascinated with Meru. No one else had read, for years, every limited scrap of information there was.
No wonder her uncle had tried to convince her to throw it. There would be no way she’d be culled, otherwise.
“Mister Levit, this simply isn’t fair,” Noelle said. “We are to be measured on our skills as sorcerers, aren’t we?”
“The details of the tournament have yet to be decided,” he reminded them. “As I was saying, the best thing Solaris can do is send well-rounded competitors who have exceptional skill, grace, knowledge, courage, determination, and, of course, people who won’t put their feet in their mouths the moment they arrive on Meru.”
“I told you,” Alyss whispered and slapped Eira’s leg. “You were made for this.” Eira gave her friend a small grin. “And now you’re going to have to help me study. I only have five days to get all of what’s in your head, in mine.”
Eira held back a snort of laughter.
“If you’re worried about your scores, Noelle, might I recommend you pay closer attention in today’s lecture. We will be discussing the end of the War of the Crystal Caverns, which will lead us nicely into a discussion on the opening of Meru…”
Eira listened attentively to Mister Levit. But it was all information she already knew. The Crystal Caverns fell with the end of the short reign of the Mad King Victor, and the location where the Caverns once stood became one of the first sites dignitaries from Meru had demanded to visit.
The Crystal Caverns had been a place of mysterious and powerful magic. Magic that, in Eira’s opinion, the world seemed better off without. Based on the stories, exposure to the crystals turned men into monsters and unlocked other impossible, evil magics. After the Mad King Victor had been defeated, the crystals of the caverns were said to have turned dark and collapsed into a fine black dust—like ash. It was a page in history well before her time, and one that read more like Imperial propaganda for how great the emperor and empress were in bringing about the fall of the Mad King Victor and the Crystal Caverns.
When the lecture was finished, two whole hours later, the majority of the room departed in a swarm that trailed after Noelle’s poor attitude like flies on scat. Eira and Alyss packed up slowly, giving ample time for everyone else to depart. They didn’t have to discuss why—the last thing either of them wanted was to run into Noelle and Adam in the hall when they were already in a poor mood.
“Eira,” Mister Levit called as she was just finishing putting her journals away. “A word?”
“Yes, sir?” Eira walked down the short stairs to where he was.
“Privately, if you please, Alyss.”
“Sure thing.” Alyss squeezed her shoulder lightly. “I’ll wait outside for you.”
Eira nodded, and her friend left. “Yes?”
“I have something for you.” Mister Levit held onto his worn leather satchel with both hands. He was a young man, Eira suspected a mere ten years older than her. His dark hair had yet to be peppered with salt, and his deep brown skin showed no signs of wrinkling. “Though, now I feel I shouldn’t give it to you.”
“What is it?” Eira asked, trying to keep any emotion from her voice. She was curious, but she wasn’t going to pry.
He sighed, clearly making up his mind, and shoved a hand into his bag. Mister Levit held out a leather-bound book to her. It had a symbol emblazoned in gold on the front—shining circles, interconnecting with woven lines in a pattern that was magical simply to look at.
Eira let out a gasp, taking the tome reverently with both hands.
“This is not favoritism,” he insisted, though Eira wasn’t sure if it was to her or himself, “as I have been sharing my collection with you for years now.” Every time Mister Levit got his hands on a book from Meru, he lent it to her. After he was finished with it, of course.
“Are you sure? You just got this one, didn’t you?”
He nodded. “Two weeks ago, when the ambassador returned. They brought back a small chest of books again. There’s more, but they’re still circulating between the Tower, Imperial Library, and imperial family. This is the only one I’ve managed to get my hands on so far.”
“Are you really sure?” she repeated, clutching the book to her chest. “I don’t want to prevent you from getting other books by holding onto this one.”
He shook his head, wearing a warm smile. “Give it back to me when you’re done and you won’t.”
“Thank you, thank you!” Eira could hug him. She didn’t. But she could.
“Of course.” He chuckled and slung his bag over his shoulder. “If there’s any new information in there, there won’t be time for it to appear on the test. And any old information, you likely already know. But…I’d still recommend you keep it private. Otherwise it may complicate things during the trials with claims of unfair advantages.”
“Yes, right, I will.” Eira peeled the book off her chest and put it in her bag. She peeked, twice, on her way to the door, as if it might somehow disappear.
“One last thing.” He paused right before the door. “Good luck, Eira. I’ll be cheering for you. No one deserves this more than you do.” Mister Levit clapped her once on the shoulder and left before Eira could say anything else.
8
Five days later, Eira sat in the risers that overlooked the Sunlit Stage alongside other Tower apprentices, instructors, palace staff, and Commons that she presumed came from the city to watch. Today, the stage truly looked its name. Every banister, column, seat, and slab of marble was polished between each day of testing, and they glistened in the morning light.
Below, where the masses usually gathered, tables had been set up. Tower apprentices sat several paces apart as three sheets of parchment were placed in front of each. Eira and
Alyss had come to watch the trial take place yesterday, she knew what to expect, but seeing Alyss’s below set her nerves ablaze.
She’ll be all right, Eira tried to reassure herself. Alyss hadn’t taken to the study of Meru and its history like Eira had. But she’d certainly been forced to listen to Eira’s enthusiasm over the years. Surely something—or several somethings—had sunk in. Plus, they had done nothing but cram for the past five days in preparation for the test.
Mister Levit stood in front of a table up on the actual stage. A large board was behind him, two Groundbreaker instructors on either side. Mister Levit waited to speak until the assistants finished passing out the examinations.
“You will have one hour to complete the exam. If you finish early, you may bring up your finished papers to me. Once you stand from your seat, you may not sit again. Any cheating or other foul play will be punished by both the Tower and the palace guard. You will be scored on what you complete within the hour. Those in the top fifty percent of scores will proceed on to the next trial. Are there any questions?”
No one spoke.
“I ask those in the audience to please remain silent as anything you say, even encouragement for a candidate, could result in their disqualification. If there is nothing further, Groundbreakers, you may begin.” Mister Levit flipped a large hourglass and went to sit behind the table. Just once, she could’ve sworn his eyes darted her way.
Eira grabbed the bench beneath her and tapped her feet, already restless. From her vantage, she couldn’t see a word of the actual examination, so she was left to guessing what had Alyss shaking her head and pausing. But, more often, Alyss’s quill moved quickly across the page.
About fifteen minutes in, a small group emerged from the back of the stage. Eira recognized the ambassador for Solaris, Cordon, and the pointy-eared ambassador for Meru, Ferro. They each had a guard in tow. Gwen stood near Cordon, a hand lazily resting on the pommel of her sword. And an elfin woman with black hair and dark skin was a step behind Ferro.
They walked to the edge of the stage, observing the competitors. Some paused their work, gaping up at the elfin. But most, including Alyss, remained steadfast, focused on the exam. Eira wondered if the presence of elfin wasn’t some part of the test—to see who could remain focused when presented with a distraction. After a brief, whispered discussion, the group crossed to Mister Levit to continue their conversation.
The first apprentice finished five minutes later, almost halfway through the examination time. She was young and Eira could tell by the way her shoulders slumped that she knew she was going to be cut. Eira admired her for deciding to try at all.
The girl walked up and handed her exam to Mister Levit. He scored it with both ambassadors and their guards looking over his shoulders. It had been the same the day before with the Firebearers—no doubt an attempt to curb any claims of favoritism from the proctor.
Mister Levit went to the Groundbreakers back by the blank stone tablet. They nodded at him, and then turned to the tablet. With a quick hand motion, a name magically appeared etched at the top with a score alongside it.
One by one, others finished and rose for their judgment. Mister Levit scored them silently, and their names were embossed in stone by the Groundbreakers for all to see. About forty minutes in and they had passed the halfway mark of total scores. At this time, a line appeared—the apprentices who made the cut were above. Those who didn’t were below.
The names continued to shuffle as the sand in the hourglass trickled down. Eira bit her lip, watching Alyss. Her friend had gone through her answers several times over. Finally satisfied, Alyss stood and approached the stage.
Eira held her breath for what felt like forever as Mister Levit went through Alyss’s scores. Yet, all too soon, it was over. Alyss’s name was shuffled on the board.
Top twenty percent.
Eira pressed both hands over her mouth to stop herself from shouting in excitement. There were only a handful of students left. Even if all of them did better than Alyss, she would make the cut.
She didn’t wait to see the final examinations be turned in. Eira jumped up from the bench and raced down through the palace wall, coming to a stop at the barricade erected by the palace guard.
“That concludes today’s examination. Congratulations to the competitors who are moving to the next round,” Mister Levit was saying as apprentices began to make their triumphant or disappointed path back to the Tower.
“You did it!” Eira hissed with excitement as she yanked Alyss her way. “You did it!”
“With your help!” Alyss wrapped her arms tightly around Eira and they jumped up and down together. “We did it.”
“You would’ve passed without me.”
“Maybe. But I certainly wouldn’t have scored so high. It would have been a nail-biter.” Alyss finally released her from the bone-crushing grip. “Now, you’re next.”
“We’ll see.” Her parents’ letter was still in her mind, stewing with the conversation she’d had with Marcus and her uncles.
“No false modesty. We both know you’re going to ace whatever is put in front of you with flying colors.”
* * *
Eira stretched out on her bed, flipping through the pages of the book Mister Levit had given her. It was a book on the strange magic of Meru—Lightspinning, they called it. Unlike the affinities of the Solaris Empire, which functioned on instinct and intention, Lightspinning was governed by a series of words. It was a logical, elegant system that Eira was constantly in awe of.
“Duro… Durroe.” She tried out the magic words like a new dress. They were awkward and didn’t fit quite right across her tongue. Moreover, they did nothing for her own magic. But she practiced them anyway. Saying them felt good, like some part of her could belong on that distant land.
A knock on her door stopped her—four fast knocks, a pause, and then two slow.
She scowled and closed the book, sliding it under her bed and replacing it with one of her other notebooks. “Come in, Marcus.”
Her brother slipped inside, closed the door behind him, and leaned against it. He ran a hand through his golden hair uncertainly, as if questioning why he came. Eira was about to do the same.
“What do you want?” She flipped a page of her notebook nonchalantly.
“I wanted to talk, one-on-one.”
“All right, we’re talking.” She could see him frown from the corners of her eyes.
“Grahm, Fritz, Mom and Dad, we’re all just trying to protect you. We don’t mean to upset you.”
“I can protect myself.”
“Eira.” He sighed. “I know you can…but these trials—the tournament—is more than surviving the day to day of the Tower. It’s more than helping people at the clinic or conducting research with Mister Levit. If you try to be a competitor everyone will be watching you.”
“So?”
“I thought you didn’t like attention drawn to you?”
“It’s not my favorite,” she admitted, then flicked her eyes to his. “But Meru is my favorite.”
“We don’t even know if the actual Tournament of Five Kingdoms will take place on Meru.”
“Aunt Gwen told me it would be.” Eira glanced at him. Marcus cursed softly and shook his head. The dark waters in her churned violently at the sight. “You knew, too.”
“Uncle asked me not to say so that—”
“So that I wouldn’t be more motivated to compete?” Eira arched her eyebrows.
“So that people wouldn’t accuse him of favoritism and giving me special information.”
It sounded like a lie, but Eira looked back at her journal and pretended to ignore it. Move aside for Marcus; let Marcus have a chance. The words were in her depths, rising to the surface as ugly, primordial beasts.
“Listen, Eira… I know what you care about most is going to Meru.” Marcus pushed away from the door to stand at her bedside. “If I’m selected as a competitor, I’ll bring you along.”
�
�You can do that?” She searched his expression for another lie.
“I’m sure there will be assistants to the competitors in some fashion. Between me, Uncle, Auntie, and their connections, we’ll find a way to get you there.”
“And all I have to do is step aside and let you win?”
Marcus glanced at her notebook, flipped it closed, and slid it away from her so he could sit on the edge of the bed. Eira pushed herself upright as well.
“Think about it. You don’t really care about competition. You want to learn more about Meru. Right?”
“You’re a fool,” she whispered with a shake of her head. “I’m doing this for you, too.” Eira grabbed his hand, pleading, “Uncle, Mom, and Dad, they’re all going to expect you to keep looking after me. You’re never going to feel free to go off and live your own life. Even if I’m not chosen as the final Waterrunner, getting far in the trials will show them that I can stand on my own without you.”
Marcus clasped his hand tightly with hers. “That’s it, then? That’s what you want?” He chuckled and shook his head. “Fine, take the test and pass the first trial with flying colors as we all know you will. You can always throw in the towel later, after you’ve proved your point.”
“I…” Was that all she wanted? If Marcus could bring her with him, then wouldn’t it be easier to allow him to be the final Waterrunner? She’d have more time to focus on experiencing, studying, and learning if she wasn’t a competitor in the Tournament.
But if she didn’t compete…she had no guarantees she would go to Meru. He thought he could get her there. But that might mean very little.
“Love you, sister.” Marcus leaned forward and planted a kiss on her forehead. He stood and left before she could say anything else.
Eira was restless that night.
She tossed and turned in bed, dreams haunted by beaches on faraway lands churned up by frigid gray seas. She woke, sweat-slicked and in a panic, more than once. The Tower was noisy tonight. Her usually silent room was filled with whispers that she forced away.
