by Andrew Rowe
I collected what I could of the blood in a vial. I had no intention of summoning Saffron with the Jaden Box, but I knew blood could be used for other things, like tracking spells.
After that, I did some thinking about where I wanted to stay.
Staying on House Theas’ lands would not be a long-term arrangement. There were too many servants, guards, and other people I didn’t necessarily trust. It wasn’t just a personal home like Derek’s house — this was a full estate, complete with three different houses, an expansive garden, and even a swimming pool.
That made it far less personal and far less enticing to me.
Going back to either my own humble dorm room or Derek’s house was not an option, though. Not when Saffron could show back up at any time.
I was concerned that even with the degree of security at House Theas, we were still woefully unprepared for another attack by a threat of that magnitude.
The hope seemed to be that Saffron simply wouldn’t know where to look for us, and that the wards on the house would block any efforts at divination. I didn’t find either of those things particularly likely to be true, but I agreed that being in a different house made it less likely Saffron would find us immediately, at least.
Keras assured us that if Saffron hadn’t attacked again immediately, he probably wasn’t going to any time soon...but that still didn’t excuse a lack of planning for if and when he did decide to finish what he’d started.
I spent most of the next two weeks working on my own solution to that problem — communication devices.
I made a series of voice-activated necklaces that could be used to send a message to anyone else with a matching necklace.
The flexibility to connect with any other necklace was tricky to sort out, but I made it work similarly to the function-changing runes I’d seen on the tiles in Teft’s dueling tests.
Similar items existed on the market, but making them myself was a fifth of the cost. And even then, it was still expensive. Fortunately, Elora and Derek provided the necessary funds for the crystals.
In total, I made four devices. I gave three of them to Derek, Elora, and Keras. I kept the last for myself.
My other project was testing the circlet I’d made in Vellum’s class from modifying the return bell.
I couldn’t go into the spire to test it properly in there, but the campus had test areas saturated with mana that were designed to mimic the effects of the spire. They were used for testing a number of items that normally only worked in the spires, including standard return bells.
My circlet didn’t work, plain and simple. Mostly because it was missing a proper anchor. The one from the original return bell didn’t work with it.
Much of my remaining time in the following weeks was just getting that device to function.
To do that, I had to add a new “Targeting Rune” to both the circlet and the anchor.
Targeting runes were used to store the target of an item that needed to be able to “aim” for a certain location when it was activated. In the case of a teleportation item, a targeting rune was used to set the destination of the teleportation spell. Without one, the results would simply be random.
By putting matching Targeting Runes on both the circlet and the anchor, I ensured that the circlet would always teleport to the anchor’s location, as long as the anchor was within range.
The rest of that time went into upgrading it to work like a jump bell, so it could be used outside of the spire.
I was only able to copy the runes for the most basic form of jump bell — I simply didn’t have the mana or the control for a higher level enchantment. That meant the teleportation effect on the circlet was limited to about half a mile in range. I wasn’t going to be using it to quickly jump across the city, or anything like that.
Still, any form of teleportation device was immensely useful, and I planned to make more of them just as soon as I had time.
I attended the closing ceremony for the school.
I got my final grades for the year.
Cadence, Corin (Enchanter)
First Year
Overall Class Ranking: 1544/8112
Phoenix Division Rank: 238/1564
Current Point Total: 760
Class Scores:
Magic Theory – 55 (Rank C)
Understanding Attunements – 65 (Rank B)
Mana Manipulation – 110 (Rank S)
Physical Combat – 61 (Rank B)
Introductory Runes – 75 (Rank B+)
Elective: Art of Artifice – 30 (Rank D)
Elective: Dueling – 70 (Rank B)
General Tests: 118
Final Examination: 176 (Rank C)
Overall Grade: Rank B
I’d apparently gotten a “C” score for my final, which was lower than the rest of my friends. They’d ended the test with a B- score. Presumably, my lower ranking was because I’d been pulled out early by Elora’s intervention.
That was a little frustrating, especially since I’d been almost finished with the exam when Elora arrived. Still, I was grateful to at least have a passing grade.
And I’d have an above average overall score going into the second year, too. That was a major relief.
And then, with all that finished, it was time for the last thing before the school closed for the year.
The winter ball.
After everything I’d been through, it sounded so mundane. I’d gone on a quest for a visage, earned a second attunement, and fought a child of the Tyrant himself.
Why was I still so nervous about a ball?
It couldn’t be that bad, could it?
Chapter XX – Ballroom Dancing
“Store: Selys-Lyann.”
“Store: Broken Transference Sword.”
“Store: Etching rod.”
“Store: Additional food supplies.”
“Store: Additional water.”
“Store: Fifty feet of rope.”
“Store: Ten foot pole.”
“Store: Flint and steel.”
“Store: Tent.”
“Store: Pillow.”
“Store: Universal Mana Crystal.”
“Store: Cloak of Temperature Shielding.”
“Store: Ring of Derek Controlling.”
I still didn’t have an official name for the ring, but did still find that one hilarious.
I probably would have just worn the ring if I’d figured out how to make it safe, but I hadn’t determined how to remove the anti-tampering runes yet. If I could do that, I could make it respond to my own voice alone, much like Orden had. That would make it an extremely useful too.
Maybe not a moral tool, but I’d worry about that later.
Sera watched me with an amused expression. “Are you sure you’ve got everything you need for the ball? You might want to put two or three more swords in there, just in case.”
I nodded seriously. “You’re right. Go get Ceris. I’ll go ask Patrick to get the Dawnbringer replica.”
She folded her arms. “You’re joking. This is a party, Corin. And, while I know those are more terrifying to you than the average monster, I don’t think an arsenal is going to solve that.”
“You might be surprised how much a few artifact-level weapons can solve.”
Sera sighed. “Fine. I’ll get Ceris. But only to make you feel better. I still think this is ludicrous. There are going to be hundreds of attuned there. Probably thousands. Even Saffron would think twice about attacking a group of that size.”
I sucked in a breath, my hand trembling slightly when I heard his name. “You didn’t see him, Sera. I respect that you don’t think anything is going to happen, but...just let me have this?”
“Fine, fine. But after that, you have to let me dress you up. You’re not going to a ball wearing that.”
I was wearing utilitarian boots, thick trousers, and a simple black doublet. It was a very similar outfit to what I’d first worn into the spire.
I felt vaguely offended.
“I’m dressed practically.”
“You’re practically undressed.” She rolled her eyes. “Please tell me you have at least some formalwear?”
“Formal...wear?” I replied in a teasing tone.
“You’re impossible. Fine. I’m going to get my sword, and then I’m taking you shopping. We can bring Marissa. She’s almost as hopeless as you are.”
That gave me an idea. “Well, if we’re going shopping, and I’m going with Marissa and Patrick... Maybe we should all match?”
Sera folded her arms. “Clearly, having a theme would help, yes.”
I smirked. “I have an idea.”
***
A few hours later, I had successfully traded a newly-made mana watch to Elora Theas in exchange for four professionally-tailored dueling tunics.
The mana watch wasn’t worth nearly as much as the tunics, but Elora had seen her sibling with one, and that meant she needed one. It was a sign of Elora’s immense wealth that she barely seemed to think about making such a disproportionate trade.
I’d remembered that the dress she’d worn was made from the same material as a dueling tunic, and I’d guessed — correctly — that it meant she knew a tailor that worked with the materials.
The truth was even more impressive. House Theas owned one of the largest suppliers of Ironweave and Steelweave Silk in the city, as well as a number of tailoring shops.
It had been a simple thing for Elora to clear a few hours in the schedule of a tailor and have tunics adjusted to fit each of us. If we had a little longer, she claimed she would have had the tailor make them for us from scratch, but we didn’t have the time.
Once the tunics were adjusted, she had them dyed the blue and white colors of House Cadence.
She also provided us with matching trousers, made of the same silk. Those were free, simply because Elora wouldn’t imagine providing us with anything less than full matching suits.
Even Sera, who had been previously quite excited by a freshly-purchased dress, was happy to cast it aside for the matching outfits.
I didn’t care much for how they looked. I just felt better in the comforting weight of a dueling tunic, and the knowledge that it could stop at least a few blasts from a dueling cane.
It was nearing evening when we finished, which was important, because it was the night of the ball.
And all of us, including Elora, were going.
***
We arrived at the ball a few hours later, traveling at first by train and then taking the rest of the journey in a carriage that Elora provided.
The ball was being held at the estate of Archduchess Lanoy, the current ruler of one of Valia’s four archduchies. I’d met a few members of her family, but I hadn’t met her personally.
Her son, Councilor Gerald Lanoy, was one of the council members that I’d seen fighting against Keras in the memory crystal that Jin had brought me earlier in the year. I wondered if he’d be in attendance.
Councilor Lanoy had called himself Tenjin’s adjutant in the vision, which implied that he worked for Tenjin personally. If it wasn’t a ceremonial title, I suspected he might have answers to some of my questions.
Our carriage moved into a line of dozens — maybe hundreds — of other arriving carriages.
The winter ball was a celebration for all the students who had managed to finish the year. Most of the school’s students would be there, as well as many teachers and important political figures. Thousands of people in total.
In a group of that size, some of those people undoubtedly worked for groups that had reasons to hurt me. More followers of the Tyrant, or people who had worked with Orden, for example.
I would have felt better if Derek or Keras was going, but they were both staying behind.
Keras had a good reason — his last encounter with Councilor Lanoy had been when the man had lured him into a meeting to have him arrested. I could see why he wasn’t exactly thrilled at the idea of going to Lanoy’s home.
Derek was a little vaguer, simply claiming he had “somewhere else to be”. Moreover, he was still healing from his injuries from his fight with Saffron. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who had walked out of that with a few broken bones.
We passed dozens of outlying buildings, each flying banners of House Lanoy. Up ahead, our destination could not be described as a simple mansion like Derek’s house had been.
“Palace” would have been a better term.
We approached through a garden lined with crimson flowers and bronze statues depicting heroes of ages long gone.
When we finally made our way through the gardens, we found our way up a marble stairway wide enough for hundreds. Ahead of that, we could see the main entrance. Titanic doors that appeared to be wrought from solid gold were flanked by tall white pillars that held aloft the rest of the structure.
It was a monument to opulence that made me supremely uncomfortable.
A single, cylindrical tower loomed above the rest of the structure, with an artistic rendition of a serpent wrapped around it and resting its head at the top. That, at least, I could appreciate.
Marissa, Patrick, and I approached the line to the entrance. I felt awkward, constrained in the press of hundreds of bodies.
Sera had chosen to go separately, along with her date, and promised to meet us inside. I still didn’t know who she was going with. She clearly was hoping to make it a surprise.
I hoped it’d be a good one.
As we stood in the line, Marissa and Patrick made idle conversation with each other and a few other students. I made a few replies when prompted.
I was too distracted to say much, since I was spending most of my attention looking for Jin.
I didn’t find him.
We made our way inside. Guards in golden mail, holding ceremonial glaives, checked us for weapons.
We’d anticipated that, and I’d stored all of our weapons in the Jaden Box. I had that in the pouch on my side. Fortunately, they didn’t ask to take the box, otherwise I would have been in a difficult situation.
After determining that we were unarmed, the guards pointed us toward the main ballroom.
Because, obviously, a place of this size had several ballrooms.
Apparently, the first-year students were being sent to the main ballroom because there were more of us.
I presumed there would be separate events and ceremonies in each room, and that the most important guests were going to be moving back and forth between the ballrooms for speeches.
There were no assigned seats for the students, only for important guests.
The interior of the ballroom was just as gaudy as the exterior of the building. It was divided into four quarters, each with a different color of tiles on the floor. White for student seating, black for adult guests, blue for dancing, and green for refreshments.
In the center of everything was a smaller square which contained a raised stage. At the moment, it contained a group of musicians, who were playing a classical tune.
I could also see a podium on it, where I assumed speeches would take place later in the evening.
I wasn’t looking forward to those. They always ended up being terribly boring.
The ceiling was made of glass or some sort of transparent crystal, allowing the light of the stars to shine down from above.
The walls were lined with portraits of people who were probably famous, but who I didn’t know or care the slightest bit about.
Now that we were inside, theoretically we had gotten to the part of the party that was supposed to be fun.
I...just wasn’t sure how I was supposed to make that part happen.
Marissa, Patrick, and I found an open table. The other two sat down to wait for Sera to arrive, but I was feeling too jittery to sit.
I glanced around at my options.
Dancing was terrifying.
Politicians? Who wanted to talk to them? Certainly not me.
Other students?
Nah.
The last section was food.
Eating it is, I decided. Eating forever.
“I’m going to go get food,” I declared as I left the others, bravely delving into the massive crowd.
This was a mistake. There are people here. I should have just sat down.
As I attempted to navigate through the press of bodies, I searched the area for any familiar faces that I needed to avoid.
In the area with the important guests, I could see several people of interest.
Elora was sitting at the lead table, this time wearing a dress that looked like it had been wrought entirely from silver. I knew better — it was just another type of dyed metallic weave, and likely offered similar protection to her previous dress. Still, it looked impressive.
She was laughing with a gentleman who looked to be about her age that I didn’t recognize. He had a strong resemblance to Derek, aside from his hair, which was short and white. A sibling, maybe?
Ugh, Derek and Elora’s relationship was the worst kind of complicated.
I didn’t see Sheridan, although I knew they were supposed to be at the party somewhere. Presumably, they had gone to the other ballroom, either to avoid Elora or simply to talk to other people they knew.
Councilor Lanoy was sitting a few seats down from Elora, next to an older woman that I presumed was his mother, the host of the party. They were both chatting with Chancellor Wallace, who was standing on the other side of the table.
I recognized a few other people, including a couple teachers and some other wealthy nobles my parents had introduced me to years and years ago. I assumed many of my professors would be in attendance, but fortunately, I didn’t see any of them right away.
I finally made it through the general crowd and into the food line.
What am I even doing here? This is absurd. There’s no reason for me to be at a party like this.
I saw Jin just a few moments after that, leaning up against one of the walls with a cocktail in hand.
Oh.
That’s why.
He winked at me.
I very deliberately looked away.
I continued waiting in line, observing everywhere Jin wasn’t as a way to fill my time.
