“Are you decent?” Jenkins asked with more than a bit of impatience.
“Yes!” Nolan spat, struggling to get the dress shoes on his feet. They pinched.
Jenkins turned to his nephew and tutted. “You may have your father’s teenage build, but you certainly don’t have his tiny feet. Here.” He handed Nolan a pair of his own dress shoes, buffed to a mirror sheen. Nolan shoved his feet inside and made quick work of the laces. His uncle tugged the two ends of the high collared jacket together and fastened the hidden hook-and-eye clasp.
Feeling constricted, Nolan tugged at the collar with his fingertips and immediately had his hand slapped down.
“Stop that! You’d think you’d never worn dress clothes before!”
Nolan bit his tongue and concentrated on inspecting the suit. “I feel ridiculous,” he pronounced.
“Use some of your numina,” Jenkins suggested with a bit of a smile, stepping well back and crossing his arms.
“What do you want me to shoot?”
“Nothing! Don’t you dare destroy a thing in this room! Pull up just the barest hint of Power and touch it to the Fulmen emblem—see what happens.”
Nolan gave his uncle a look, but closed his eyes to obey. He teased the slightest bit of Power out from between thumb and forefinger and let it circle his fingertip, then touched it ever so lightly to the symbol.
The effect was instantaneous. Crackling electricity spread through the coppery threads that Nolan now realized actually were copper, arching out in a pattern eerily reminiscent of lighting. The bright blue settled into the navy fabric, hair thin strands illuminated to give the effect of Power crawling all of his body in a sinuous flow.
“Wow,” Nolan managed, twisting to see if the Power was crawling up his back, as well.
“Now you look powerful-- no pun intended,” Jenkins joked. “Go on, join the other students. I’ll be there as soon as I can get ready.”
Nolan made his way down to the Atrium, feeling a bit like a walking neon sign. When he reached the other students, he could see why Jenkins had forced him to change.
Many of the students looked as though they were dressed for a prom, primping and flirting amongst themselves even as they cast glances at each other as if sizing up the competition. A small cluster of students were off to the side, however, and Nolan recognized every single one.
Leiani, Gia, Pyrrhus, and Manas were all dressed in unusual clothes, just as he was. Manas seemed to be dressed in a normal suit, though it was the color of rich soil. Pyrrhus was wearing a white suit that almost looked like a leisure suit, drawing attention to the shirt that matched his hair. It was the girls, however, who really shone.
Leiani was wearing a mermaid dress of shimmering red silk, with freshwater pearls roped around neck, wrists, and the pile of hair on top of her head. A single curl trailed from the back of her head and over her shoulder. She looked incredible, but then, she almost always took special care to look striking. Gia, on the other hand...
Gia was clad in a short organza dress in shades of pink. The neckline and shoulders were made of twisted metal and gems, a stark contrast to the flowing fabric. Her hair was up in its usual way, though the ponytail was wound around itself in a braided bun and studded with the same gems on the dress. She wore small heels, and looked incredibly uncomfortable. She had her arms folded tightly across her chest, and was scowling at everyone.
“Why are we all clustered together?” Nolan asked, stepping up to close the circle.
"We have a drawing of our own, Aeron," Manas said, examining Nolan's expression with a smirk. "They only pair the 9Fs up with each other."
“9Fs?”
“Members of the Nine Families. Did not one of them tell you?”
Nolan slowly looked around the circle of faces, all looking away with a certain degree of shame except for Pyrrhus. When Nolan looked into his eyes, they were completely unapologetic.
“It doesn't change anything,” he said with a shrug. “So we may have to fight—it’s only to first blood. We've drawn blood on each other already, remember?”
Nolan nodded slowly, still turning the idea over in his mind. A thought struggled to surface, and he finally caught it long enough to voice it. “But there are only five of us, aren't there?”
“Yes. One of us will have to fight a former student.”
“Does anyone know who it will be?”
Leiani finally spoke. “It's Alan—he volunteered last year.”
“Great,” Pyrrhus groaned. “So I get to be either drowned, electrocuted, or buried alive. Just perfect.”
“Or one of us gets to burn,” Gia said softly.
“True, Miss Disanza,” Pyrrhus said with a theatrical flourish. “I could make you burn.”
He had already succeeded—Gia’s face was stained bright red as she caught his meaning. “I'd rather burn to death!” she snapped.
“Ouch,” Manas laughed. “Reign in the barbs, Your Majesty.”
Gia whirled on him, ready to continue the fight, but Jenkins' powerful voice interrupted them all.
“Ladies and gentlemen, if we could all find our seats?”
Leiani snagged his elbow and steered him toward a row of chairs behind the podium.
“Why are there so many… heirs… this year?” he whispered to her as they took their seats.
“It tends to happen in waves—of course, there's never a member of Alixandra’s family, and the Wells and Kendal heirs are all about the same age—they’re about five and seven years younger than we are. Some families have more than one child per generation, of course… like yours. This is the second year in a row that the Aeron family has a child in the Rite of Passage.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but his uncle was up on the dais. Leiani smiled at him and gestured with her chin for him to pay attention.
“Welcome, everyone, to the 123rd Drawing of the Names here at Caer Anglia. We gather together here tonight to begin our young men and women on the path to full adulthood. Tonight, their fates will be chosen in the manner decreed by the gods—by chance.” Jenkins raised his hands over his head, holding a large jar with small silver squares within it.
“Come forward and choose your number.”
One at a time, called in order of age, the students filed forward and removed a square numbered between one and ten. There was a general chaos for a few moments as students conferred, finding their opponents. Nolan sat with the other heirs and watched them, his own fate still in the balance.
“Silence, please!” Jenkins shouted over them. Slowly, they all took their seats once more, leaving Jenkins and Sensei up on the dais with the heirs.
“This year we have five members of the Nine Families among us. As long established custom decrees, those students can only oppose each other, so they have a drawing of their own.” He held up a smaller, square container with six small gold strips resting on the bottom.
“As there are an uneven number of students, Alan Aeron has volunteered to battle the fifth student. Normally, he would be here today to draw his own number, but that is obviously not possible. Therefore the last number in the jar shall be decreed as his.”
Jenkins hesitated for a moment, and then gestured for them to stand.
The five of them stood as one, chairs scraping backwards. Nolan found himself watching the light from his suit playing off of Leiani’s pearls, giving them the illusion of being underwater.
“Pyrrhus.”
He strode forward and pulled his square. “Number 2.”
“Manas.”
“Number 3.”
“Leiani.”
“Number 1,” she said with a laugh.
“No pairs yet,” Jenkins said with a small smile. “Let’s change that, shall we? Nolan.”
Nolan approached the bowl with dread. His possible choices were bad, though they could have been worse, but he prayed he wouldn’t have to fight his own girlfriend.
He pulled the slip out and unfolded it, almost afraid to look.
>
“Number 3,” he announced, his nerves blanking his mind for a moment.
“Manas and Nolan, then,” Jenkins said as the other students clapped dutifully. “You can have a seat, boys.”
“You and I, Aeron.” Manas grinned, showing far more teeth than was necessary. “I look forward to it.”
“So do I,” he muttered as they took their seats.
“Giada,” Jenkins said, holding out the jar with the final two slips in it. She grimaced at his use of her full name and reached in, snagging a slip and unfolding it.
“Number 1.”
“Giada and Leiani. Have a seat, girls.” Gia and Leiani exchanged looks, resigned and a bit relieved—neither wanted to fight Nolan, and they both thought a physical fight between them was probably long overdue. They went over to join the others, where Angus immediately sought Gia out and sat next to her, speaking in a rapid whisper.
“That leaves Alan Aeron and Pyrrhus!”
“No, no, no,” Pyrrhus groaned, frowning. “He’ll drown me!”
The other students laughed as he plodded to his seat, looking depressed.
“Thank you for your patience, everyone! Enjoy the next few hours, and good luck!” Jenkins gestured to Sensei, who turned on some music and joined him hovering near the front of the room. The students made a beeline for the tables full of food, chattering about the different pairings and how they would prepare.
Nolan saw Angus hold Gia back and swing her into a small alcove. When Leiani pressured him to join her on the dance floor, he said quickly, "I'll meet you out there, I want to talk to Uncle Robert about—things."
Leiani's smile dimmed, but she kissed him and allowed Pyrrhus to escort her out to the dance floor. The second they were clear of Nolan’s line of sight, however, Pyrrhus swung her into an alcove of their own. "This has to stop."
Leiani didn't even feign ignorance. "I don't see why."
"Because you're toying with his heart, Leiani!" Pyrrhus hissed. "I’ll admit, in the beginning I thought this was amusing. I thought you would slip early on, or Jenkins would tell the poor thing that you're already betrothed to his own damn brother, but it's gone too far."
"I am not engaged to Alan!" she cried, stamping her foot. "Has he asked me? Has he given me a ring? Has he even talked about it with me? No! His mother and mine float about like jellyfish, over the moon about their darling children, but Alan hasn't shown me once that he actually welcomes this marriage! I want someone to want me, Pyrrhus, not feel obligated to take me!"
"How do you think he'll feel when he finds out—and he will—that he's getting his brother's proverbial leavings? If you don't tell Nolan, Leiani, I will, and it will not paint a flattering picture of you, I can assure you that."
Pyrrhus was the angriest she'd ever seen him, and it cowed her a bit. "Give me until Christmas," she pleaded. "Before the New Year, I will tell him."
"You'd better—or my “Happy New Year” will be the worst he's ever had. Your oath?"
"Is that really necessary?"
"You know it is. Give it!"
She sighed. "I, Lady Younger Aqua, do hereby swear to do as I'm told..."
"Correctly, you brat!"
Rolling her eyes, she started again. "I, Leiani, Lady Younger Aqua, do hereby swear to tell Nolan Aeron of my betrothal to his brother before the year is out. This I swear on my numina, the Water of my Life." She let a single droplet fall into her palm, where it crystallized into a small debt marker. He took it, tucking it into his pocket.
"There, was that so hard?"
"Why do you even care?" she cried. "What does it matter to you?"
Pyrrhus paused and said softly, "He's the first friend I've ever made, and I'd like to keep it that way." He left the room and backtracked for Nolan. He found him, crouched outside another small alcove.
"Hey, what are you--"
Nolan grabbed him and put a hand over his mouth, shaking his head with wild eyes. He gestured to the room, telling Pyrrhus to take a look.
Angus and Gia were inside, and they were obviously arguing. Their voices were too muffled to be heard correctly, but both men saw Gia try to brush past Angus and leave the room. Alarmed, Angus grabbed her arm and pulled her backwards into an unexpected kiss. The desperation in the lines of his body and the revulsion in hers were obvious even from that distance. Nolan let out a growl and began to head into the room—only Pyrrhus’ quick thinking in slapping an arm across his chest stopped him from making a huge mistake.
Gia finally wrenched herself out of Angus's grasp and shoved him away from her, hooking her heel behind his to negate his balance. The powerful shove knocked him on his back, leaving her to stand over him, clearly furious. She said something to him before turning and stalking towards their hiding place. Pyrrhus and Nolan scrambled for cover and were barely hidden when Gia blew by, snarling over her shoulder, “And if you ever touch me again, Angus Kinnaird, I will kill you."
Angus slowly got to his feet and stood in the room for a moment, completely stunned. With a sudden roar, he shifted into his lion form and tore from the room, heading for the outer gardens and solitude.
Pyrrhus looked at Nolan, who was fuming, his fists clenched. "That creep!" he said.
"She can defend herself, obviously," Pyrrhus soothed, watching him carefully. There was something bothering Nolan that ran deeper than his friendship with Gia, and it made him all the more certain that this farce with Leiani had to stop. Pyrrhus was not above matchmaking, if the need arose.
"How can I sleep in that room tonight? All I'll be able to think of is... that!" Nolan spat, heading for the stairs.
"Let's go see Jenkins for a room pass—you can stay with me tonight if you like," Pyrrhus offered. "Camp out on the floor."
"He'll never allow it—he’s trying to make us get along."
Pyrrhus nodded slowly. "Well, I think that's a lost cause. I say you get upstairs and climb in your upper bunk before Kinnaird gets back from his hunt. Preferably, you'll be asleep by the time he gets back."
"Good idea... let's go."
When he got to his room, he turned to shake Pyrrhus's hand. "Thanks for being there—I might have killed him otherwise."
"You really think you have it in you to kill a man, Aeron?" he asked with a grin. Nolan's serious expression made him quickly stop smiling.
"If I have to."
Before Pyrrhus could answer, he began to close the door and asked, "Could you tell Leiani that I had to go to bed and I'll see her tomorrow?"
"What am I, your errand boy?" Pyrrhus gave him a mock bow. "Tell her yourself in the morning, I'm going to bed."
"Okay—good night, Pyrrhus."
Chapter Sixteen
Nolan’s first hint that things were changing at Caer Anglia was hardly subtle. He was sitting at dinner—with Gia, as it happened, since Leiani was studying—when the chair was suddenly ripped out from under him, sending him crashing backwards onto the floor. He missed smashing the back of his head on the edge of the other table by centimeters. As it was, the edges of his vision greyed alarmingly from the impact with the ground. In his peripheral vision, he saw a small green vine retracting back along the floor under the tables.
“Nolan?” a voice was asking him, small hands resting on his chest, checking his breathing. He forced his eyes to focus, seeing Gia’s face swim into view. “Nolan, are you okay? What happened?”
He sat up, trying to be careful, but the room spun anyway. She thrust an arm behind his back and steadied him. “Whoa, whoa, slow down! You hit your head pretty hard. Do you want me to find Liz?”
He tried to open his mouth to say no, but found his head nodding yes.
“Liz!” she shouted, immediately snapping her mouth shut as Nolan winced. “Sorry!” she said in a whisper. She pushed him back gently until he was leaning against the cool metal supports of the table. “I’ll run over and get her.”
She stood and immediately noticed that all attention was on them. No one was even feigning interest in their own table
s. Ignoring their stares, she marched over to Liz’s table and said firmly, “Nolan needs you—he fell and hit his head.”
Liz’s eyes were darting around the room, looking at anything but her. “Gia, I don’t know...”
“Don’t know what?” Gia asked, leaning forward on her hands to force herself into Liz’s line of sight.
“I, well, I don’t want to get involved...”
Gia leaned in even closer, nose only inches from hers. “If you help him, you may make a few enemies. If you don’t help him, you’ll definitely have at least ONE.”
Liz slid back her chair, reestablishing her personal space. She looked to her friends for help, but they were all suddenly incredibly interested in their food again. She huffed, standing up and following Gia back over to Nolan. Once there, her natural healing instincts kicked in.
“Nolan, can you hear me?”
“Yes,” he said irritably, keeping his forehead pressed against the cool metal and his eyes closed to block out the pesky light.
“I need you to open your eyes and look at me.”
“Don’t wanna,” he mumbled.
“Okay, I’m going to put my hands on your head, then. Is that okay?”
He nodded just enough for her to see it.
She slid her hands through his hair with a feather touch, curving around the back of his skull and calling her Medica numina into her hands.
“What is it, Liz?” Gia asked, leaning over the chair as she tried to get a better view. “Is he going to be alright?”
“Yes, it seems so. He’s got a bit of swelling and bruising, but I’m taking care of that now. He’s lucky.”
“Don’t feel lucky,” he managed, feeling the throbbing at the back of his head subside as Liz’s numina flowed through him.
“Go down to the first floor and get some aspirin, you’ll be fine,” she said briskly, rising to her feet and brushing her hands off on her pants. She strode back to her table without another word.
Gia leaned down and helped him up, putting him back in his chair.
Pins and Needles (The Chosen Book 1) Page 15
