Chapter 20
There was a short intermission after both of Haile’s lectures.
Lottie, who had noticed Audra’s complete lack of note-taking, kindly offered to let her copy her notes, so the two of them now huddled in the library at the table closest to the largest fireplace, just beneath a giant poster that announced in bold black lettering, “Say no to treason: Suspect your friend may be the Heir? Tell your opinante or a trusted scholar right away!”
Audra had suffered from a stroke of some kind and had missed … a lot, apparently. She poured over Lottie’s meticulous notes, notebooks, ink pots, and quills covering the table’s surface.
Audra quickly transcribed the notes onto her own parchment as best she could. There wasn’t much time, and hers were, unfortunately, downright embarrassing compared to Lottie’s.
She frowned at the circular diagram she’d just drawn. It was quite wonky and much too small; she hadn’t enough room to label all the seasons. Why were there so many different seasons? Couldn’t they just do as the Khaveahans did and call them spring, summer, autumn, and winter?
Lottie giggled, watching her struggle. “The Zenaidans produce powerful seers who are said to predict the turn of the seasons down to the day.”
“And this means they have to complicate it?” Audra muttered, crossing out her diagram and drawing it over.
It would need to be twice as large if she planned on actually having legible notes to study later.
“Fresh Spring, High Spring, Late Spring? It’s overkill.
” She flicked her braids off her parchment, lest they smear the wet ink.
“Mist, they aren’t even split evenly—winter has five designations? ” Annoyance pitched her voice upward.
Lottie rolled her eyes. “If you had been paying attention, you would know that winter is the longest of all—it can last over two hundred years.”
Audra grimaced. “Of course, the worst season is the longest. Gods of old, how long has it been winter now? Which one of these are we in?”
Lottie leaned in, closer to the diagram. “Desolate Winter—this is where things get interesting. Apparently, this Desolate Winter has lasted too long—Zenaidan seers predicted the Heir should have been found twenty-odd years ago. It should be spring right now!”
“And you’re telling me Scholar Haile said that the … Heir … restarts the seasons and brings about …” Audra glanced at her new, much more legible diagram. “Fresh Spring? For our realm too?”
“Yes, Khaveah too,” Lottie said hurriedly, before moving on. It seemed Khaveah was behind her, and thus, she didn’t care if it ever saw spring. “But not just the seasons are determined by the Heir; they restart the magical cycle too.”
“So … if magic is cyclical like the seasons … and this Heir is truly one of us, and that poor unfortunate soul completes the Chorus of Horror’s culty ritual … then …”
“Yes,” Lottie replied excitedly. “In spring, whatever magic awakens within each of us, now that we are within the Veridian Realm, will be magnified tenfold, maybe a hundredfold.”
Audra couldn’t help but return Lottie’s grin. The thought was intoxicating.
Lottie continued chattering as Audra copied her notes, which now painted a picture of summertime in Zenaida, a land flowing with milk and honey.
“Warmth, real warmth, not just the feeble heat of a fire only able to warm bits at a time. Imagine what it would feel like to be warmed by the sun to the point you would begin to sweat!”
Audra played along. “Or having a chance to swim in the ocean without donning one of those ridiculous suits that take forever to put on and even longer to extricate yourself from!”
Lottie laughed. “I can’t swim, but sure, I would love that for you! And I bet every single tree would be bursting, laden down with the weight of sweet, ripe fruit.”
This all sounded wonderful, truly, but mostly, Audra wanted this “Fresh Spring” power that Scholar Haile had spoken of. No, not spring … summer magic. In summer, magic was the fruit that Audra craved: overabundant, ripe, and sweet, hers for the taking.
Audra’s shoulders slumped as she rewet the nib of her quill. “But summer is … If winter lasts two hundred years and it’s the longest season … spring probably lasts at least eighty years. We’ll be dead before we ever see a summer.”
Lottie clasped Audra’s free hand. “Scholar Haile said that those who prove our loyalty and graduate top of the class, will not only be admitted into Zenaidan high society … but with our elevated station will be allotted so much magic that it will prolong our lives.”
Audra widened her eyes. Prolong their lives. But wait. “What do you mean, ‘allotted’?”
Lottie rolled her eyes and released her, flipping the notebook to another full page of notes, stabbing a finger at a section that had been circled with important written in the margin.
Magic is finite, a resource carefully managed and controlled within the Veridian Realm.
Winter Magic Allotment: magic use requires royal decree (exceptional circumstances: all spells cast under scholar supervision by initiates within Holyvere Academy are approved in advance by Queen Weshya herself).
Spring/Autumn Magical Allotment: each region’s local Council of Magical Allocation holds sway.
Summer Magical Allotment: Zenaidan citizens need not seek approval; magic flows freely, limited only by Zenaidan laws and regulations.
*Exception: indentured servants and lower castes must not exceed three incras per month, or 30 incras per Summer Season.
*Unauthorized magic use is a grave offense, punishable by fines, indentured servitude, imprisonment, exile, or public execution.
Forgotten gods. The monarchy somehow controls magic?
Grim. Especially if you weren’t among the upper echelon of Zenaidan society.
Zenaida was not just as imbalanced as Ruscal …
no, Khaveah as a whole, when it came to wealth, but the upper class hoarded not just resources such as food and access to education, but magic as well.
“Aren’t you amazed?”
Perhaps she ought to be, but Audra had never known a society not rife with social and economic disparities. Why would the existence of magic make this one any different? And why would these top nobles be suddenly so ready to share their resources, their wealth, with foreigners?
She opened her mouth to remark just that when Lottie replied, as though Audra had already agreed with her, “We could live to see summer, Audra! If we play our cards right. Maybe even autumn!”
The possibility of a prolonged life? Well, Audra supposed, yes, that was something to be intrigued by.
“It’s hard to even imagine.”
“I know. But right now, no more daydreaming, Audra. You must focus to remain eligible for graduation. What was that, anyway? You looked like you’d heard a banshee’s call.”
“It was nothing. I fell asleep for a moment.” Fighting off a shiver, Audra ducked her head and busied herself copying the last few pages of notes. The last thing she wanted was to be reminded of those eyes.
Lottie raised an eyebrow. “You fell asleep? Did you not hear the Archmagistra at orientation? We either graduate at the top of the class, or we are sent to fight demons.”
Audra winced. “I know, I know. Don’t worry, it won’t happen again.” She waved at the notes. “Promise of a warm sea is more than enough motivation.”
Lottie grinned, Audra’s strangeness forgotten, satisfied that Audra seemed to be on the same page as her.
Audra finished copying Lottie’s notes and that evening’s assignment (Choose one region of Zenaida and write a three-page comprehensive report covering the following aspects: geography, climate, flora and fauna, culture and inhabitants, and strategic importance.
Create a detailed map, labeling key geographical features, settlements, and any areas of cultural significance.
DUE FOLLOWING LECTURE), and the girls headed to their next class together.
Audra stopped Lottie with a momentary clutch of her shoulder. “I might owe you my life for these notes. I had really missed a lot.”
Lottie smiled, waving away her thanks. “I’m happy to help. We need each other if we are to get out of this alive.”
“Thank you—I won’t forget this kindness.”
“Just take better notes in this class, yeah?”
“They’ll be the most detailed notes you’ve ever seen.”
Lottie belted a startlingly loud laugh in the now nearly empty corridor. It sounded rusty, halting, as though she’d forgotten how to laugh and was unused to it.
As Audra followed the squirrelly woman toward their next lecture hall, she mused about what that meant, for her to laugh so freely.
How much positivity Lottie still managed to carry within herself, even after being sold by her own family, forced to live and work in a profession she had never chosen, and now, exiled by her own monarch, practically sold again to the fae—her choice once again stolen from her.
And yet—she was so kind, willing to help Audra, who she’d only met that morning—but more than that, more than her evidently compassionate heart and gentle demeanor …
Audra marveled that Lottie had the capacity to kindle hope within her heart at all—to dream of a future where sun shone, warm on her face, a place waiting for her in high society.
Audra hoped, for Lottie’s sake, that the Zenaidans weren’t spewing false promises like the gods of old. That they spoke truth, that their offer of riches and wealth and a warm, lush summer would truly be given to those initiates who met their qualifications, that they honored these claims.
And, as they entered the next classroom, Audra dropping into one of the seats Wilder had saved for her and Lottie, Audra decided that she would do all she could to make Lottie laugh more, until it came easy to her—and to help the woman so eager to be liked, to be included, reach the top of the class.
Because Audra doubted it would be as easy as turning in assignments on time and acing exams—twice now there had been mention of future trials—and Audra had a hunch that it wouldn’t be the kind students who passed those trials.
She had a feeling that whatever the trials were, ruthlessness and cunning would be rewarded among the Zenaidan elite.
Audra could do ruthless, and she had plenty of practice outmatching cunning patrons—but she also had a fierce loyalty that burned within her for the people she cared about.
And if she had her way, nothing would stand between Audra, Wilder, Callum, Cersha, and now Lottie capturing the top spots in the end.
And then, when Audra was free of this place, she would find her way back home.