Chapter 13
Chapter thirteen
“So let me get this straight,” Finnley utters, “you literally didn’t place in either but are part of both according to the headmistress.”
“A Liminal,” Mallory explains, echoing what I just told them.
“Yeah, I get that,” he replies, folding his arms, “but where exactly does she go from here? Where does she train? What quarters does she sleep in? Will her powers come into play, or will she manipulate shadows? Why don’t they execute her for not placing in one of the two categories?
” he asks, kicking his feet up onto the small table.
I stare at him. He’s voicing everything I’ve already thought of.
“I’ve heard about this happening once before, a few centuries ago.
My grandfather used to tell me stories of the old warriors, and I remember this one he spoke about had a Liminal in it,” Mayline chimes in, her feet tucked under her in the large armchair.
She may have been assigned Noctryn, but she’s still hanging out with us. For now.
We all stare at her, waiting for her to continue.
She leans back. “I don’t know much just what was in the folklore he would recite to me.
It’s obviously very rare and unpredictable for this to occur.
” She drags a finger over her bottom lip, thinking.
“I recall him explaining that each Liminal is unique in their abilities. They could have powers and shadows… or only one or the other. The last one documented was amazing at blood magic but couldn’t control the shadows.
He was lethal at manipulating people’s emotions, though. ”
We all sit in silence, letting her words sink in, each of us lost in our own reflection of thoughts. The study hall is quiet right now, so we were able to snag a few armchairs in the corner without being bothered by anyone.
I rub the healing scab on the inside of my wrist. “Did he know how it occurred? Becoming a Liminal?” I’m not sure if I’m going to like the answer, but I want it all the same.
She shakes her head, her hooded eyes softening in understanding. “No, he wouldn’t say anything more, and I couldn’t find anything in our history books. It felt a bit taboo from the way he was speaking, like perhaps they don’t want us to know much about the topic.”
Mallory’s mouth opens, then closes. She looks at me like she wants to ask something but isn’t sure if she should.
I wave her on to ask. It can’t get any worse at this point.
“Before you left, did she happen to mention what your curriculum is going to look like?”
Yes. The real kicker in this shit show.
I let out a sharp exhale through my nose. “She did. In very thorough details I might add.”
Finnley drops his feet from the table and leans in toward me, his elbows resting on his knees. Concern marks his furrowed brow as he waits for me to continue.
“Apparently, I’m going to be training with both. Veils and Noctryns. I’ve been instructed that my class schedule will host both courses as well as combat training techniques equally,” I groan, dragging a hand down my face.
Finnley runs his tongue along his teeth before speaking. “How exactly are you going to manage that kind of class load?” he asks.
I gather my hair in my hands, twisting it and securing it high on my head in a messy bun.
“Reluctantly. That’s how,” I answer. “But because I actually did place, it just happened to be in both regiments, I get to live to see another day. So there’s a bright side in all of this, I guess. ” I laugh hollowly.
By the time we leave the study hall, the sun has long since settled behind the mountains. Not that we were able to enjoy any of her warmth, but we knew she was there. Sometimes that’s all that matters in the end.
Knowing something is there, even if you can’t see it.
The thin chiffon drapes hanging in my room billow in the wind as I stare up at the vast indigo sky through my window.
There are so many more stars in this region than back home.
In Brylan, the streets are lined with orange flickering carriage lights, and the ports are full of structures and homes that block out any view of the stars worth seeing.
The only thing that could make the vibe more perfect is the sound of the waves crashing against the shore at night. It was my own personal lullaby.
One of the very few perks of being the daughter of a high-ranking Veil is the good housing with even better views. Other than that, the only thing you received was dinners eaten alone, holidays celebrated unaccompanied, and high expectations placed on your shoulders.
It would have been a lonely childhood without Ambrose.
My new room isn’t anything to complain about either.
The view is pretty spectacular. Thousands of evergreen pine trees crest the tops of various mountain peaks, their needles still a deep bluish-green color despite the dropping temperatures.
Low-lying clouds drift over their highest points, creating an enigmatic feeling that settles into my soul just right.
Student housing decided that there was more room in the Noctryn quarters and placed me here for the remainder of the year. Not only am I forced to study with them, but I also have to live with them.
Let’s not forget the fact that there’s also a communal bathroom that we all get to bond over.
I’m being forced into their vicinity whether I like it or not. And just to clarify, I do not. The only perk in the room situation is that anyone who survives the first week as a prospect is assigned their own room.
No more sharing.
Speaking of sharing, we must have gone over a hundred scenarios this evening on how I ended up in this predicament. Each one we came up with was improbable and impossible to explain. Honestly, at this point, it doesn’t even matter. We can’t undo what has already been done.
I grab my steaming mug of tea and take a generous sip, the hot liquid warming my throat as it goes down.
I’m nervous about the classes I’ll be assigned to tomorrow, and I was having trouble falling asleep because of it.
The kitchen steward recommended this brew when I asked for something calming to sip on before bed.
I feel like perhaps Kintoira has bitten off more for me than I can chew.
How does someone balance light and dark magic without it driving them completely mad?
Walking that kind of fine line is dangerous.
A coin cannot show both sides at once. It’s either one side or the other.
Reading the results hurt. Like physically hurt. The sharp jab of pain from seeing my name at the bottom of the parchment causes the back of my throat to itch and my eyes to feel heavy. I tried so hard. I gave it my everything, and it still wasn’t enough.
I still wasn’t pure or righteous enough. And that scares me.
Correspondences aren’t allowed during the first few weeks of learning so that we have time to acclimate to the social structure within these walls without outside influences.
It seems I’ve been given a hiatus before my mother finds out.
That’s if someone here doesn’t leak the information to her first.
Which let’s be honest. She probably already knows.
I set my tea down and uncurl from the window seat, stretching my arms above my head. My eyes feel heavier than they did mere moments ago, and the urge to lie across my new bed to test it out is overwhelming.
The thick material of the comforter surrounds me as I jump into the blankets face-first.
I roll onto my back slowly and let out a big sigh.
The bed is so soft and cozy. That’s the last thought I have before unnerving dreams take hold.
The next day starts in typical fashion.
Badly.
A curse leaves my lips as one of my books bounces off the stone floor, causing it to open and fall sideways, bending a few pages in the process.
“Watch it,” a girl wearing all black barks at me.
“Sorry,” I mutter to her retreating back.
I rearrange the pack hanging on my shoulder, all while trying to balance the multiple books in my other arm and bend down to pick it up. I have to carry around twice as many texts as everyone else because I have twice as many courses.
Most students have study periods or library sessions coordinated into their schedules, but not me.
They filled those with additional classes.
The only bright spot is that they took away my lieutenant rank due to my courseload, so I don’t have to attend officer classes or shoulder that responsibility.
Ashlyn remains a lieutenant in the Veil squad, and Mayline kept hers as well for the Noctryns. I have no idea who replaced me, if anyone. Apparently, there isn’t a set number of officers who can be assigned each year. It just depends on how many individuals qualify.
I still haven’t figured out the qualifications.
At the moment, it’s pretty low on my fucks to give.
Class schedules were given out toward the end of last week, and I’m still struggling to find my way around. Typically, it results in me running from one end of the academy to another since the dark and light classes are separated.
I roll my eyes. They couldn’t make it easy on me and schedule them accordingly.
The few courses the two regiments do take together aren’t on my schedule until the end of the day. By then, I am a sweaty, exhausted mess.
A bell chimes, and my next class has already begun by the time I make it to the upper northwest corner of the academy and slip through the door.
The professor is writing on the blackboard, her long blond hair twisted into an elegant style that falls down her back, swishing back and forth as she writes.
I slip into an empty desk a few rows from the back and set the Shadowcraft: Fundamentals of Shadow Weaving book on top. The guy to my right is bouncing his leg full of nervous energy as he scans the contents of page 43.
I quickly flip to the same page in my book.