Chapter 3 Lost Heirloom #2
That caught my attention. She’d said she had enhanced hearing as one of her magical traces.
“Please tell me or at least paraphrase,” I begged, voice wavering. “He’s been looking at me with deadly eyes since I walked through Elarion’s gates. I don’t know what his problem is.”
Soehl hesitated, then spoke softly.
“To put it in nicer words… he hates you because you’re the Princess of Solenhart.” “You knew I was the Princess and didn’t say anything?”
“I could tell you weren’t one of those royals who expect bowing or spectacle,” she said gently. “You look… different.”
Something warm flickered in my chest at her words, a fragile, cautious comfort. I had only just met her, yet she saw me, understood, in a way almost no one did. The feeling both startled and soothed me. I liked her more than I expected.
Before I could sink deeper into the thought, Headmaster Marvek raised his hands and gave a curt nod.
“Today, we welcome all first-years called to their new legions. Today is the only day you will sit apart from them. As of tomorrow, classes will begin, and you will attend and take your place at the table with your peers, proving every day that you are worthy of your legion. You are the most skilled and powerful Sunhearts and Moonveils of this island. Many would kill for your position. So make your time here count. But until then, enjoy your first dinner at Elarion Academy. Now please eat.”
The Auroric Veil that covered the plates vanished with a soft hum of magic, and quiet conversations resumed across the room. I reached for the braided bread, needing something to focus on. The scent of spiced lamb and roasted pumpkin helped ground me.
Dinner had settled into a steady rhythm, silverware scraping plates, cups being passed around, warm candlelight flickering across flushed faces. Despite the tension in the room, laughter and soft conversation bloomed at our table.
The two redheads were nearly identical. Both tall and broad-shouldered, with strong jawlines, beige freckled skin, and unruly red hair that curled just slightly at the ends.
Their eyes were gold, bright and sharp. Two Sunhearts that moved with the easy confidence of people who didn’t feel the need to prove anything.
“I’m Tran,” said the one on the left, flashing a grin as he reached for a goblet. “And this is my twin, Rowan.”
Rowan gave a small nod, polite but direct. “We’re from Westridge.”
Westridge lay on the south-west edge of the island, where no true city had ever taken root. It was all open land and scattered settlements, small towns, simple homes, and hard-working people. Many of the island’s warriors, especially those with old Dragontail heritage, came from there.
“I’m Soehl, and this is my roommate, Thea…” she began, stopping herself right before saying my last name, because she already understood I’d rip it off if I could.
“They know, Soehl,” I said quickly. “They know I’m a Solenhart.”
Shakari jerked her chin toward the twins. “My best friend here is the heir to the Solenhart throne. Ruler of the freaking island.”
I rolled my eyes. She knew I hated it, she was doing it just to annoy me. “Well, not for long, given the recent events,” I said, chuckling nervously.
“That’s a problem for tomorrow. Today is a celebration, for our Callings and we should treat it as such,” Shakari said loudly, her excitement unmistakable.
I laughed with her, because deep down, I was excited too.
One of the red-haired twins leaned back with a wicked grin. “But seriously, Princess, should we bow, or just kiss your hand?”
“Please don’t do either,” I said flatly.
“Thea doesn’t like the royal shows,” Shakari added with a smirk.
“I don’t like the attention,” I corrected, exasperated. “But I sure as hell have it anyway. I’ve been here five minutes, and I already have people whispering behind my back about the Calling, the throne, and how much they hate us.”
Shakari waved a dismissive hand, as if brushing away smoke. “Ignore them. Plenty of people resent the throne. But they’ll never actually do anything about it. The island still has laws. Consequences.”
“At least now you will learn how to kick their ass in fights and shut them up,” Rowan said with a wicked smile. Shakari was sitting next to him. I could see how she leaned into him already, how she was drawn to such a strong-headed, feral male.
“Cheers to that, brother,” Tran said, raising his glass. “In Emberkeep, you would only learn how to create nice figures with fire, talk in public, and debate.”
The comment was not negative, just a fact, and there was no edge of superiority in his tone, just pure pride of being part of the Dragontail Legion.
Tran smiled at me, eyes wide open, forcing me to meet his gaze, as Shakari and Rowan followed.
“You too, Soehl,” Shakari said in a commanding way, as usual.
“I am no Dragontail, I am in the Auroric Legion,” Soehl said, shrugging.
“Come on! You’re my roommate for the whole year,” I said, my tone brighter than I expected. The excitement surprised me, but the people around me fed into it, stoking a thrill I hadn’t realized I’d already let take hold.
The smile on Soehl’s face reached her eyes as she grabbed her glass and cheered with us. Then, almost immediately, the twin next to Shakari, Rowan, locked his eyes with me and said:
“I think you have Dragontail in you, even if there isn’t any in your lineage,” he took a bite out of his lamb and chewed quickly.
I swallowed hard, remembering the words of the Siren.
“I saw how you defended yourself with the Emberkeep noble over there.” He pointed slightly to the Emberkeep legion tables with his fork.
“Yes, Princess. And cutting yourself like a true Dragontail right in front of the Siren?” Tran drawled. “Bold move. And impressive.”
“Please call me Thea. I am just Thea,” I said firmly but politely. Then I grinned at them and added, “But thanks for the compliment.”
My gaze drifted to Thalen by instinct. His eyes snapped at me with an unreadable face, worry or anger, I wasn’t sure. We stayed there for a beat too long, and I forced myself to look back at my new friends.
We talked and laughed through the entire dinner.
The twins talked for the longest time about their wind magic and how they would use it for combat, especially for shielding dragon soldiers against the dragons beyond the veil.
They both spoke like true warriors, just with a special cynical sense of humor.
Shakari was mesmerized by Rowan, her eyes shining at his stories and, probably, at his muscles too.
Everyone buzzed with plans for how they’d celebrate their Calling. There was no official feast or ceremony, but that didn’t stop anyone. Everyone would mark it somehow, with their new friends.
Shakari and the twins planned to drink Auroric potions, cheering and dancing until morning in the common areas of the Solphire Tower.
I politely declined. I was exhausted and drained in a way sleep alone wouldn’t fix.
The days ahead would be long, filled with explanations, expectations, and the daunting task of adjusting to a legion I had never trained for in my life.
At the end of the dinner, many of the students had already started retreating to their dorms. When I was about to stand up and leave for my room, I saw Thalen walking toward our table. Face unreadable. I tried to look away and ignore him when he was already next to me, whispering in my ear.
“I need to talk to you,” Thalen said, worried as he gently touched my ear, and a shiver ran through my body, but I quickly shifted and ignored the feeling.
“No, Thalen…” He didn’t let me finish.
“It’s important.”
Thalen’s voice was low as he caught my wrist, forcing me to look at it.
“Come on, Thalen. Let it go,” Shakari said, rolling her eyes. “She’s over you. Let her have some fun before she’s forced to marry you.”
I didn’t even flinch at her jab, because I’d just noticed it.
The heirloom on my wrist was gone.
A hollow pulse echoed in my chest. I must’ve lost it somewhere along the way, perhaps at the gates, in the courtyard, in the arena, maybe even at dinner. I’d been exposed this entire time.
And without that protection, anyone could’ve gotten in my head just by touching me. Thought walkers. Memory-pullers. Truth weavers. Mind-benders. They could have seen my dreams, my fears, my loyalty. Everything.
The protection heirloom wasn’t mere ornamentation, it was an enchantment forged in sunfire and sealed with Solenhart blood, its lines traced in ancient gold. It didn’t guard my body. It guarded my mind.
It was customary for the heir to the Solenhart throne to wear one until their twenty- first-years of age, until every trace of magic had fully awakened and true maturity was reached, when mental walls could finally hold on their own.
Only then could the heirloom be safely removed; it would not function beyond that age anyway.
Until that day, it served as both shield and shackle.
It was a silent reminder that even a Solenhart’s thoughts could be hunted.
I gripped the edge of the table, heart pounding like a warning drum. My chest tightened. My thoughts hissed too loud to silence.
I stood. Not calmly. Not gracefully.
And left the hall without a word.
We climbed the spiral stairs of Solphire Tower until we reached my room, high above the noise and laughter below.
Thalen turned to me, his expression heavy with something between worry and reproach. “I tried to tell you earlier, in the courtyard. But you wouldn’t listen.”
I crossed my arms, shame rising in my throat like bile. He was right. I’d brushed him off, thinking he was only pestering me again about the ring I refused to wear.
“This isn’t the Glass Castle anymore,” he said quietly, though the edge in his voice remained. “You can’t afford to walk around like that. Not here. Not even for one night.”