Chapter 1 #2
Elora met her deep brown eyes, sensing comfort there. “He’s right, though.” She shrugged. She knew the Institute forced the wards to serve only it; they had no freedom. “I’d be able to stay here… with Tehvan.”
Arria frowned. “Is that really what you want?”
She glanced at the ground, biting her lip. She knew the days would bleed together, that all her choices would no longer be hers to make. But she would still have Tehvan.
“It’s just… He’s always protected me, you know? He’s kept me safe. That wouldn’t change.”
Arria began to speak, but the sharp clang of the bell cut her off.
There was no more time for reassurance. Elora and Arria fell into place among the alchemists.
Around her, the other students shifted into their divisions.
The scholars clutched their books tight; the enchanters checked they had all their tools, and the few engineers stood like statues, readying themselves for what was to come.
A door across the yard swung open, and the faculty emerged in a slow procession. Elora searched each face until she finally found her guardian, Tehvan. She needed the steady anchor his presence provided her.
The lines in his face presented a calm man. He held his quiet, confident demeanor close, never slipping up no matter how mad she made him. And there were certainly a few months in her early teens that she purposefully pushed his buttons.
He spun an ordinary gold ring on his finger.
To others, it meant nothing, but to her, it was an invisible tether that connected them.
It was bound with an enchantment that went against the Institute’s strict rules.
It allowed him to feel her heartbeat, like a second pulse under his skin.
He insisted it was to protect her, keep her safe from danger.
And it did. Tehvan had come to her rescue so many times it made the others wonder how he always knew she needed help.
But the bond went deeper than just her heartbeat.
Over the years, he had learned to differentiate the rhythms. He knew when her heart fluttered from excitement or pounded from fear.
She convinced herself it offered security, but at times, it undeniably seemed like a cage.
He was able to use it to shelter her from certain things, even from herself.
A passing crush, absolutely not. An adventure through the woods, not without supervision.
It often made her feel like he was… overbearing.
But not today. Today she was grateful for the ring that tied them. Her own heartbeat was a comfort, knowing Tehvan could feel it too. Everything will be okay. He always makes sure of it.
The grand ornate doors leading to the headmaster’s wing groaned open. Master Thorn, the revered leader of the Institute, entered the courtyard with an air of self-importance that turned heads and hushed murmurs into awed silence.
Thorn was a man of precision, his appearance as carefully maintained as his reputation.
Not a single strand of silver-threaded hair was out of place, combed back with meticulous care.
He trimmed his beard to exact symmetry, the edges sharp, each side a perfect reflection of the other.
His uniform, deep midnight with gold trim, bore not a wrinkle or speck of lint.
He probably thought it made him look like royalty. It didn’t.
He approached the podium in front of them.
His gray eyes scanned every face, scrutinizing, making everyone shrink and avert their gazes.
Everyone except for her. Her icy blue eyes met his, holding his stare, challenging his authority.
She never missed the way his eyelids crinkled with irritation.
He hated she didn’t cower like the others.
She didn’t know why he let her test his power like this.
And she didn’t know why she stood up to the challenge.
Perhaps just to see how far she could push him.
But he did nothing. Why? He clearly wanted to break her like everyone else.
She could see it in the way he scowled but remained quiet around her.
Typically, he would crush someone’s spirit with a single word or glance.
He demanded submission from his subjects, and yet she was out of his grasp.
“Welcome, students.” He held his arms out. “Today marks the culmination of your years at the Institute.”
He walked through the lines of students, each with their shoulders hunched and their eyes downcast. “You’ll be tested on everything.
..” As Thorn passed, Marcus dared to look up, and the headmaster scrutinized him as if he were a bug under a microscope.
Marcus immediately looked away and muttered an apology. Thorn carried on.
“As I was saying. The test will cover everything you’ve learned.
You will display your obedience, your discipline, and your worth.
” His eyes met Elora’s as he said the last word, and again she refused to look away.
She hadn’t feared him in years, and she wasn’t about to start now.
He could stare and grimace at her all he wanted. It was always an empty threat.
“But should you fail, you will remain here as a ward. And might I remind you, that is a worse fate than death.” He meandered through the crowd until he returned to the front.
A sharp slap of his hand hitting the podium made everyone jump, even Elora.
“Weakness will not be tolerated. Defiance will not be forgiven.”
He smoothed his meticulously combed back salt and pepper hair; the sides becoming grayer every time someone stepped out of line.
Finally, he closed out the ceremony. “Remember, your purpose is to serve the Empire, and the Empire has no use for those who cannot. Do. Not. Disappoint. Me.”
With his final warning done, he signaled to the professors, gesturing for them to take their students to their trials. Her classmates huddled closely, beginning their march towards the forest, but Elora had to look back.
Her eyes met Tehvan’s, and he mouthed a silent “good luck.” She nodded, determined not to disappoint him. She didn’t care if she disappointed Thorn, everybody did. But she would not disappoint Tehvan.