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“Like putting the world in a deep slumber to awake refreshed,” Ivy added.
Leora chimed in, “I believe it rises on my birthday this year.”
Thessa looked to Leora, wondering why they had yet to discuss this. “And when exactly is your birthday?”
Leora smiled bright, “One week from today. When’s yours?”
Thessa’s eyes widened, “My birthday is next Saturday, too.”
“Twins!” Leora exclaimed.
“A pair of Cancers,” Beatrix proclaimed, eyeing Ivy who was nodding. “No wonder we liked you two.”
Thessa was more confused than excited.
After their meal, she spent the rest of the morning byherself. With no desire to perform any more spells, and after promising Leora she wouldn’t, Thessa went for a walk into town.
Other than spending the evening watching the sun fade at Crescent Moon Bay, she hadn’t explored much of Mabelton since arriving. When her boots met the cobblestone streets, brisk air from the sea brushed her cheeks. There were no belligerent fishermen, shouting guards, or ship horns sounding off here. There were only seabirds, calm water, and a small, private dock. It was nothing like Gravenport, and that she loved.
Thessa walked past the water.
The elm trees grew sparse as the center of town neared. She passed an apothecary, several vendors, a slew of taverns, and gasped at what came next. She pressed her nose against the glass window. The male inside was splattering molten chocolate all over his creation. Drool threatened to fall down her parted lips. Without any Cheltz to spend, she spun around and ran across the street.
The signage overhead read,The Brew Leaf. Peeking inside revealed row after row of tea-lined shelves, nestled behind a wooden bar. The side walls were stuffed with books, while the space between offered wingback chairs and small tables.
There’d been nothing charming about Gravenport’s smelly fish markets, filthy gravel pits, and suffocating army base. These streets were the opposite.The sounds of cackling, conversation, and music only confirmed it.
Thessa noticed the same signs posted everywhere. “Summer Solstice Festival, the twenty-first of June. Join us on the greens behind the Mabelton Library. Event sponsored by the Mabelton Society.”
Also next Saturday.
A solar event and a rare moon; the longest day followed by the darkest night.
Of all the days to turn eighteen … Thessa’s skin prickled as her thoughts twirled. She was still unsure of what to make of everything, especially the riddle.
I am you, and you are me, well, soon to be.
8
MENTAL NOTES FROM CHANCELLOR DULAMEER’S COMMENCEMENT SPEECH:
The phases of our moon represent the eternal cycle of impermanence and growth.
The stone was grounding beneath her bare skin, so Thessa laid there, staring at the beamed ceiling of her washroom until her panic subsided.
When she stood to prepare her bath, she couldn’t add enough salt. She added some for protection and more for her invisible wounds.
Stepping in, she let the water wrap around her like a silk shawl, before plunging beneath it.
The past week had bled away.
Each day that passed had been a reminder of what was coming. Her quiet hysteria brewed all night—the evening before her Summoning Day. Instead of sleeping, she’d tossed in her bedsheets, trying to tune out her thoughts, and that riddle, until surrendering to the panic.
Thessa gasped, breaking the surface of the water.
When she left the washroom, Leora was making her bed. Thessa asked, “Morning, when’d you wake?”
“Not too long ago.”