“Your company has been diverting as ever, Holly,” I offered, pushing myself back upright from the wall where I’d been leaning. “I would be more than happy to indulge further, should anything else come up.”
Sunset was fast approaching, and I knew better than to waste her time.
“Always a pleasure, Captain Vistarii. You know where to find me if you’re in need of any other manner of indulgence.”
I saw myself out, and offered Roshana a quick, chaste kiss on the cheek before I departed—a thank-you for her continued hospitality and discretion. She just swatted me away.
“Oh, get out of here, will ya? You’re going to scare off my tipping scoundrels.”
“You have a good night, Ro.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Arken
My first entry exams were taking place in the Hall of the Seeing, the same building where I had presented myself before the Aetherborne all those months ago. How fitting that I would stand here yet again and have my measure taken, this time by the High Scholars of the Studium.
As Kieran had mentioned, Physical Arcana courses were typically reserved for upper level Conduits. The standard practice was to wait until you were in your third year of study here at the Arcane Studium, to have at least ten quarters under your belt before delving into defensive and combative spellwork.
I had… two quarters, stubborn determination, and a handful of letters of recommendation. Plus a few weeks’ worth of training under the watchful eye of Kieran Vistarii.
Close enough.
Was I biting off more than I could chew? Possibly. Was I going to try anyway? Absolutely.
Because the more that I learned, and the more that I practiced, the stronger my Resonances became. I could feel them all these days, each element constantly buzzing beneath the surface of my skin.
And so it had practically become a ritual. Every night when I returned home to my apartment, I pulled the curtains closed and immediately began to practice arcana. First, I would attempt to apply anything I had learned that day with Light to each element—though not every conjuring had a one-to-one application. Still, I took plenty of mental notes in class, constantly observing my peers and committing their gestures and incantations to memory so that I could practice behind closed doors. I did this every single night. And don’t get me wrong, I loved it—absolutely adored the feeling of being connected to all six elements again, even if it had to be in secret. But that wasn’t why I was doing it.
I did this because it wasnecessary.
Amaretta had not prepared me for the way that this aetheric energy would just build and build andbuildwithin me as my power grew. She apparently hadn’t thought to mention that my Resonance would begin todemandrelease. She never once explained that if I didn’t go through these motions every night before I went to bed, that I would be dancing on the edge of a blade come morning.
Maybe she didn’t know.
The few times that I had failed to find that release, I had been riddled with anxiety for hours on end as the aether buzzed and thrummed beneath my skin. I’d been terrified that I was one emotional outburst away from exposing my secrets.
When I’d told Kieran that I worried my Light Resonance was too closely tied to my emotional state, he said that this was normal, especially for newer Conduits. He reassured me that, as per usual, I was holding myself to some unrealistically high standards, and that nobody would judge me if I lit up like the shimmering lights of a Yule tree from time to time. Obviously, that wasn’t my exact concern here, but he didn’t know that.
With damn near anything else around Kieran, I was an open book. He probably rivaled Amaretta at this point for who knew me best. Over the course of our adventures, I had told him all about my life in the Brindlewoods, about Graysen, about the rest of the village, and why I’d named my mail sprite Bluebell. And while he wasn’tquiteso open about his own past—particularly not his childhood—I’d still gotten to know present-day Kieran like the back of my hand.
Laurel often joked that the two of us were like long-lost twins. Not because of any visual similarities, but because whenever she saw us together, he and I had made an obnoxious habit of communicating without speaking out loud—or finishing one another’s sentences when wedidspeak.
Kieran was easily the closest friend I’d ever had, and I was endlessly grateful to have him in my life, but I would still keep this one thing to myself. I had promised Amaretta that I would take the secrets of my true Resonance to my grave. I would keep that promise, if only in the name of self-preservation.
“Arken Asher?”
One of the High Scholars called out with a beckoning wave.
“Present!”
I made my way over to the podium where they stood.
“I see that you are looking to test into the introductory course of Physical Arcana, is this correct?”
I nodded with enthusiasm. “Yes, ma’am.”
“This is only your second quarter with us,” she noted, peering down at me from behind her thin-wired glasses.