Page 14

Prism World

Morning sunlight warmed Adelina’s cheeks as she perched on the windowsill, overlooking the front entrance to Kirovo Palace. Birds sang nearby—their melodic tunes floating on the slight breeze through the ajar window.

She leaned her head against the wall. The silence in the palace, alongside the birdsong, reminded her of home and the quiet countryside. She sucked in a deep breath and stretched her arms.

Someone knocked, drawing Adelina away from her serenity.

“Come in,” she said.

“Morning, miss.” Natasha opened the door, strode in, then halted halfway across the plush carpet, and her eyes widened. “My gosh, what are you doing with the window open? You’ll catch a cold. ”

“It’s warmer here than in Temauten.” Adelina shrugged, then hopped off the sill.

“Nonetheless, we can’t have you coming down with the sniffles right before your training commences.” Natasha gestured to the dressing table. “Take a seat—I’ll brush and pin your hair back. You are expected to meet with Yelena and the other trainee sorcerers in an hour.”

“Will there be time for food?” Adelina asked as she slid into her chair in front of the round looking glass.

“Providing we don’t take too long here.” Natasha worked quickly with the curls, pinning them into place, away from Adelina’s face. “Now, pop on ’round the screen and get dressed.”

A few moments later, Adelina was dressed and ready to leave.

Together, they exited the room, strolled along the corridor, and descended the stairs. Natasha guided Adelina to the dining room, where she was served breakfast. Once she’d eaten, Natasha ushered her outside.

“This is the training facility.” Natasha pointed to a separate dome-roof building past the conservatories and gardens, nestled in front of a cluster of aspens.

As they drew nearer to the wooden doors, Adelina’s previously calm demeanour was replaced with nerves. She tapped her fingers against her thigh as Natasha opened the doors for her.

Inside, Yelena and several other men and women waited.

“May I introduce Miss Adelina Orlova.” Natasha gestured towards her, curtsied, then left the room .

“I’m glad you’ve joined us.” Yelena smiled, crow’s feet sprouting from the corner of her eyes behind her spectacles.

Yelena’s welcome highlighted the shocked, wide-eyed stares from the other people in attendance. Adelina’s gaze wandered from one person to another.

One woman leaned over from the desk she was sat behind and whispered something to the woman next to her.

“Settle down, all.” Yelena waved her hands at the individuals murmuring. “We’re all here to learn, Adelina included. Show each other respect in this classroom.”

Adelina slipped onto the seat behind the vacant desk closest to her. The students formed a crescent shape around Yelena.

“Today, we will learn how to produce magic through a simple task,” Yelena said in a clear tone.

“Mastering the basics is essential—it creates a solid foundation from which your powers will develop. There is a match placed on your desk. Once you have lit it, you’ll move on to the next exercise.

Those who fail, will remain until they are able to do so. ”

Adelina glanced at the wooden surface in front of her, then curled her fingers around the thin, long match. As did the other students.

“How do we light it?” a young, fair girl said. Her auburn hair was tied back in plaits, and faint freckles dotted her nose.

Yelena smiled again, then began a slow pace.

“Magic has existed for as long as time itself—it’s powerful, difficult to control, but exceptionally extraordinary.

Each one of you has the ability to channel it, in some form.

” She held a match in her hand. “Just because you can channel magic, does not mean you can control it. Light your match without striking it against another object. Produce a flame with your mind and contain it. You will do this by saying the words areiras therasi. ”

The tip of the match lit.

The domed room filled with the awkward sounds of students familiarising themselves with the outlandish words.

In particular, Adelina found the r sounds clunky, and she stumbled over them. Her cheeks burned with impatience, but she squashed this and focused on her task. She couldn’t let Filip, the benefactors, or the three countries down—they were counting on her.

“ Areiras therasi. ”

“ Areiras therasi. ”

“ Areiras therasi. ”

The incantations continued for over an hour without any flames produced, yet Yelena remained calm-faced at the front of the training room, observing with a watchful eye.

Adelina’s own gaze was caught by the ever so slight fizz and crackle of a match clutched between a dark-haired girl’s fingers. Her eyes widened with excitement, fuelling her efforts to be the first to succeed.

Returning her gaze to the smooth surface of her desk, Adelina twisted her match between her fingers and frowned.

A few moments later, the satisfying pop of a lit match dragged Adelina’s attention back to the squeaking girl, who hopped up and down on one foot, grinning widely at the flame flickering at the top of the stick in her hand .

Yelena, however, didn’t share in the excitement—she simply clasped her hands in front of her, keeping her gaze on the girl.

The girl shrieked, dropped the match, which snuffed the flame, then lifted her fingers to her left eye. Adelina gasped as the student’s eye turned milky white. A young man darted to her side.

“What’s happened to my eye?” the girl’s voice rose several octaves. “I can’t see!”

“You did not contain your magic, Kira. This is the result. You should never let your ego exceed your abilities.”

“Will she be all right?” The young man clutched Kira to his chest, a kind gesture towards someone he didn’t know.

“The effect is temporary,” Yelena said. “But let it be a warning to all.”

Adelina let out a slow breath as she gathered her nerves and collected herself. Gripping the edge of her desk with one hand and clutching the match with the other, she focused her vision on the tip, willing for a golden flame to materialise.

Her temples throbbed as she shifted in her seat, encouraging her magic to flow through her body. Despite her best efforts, no flame came to life.

Glancing around her, she noticed several of the other students with lit matches between their fingers, to which Yelena praised.

Another hour passed, and Adelina and the young man who’d helped Kira hadn’t produced a flame at all.

“Class dismissed,” Yelena said. “After lunch, you will move on to the next task. Adelina, Kira, and Lev, you will continue your current work. ”

Adelina shared auspicious glances with Lev and Kira, then headed outdoors with them.

Together, they reclined on a stone bench in the shade of a tall aspen. The breeze was no longer icy but had the cool touch of winter. The fine hairs on Adelina’s neck stood on end.

“We’re a couple of hours in and my head is pounding.” Lev rubbed his forehead.

“Me too.” Kira blinked several times—the milkiness had faded from her eye.

“We’ll get there, eventually.” Adelina mustered as much conviction as she could, but she wasn’t certain who she was trying to convince.

They watched the other students—standing amongst the flower bushes—praising one another and whooping with smug satisfaction.

“Ugh.” Lev rolled his eyes.

“At least I’m not the only one who hasn’t produced a flame yet?” Adelina’s doubt made her statement sound more like a question, but she was glad she wasn’t alone in her failure.

Kira’s brows knitted, then her eyes widened. “You have astral magic. Surely, you should be able to do all of these tasks with ease.”

This worsened Adelina’s festering uncertainty. “I guess not. I’m starting to think the test was wrong, somehow.”

“Don’t be silly.” Lev patted Adelina’s knee. “The Seer has been conducting the test for ten years—there’s no way she’d get it wrong. Not if you saw the dragon.”

“I did.” Adelina tapped her fingers against her knee. “I don’t feel any different, though.”

“You will soon enough.” Lev smiled .

Kira sprung to her feet. “Come on, let’s get something for lunch.”

∞∞∞

Once their stomachs were full and the hour break was spent, the students gathered in the training room. Each student who’d completed the first task had a glass lantern positioned in the centre of their desks.

“Your next task is to build upon the flame—light the lantern and contain it. Keep the fire from bursting from its glass container,” Yelena said.

“In order to do this, you must concentrate. The buzz you felt when you conjured the flame is what you will need to pass the next test. You’ll do this by saying illilriad . ”

The spell came with the same consonant issues as the previous one—the ‘ l’ sounds clumsy in the mouths of those who tried to master it.

Adelina focused on the match in her hands. She drew it closer to her eyes and focused on the tip, willing it to light.

“I did it!” Lev called.

She glanced up as Lev flapped his arms, which snuffed his small flame.

“Well done,” Yelena said. “You may move on to the next task.”

She handed Lev a glass bottle.

“ Illilriad. ”

“ Illilriad. ”

“ Illilriad. ”

Sucking in a deep breath, Adelina fought to block out the noise around her, then pushed her shoulders back. “ Areiras therasi. ”

Nothing.

Yelena drew nearer—her hands clasped—and watched Adelina.

“You’re holding back,” she said.

“What? No, I’m not—I’m focusing as hard as I can.” Adelina sighed.

“Exactly—you’re trying too hard. Clear your mind, allow the energy to flow through you. Be at peace with your magic.” Yelena smiled before moving on to observe another student.

Adelina moved her shoulders and arms, loosening the muscles as much as she could before realigning her sight on the tip of her match.

“ Areiras therasi. ” Her words were clear and slightly haunted, as if the magic flowed through her vocal cords, straight into the match. The tip fizzed, spitting as if it’d been struck by the stars, before roaring into a flame. She grinned.