Page 3

"Felicity Adrianna." Her name echoed through the hall, and a small, timid girl with chestnut curls stood up from her table.

She smoothed down her skirt, her hands trembling slightly, and began her careful approach to the dais.

She halted a few feet from the platform when Grimrose raised her palm to stop her.

" Eligite fata, " commanded the headmistress, her voice carrying an air of authority, as she gestured toward the ravens perched nearby.

The room fell silent, anticipation crackling in the air, as the students leaned forward in their seats, eager to witness what would unfold.

The ravens rustled their glossy black feathers, exchanging glances with soft, throaty croaks. Suddenly, one raven launched itself into the air, its wings a blur as it circled Felicity with frantic, sweeping motions.

"Place your hand, palm up in front of you, girl," barked a professor with dark, intense eyes and a commanding presence.

All eyes followed the raven's every movement as Felicity hesitantly extended her hand, her fingers slightly curled in apprehension.

The raven spiraled gracefully, its beady eyes fixed on her, before it dropped a green emerald into her open palm with precision. With a swift motion, it returned to its perch on the table, leaving a trail of whispers in its wake.

A wave of applause erupted from the professors and senior students, the sound filling the room and washing over us like a warm tide.

Felicity’s shoulders relaxed. A small smile crept onto her face, a mixture of relief and triumph. Grimrose stepped forward, her robes rustling softly, taking the gemstone from Felicity's hand, and replacing it with a small, antique brass key.

The key was intricately engraved with tiny emerald stones that glinted in the light.

"Welcome to Emerald House, Miss Adrianna. You may take your seat," Grimrose announced, a hint of a smile playing on her lips as she nodded toward the girl.

Headmistress Grimrose continued to call the students alphabetically by their family name. One by one the students were given keys, representing the precious gemstones of their newly acquired house.

"Liam Musette," Grimrose called next, and a tall boy with sandy hair approached the dais with confident strides.

The raven with topaz clutched in its talons immediately took flight, circling him twice before dropping the golden stone into his waiting palm.

The Topaz students erupted in cheers, welcoming their newest member with thunderous applause.

"The Topaz raven barely hesitated," whispered a girl behind us. "They say that means he's a pure Fortopaz—strength and intellect in perfect balance."

Leander leaned in slightly, his voice smooth but unforced. “My father was Topaz—brilliant strategist, always five moves ahead. It's kind of the house’s thing.”

He glanced at me, eyes catching the light. “Even King Ladislau was Topaz. Top of his class, top of the throne. They like to say it runs in the blood.”

"Samael Norwood."

The name fell from Grimrose's lips like a stone into still water, creating ripples of whispers throughout the hall.

The dark-eyed young man who had been watching me rose with fluid grace, his movement drawing all eyes in the room.

Even the professors seemed to straighten in their seats, their attention sharpening as he approached the dais.

Unlike the nervous steps of the other first-years, Samael moved with the assurance of someone who had walked these halls before. His footfalls were nearly silent against the stone floor, giving the unsettling impression that he was gliding rather than walking.

The sleeve of his jacket slipped further up his arm, revealing more of the intricate dragon tattoos that wound around his forearms like living things, scales catching the candlelight in mesmerizing patterns.

"Eligite fata," Grimrose commanded again, her voice unchanging despite the repetition.

This time, two ravens stirred, sparking a wave of murmurs among the students.

The birds circled each other in a brief aerial dance before one seemed to yield, returning to its perch while the other—the one clutching the ruby—swooped down to place its stone in Samael's waiting palm.

"A contested choice," Bethany whispered to me. "That's rare. Means he has qualities of two houses."

"Welcome to Ruby House, Mr. Norwood," Grimrose intoned, her voice resonating through the hall as she exchanged the gem for the ruby-engraved key.

A slow, deliberate clap began with the professors, its sound echoing ominously and urging the students to join in. Samael acknowledged the ritual with a curt nod and pivoted to make his way back to his seat.

His steps faltered as his gaze locked onto mine, scrutinizing me with an intensity that sent shivers down my spine.

A ghost of a smile played at the corner of his lips, his gaze roamed over my features, lingering on my lips before his eyes darkened, a stormy shadow passing over them as he met my gaze once more.

An unspoken connection crackled in the air before he severed the eye contact.

A captivating man with radiant, deep-toned skin greeted Samael with a steady, reassuring clap on the shoulder as he eased into his seat. His sharp features carried an effortless charm, and there was a quiet confidence in his amber eyes.

The two men exchanged hushed words, their voices low and measured, blending into the solemn air of the ceremony as it unfolded around them.

"What house do you believe you will be placed in, Elvana?" Bethany’s question pulled my attention back to the students gathered around our table. Most of them had already been initiated into their houses already.

I had never really given the houses much thought; it seemed to me that it wasn’t about where you came from, but rather what was held in your very essence.

My father had never been fortunate enough to attend Drakestone Academy, as his family was raised on the remote northern end of Mystral.

He only met my mother by chance when her family travelled north in search of rare herbs.

My mother is from a line of renowned mages, with a family name that dates back centuries. When she attended Drakestone, she was a prodigy of Sapphire House, always the top of her class.

“It’s possible I’ll be placed in Sapphire,” I said quietly. “It was my mother’s House.”

I hesitated, then added, “But my father studied at Ebonfrost, in the north. I never learned how their sorting worked… only that it didn’t follow tradition.”

Just as I finished speaking, a sharp voice cut through the chatter from the next table over.

It was Vivienne Devereux, a girl whose name I recognized from the ceremony, her eyes gleaming with mischief.

“A daughter of an Ebonfrost nobody, and you still managed to get into Drakestone?” Vivienne purred, her tone soaked in sugar and spite. “They really are handing out invitations to anyone these days. Not all of us were blessed with a mother worth bragging about, I suppose.”

Her laughter—light, practiced, poisonous—rippled through the table, drawing a few smirking glances.

My cheeks flushed, as her words cut through me. A pointed reminder of my father's humble origins, as if to suggest that his lack of prestigious education should somehow reflect on my worthiness to be here. My retort was building behind my lips when Headmistress Grimrose spoke again.

“Bethany Sloane.”

Bethany's grip on my arm tightened at the sound of her name. She drew in a sharp breath, her freckles standing out against her suddenly pale face.

“Oh gods,” Bethany whispered. “I have to face the birds now.”

Leander bumped her shoulder lightly. “You’ll be fine. Just don’t flail or make eye contact. Classic predator rules.”

“That’s exactly what they say before someone gets mauled,” she muttered, but stood anyway, smoothing her robes with the trembling dignity of a condemned noble.

I watched as she made her way toward the dais, her copper-red hair catching the candlelight like autumn leaves ablaze. Despite her fear, there was something undeniably magnetic about Bethany—a sort of chaotic energy that drew the eye.

Bethany stood before the dais; her hands clasped so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. She kept her gaze fixed on the floor, refusing to look up at the ravens perched on the professors' table. I could see her shoulders rising and falling with quick, shallow breaths.

The ravens rustled their feathers, their obsidian eyes glinting with an intelligence that seemed far too knowing for mere birds. One by one, they tilted their heads, studying Bethany with uncanny focus. The silence stretched, growing heavier with each passing second.

"Look up, child," Professor Blackwood said, her silver-streaked hair catching the light as she leaned forward. "They need to see your eyes."

Bethany's hand trembled noticeably, like a leaf caught in the wind, as she slowly lifted it, palm facing upward, in a gesture of hesitant openness. The weight of anticipation hung in the air.

“Welcome to Topaz House, Miss Sloane.”

Bethany returned to our table, visibly relieved as she clutched her topaz-adorned key. "Thank the gods that's over," she whispered, sliding into her seat beside me. "I thought that bird was going to peck my eyes out."

"You did brilliantly," I assured her, though my attention was already drifting back to the ceremony.

The list of names continued, including Leander who was placed in Topaz House.

More students stepped forward to receive their fate from the stone ravens. Some approached with confidence, others with trepidation, but all returned changed somehow—as though the simple act of receiving a key had marked them in ways beyond the visible.

"Elvana Vale."

My name echoed through the hall, bouncing off the ancient stone walls and returning to me like a summons I couldn't ignore.

Rising from my seat, the weight of every gaze in the room pressed down like a stone mantle. Vivienne’s smirk stretched smug across her lips, painted in some cherry-red shade that made it look more like a wound.