Elias stepped up. “If I may, Princess, the reality is, you must. Biringan’s magic will only continue to fade until then. The disorder we just endured is nothing compared to what will happen should we lose control entirely.”
Ayo agreed. “Thank you, Don Elias, for underlining the gravity of the situation.” He turned to me. “If you’ll excuse me, there is much to be done. I’ll return later this evening.” At that he nodded curtly, bowed, then turned abruptly and left the room. The other maids and guards followed him.
Once they were gone, Elias asked me, “Before I go, since we have a moment of privacy, is there anything I should tell the academy about your talent?”
I had no idea how to answer that. “Like, can I sing?”
“No, Princess.” He looked perturbed. “What I mean is, what is your ability? Your magic?”
“Oh! Um...” I tried to think. Did I have one? At any time in my life, had anything magical ever happened to me? As the mightiest warrior in Sirena, my father could command the oceans to do his bidding, and it was said he possessed many magical gifts, so great was his power. But I couldn’t even make a ripple. In his letters, he had told me my talent would manifest when it was time. So far, it had not been time.
Encanto magic was rooted in the earth and in the elements, theability to command water and fire, to communicate with animals and plant life, or to transform into different creatures. But so far, I was as ordinary as any other mortal.
“Think, Princess,” Elias said. “Surely it’s revealed itself by now. Perhaps you simply didn’t recognize it. Think of a time you were under duress. Did anything strange happen? Something otherwise unexplainable?”
I racked my brain, trying to think of something, anything, I’d ever done that could be interpreted as magic. Nothing came to mind. Not a single thing. And the most stress I’d ever been under had just happened to me. Still, nada.
“Hmmm,” Elias said, tapping his chin. “In order to be crowned queen, you must display your powers as part of the coronation. While I understand you did not grow up here, we were led to believe that your father guided you from afar. You were supposed to be taught about these things, so you’d—”
“Well, actually, yes. I have magic,” I said quickly. I wasn’t going to let him think my mother somehow failed. In fact, it made me mad. For good measure, I added, “I do remember something. My mother always told me to keep it a secret. I’m not super comfortable talking about it right now.” I attempted an air of confidence. In my father’s letters, he assured me that I would eventually discover my talent, that it would manifest at the right time. Since it had yet to reveal itself, though, I couldn’t help but begin to panic. But I couldn’t show Elias that.
The old man was visibly relieved, his tone brightening. “Of course. I understand. Rest assured, the staff here at the palace has been thoroughly vetted, by me, personally. We’re all invested inyour ascendancy. You should feel safe to share your talent when you’re ready.”
“Right. Good to know. So, how, exactly, do I display it? At the coronation.” I needed to figure out how I was going to make this work.
“After a display of their powers, the one true heir must remove the royal scepter from a solid wooden chest. Only the rightful ruler can do so; all others will fail. Pass this test, and you are crowned.”
I swallowed. “Sure. No problem.” Also a lie.
It was a huge problem.
7
Only four weeksuntil the coronation.
Four weeks to figure out how to unlock my magic or else forfeit the throne and lose everything my parents worked for. Four weeks of looking over my shoulder, worrying about more assassins, even though supposedly I was safe here. The next morning, Elias assured me all the insurgents had been routed out of Biringan, and he had sent more patianaks to hunt the rest, who were hiding in the human realm. But since he still wasn’t completely sure who had sent them, I still felt uneasy. The one good piece of news was that he had also sent encantos to find out what had happened to my mother and to bring her back here safely as soon as they could.
Today was another first day of school, too.
The royal entourage, with me once more in the white-and-gold calesa blooming with flowers, surrounded by soldiers on horseback, approached the building from the main road that connected each of the courts to the middle of the island. I stared up at the towering structure. It was even bigger than the Sirena Palace, though it wasn’t exactly a castle—more like a series of spirals reaching up into the clouds, camouflaged among all the mountain peaks surrounding them. I couldn’t tell what they were made of.They almost looked metallic or, as I got closer, like the surface of glossy, wet pebbles or a sleek, smooth worry stone. There were no seams or cracks, as if the entire structure was made of one humongous piece of rock carved from the mountain. The school’s name was spelled out in huge, swirling letters over the wide entrance:biringan academy of noble arts.
I felt a little sick. Nerves. I clutched the amulet beneath my new uniform and took a deep breath. It felt like my mother was with me. If I closed my eyes, I could imagine her sitting right next to me, holding my hand. That helped.
One thing at a time. I took out the rolled-up parchment that had been delivered to my room that morning.
First hour:Introduction to History of Biringan, Room 421
Second hour:Pagkahari at Paggalang, Room 1123
Third hour:Astronomiya, Room 716
Fourth hour:Biringan Hayop at Halaman, Room 622
Fifth hour:Tanghalian, BANA Dining Hall
Maybe some of these classes would include the key to finding my magical power. If I had any. But I was happy to note that tanghalian—lunch—was on the schedule.
We pulled up to the circular drive. Others were being dropped off by calesas, too, which made for a very strange sight for a girl from California, but even in this surreal fantasy, my ride stood out. The other carriages were smaller and less ostentatious and weren’t accompanied by armed soldiers. There was definitely no chance of my showing up unnoticed.
