The Golden Sun
Itook a breath, and raised my hand to knock.
As soon as I got close enough to touch the wood, the thick panel swung inward, moving on creaking hinges before I could make contact. My hand likely triggered the mechanism, since I’d been invited, although it might’ve simply been my proximity to the door. I’d just reached the landing at the top of the circular stone stairs.
Either way, it was halfway open by the time I lowered my knuckles.
I gazed into a room where everyone had been talking, but all fell silent and turned at the sound of my entrance.
I flinched at seeing faces I recognized, far more than I’d expected.
Professor Rafe Quicksilver stood by a table covered in strangely-shaped bottles, a drink already in one hand as he turned to assess me with his piercing stare. Next to him stood Professor Vivian Underwood, who’d been my seeing arts teacher both years I’d been at Malcroix Bones. Professor Corvid Blackstone, who I knew on sight, and who I knew taught potions, even though I hadn’t yet taken one of his courses, stoodby a stained glass window. Karos Dominion, the praecurology teacher I’d only been allowed to study under for a single term, stood next to him, holding a goblet emitting red smoke in her hand.
Most of them looked at me, not with surprise, exactly, but definitely with curiosity.
A few aimed looks that struck me as… well, nothostileexactly, but clearly not enthusiastic about my being there.
As I looked at everyone else taking up space in the tower room, I couldn’t even blame them. I was the youngest person there by probably ten years, if not fifteen, and I’d bet the only non-postgraduate out of the faces I saw. I could think of a number of reasons why my teachers, in particular, wouldn’t be thrilled with having me as a peer in something as sensitive as a secret political meeting.
I did my best to silence my mind––in particular, anything in it that might be a very good reason why they’d be right not to trust me.
Not that I could feel Bones there. He’d promised me I wouldn’t feel him, and I couldn’t.
Well, not in a way I’d calldefinitive.
I did feel something.
Some thread between us gave me the barest whisper of his presence, just enough that I strongly suspected hewasthere. At the same time, that feeling was so slight, it was easy to convince myself I was imagining it.
Holding my expression still, I walked the rest of the way inside. I’d just glanced over my shoulder to watch the door close behind me, when a voice burst out right next to me, making me jump. Before I could turn all the way, two large hands caught hold of my shoulders.
“Cousin!”
My eyes snapped into focus on the handsome face of Valor La Fey, my storybook-prince cousin in the Praecuri. He beamed at me, as did a blonde, athletic-looking, sharp-eyed, and rather sharp-faced witch who’d walked quickly up to stand shoulder to shoulder with him, and peer at me with striking, sunset-orange eyes. I glanced down long enough to see her gripping one of Valor’s hands, and guessed she must be his wife, Esalia, whom he’d jokingly described as “fierce” in his letters.
He’d also described her as “a big softie,” particularly with Archie.
Valor and I had been writing one another every week or so since he’d first come to Worm Hall to inform me about Arcturus. Valor mostly wrote about the previous year they’d spent with Archie as a family, and about his experiences in school with me gone, but he also sent me letters whenever he got updates around Archie’s circumstances now, either through official channels, or through friends of his who had contacts within the Sanctum Occulus.
Archie wrote me, too, of course, at least every week, sometimes every few days, but he mostly talked about his friends and his academic subjects and Magique itself. It was helpful getting Valor’s news about the legal aspects of my brother’s circumstances, and a somewhat broader and more objective view of how Arcturus was doing. Valor understood this world. He also knew people who actually lived and worked inside the Sanctum.
I looked at him now, a little stunned, even as it occurred to me I probably shouldn’t have been. Valor noted my expression and glanced over the rest of the room.
“Forsooth didn’t tell you?” he asked, quieter.
I shook my head. “He didn’t mention any names.”
“Ah, well, I suppose that’s wise.” He motioned with his head towards the rounded stone walls. “There are chimaerasall over these rooms. Forsooth designed most of them himself.” Valor released my shoulders, and gave me a knowing look. “Technically, none of us can name another member of the Golden Sun when we leave this space… not to anyone but another member… although I suppose I’d always assumed that wasn’t true for Forsooth himself. I’ve tried it a few times, to test the strength of the spell. It’s shockingly effective.” He grinned at the woman whose hand he held. “This is Esalia, my wife.”
I smiled at her. “I feel like I already know you.”
“And I, you,” she said, reaching over to grip my arm in a friendly squeeze. “I’m glad Gideon brought you in. He only told us Sunday last, during the emergency session.”
I tensed, without even knowing why at first.
Emergency session? So they had met since I’d last spoke to Forsooth.
I just hadn’t been invited.
