“How did you get to Adept so fast again?” I asked, my voice higher than usual.
She grinned. “By being awesome.”
I side-eyed her hard with a smirk. Maybe I should sprint across; that might be easier, like ripping off a bandage.
“Okay,” I said under my breath.
I placed my hand on the gilded rail and nearly jumped at the moving current beneath my fingertips. I almost passed out from holding my breath as I reached the opposite side of the bridge.
Saryna was there, her long, silky hair flowing to her waist.
“Congratulations, Anna,” she said. “You passed your first test.”
I was still trying to calm my frenzied everi as I glared at her.
“What test?” I asked.
“Everi control,” she said. “Without stabilizing your everi, you cannot sync with the everi that is here to form a stable crossing. Follow me.”
Saryna stepped inside, the aged wooden doors groaning as they opened.
Inside was a place unlike anything I had ever seen.
A cavernous chamber lit with warm candlelight, flickering against high stone walls, cast long shadows across rich, gorgeous tapestries and banners of sigils I didn’t recognize. I could smell wax and parchment as I passed numerous tables.
Students sat at benches at the worn wooden tables, some diligently writing with quills and ink, while others read from aged tomes that took up much of the surface.
At the center, a large and darkly colored stone basin was filled with dark liquid, a fire burned beneath it, and a thick steam mingled with the smoke. Great stone hearths contained fires at both ends of the hall with sparks that glowed through the air far longer than they should.
Saryna moved through the hall and paused in front of one of the towering arches that lined the perimeter of the room.
“As you can see,” she said, gesturing to a table full of scattered scrolls and chairs in disarray, “the Adepts spend a lot of time studying here. It helps them collaborate, and sometimes the presence of others’ everi can foster growth.”
Saryna handed me a piece of parchment.
“Your new course schedule,” she said.
I took it and glanced at it before returning my attention to her. “Saryna. About Malakai.”
She looked at me, a forced and well-rehearsed smile splayed on her lips. “We will discuss that at another time. For now, focus on your studies. I think you will find this part of your journey at Nightfall rewarding.”
I sensed Saryna’s unspoken acknowledgment as she watched me, her eyes tightening before she turned and left.
Sighing, I opened the parchment and read through my new schedule.
Isabella showed me around the rest of the wing.
The classrooms were all nearby and connected to Alliance Hall, and at the other end was the Adept’s training area, Pegasus Hall. The last room we arrived at was different from the others. The door was unique in shape, a peculiar width with rounded corners.
“This,” Isabella said, “is the Arcanya Room.”
I raised my eyebrows, waiting for some form of explanation.
“Your first course of the day will be in this room where you will begin training to control your everi alone, or with an instructor,” she said.
“Okay,” I said. “What if someone else is using it? Do we share?”
Isabella smiled. “This room is special. When you enter it, you enter into your own space. If you enter with another person, you will be in that space together, and no one can enter it after.”
