“Here is your tea, Anna,” Roslyn said, handing it to me.
“Thank you,” I said, holding the warm mug. “This is all unexpected.”
Isabella grinned. “Right?”
I wished I shared her joy. I so badly wanted to throw myself into bed and enjoy the moment of having made it, but I couldn’t. I came here for answers, for an explanation for my past, and so far, all I’d found were more questions and less certainty than ever about my mind.
I had to know what was going on here—if it was me who was crazy, or them.
Chapter 9
This Is Why We Fight
ANNA
Iawoke that night to a cold breeze. My window was open. Weird. I didn’t recall opening it. I pulled the covers back and padded across the carpet. Shifting the sheer curtain out of the way, I shut the window with both hands. It was early in the morning, and mist hung in the air. I watched it as it gently moved. It looked as if it were swirling around the castle, like something here was pulling it inward. A heaviness weighed on my stomach. I felt it too. Something was pulling us. I sensed it all around me, especially around certain individuals. That was what I found most confusing.
My mind had gone down every rabbit hole as to what it could be: a fusion energy source, an ancient asteroid with alien minerals? Or perhaps this wasn’t from a source at all, and they were drug manufacturers. Maybe they were drugging all of us, or something was getting into the water or the air. Perhaps we were infected, and that was why I was exposed to whatever it was, and I had similar side effects as my mother.
Maybe we were all test subjects.
Goosebumps rose across my arms, and I tried to shake the feeling that was surely my mind wandering. I wondered if my mom went through this when she was here. There’s no doubt it was dangerous, but was that the only reason she withheld? I used to wake up to her screaming in the night. I’d always assumed I inherited whatever affliction she had. I wish she’d told me what she saw in her nightmares. Anything to give me a hint as to what I was searching for.
We met with Commander Everson first thing the next morning. He was dressed in his signature thick black leather armor, complete with bracers and gloves. He was muscular, his dark hair shaved close to the scalp. His expression was always annoyed, a look that seemed misplaced for someone only ten or so years older than me. The title of commander suited him well. We followed him to a large chamber called Meridian Hall. It was lit by candles and several fireplaces; it was richly decorated with dark wood paneling and ornate carvings, like it might have been a private library at one time.
A fireplace as tall as I was housed a glowing fire at the far end of the room. Above the mantle hung a painting of mountains with birds soaring in the open air. Along the walls, books filled shelves that reached the ceiling where a spiral staircase with carved rails led to a mezzanine level that overlooked the open hall. Overhead, a vaulted ceiling with dark teal paint and vining flowers painted within the beams. Plush, upholstered sofas and armchairs were arranged around a central coffee table with student workstations, each with a glowing lamp on the desk.
There were others in the room, but they paid us little attention and resumed their reading or distant conversations. Isabella and I sat at the end of a red velvet sofa with wooden trim and clawed feet.
“Welcome, Initiates,” Everson said, shutting the door and standing in front of the fire to address us. All of the new groups—seventy-three of us—were here.
“As you know, you are the select few who have passed the tasks and will be integrated into the Initiate Program at Nightfall. Now that you are here, you probably understand why we keep Nightfall a private institution. Not everyone is suited for this environment,” he said. “There is a reason you were all selected, and it is part of our integration process to help you understand why. Each of you has the potential to unlock power you can only access by being here. As an Initiate at Nightfall, you will be given a course schedule tailored to suit your specific skill set. It will seek to develop the skills you already possess and to illuminate the weaknesses that you will inevitably discover. Now, one of the first things I will go over with you today is the hierarchical structure we follow. Throughout the castle and the grounds, you will come across areas that are restricted to you. Some of these areas are advanced areas for students who have moved on from Initiate status to the next level of study called “Adept”.
Once you are ready, you will be informed that you have reached the opportunity for advancement, and more locations at Nightfall will become available to you. As you may have noticed, several people work and live here that are not students—these are Adepts that have graduated and now pursue their niche here,” Everson said.
I recalled Isabella saying that her father worked here as a groundskeeper.
“I myself was once an Adept. If you prove yourself in your studies as an Adept, you might even be fortunate enough to call yourself anAwakenedone day, but don’t get your hopes up—most do not. Despite your slim odds of attaining this status, we are here to support you which brings us to the mentorshipprogram for incoming Initiates. For the first few weeks, one of the seven Aurkai will be paired with you at the end of each week for a private session. The Aurkai are the highest-ranking members and the descendants of the founders of Nightfall. They may be no older than you, but do not mistake them for other students. Some of them will be in the dormitories with you, guiding you, providing private lessons for carefully selected Initiates, and on occasion, teaching classes. Only one of them is a professor here—and I suggest you do not irritate him. Their training will test you in ways you cannot prepare for. They are always to be shown respect. Now, I will hand out your course schedule for the semester, and we can begin the tour,” he said.
I took a scroll Everson shoved at me.
I scanned it and glanced at Isabella’s. “Oh, good, you’re in The Forged Vessel class daily too.”
“Do we have anything else together?” she asked.
“Looks like Forgotten Lore, Foundations of Valyrian, and Raicanya,” I said. “What is Raicanya?”
Isabella glanced at me. “It's an ancient form of martial arts. My father’s been training me since I was young, but I didn’t realize this was where he’d learned it.”
“All right, Initiates,” Everson said. “Let’s get on with it.”
As Commander Everson was leaving, I muttered an excuse to Isabella and ran after him.
“Commander!” I said, catching him around the corner.
He paused and glanced over his shoulder. “What is it, Kamoria?”
I paused. How did I bring this up?
