Elora didn’t answer right away.
She pulled on her scuffed leather boots, wincing as the worn soles scraped against the floor. The bottoms were so thin she could feel every uneven board beneath her feet. Today, of all days.
She had been preparing for this since the moment Tehvan brought her to the Institute.
He promised it would shape her future.
She made sure it did.
Endless hours studying. Brewing until the scent of MahoKi Sap clung to her skin no matter how often she washed. Memorizing every ingredient, every reaction, every mistake she could not afford to make.
She wanted this.
She had always wanted this.
But now, with her time here ending—
Elora tightened the laces harder than necessary.
She wasn’t excited.
She was afraid.
“I’m not sure,” she replied as the girls left their dorm and headed to the courtyard.
The bright sun washed over them, a warm greeting. Elora squinted against the light. She liked the warmth it provided, but it washed out her already pale, freckled skin. Arria basked in it. She closed her eyes and drew it into her, as if absorbing its strength. The light complemented her deep brown skin, the golden rays making her appear like the goddess of the sun, if one did so exist.
The warm stone beneath their feet bore the marks of time: cracks running like veins, patches worn smooth from years of eager footsteps. Elora’s gaze wandered over the towering arches of the surrounding buildings; their walls entwined with ivy that crept upward as though trying to reach the spires above. A fountain stood at the center of the courtyard, its once-grand statue of a winged figure now weathered, water trickling from its outstretched hands into a mossy basin. Around it, students milled about in small groups, their hushed voices mingling with the distant trill of birdsong.
“Elora!” Rian skipped to meet her, grabbing Elora’s hands tightly. Her blue doe eyes were sparkling, as they always did. “Are you ready for the trials?”
No.“I’m as ready as I can be.” She forced a smile, but she knew it didn’t reach her eyes.
“Of course you are!” Rian wore a cheerful grin, a permanent crease in her laugh lines, and Elora wondered how someone could always be so happy and positive. Rian’s gaze looked past her, distracted when Alfie entered the courtyard from the boy’s wing. She dropped Elora’s hands, and ran over, continuing her rounds of seeping her joy onto others.
The air was rich with the scents of salt from the ocean and blooming herbs from the nearby garden. Arria took a deep breath,spinning once as if to shake off the tension. “Let’s find a spot,” she said, tugging on Elora’s sleeve. Together, they walked past the fountain toward a quieter corner, where the shadows of the arches offered some shade.
“I can’t believe it’s finally here.” Arria tucked her coiled hair behind her ears. “All those years of classes, endless lectures, potions blowing up in our faces… Soon we’ll be empire alchemists.” Her fingers toyed with the end of her braid, probably imagining what their life would be like.
The anxiety curling in Elora’s gut eased slightly. Even with the trials and threat of failure looming over them, Arria had a way of making everything seem less daunting. At least a little.
“Do you think we’ll get to stay together?” Elora asked, while tugging at a loose thread of her skirt. She hoped they would. Arria was the first friend she made when she arrived at the institute. They shared everything. The thought of being separated now left a sharp ache in her chest. It would be almost as heartbreaking as saying goodbye to Tehvan.
Arria leaned into Elora’s side, her head resting on her shoulder. “I hope so,” she whispered. “I can’t imagine it any other way.”
The air stilled as Symond entered the courtyard. He hunched his broad shoulders, and a scowl warped his face. His presence was a stark contrast to the eager, excited students mingling around the grounds. The morning sun caught the wild mess of his blond curls. They tumbled off his forehead and ears like a wispy golden crown.
His footsteps were heavy, striking the ground with a dull thud and crunching the pebbles. His ever-present essence of bitterness clung to him just as much as the ash from the forge. The other students glanced at him but said nothing. Symond had a temper that flared like dry tinder, and no one wanted to be the spark.
He hadn’t always been like that. There was a time when he and Elora would laugh together, whisper secrets in the dark corners of the library, and curate reckless plans that would surely get them caught despite how fool-proof they seemed.
One adventure led them to sneak into one of the alchemy labs after hours. It was harmless. They just wanted to look at the colorful potions. They had barely explored when the door suddenly swung open and Headmaster Thorn stood in the doorway.
They’d been caught red-handed. But it was fine, or at least she thought it was. Tehvan showed up, ushered her away and made her write the rules down fifty times as punishment. But Symond… Thorn had dealt with Symond. She didn’t know what his penance was, but after that day, everything was different. She saw the change in him, the anger, the resentment, especially whenever Tehvan was near.
Now, his gaze swept the courtyard until it found her. His eyes narrowed, lips curling into a familiar sneer. He strode toward her, his hands casually in his pockets, but she sensed the tension radiating from him before he even reached her.What now?
He opened his mouth to speak, but Elora quickly cut him off. “You don’t seem excited about the trials.” She had come to realize that if she got the first word in, she could throw him off whatever game he intended to play.
