Xavier’s stride seems to slow the closer he gets to Sebastian, as if he’s not quite sure of his decision.
Just when I think he’s going to change course, he closes the distance to the door and slams his hand against it, smearing his blood over the dancing green stone.
He waits. We all wait. But nothing happens. An entire minute goes by, but the stone remains the same and Xavier is not pulled inside.
‘Xavier Davis, Malachite has not chosen you,’ the headmaster announces from the dais. Xavier’s head drops between his shoulders for a long heavy silence. Soft murmurs start to build within the room until he looks back up and turns around, sporting a blinding smile that is stretched across his face like he’s … relieved?
Without hesitation, he moves to Agate, nods to the unit leader then lifts his hand to the stone. It takes only a second before Xavier is sucked inside.
‘Pathetic,’ I hear a girl scoff from the third row. I shift to look past the students in front of me. There’s a redhead, with a long wavy ponytail brushing the back of her chair. I recognise her voice as the same girl who laughed at the water wielder previously. ‘What a fucking embarrassment. Wait till my uncle finds out his only son choseAgate.’
‘Who isthat?’ I lean over to Tilly whose lips are pressed in a tight disapproving line.
‘Moira Davis,’ she informs me. ‘Xavier’s cousin and, trust me when I say, it’d be wise to stay away from her.’
‘You know a lot about the students here, don’t you?’
I, on the other hand, can’t pinpoint a single familiar face other than Sebastian. I only have one friend from home, and Corvin isn’t here.
‘My aunt is on the council, so our house tends to become a makeshift boardroom at times. I’ve heard and seen a lot that I probably shouldn’t when it comes to students at Valmora.’
Her aunt is on the council. My walls start to rise and I shift away. Tilly notices the sudden distance I’ve put between our bodies and once again catches on fast.
‘She isn’t one of the members who voted against your family!’
‘And I’m supposed to just believe that?’ I ask sceptically.
‘Do you think I’d be bold enough to sit here speaking with you if I agreed with everyone else, let alone lived with someone who could have done that to your brother?’
I don’t respond, because I’m not sure if I trust what will come out of my mouth.
‘Well, I’m not,’ she insists, and there’s something so certain in her eyes and the defiant tilt of her chin that it makes me want to believe her. I nod, accepting what she said at surface level, all the while reminding myself that I need to tread with caution here.
FOUR
Unlike her cousin, Moira is accepted into Malachite after she sends a bright red flame right through Xavier’s handprint, burning his blood away as if its stain on the stone was offensive to her.
She wielded her element so easily, I couldn’t help the sliver of envy that crept up my chest and lodged in my throat. Years I’ve spent trying to wield mine. Hell, just trying tosenseit inside me. But each time I tried, I found nothing to grab onto. It’s no wonder Moira turned her nose up at the mere drips of liquid that fell from the water wielder’s hand.
At least a dozen more students rise from their seats as the headmaster’s list gets dangerously close to theNsurnames. Three of those students choose Malachite, four choose Opal, and the others are accepted into Agate.
The empty spaces in front of Tilly and me feel too exposing. Before, I could hide myself behind the heads of others, but now, the gaps clear the way for everyone to turn and stare up at me as Headmaster Zain calls out, ‘Arianell Nocthare.’
Gasps penetrate the air around me, followed by a cacophony of whispers that get louder until I can barely hear my own thoughts.
‘You can do this,’ Tilly encourages beside me.
Can I?
I close my eyes, breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth as I attempt to tame the nerves skittering beneath my skin. WhenI open them, I keep my gaze locked on the centre of the room, blocking out the faces staring at me and ever so slowly rise from my seat.
There’s no going back now.
I lift my hands and push the grey hood of my robe off my head, letting it fall over my shoulders. The move exposes my white-blonde hair, twin to my brother’s, our father’s and the rest of our ancestors in the Nocthare line.
‘Holy shit. It reallyishis sister,’ I hear someone hiss.
‘Nocthare slut.’ Another doesn’t even try to lower their voice as I walk down toward the dais. My fists bunch at my sides, turning my knuckles white.
