Caldren laughed, gently.“Kael can be blunt, but he means well.I have known him for much of my life.He’s a good man.”
I nodded, knowing I’d still need to make my own determination.
We walked through several corridors until the sound of clashing metal echoed through the hallway.We entered a large room with racks of weapons lining the walls, leaving ample space in the center.There, Darion and Elena crossed swords in a heated battle, their attacks more intense than I’d ever seen from either of them.Caldren bid me adieu.
They moved back and forth across the floor several times, neither conceding much ground before claiming it back.I remained quiet on the sidelines, observing.For only an instant, Darion’s attention strayed in my direction.That was all it took to break his concentration, and a moment later, Elena had him off balance, knocking the sword out of his hand with a reverberating thud.
“Ha!”she yelled, victorious.But then she followed Darion’s eyes toward me.“Cas!”
They both ran over, and for the third time in the last day, we all shared an embrace.Tears inexplicably ran down my cheeks.
“I did it,” I said.“I’m part of the Order of Emberlight.”
“Congratulations,” Darion said, beaming.
“I knew you could do it!”Elena exclaimed.“They’d be stupid not to let you in.”
“I was worried for a while there.Kael doesn’t seem to like me.”
Darion sighed.“Don’t take it personally.More than anybody on the council, Kael is a stickler for the rules.Plus, Kael and I have a complicated history, to put it mildly.”
“Complicated how?”I asked.
“We’ve been friends for a long time.Not too long ago, he confessed his feelings for me.I didn’t share those feelings.”
Good, I thought to myself with a smugness that I felt a little bad about.
“Kael was the one with the most reservations about you, but I partly blame myself, since I couldn’t seem to stay away from you,” Darion said with a ridiculous grin.“But he’s a good person at his core.”
“So everyone keeps saying,” I said.“Your advice about being truthful and speaking from the heart probably saved me.”
“I’m glad to hear that.The council members are wise and easily spot deception or insincerity.”
We paused for a moment, gazing at each other with soft smiles.
Then Elena began to fidget.“So, what happens next?”
My stomach clenched as I thought back to the council’s decision that Elena would need to travel north.But that was a conversation for later.
“Well, I don’t know about you two,” I said, “but I haven’t had a thing to eat since yesterday morning.I’m starving!”
Chapter twenty-seven
A Growing Darkness
Ithadbeenafew days since the Emberlight Council had voted me in, and Elena and I found ourselves with little to do.I was feeling restless.Doing nothing just wasn’t in my nature.Rather than relaxing, it felt claustrophobic, as if a rope were slowly tightening around me.
To keep my mind and body busy, I spent much of my time in the sparring room with Elena, practicing our weapons techniques.I also explored the twisting hallways and chambers, most of which were deserted.
I found a small library of books, maps, and scrolls, some of which covered various Emberborn topics.It was nothing compared to the clock tower library but far more than I had ever seen anywhere else.I pored over maps ranging from the entire Velmorrian continent down to the drainage systems of Analon.
One book listed a few of the known Embers; they were so varied that no exhaustive catalog existed.I recognized Veilsense, Chronothene, Elena’s strength, which was called Stryn, and the shifter power, which was called Marrowbound.There were many others I had never heard of, including Stillbind—the ability to prevent someone else from moving— and Windspirit—the ability to run very fast.
I borrowed a few of the books and read them at night to calm my storming mind.
Darion stopped by frequently to update us on matters of the Order and the news from topside.Apparently the Royal Guard had stepped up patrols all across the city and stationed Sentinels throughout every district.No one was sure why, but I worried it had to do with Elena and me.Perhaps they’d found out I had Veilsense.This made me even more anxious about Elena’s imminent departure for the Northlands.
There had also been no communication from the Citadel Clock Tower about my lineage.Darion suspected it was because of the increased Royal Guard patrols.Since the day Edric had been unable to find information about my family, the thought had gnawed at me.For most of my life, I hadn’t thought much about my origins, but now that I knew of our Emberborn heritage, I yearned to learn more.
