Page 19 of The Fifth Heir

The pressure beneath my ribs went with it, leaving an ache in its place.

The white light at the crystal’s center went dark.

Every lamp relit at once.

The sudden return of ordinary fire made me blink. For several seconds, I could see nothing beyond pale shapes and spots of color. Sound rushed back with the light: murmuring candidates, scraping boots, my mother calling Camilla’s name.

The headmaster released my arm only after I steadied myself.

“Master Orin,” he said.

“Yes, Headmaster?”

“Identify your assistant for the official record.”

Master Orin looked as if he would rather be asked to move the Prism with his bare hands.

“Talia,” he said. “Junior keeper of the Hall of Prism.”

No family title.

No military rank.

No elemental territory.

Only my name and the work I had been doing when the light found me.

The headmaster faced the chamber.

“The Prism has named five.”

Malcolm stepped forward. “We have not confirmed—”

“The Prism has named five,” the headmaster repeated.

No one challenged him a second time.

“The fifth selection will be investigated. The runes will be examined, and the integrity of the ceremony will be verified. Until evidence establishes that the Prism failed, Crown Wing Academy will recognize what occurred in this Hall.”

He turned toward me.

“Talia, junior keeper of the Hall of Prism, chosen fifth heir.”

Silence followed.

The title seemed to belong to someone else. Someone trained, powerful, and standing at the center of the Hall instead of leaning against a wall to keep her knees from folding.

The headmaster began to clap.

The sound was startlingly ordinary. One pair of hands coming together in a Hall full of people who did not know what they were expected to do.

Master Orin joined him.

Torren was next.

His applause was slow and measured, his attention still fixed on me.

Rafe followed with considerably more enthusiasm. Sebastian began after one last look at the hidden runes.