Drops of blood splashed my face. The dragon and I watched as the bits scattered over a square mile of cavern. It took about ten seconds for the pieces to finish hitting the ground. Then the dragon turned its massive head, looking down at me with diamond eyes.
“Um,” I said once I’d caught my breath. “Any chance I could have another one of those things?”
chapter 12
It was two weeks later.
“How much longer?” I muttered out of the side of my mouth.
“Shh,” Sonder whispered.
“Did she stop to do her hair or what?”
We were standing in a high, arched hall, the walls russet and gold. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling and rows of stylised lamps were mounted on the walls, filling every inch of the room with light. About twenty people were scattered around, talking quietly. The acoustics of the hall made them hard to hear, but Sonder and I were up on the stage and anything we said would be amplified.
But I’d been waiting nearly an hour and was getting restless. “Do these things always take this long?” I whispered.
“Alex, can’t you please be quiet?” Sonder pleaded. He was wearing brown-and-cream ceremonial robes. “You’re not supposed to talk till the ceremony starts.”
I thought about asking why but decided it wasn’t really fair. At least the outfit Arachne had made for me was as comfortable as ever. She’d gone for a black design with slashes of midnight blue, and while it made me feel like a giant bat, I had to admit it looked good. Off to one side, Talisid was speaking quietly with Ilmarin. Talisid had agreed to preside and find a second, and had arranged the venue too. Before I could open my mouth again, the doors at the far end swung open and two people walked in.
The girl on the right looked twenty or so, with black shoulder-length hair and odd reddish-brown eyes. We’d met only once, though I’d gotten a good feeling from her; she had a gentle manner I found appealing. Sonder had known her through some of his old classes. Her name was Anne.
Luna walked a little behind and to the side. Her robe was done to Council standards but Arachne had somehow made it look better than any apprentice robe ought to. It was pure white with green highlights that set off Luna’s pale skin, and the conversation died away as heads turned to watch the girls. Anne led Luna up the steps and the room fell silent as Talisid stepped forward. “Who comes before us?”
Anne and Luna came to a stop. “One who seeks knowledge,” Anne said in a soft voice.
“How does she approach?”
“In darkness, unknowing of the Light; in humility, knowing of her ignorance; and in faith, that she might become what she is not.”
“Then let her step forward.”
Luna did so and Anne moved to one side. “Approach and state your name,” Talisid said.
“Luna Mancuso,” Luna said. I knew she must be nervous but her voice was steady.
“Luna Mancuso,” Talisid said. “Do you swear before this Council to accept the guidance of a master? Do you swear to serve without doubt, to obey without question, and to endure without surrender? And do you swear to serve your master, and through him the Council and the Light, in all ways and in all things until such day that you may take your place among us as a journeyman mage?”
“I do so swear,” Luna said. Amazingly, she didn’t choke on the
“Then I ask of this Council,” Talisid said. “Is there one among us willing to take on this charge?”
That was my cue. “I am willing,” I said, stepping forward.
“And what do you extend?”
“To teach her in lore and magic; to protect her from others and herself; to aid and sustain her whatever may come; and to take responsibility for her deeds for good or ill.”
“The offer of Mage Verus is accepted,” Talisid said. “I stand witness.”
“I stand witness,” Ilmarin said.
“Then it is agreed,” Talisid said. “This Council is adjourned.”
With the ceremony done, the atmosphere in the hall relaxed. Luna was approached by other mages and before long she was at the centre of a loose crowd of people. “I didn’t expect this many,” I said.
“It shouldn’t be too much of a surprise,” Talisid said. We were standing a little way to the side, watching from a distance, each of us holding a glass of wine. “You’re acquiring something of a reputation.”
“Really?”
“I didn’t say it was a
“I could say they started it.”
“Somehow I don’t think that would help very much.”
Luna was talking with Ilmarin, with Sonder hovering nearby. The silver mist of Luna’s curse was more tightly concentrated than before, surrounding Luna in a radius of one arm’s length rather than two. The practice I’d made
