Rutmonlir limped from the other side of the arena with a bloody grin. “Fuck, that was a fight! You do your people proud, Kegohr. I haven’t had a scrap like that since the Wysaros tried to fuck us over.”
“You all fought well,” Faryn panted from behind us.
I turned to face her. Her dress was scorched across her ribs and thighs. But there wasn’t a burn in sight, and I took a moment to appreciate her smooth skin and the way her hips swung as she walked. She beamed at me and gave Vesma a respectful bow.
“You truly do yourself credit, Vesma,” Faryn said. “That was an immense display of skill.”
Vesma surprised her with a sudden hug. My mouth fell open as the women embraced in front of the crowd. For as long as I had known her, Vesma had treated my other “wives” dismissively. Faryn hugged her back with a gentle squeeze, brushed a leaf out of Vesma’s hair, and stepped back.
Xilarion dropped to the ground beside Faryn, and the flames around him vanished as suddenly as they had appeared. He appraised us with a steady gaze of sincere appreciation.
“Congratulations,” he said. “You have all passed the test.”
His eyes rested on me for a long moment, and I gave him a bow. Xilarion had pulled his punches in the bout. Of that, I had no doubt. His Augmentation was truly something extraordinary.
Xilarion returned my gesture and turned to face the crowd. “I, Xilarion of Radiant Dragon, am proud to announce the Center Disciples of our guild! Ethan Murphy! Kegohr! And Vesma!”
My ears pounded as seemingly every person in Flametongue Valley howled their congratulations and excitement. I had been in thunderstorms quieter than their cheers.
Vesma, Kegohr, and I took a knee at the direction of Xilarion. A guild scribe appeared from the stands, a lacquered wooden board in hand. Three sashes embroidered with silver dragons sat upon the board in neatly folded piles. Xilarion, Faryn, and Rutmonlir crouched behind us.
Vesma choked beside me, and I turned to look at her. Tears streamed down her face as she hung her head and allowed Faryn to fasten the sash around her hips. The two women spoke in hushed undertones, and I couldn’t help but smile.
To my right, Rutmonlir and Kegohr shared a joke. It seemed the two had become friends lately.
Xilarion slipped the sash around my waist. “You fought well, Ethan.”
“I’ve never seen power like yours,” I replied. “How can you draw Vigor from the environment? That was never taught to us.”
“Very perceptive,” Xilarion said, impressed. “One must learn to walk before he can run, Center Disciple. Even with all of your power, you still have many things to learn.” He finished securing the sash around my waist and stood.
The masters reassembled before us. Xilarion opened his mouth to speak, but the scribe hurriedly whispered something into his ear. The guildmaster froze at the words.
“Master Rutmonlir, please handle the remainder of the event,” Xilarion said sharply. “I have something that requires my attention.”
“Of course, Guildmaster,” Rutmonlir said.
Flames engulfed Xilarion’s robes before he blasted into the sky, soared over the edges of the stadium, and vanished into the guild house. I stared in astonishment at the fiery afterimage. I had never seen him concerned like this.
Something had to be wrong.
“People of Flametongue Valley!” Rutmonlir roared, as though the guildmaster’s sudden exit hadn’t been the slightest bit unusual. “This finishes the day’s exhibition. Come and celebrate the newest Center Disciples of Radiant Dragon. Tonight, we drink and feast in their honor.”
Mahrai and Kumi vaulted over the barricade. They hit me from the side in crushing half-embraces. Vesma joined a moment later. Kegohr wrapped his huge arms around them from the side, and even Faryn joined the fray. Then, the rest of the crowd found us.
In seconds, I felt my feet leave the ground. The sky spun in dizzying circles as the crowd carried us into the guild house.
“Ethan Murphy, Center Disciple of Radiant Dragon,” Nydarth purred. “That has a positively pleasing ring to it, wouldn’t you say so?”
“Oh, yes,” Yono said dreamily. “Such power, such grace, such fluidity.”
“It’s an honor to be wielded by you, Master,” Choshi added.
Despite the festive occasion, I couldn’t keep from thinking about Xilarion and what had made him leave the ceremony so suddenly.
Chapter Five
While the feast was being prepared, Kumi healed our wounds with her unique power, the Song of the Sea. It was probably the only reason I was still standing after my match with the guildmaster. When she was done, I withdrew with Kegohr to a dormitory. Simple wooden bunks stood out from the walls, and we sat facing each other, with basins of water at our feet.
Despite just becoming a Center Disciple, I couldn’t think of anything else except why Xilarion had left before the ceremony’s closing. I considered whether there had been more sightings of cultists in the land. Would we have another mission after our brief restful stint in the guild house?
Kegohr scrubbed dried blood off his shoulder and sighed deeply.
“What’s up, big guy?” I asked.
“I just wish Mom was here,” he said. “To see this. To see us.”
“Hey, she’s looking down from the heavens right now. She’s smiling at you. Your dad, too. They’d both be proud.” I leaned back and grinned at him. “I know I sure as hell am.”
Kegohr tossed his towel into the basin and straightened up. “I couldn’t have done it without you. Vesma neither. You were there for us when no one else was.”
“Likewise,” I said. “No one wanted to befriend an outsider like me. But we banded together, and now look at us. Two ranks away from being Masters ourselves.”
Kegohr tackled me in a bone-crushing hug. My ribs flexed
