She stared at him aghast, her heart dropping away like an anvil. “What are you saying? Am I stuck here forever?”
He gave her a half smile – sad and remote – his perfectly symmetrical features somehow made more real by emotion. She could almost feel him fading away from the conversation. “No, a Gate opened for you to get here. In time, another will open for you to leave. I promise I will get you there - safely.”
She rubbed her eyes, suddenly drained. “I don’t think I understand, I’m not sure I ever will…”
He got up, unfolding himself elegantly and eased over to the mouth of the cave, looking out into the pale light. “I warned you it was a long story. Try and get some rest. I’ll keep watch.”
Exhausted, she didn’t ask what he was watching for or how he was so sure he could get her out again. Maybe she didn’t want to know. She lay down, curling into herself, trying to find some measure of comfort within the madness. She didn’t think she would actually sleep, not with all the questions still clamoring for her attention. But her sandpaper eyelids dropped – heavy and drowsy – sleep creeping up and sweeping her into oblivion.
Chapter 6 – Jamie
The Great Hall of the Elemental College was vast, vaulted ceilings floated so far above his head that Jamie wondered if they were really there at all – it was as if an entire mountain had been hollowed out to accommodate it.
Given the enormous space, it was difficult to judge just how many people it could accommodate. For the annual Joining Ceremony, the Great Hall would be filled with overexcited parents waiting to find out if their progeny had inherited the Gift, but today it was empty and filled with nothing but echoes. His footsteps bounced dully off the black granite walls as he made his way forward.
There was one thing that dominated the entire space – a Fever tree that stood at the back of the Hall, massive and curious, it was impossible to ignore.
Taken at face value, it looked like any other Fever tree with its distinctive green bark and treacherous, bone white spines. Its canopy arched gracefully toward the ceiling, conquering the height with ease. But given the setting, it was strange at best, and in his mind – completely illogical – for a number of reasons.
Fever trees were common on the Highveld where he grew up, and Jamie knew them well. He was particularly well acquainted with those pale white spines, the scar in his right hand an old reminder that it was unwise to try and climb one. But this one was unlike any he’d ever seen.
In size, it was much larger than any ordinary Fever tree; its trunk was thick and solid, rather than narrow and graceful. But its most curious feature was its ability to survive in a place denied of the sun’s rays. Not only did it survive, it thrived.
The effect was enough to disconcert any normal person, and Jamie was only able to avoid gaping because he knew it wasn’t just a tree.
The Fever tree – like the infamous Baobab was also a Gate.
The rest of the hall was just grand – its graceful architecture spoke of prestige and a long history. It was a perpetual sunrise here, the warm, honeyed orange light lifting into the vaulted ceiling. Beyond the strange tree dominating the space, it was perhaps not very different to any main hall of any wealthy school, but for any of the Gifted it pulsed with power. It was a direct conduit to the Source. Jamie could feed a lightness, dancing on the edge of his perception. It played on all his senses, wrapping around him, warm and comforting, like a song soaring through his heart, lending him strength.
At the back of the hall, cradled under the Fever tree’s sweeping canopy was a raised dais with five black chairs, each one carved from the same stone as the Great Hall itself.
He couldn’t help but think that they appeared ridiculously uncomfortable…
Four were identical in size, but the one in the center was larger and slightly raised above the others.
Four to represent each of the individual Elements – Air, Fire, Earth and Water. The fifth to represent them all.
Jamie’s heart raced nervously – he was staring at the five seats of the Council.
The Council represented the highest power ruling over the Gifted, made up of the High Masters of each of the Great Colleges, every one of them formidable and respected.
What were they going to ask him?
He suddenly wished he’d asked Rob for some tips on how to lie effectively. Not that he’d be lying if he told them that he simply didn’t know anything.
There was a row of ten chairs facing the dais and Jamie saw that he wasn’t the first to arrive. The first two chairs were already occupied. He could only see the backs of their heads – the first was a tiny, pixie head covered in bright, spiky red hair and the second was a man with even shorter, curly black hair. He felt a stirring of recognition.
“Eva?” Jamie called out hesitantly.
The redhead turned around, bright green eyes shining as they rested on him. “Jamie!” She cried, launching herself at him, pulling him into a fierce hug. Pete stood with her, but his normal carefree smile was missing. He looked wane and anxious, his brown eyes worried and his lips drawn to a thin line.
Jamie hugged Eva back cautiously. Eva and Pete – familiar in their own right, but completely unexpected in this setting.
Eva was Allyra’s closest friend, a friendship that had started two years ago when they’d moved to the Cape to attend university. It was a strange friendship, sprung seemingly from nowhere, between two people who could not be any more different.
Eva was as wild as Allyra was conservative, spontaneous where Allyra was reserved. Eva had arrived into their lives like
