The relic was colder than it should have been when I held it. Like a laugh from Kael himself, its weight, a parody of its banal purpose, settled in my hand. The dark hallway in front of me appeared strangely lighter as I left the trial chamber; maybe the torches were burning hotter to celebrate the idiots' survival.
At the end of the passageway, Kael Emberheart was waiting for me, flanked by two sword-straight guards. The slightest hint of amusement—or contempt—was concealed beneath the jagged lines of his face, leaving his expression unintelligible. His piercing blue eyes, capable of slicing through pretence, met mine.
In a single, gratingly patient voice, he said, "Well, you're still breathing."
"Disappointed?" I joked, holding the relic closer than I should have.
A fleeting smile that stopped short of his eyes curled his lips. "Not totally. However, I'm curious to see how much of that was luck and how much was skill."
"Does it matter?" I raised the relic, its lifeless surface glinting in the fading light from the torch. "I got the job done."
The air between me grew heavier as Kael took a step closer. "That," he remarked, gesturing to the relic, "is not the job done, Adrian." He lowered his voice. "It's the beginning of proving you're worth keeping alive."
Unwilling to show him the uneasiness that was crawling up my spine, I tensed. "So this wasn't about the relic itself."
"Of course not." There was a hint of enjoyment in Kael's voice. "Do you really believe that I would put you through such trial for a real relic? It is merely a placeholder. A tool for people who are still learning what it takes to have real authority."
I wanted to hurl the fucking thing at his feet, but I held back. "And what does it take?"
Kael's eyes went dark. "Time. Study. Sacrifice."
His use of the word "sacrifice" chilled me.
He pointed to the relic I was holding. "Go to your quarters with that. Examine the inscriptions. Find out as much as you can about it. We'll discuss the next steps when you're prepared to demonstrate that you've fully realised its potential."
"And if I don't?"
Kael smiled back, his expression icy and sly. "I'll know then that I shouldn't have trusted you. And you'll wish you had died during the trial."
The danger might have been written off as a rhetorical device by a less neurotic man. That man wasn't me.
---
I was given a simple yet practical room by Kael's staff. The room was mostly occupied by a cot, a shabby desk, and a solitary chair; a small window looked out onto the courtyard of the fortress. The fortress itself was bustling with activity, with scholars debating scrolls, servants rushing with supplies, and soldiers engaging in combat.
A knock on the door interrupted me as I placed the item on the desk.
"Enter," I murmured, continuing to examine the item.
A young servant with a pale and anxious face emerged as the door cracked open. He brought a platter with cheese, bread, and what I thought was stew.
"From the kitchens, sir," he murmured, placing the tray prettily on the desk.
I eyed him and said, "Thanks," as he fidgeted. "You have a name?"
"Rion, sir."
"You don't have to call me 'sir,'" Tearing a slice of bread, I said. "I'm not a noble."
Rion paused. "But you're a blood mage."
"And?"
"And... blood mages are dangerous."
I leaned back in the chair and grinned. "You're not wrong."
His gaze flitted to the treasure as he swallowed hard. "Is that… is that what you brought back from the trial?"
I gave a nod.
"It looks… plain."
"It is."
Rion scowled, perplexed. "Then why would Lord Kael care so much about it?"
"That's exactly what I intend to find out," I said, gesturing for him to go.
---
I spent hours studying the relic. Its inscriptions, written in angular, looping handwriting, were both fascinating and annoying. I could hardly recognise the ancient Kaelorian dialect from my jumbled recollections—or, more precisely, from Ash's jumbled recollections.
The symbols appeared to change under my eyes every now and then, like ink leaking through paper.
The moon's pale light spilt across the courtyard as I looked out the window. The subtle rustle of the wind had taken the place of the echoes of everyday life in the stronghold.
When I touched the relic, it pulsed softly, a subtle but distinct sensation. A little hum, a reverse heartbeat.
Then the first flash appeared.
Blood. On the stone floor of a strange room, thick, dark, and pooling in spirals that made inconceivable patterns. My mind was filled with whispers, broken spells in a language I didn't understand but felt I should.
Gasping for breath, I jerked backward. I stared at the relic as if it had grown fangs as the room whirled and then settled.
"Still with me?" To no one in particular, I muttered.
The relic remained silent.
---
I made myself fit in with the fortress's everyday activities the following day. I required more than bookish seclusion to withstand Kael's examination.
There was a lot of bustle in the courtyard. Pairs of soldiers engaged in combat, the clang of steel piercing their grunts. Near the fountain, a group of scholars argued, raising their voices as they indicated a particularly worn manuscript. In order to avoid the central paths where the troops rehearsed, servants moved quickly and efficiently.
"Adrian."
Lyra was resting nonchalantly against a wall as I looked around, her piercing eyes sparkling with mischievous intentness. Fancy seeing her. I blinked several times to see if I was dreaming or something. At the end, I had to conclude that she was really the one. It's been like almost a year, since we last saw each other I guess
"Lyra." I gave a cautious nod. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
She said, "I heard you survived the trial," as she sauntering closer and pushing off the wall. "Thought I'd see if you were in one piece."
"Disappointed to find out I am?"
She grinned."Perhaps. You don't appear nearly as damaged as I had hoped."
"Sorry to disappoint. Why are you here anyway? Come to break me out?"
She glanced out into the courtyard. "Never mind that. All you have to know is that our lovely host Emberheart is a friend of mine. So what do you make of Kael's little army?"
As I followed her gaze, I saw two soldiers struggling, their expressions fixed on grim resolve. "Effective. Disciplined. Overconfident."
Lyra laughed. "You're not wrong. But so far, they have maintained their position. That is good enough."
"For now," I said. "Kael's smart, but smart doesn't mean invincible."
She squinted. "You've been here less than 3 months, and you're already analysing the cracks in his armour? That's an improvement at least from our last encounter."
"It's what I do," I said plainly. "I grow when I need to."
She studied me with a tilt of her head. "Adrian, you're a fascinating person. Perhaps dangerous. but intriguing."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
She said, "You should," in a slightly lowered voice. "But don't get overly cosy. When things get too... intriguing, people here tend to disappear."
---
When I returned to my room at dusk, the relic once again commanded my attention. I used my finger to follow the markings, hoping they would reveal their secrets.
The flash was more intense this time.
Ash's hands, which were actually mine, lingered above a blade stabbed into a chest. As the blood flowed outward, feeding a glowing symbol, the victim's visage became blurry and unrecognisable. The whispers became suffocatingly louder.
I clutched my head and staggered back. The relic's buzz became a deafening boom as the chamber tilted.
I shouted, "Enough," and slammed my fist down on the desk. The relic froze, its light going out as suddenly as it had appeared.
I collapsed in the chair, gasping for oxygen. This object wasn't only a placeholder, whatever it was.
It was a doorway.
I had no idea to what. However, I planned to find out.