Page 7 of By the Orchid and the Owl
“Quinn? Lander?” I called weakly.
Nobody answered. Nobody even glanced my way as a young woman shot up through the crowd, standing proudly on… nothing. A pedestal of air alone.
The hubbub trickled to a quiet. One by one, nine other young men and women rose above our heads through various forms of magic. Lengthening their legs or levitating themselves or—in one man’s case—pushing himself up on a swarm of bees.
When only the swarm’s buzzing and a hundred different breaths rang through the courtyard, the first young woman called out in that same chipper voice I’d heard upon stepping out of the carriage.
“Now that you’re all here, we’d like to give instructions and your tour of campus. But first thing’s first, a little lesson.”
She gestured at her shoulder, where her brand flared against her skin. I lifted my gaze from that pedestal of air to take in her outfit, and held back a gape. Nothing but a band of fabric around her midsection and thin straps for sleeves.
My own tunic suddenly felt… much too stifling in this condensed body heat.
I scratched at my stiff, too-high neckline as the woman continued.
“We—” She gestured at the other nine “—are your class royals of each sector. Every year, the newest fifth-years are chosen for the title: a prince and a princess for Element Wielding, a prince and a princess for Object Summoning, and so on. Our job is to help you.” She paused, a smile carving its way into her cheeks. “But also to make sure you behave.”
All around me, my peers shifted their stances, glancing at each other uncertainly. My own heart stammered, especially as I thought about the knife in my bag… and the idea that a weapon might not be allowed. The woman laughed at our fidgeting, but it was one of the so-called princes beside her, standing on some kind of solid, invisible rock, who cleared his throat next.
“Don’t worry too much about that.”
My gaze snapped up at the sound of his voice, deep and serious, but… with a smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth. As if he enjoyed watching us squirm even more than the woman did. Despite all that, I couldn’t deny how stupidly handsome he was, with deep brown locks of hair that curled above his ears, tan skin, and wide shoulders that marked him as a man rather than a boy.
The moment I thought that, his attention flicked toward me, and I collided with eyes of smoky quartz that narrowed slightly before he began speaking to the whole crowd again.
Dammit. Had he been reading my mind? Surely, he wasn’t a Mind Manipulator, since he was standing on nothing but solid air. He had to be an Element Wielder.
“Here at the Esholian Institute,” the prince continued, “it’s not too difficult to behave. You are free to do whatever you want—” He gestured at the first woman’s scantily-clad outfit, as if to say,see? “—save for messing with the island’s shield, running away, or…” A pause as his eyes skimmed over the crowd. “Killing each other.”
A chill nipped at my spine as the prince’s smirk returned with even deeper menace.
“Now, on behalf of the Good Council, we’d like to demonstrate what will happen to you if youdotry to run away, mess with the island’s shield, or kill another student. And to give you a hint, it’s the same thing that happens to those who fail their Final Tests. Enjoy.”
I stiffened as the courtyard cobblestone fractured beneath my feet. All around me, screams shot into the air. Someone’s fingernails dug into my arm before tearing away again as the world tilted.
I didn’t even have time to look for Quinn or Lander again before the entire ground sucked me down and swallowed me whole.
CHAPTER
4
My body hit a surface that speared me with frigid teeth from every direction.
I couldn’t help the gasp that filled my lungs with salt and death. Couldn’t help but kick and scream against the punches of the sea until a line of rope flashed before my eyes and I plunged a hand out to grab it.
The rope reeled me in, and I clung to it with my teeth chattering.
Was this real? It couldn’t be. It had to be a Mind Manipulating trick, or an earth and water stunt pulled by the Element Wielders. And as the rope dragged me straight into a ladder rising up the side of a ship and sun-crisped faces leered down at me, I told myself that the pirates were just Shape Shifters who had sprouted hooks and tattoos and wooden limbs as surely as the coachmen had sprouted feathers.
This isn’t real, this isn’t real. It’s just a demonstration.
But damn, did the princes and princesses of the Esholian Institute make their demonstrationsfeelreal. Because as a rough pair of hands—one with a missing finger—yanked me onboard, my clothes hung drenched and heavy andcold.
The woman with the missing finger grabbed me by the chin and wrenched my face this way and that, clucking her tongue impatiently.
“What kind of magic do you have, girl?”
“W-what?” I couldn’t believe they were taking this so far. Was I actually expected to speak right now? “I don’t have one yet. My Branding isn’t until tomorrow.”
