Excerpt:
Enari Alycon and
Jex Xander were the last two mages to enter the shadowed chamber.
She hesitated on
the threshold, instinct making her clutch his hand as her eyes struggled to
pierce the darkness. The single tapers that stood to either side of the altar
were small and insufficient to dispel the thick gloom. Dizziness and nausea
overcame her as the strong incense permeated her lungs. The room felt
oppressive, claustrophobic, and her mind screamed at her to retreat.
Jex’s hand
closed around her wrist in warning.
“Remember,” he
whispered, “once we step inside, you’ll need to remain absolutely silent until
the ceremony is complete. No matter what happens, do not make a sound,
understand?”
His breath was
warm and the soft kiss he pressed to her temple made her shiver. She nodded and
hesitantly followed her Chosen inside.
He closed the
door behind them. The soft boom reminded her of the latch on the door to the
Hall of the Dead; solid and inexorable.
Final.
Jex led her up
the aisle at a slow and measured pace, their steps muffled more than they
should have been in the stone chamber. The shadows seemed to whisper words too
soft to discern, a dark susurration against her senses. The sensation was like
cobwebs and moth wings and the touch of a burial shroud all mixed together.
After passing
the last row of benches and their silent occupants, Enari discovered that what
she had originally taken for a shadow cast by the altar was instead a large,
smooth-edged opening in the floor. Her Chosen’s hands guiding her with confidence
as he directed her to kneel, adjusted the fall of her skirt, and placed her
hands in her lap. He cupped the back of her head and tilted it forward until
all she could see were the stones beneath her knees and that yawning pit. The
touch withdrew and she heard the rustle of his robes as he took his place
behind her.
It was only at
this angle she saw the faint reflection of candlelight in dark water. A pool
then, and not an empty well as she first assumed.
The realization
was not as comforting as it should have been.
“Enari Alycon,
daughter of Eryk Alycon and Tanith Hithaerien, today is the day of your
Ascension. You have entered this chamber in a state of flux, tempered from
apprenticeship but not yet forged as an adept. You are Initiate, the in-between.”
The deep, strong voice of her father issued from within the dark cowl of the
figure in front of her. “As those who came before were tried, so you shall be.
Who among you will stand witness?”
Enari was
confused. What trial? Hadn’t she passed all the tests the week before? She’d
thought the Rite of Ascension a mere formality, if a secret one, but now it
sounded that assumption had been incorrect.
“We will,” came
the unified and ringing response from those seated behind her.
Enari shivered
again, cognizant of the power behind the declaration. The touch of their voices
was the only warmth in this brooding place and she was grateful for it.
“And who among
you will hold the door for her?”
“I will,” Jex
confirmed, his voice strong and certain.
“Then let it
be.”
Her father
turned to the altar and picked up the metal fragment. Motioning for Jex to step
forward, he pressed the weapon into his hand.
Enari watched
from beneath her lashes without raising her head, seeing the glimmer of
candle-flame slide along the razor’s edge.
Her Chosen went
to his knees in front of her. He raised the shard, letting her examine it for a
heartbeat or two, then used the blade to cut her palm and his own. Enari winced
at the line of pain that blazed across her skin, biting back a hiss just in
time to keep from breaking the mandate of silence. Jex pressed their weeping
palms together and laced his fingers through hers.
She could almost
taste her own dread now, bitter as a mouthful of lemon rind.
“Blood to blood
and gift to gift,” Jex intoned, “I lend you my strength for the test ahead. I
will hold the door so you may pass and may it be with joy that I close it after
your return.” There was a hint of fear in his emerald eyes as he spoke the
final words.
“Initiate, it is time for you to face The Pool
and The Dweller below,” her father announced.
Sweat broke out
across her forehead and the back of her neck as her eyes settled on The Pool.
Jex rose to his
feet, fingers still twined with hers, and she balked, not wanting to go any nearer
to that still and menacing water. He reached behind her and seized her belt,
forcing her up and forward. His hand remained at the small of her back to hold
her in place once they stood at the very lip of The Pool.
Her stomach
knotted and a slithering nausea twisted its greasy fingers around her throat.
She swallowed hard and tasted bile.
Jex put his
mouth against her ear and began to speak.
“We have to
lower you into the water. Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and don’t be
afraid. It’ll be over before you know it.”
She turned to
him, shaking her head. More than anything, she did not want to let that black
water touch her. Blue eyes met green and she pled the only way she could.
His expression
went flat and his voice hardened. “You asked me to serve as your Chosen. Let me
do my duty.”
“Be silent!” the
High Mage barked.
Jex gave him a
dirty look, but nodded once and the two men took hold of her, each putting a
hand under one of her arms and grasping her hands in theirs. With agonizing
slowness, they began to lower her.
The first shock
of bitter cold stole her breath.
As the velvet of
her robe became wet, it dragged on her and clung to her legs. She kicked,
trying to free her feet but the heavy fabric stuck fast.
Before she was
half-submerged, she started to tremble. The water felt just short of freezing
solid and had a slimy quality that disgusted her.
Soon, only her
head remained clear and Jex was crouching at her side, still gripping her
bloody hand. His other settled on her hair.
“Deep breath, now,” he directed.
And before she could even think to scream, he jerked his hand free of hers and thrust her head
beneath the surface.
