The instructors called to the gathered Birsgeners to come sit in the cleared area, and Esofi joined them. Brandt and Svana, after some brief complaining about having to sit on the floor, settled down on either side of her.
“The first thing we teach our children is control,” began the instructor. Her loud, clear voice rang throughout the temple. “There is no magic in it, only discipline. Moments of uncontrolled emotion can be lethal if you have no training. Once you have a grasp on this, you can choose whether you wish to continue learning from us or return to your lives.”
Perhaps it was just her imagination, but Esofi thought the mood in the room lifted a bit.
“Talcia’s magic is different from the power granted by other gods,” picked up another teacher. “You all know that Adranus gives healing powers to his favored ones, and that Inthi grants a gift with metal and flame to their followers. These gifts fall within the domains of the ones who grant them. But Talcia’s primary domain is magic itself. Her magic—your magic—is raw, unrefined power. You’ve all seen it manifest by now, or you wouldn’t be here. If you choose to continue with your studies, we can teach you how to shape this power to your will.
“We will begin with some basic breathing techniques,” concluded the second teacher. “As I said before, there is no magic in this. Rather, it is a simple way to calm your mind if you feel your gift threatening to overwhelm you. If you will…”
Esofi closed her eyes and listened to the instructions she hadn’t heard since childhood. She remembered sitting out in the gardens with her brothers and sisters, practicing control under their mother’s sharp eye. Queen Gaelle hadn’t been particularly maternal, but she had been an extremely good motivator.
Her concentration was shattered by the sound of the enormous temple doors opening again. Esofi glanced around to see a new Birsgener stumble in, confused and frightened. Beside her, Svana gave a sharp exhale of irritation.
Unfortunately, that seemed to set the tone for the rest of the day—no sooner did the class get settled when a new student would arrive and need to be caught up. The instructors quickly gave up on trying to impart anything beyond the very basic elements of control, and Esofi couldn’t blame them.
Brant and Svana apparently could, though. The twins seemed to have picked up the elements of control with shocking ease and were eager to move on to something more impressive. When Esofi and the instructors urged for caution and patience, the twins argued that they weren’t children and shouldn’t be held to a child’s pace. Esofi had to admit they were right—and besides, surely the reason Talcia had blessed them was so they could join the fight more quickly than children would?
With that in mind, Esofi promised them that they would begin more complex training the next day.
They left the temple a few hours before sunset—the twins were apparently serious about still hosting their ball, despite Esofi assuring them that nobody would blame them for it.
“They say Queen Gaelle of Rhodia can kill people just by looking at them,” said Svana dreamily as they crossed the temple courtyard. Bright emerald vines were coiled around her fingertips. “When do we learn how to do that?”
“I…don’t think that’s true,” said Esofi. If it was, she probably would have seen it happen.
Esofi had hoped most of the people waiting outside the temple would have gone away by that point, but it seemed that the crowd had only grown larger over the last few hours. They all fell silent as she approached, clearly expecting a speech.
But before she could think of anything to say, the twins pulled her into the carriage and slammed the door.
ESOFI WAS IN her most elaborate dress yet, a majestic white-and-gold creation that trailed a foot behind her as she walked. Pearls had been embroidered into the lace that covered the bodice, as well as threaded through her hair.
The ballroom was crowded with people, all dressed as opulently as they could get away with, considering the mourning period was not quite over yet. Everyone seemed to be in especially high spirits after the day’s events. As soon as Esofi entered, the twins were on either side of her both talking at once. She nodded along and scanned the room, trying to spot Adale. The crown princess was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps she hadn’t come? She seemed to dislike her cousins…but she liked parties, didn’t she?
Esofi gave a little sigh and glanced back at her ladies. Lisette was already gone. Though, as usual, Esofi had no doubts that the waiting lady could see her. Mireille was drifting toward a group of laughing courtiers, but Lexandrie was still at Esofi’s elbow and would remain there unless someone asked her to dance or Esofi did something to shake her off.
A servant was carrying a tray of something that looked like pastries, so Esofi took one. She only managed a single bite before Lexandrie snatched it away from her, but that was such an everyday occurrence that Esofi barely registered it.
Brandt and Svana were now at the center of a circle of people, talking animatedly and occasionally punctuating their sentences with flashes of magic, drawing appreciative noises from everyone.
“They’re going to take someone’s eyebrows off,” Lexandrie murmured in her ear, and there was no missing the eager anticipation in her tone.
Esofi slowly backed away from the crowd and resumed her search, only for someone to take her by the arm.
“Princess Esofi!” cried Queen Saski. “There you are! You look beautiful.” Her face was a little redder than usual. “You’ve done well—we’re all so proud to have you.”
The ladies with Queen Saski all murmured in agreement.
“Is Crown Princess Adale here?” asked Esofi.
“I haven’t seen her yet,” said Queen Saski. “But don’t worry, she’ll turn up at some point.”
Esofi nodded and slipped away as soon as Queen Saski was distracted by one of her ladies. Finally, she made her way to the edge of the room and spotted a likely looking servant.
“Do you know where I can find the crown princess?” Esofi asked her.
“I believe she’s on the balcony, Your Highness,” said the woman.
“The balcony?” repeated Esofi. The servant pointed, and Esofi realized there was indeed a large entryway at the other end of the room, draped with rich velvet curtains. Painstakingly, Esofi made her way through the crowd toward it.
Outside, the air was cool and fresh. The sun rested low on the horizon, and Adale sat alone at a single table, staring at nothing. Esofi cleared her throat, and the crown princess gave a little surprised jump.
“I’m sure you’ve had an interesting day,” said Adale as she approached. The crown princess was wearing a simple, understated gown the color of blackberries. Her usual braid had been pinned up around her head like a crown.
“I suppose I should be grateful that everyone seems to be taking it well,” said Esofi, taking the seat across from Adale.
“Of course they are. Why wouldn’t they be? Who doesn’t love a sign from the gods?” But Esofi didn’t miss the twinge of bitterness in Adale’s voice.
“Are you disappointed that you were not blessed?” she asked.
“Ha! Me? No. Can you imagine?” That, at least, sounded genuine. Adale seemed to soften a bit. “It is strange to think I saw her twice and had no idea. When people meet with the gods in stories, they’re always seven feet tall and glowing with beauty and saying important things. But she just seemed like any other woman.”
“Really?” said Esofi.
“Sorry, is that heresy? She did, though. I mean…I did have the feeling she was laughing at me. Most people don’t do that—not to my face, anyway.” Adale tapped her fingers on the table. “It makes me wonder if I’ve ever run into other gods without realizing.”
“Do you think you might have?”