Volinette's Song Read Free Page B

been using.
    The Master dipped the quill in the ink and hovered his hand over the first page of his stack. At last, he looked up at her, seeming surprised to see her still standing near the door where she’d stopped upon entering the room. He motioned to the chair across from his desk with the tip of the battered feather.
    “Sit, sit. There’s much to do before you can begin the Trial. Name?”
    “Volinette Terris.”
    “Place of Birth?”
    “Dragonfell.”
    “Date of Birth?”
    “20 th of Wyrna, 5764”
    “Are you here of your own free will , without coercion or bribery?”
    “I am.”
    How long the questioning went on, Volinette couldn’t guess. She continued the rote recitation of facts about her family, life, and childhood until the Master seemed satisfied that he’d checked every box in his stack of forms. Finally, he took a shaker of white powder from his desk and sprinkled it over the ink on the papers. He stacked them and set them aside, then folded his hands atop his desk.
    “Very well, Volinette Terris of Dragonfell. You’ve been registered in the records of the Six Orders.”
    “Okay.” Volinette chewed her lower lip, debating whether or not to unleash the torrent of questions that was raging in her head. “What does that mean?”
    “All potential Quintessentialists are registered with the Six Orders by decree of the One True King. It’s Imperium law that anyone capable of tapping into the Quintessential Sphere be instructed by the Academy of Arcane Arts and Sciences to control their power. Those that refuse to register are considered rogue mages and face censure by order of the King.”
    “Censure?”
    The Master snorted.
    “Didn’t have too many Quints where you come from, did they girl? Censure is the horror that all mages fear in the night. Censure cuts your ties to the Quintessential Sphere. That feeling in the pit of your stomach, that almost impossible to hear buzz in your head that connects you to all things, imagine having that severed.”
    The Master made a motion with his hand, like a pair of scissors cutting off a thread, and Volinette shuddered. She hadn’t realized that her connection to the Sphere was something that could be reversed. Though she’d thought she was going mad when she first realized she could feel the pull of all things, the intertwining of the infinite number of threads that intersected in the Quintessential Sphere, she couldn’t imagine being without it. No wonder the Master described it as a nightmare.
    “I never introduced myself, girl. My name is Fulgent Casto. You’ll be my responsibility until the Trial begins. So if you’ve any more questions, now’s the time.”
    “When does the Trial start?”
    “Not for a few hours yet. All the candidates are busy being interviewed and registered, just as I did with you. That takes some time.”
    “What happens when it starts?”
    Fulgent waved a finger at her with a tolerant smile.
    “I can’t tell you that. There are things you’re just going to have to figure out for yourself. You’ll be placed into a holding area with the other candidates before the Trial begins. From there out, you’re on your own.”
    Volinette swallowed audibly , and the Master settled back in his chair, a grin showing his yellowed teeth.
    “I will give you a bit of free advice, Volinette. Play to your strengths and keep your head. A lot of the candidates, especially the youngsters, tend to freeze up when they get out on the Trial Field. Remember to breathe and remember to move , and you’ll be fine.”
    There was a loud pop , and Volinette shrank back from the sudden noise. A shower of sparks, every color of the rainbow, cascaded down over the desk, flickering out just as they reached the cluttered surface. Volinette blinked a few times, as if by that motion she might rid herself of the hallucination she was obviously having.
    A tiny creature, about a foot tall with rapidly beating pearlescent wings , was hovering over the desk.