Circle of Shadows (Circle of Shadows, #1)(5)
And then, the last part of the Imperial City was the Field of Illusions around the base of the mountain. But this was no ordinary field of grass; rather, it was a sea of black-and-white sand that shifted constantly in optical illusions, confusing and dizzying, such that the only people who could pass were taigas trained to filter out the hypnotic patterns, or those escorted by the warriors.
But tonight, Sora wouldn’t have to deal with that. They were approaching the Citadel from Rose Palace, so they’d be able to enter through the rear gates. Which was a good thing, because Sora was busy reveling over the fireworks she and her friends had pulled off, and she might not have been able to concentrate well enough on getting through the illusions. She probably would have found herself face-first in the sand.
Her reverie, however, was interrupted by Fairy, who broke ranks from farther back in the formation and jogged up to Sora and Daemon.
“What are your plans before everyone goes home for Autumn Festival?” Fairy asked.
“You mean, other than packing?” Sora said as she continued marching.
Fairy skipped alongside her. “That will take you all of five minutes.”
Daemon inched closer to join the conversation. “We were going to get in one last spar if we had the time.”
“Oooh, you have a wrestling date?” Fairy raised her eyebrows suggestively.
Sora laughed. Her roommate collected boys like some girls collected seashells. “You know, the male apprentices are more than just things to kiss.”
“I actually prefer to think of them as fresh meat to devour. Although Wolfie here can be pretty ferocious. Maybe he’ll devour me, which would be nice for a change. . . .”
Daemon shook his head, smiling.
“Fairy,” Sora said, laughing, “you keep fishing, but it’s not going to happen.”
Her roommate smacked her hand sarcastically to her heart and stepped backward, nearly jostling the next apprentice in line. “Spirit! You’ve mortally wounded me with your cruelty!”
“I think she’s broken,” Sora said to Daemon. “She keeps yammering at full speed. It’s like—”
“She put a cheetah spell on her mouth instead of her feet,” Daemon finished.
“Hey.” Fairy scrunched up her face. “I can hear you, you know.”
Daemon gave her a crooked smile. “We’re just teasing.”
She batted her eyelashes. “I like when you tease me, Wolf.”
Daemon laughed, and it blossomed through his and Sora’s gemina connection like a field of golden poppies.
Sora smiled. He’d let Fairy flirt with him, but she knew he wasn’t tempted. They’d all been friends for too long. And Sora was glad for that. Not that she wanted Daemon for herself. Society Code didn’t allow geminas to be together, because it could get in the way of their ability to serve the kingdom.
“Anyway,” Sora said to Fairy, “what did you run up here for?”
She shrugged. “Oh, nothing important. I just heard that the Council is going to give the Level Twelves their scouting missions today.”
“What?” Sora stopped.
The apprentice behind her bumped into her. “Hey!”
“Sorry,” she said and resumed marching. She turned her attention back to Fairy.
A scouting mission. The true marker of the final apprentice year. The Council—the Society of Taigas’ governing body—would be watching the Level 12s constantly this year, observing and ultimately deciding where to assign each gemina pair for their first post after graduating to full taiga-warrior status. The scouting missions were tests to show how each apprentice did in the field. The first mission would set the tone.
And yet Sora wasn’t sure whether to believe Fairy. Her roommate was a monstrous gossip, and only 20 percent of what she said was true. The other 80 percent . . . who knew what she was thinking?
“How do you know the Council is handing out missions tonight?” Sora asked. “They usually wait until after Autumn Festival.”
“My gemina works in their office, remember?”
Right. Broomstick—who’d been given the name because he’d been scrawny as a child—assisted the Council with administrative work, which, not so coincidentally, was the source of the 20 percent of Fairy’s gossip that was actually true.
“The Council decided to give us our assignments now,” Fairy said, “so we can go straight from the holiday break if we wanted to, rather than having to come all the way back here.” She shrugged. “Makes sense to me.”
“Wow,” Daemon said. “Our first mission.”
Sora nodded, unable to form words. She and Daemon had been looking forward to the first mission for different reasons—Daemon, for a chance to prove himself; Sora, for a glimpse into the future, when she wouldn’t be constricted by school rules—but they were propelled forward by the same pure anticipation.
Pleased with herself for breaking the news, Fairy grinned and spun away to return to her place in the formation. As they approached the tall iron gates at the rear entrance to the Society of Taigas’ headquarters, the glistening black walls of the fortress greeted them solemnly, surrounded by soaring, thick-trunked cypress trees older than the kingdom itself. The moon seemed to beam more brightly at the home of its chosen warriors.
Sora and Daemon straightened.