Chapter 1
Cadence
I dropped my spoon into my soup as my nerves jangled. Something wasn’t right. It took me a moment to detach my thoughts from my usual worry about my absent sister to focus on the new problem.
Whatever had caused the unsettled feeling, it wasn’t immediately obvious. All around me, I felt the presence of power, as I had done ever since my seed was activated. The mages in the dining hall formed such a crowd that their abilities knotted together in a tight clump.
I stretched out further, using the new awareness that had already become second nature. In the halls and rooms of the Guild, an occasional mage was still working or had decided to skip lunch, and the blazing strength of all three affinity heads was easily identifiable in their individual suites. The members of the Triumvirate—the people’s voice in Tartora’s government—had their meals delivered and didn’t need to frequent the Guild dining hall with everyone else.
Alongside the distant mages, servants dotted the Guild building, the faint candles of their weaker abilities moving in all directions as they fulfilled their regular duties. Their weakness might have disqualified them from a Guild apprenticeship and subsequent status as a mage, but their abilities still proved useful in daily life—as my frequent hot baths attested.
After months of monitoring the Mages’ Guild for incursions by raiders, the pattern of power was a familiar background to my life—as constant as my concern for Airlie. And although I had only learned to identify the distinct feel of those closest to me, everyone in the Guild had a generally recognizable presence. Enough that none of them would have distracted me from my meal.
Which was how I knew an unknown mage of substantial power had just passed through the palace gates.
I shoved my chair back, standing abruptly. Now that I was paying attention, I realized there was more than one new arrival—several mages of strength had entered together.
My two breakfast companions stopped eating to look at me with varying levels of interest.
“Is something wrong?” Gia sounded concerned.
The crown princess still kept me company in the dining hall every day. Despite her parents’ expectations, the passage of several months hadn’t diminished her interest in being a normal apprentice.
And Nikolas still followed everywhere his sister led, although he regarded me now with only the faintest trace of surprise and zero concern.
“I just realized…I need to go back to my…I’ll only be a minute.” My words came out in a jumble, my mind barely conscious of the conversation.
Thankfully Gia accepted my confusing half-sentences with a farewell wave and a promise to meet me after her afternoon lessons. I preferred to keep my words vague and sound like a muddled fool than lie to my best friend—even though the deception was required to ensure my safety.
Within two steps of the table, Gia had faded from my mind, however. I needed to alert the Guild to the intruders as soon as possible. And I couldn’t do that directly.
My eyes met Zeke’s across the hall, and I discovered he was already standing, all his attention trained on me. He must have been watching me with half an eye while he ate his own lunch. Had he somehow known to expect trouble today?
I flicked my gaze toward the doors. He nodded and started in that direction.
It was a subtle movement, but I caught Karielle watching me with shrewd, narrowed eyes. I quickly looked away, feeling a faint flush in my cheeks. Karielle had been the one to inform me that Zeke’s mother was the most likely candidate to replace the elderly nomad king. When King Fenix died—assuming Zeke’s mother was indeed elected in his place—Zeke would become a prince.
It had been a friendly warning, but from her perspective I had utterly ignored it. And I couldn’t tell her it wasn’t Zeke’s good looks or charm that had kept me glued to his side all spring. Only Zeke and I knew he was my influencer—the one who had activated my seed—and therefore bound to train me.
Not that the training had been going particularly well. I pushed the thought from my mind. There were more urgent matters to worry about.
Slipping through the closest external door, I stepped into the manicured gardens that decorated the center of the horseshoe Mages’ Guild. Zeke already awaited me next to a weathered gray fountain of indeterminate age. It was an established meeting place since the splash of the falling water helped obscure the quiet murmur of our voices.
“Intruders?” he asked without waiting for me to speak. “Are you sure they’re not from the palace? Or a delegation from one of the other guilds?”
I groaned. “Are you ever going to let me live down that one mistake? I’ve had a lot more practice since then. I can tell the difference between the strong ability of a mage and the weaker one of everyone else. I can’t tell you if the new arrivals are a threat, but I’m certain they’re mages—unfamiliar ones.”
“Where are they right now?” he asked.
I turned my attention to the Guild building, and beyond it, the palace, talking while I searched for their current position. “They came in through the front gate and were stationary for a while in the main courtyard.”
“That sounds innocuous,” Zeke said. “Considering that’s where proper visitors would be found.”
I nodded. “They’re absolutely saturated with power, though. That’s what makes them stand out. It’s more than just their abilities, and I can’t tell what it’s doing. It could be some sort of concealment.”
I suppressed a sigh. Surely after months of training I should be able to identify how the power was being used? But neither Zeke nor I could even confirm if it was a usual capability for a power mage, let alone how to do it.
“They’re using power right now? That doesn’t sound good.” Zeke crouched down to place his hand on a vine that curled against the base of the fountain.
“They’re moving!” I cried. “But they’re not heading for the palace. They’re…” I frowned, my heart rate spiking. “They’re coming here.”
I had expected that piece of news to warrant a response, but Zeke didn’t move. Instead he stared hard into the distance, as if listening to something I couldn’t hear, his expression slowly changing from concern to a sort of resigned irritation.
“What can you hear?” I asked, my pulse slowing and my sense of urgency disappearing. Whatever conversation was happening on the other end of the vine, it mustn’t indicate raiders within the walls.
Zeke remained crouched there for another moment before rising smoothly to his feet. “They’re not due until next week, but I shouldn’t be surprised. Mother loves to catch both her allies and her opponents off guard.”
“Mother?” I gaped at him. “You mean the newcomers are the nomad delegation? But they’re not supposed to be here for another—”
“Five days. Yes, I know. That’s Mother for you.”
I shook my head, trying to assimilate the information. “I thought there was supposed to be a sizable group from three different tribes. So why are there only eight or so of them?”
Zeke’s resigned expression disappeared, his sharp gaze focusing on me. “Or so? What does that mean? Can’t you tell how many there are?”