By: Elise Gerstle [email protected] Prologue My lungs burned, each intake of breath sharp as I gasped in the smoky air. But I refused to stop running. I crashed though underbrush, sticks and thorns clawing at my legs like the teeth of a monster. But the true monsters were all around is, in the trees. I couldn’t see them, but I heard the shouting. I pulled my best friend harder behind me. We had to find a way out. I couldn’t let anything happen to her. After all, this was happening because of me—me and the power I had. Let me start at the beginning. One
I waited like a panther stalking my prey, perched on the edge of my bed as sunlight streamed through my curtains. My sister allowed me to wake her up once the sun was fully risen, and no sooner. As the sun rose over the mountains, it illuminated my smuggler’s cave of a room with golden light. A sheaf of parchment was folded on my floor. “Happy Birthday!” it read. I’d nearly forgotten. It was my twelfth birthday! I liked birthdays as a general rule, but in Abari, turning twelve is in a category all of its own. Traditionally, when a kid turns twelve, they receive a kotal, or heart stone in the old language. It marks their entrance into adulthood (sort of). In the old days, it was seen as a way to make everyone equal—everyone has their own special object that makes them magical. Nowadays, though, everyone knows your kotal is actually what makes you better or worse than everyone else. The sun was fully up by now, so I leaped out of bed and padded down the hall to my older sister’s room. Rindara’s room was neat and tidy—the polar opposite of mine. Rin herself could’ve been a princess. Her wavy black hair framed her face perfectly. Her skin was a warm golden brown, and her eyes were a smoky violet. On cheerful days, I said she looked like an older version of me. On gloomy days, I said she looked like an upgraded version of me. Rin was fourteen and had already received her kotal. It was a stunning crystal in purple and indigo that she wore around her neck. I tiptoed to the edge of her mattress, then pounced like that mountain we saw last year. “Rin, wake up! It’s my birthday!” Rindara’s eyes flew open, and then she rolled them. “You couldn’t have waited just a few more minutes?” She smiled despite herself, revealing perfectly white teeth. “Happy birthday, Ari.” “Let’s get breakfast!” I cheered, much more awake than my older sister, dragging her down the well-worn stairs. My ten-year-old brother, Alvar, was eating a muffin already. I was a little surprised he hadn’t woken me up—Mom probably wanted him to let his sisters sleep. “Ari!” He yelled when he saw me. “It’s your birthday!” “Oh, good, you saved me a muffin!” I shoved half of it in my mouth before Alvar could get it as Rin delicately and politely selected a smallish one with sixteen raisins on the surface. “First thing we need to do is decide what you’re wearing to the kotal ceremony,” Rin told me after chewing and swallowing a ladylike bite. “What are you thinking of?” “No idea,” I admitted through a large mouthful. “Yuck, who cares about what you’re gonna wear?” Alvar whined. “Rin, I bet Ari wants to play in the caves before her ceremony.” “And get all dirty?” Rin teased, before I could say that yes, I did want to play in the caves, because it was pointless to dress up, because Rin would always be prettier anyway. “Well, of course!” Alvar tossed back. “Who cares if a bat poops on your dress?” He had the attitude of a true Skywatcher’s son. (A Skywatcher, by the way, was my parents’ profession.) “Maybe later, Al,” I tousled his hair. He followed me and Rin to my room to fold my skirts into animals as Rin rifled through my clothes. “Try this,” Rin called, tossing me a pale green, frilly dress. “It’ll match your eyes.” We had no mirrors in the house except for a small one in the bathhouse. I shooed Alvar out, then ran downstairs. I had to stand on tiptoe to see it: A warm brown face, framed by sleek, long black hair. I wasn’t pretty like Rin—too short and immature-- but I was striking with my emerald-green eyes. “Not your style,” Rin decided politely, following me downstairs. “Try this one.” It was a plain white dress that was, surprisingly, not stained. The only impurity was a loose stitch on the left side of the waist. It felt too simple for a kotal ceremony, but no one would be expecting much from me, anyway, so I didn’t mind. “You look stunning!” Rin said. “I’ll do your hair later if you want.” “Yes, please!” I said. “Now that we’re done, wanna go to the lake with me and Alvar?” Predictably, the answer was, “Sorry, maybe another time. I’ve got an exam tomorrow. But have fun with Alvar…and change clothes before you go!” Rin attended a fancy school far from our tiny mountain village. She’d decided, after her kotal ceremony, that she wanted more schooling than what the town offered. I suspected her constant hard work paid off because she was top of her class. I just wished she wasn’t always busy, so she could hang out with me, Alvar, and our neighbors. I changed my clothes, sloppily braided my hair, and ran down the rough, rocky path. I spotted Alvar hanging by his knees from a fir tree not far from the uneven ground that supported our house. Our home, like many in the village, had a beautiful view of jagged silver peaks that clawed the bright sunsets every night. Still, clumsiness was not tolerated in the Syrendas Mountain Range (unfortunately for me). I’d sprained an ankle three times from an unexpected rock, ditch, or tree root. My small Skywatcher village was decorated not with paved stones, but with cliffs, ravines, and wobbly rope bridges connecting small cabins. “Let’s go to the lake!” Alvar called, flipping effortlessly from the tree branch. I chased him down the perilous descent to the largest lake in the mountain range. It was ringed on all sides by thirty-foot cliffs and a decently sized waterfall that we weren’t allowed near. The lake was frigid, fed my underground springs and mountain runoff, but we were used to it. We were also used to removing our shoes and diving off the cliffs straight into the lake, never taking the rope ladder. We did just that, even though Mom warned that the lake was deeper than the roots of all the trees, and we weren’t allowed to swim if we were tired. Rin used to join us and the other village kids on lake expeditions, too. She helped us and the neighbors make a canoe to share. We would paddle around the lake, adding coves and islands and shallow parts to our map. Rin used to be the gang’s cartographer, but handed the task to me once she learned the term “cartographer.” In other words, once she started ranking top of her class. I wondered if Rin still knew the lake as well as I did. Knew where it was chilly, where it was shallow. Knew it like a squirrel knows where it hides its stashes of nuts. Alvar was in his element, completely forgetting about Rin and her studies. “I think I made a bigger splash than you,” he informed me. “Never!” I laughed, swimming to stand on a boulder two and three-fifths feet below the surface. “I’m getting big,” he said imperiously. “Yeah, but you don’t have enough surface area to make a big splash,” I told him. “You gotta get taller and hit the water just right.” It reoccurred to me just then that I would receive my kotal that night. “I wonder if I’ll get an anak,” I said, thinking aloud. I knew it was foolish to hope, because neither of my parents had one. Neither did most people in our village. Alvar heard my wonderings and began eagerly peppering me with questions. When would the ceremony be? And where? And how many twelve-year-old kids on the East side of Abari shared my birth month and would attend the same ceremony? And did I know what my crystal would look like? And would an actual Megantic really be there? And what gift would I get? I knew about as much as he did about the process, but I answered his flow of questions as best as I could, swimming into a deeper portion of the lake. The ceremony would be at sundown at the foot of the mountains—more urban and less dangerous at night. Usually, ceremonies sported twenty to thirty kids, like Rin’s. I didn’t know what my kotal would look like, but Rin said her was as plain as glass until she touched it, when it changed to shifting colors that matched her personality. Dad told me he thought mine would be gold because I was cheerful, curious, and a natural leader. His was red, black, and gold, so I wanted mine to match his. However, I didn’t know what red and black signified. I planned to, as most did, tie my kotal around my neck with a cord of leather for safekeeping. Mom and Dad favored secret pockets, but Rin had a silver chain. Would a Megantic be there? Probably. Rin’s ceremony had one. Dad’s had two. Mom couldn’t remember. (“Who but Mom would forget if she saw a Megantic?!” Alvar exclaimed). No one knew much about Megantics, only that they handled secret missions, had powerful gifts, and worked in great secrecy within Abari because they sometimes fought with the government. They protected the kingdom from various threats and often were present at kotal ceremonies, unless the government was angry with them at the time. They were something of a legend—a secret band of heroes that were also simultaneously villains? No wonder me and my friends always played pretend that we were Megantics! A boy from our village once claimed he’d seem a Megantic wrestle a dragon, but he was known for telling tales much taller than himself. As for my anak? If I was going to get one, I supposed I hoped it would be an Omnitone or an Airbender—speaking any language or making things move with my mind. Or maybe Pathfinder—the ability to move from one place to another in no time. But that as wishful thinking. No relative or family member of mine had a gift. Magic usually runs genetically, so I had virtually no chance. “You’re special, Ari,” Alvar insisted. “I bet you’ll get a gift. I have feelings about these things. Like that time I sensed the coyote at night and we saw its footprints later. Something great will happen tonight!” I appreciated his confidence, but I didn’t believe him, despite remembering the coyote adventure. In hindsight, I should have, but too late now, I suppose. Two “There,” Rin said, stepping back to admire her handiwork in the bath house mirror. “What do you think?” I turned to admire the loose, elegant braid from all sides. “I love it!” Rin had woven my dark hair with red and gold grasses and even given me a gold bracelet. I was wearing the white dress again, and I felt almost as pretty as her. Rin, of course, was stunning with a lilac dress to match her eyes. I noticed for the first time that she wore no jewelry and hadn’t even borrowed Mom’s small supply of cosmetics. I asked her why, and she answered with a shrug, “Today’s your day, Ari.” My sister is easy to be jealous of, but so hard to hate. I reached for my typical leather boots, but Mom peeked in just then. “Ah, ah, ah!” she said teasingly. “Not on my watch, mitah. How about you borrow some of Rin’s shoes?” “Oh, fine.” I sighed. Rin offered me a relatively comfortable pair of leather slippers, but I would have still preferred my boots. “You both look wonderful,” Mom said, sweeping her gaze over us with the stern approval that Skywatchers are accustomed to. She looked pretty great too. Short and dark-haired like her daughters, she had Rin’s violet eyes and wore a beige skirt. “Ready to go?” “Yep!” I said, zooming downstairs and forgetting my satchel—Rin grabbed it for me. Dad and Alvar were waiting in nice shirts with fancy vests. Alvar’s hair was even combed so it wouldn’t stick up in the back. “Who’s this handsome guy and what has he done with my brother?” I joked. Alvar charged me like a bull. “Oh, there he is!” Dad led us outside and down the path to a small trading post that his friend Don owned. He rented out stables, and we used three of them for our horses. We had no wagon, as any sort of cart would tip over in the mountains. We only rode our horses on trips outside of the Syrendas Mountains but fed them every day as part of our chores. Dad’s horse was a big black stallion named Johnny. Mom had a calm horse named Silver. Rin and I shared a chestnut-brown mare that I’d christened Feisty due to her natural disposition as a… well, as a willful soul. Rin steered Feisty and Alvar rode with Dad and Johnny, leading the way downward on a rocky path. The low altitude seemed to weigh on me; I wasn’t used to it. Who knew air could be so heavy and hot? For geographical context, Abari is a highly mountainous country, especially on the eastern border where we lived, the Syrendas mountain range. The center of the kingdom is the only low point. The valley is due to the massive Tianyi River, which divides the kingdom into East and West. Tianyi flows into the ocean at the Southern Delta. The West half of Abari is far more populated. It has the capital (I didn’t know the name of it then, they didn’t teach it at my village). The East half, where I lived, is more rural and mountainous. At that moment, we were riding through a much flatter town with much larger, closer houses. It was louder, too. Paper lanterns crisscrossed the cobblestone roads. Blacksmith hammers and horse hooves thundered. Shopkeepers and birds called out. I fidgeted despite myself, not sure where to look or listen first. The crowds and the noise mounted my growing nerves for the ceremony; I seldom saw so many people in one place. “Where are we going?” Alvar asked. “There’s a small amphitheater area just past this town,” Dad explained. “Rin’s ceremony was here, too. This means a Megantic might attend, Ari! They like to choose discreet places.” He was probably trying to encourage me, but it had the opposite effect. His words reminded me of how important the ceremony was. Mom, as usual, seemed to read my thoughts as she drew Silver closer to me and Feisty. “There’s nothing to be afraid if, Ari,” she said calmly. She was wrong. We both knew that tonight would map out my future. If I didn’t receive an anak, my profession options would be limited. If I received a forbidden gift—that is, one deemed so dangerous that anyone who has the gift can’t use it and is under strict monitoring—that would be even worse. And even if I got a nice, normal, not-too-intense anak, this was still the night that I would change. Start growing up. Be coached for my gift. Be busy, and maybe the tiniest bit out of reach, like Rin. The sun was starting to sink out of sight, and I realized that the ceremony was about to begin. We were approaching a less busy part of the town, where the houses were smaller and more spaced out. More trees and less noise—I approved. “I think that’s the amphitheater,” Dad said from ahead. In the dimming light, I saw a round valley with benches lining each side. A small table was in the low center of the space. A few people—the families of the kotal receivers—were sitting in the area, far more elegantly dressed than we were They were obviously from the big cities along Tianyi’s East Side. Maybe even in the nobility class. Horses grazed nearby. A few official-looking people (not Megantics, I was sure) stood in the center by the small table. Dad dismounted Johnny and loosely wrapped the reins around a tree. The rest of us followed suit. A young woman with short dark hair and a plain, sophisticated-blue kotal waited for us before we went down the steps of the amphitheater. “’Welcome,” she said coolly, handing Alvar a small lantern from a pile in the grass. She offered matches to Dad, but he already had them in his pocket, as most mountain villagers tend to. “I will take the kotal receiver,” she said, asking the whole family so as not to assume which one of us was turning twelve. I walked up to her cautiously, and she led me to a different set of stairs that led down to the stage. It was mostly in shadow, but now I could see several kids sitting on benches—twenty-seven, to be exact. I sat next to a curly-haired girl, bouncing my leg out of nerves while the woman did a head count. I took in my surroundings to keep calm. The woman with the blue kotal had a confident stride and an entitled sort of arch in her eyebrows. She was important, and she knew it. She was certainly a member of the nobility, and possibly in a position of leadership. Maybe she was a Minister or Council member—though I wasn’t exactly sure how Abarian government worked. In the mountains, we mostly learned how to fight off wolves and brush dragons’ teeth. “Everyone’s here,” the woman said over the chirping crickets—all of the kids were too scared to talk. “When you hear your first and last name, walk down the stairs to the stage. An Agent (I didn’t know what that was, but suspected I was supposed to) will give you your kotal, and a Megantic will be nearby in case of receiving an unknown gift. Should you receive an anak, there will be a sign of your power. For example, if you are a Firewhisperer, a small flame may appear next to you. You will come back here once receiving your kotal and will rejoin your family after the ceremony. There will be no disrupting the ceremony or using your anak. Is that clear?” We all nodded. The question wasn’t the kind you can say no to. “Good. You will soon be called in alphabetical order of last name.” That meant I would be in the middle—my last name was Nishal. The woman disappeared and I was left to my own nervous thoughts filling the darkness. Moments later, I heard a distant announcement about coming-of-age and receiving an anak and that sort of thing. Then the families in the audience applauded. I heard the first name be called and watched a boy stand up, take a shaky breath, and walk briskly down the stairs. The group of kids, including me, leaned forward collectively to see the boy on the stage. “Am I the only one who’s terrified right now?” The girl I’d sat next to whispered. I turned to look at her, not speaking for a moment so I could decipher her in the darkness. Maybe candlelight added to the ambiance, but I really would’ve liked daylight. When I decided that the girl was trustworthy, I said, “I’m so scared! They make it so intense!” The other girl smiled nervously, as glad as I was to make a friend. “What’s your name?” “Arinhari, but you can call me Ari. What’s yours?” The other girl didn’t answer right away, because we noticed that the boy was cautiously taking his kotal from the Agent. As it caught the candlelight, I thought I saw flecks of orange appear. Nothing exciting happened, but the audience applauded politely. He hadn’t received an anak. His expression was unreadable as he returned up the stairs to join the kids, looking less tense than when he left. “I hope I’ll get a gift,” the girl said. “Maybe the same one as my mom. What were you asking me? Oh, right. My name’s—” “Vishana Armati.” The next name was called. “Oh—that’s my name!” she whispered, jumping to her feet. “Wish me luck!” I watched Vishana hurry down the stairs to the stage, where I laid eyes on the Megantic—it had to be one! —standing behind the person handing out each kid’s crystal. Most wore cloaks in the cold, but he was the only one with the hood up, a knife in his belt, and a generally mysterious air about him. The Agent next to him didn’t look too pleased with the arrangements, I noticed. From what I’d heard, the Megantics and the government didn’t really like each other. The Megantic’s cloak and hood was dark blue, his face (I assumed it was a boy, at least) entirely in shadow with a black mask over his nose and mouth. If I saw him as his alter ego in normal clothes, living a normal life, I probably wouldn’t recognize him. Which, I realized, was entirely the point. I scanned the audience for Alvar to see if he was excited to see a Megantic, too. But it was too dark to find my family. Vishana took the miniscule crystal with shaking hands. It seemed to glow a little brighter in pink and yellow. Suddenly, thirty-three small pebbles (the number probably didn’t matter) rose from the ground and arranged themselves in an odd shape in front of the girl, whose jaw dropped open. The symbol, I gathered, was the word for her anak in a rune from the old language. “Vishana Armati is a Spark,” the Megantic said in a deep voice. The audience applauded a bit more enthusiastically than they had for the guy who’d gone first. Vishana hurried back up the stairs as another girl was called. “Congratulations!” I told her. “What does your gift do?” “Thanks!” She beamed, still trying to keep her voice low for the sake of the other kids. “It’s the same as my mom, like I thought! I can view memories of rocks and minerals to see what has passed by the area. Lots of Sparks go into forensics. I can’t wait to learn how to use it!” “It sounds really cool!” I said. I hadn’t heard of that gift before. “Oh gosh, I’m so nervous.” “Don’t worry—it’ll all be over with whether you get a gift or not,” the girl assured me. “and I’m sure you will.” “I hope so,” I agreed gratefully. We watched two other people go, and when a boy with an M-last name went, I knew I was soon. His anak was Fate—he could see random glimpses of the future, Vishana explained to me. It sounded like a powerful one. It made me want to receive a cool anak as well. Made my hands shake as I got ready. Sure enough, my name was next on the list. “Arinhari Nishal,” the Agent called. I somehow made my way down the stairs, Vishana whispering “good luck” behind me. Deep breaths, I told myself. Look straight ahead, not at the people. Up close, the elegantly dressed people—and the Megantic—looked even more formidable. The Agent held out my soon-to-be kotal, clear as glass as Rin reported, attached to a small cord. It was tiny—as wide as my pinkie finger and half as long. How could something so small be so significant? Would I lose it in the grass? My sweaty fingers finally accepted the object. I watched it carefully, but didn’t need to, because the effect wasn’t hard to miss. Before I could register the colors that appeared, a blinding flash struck the clearing. Shouts of alarm rang out, but no catastrophe followed. The light cleared as fast as lightning, but my kotal--mine—was glowing far more brightly than even Vishana’s. The shouts rang out. “What was that?!” “Did she get a gift?” “What happened?” “Was it her?” I heard every individual shout. Every individual breath. Saw every face, every blade of grass. I trembled—where to look first? What happened? “Everyone, please calm down!” another Agent shouted. “We have never seen this magical phenomenon before, but it will be resolved. We will continue announcing names.” The poor guy had to repeat himself several times as the crowd quieted. I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was the Megantic. A Megantic was tapping my shoulder. I was probably dreaming. “Arinhari, you’ve received an anak that I can’t identify,” he said calmly, though I felt anything but tranquil. “We’ll have to continue the ceremony while we determine your gift. Please follow me.” Three “My family’s gonna wonder where I am,” I finally had the courage to speak up, following the Megantic--I was following an actual Megantic—out of the amphitheater toward the thick forest that bordered the town. I’d never seen so many deciduous trees in a forest before. “Don’t worry, I’ll bring you back to the amphitheater once we’ve determined your power.,” he replied. Suddenly, his hands seemed to crackle until a tangle of static blue electricity glowed in his palm, lighting the way. Woah. I’d never seen an anak in action. The Megantic must’ve been a Stormbringer—people who can control lighting and create small storms. When he turned back to make sure I was still following him, I noticed a silver pin on his cloak with the symbol of a cloud and a lightning bolt on it, which confirmed my suspicion. “You’re not kidnapping me, right?” I blurted out. I thought I heard a smile in his voice. “I don’t have a good enough lawyer to take that risk.” With a snap of his fingers, the ball of electricity in his hand grew bigger—I could practically feel the heat from here. I bet the energy in his hands could’ve killed me if I touched it, which was not reassuring. However, it helped us see through the total darkness. The sun had set on my twelfth birthday. Funny; out of all the ways I’d imagined things to go, I hadn’t pictured myself ending up in this situation. “Where are we going?” I asked. “To a place where Megantics meet up sometimes.” I didn’t ask anything else, and instead tried to determine where we were going. We seemed to be travelling due south, though I couldn’t see the stars to be sure. I looked down at my kotal, which I had sloppily hung on my neck when we’d started moving. I could dimly see the colors now, in the light of the ball of electricity. It was shifting subtly between swirls of red, yellow, and gold. Red, the color of passion and willpower. Yellow, for cheerfulness. Gold, for leadership and power. And all of it together, my anak. I HAD AN ANAK. AN UNIDENTIFIED ONE. We were deep in the forest by that point, and among the trees, I saw small fire pits (with purple flames—how did they do that?) and several hexagonal tents scattered around the area. Dark-cloaked figures moved around, with similar attire as the Megantic who led me here. There were seventeen of them that I saw. I was surrounded by Megantics. This was wild. One of the seventeen looked up and saw me. “What in the world, Hasege!” Ohoho! I thought. I know the name of a Megantic! Or a code name, at least. Alvar would be thrilled to find out. Where was he now? Was he worried about me? I had to focus. The woman who’s called to Hasege said, “Why did you bring one of the children here?” Her voice was suspicious and alarmed. The Megantics evidently weren’t used to guests to their secret base. “I couldn’t identify her anak,” Hasege said grimly. “It wasn’t like anything I’ve seen. Powerful, though. Almost frighteningly so.” He was really making me excited for the big reveal. The female Megantic turned to me. “Why don’t we let the girl speak? Honey, do you remember what happened?” I was a little distracted by the fact that a Megantic had called me “honey”, but I managed to say, “I dunno, it all happened so fast. When I touched my kotal, there was this bright flash of light that made it hard to see. When it cleared, everyone was shouting in alarm, and I could see stuff really clearly. It was weird. Everything’s still in pretty high detail.” The female Megantic was quiet for a moment. “How unusual,” she muttered. A few more Megantics were hovering around me, scrutinizing the exchange. I could see hints of faces—blue eyes there, brown hair there (an oddity in Abari, where most were black-haired). But they were wearing hoods, and it was dark. How did I know? “It sounds almost like the old legends, Hasege,” the female Megantic was saying. “Which ones?” Hasege replied slowly. He was choosing his words carefully, I thought. Trying not to alarm me., which was quite unsettling. I’d heard a fair amount of ‘old legends’ myself, but I suspected the Megantics were referring to stories I hasn’t heard of. “Don’t play dumb, Hasege. You know.” “It’s all a myth. None of that is proven.” “How many other anomalies have been avoided by the council because they weren’t proven?” she replied. “We can’t rule out anything.” “That’s different,” Hasege said. “I’m still going to test my theory,” she said firmly. She turned to me again. “What’s your name, honey?” “Arinhari.” “Okay, Arinhari, do you know where we are?” “Uh, in a forest?” I asked blankly. I thought I saw a hint of a smile beneath the hood. “Very true. Care to share any specifics?” The question was easier to answer than I expected, maybe because I’d been absentmindedly counting my steps when I followed Hasege. “Half a mile south of the amphitheater.” Hasege whistled. “That’s quite accurate.” “Can you infer anything about us?” the other Megantic asked me. What weird questions, I thought. “Hasege is a Stormbringer, and…” I paused to look at the pin on the woman’s cloak in the firelight. It was a tree bending around a small rune. “I think you’re an Earthshaker because of that cloak pin. I also think you’re a teacher in another life, because of the way you interact with me.” Silence. Then— “You’re very observant. Is this new?” “Kind of. I’m good at noticing things. Although-- maybe this is just me seeing coincidences, but after getting my kotal, I think I can see even more details. I see truth, if that makes sense. Maybe not just seeing with my eyes, but seeing with what the truth is in a situation. Maybe not. Never mind. That sounds weird.” I blushed in the darkness, wondering why I described how I felt with such elaborate terms. “Impossible,” Hasege breathed. “I knew it,” the other Megantic said with disbelieving excitement. “Hasege, you can’t deny it—it fits perfectly!” She looked at me through her hood. “Arinhari, you’re a Beholder.” The Megantics looking on inhaled collectively at the word. I’d never heard of it before. “What’s that?” I asked stupidly. “An old wives’ tale,” Hasege said, not seeming to really believe what he was saying. “I wouldn’t be so sure,” the woman argued. “Arinhari, a Beholder is a certain anak referenced in old Megantic legends, though there is no physical proof that the gift ever existed. Beholders were said to have a thirst for truth, and the remarkable ability to see the truth in all situations. They were said to know more about people with a glance than most know after a conversation. Their association with truth and their understanding of others led them to be wise and powerful, taking on positions of leadership. If they ever existed, they have long since vanished. But, as far as I can tell, your anak matches the mold. Doesn’t it, Hasege?” Hasege shook his head. “Maybe Arinhari is a Beholder. But we can’t just register her as one. It’s not considered a real gift. Most don’t even know the old stories. The Agents will never accept ‘Beholder’ for an answer.” “I don’t see a way out of it,” the female Megantic retorted. “Her gift is powerful. You said so yourself. She couldn’t hide it if she tried. And I don’t see what other anak it could be.” “Me neither.” Hasege sighed. “Arinhari, what do you think? It’s your future we’re talking about, after all.” No pressure, I thought. “I don’t know,” I admitted. “It’s not a forbidden power, is it?” “It’s a non-existent power, that’s the problem,” Hasege said. “Well…I’m stumped. This hasn’t happened to me before. Either way, Arinhari, we should get you to your family and let them know what your anak is.” “I’ll come too,” the Earthshaker offered. Hasege led the way through the trees. Feeling rather overwhelmed, I counted them to stay calm. We’d passed about three hundred when we reached the amphitheater. Most people had left, including Vishana. I didn’t see her anywhere. With a sinking sense of disappointment that I wouldn’t be able to get to know her better, I backed up behind the two Megantics as they approached my family. “Mr..?” Dad asked Hasege stiffly. “Hasege will do,” he said. I figured by now that Hasege wasn’t his real fist name. I bet it started with an X. I wasn’t sure why I was so certain of that. In fact, that was rather unsettling. “Well, Hasege,” Dad said, oozing with suspicion and protectiveness, “where did you take my daughter?” “This place with some other Megantics,” I burst out. If I let Hasege answer, I realized, Dad might not believe him. I wasn’t sure how I knew this. “They just asked me random questions.” My eyes fell on Rin and Alvar, hanging back behind our parents, both uncharacteristically silent. “Ari,” Mom said to me tensely, “was your anak determined?” “Well, I don’t really know. Ask them.” I looked at the two Megantics. THE TWO MEGANTCS WHO I HAD TALKED TO. I’m about to wake up to see that I was dreaming, I thought. “We could not compare Arinhari’s results to anything that has been recorded officially,” the Earthshaker said. “But we did find that her gift is similar to one from myths. We think she’s a Beholder.” “So…Ari’s power is…holding stuff?” Alvar inquired, stepping forward, all eyes on the Megantics. The female Megantic smiled—or at least, I as pretty sure she did. “Close. Arinhari has the magical ability to detect the truth in all situations. This is a gift thought to be extinct or nonexistent until now.” Dad nodded thoughtfully. “What should we do about that?” “Well,” Hasege said, “Under normal circumstances, we’d register as a recipient of an anak and advise you to sign her up for a more advanced school where she can train for her power. But Arinhari is by no means a normal circumstance. So how about a choice: I can register as having an undefined gift, because they will not accept ‘Beholder’ as an answer, and she can attend a noble school such as Aklei. Or, I will have her registered as without an anak and she can continue her normal education.” “But falsely registering a child is forbidden,” Mom said. “It is, so please take this seriously. I’m just as new to this situation as you are. Also, it’s important to remember that Arinhari’s gift is very powerful and will be difficult to control without proper training.” “Let’s let Ari decide,” Mom said, turning to me. “I don’t know,” I said nervously. “I’m just not sure. It’s too big of a decision.” “I’ll give you a week to decide,” Hasege said to us. “Send your decision with a mail bird to the post office in Rayem—that’s a town right on the Tianyi. I can get you registered within two days of receiving it.” “Thank you very much,” I said. It seemed like not enough acknowledgement for what AN ACTUAL MEGANTIC had done to help me. “Yes, thank you, Hasege,” Mom said. He tilted his head politely. “My honor.” With a nod in our direction, both Megantics walked back to the forest, vanishing into the trees, as mysteriously as they’d appeared. “I just had a conversation with a Megantic,” I said blankly. “That was so cool,” Alvar squawked. “I should’ve asked for an autograph!” Mom wrapped a protective arm around me, seeming to sense my nerves. “Let’s ride home. I’m sure we’re all tired.” I stole a glance at Rin as she untied Feisty, but despite my increased levels of perception, her face was somehow unreadable in the darkness. Rin said nothing as we rode home, but Alvar filled the silence with eager questions about my anak and what happened at the stage and what the light was and everything I remembered about the Megantics and if they did any cool tricks and how cool was it that I was the only person in the world to be a Beholder, whatever that was. But he eventually trailed off into mumbles, his head bobbing, asleep. With no sound but the clicking of hooves and the rush of wind through the evergreens, I turned my attention to the gaps between stars in the moonless sky, letting my mind drift. I fiddled with my brightly glowing kotal, the object that had sealed my future, a brilliant red light in the darkness. Red, the color of danger. Author's note: Thanks for taking the time to read!! FYI, this is my second draft and will go through more edits. Comments are closed.
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