Chapter 1

"Aurelia Vane! I've never seen anyone born with aptitude this pathetic!"

Cassian Rook, head apprentice to our master, Aldric, jabbed a finger at my nose. His whole hand was shaking.

I stood there, my face twisted in misery.

"Cassian, I really can't feel even a trace of aether."

Cassian was so furious he stomped around in three full circles. The bonded sword at his hip hummed right along with his temper.

"You've been in the Order for five years, and you still can't manage the most basic step—drawing aether into your body!

"What did I ever do to get stuck with a junior this hopeless?"

A faint, cold scoff came from nearby.

Seraphine Thorne, Aldric's second apprentice, sat in white robes, her head bowed as she etched intricate lines into the ward plate in her hands.

"Watch your mouth."

Cassian bristled and opened his mouth to fire back.

Seraphine's tone stayed flat, but it carried a pressure that left no room for argument.

"Master Aldric taught us that apprentices are supposed to help each other.

"If she's such a burden to you, go up to the back ridge right now and tell him you're resigning as head apprentice."

Cassian shot me a murderous glare. Then he yanked a white crystal vial from his robe and tossed it into my arms.

"Eat them! One a day! And if they don't kill you, keep eating them like your life depends on it!"

They were top-grade Clearblood Elixirs—priceless pills the novices would fight tooth and nail over without ever laying eyes on a single one.

Cursing under his breath, he shot into the sky on his sword. Even his retreating back radiated pure, helpless exasperation.

Seraphine put away her ward plate. As she walked past me, she slipped three top-tier defensive talismans into my pocket.

"Don't listen to his yelling. Go train."

Warmth filled my chest. Clutching the vial and the talismans, I headed for the back ridge.

I'd just passed the novices' training yard when a few sharp, nasty voices drifted out from behind a cluster of boulders.

"See her? That's the Order's most famous failure."

"Fivefold mixed affinity. She's lower than dirt, and she still gets to hog a spot as Master Aldric's personal apprentice. Talk about lucky."

I stopped, glanced down at my rough, callused hands, and said nothing.

Just as I was about to take the long way around, a strange medicinal scent wafted past.

At some point, Elowen Faye, Aldric's third apprentice, had appeared on top of the boulders.

She wore a long pale-yellow dress today and was smiling sweetly down at the gossiping novices.

A wisp of almost invisible powder floated down on the breeze.

"You boys seem awfully worked up. I just finished a batch of throat-soothing pills. Why don't you try some?"

The words had barely left her mouth when the novices clutched their throats, their faces turning purple.

They opened their mouths wide to scream, but not a sound came out.

Then they started clawing at their own skin like madmen, tearing their clothes to shreds as they rolled on the ground in agony.

Elowen looked down at them, and her smile vanished in an instant.

"Let me hear one more word against her.

"By tomorrow, Cassian's sword will be at the throat of your elder on the main peak."

She tossed off the threat lightly, hopped down from the boulders, took my hand, and led me away.

"Come on, Aurelia. I made you a big pot of restorative stew."

I looked back at the novices thrashing on the ground and swallowed hard.

When it came to protecting her own, Elowen was even more ruthless than Cassian.

Back at my little courtyard on the back ridge, I politely turned down Elowen's invitation to stay and opened my body-training manual again.

The pages had yellowed with age, and they were covered in drawings of bizarrely contorted poses.

I walked to the corner of the courtyard, heaved with everything I had, hoisted the boulder over my head, and started doing squats.

Somehow, the boulder seemed to be getting lighter.

By the time I finished a full set, night had fallen completely.

Steward Bran Mosley, who oversaw the Order's chores, hurried past my gate with a lantern.

When he saw me still out in the courtyard wiping off sweat, he stopped short and lowered his voice.

"Miss Vane, the demon clans in the Wildspine Range have been stirring a lot lately. Word is, quite a few powerful demons have been prowling the border.

"The Order's Head has already ordered more patrols. Whatever you do, don't leave the Order's grounds for the next few days!"

My heart skipped a beat. I nodded.