“Saskia Holte, you have been chosen as a Bone Charmer with the Second Sight.” And the First and the Third, too, I say in my own mind. “Today you will bind yourself to this magic as it has bound itself to you.”
She reaches for my hand and pricks my index finger with the needle. “In front of you are the bones of Charmers who have come before. Do you witness with your blood that you will honor their legacy?”
“Yes,” I say, tipping my finger to allow a single drop to fall into the basin.
“Do you vow to use your gifts for the benefit of others and not for personal gain?”
I hesitate. Will using bone magic to plot revenge against Latham be breaking this promise? But seeking justice isn’t selfish. I won’t be doing it just for myself. I’m doing it for my mother. For Gran. For everyone else Latham has hurt, and will hurt in the future if he isn’t stopped.
“Yes, I do.” I let another drop fall on the bones.
“Do you vow to help your fellow citizens find happiness, while matching their talents to the needs of the country?”
“Yes.” A third drop of blood spills into the basin.
“Do you promise to follow every tenet of your training, to uphold the values that you learn within these walls, and to use your magic for good?”
“Yes.” I squeeze my finger to force another drop to fall, while saying my own words silently: I vow to use all three Sights to seek justice.
Master Kyra sets the bones on fire. She pulls a pouch from her pocket and sprinkles its contents over the basin. The flames turn a vibrant blue and shoot high into the air.
“Saskia Holte,” Kyra says, “you have been bound to this magic and you are now authorized to don the training cloak.”
As I wrap the red fabric around my shoulders, I can only hope my silent additions to the binding ceremony keep all three Sights intact.
I need every advantage I can get if I have any hope of finding my mother’s bones before Latham uses them to control the future.
“You must be hungry. You hardly ate earlier,” Tessa says as we walk away from the great hall. “We should probably get you something to eat.”
I can’t help the laugh that bubbles up my throat. Tessa hasn’t stopped trying to feed me since we met.
“What’s so funny?” The register of her voice elevates just a fraction, and I realize I’ve hurt her feelings.
“Nothing,” I say. “I was just thinking that it’s so obvious you’re an oldest child.”
Tessa’s eyes go wide with astonishment. She stops walking and spins to face me. “How did you know that?”
My stomach squirms uncomfortably. The truth is, I’m not sure how I know. But I do. It’s the same way I know my father loved the scent of woodsmoke—a thing I never remember actually learning, but the knowledge is written on my heart just the same.
“Well, you’ve done nothing but try to take care of me since I got here.” I gently bump her hip with mine. “It’s clear you’ve had practice.”
A series of images flash through my mind: Tessa’s cool knuckles resting against my forehead; Tessa kneeling in the grass beside Bram as she performs a healing spell to take away his pain; Tessa sliding a tray of food onto my lap, her brow furrowed in concern.
The tips of her ears turn pink. “Am I that transparent?”
My chest suddenly feels tight with emotion. I touch her wrist lightly. “Yes, but in the best way possible. You must be an incredible Healer. And for the record, you’re right. I’m starving.”
We round the corner into the dining hall, which is a cacophony of noise and color. Servers circulate with platters of fragrant meat and fluffy bread. “I want you to meet everyone,” Tessa says, taking my elbow and guiding me to a table at the far side of the room, where a group of half a dozen apprentices are already deep in lively conversation.
“This is Jacey,” Tessa says, pointing to a girl dressed in a purple robe. Her skin is golden brown, and her heart-shaped face is framed by a tumble of dark curls. “She’s a Mixer.”
Jacey gives me a small wave, and Tessa turns toward the rest of the table, making a series of rapid introductions that fly by so quickly, I’m sure I’ll never remember them all. I search my memory of my reading of Gran’s bone, but none of these names or faces are familiar.
The more time I spend here, the more my mind is flooded with images from another life. I remember a boy with auburn hair, pale skin, and a sprinkle of cinnamon freckles. A Breaker girl with raven locks and a penchant for snark. But neither of them are here.
This morning, when I realized that Tessa and I were roommates on my other path, I assumed her other friends would be the same as well. But they’re all different. How is it possible that Gran’s bone breaking changed Tessa’s entire group of friends? The thought gnaws at me all through the meal. Were none of us fated to be close? Was the vision I saw wrong? Are the others even here?
A wave of homesickness washes over me. I wish I could talk to Ami and get her advice.
“Saskia.” Tessa’s voice pulls me back to the present. Her tone makes it clear this wasn’t the first time she’s said my name.
“I’m sorry,” I say, “what was that?”
“Jacey asked how your binding ceremony went.”
I shift my focus to Jacey, who is studying me with an eager expression. “I’m just trying to imagine all that pageantry for one person. Was it awkward?”
I shake my head. “My ceremony was nothing like yours. No tables full of cloaks. No learning about the meaning of the stained-glass windows or the history of the Grand Council. We pretty much just skipped right to the binding.”
“Wow, Tessa really filled you in on every detail.” She smiles and nudges Tessa’s ribs with her elbow. “That sounds nothing like her. She’s usually so quiet.” Jacey’s tone is full of gentle sarcasm. No one who has spent more than a moment with Tessa would ever sincerely describe her as quiet.
Tessa gives Jacey a playful glare. “For your information, I didn’t have time to tell her anything about our binding. So I must not be the only talkative one around here.”
I flinch at my mistake. I keep losing track of what I should know and what I only know from my other path. I fiddle with the napkin in my lap, flicking the corner between my thumb and forefinger. “My mother attended Ivory Hall, so I had some idea of what to expect.”
Tessa shakes a basket of bread in front of me. “Do you want more?” I grin and raise my eyebrows. Crimson floods her cheeks. “I really do keep trying to feed you, don’t I?”
“Yes.” I snatch a chunk of bread from the top of the heap. “But it’s endearing.”
Jacey offers me a plate with tiny roses carved of butter. “Was your mother a Charmer too?”
A lump forms in my throat. “She was.” I look away to discourage further questions.
The conversation shifts to the upcoming bone games. By now I’ve figured out they’re a series of challenges during second term, but most of the information about them is rooted in speculation and rumor. I’m just grateful we’re not talking about my mother anymore. It’s a wound too raw to bear prodding.