Chapter 54: Peeking
Calhoun cleared his throat, the sound thin against the hush that had settled over the chamber.
Mindful that too much hesitation would cast him in a suspicious light, he turned back to the gathered disciples.
"The veinlight has only worsened," he replied at last. "But it’s currently under repair. Until the fracture is sealed, the Sacred Order must stand vigilant... and preserve the balance of the realm."
"Master Caelion," one of the senior adepts raised his hand. "Then when shall the second prince be found? Are we to seek him as well? We do not even know what he looks like. If we are commanded to capture him, how are we to know him when he stands before us?"
Calhoun fell silent.
The question lingered in the air like smoke from a dying brazier, and behind his composed expression his thoughts began to turn. These people knew nothing, and if he played his part well enough, their ignorance could yet be turned to his advantage.
Calhoun let the silence linger a moment longer, as though weighing the matter with grave concern.
"How about this," he said. "At dusk, a likeness will be distributed to every quarter of the Sacred Order. The painters will work on the descriptions I provide, and if the portrait bears any resemblance, copies shall be carried to every hall and pavilion within the Sacred Order."
The senior adepts exchanged looks before agreeing with a nod.
In truth, the majority of them scarcely listened. They merely inclined their heads because the others did, caught beneath the strange spell of the man’s presence. Though he never seemed to intend on it, Calhoun’s presence ensnared those around him, and it would take time before they woke fully from the haze he cast.
If only his mate remained an exception.
—--
"So that is why humans were permitted to join the Order," Selene murmured, turning another brittle page within the silence of the library.
She sat with Kyva at one of the long cedar tables. Shafts of afternoon light slanted through the high window, falling across old shelves and tomes.
Kyva now also wore the official blue robe of a newly sworn disciple of the Water Quarter, similar to that of her companions.
Liora returned a moment later, an ancient volume cradled in her arms. She slipped into the seat beside them and laid the book upon the table.
"Did you know," she said, leaning forward, "that before the fox clan came to rule, it was the dragon clan who held dominion over the Beastly realm? That... is why they remain the second most powerful, even now."
Selene gave a slow nod. "My master narrated the story to me once back home. In those days, the dragon clan were unmatched— mighty beyond measure and thought to be invisible. They ruled with power, but power has always been a dangerous tool. In their hunger to rule over all that exists between the realm, they sought to rise above Heaven itself."
Her voice dropped lower.
"They attempted to tear the boundary between the Heavenly realm and the Beastly realm, believing they could seize divine authority for themselves. But the consequences were far more terrible than they imagined. They were the first to ever experience the veinlight’s backlash."
"Yes... now I remember," Liora spoke up, raising a finger. "The fox clan were said to be advisers and tacticians, renowned for their cunning nature. While the dragon rulers fell into ruin, the foxes had gathered what remained of the scattered clans and guided them through the chaos."
Kyva, who was listening attentively, simply added, "They seized the opportunity and overthrew the broken Emperor. If they have been ruling ever since, it makes sense that they know so much about the veinlight."
"And now the realms stand upon the brink because one prince could not wait for a crown," Liora muttered darkly, folding her arms across her chest. "The second prince sounds terrifying. I only pray we are never commanded to seek him. Such a task should belong to the senior adepts and no one else."
"Perhaps," Selene said with a faint nod. "But if the tales are true, then who can say what he is capable of? It may even be he who commands the corrupted beasts. A man willing to throw the realm into ruin would surely find some means of bending such creatures to his will."
Kyva tried to lighten the mood.
"But Master Caelion said the fractures are already being repaired," she said, offering them a small smile. "Surely, we will not have to deal with this problem for too long. Besides, our training starts tomorrow."
Liora and Selene exchanged glances before smiling in return.
—--
By the time evening descended upon the Sacred Order,the last embers of sunset had faded beyond the mountains, leaving the sky veiled in deep indigo.
After dining with Selene and Liora, Kyva made her way back through the quiet paths of the Aquiline Quarter.
Lanterns burned low beneath the eaves, their golden light trembling across pale stone and still water. She passed a couple of disciples she greeted, and they responded in turn.
The residence she shared with her master stood apart from other dwellings, as it was nestled beyond a moonlit courtyard where a round pond reflected the stars like shattered silver.
To her surprise, it was announced that every disciple was meant to live close to their master, and it remained non-negotiable.
The thought of having to share the same space with that man, all day, alone, made her heart race. It bothered her so much she spent the entire day exploring the Quarters with Selene and Liora instead.
But alas, there was no avoiding it.
He was her master, after all. Kyva was just going to have to learn to face him.
The house was silent when she stepped inside.
She slipped off her shoes at the threshold and moved softly through the dim corridors, where warm lamplight spilled from the inner hall. Before the open shoji screen that overlooked the garden, her master sat in meditation.
Kyva froze at once and quickly bristled away from the doorway,pressing her frame against the wall.
She had hoped he would already be asleep by the time she returned.
But she should have known better.
Her luck was two-faced.
Unable to resist looking, she stole another glance, her blue eyes peeking at the elegant figure.
He knelt upon a woven mat, motionless as carved jade, whilst his legs were folded beneath him. His long black robes pooled around him like dark water, while his silver hair, left unbound, spilled over his shoulders in pale strands that gleamed beneath the lanternlight.
For a long moment, Kyva simply stared.
"He’s meditating?" She whispered to herself, wondering what he was meditating about.
She did not understand the purpose meditations like this truly served. Even in the Bloom Quarter, she had seen others seated in stillness, as though listening for something beyond the reach of ordinary ears.
Then, without warning, he rose to his feet.
Kyva nearly startled herself out of her own skin and ducked back behind the wall.
A faint rustle of fabric followed.
Despite herself, she peeked around the corner once more.
His back was turned to her.
The lanternlight fell across the pale sweep of his robes as he stepped closer to the pond at the heart of the garden.
At first, there was only stillness.
But Kyva felt the atmosphere shift almost unnaturally, and it was enough to send a quiet shiver down her back.
A thin stream of water rose from the surface of the pond at the lift of his fingers, winding through the air like a silver serpent obeying his will. It coiled once around his fingers, then twice, glimmering beneath the faint blue radiance of his affinity.
Before her eyes, the water began to harden.
The liquid shimmered, turning clear as crystal, until at last, it became a narrow blade of ice and water, elegant and deadly.
Without a word, he stepped onto the surface of the pond.
Kyva’s eyes widened at the sight, her lips parting in disbelief.
"He’s... standing upon it like he’s standing on stone," she mused out loud, noticing not even the faintest ripple.
"Unbelievable."
But then he moved.
In a single breath, he crossed the pond, swift and silent. The blade flashed through the night, carving silver-blue arcs into the air. Each stroke was graceful beyond reason, flowing seamlessly into the next like the turning of a river. There was no wasted motion, no effort visible in him at all.
The surface remained smooth and unbroken, reflecting his movements as though the water itself had become a mirror to his art.
At one gesture, steam rose around him like circling dragons. He turned once, the edge of his sleeve sweeping through the lanternlight.
Even from where she stood, Kyva could not look away. She was utterly spellbound.
The mask concealed half of his face, yet somehow only made him more striking. Moonlight traced the line of his jaw and the curve of his throat, while his silver hair drifted behind him with every motion. He seemed less like a man,and more like some ancient spirit of winter and water, beautiful and distant and utterly untouchable.
For once, she understood Liora’s infatuation for her master.
When she dared to blink, he was gone.
