Thespians, who provided entertainment in the form of music and play-acting. They also prepared and delivered speeches for important events, such as the graduation banquet.
Culinarians, who prepared food and drink for common meals and special events.
Scholars, who either became instructors, performed specific research and messenger duties on behalf of guild councils, or worked in the Library. Some of their tasks included keeping records of the angels’ history, producing calligraphic art, and developing new types of paper for use in scrolls.
Warriors, the most secretive of all guilds. In Lila’s opinion, they weren’t so much building something as they were keeping something from being destroyed, but in any case…
Finally, architects. The ones who designed and planned new architectural projects, including those involving stone, jewels, metal, glass, wood, and special features such as water and plants. To be an architect, in Lila’s opinion, was to be at the highest level of any of the guilds. Usually, one became an architect after first specializing in one of the other areas, then receiving additional training in design work. Preferably, an architect had a thorough understanding of all the arts, or at least the ones pertaining to the field of architecture.
Lila had applied to be an architect once; she’d also applied to be in metalworking. She’d been turned down on both counts, but that was to be expected. She thought she must have a dreadful sense of humor, the way she liked to play practical jokes on herself.
Her as an architect? Sure. When the Void opened up and refused to swallow them, it would happen.
As it was, she’d been sorted into woodworking along with Castor. The dullest of the guilds. The one requiring the least natural aptitude and theleast industrious attitude, or so Lila assumed based on Castor’s defining characteristics.
At present, she and Castor had reached the front of the chamber, where Master Zachariah, the head carpenter of the woodworking guild, stood with the heads of the other respective guilds on a raised platform. Behind the group, a shallow alcove contained a limestone table, atop which sat a collection of gold insignia pins, a scroll with the official seal of the Library, and a stick of burning incense inside a shallow gold bowl. The smoke from the incense tickled Lila’s nose, and she tried to refrain from sneezing.
A short, sinewy angel, Master Zachariah stepped forward and unrolled the scroll, which Lila knew to be the oath of faithfulness to their chosen craft—chosenusually meaning some mystifying mixture of personal preference, natural aptitude, and guild approval, though in Lila’s case it meant none of those things.
Master Zachariah instructed Castor and Lila to bow their heads, and Lila stared at her unfamiliar gold slippers while Castor, in her stead, answered the master carpenter’s questions and repeated the required affirmations.
“Do you pledge to perform your best work, to serve all of Heaven with your gifts and talents? Do you pledge to assist others in the woodworking guild in times of need?” The deep timbre of the master’s voice boomed throughout the chamber.
“Yes, Master. Yes, Master,” Castor replied.
Lila chewed the inside of her cheek.
“Do you pledge to uphold the seven virtues of master artisans, those being patience, perseverance, discipline, discernment, humility, unity, and variety?”
Lila blinked.
“Yes, Master,” Castor replied.
“Excellent. Please hold out your hands for the blessing.”
Lila fisted her white robes.
“Carpenter Lila?…Carpenter Lila?”
She jerked her head up. Master Zachariah was eyeing her with amusement, as though she’d missed a joke.
“Yes?” she croaked, then cleared her throat. “Yes, Master?”
“You may hold out your hands for this part.”
“Oh.” Lila imitated Castor, extending her arms out with the palms of her hands facing upward.
Master Zachariah placed his dark palms above Castor’s pale ones first. Then he droned some more. A litany of blessing written by the Creator when the first angels had been tasked with the work of adorning Heaven in splendor.
Having finished with Castor, the master hovered his hands over hers, and as he spoke, her palms tingled. Sparks flew up from her skin, and her hands glowed with pure light.
Then the blessing concluded, and Lila felt nothing again.
Master Zachariah stuck their newly minted insignia pins onto the collars of their white robes: two crossed hammers. As Lila watched him thread the needle through the thick fabric, the weight of the pin felt like a foundation stone being laid on her chest.
A final suffocation.
In the Banquet Hall,Lila and Castor sat with Beni, Eva, and Adrianna, just as they’d always done.
