I merely stood still, keeping my breathing easy; clinging to the sense of determination that had earlier coursed through me.
Talon motioned for us to sit.I rounded the chair and, careful not to knock over the bucket, sat down. Once the others had done the same, Talon gave Ajax a nod.
Ajax turned to the crowd, his earthy skin tone marking him as Delphiae. “Talon requires no introduction—you will have heard plenty about the Cardinal of the Black Tapestry. My name is Ajax; I’m a Marshall within the Order, as are both Vesper and Keyes.”
Stocky and dark-skinned, Keyes tipped his chin in hello. Vesper inclined her head, making her long white ponytail dance slightly.
“The moment many of you have been waiting for has arrived,” Ajax continued. “Others of you may have been dreading it—a sign of intelligence, in truth, because what’s coming is no fun.”
I felt my brow crease as Talon walked off and disappeared behind the barracks.
“Before we begin,” said Ajax, “let us tell you about what it means to be an officiate within the Black Tapestry. As part of serving and protecting the Sovereigns, we control and enforce the security of the isle’s border. As you’ll have heard, the half-bloods from the Dark Lands occasionally send their armies here—the rightful ownership of Deimos will always be contested.”
Her hands perched on her slim hips, Vesper nodded. “Theseus, Daedalus, Medea and Scylla may have voluntarily left, but this was their original home; they didn’thappilyleave. Sometimes they aim to ambush our force. Other times they aim to reach the city without detection. It is our job to ensure that they don’t ever succeed.”
“Border surveillance comes in various forms,” said Ajax, beginning to slowly pace. “There’s sentry duty, where you’d be posted at the city’s watchtowers to monitor activity. Ob-duty involves staying at bunker observation posts within Reaper’s Pines for stretches of time. Ongoing patrols occur daily in the Pines, which isn’t a favorite since it’s not exactly hospitable terrain.”
Sounded delightful.
Keyes folded his arms across his solid chest. “Many risks and responsibilities come with being part of the Order. We train hard and we keep busy. We also all chip in to run the garrison. Cooking, cleaning, tending the animals—whatever is required.”
Hearing a low gasp, I spared Seneca a quick glance, feeling my lips quirk at her offended frown. She was clearly affronted that she would be required to ‘chip in.’ As though it was beneath her.
“I realize that many of you have never had to lift a finger in your life,” Keyes went on, “but that will need to change if you become one of us. We don’t carry dead weight; no one gets special treatment.”
“That’s not to say it’s allwork here,” Vesper told us. “But there’s definitely no work/life balance. Being an officiate wouldbeyour life.”
Ajax paused in his pacing. “You may not be put-off by any of this. Part of it may be that there’s little you won’t do to have access to the power lying dormant within you. Understandable. But that privilege comes with a price tag. If you join the Order, you will not procreate. You will not marry. You will have no contact with the general population unless it’s part of your role—your loyalty has to be primarily to the Tapestry.”
While I’d already learned all of that, it was clear that the majority of the other candidates hadn’t. They exchanged looks of surprise—some didn’t seem too happy about it, others weren’t much fazed.
As I was glancing at each face, my gaze clashed with that of Atticus. His mouth curved into a condescending ‘you’re going to fail what comes next’ grin.
I gave him a vapid smile and then looked away.
“For anyone here thinking that nothing could make them reconsider joining the Order,” began Vesper, “don’t be too sure.” A little smirk played with one corner of her lips. “Xalbia has a way of changing people’s minds. It is not a series of trials. It is forty straight days of abject misery.”
It waswhat?
Keyes picked up where Vesper left off, saying, “It will challenge you. Drain you. Play on your fears. Force you to confront your weaknesses. It may even kill you—as may the surfacing of your power. Not all godkin handle the latter well; they become too overwhelmed.”
“The purpose of Xalbia isn’t to torture you,” Ajax specified, “though it might feel that way at times. Everything it puts you through is in an effort to expose and lure out your every strength and weakness. It will also prepare you for what liesahead, should you decide you want a place in the Order. Being descendants of gods won’t give you an edge; Xalbia isdesignedto challenge people with your strength, speed, and stamina—none of which will be enough to get you through it anyway. Xalbia will test you mentally and spiritually as well.”
Talon reappeared carrying a wooden barrel, which he then placed in the center of the stretch of grass. He removed the lid and pulled out something that made my jaw drop.
Was that … was that a golden apple?
“There is one of these for each of you right here in this barrel,” said Keyes. “They’re coated inichor.”
Ah, the liquid powerof the gods.
“They will cause your latent abilities to surface,” Keyes explained. “It may take days, even weeks, but they’ll come to you. All you have to do is consume the apple.”
Talon dropped it back into the barrel and lifted anAny questions?brow.
“Why are we being granted our abilities now rather than on joining the Black Tapestry?” asked Bevan.
“It is all part of weeding out the weak,” Ajax explained. “Because let me tell you, there will be nothing easy about ingesting theichor, let alone handling the surfacing of whatever abilities lie dormant in your system.”
