By the time Eden returned, Declan was two steps into the second room and now he was making real progress, not removing the mountain of junk but picking a wall to mound it against. His living space had doubled, sort of. “Be right out. I’ve been ignoring this for too long.”

  “So you decided to tackle it while on medical restriction?” Eden asked. “I brought you a standard order pad. You’ll need to negotiate rates at first but I certainly don’t travel around the city every time I need a new carpet. And you need new carpets.”

  “Doors.” He had his priorities. “Also, I’m going to fully establish the maze. Killing blazed beasts from your side won’t be tolerated. I’m drafting an official ‘Notice of Cessation’ in Etiquette tonight.”

  “I’d be delighted to post it,” she said with an actual grin. “We do it because no one says we can’t. An official notice and I’ll tell my house ‘Sorry, it’s not my decision, we have to comply.’”

  Declan quickly wrote out three orders. “Now what?”

  “They go in the Crown Post drop out front. I should have taught you this at first, except you had no money, no hope, no connections and much larger problems. I’m sorry, keep the pad as my apology.” Eden leaned into the second room and then ducked out. “I know a good maid. When will you be up for lunch?”

  “Probably today.” Declan had to visit Medical anyway. “I had my mana channels expanded. An ‘off market’ treatment.”

  “Don’t do those. I know. I’ve sought so many ‘off market’ fixes for my arcsoul. They’re all a shortcut to losing rin, sleep, and hope.” She patted him on the back. “And shower before you come. We’ve missed you.”

  ###

  Declan went to Medical first, allowing them to check his mana channels, a process that didn’t hurt in the least. They wanted another week of no casting, which was going to drive him crazy. Instead, he sent a message to Rohan Taylor. He owed House Taylor an Insight session and planned on delivering.

  Brutus Scheffer had sent him a schedule and an application for a court seat, which would apparently be somewhere so high up in the audience he could reach up and tickle the clouds.

  Then he dashed off a letter to Skinner, summarizing progress and including a copy of the Medical orders, as well as his plans. The old man was still on crown busines, and Declan didn’t mind.

  He was first at lunch and had already set out a plate for Roland when the others arrived. “I have survived! Did you see my battle against the twenty foot tall demon? There it was, leaning over me, mouth open and I threw my sword. Blam,—”

  “Swords don’t go blam,” Harris said. “Trust me. I’ve broken enough runes to know. Speaking of which, I owe you so much. I’ve made five Punishing Fire Shield runes for Instructor Sherman and she pays me in shards.”

  “You’re supposed to owe me,” Roland said. “You’re cutting into my business, Thorn.”

  It was wonderful, listening to them talk about the shared problems of running an arcanist house. “I instituted house chores, it went better than expected. And I’d like to thank Eden for introducing me to order slips.”

  “You didn’t know about that?” Harris asked, “How did you not know? Oh, man. Now I’m wondering what else you don’t know. You know you have a safe in your room, or are you still hiding your runes under those empty vapor bottles?”

  “There is no safe,” he stated.

  Roland began to laugh. “Harris’s workshop. My gameroom. Eden’s lab. It’s in the floor, center of the room. Store shit you care about there. Though I wouldn’t think to look under a bunch of piss-filled vapor bottles.”

  After lunch, he attended Etiquette, drafted the threatened Notice, and then drifted to the armory, where he couldn’t learn corrupted runes but he could use Insight. Supervisor Gladson sat with him to talk, just to talk. “We were worried. There’s no reason to rush, mana channel injuries are second only to arcsoul ones. But if you have time, the ArCore brought in a new one that’s baffling.”

  “If it’s the shadow demon, that’s tier five. I could spend hours and make zero progress. That’s exactly what happened when I tried.”

  Gladson returned a moment with the rune-stone. “This is the only place at the Academy where we appreciate what you can do. Train it so you can do it even better.”

  Declan went to work, which is to say, he practiced being blinded.

  Two days later he received his notice that The Sun Queen would receive him. That was truly terrifying until Eden explained that it was a gentle way of saying he had a cheap seat. Two days before he left, he called in Chen, Hayden, Urik and Gurnak and had a discussion. “Urik, your job is to kick Chen’s ass. Chen, your job is to study in the morning, sleep until eight and take the night shift. Hayden you are a beast and I hope you enjoy what I got you when it arrives.”

  “Groceries?”

  Declan shook his head. “Don’t get your hopes up too high and you won’t be too disappointed. But you’re a treasure. Support each other. If things get out of hand, send a note to Lake Domine…or Tegan. Maybe. I have a duty to do for the Tailors and I want to see this Sun Queen.”

  “We’ll be mostly fine,” Chen said. “I’m not Declan Thorn, but I am damned handsome and a fearsome emperor.”

  Gurnak was a man of few words, but he glanced to Declan and shook his head. There would be no second reign of Chen. His cousin Urik was possibly the most well-spoken Arcanist Declan had met. “I have watched and learned, and now, I will show you what it means to run a ‘smooth’ house.”

  “I look forward to it. Seriously, I feel like we’re on the edge of something great. There’s more barrels coming tomorrow. When the doors arrive, don’t bother hanging them, just move them inside and lean them against the wall.” Declan stood and gave each a handshake.

  Then he sought Tegan Domine, who was coming to the end of her leave. “Can we talk in private?”

  “Asking to come into my room? You’re brave.” She let him in and shut it. “You look better. Want me to check?”

  Declan declined. “Medical already declared no runes for a week. I’m going to fulfill that voucher I gave Roland and see the Sun Queen. Her court. Not in person. Anyway, if you need it, the mana locks on my door will open for you.”

  “Giving me a key to your room! Now I feel like this relationship is on a whole new level. But yeah, I heard the administrators trying to figure out how to handle it. No one says no to the ArCore. But even more, no one says no to a house lord.” She’d set her jaw in a way that Declan figured would end in blood for someone. Not him.

  “If you don’t need it, it’s still yours. I have a safe, apparently, somewhere under the junk pile Wormy built in the second room of my apartment and I’ll store it there, eventually. I’ll be back in three days, four if there’s a mana storm that disrupts the arrays.” Declan wasn’t entirely worried about mana storms. They’d been common occurences in Foundrytown, with that much arcite crush being refined.

  “I go back on duty in two. This place is going to catch fire, burn to the ground, then the ashes will fall into a pit, and it’ll probably be better. But I’ll keep an eye on monsters around here, when I can. For a house arcanist, you’re not half bad.”

  “As an arcanist,” Declan said. “I’m registered.”

  “You don’t want my opinion on you as an arcanist. From where you started? Doing amazing. Keep doing amazing. Don’t do stupid. Don’t die.” Tegan opened the door. “You want an escort to the glint array?”

  “Rohan’s going to see his parents for the last few days of his leave after we stop in the capital. I’m tired of being bait. I want to be the one hunting.” First he’d have to let his mana channels heal.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  ###

  Rohan met him at the glint array with a bundle he tossed Declan. “I was told, and I quote, ‘Give this to Thorn and tell him he’s appearing in the court. Dress like it.’”

  “By who?” Declan asked as they passed the guards for the array.

  “Skinner had them sent to administration. You’re apparently meeting him in the capital and going to the session today. The man’s got pull with the Crown. They call on him all the time, he probably had you moved to the floor for a better view.” Rohan paused as the array activated and technicians tested it. “You know why you have to apply for court, right?”

  “I’m sure everyone wants to see the glorious Sun Queen. She’s a real person, Brutus assures me.” Declan had no doubt of that. Doubts about everything else, he had by the bag.

  Rohan’s grip on Declan grew like iron. “They didn’t tell you why. They didn’t tell you! Ash and shit, would it kill anyone to actually imagine what people don’t know? The Sun Queen. The Radiant Sun Queen. You have to apply and pay because just being in her presence affects you. It’s said it causes growth, but every person feels it differently. Those who attend receive an insight into themselves every tier. It’s called ‘Illumnation.’”

  Now Declan understood Brutus’s insistence. What he didn’t understand was why Skinner himself hadn’t demanded Declan go. “How do I get the most out of this? I don’t want to waste my growth on discovering I really don’t like the color mauve.”

  “No one likes mauve. You can’t control this, it’s you, but it’s who and what you are. It’s how Tegan realized she wanted to work in Medical. We’re all booked on the floor every tier. That’s how often attending will actually help. It’ll make you grow otherwise but it’s a waste of rin and a competition for space with people who need it.” Rohan stopped as the technicians declared it clear. “It’s easier to use Wind Lift to throw yourself through.”

  Declan didn’t have that but he did have the determination. “Let’s go.” He sprinted toward the array, leaping into the shredder that tore at him. Rohan was right, being incapable of stopping was the best way to enter the glint. It wasn’t the best way to exit and he crashed to the floor on polished stone tiles, busting his lip open.

  Rohan helped Declan up. “That’s the downside. The landing is rough. We need to clear the array, there’s always a last minute crush.”

  Twenty feet away, Keel Skinner stood, dressed in solid black with a red stole. He waved his cane until Declan acknowledged him, then waited for both men. “Declan. Rohan, will you be going on to Mazal?”

  “Yeah, but I’ll do it the boring way. One glint a day is too many. I already saw the queen this tier. It wasn’t what I wanted but it was what I needed.” He clapped Declan on the back. “Don’t worry about the lip. You’ll see.”

  To Declan’s complete lack of surprise, Skinner was already walking away. “We’re late and you can’t appear in court like this. You’ve probably been told the garbage about Illumination and can’t wait but understand this: She is the sun queen. Her runes are light for the soul, the mind and body, but illumination does not create a truth. It reveals one you already possess.”

  “Why didn’t you plan this from the start?”

  “What makes you think I didn’t?” Skinner laughed as he led them through the most glorious halls Declan had ever seen. His entire house would fit inside and not reach the roof. Light runes glowed in a continuous wave down the center of the ceiling. The floor was alternating hexagons of red and green stone so polished it reflected Declan’s boots. “You needed history to understand the context of what you’ll see. You needed a bare minimum of etiquette to avoid embarrassing yourself. But this is my absolute goal for you.” Everywhere he went, guards deferred to Skinner, until he stopped at a side door. “Change. The Sun Queen sees all her light touches. She remembers all she sees. I fear you will have too much reason to see and be seen and want her next memory of you to be good.”

  Inside was dressing room where Declan changed into the fresh Academy staff uniform. This cloak had a six-inch wide band of electric blue around the outside. The boots were stiff and polished black. The man who looked out from the mirror at Declan was a stranger. An arcanist like any other, if he didn’t know the truth.

  The building shook as bells rang and trumpets blasted.

  Declan quickly emerged. “What was that?”

  “Court call. We must get to our seats. I have a box just off the floor, you’ll be my guest. Do not ask to return, I will choose when you come and do so when you can grow. If you waste the rin on a balcony seat, that is your poor decision.” Skinner approached a heavily guarded door, soul-casting a single rune that held in place just long enough for Declan to read it. “Blinding Truth?”

  Blinding Truth: Reveal the identity of one before you, limited by the tier of the arcanist and the tier of this rune. Mana Cost: Extreme, Based on Target. Tier Five Rune.

  “Hush.”

  The guards opened the door. The sound of a crowd rushed out, and Declan stepped through as the door shut, only to find them faced with another set of guards. These were not decorative. Their swords hung in bare loops, their armor was dented, they didn’t crowd, instead letting one take the point and the others flanking, hands on weapons.

  “Warband. The Queen sends her welcome,” said the first guard. “No guests in the box today. We can’t risk it.”

  “He’s my assistant. House Arcanist for Ariloch,” Skinner said, putting a hand on Declan’s shoulder. “Tier zero, for ash’s sake.”

  The guard bowed to Skinner but turned on Declan, activating a rune that interlocked half a dozen shapes.

  Declan flinched, looking away at the overwhelming force. It was like the tier five, only more powerful. He didn’t dare say the name that came to mind.

  “What are you doing?” The guard asked.

  Skinner remained silent for long enough to ensure there wouldn’t be more. “Bringing my assistant. My guest. A registered arcanist with the same right as anyone else. I’m too tired to play court games.”

  After a tense moment, the royal guards stepped back, and Skinner led the way along a narrow walkway that led to a private viewing box just above the ground floor. The court lay not twenty feet away, a golden throne and a circle of seats, seven at the closest, twelve just past that and twenty four beyond. Ten feet past the outer line began the floor seats, divided by house, and then banked seats rose higher and higher. A second level held ones so distant it would be like watching ants, if ants discussed matters of state.

  Skinner eased himself into a wide, plush leather recliner. “I swear by the Sun Queen’s Radiance, I have no idea what he was asking. It is not an accident I choose to spend my days at the Academy. It is a choice to leave this world and embrace that.”

  Declan’s seat folded down but unlike the chair from the junk pile, didn’t splinter. “They’re seating Lansoms next to Eastwicks. Won’t that end badly?”

  “Why would that end badly?” Skinner asked.

  “Because the House Eastwick split from the Lansoms a decade ago and took the only source of rune engraving marble with them,” Declan said. “And twenty years ago the Eastwicks were part of Drevond. I mean, who hasn’t been? The Drevonds marry early and often, for the last three hundred years.”

  “It seems History has been worth the rin. This is a trial for a pair of minor lords. You should pay more attention to the seven and the twelve. Listen to what they say, pay attention to what they don’t.” Skinner seemed pleased with Declan’s answer.

  Declan was moderately surprised he’d retained that at all. “And this ‘Sun Queen,’ what does she do?”

  “Very little when the Houses cooperate. Here, it’s time.” Skinner took his cane and leaned forward.

  A voice boomed out across the court as people rushed to take seats. “Her Radiance the Sun Queen now holds her Court, the thirteen thousandth, two hundred and fifty fourth. As she rises, so do we.”

  Declan stood along with Skinner, holding breath. A warm golden light had begun to shine behind the throne. More royal guards poured from behind it, swords drawn as they formed a ring around the floor seats.Then they kneeled.

  The woman who rose from behind the throne wore a dress woven from sunlight itself. It stretched like rays of light from the ground up to where she hovered, no visible rune. But her presence lay like a thousand pound blanket over the court. Her hair was flaming red, darker than Alisters at the ends and growing more golden as it reached her face. A face Declan could barely look at due to her presence. It wasn’t delicate. Some would have called it a harsh countenance but only because they didn’t want to say ‘ugly.’”

  Then mana fractured across the court. A rune blossomed into existence, spinning behind the Sun Queen, not rotating.

  Declan would have screamed if his jaw wasn’t locked up and every muscle in his body seized. Radiant Dawn. The words came unbidden to his mind. The rune went from blinding to burning, lines going from blurry to razor sharp, imprinted into his mind forever.

  Her presence was everywhere, and for just a moment, Declan understood this was the power of an arcanist who could spread their focus across a thousand court members, taking in each of them. There wasn’t time to be self conscious. The attention flashed across him and was gone before he could think of it. Then the rune was gone and Declan nearly fell face first over the rail.

  But court wasn’t over, it had just begun.

  “Who attends?” The Sun Queen said. Her voice was everywhere, all at once, an older woman who had seen ten thousand daybreaks and ten thousand nightfalls. “Who seeks council?”

  A man rose from the floor seats. The royal guards fell back, and he stepped forward, taking the path between the crescent of chairs to kneel before her. It was the emmissary who had come to the Academy for help, who had observed Declan’s time in the inquisition. “From House Drevond, Cam Drevond.” A ray of light blossomed from the Sun Queen, stretching out and then coalescing into a drop of sun in motion to light the chair furthest right. The man there dropped his head in reverence.

  “From House Rush, Maxwell Rush. From House Perth, Lasha Perth. From House Harding, Drayus Harding. From House Domine, Kari Domine. From House Taylor, Harold Taylor.” The Emissary halted. The court grew silent. “From House Ariloch, Declan Thorn.”

  In his observation, it had been a drop of light that blossomed and drifted like a bubble before settling on the chair. From his seat it was like staring straight into the sun. In that light he saw every moment, every action the Inquest had revealed. And his own, seen both distant and cold and the memories they brought up. Every interaction since he came to the Academy, every choice.

  “Welcome, Declan Thorn of House Ariloch.” The voice rang out across the court. Then spoke again, in his mind. You honor the memory of Ventus, and for his sake, I welcome you. From ashes of the foundry, you come. In the ashes of what once was, you stand. From those ashes, I command you, rise.

  For just a moment, the heat of a thousand suns seared him to his very soul. Then the world went dark.