Lucian approached the group of four Novices standing by the cliff at the edge of the courtyard. Their faces registered shock upon seeing him. Everyone likely saw him as the stupidest Novice at the Academy. And for all Lucian knew, he probably was.

  So, Lucian stood away from the group and tried to ignore their hushed whispers.

  Out here in the cold, he was starting to feel a bit sick. But he didn’t want to lose face by going back inside. There were five other Trials to face, and if anything, Lucian wanted the Transcends to note that he hadn’t given up early.

  He couldn’t help but feel the Novices’ eyes staring at him. Two of them, fresh-faced girls with light brown skin and dark hair, probably had less business doing the Trials than Marcus. Both were making a concerted effort not to shiver. Like Lucian, they probably had come from a warmer climate.

  The other two were older, among the Tested, and Lucian had seen them around the Academy. Lucian couldn’t remember their names, but both were in their mid-twenties. The closest of the two was kicking rocks off the cliff. The other watched, guffawing when the kicker tripped over his robes.

  If this was the competition, Lucian might have a shot at passing after all, sickness or not.

  “You’re Lucian, aren’t you?”

  One of the girls had spoken to him. She was pretty, her brown eyes set in a heart-shaped face. The other girl was tall with long hair, and her eyes held something of a mocking quality.

  “That’s me.”

  The male Novice who had been kicking rocks lost interest in the activity. “I thought you were dead.”

  “Not yet.”

  “You did almost die, though, right?” the tall girl asked.

  “Unfortunately.”

  “You aren’t supposed to be talking about the Trial,” the other young man said, his face stern. “Where’s Emma, anyway?”

  “She did the Trials this morning, Petros,” the shorter girl said. She looked back at Lucian. “You’re friends with her, right?”

  “Yeah,” Lucian said.

  “I like Emma,” the girl said. “She’s really nice. My name is Hana. I’m from Sani, too. Like Emma.”

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Lucian.”

  “Yes, I know that,” she said with a laugh. She nodded toward the other girl. “This is Corinne. She’s from Sani, too, but we didn’t know each other before.”

  Were all women from Sani so beautiful? Lucian almost mentioned that before thinking better of it. Flirting before the Trial was probably not a good look.

  “Quiet,” Rock-Kicker said. “He’s coming.”

  Everyone went still as Transcend Green walked into the courtyard from the back entrance of the Academy. He had no Talents with him. Perhaps this Trial would be simple.

  If Transcend Green was surprised to see Lucian, he gave no sign. The Novices lined up and stood at attention. Transcend Green surveyed them for a moment before beginning.

  “Today’s Trial will be relatively straightforward and will consist of two parts. First, I need you to stream a basic light sphere to be maintained for one full minute. After that, you must receive and interpret a radio stream I send. You must stream the answer to me, again by radio. That is the essence of today’s Trial.”

  The first task sounded simple enough, though Lucian had never held a light sphere for as long as a minute. Ten seconds, at most. Unless there was some trick to holding the orb longer, it should be rather simple. The second task, however, would be tougher. Lucian had not learned much about streaming radio waves. Mages usually opted for Psionic links since Psionic Magic was more common between mages and there was no risk of interference. But radio streams also had their place, being more efficient on ether reserves.

  “Novice Lucian,” Transcend Green said. “We’ll begin with you. Stream a light sphere and hold it for a full minute. You may start when ready.”

  That was it, then. No time to even prepare himself.

  He reached for his Focus, grasping it with ease. However, the mere act of forming it sent waves of nausea coursing through him. He let go, bent over, and drew a deep breath.

  “Are you well, Novice?” Transcend Green asked.

  Lucian made himself stand straight. “I’m fine. Please give me a moment, Your Eminence.”

  He didn’t feel fine, though. His eyes drifted upward to the columns on the second floor. To Lucian’s surprise, Psion Gaius was there, watching.

  He couldn’t back down. The Psion would note his refusal to take part. And that information would be inevitably passed on to Transcend White.

  Lucian waited a moment longer to get his bearings. His ether had regenerated somewhat from last night. With luck, it would be enough to get through the Trial.

  Lucian closed his eyes and reached for his Focus, becoming one with it. He could feel the power of the Manifold waiting beyond, but he could not let himself draw directly from it. Not today. All he had to do here was stream a light sphere and hold it in front of him. Simple enough. Radiance was one of his stronger Aspects.

  The only question was whether he could do it while feeling so weak.

  He could feel the Aspect ready to be streamed. The light sphere grew in his mind’s eye. All he had to do was keep the stream steady.

  Lucian allowed the magic to flow. To his satisfaction, a sphere of light materialized about a meter ahead, halfway between him and Transcend Green. So far, so good. It shone brightly enough to make the other Novices shield their eyes.

  “Not so bright, Novice,” Transcend Green said.

  Lucian nodded and slowed the stream. To his relief, the light ebbed. He held it, only feeling the strain after the first thirty seconds had passed. It felt like holding his breath, only . . . different. He maintained his Focus, not allowing any other thought to intrude and disrupt the flow. Passing the Trial depended on that. For something so simple, it had to be executed unfailingly.

  That minute seemed to take forever, and the longer it went, the harder it was to hold the stream. Ether burned through him at a steady clip.

  Just when he felt in danger of losing control, Transcend Green nodded. “Good.”

  Lucian let out a breath and stemmed the stream. He had executed it almost perfectly.

  “Novice Garrett,” Transcend Green said. “You’re next.”

  Rock-Kicker cleared his throat and shifted his feet. He was so gangly that his robes billowed outward with every stray breeze. His cheeks were rosy as if someone had pinched them. Garrett closed his eyes, and after a full minute of intense concentration, a light sphere appeared before him, too. But his was dimmer than Lucian’s, and its intensity warbled notably, especially toward the end. Garrett held the sphere for a full minute, letting out a breath when Transcend Green called time.

  “Novice Petros,” Transcend Green said. "It's your turn.”

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  Petros started at the mention of his name. But when the time came, his sphere was perfect, in both intensity and duration. It didn’t deviate for a moment, while not being too bright to look at.

  Next were the two girls from Sani. Hana could only hold her sphere half the time, and it was too bright. Corinne’s sputtered in and out over the duration.

  Once everyone had finished, it was clear that only three Novices had a shot at passing.

  “Good,” Transcend Green said, stroking his gray beard. “Now, for the second part of the Trial. Go stand over there, by the bathhouse wall, while I move to the opposite end of the courtyard. I’ll stream a radio wave to each of you. Your job is to receive my message and relay the answer back to me. We’ll go in the same order as last time.” He looked around at the Novices, his face as wrinkled as a prune. “Understood?”

  “Yes, Your Eminence,” they said in unison.

  Lucian went to the appointed spot and reached for his Focus. He waited for Transcend Green to arrive at the opposite end of the courtyard, about a hundred meters away. Was he streaming already? Lucian couldn’t feel anything yet, and he wasn’t sure if he should have.

  And his head was already swimming with the effort. He hoped he had enough energy not only to complete the Trial but also to figure out how to do it in the process.

  He knew from his reading that receiving and transmitting radio waves using Radiant Magic was all about finding the right frequency. Given that he could do that, he might have a shot at passing.

  Lucian began by releasing a thin stream of Radiance. Radio waves were long, requiring little ether. He expanded his Focus, becoming aware of the Radiant Aspect in the world before him. Details sharpened. It seemed he could see farther, a sign that his magic was allowing him to interpret the visible spectrum more efficiently. This too had its uses, though it wasn’t the purpose of today’s Trial. He needed to slow the stream until he could perceive radio waves.

  The world shifted entirely. He saw new colors—violet beyond violet, and he let out a gasp at its vibrancy.

  No. This was the wrong way. He knew he was seeing into the ultraviolet spectrum, burning what remained of his ether at an alarming rate.

  But there was still time to correct it. The ultraviolet spectrum subsided until all became as red as blood. Redder than red. Until the red stretched so far that the world itself disappeared into a black void. Here, he could “see” an unintelligible babble of voices. Radio waves.

  The din was overwhelming. On-world, off-world, and even farther out than the Volsung System. There were thousands of them. He had the strange thought that if there were a God, this was what it would be like to hear everyone praying all at once.

  Of all those voices, he had to isolate Transcend Green’s.

  That was easier said than done. Lucian was aware, even under the cacophony of noise, that there had to be an easier way. He tried to block everything out, limiting the reach of his Focus. Voices fell away until there were only a few conversations within the garbled static. He limited the range even further, honing it down, sensing for the right frequency. He felt the rate of his ether burn increase. Seeing radio waves was easy. Distinguishing the right one among thousands was the hard part.

  And there was only so much time before his ether ran dry.

  After a couple of minutes of searching, just as he burned what remained of his reserves, he found one he knew to be the right one, though he couldn’t have said how.

  Congratulations. You’ve passed the Trial. That is, if you can find a way to thank me.

  Lucian opened his eyes to see Transcend Green watching him from the other side of the courtyard. Hearing the transmission was one thing; Lucian still had to respond to it.

  He kept his Focus attuned to the frequency. Once sure, Lucian responded.

  I heard you. Thank you, Transcend Green.

  Transcend Green nodded, and Lucian felt the connection sever. He let go of his stream and let out a breath.

  He’d done it.

  “Next, Novice Garrett," Transcend Green called.

  Lucian stood aside, in disbelief and exultation. Against all odds, he had finally managed to not screw something up.

  He looked up at the second-floor arcade, but Psion Gaius was gone.

  Lucian watched the other Novices go through their own tests. It was impossible to see if they had failed or succeeded, the only clue being facial expressions. Garrett seemed confident and sure. The two Sani girls’ pallid expressions revealed they were out of their depth. Petros’s face was an unreadable mask, but Lucian suspected that he had completed the Trial, given his performance during the first part.

  Once all were done, Transcend Green called a halt for the day.

  “This concludes the Radiance Trial,” he said. “Lucian, you will be with your assigned group tomorrow.”

  Lucian lowered his head. “Thank you, Transcend Green.”

  After Transcend Green was out of earshot, the Novices gathered to discuss the Trial.

  “Do you think you passed?” Garrett asked Petros.

  “Of course I passed,” he said. “Radiance is my primary.”

  “I did well enough, I think, for my secondary,” Garrett said. “What about you, Lucian?”

  “I think I did well.”

  “Took you a while to find the frequency, didn’t it?”

  Lucian nodded. “Yeah. Look, I should go. I’m pretty beat.”

  The girls were already inside the Academy, likely not wanting to discuss their Trial. Lucian made a beeline for the Academy as well. Now that he was no longer streaming, he was starting to catch a chill. His head felt as if it were floating, and it was all he could do to keep himself moving. He had been drained to his limit, to the point where he wasn’t sure how he’d be ready for the Dynamism Trial tomorrow morning. Since he’d been moved to the afternoon group today, he’d have less time than the rest of his group to recover.

  Normally, it would be too early for dinner, but during the Trials, food was always kept ready. Lucian headed toward the dining hall, bumping into Emma in line.

  “Up already?” She took one look at him and seemed to guess where he had been. “Wait. Don’t tell me you did the Trial?”

  He nodded. “I’m feeling better. And Psion Gaius let me, so why not?”

  “I thought I told you to take it easy!”

  “I feel fine,” he said. He filled his bowl with a generous portion of stew, even if he was feeling a little sick.

  “Okay,” she said, sounding unsure. "How did it go, then?”

  “I did well,” Lucian said. “Simple enough.”

  She ladled stew into her bowl. “Well, as long as you didn’t kill yourself this time.”

  “You’re the one killing me.”

  She smiled. “You know I’m joking. You do look a little pale, though.”

  “A warm fire and a bowl of stew are all I need.”

  She gave him a suffering look before going to the table. Lucian sat across from her. Emma took one bite of the stew, her nose wrinkling.

  “I’m so tired of stew,” Emma said. “What I wouldn’t give for a big, juicy burger! With lots of cheese and onions.”

  “A fan of American food, huh?”

  “I like all food,” she said. “Just . . . not stew. There was this burger joint on L5. Burgers, fries, milkshakes, all that sort of unhealthy stuff.” She stared at her stew wistfully. “I’ll never get to have real food again, will I?”

  “Become a Talent, and you could make that restaurant your first stop if you want.”

  “Yeah. Right.”

  Lucian smiled. “I thought we weren’t complaining about things anymore.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’m starting to regret those words. Complaining feels good sometimes.” She sighed. “I only have to sink ten more years in this place, then maybe they’ll trust me enough to go on expeditions.” She poked the stew with her spoon glumly.

  “Poor Emma,” Lucian said. “Maybe one day, when I’m a Talent, I can bring you something to go."

  “Ha! What makes you think you’ll make Talent first?”

  He shrugged. “I am rather talented.”

  “Well, so am I! I think you’re full of yourself, Lucian.”

  “Aren’t most people generally full of themselves? Who else would I be full of?”

  “Good one. What I meant was, you’re quite full of yourself for someone who took an unintentional swim in the Ocean of Storms.”

  “Well, not just anyone can make it to the bottom and live to tell the tale.”

  “Maybe so,” she admitted. “I never would have thought that not dying would be impressive.”

  “You must have found it impressive. You came to check on me today, after all.”

  She smiled. “Maybe I have a soft spot for the charity cases.” She turned and put a finger on his chest. “And you are most definitely a charity case.”

  “We’ll see if you’re still saying that when I come back with some real food. Someday. I might even warm it up for you with a little Thermal Magic. My soft spot is for women in distress.”

  She smiled. “Wow. As if!” Her mood became glum again. “With the way my Gravitonics Trial went, anyway, there’s no way I’ll make Talent, so maybe I should take you up on that offer. Not that I had a chance, anyway.”

  “Well, I’m not making it either. I did well enough on the Radiance Trial, but the rest is a real shitshow.”

  She laughed. “Yes, that’s quite . . . apt. And we must pass all of them to even have a shot. And all these Trials are supposed to be basic competency. Can you imagine what advanced training will be like?”

  Lucian couldn’t. He’d never even seen the Talents training on the second floor. Surely, they were practicing things far more advanced than what the Novices were doing. The closest thing he’d seen was Khairu’s practice on board Lightsail on their way here, and that was months ago.

  If her work with a shockspear and Dynamism was any indication, the Talents had earned their namesake.

  “We’ll be much better prepared for next year,” Lucian said. “We’ve got Dynamism tomorrow. If our lessons with Khairu are any sign, I don’t expect to do too well there.”

  “I should do well. Dynamism comes pretty naturally to me.”

  “Maybe you can give me some tips. Or some training.”

  “Training?” She laughed. “I need my energy for tomorrow.”

  “You just see me as competition.”

  “Well, as much as you’re my friend, I do have to look after myself sometimes.” Before Lucian could get another word in, she stood. “Good luck, Lucian.”

  He couldn’t help but watch her walk away, a bit regretfully. Their relationship could never progress beyond this light flirting and banter. It was almost enough to foul his mood, despite doing well in the Radiance Trial.

  After dinner, Lucian knew he should head to the library to study, but he was too sick and tired. He went to the bathhouse, finding the male side empty. He filled the tub with cold water from the basin and placed it over the flames to warm. He could practice his Thermalism here by warming his water with magic, but he didn’t want to drain himself further.

  He waited a good fifteen minutes for the water to warm, and then stepped inside. There he soaked for half an hour, luxuriating in the feeling of warmth reentering his bones. He needed this reprieve after last night.

  Once done, he headed back to his room to sleep.